Teachers in the trenches have long suspected that the “data-driven” reforms being shoved down their throats by Gates, Broad, Walton, Obama, Duncan, Rhee, et al, had little credible data to back them up and little hope of improving educational outcomes for their students. An article in the latest issue of Science (reposted on EurekAlert) lends credibility to these suspicions.
According to UC San Diego educational economist JuIian Betts and Richard Atkinson, president emeritus of the University of California and former director of the National Science Foundation, most studies of charter schools "use unsophisticated methods that tell us little about causal effects." There are very few randomized studies. Most rely on comparisons
gatesfoundation.org - Throughout m y careers in software and philanthropy—and in each of my annual letters—a recurring theme has been that innovation is the key to improving the world. When innovators work on urgent prob...
politico.com - Bill Gates said Thursday that the county’s has got to hike taxes and the wealthy should shoulder a greater burden of the increase, while he rejected any close correlation between job creation and t...
allthingsedu.blogspot.com - Each day this week I have presented a response to different parts of Governor McDonnell's "Opportunity to Learn" education agenda. On Monday, I gave an introduction and talked about the goal of adv...
nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com - MDRC released a study today, which the NY Times writes “appeared to validate the Bloomberg administration’s decade-long push to create small schools to replace larger, failing high schools.” The r...
suntimes.com - BY ROSALIND ROSSI Staff Reporter January 26, 2012 1:00AM Updated: January 26, 2012 2:54AM Parents charged Wednesday that the opposition to a 71/2 hour school day touted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel is str...
washingtonpost.com - A new study commissioned by D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray recommends that the city turn around or close more than three dozen traditional public schools in its poorest neighborhoods and expand the num...
crcpress.com - Features Presents a critical analysis of Compstat based upon primary research Uses data from the NYPD available only to the authors Discusses both academic and practitioner views Contains numerous ...
preaprez.wordpress.com - Rahm doesn’t think pay-for-protesters is a problem. And his hand-picked board of education seems to have skipped a step. They’re budgeting for turnarounds before all the public hearings and before ...
suntimes.com - Editorials January 25, 2012 6:00PM Updated: January 26, 2012 2:17AM Outrageous. There is no other way to describe the practice, revealed by the Sun-Times and other media, of ministers hiring “rent-...
coloradoindependent.com - There once was a time–you know it’s true–when school board candidates in Colorado hoped to raise enough money for yard signs and a flyer to hand out or leave at doors. Times have changed. In the mo...
michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Pres. Obama wrestled verbally over immigration policy with racist Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer, after hundreds of Tucson students walked out of their schools in a coordinated protest against the banishmen...
tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com - Sahil Kapur January 26, 2012, 11:10 AM Newt Gingrich’s case for boosting federal investments into private sector space projects awkwardly embraces a core tenet of modern liberalism: the belief that...
michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - A GOP salute At least there's someone who likes Obama/Duncan ed policies. "Republicans tonight salute our President, for instance, for his aggressive pursuit of the murderers of 9/11, and for brave...
michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Pharaoh's army got drowndedO Mary don't you weep The Sun-Times reports: The Chicago Public Schools inspector general said Wednesday he is investigating reports that bused protesters were paid t...
leilaladomptable.wordpress.com - Update 5th Jan 2011 — This piece is being used in the campaign to tell Apple to Stop Slavery Practices at Foxconn’s Manufacturies. Please have a look, sign & promote! http://www.change.org/petition...
ednewscolorado.org - This article was submitted by Louise Smith, a longtime Denver-area teacher. “I’ve been LEAPed,” said my friend the last day before Christmas break. She was referring to the results of her trip thro...
fdlaction.firedoglake.com - Occupy Supply command post tent at Occupy Rochester Occupy Supply is announcing a contest to give away five 11′ x 11′ command post tents worth $5000 each, three media laptops equipped with webcams ...
schoolsmatter.info - Yesterday I was at the gym watching on closed caption the story of Apple's cash problems. Seems they have almost a hundred billion bucks (more than most European countries) that they don't know wh...
boston.com - WASHINGTON—Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will take a brief step back into his former life as a college professor.The Fed says Bernanke will deliver four lectures on the Federal Reserve and ...
dissidentvoice.org - The Wall Street Journal reported on January 19th that the Obama Administration was pushing heavily to get the 50 state attorneys general to agree to a settlement with five major banks in the “robo-...
articles.philly.com - "We are adults; we will make a way," she told the paper this month. "The students don't have any contingency plan. They need to be educated, so we intend to be on the job."At the time, the district...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - 'Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk'**Where did the phrase 'Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk' Originate?Almost certainly in England, but it's hard to say when. The earliest instance with the words 'cry' and 'spil...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Comprehensive, Continuous, and Coherent Assessment « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Comprehensive, Continuous, and Coherent Assessmentby Klea ScharbergOur goal is to educate students ...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - NYC Public School Parents: The decline of science education in NYC high schools as shown by the falling number of Intel submissions and semi-finalists:The decline of science education in NYC high s...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Jersey Jazzman: NOLA: Charter Nirvana:NOLA: Charter Nirvanaby DukeRick Hess took the week off and left the keys to his blog with Neerav Kingsland, the chief strategy officer for New Schools for New...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Thursday edition. « Fred Klonsky Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 58 minutes ago Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Thursday edition. « Fred Klonsky:Life in Rahm’s Chi...
dissenter.firedoglake.com - John Washington, who is part of a core group of occupiers with Occupy Buffalo that work on multiple working groups to keep the momentum of the occupation alive, talked with me about the camp’s atti...
fdlaction.firedoglake.com - Occupy Supply command post tent at Occupy Rochester Occupy Supply is announcing a contest to give away five 11′ x 11′ command post tents worth $5000 each, three media laptops equipped with webcams ...
Free Speech Shit and Shinola Primer
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My son is soon to be in college. He graduates high school in 14 months and
soon will be on his way to college. Boy, the time does fly.
He and I have been h...
OSPI Wants Input
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State Superintendent Chris Rykdal is seeking input on two areas.
One:
*Today, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) release...
NONE OF THE ABOVE
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One of the fundamental constitutional rights that in at least theory
clearly distinguishes us from a totalitarian society is having a free
press. It exists...
Teacher Strike in Arizona and Colorado
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This year, fights at state capitols across the country are looking
different than ever before. Educators are tired of the budget cuts to
schools, tired ...
A TIP TO THE LIP
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Growing up in Northeast Pennsylvania I used to read the NY Daily News
religiously. This was at a time when newspaper’s daily columnists ruled the
world. Na...
Many Students Can’t Read A Traditional Clock Face
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The Telegraph reports that British schools are getting rid of analog clocks
because students don't know how to read analog clocks. It is doubtful this
is...
Update on SB 465
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I am pleased to report that Senate Bill 465, which is described in the post
below, has been extensively amended to remove those changes in the student
disc...
"We Need To Take Those Jewels"
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We've made rules in our classroom, together, by consensus, and among the
first agreements we made with one another was, "No taking things from other
pe...
Is MORE Unraveling As It Shifts Left?
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There are some disturbing rumors that the opposition caucus MORE has turned
sharply leftward and has made some long-term members un...
Ella Fitzgerald. Born on this day in 1917.
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Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
*ELLA FITZGERALD sang jazz in a voice so pure and perfected that it
admitted no pain -- and America loved her for it. ...
Cynthia Nixon for Governor
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She has that unfortunate last name, and she made a remark about union
concessions. This notwithstanding, what's in a name, the remark was a
one-off, and I...
Queen Eva’s Gambit
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In the New York Post today there was a headline that read “Charter school
upsets juggernaut Stuyvesant HS on way to chess crown” It began in dramatic
fashi...
When China Buys Our Data
-
We have worried about what ed tech companies would do with all the data
that they could (and do) collect from students. We have worried about the
creation ...
Meredith Chapman’s Life Cut Short, Rest In Peace
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It was with extreme sadness when I received a call this morning about the
death of Meredith Chapman. While details are vague, there was a
murder-suicide a...
How we can get the full picture of autism
-
As professionals who believe in children and are committed to unlocking
their potential, we want to make sure all of our students have exactly what
they ne...
It’s NOT Education Reform – It’s School Sabotage
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High stakes testing and school privatization are NOT “Education Reform."
Even if we use the term to criticize the practice, we’re helping them do
their work.
Gangsters’ Moves By TEA in Houston
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So Mike Morath, Texas Education Agency (TEA) commissioner, failed at his
Home Rule attempt in Dallas (See Panning a Charter Takeover of all public
schools)...
Testimony on Improving School Planning and Siting
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Below is the our testimony Class Size Matters gave at the City Council
hearings on tackling school overcrowding by improving the efficiency and
accuracy of...
What White People Need to Understand
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Last night, I listened to David Remnick’s New Yorker podcast interview with
James Comey to hear what he had to say about our 45th President, but what
dis...
Assessing My Writing: A Look Backward
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A month ago, a colleague wrote to me and asked me to write about my career
as a practitioner/scholar over the past half-century. I accepted. Part of
the re...
an interesting factoid on NRA and Virginia
-
an explanation
I have just returned from a fundraiser for Barbara Kanninen to be reelected
to Arlington County VIrginia school board. it had a special f...
Berta Lives! Support Honduras!
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*Join us in showing our solidarity for Honduras!*
* Music Performance, Friday, April 27, 7PM *
* Film honoring Berta Caceres, Saturday, April 28, 5-7PM *
...
Don't forget about reading
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Sent to the Taipei Times, April 22,2018
I was surprised to discover that the Taiwan Ministry of Education will
prioritize “listening and speaking skills” i...
Why I Am So Dangerous
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When it comes to transforming this country, I am much more dangerous than
George Soros, even the George Soros of Fox News imagination! That George is
tran...
Neo-Confederates, Monuments, and Flags
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By Paul Horton. Although advocacy groups like the United Daughters of the
Confederacy have made statements disavowing any groups that promote hate,
many ...
This Week in Education Organizing - April 20, 2018
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*Books, Not Guns*
Today is another day of protest, as tens of thousands of students and
supporters are expected to walk out of schools and rally for stri...
What Feeds Bias in the Education World?
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I'm not naïve enough to think that schools could turn hearts and minds in a
K-12 generation. But could they do significant good, given the right tools
and ...
2018 Medley #10
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Teacher Activism, Retention-in-Grade, Charters, Testing, First Amendment,
Science TEACHER ACTIVISM The 9 states where teachers have it worst
According to C...
Heartbroken
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She was brilliant in high school. I admired her so much. She traveled to
our not so great school in the Bronx from Manhattan because of our honor
prog...
Featured Author @ Palmdale Book Festival
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Join me for a captivating book signing & storytelling! Get your very own
signed copy of 5 stars Chike the Invincible! and Oma the Faithful
Daughter! ...
Expanding "No Excuses" Models is a Bad Idea
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An organization called The Future of Children came out recently with a
report titled* Charter Schools and the Achievement Gap* by Sarah Cohodes,
an assist...
ELA Assessment: Dear Board of Regents,
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Dear Members of the Board of Regents,
Thank you for your service as leaders in public education in New York
State. I am writing as a parent of two public ...
PAA joins Google/You Tube FTC complaint
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Today, Parents Across America joined more than 20 civic and children’s
advocacy organizations in filing a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint
against ...
A maximizing area question
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I gave this question to students as a challenge at the end of a trig unit.
A quadrilateral has perimeter = 60 and a 30º angle. What is the maximum
possible...
Welcome to the walkout, from okeducationmom
-
When I marched for the passage of HB 1017 in 1990, I was hopeful and then
grateful that Governor Henry Bellmon and a bipartisan group of legislators
found ...
Silence Speaks At March For Our Lives
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Listen to Emma’s profound silence. Remember the silence of students
crouched in closets, hiding from the sound of an automatic weapon being
fired in their ...
Scenes for the March For Life in New York
-
And so they came and came by the thousands, flooding Central Park West with
citizens of all ages, all races, all creeds, all who have had enough of
insane ...
A NATION THAT FEARS ITS CHILDREN?
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Here we are again. The murders caused by the NRA-GOP-Gun manufacturers
corruption have terrorized America for over a generation. Young people do
not see ad...
I’m voting for Chris Kennedy
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A question was posed to me last night. “At this point, does a vote for
Daniel Biss instead of Chris Kennedy help JB Pritzker?” During the last
presidential...
Amy/Andy and the Orphans
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Willowbrook. Any New Yorker of a certain age shutters at that name–and no,
not because it was Geraldo Rivera who brought it to our attention.
Willowbrook w...
Florina Rodov: The Truth About Charter Schools
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*“[W]hen teachers aren’t unionized, they’re exploited — and when teachers
suffer, so do kids.” — Florina Rodov*
This amazing piece by Florina Rodov on *S...
#NationalSchoolWalkout – Grown Ups Need to Listen
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Student activists, responding to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, organized a national walk out to
memoriali...
Letter for BCPS Parents: My Child is Not a Pipeline
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(Image courtesy of Alison McDowell) Dear County Council Members, I am
writing on behalf of concerned BCPS parents regarding the newest rounds of
BCPS polic...
3rd Grade Reading: Who is Failing?
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Education Trust Midwest has just released its study on third grade reading
and, predictably, the results aren’t great. This study uniquely compares
Michiga...
Opting out of the Dinosaur (end of year test)
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Today I sent in a second letter to refuse PARCC/CMAS for my son, Luke. The
first email I sent at the beginning of the year was not sufficient as they
requi...
Resurrection
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I realized it's Lent, but this blog, bless Jesus Christ, can't wait.
Ok, so with that said, I plan to discuss Class Action suits in existence,
as well as w...
Are Our Educators Prepared For Their Students?
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If there is one thing that I am sure of as an educator it is that rapid
change greatly affects both what and how we learn. If there is a second
thing that ...
Who Is Pulling The Muppet Strings?
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Originally posted on Wrench in the Gears:
Sesame Street is an iconic brand that embodies humor, acceptance, and
humanity. Who doesn’t love a muppet? So, on...
IDEA Is Still The Law Of The Land
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Unless you've been living under a rock, you know the US Department of
Education (USDOE) rescinded 72 Dear Colleague and other letters of
explanation to s...
Budget Cuts To Kids Are Not Necessary!
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We’ve been hearing a lot of news from OUSD about how cuts to schools and
kids are necessary. So we’ll need to keep saying the truth… they are not
necessar...
Education Is a Civic Question
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In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah
Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and
hard w...
This is our Sputnik moment.
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School’s all across the nation are either starting or about to start a new
academic year. It’s suppose to be an exciting time for students and
teacher. How...
Student of the Month Nightmare
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*This is something I wrote for a monthly gathering to honor some of the
best students at our school. I figure most teachers will relate:*
I was grading pap...
99 Years of Progress Erased – unless we fight back
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Public healthcare for all? Public education for all? What is being done to
our monetized children regarding their potential healthcare and their
existing e...
You Can Be an Astronaut, but You Can't Be Black
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“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question I always
imagined every kindergarten student hearing.
“I want to be a doctor!” declares Sally.
...
Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
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An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
Don't Like Chris Christie? Blame the Democrats.
-
Yesterday Diane Ravitch published a piece in The New Republic, titled Don't
Like Betsy DeVos? Blame the Democrats.
If you care about public education at al...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
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The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
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Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific
survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41
AM. Tom...
New Local Businesses in Sacramento
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Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can
be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn
the loc...
Education Bloggers Daily Highlights 3/2/2017
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Education Bloggers Daily Highlights 3/1/2017 Education Bloggers Daily
Highlights Courtesy of Big Education Ape A special thank you to education
blogger Mik...
Bad Hair Day
-
It’s winter time. It’s cold — okay, not for anyone outside California and
Florida, but still — I’m wearing hats in the morning. Lovely knitted hats
that I’...
Capturing the Spark
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It’s been a long time since InterACT was an active education blog, though I
remain quite proud of what we did here. Those of us who wrote blog posts
here h...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
-
I’ve been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular
readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for
that. Sinc...
WTU Peterson Slate: Not a 1 Woman Dictatorship
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Candi Peterson & GeLynn Thompson
Candidates for WTU Prez & GVP 2016By Candi Peterson, WTU Gen. Vice President
*Statements or expressions of opinions herein...
MY NEW BLOG
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
-
Dear Readers,
Thank you for visiting *The Perimeter Primate*. This blog is being retired
for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still s...
I am Retiring
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
All Aboard the Opt Out Bus
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The #OptOutBus is currently traveling the country giving away free books to
children! Follow their progress at their Facebook page and donate to their
FR...
Flaws at the Heart of Current Education Reforms
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Originally posted on Creative by Nature:
“Teaching is an art form rooted in the wise and careful use of educational
research and assessment tools. When gove...