Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Stay In Your Lane [A Math Teacher's Lament] | The Jose Vilson

Stay In Your Lane [A Math Teacher's Lament] | The Jose Vilson:


Stay In Your Lane [A Math Teacher's Lament]

Why do people stigmatize math teachers?
It’s bad enough we teach people that they’re either math people or they’re not (patent lie, I promise you). Now, we’re even limiting math teachers to the fields in which they can excel. They stereotype (!) math teachers as having hobbies like playing piano (fractions!) and read xkcd (might be true), but God forbid they actually know how to do things like write (without patterns involved) or read books (not by Einstein, Hawking, or any other mad genius).
I’m not sure where the stigma comes from, but the way we want students to see common threads in our topics is akin to what I’d love our teachers to see about each other. Not in the bullshit Kumbaya, top-down-education-management sort of way that cites some research I never even heard of and tries to force-feed collaboration down our throats. More in the, it’s-OK-to-actually-have-an-affinity-for-seemingly-unrelated-topics-and-we-won’t-slap-you-on-the-wrist-for-it sort of way.
Can a student hate science but love math? Yes. Can a student hate English but love social studies. Absolutely. Can we be OK with that? Yes.
Also, can people stop pelting the math coach (me) with 

Grumpy Educators: South Carolina: Parent Opposition and Resistance on Ed Reform Initiatives

Grumpy Educators: South Carolina: Parent Opposition and Resistance on Ed Reform Initiatives:


South Carolina: Parent Opposition and Resistance on Ed Reform Initiatives

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-27 #soschat #EDReform


Rockford teachers strike set for Thursday. « Fred Klonsky

Rockford teachers strike set for Thursday. « Fred Klonsky: Rockford teachers strike set for Thursday.byFred KlonskyMembers of the Rockford Education Association wait for the start of a closed-door meeting about contract negotiations Monday, March 26, 2012, at the Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford.No negotiating sessions are planned between now and Thursday.Members of the Rockford Education Association have had the legal authority to strike since last week. Their old contract expired last July. The REA members have been working all ... more »

Mike Klonsky...: At CReATE Press Conference, March 26, 2012

Mike Klonsky...: At CReATE Press Conference, March 26, 2012: At CReATE Press Conference, March 26, 2012byMike KlonskyPopoutMike Klonsky, DePaul University, CReATEfromTim FurmanonVimeo.

A Few Additional CT Charter Figures « School Finance 101

A Few Additional CT Charter Figures « School Finance 101: A Few Additional CT Charter Figuresbyschoolfinance101I was admittedly in a bit of a rush the other day to pull together some figures on CT charter schools based largely on data I had previously compiled, some of which only included Achievement First charter schools. Here, I include all charter schools in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport, and address only the % Free Lunch numbers using the most recent available data from ... more »

Educating South Carolina: PLThomasEdD: Zais lacks experience, expertise

Educating South Carolina: PLThomasEdD: Zais lacks experience, expertise: PLThomasEdD: Zais lacks experience, expertiseBlogger PLThomasEdD, who posts at DailyKos,published another great commentary there yesterday, this one taking Superintendent Mick Zais to task for his claims in an opinion-editorial in The State.I hope readers will share PLThomasEdD's commentary far and wide among educators, because he's precisely the sort of education leader that's missing from government: Experienced, expert and circumspect.South Carolina's Superintendent of Education Mick Zais makes several claim... more »

The Washington State PTA Convention: Be There | Seattle Education

The Washington State PTA Convention: Be There | Seattle Education: The Washington State PTA Convention: Be Therebyseattleducation2011The WSPTA Convention will be held on May 4-6 and everyone who can needs to attend. There will be several issues on the table that will be voted on including the charter school resolution that has drawn fire from all quarters. This resolution, if passed at the convention, would become a cornerstone of the WSPTA platform for the next 2 years.You might not even ... more »

TN bill would limit number of foreign workers at charter schools | wbir.com

TN bill would limit number of foreign workers at charter schools | wbir.com: TN bill would limit number of foreign workers at charter schools By Chas Sisk, The TennesseanA conservative group that has warned of the growing influence of Islam is promoting a bill that would limit how many legal immigrants charter schools can hire, drawing opposition from charter school and immigrant groups.The Tennessee Eagle Forum, an organization that has criticized U.S. immigration policy and last year pushed for passage ... more »

Largest charter network in U.S.: Schools tied to Turkey - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Largest charter network in U.S.: Schools tied to Turkey - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: Largest charter network in U.S.: Schools tied to TurkeybyValerie StraussThiswas written by Sharon Higgins, an independent researcher andbloggerbased in California. She is also a founding member ofParents Across America.By Sharon HigginsThe largest charter school network in the United States is operated by people in and associated with the Gulen Movement (GM), a secretive and controversial Turkish religious sect. With 135 schools enrolling more ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: At yesterday's press conference

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: At yesterday's press conference: At yesterday's press conferencebyMike KlonskyIsabel Nuñez from Concordia Univ. at press conferenceI went to yesterday's press conference to stand with other academics in support of(CReATE). The research group presented its"Open Letter of Concern Regarding Chicago’s Implementation of Legislation for the Evaluation of Teachers and Principals"to the mayor yesterday.Academics from 15 universities, including many that run teacher education programs, warned in the letter that relying heavily on student test scores to evaluate... more »

State leaders should embrace what Title I permits: arts funding | Thoughts on Public Education

State leaders should embrace what Title I permits: arts funding | Thoughts on Public Education: State leaders should embrace what Title I permits: arts funding - by Joe LandonbyJoe LandonThe status quo is “stalemate.” The intention of the federal Title I program is to improve the academic achievement of children in schools with the highest percentages of children low-income families. That improvement is measured by improvement in English language arts (ELA) and math. According to the guidance provided by the ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-26 #soschat #EDReform

OCCUPY EDUCATION - Education is not for sale from Taiwan to Quebec .. #ows.Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-33 minutes agoOCCUPY EDUCATION - Education is not for sale from Taiwan to Quebec ...: Education is not for sale from Taiwan to Quebec One World One...Education is not for sale from Taiwan to QuebecOne World One StruggleCourt upholds limits on religious messages in schoolsBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-33 minutes agoCourt upholds limits on religious messages in schools: Court ... more »

DOUBLE WHAMMY, WHY TEACHERS ARE FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY « Teachers Fight Back

DOUBLE WHAMMY, WHY TEACHERS ARE FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY « Teachers Fight Back: DOUBLE WHAMMY, WHY TEACHERS ARE FRUSTRATED AND ANGRYbyalkleenI just finished interviewing dozens of teachers. I was trying to find out why so many teachers are frustrated and angry. The majority of teachers gave examples of how much more demanding and difficult their jobs have become compared to a few years ago. The following are typical responses:New curriculum demands are virtually impossible to fulfill. The curriculum is geared to ... more »

Teachers' Support For Reform Depends In Part On Experience -- Gates/Scholastic Survey

Teachers' Support For Reform Depends In Part On Experience -- Gates/Scholastic Survey: Joy ResmovitsJoy.resmovits@huffingtonpost.comGET UPDATES FROM JOY:Like856Teachers' Support For Reform Depends In Part On Experience -- Gates/Scholastic SurveyPosted: 03/26/2012 7:08 pm Updated: 03/26/2012 7:30 pmRevamping the makeup of the teaching profession through tweaks such as altering tenure and teacher evaluations has become a policydebate du jour, one that hasriled many a state housein recent years. As it turns out, teachers themselves support that overhaul, according to recent survey data... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Adding up the score from Lowell

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Adding up the score from LowellAdding up the score from LowellbyCharlie MasAs the story at Lowell comes out, there are definitely some lessons learned and some people who come out looking good, bad, and mixed.Here's the central absurdity: two employees were investigated for failure to report inappropriate behavior and the only evidence against them was their report of the inappropriate behavior - the one that satisfied their requirement to report. The people who accused them were ... more »

Geaux Teacher!: WHO CAN YOU BELIEVE?

Geaux Teacher!: WHO CAN YOU BELIEVE?: WHO CAN YOU BELIEVE?bynoreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT)Quite a few educators have forwarded correspondence they have had with legislators regarding the passage of HB 974 (Tenure/teacher evaluation) and HB 976 (Vouchers)and regarding upcoming bills filed.I am sharing two here along with my analysis of both to demonstrate how misleading, misinformed or patently false some of their comments are. I will forward this blog to both of these representatives so that they can respond in ... more »

Schools Matter: Petrilli's polemic against Alfie Kohn: Half-reactionary, half-mendacious

Schools Matter: Petrilli's polemic against Alfie Kohn: Half-reactionary, half-mendacious: Petrilli's polemic against Alfie Kohn: Half-reactionary, half-mendaciousbyRobert D. Skeels * rdsathene"What a teacher can do – all a teacher can do – is work with students to create a classroom culture, a climate, a curriculum that will nourish and sustain the fundamental inclinations that everyone starts out with..." —Alfie KohnWith ashameful broadsideagainst the esteemed Alfie Kohn, Fordham's MichaelPetrilli demonstrates once more why he's the darling ofThe Hoover Institutionand all the other... more »

OCCUPY EDUCATION - Education is not for sale from Taiwan to Quebec .. #ows.

OCCUPY EDUCATION - Education is not for sale from Taiwan to Quebec ...: Education is not for sale from Taiwan to Quebec One World One...Education is not for sale from Taiwan to QuebecOne World One Struggle

Court upholds limits on religious messages in schools

Court upholds limits on religious messages in schools: Court upholds limits on religious messages in schoolsBob EgelkoMonday, March 26, 2012PrintE-mailShareComments(0)Font|Size:3MORE EDUCATIONSF City College slashing summer school enrollment03.26.12Education reformer Michelle Rhee tells her side03.25.12UC review backs use of pepper spray on protesters03.24.12(03-26) 12:50 PDT WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The U.S. Supreme Court left intact Monday two rulings by the federal appeals court in San Francisco that limit the ability of teachers and charter schools to spread religious messages in the ... more »

RheeFirst! » D.C. test tampering hurting teachers, poisoning schools

RheeFirst! » D.C. test tampering hurting teachers, poisoning schools: D.C. test tampering hurting teachers, poisoning schoolsbyadminWritten by Jay Mathews forThe Washington Post. Read theentire article here.“When J.P. Cotton began teaching at Davis Elementary School in Southeast Washington in August 2010, he puzzled over the scores of his fifth-graders on the previous spring’s D.C. tests. They were doing poorly in his class, as were most of the children at a school long plagued by low expectations and teacher turnover.Yet several of ... more »

“Chartering Equity” | The G Bitch Spot

“Chartering Equity” | The G Bitch Spot: “Chartering Equity”byG BitchMead, Julie, and Preston Green.Chartering Equity: Using Charter School Legislation and Policy to Advance Equal Educational Opportunity. National Education Policy Center, U. of Colorado, Feb. 21, 2012. PDF.Charter schools are not panaceas—they can expand educational options or replicate current ones, do better or worse than traditional schools, and alone cannot solve all, or most, educational issues like racial disparities, poverty, paper-thin budgets, etc. One thing I do not believe was part ... more »

A Different March Madness: The DCPS Lottery

A Different March Madness: The DCPS Lottery: A Different March Madness: The DCPS LotteryMONDAY, MARCH 26TH, 2012 AT 4:16 PMSince last fall, I’ve been working on a new book about a year in the life of the DC public school system(s) — as seen primarily through two schools: one a brand-new charter school, the other a 90-year-old neighborhood school — so I was thrilled to hear that WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi was dedicating a show to the DCPS lottery and various ... more »

All Education Matters: Bloomberg: Obama Relies on Debt Collectors Profiting From Student Loan Woe

All Education Matters: Bloomberg: Obama Relies on Debt Collectors Profiting From Student Loan Woe: Bloomberg: Obama Relies on Debt Collectors Profiting From Student Loan WoebyCryn JohannsenThisarticlewas published today, and discusses the cozy relationship that the Department of Education has with private debt-collection companies who are putting more pressure on borrowers to repay their student loans.Here are some highlights:With $67 billion of student loans in default, the Education Department is turning to an army of private debt-collection companies to put the ... more »

Bringing the Community to Schools Webinar Date: Tuesday, March 27, 2-3 p.m. ET

Event Registration (EVENT: 412491):Bringing the Community to SchoolsThe "community school" model is turning school buildings into vibrant neighborhood hubs of activity. In addition to the academic program offered to students during the day, community schools provide a wide range of services to children in partnership with local organizations. The services include breakfast and dinner for low-income children; early-childhood programs; after-school recreation; academic enrichment; and adult education. One thriving program with a long track record in this field is the 13-year-old ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan Etch-a-Sketches on publishing teacher names in Times

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan Etch-a-Sketches on publishing teacher names in Times: Duncan Etch-a-Sketches on publishing teacher names in TimesbyMike KlonskyTalk about yourEtch-a-Sketchpoliticians -- Arne Duncan wasthe first in line to applaudthe L.A. Times for its publishing of teachers names alongside students test scores, a new low in public debasement of the teaching profession. "What's there to hide?"asked a glib Duncan back in August of 2010.But now it's 2012 and the winds of change are blowing in the other direction ... more »