Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Common Core Rally – BESE update for Oct 15 2013 | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Common Core Rally – BESE update for Oct 15 2013 | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:

Common Core Rally – BESE update for Oct 15 2013

Posted on October 16, 2013



That did not go as well as I’d hoped, but I suppose as well as I expected. The BESE meeting was a hot mess with CCSS not being started till almost 8 at night, after John White sprung on the audience that had been waiting for 12 hours that he had a 10 minute presentation to deliver (that took 10 minutes to even load) and an additional 45 minutes to cover what seemed like 20 or 30 slides. That was a mockery of the democratic process. I had learned that John White was summoning companies like Exxon, and faux parents groups funded by Bill Gates, not local parents, like Stand for Children, Louisiana to testify. It must be nice for people like Rayne Martin (a former RSD and LDOE employee) to be able to do that as part of your very high paid job. Perhaps as good as Holly Boffy’s job as a paid CCSSO consultant promoting Common Core on the state’s Board of Education. Apparently Boffy confessed at a recent meeting with local constituents that she pays her mortgage with the money she gets from CCSSO. But this is apparently no more of an ethics issue than Kira Orange Jones working as the Louisiana TFA (Teach for America) recruitment director, and on 

Corruption and the Common Core: Follow the Money | toteachornototeach

Corruption and the Common Core: Follow the Money | toteachornototeach:

Corruption and the Common Core: Follow the Money 
by Vicki Cobb
When I first read the Common Core State Standards, I liked them. I didn’t see anything controversial in the descriptions of the behaviors of speaking, listening, reading, and writing that are obvious in an educated person. I really liked the requirement that students increase their reading of nonfiction, hoping that the CCSS would be an opening for us authors of children’s nonfiction to see our books finally utilized for classroom work. Also, it was clear that we authors are masters of the CCSS skills ourselves. They perfectly describe what we do every day. If you’re wondering just how we do it, check out our group blog of top children’s nonfiction authors, Interesting Nonfiction for Kids or I.N.K. We are devoting the month of October to discussing how we exhibit the Common Core State Standards in our craft and our books. It is a fascinating overview of the CCSS in action and shows how these overarching standards can be manifested though many individual approaches, the same way great teachers also incorporate them into the art of teaching.

2013-10-15-9780385350884_p0_v1_s260x420.JPGI am also a great admirer of Diane Ravitch. If you want evidence that our public school system is better than the reformers say it is, that our test scores are not so terrible compared to other countries, that test scores themselves are poor indicators of achievement 

Hmong immersion program in Sacramento aims to educate, preserve | Public Radio International

Hmong immersion program in Sacramento aims to educate, preserve | Public Radio International:

Hmong immersion program in Sacramento aims to educate, preserve



 
These three children are in the Hmong immersion program at Susan B. Anthony Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif. (Photo by Andria Lo
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At Susan B. Anthony Elementary, Mr. Vue’s kindergarteners sit on a brightly colored carpet as they look up at him, repeating sounds of the alphabet. 
“Ahhh, aaay, eeeh,” he sings as the children sing along.
The sounds are not in English. The school, located in South Sacramento, is home to the only Hmong dual-language immersion program on the West Coast — and the second in the country after a similar program in St. Paul, Minn.
“The idea of the Hmong immersion program is so students will become bicultural and biliterate in both English and Hmong,” explains Lee Yang, the principal and a former director of Sacramento City Unified School District’s Multilingual Literacy Department, who spearheaded the program.
In the past few years, language immersion programs have sprouted up across the country, particularly in California, where the number nearly doubled from 119 in 2000 to 233 in 

Hechinger Report | The impact of Common Core

Hechinger Report | Informing the Public about Education through Quality Journalism:



Testing the Common Core in Tennessee
Tennessee has been at the epicenter of national education reform efforts in recent years, but there’s still debate about how much these changes have improved student learning. Test scores have been rising, according to the state Department of Education, but some teachers and administrators feel that the rapid pace of change has led to low morale. New standards mean lots of talking—and even writi
Helping struggling students: A view from one math teacher’s classroom
When Cicely Woodard was growing up in Memphis, math class was fairly straightforward. “My teachers got up there and they lectured and we took notes, and we practiced and then the next day, we came back and did it all over again,” she says. Perhaps because of that rote instruction, Woodard says she wasn’t a great math student. Testing the Common Core in Tennessee New standards mean lots of talkin


Common Core State Standards: The Hechinger Report Digs Deep
The new Common Core State Standards, adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia, are poised to remake the business of schooling in the United States. While the education initiative started with a wealth of bipartisan goodwill, it has now engendered confusion and controversy, and a handful of states have dropped out or scaled back their participation. What will the new expectations really me
The impact of Common CoreNEWS

The impact of Common Core

Can the Common Core State Standards transform teaching and raise student achievement? The Hechinger Report and the Education Writers Association looked at seven states in depth. ...
NEWS 

New standards mean lots of talking—and even writing—about math

By Barbara Kantrowitz
Cicely Woodard has the daunting task of helping eighth-graders understand and even enjoy math. Five days a week, she leads her students at Nashville’s Rose Park Magnet Middle School through the intricacies of graphs, formulas and equations. It’s knowledge she knows they’ll need to get into college. Even on tough days, she says, “There’s nothing […]
NEWS 

Are Pennsylvania students being set up for failure?New education standards, graduation exams highlight school resource needs

By Sara Neufeld
PHILADELPHIA — After three years of stops and starts, the state of Pennsylvania is moving ahead with new public education standards and exams required for high school graduation. But without funding to implement the new mandates, educators in Philadelphia and other cash-strapped districts say their students are being set up for failure. Many teachers, administrators […]
NEWS 

Out with “The Great Gatsby” and in with “The Glass Castle”? Florida’s English teachers adjust to new standards

By Sarah Carr
MIAMI—In Chris Kirchner’s freshman English classes at Coral Reef Senior High School, novels like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Great Gatsby” have been squeezed off the syllabus to make room for nonfiction texts including “The Glass Castle” and “How to Re-Imagine the World.” For the first time, students will read only excerpts of classics […]
NEWS 

Anatomy of an English class: How the Common Core is shaping instruction for one Miami teacher

By Sarah Carr
MIAMI—English instructor Lois Seaman often speaks bluntly to her middle-school students about the increased expectations they will face under the new Common Core curriculum standards. “It’s like you are looking at this under a microscope; glean all you can from this text,” she told a class of eighth graders as they studied a passage from […]
NEWS 

Florida teachers caught in the middle of testing dispute

By Sarah Carr and Sarah Butrymowicz
MIAMI—The pushback against the testing component of Common Core here has endangered political support for the controversial national curriculum standards in a linchpin state. But it also has left Florida’s public school teachers in an uncomfortable limbo: Officials expect them to start teaching the new standards over the next year, yet educators remain unsure when, […]
NEWS 

New York teachers excited and worried as Common Core standards launched in full

By Sarah Garland
This October many high school students around New York State are taking an Algebra I quiz with some unusual and very tough questions. In one, students are asked about how much water is used in the tallest skyscraper in the world during a 24-hour period. Common Core standards shake up the education business Concerns about […]
NEWS 

Common Core standards shake up the education business

By Sarah Garland
New York State has become the epicenter of a major transformation in the $7 billion textbook industry that threatens the preeminence of publishing behemoths like Pearson. New York teachers excited and worried as Common Core standards launched in full Concerns about testing accompany new standards A few large companies have monopolized the business for decades, […]
NEWS 

Concerns about testing accompany new standards

By Sarah Butrymowicz
In New York starting this school year, classrooms will transform into havens of critical thinking and deeper learning—the opposite of the teach-to-the-test culture so reviled by many teachers for more than a decade. Or so promise proponents of a new set of standards known as the Common Core that the state’s schools are adopting in […]
NEWS 

Amid budget cuts, school districts struggle to finance new reforms

By Jackie Mader
School districts in Colorado, reeling from years of budget cuts, are trying to scrimp and save as the state launches a potentially expensive set of new reforms, including new teacher evaluations, online tests and more challenging standards. Ready or not, new standards hit Colorado schools As online tests approach, new state exams will provide trial […]
NEWS 

As online tests approach, new state exams will provide trial run

By Jackie Mader
When Colorado students take end-of-grade exams next spring, many will face arguably the hardest tests yet of their education careers. Rather than bubbling in answer sheets, students in five grades will complete various tasks on computers to show their mastery of new science and social-studies standards, which are rolling out this year across the state. […]

BREAKING NEWS!!! PS 29Q Principal Jennifer Rogers Forced to Resign!! southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

BREAKING NEWS!!! PS 29Q Principal Jennifer Rogers Forced to Resign!!

This news came into the SBSB newsroom the other day. It seems that Jennifer Rogers, principal of PS 29 in Queens has been forced to resign the NYCDOE.

The Crack Team was able to  obtain this letter sent to the PS 29 community by Superintendent Danielle DiMAngo (click to enlarge. Don't click Nixon);
We applaud Ms DiMango for doing the correct thing in accepting Ms Rogers resignation. Obviously she was in over her head and was unable to cut muster as a principal. Perhaps she would have been more productive as a teacher or whatever she had done before that.

People forget the power that they have to affect change at the NYC DOE. Not only the power this blog that continually points out the inconsistencies and hypocrisies of the upper echelon at the DOE, but more importantly, the school communities. Without the communities 

Some food for thought for Oakland teachers the night before the contract convention | Classroom Struggle

Some food for thought for Oakland teachers the night before the contract convention | Classroom Struggle:


Some food for thought for Oakland teachers the night before the contract convention 

School protests in Philly

Where’s Education at in Oakland and Around the World?

It ain’t too much but at least we had a contract…for 3 weeks. Right?

Whether you voted “yes” or “no” every teacher in Oakland knows not only can we not thrive on a 1.5% or 2.0% raise, but our hard work and long hours in the classroom is about more than money. So is our union contract. 8 long years without the respect and dignity a contract brings aren’t compensated by a 3 week contract that leaves a lot of guide lines and open ended questions instead of strong agreements that create improved conditions for students and teachers. 

Leading Innovative Change Series – Excellence Lies Within | Connected Principals

Leading Innovative Change Series – Excellence Lies Within | Connected Principals:

Leading Innovative Change Series – Excellence Lies Within

October 16, 2013
By 
I wanted to try my hand at writing a series of blog posts on “Leading Innovative Change.” As I am looking at writing a book on the same topic, I thought I would put some ideas out there and hopefully learn from others on these topics. I also want to give these ideas away for free. These posts are for anyone in education, but are mostly focused on school administrators. In all of these, the idea that administrators openly model their learning will only accelerate a culture of innovation and risk-taking.  You can read the first two posts in the series:
1. Learning First, Technology Second
2. A New Staff Experience
“It takes far less energy to move from first-rate performance to excellence than it does to move from incompetence to mediocrity.” Peter Drucker
Years ago as a teacher, I wanted to start a blog as I had just recently heard about them and wanted to see how they would work in the classroom.  When I approached my principal about starting one, his response was that although he knew that I would be comfortable doing it, it would make others on staff feel uncomfortable if it was a success.  I asked him if he was joking, and he looked at me seriously to let me know he wasn’t.
Later in the year, when we had some new technology in the school that was used for a specific program, I had asked if I could use it with students to try out, promising that once I figured it out, I 

Bill Ayers on De Blasio, Obama, and the Shutdown -- Daily Intelligencer

Bill Ayers on De Blasio, Obama, and the Shutdown -- Daily Intelligencer:



Bill Ayers on ‘Commie’ De Blasio, Moderate Obama, and the Government Shutdown

Barack Obama's alleged terrorist pal, Weather Underground co-founder and former University of Illinois professor Bill Ayers, did not cease to exist after the 2008 election. In fact, the proud radical is back with a new book,Public Enemy: Confessions of an American Dissident, and a mainstream press tour that's giving right-wing blogs still more reasons to freak out. The actual Ayers, as opposed to his media caricature, is thoughtful and sharp at 68, and remains amused by the rumors he ghostwrote Obama's Dreams of My Father. "Guess who ghostwrote Public Enemy?" he joked with Daily Intelligencer today from a car on the way to the airport. "You'll never guess." (It was him.)
Ayers also held forth on his media diet, the red scare of the NYC mayoral election, and the disappointments of President Obama.
How has this book tour been? You did Morning Joe and some other cable-news programs — do you watch them?
No. Unless you call The Daily Show cable news — I’m devoted. And if you callThe Onion the mainstream media, I also read that. That’s where I get my news:The OnionDaily Show, and Stephen Colbert.
What else?
My daily dose of the New York Times and NPR. My sons tease us about it — they prefer Truth Out, Daily Kos — but it’s a ritual I’ve enjoyed my whole adult 

The RIGHT-WING Goes Around The Bend!!
How dare Bill Ayers write a book! http://nypost.com/2013/10/14/here-comes-another-self-serving-bill-ayers-memoir/. http://freedomslighthouse.net/2013/10/14/obamas-radical-associate-william-ayers-appears-on-morning-joe-to-push-his-new-book-public-enemy-video-101413/. http://nation.foxnews.com/2013/10/14/shameful-nbc-news-invites-domestic-terrorist-bill-ayers-plug-his-book. http://frontpagemag.c


Bill Ayers doesn’t regret destroying government property to protest the Vietnam war | The Raw Story
Bill Ayers doesn’t regret destroying government property to protest the Vietnam war | The Raw Story: Bill Ayers doesn’t regret destroying government property to protest the Vietnam warBy Eric W. DolanTuesday, October 15, 2013 9:32 EDT University of Illinois at Chicago professor Bill Ayers said Monday that he didn’t regret bombing public buildings during the 1960s and 1970s.Ayers co-founded the rev


The PUBLIC ENEMY Rainbow National Tour rolls on! | Bill Ayers

The PUBLIC ENEMY Rainbow National Tour rolls on! | Bill Ayers:

THE PUBLIC ENEMY RAINBOW NATIONAL TOUR ROLLS ON!




Please come out if you can and join me and Bernardine Dohrn in a conversation about Movement Building: Where do we go from here, chaos or community??

Wednesday, October 16th
7:00 pm – People’s Book Cooperative
804 E. Center Street
Milwaukee, WI

Thursday, October 17th
5:30pm – 6:30pm: Pre-event Reception
7:00pm – Wisconsin Book Festival
Capitol Theater
Overture Center for the Arts
201 State Street
Madison, WI

Friday, October 18th
7:30pm – Women and Children First
5233 N Clark Street
Chicago, IL


WHY DOES UTLA CONTINUE TO SUPPORT LAUSD'S VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA TEACHER DISMISSAL PROCESS? - Perdaily.com

WHY DOES UTLA CONTINUE TO SUPPORT LAUSD'S VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA TEACHER DISMISSAL PROCESS? - Perdaily.com:

WHY DOES UTLA CONTINUE TO SUPPORT LAUSD'S VIOLATION OF CALIFORNIA TEACHER DISMISSAL PROCESS?


David Holmquist.jpg
(Mensaje se repite en Español)

David Holmquist, the district's chief lawyer, said in a most recent press release
"It is unfortunate that the state has created such a cumbersome and costly dismissal process," Holmquist said. "As a school district, we took the leadership to work with state legislators to give us the final authority to fire teachers accused of misconduct. Unfortunately, the bill that was passed this session does not provide adequate protection for our students."
When in reality LAUSD and its incompetent administrative staff continues to trample over permanent teachers constitutional rights.

Perdaily has document countless horror stories but none more egregious as that of a UTLA chapter chair at Broadus Elementary falsely accused of misconduct after he filed a child abuse report on a student who was being abused by a parent and the school administrator had refused to make the report.

After being placed in the District's North Teacher Detention Center (teacher Jail), although he faced no charges by the local policing authority, the teacher, Jim Hill, was subject of an administrative review conducted by Linda Del Cueto, the former local superintendent and highest-ranking official in the San Fernando Valley, who recently was demoted and reassigned to an administrative post in the Central Office of Curriculum and Instruction.  

While Superintendent in the South Area, Del Cueto was informed by parents that teacher Robert Pimentel was molesting their daughters at George De La Torre Elementary School, but did nothing. She allowed a known child predator to be taken by a crony administrator from school site to school site, where he cont

On Teachers Writing Books (Myself Included) [CTQ] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

On Teachers Writing Books (Myself Included) [CTQ] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson:

On Teachers Writing Books (Myself Included) [CTQ]

by JOSE VILSON on OCTOBER 15, 2013
Deborah Meier, Mission Hill
Deborah Meier, Mission Hill
First, let me thank you for my support of my first solo project This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Rice, Class, and Education. I’m already seeing the uptick in pre-orders, and for that, I’m already appreciative. You have a few ways to connect with the experience, so be on the lookout for more as we finish up our edits.
Secondly, let me speak more broadly on educators writing books, and not just books about practice:
The last thing I’d want is for a teacher to think their work might get them fired. I must be nuts.
I have this wild belief that, simmering underneath our longform pieces, our emotional posts, and 
- See more at: http://thejosevilson.com/teachers-writing-books-included-ctq/#sthash.vwHNbWmy.dpuf

Nite Cap 10-15-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

TODAY

Kentucky Teacher: Common Core “Is Like Rearranging the Deck Chairs” | Truth in American Education
Kentucky Teacher: Common Core “Is Like Rearranging the Deck Chairs” | Truth in American Education: Kentucky Teacher: Common Core “Is Like Rearranging the Deck Chairs”Filed in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on October 15, 2013• 0 Comments184Kentucky Education Commissioner Tom HollidayI just read an interesting article on Kentucky’s pioneering the Common C
Milwaukee Courier Article on St. Marcus | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
Milwaukee Courier Article on St. Marcus | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: The myth of the academic achievement at St. Marcus Lutheran School12 October 2013 Milwaukee CourierBy Lynda L. JonesSt. Marcus Lutheran School has been extremely vocal and aggressive in its attempt to force MPS to sell them the Malcolm X Academy Campus.A major part of the school’s argument has been the claim that
Watch: SRC meeting on parent engagement | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Watch: SRC meeting on parent engagement | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Live streaming video by UstreamWatch: SRC meeting on parent engagement  The topic of tonight's School Reform Commission meeting is parent engagement. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. read more1 by thenotebook / 19min mark as read  //  save'Goodbye to City Schools' to premiere with launch of photo exhibitionby Naveed Ahsan
What Would Happen to the Student Loan Portfolio If the Debt Ceiling Is Breached? | C. Cryn Johannsen
What Would Happen to the Student Loan Portfolio If the Debt Ceiling Is Breached? | C. Cryn Johannsen: What Would Happen to the Student Loan Portfolio If the Debt Ceiling Is Breached?In less than two days, if Congress cannot reach an agreement on the debt ceiling, it will be breached. This means that that U.S. Treasury will be unable to pay the bills. Thus far, the U.S. Treasury has not been vocal
Are school reformers wrecking the Common Core?
Are school reformers wrecking the Common Core?: Are school reformers wrecking the Common Core?BY VALERIE STRAUSSOctober 15 at 3:31 pmSecond-grader Graycyn Griffith works on touch typing in class on October 11 at Horseshoe Trails Elementary School in Phoenix.  Formal keyboarding instruction began this year for second-graders, in anticipation of the Common Core. (Photo by David Jolkovski for The Was
NYC Educator: Reformy King John's Education Department Decrees Who May and May Not Have an Opinion
NYC Educator: Reformy King John's Education Department Decrees Who May and May Not Have an Opinion: Reformy King John's Education Department Decrees Who May and May Not Have an OpinionToday I was pretty surprised to learn who, specifically, were the "special interests" that precluded NY State Education Commissioner John King from having discussions with the people who pay his salary. We
10/15/2013 – ‘Reform’ Kills Common Core?
10/15/2013 – ‘Reform’ Kills Common Core?: 10/15/2013 – ‘Reform’ Kills Common Core?October 15, 2013 SubscribeTHIS WEEK: Testing Kindergartners … Shutdown Hurts Vulnerable Children … Vouchers Don’t Help Students … Sixth Grader Dies For Lack Of School Nurse … Bad Education Policies Hit Higher EdTOP STORYWill Education Reform Kill The Common CoreBy Jeff Bryant“Whether you’re a big fan of the new stand
Emergency: Please Call and Email the Mayor and Common Council Now! | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
Emergency: Please Call and Email the Mayor and Common Council Now! | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Emergency: Please Call and Email the Mayor and Common Council Now!Filed under: American Injustice,MPS Buildings — millerlf @ 11:49 am St. Marcus is flooding City Hall with phone calls to lobby the Council and Mayor not to sign off on the sale of Malcolm X that the MPS School Board appro
Resilience: It's a Practice — Whole Child Education
Resilience: It's a Practice — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGResilience: It’s a PracticeOctober 15, 2013 by Mindful PracticesPost written by Carla Tantillo and Lara Veon, Mindful PracticesAmong the most heartbreaking moments as an educator is that of observing a student who doesn't believe in herself and sees a mistake—be it a social interaction gone bad or a failing grade—as a fractur
Editorials on Common Core Worth Mentioning | Truth in American Education
Editorials on Common Core Worth Mentioning | Truth in American Education: Editorials on Common Core Worth MentioningFiled in Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart on October 15, 2013 • 0 Comments385Usually most newspaper editorials are barely worthy of lining bird cages, but I wanted to point out three editorials I recently read on the Common Core that can be elevated beyond that status
NYC Public School Parents: Tonight's vote on charter expansion and co-locations; neither parent choice nor the free market at work
NYC Public School Parents: Tonight's vote on charter expansion and co-locations; neither parent choice nor the free market at work: Tonight's vote on charter expansion and co-locations; neither parent choice nor the free market at workThis evening the Panel for Educational Policy  -- or as it is sometimes called, the Panel of Eight [mayoral] Puppets -- will rubberstamp 23 new co-location proposals
10-15-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Tuesday Open ThreadWhat's on your mind?by Melissa Westbrook / 14min 10-14-13 Seattle Schools Community ForumSeattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle School Board Campaigns - What Does a "Positive" Campaign Look Like?Ballots are to drop on Wednesday the 16th and I have two questions:1) Is politics like love and war - all is fair in order to win?  As we are
Morning Wink 10-15-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYReformie School | EduShysterReformie School | EduShyster: Reformie SchoolPosted on October 15, 2013What I learned when I attended the EdReformiesWell reader: I did it. I attended the education reform event of the year (century?) and lived to tell the tale. In fact, I not only survived but I may have inadvertently learned a thing or two in the process.
Reformie School | EduShyster
Reformie School | EduShyster: Reformie SchoolPosted on October 15, 2013What I learned when I attended the EdReformiesWell reader: I did it. I attended the education reform event of the year (century?) and lived to tell the tale. In fact, I not only survived but I may have inadvertently learned a thing or two in the process. But from the minute I stepped off of the red reformie carpet I’ve been bes
10-15-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Capital Prep Principal and No-Excuse Champion Steve Perry: Too big to follow rules?Every Hartford principal knows that rules when it comes to being at work in the weeks leading up to the Connecticut Mastery Testing… “FURTHER, NO VACATIONS OR PROFESSIONAL LEAVE WILL BE APPROVED FOR PRINCIPALS DURING THE PERIOD FEBRUARY 22 THROUGH MARCH 22, 2011” -Hartford Public Schools; The Office of T
NEA and Teach Plus Launch Teacher Fellowship Program | NEA Today
NEA and Teach Plus Launch Teacher Fellowship Program | NEA Today: NEA and Teach Plus Launch Teacher Fellowship ProgramOctober 15, 2013 by twalker  Filed under Featured News, Top StoriesLeave a CommentBy Celeste Busser and Cindy LongThe National Education Association and Teach Plus, a national non-profit education advocacy organization, have selected 52 of the country’s highest performing teachers
Cooper Union Administration Violates Agreement on Student Trustee |
Cooper Union Administration Violates Agreement on Student Trustee |: Cooper Union Administration Violates Agreement on Student TrusteeOctober 15, 2013 in StudentsThe Cooper Union administration yesterday released details of the proceduresit intends to use to place a student on the college’s Board of Trustees in the coming months, and to this outside observer’s eyes, those procedures look like a cl
Comparing Teacher And Principal Evaluation Ratings
Shanker Blog » Comparing Teacher And Principal Evaluation Ratings: Comparing Teacher And Principal Evaluation RatingsPosted by Matthew Di Carlo on October 15, 2013The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has recently released the first round of results from its new principal evaluation system. Like the system used for teachers, the principal ratings are based on a combination of test and non
Bill Ayers doesn’t regret destroying government property to protest the Vietnam war | The Raw Story
Bill Ayers doesn’t regret destroying government property to protest the Vietnam war | The Raw Story: Bill Ayers doesn’t regret destroying government property to protest the Vietnam warBy Eric W. DolanTuesday, October 15, 2013 9:32 EDT University of Illinois at Chicago professor Bill Ayers said Monday that he didn’t regret bombing public buildings during the 1960s and 1970s.Ayers co-founded the rev
Daily Kos: House Republicans will not go along with the Senate
Daily Kos: House Republicans will not go along with the Senate: House Republicans will not go along with the SenatebyteacherkenFollownot without a fightthe following is from a breaking news email from Politico:House Republicans will move their own debt ceiling and government funding bill, GOP leaders announced in a closed meeting Tuesday.The bill will delay Obamacare's medical device tax for two y
Aren’t All Children Equally Deserving? | the becoming radical
Aren’t All Children Equally Deserving? | the becoming radical: AREN’T ALL CHILDREN EQUALLY DESERVING?A common practice for introducing students to the ethical foundation of philosophy is to pose moral dilemmas, possibly the most typical example being the life-boat dilemma that forces a person to choose who lives, and thus who dies.Science fiction (SF) and speculative fiction often build entire oth
Who Are the 'Deserving Rich'? - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Who Are the 'Deserving Rich'? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Who Are the 'Deserving Rich'?By Deborah Meier on October 15, 2013 9:06 AMDear Mike,I have just come from the Progressive Education Network conference. In such settings, with like-minded folks, I find it fun to look for disagreements.  That's a problem we don't have.  You and I have no trouble finding things we disagree on. More
Kentucky pioneers Common Core reforms, with mixed results | Hechinger Report
Kentucky pioneers Common Core reforms, with mixed results | Hechinger Report: Kentucky pioneers Common Core reforms, with mixed resultsBy Sarah ButrymowiczThis story also appeared at:LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Freshmen in Kate Barrows’ English class at Liberty High School, an alternative school in Louisville, Ky., were trying to solve a crime. A wealthy man had received a letter demanding money, or else his
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-15-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Mercedes Schneider: Who Created the Common Core? How Did It Happen?Mercedes Schneider follows an interesting story. How did it happen that “the states” agreed to create common standards? What was the federal role? Who led this effort? How did it work? Was it really led by the states? How did it happen that the United States has nat
10-15-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Citizens of the World Charter To Use Dead Souls To Bolster Enrollment in Effort to Stay OpenWith the school threatened with closing due to low enrollment (as the so-called charter demand is once more exposed), Citizens of the World supporter Eric Grannis (the husband of Evil Moskowitz) is scouting local cemeteries for recruits.State Ed Commissioner John King approved of the move.
10-15-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Hess, Please Begin the MoratoriumI recently called for a moratorium on white men pontificating on race, class, and gender—prompted by a series of blogs by Michael Petrilli. So when I read Rick Hess's "Teachers Deserve (But Have to Earn) Their Seat at the Table," I immediately asked myself a few things: (1) Is this April 1?, (2) Has Hess finally become the unintentional se
10-15-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Government ShutdownnAre we finally close to a deal between the Republicans and Democrats concerning the shutdown ?1 by Aidan Flynn / 6h Obamacare Vs. Affordable Care Act     Unfortunately our society is not well informed about its own governments plans. Today the the big question is,"which is better? 'Obamacare' or 'Affordable Care Act'?" For those of you who
10-15-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Interview With David Deubelbeiss From EFL Classroom 2.0Last month, I posted The Best Three Sites On The Web For ESL/EFL/ELL/ELT Teachers. I’ve since interviewed the people behind each of those sites, and will be publishing them over the next few weeks. I’m beginning with David Deubelbeiss, the founder of EFL Classroom 2.0:
10-15-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Why doesn’t this feel empowering?CPS had to readjust its numbers. They had to explain why only 60% of students from the 50 schools they closed showed up at the so-called Welcoming Schools. They had predicted 80%. Catalyst reports: Also, the new numbers show that the district still doesn’t know where a
10-15-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Hess, Please Begin the MoratoriumI recently called for a moratorium on white men pontificating on race, class, and gender—prompted by a series of blogs by Michael Petrilli. So when I read Rick Hess’s “Teachers Deserve (But Have to Earn) Their Seat at the Table,” I immediately asked myself a few things: (1) Is this April 1?, (2) Has Hess finally become the […]by plthomasedd / 25mi
10-15-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: How Do You Let John King And SED Officials Know They're Wrong Without Showing Anger And Disrespect?Peter DeWitt has a blog post up this morning at Education Week on the John King/Poughkeepsie fiasco.DeWitt, who has been on the other end of SED anger himself (he got a pushback from an SED flack when he wrote a blog post pointing out that NYSED Commissioner John King sends his
Five Research-Driven Education Trends At Work in Classrooms | toteachornototeach
Five Research-Driven Education Trends At Work in Classrooms | toteachornototeach: Five Research-Driven EducationTrends At Work in Classroomsby Katrina SchwartzIncreasingly, educators are looking to research about how kids learn to influence teaching practices and tools. What seemed like on-the-fringe experiments, like game-based learning, have turned into real trends, and have gradually made their
Fine Print: Reports Detail Racial Segregation in New Jersey Public Schools - NJ Spotlight
Fine Print: Reports Detail Racial Segregation in New Jersey Public Schools - NJ Spotlight: FINE PRINT: REPORTS DETAIL RACIAL SEGREGATION IN NEW JERSEY PUBLIC SCHOOLSJOHN MOONEY | OCTOBER 15, 2013Rutgers-Newark and UCLA studies cite stark disparities and even ‘apartheid’ in education systemClick to expand.Provocative titles: “New Jersey’s Dysfunctional State Education System: Apartheid and Intensel
Public schools shouldn’t close for religious reasons
Public schools shouldn’t close for religious reasons: Public schools shouldn’t close for religious reasonsBY VALERIE STRAUSSOctober 15 at 4:00 amHannah Shraim, 14, with her father and mother at home in Montgomery County . She will not attend school on the Muslim  holiday Eid. (By Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post.)Some Muslims in Montgomery County are pushing for  public school district
School Technologies for Special Needs Children in Very Poor Countries (Harvey Pressman) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
School Technologies for Special Needs Children in Very Poor Countries (Harvey Pressman) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: School Technologies for Special Needs Children in Very Poor Countries (Harvey Pressman)Harvey Pressman is President, Central Coast Children’s Foundation. He’s been Technology Editor of Exceptional Parent Magazine, a board member, of the Alliance for Technol
Reassessments and Retakes: A Necessary Part of a School-Wide Grading Policy | Connected Principals
Reassessments and Retakes: A Necessary Part of a School-Wide Grading Policy | Connected Principals: Reassessments and Retakes: A Necessary Part of a School-Wide Grading PolicyOctober 15, 2013By Brian Stack“Lawyers who finally pass the bar exam on their second or third attempt are not limited to practicing law only on Tuesdays” – Wormeli, 2011We allow people to retake their driver’s license exam as
Week in Class: Week Six 2013
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week in Class: Week Six 2013: Week in Class: Week Six 2013Lots of good stuff going on but hard to find the time and energy to write about it. The times when things are going well are often the hardest to motivate myself to blog about. I spent some time out of the class at Common Core math trainings, and online time writing about CCSS ELA.Going digitalI miss
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Taking back our city
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Taking back our city: Taking back our cityBusy day today. I'm sitting in on a doc student's dissertation defense at UIC and then heading down the street at 5 p.m. to the UIC Forum for the Take Back Chicago rally and town hall meeting.TCB is being organized by the Grassroots Collaborative, an alliance of neighborhood and community organizations who are working to deve

YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 10-14-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMThe Common Core Memorandum of Understanding: What a StoryThe question of who, exactly, is truly responsible for writing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been a matter for debate. Here is how the CCSS website describes CCSS development: Building on the excellent foundation of standards states have laid, the Common Core State Sta
Bill to limit ‘involuntary transfer’ of expelled students vetoed by Brown | EdSource Today
Bill to limit ‘involuntary transfer’ of expelled students vetoed by Brown | EdSource Today: Bill to limit ‘involuntary transfer’ of expelled students vetoed by BrownOctober 14th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By Jane Meredith AdamsGov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Saturday that would have required greater transparency from districts about the process of involuntarily transferring expelled students, and othe
Learn. Teach. Lead. This Time with Passion! — Whole Child Education
Learn. Teach. Lead. This Time with Passion! — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGLearn. Teach. Lead. This Time with Passion!October 14, 2013 by Barry SaideIn order for me to lead effectively in my classroom, I needed to make sure I was teaching the right things. Otherwise, what were students learning? And, why were they learning it?Students need to be personally invested in their learning
NYC Public School Parents: Commissioner King says Class Size Matters is a "special interest" manipulating parents
NYC Public School Parents: Commissioner King says Class Size Matters is a "special interest" manipulating parents: Commissioner King says Class Size Matters is a "special interest" manipulating parentsMy Hero Leonie HaimsonLike Joan of Arc: Pissed Off a King!Way to go Leonie!! Parents Can!!Over the weekend, NY State Education Commissioner John King cancelled all future PTA-spon
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Bosnian mass graves discovered
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Bosnian mass graves discovered: Bosnian mass graves discoveredOn a hill in Bosnia the crimes of war are finally being unearthed. Forensic teams have already found more than 150 bodies and hundreds more are expected to be found. Some citizens search for lost survivors and for the truth. Some prisoners return from near by prison camps who state thousands more were killed
Nite Cap 10-14-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best: "For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAPTODAY‘Men Making a Difference Day’ brings Prince George’s County fathers to school - The Washington Post‘Men Making a Difference Day’ brings Prince George’s County fathers to school - The Washington Post: ‘Men Making a Difference Day’ brings Prin