Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Schools Matter: Jeff McQuillan: Books before bytes

Schools Matter: Jeff McQuillan: Books before bytes:

Jeff McQuillan: Books before bytes

Jeff McQuillan: "Books before bytes"
re (Michael Hiltzik)

Sent to the Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2012
To the Editor:

Kudos to Michael Hiltzik for his column ("Hyping tech will not help students," February 5) criticizing federal officials for overselling the benefits of technology to K-12 schools. As co-producer of the most popular educational podcast in the world (ESLPod.com's English as a Second Language Podcast), I'm no enemy of new technology.

But our students need nutrition, health care, quality teachers and librarians, and (especially here in California)

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-5 #edreform #ows


10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standards « Cooperative Catalyst

10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standards « Cooperative Catalyst:10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standardsfrom Cooperative Catalyst » 5 questions about everything by John T. Spencerwe’re creating shallow zombies in the name of high standardsOften, the proponents of the drill-and-kill testing environment hold up the banner of “high standards” as a rationale for excessive testing. I disagree with this premise entirely. Here are ten reasons most tests lead to lower standards:Extrinsic Motivation: Kids will work hard to ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The New York Post Blows

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The New York Post Blows:The New York Post Blowsby noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)Not too long ago I came across this article in the New York Post. This is about Christine Rubino, who taught at PS 203 in Flatlands, for posting “repulsive” comments on Facebook.Several thoughts came to my mind. One, is it not ironic how the Post (and of course News Corp.) the harbinger of freedom is quick to mock someone for defending their constitutional rights of freedom ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Afternoon Posts 2-5 #ows #edreform

The privatization trap - The 99 Percent Plan - Salon.comBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-3 minutes agoThe privatization trap - The 99 Percent Plan - Salon.com:The privatization trapFrom schools to prisons, outsourcing government's works typically ends with cronyism, waste and unaccountabilityBY MIKE KONCZALAn employee of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga., waiting for the front gate to be opened. The detention center is operated on contract by Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America. (Credit: AP)TOPICS:THE 99 ... more »

5th Annual Media Reform Summit: Media for the 99% - Perdaily.com

5th Annual Media Reform Summit: Media for the 99% - Perdaily.com:5th Annual Media Reform Summit: Media for the 99%by Leonard IsenbergThe Occupy Movement has taken the country by storm, changing the dialogue everywhere from the presidential primaries to kitchen tables. People are talking about economic inequality and power concentrated in the hands of a few -- and they're looking for solutions. Social media and alternative media have aided the movement, providing a wake up call to the unfair advantage wealthy ... more »

TRIUMPH OF DUCT TAPE PEDAGOGY #edreform #edchat #p2

Rhee security detailed hired. Duct-taped protesters deemed dangerousRheeFirst!:

Rhee security detailed hired. Duct-taped protesters deemed dangerous

RheeFirst!:Rhee security detailed hired. Duct-taped protesters deemed dangerous.“In order to insure order outside and inside the theater, I’ve hired security people who will be with us all week to provide protection for Michelle Rhee and to provide services as needed to guarantee your safety and enjoyment.“One more myth (about Rhee) bites the dust“‘Former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee [...] failed miserably — as she conceded — in recruiting and training great principals, the key to turning a school around. She ... more »

Diane Ravitch Letter - Florida Model Does NOT Work Independent Source PAC

Diane Ravitch Letter - Independent Source PAC:SPECIAL ISPAC GUEST COLUMN:An Important Letter From Education Research Professor, Diane Ravitch, to New Mexico Legislators - Florida Model Does NOT Work.Dear State Legislators:Friends in New Mexico have told me that your governor wants to import the so-called "Florida model" of education to New Mexico.I urge you to oppose this effort.Florida is not a good model for the nation. It is not even good for Florida.The Florida model rests on two pillars: One is ... more »

THE HYPOCRISY GROWS « Teachers Fight Back

THE HYPOCRISY GROWS « Teachers Fight Back:THE HYPOCRISY GROWSby alkleenRECENT HEADLINES AND STATEMENTS FROM VARIOUS NEWS ORGANIZATIONS:“There is no more important job than that of teaching our children.”“Teachers have the most important job in our community.”“Teachers deserve the respect that should be afforded to the most important job in our society.”“We must get and retain the best and brightest people in our teaching profession.”“Teachers seek a raise despite the difficult financial plight of our community.”“New investigation finds that teachers receive ... more »

Grumpy Educators: Indiana: Bring parent opposition to excessive standardized testing out of the shadows

Grumpy Educators: Indiana: Bring parent opposition to excessive standardized testing out of the shadows:Indiana: Bring parent opposition to excessive standardized testing out of the shadowsby SandraYesterday, Grumpy Educators reported on Texas concerns of the testing "perversion." Today, the highlight is on Indiana and parents who are organizing in opposition to testing. Parent rights are at the heart of the issue. State Impact reported the story including Indiana Department of Education official Stephanie Sample response

The privatization trap - The 99 Percent Plan - Salon.com

The privatization trap - The 99 Percent Plan - Salon.com:The privatization trapFrom schools to prisons, outsourcing government's works typically ends with cronyism, waste and unaccountabilityBY MIKE KONCZALAn employee of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga., waiting for the front gate to be opened. The detention center is operated on contract by Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America. (Credit: AP)TOPICS:THE 99 PERCENT PLAN, AMERICAN SPRING, U.S. ECONOMYThe 99 Percent Plan is a joint Roosevelt Institute-Salon series that explores ...more »

4LAKids - HOMEOWNERS CONSIDER SUING LAUSD OVER WALGROVE LAND LEASE AGREEMENT

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: HOMEOWNERS CONSIDER SUING LAUSD OVER WALGROVE LAND LEASE AGREEMENT:HOMEOWNERS CONSIDER SUING LAUSD OVER WALGROVE LAND LEASE AGREEMENTBY GARY WALKER, THE ARGONAUT |HTTP://BIT.LY/XND0QSWednesday, February 1, 2012 5:19 PM PST :: A group of Mar Vista residents are mulling over the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District to stop the construction of a charter school.On Jan. 20, the LAUSD Facilities Management Division awarded Ocean Charter School a ... more »

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky:Sunday links.by Fred KlonskyThey’re still talking about Rahm’s paid protesters on Ken Davis’ Chicago Newsroom. This is a story that seems to have legs. It starts at 22:30 on the video.The cops break up one of the last Occupy encampments. This one in DC.In an address to the Hitler Youth, Hitler said, ”In our eyes, the German boy of the future must be slim and slender, as fast as a greyhound, tough as leather and hard ...more »

Jersey Jazzman: Full Disclosure From This Professional Blogger

Jersey Jazzman: Full Disclosure From This Professional Blogger:Full Disclosure From This Professional Bloggerby DukeIn the past, I've said I haven't made "one damn dime" off of this blog. Well, I started putting up the ads a while ago, and now I'm making just about that.So, every few months, I'll be taking Mrs. Jazzman out to dinner as a penance for making her listen to my rants while I type this tuff at the kitchen table. This is thanks to all ... more »

Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time « Mathalicious

Khan Academy: It’s Different This Time « Mathalicious:Khan Academy: It’s Different This TimeFebruary 4, 2012 14 commentsOver the past year, it’s become difficult to have a conversation about education and education reform without mentioning the words “Khan Academy.” For those who aren’t familiar, Khan Academy is a website that offers free instructional videos on everything from basic arithmetic to multi-variable calculus. Its founder, Sal Khan, originally started the site to help tutor his cousins in math. Today, millions of students ... more »

Schools Matter: Wild Dreams about Anonymous and Testing

Schools Matter: Wild Dreams about Anonymous and Testing:Wild Dreams about Anonymous and Testingby Jim HornLast night I was re-reading a terrific little book from 1976 by Don Martin, George Overholt, and Wayne Urban: Accountability in American Education: A Critique. The book brings so many elements of the current edu-mess into focus, while giving a long view of history. What is evident in re-reading this book is that the threats to democracy that the authors feared in 1976 from the encroaching ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Tenure Boogeyman!

Jersey Jazzman: The Tenure Boogeyman!:The Tenure Boogeyman!by DukeOne of our recurring cast of characters here at the Jazzman has been the Merit Pay Fairy:Yo, whassup?The Merit Pay Fairy lives in the minds of corporate reformers, who believe the Fairy can magically wipe away the "achievement gap" with a mere wave of her wand. Don't bother trying to explain to these corporate reformers thatthe Merit Pay Fairy doesn't exist; like Linus in the pumpkin patch, they fervently wait for the Fairy ... more »

Finite Pie - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

Finite Pie - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators:Looking AheadFinite PieWe grew up in an age of finite pie. There was only one pie and it could e divided into only so many slices. Even our pie graphs represent the totality of the resources we have to work with. There’s only so much pie to go around. And the implications play out in how we think, act and define success. If ... more »

Hyping classroom technology helps tech firms, not students - latimes.com

Hyping classroom technology helps tech firms, not students - latimes.com:Who really benefits from putting high-tech gadgets in classrooms?How much genuine value is there in fancy educational electronics? Don't let companies or politicians fool you.Comments42Share0U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, left, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski speak at a Digital Learning Day event sponsored in part by Google, Comcast, ATT and Intel. (Mark Wilson, Getty Images / February 5, 2012)By Michael HiltzikFebruary 4, 2012Something sounded familiar last week when I heard U.S. ... more »

IT IS NOT SOMETHING NEW | Connected Principals

IT IS NOT SOMETHING NEW | Connected Principals:IT IS NOT SOMETHING NEWby Akevy GreenblattPicture Courtesy of :reading.pppst.comOne of my pet peeves is when people think that Differentiation Instruction and 21st Century Skills are something new and that now teachers need to do something different. I think if would ask most teachers if it is important that they meet the needs of their students or that their students can communicate, think critically, and be creative, I would think most teachers would ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-4 #edreform #ows

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm lures Hitler's favorite company to ChicagoBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-1 minute agoMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm lures Hitler's favorite company to Chicago:Rahm lures Hitler's favorite company to Chicagoby Mike KlonskyHere's what they brought with them I heard the mayor boasting the other day about how he had lured the German-based company, ThyssenKrupp to Chicago to set up it's regional headquarters. Rahm claims the move will add about 100 employees to it's payroll. Big ... more »

All Hands on Deck! | Connected Principals

All Hands on Deck! | Connected Principals:

All Hands on Deck!



In the days of yore, the captain of a ship would have the Boatswain (or Bosun) use his pipe to make the “All Hands” call when he wanted the entire crew up on deck and ready for action. Everyone, no matter what their role, no matter when their last duty shift, no matter how busy on another project, were expected to stop what they were doing, assemble on deck and, presumably, focus on the crisis at hand.

Now you might think that I am going all naval again like last year’s post featuring the OODA Loop. I am not. Instead, I want to gloat. You see, I became principal at Wolcott Elementary School this year, and I noticed that the teachers here understand what it means when the principal (or other staff members) call “All Hands” on our

The Spectatorization of American Politics | Lefty Parent

The Spectatorization of American Politics | Lefty Parent:

The Spectatorization of American Politics

Interesting juxtaposition between two pieces from this past week, “Americans’ Political Views Not So Far Apart” from LiveScience.com and “Yes, Washington is in fact more partisan now” from The Signal. The first looks at polling since 1970 that purports to show no growing ideological divide between people in the U.S. The second shows just the opposite, but among U.S. politicians. If you believe these two statistical snapshots, there is a growing ideological split among our elected representatives, that is not also reflected among the people they represent!

From the analysis of 40 years of polling results called out in the first piece “Americans’ Political Views Not So Far Apart”

Political polarization among the public has barely budged at all over the past 40 years, according