Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Morning Wink 7-15-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-15-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Jeanne Kaplan: Why Teachers Are Sick of DuncanJeanne Kaplan served on the Denver school board for years and watched with a heavy heart as fake “reformers” took over Denver and Colorado. Now Colorado has the most punitive teacher evaluation law in the nation, thanks to Arne Duncan and Colorado’s State Senator Michael Johnston. When
7-15-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Aft report: My Last Red-Eye - It's 2 AM and I'm Still Not EX-LAXThe AFT convention has reached its high point. It's the middle of the night and I'm surrounded by hordes of Unity Caucus delegates stranded from 2 fucked up Delta red-eyes. It's like an endless nightmare. I call the question but they are still here. On checking into security with my priority check-in - let's see - at
7-15-14 With A Brooklyn Accent
With A Brooklyn Accent: Teacher Temps and Computer Tenders Can't Move Children Out of PovertyOne of the things I am most worried about in the rush to on line learning and disposable teacher temps is the elimination of relationship building and mentoring, which in my experience, is key in having education move people out of poverty and promote upward mobility.When you grow up poor, there are many s
7-15-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?:   Wait What? Why students leave high school (By Wendy Lecker)Wendy Lecker’s latest commentary piece for the Stamford Advocate and Hearst Media Group pushes aside the rhetoric coming from the corporate education reform industry and its allies like Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy and his Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor. Instead Lecker lays out the real issues about graduation rates
7-15-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Don’t use Staples.As a state-wide elected delegate to the NEA RA I get reimbursed for most of my expenses. I have to fill out forms and provide receipts as it is carefully monitored by the IRS. And who knows? Maybe the NSA too. Rather than make copies of the forms at home, I normally go to the neighbo
7-15-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: New Study Reinforces Previous Ones Showing SEL Lessons Need To Be Short & Simple© 2013 elPadawan, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio As regular readers of this blog and my books know, I’m an advocate of teaching Social Emotional Learning skills — and that I think they need to be simple so that individual teachers can integra
7-15-14 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: Christie's Last Teacher Evaluation Panel Was a DisasterBig news today in the New Jersey education policy world:Following several days of intensive discussion last week, agreement was reached on several key issues related to standardized testing and its ultimate role in teacher evaluation.  NJEA was at the center of conversations with legislators, the Christie administration and the
7-15-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Why I Want Arne Duncan And John King To Remain In PowerThe NEA has called for Secretary of Education Privatization Arne Duncan's ouster.The AFT put him on some kind of improvement plan (a lame way of saying they were calling for his ouster without actually calling for his ouster.)Many rank-and-file teachers across the country have called for Duncan to step down or be fired.B
The Evolution of Denial in Atlanta Test-Score Cheating Scandal | janresseger
The Evolution of Denial in Atlanta Test-Score Cheating Scandal | janresseger: The Evolution of Denial in Atlanta Test-Score Cheating ScandalPosted on July 15, 2014 by janressegerRachel Aviv’s extraordinary New Yorker magazine essay, Wrong Answer, traces the evolution of the Atlanta Public Schools standardized test cheating scandal.  Aviv describes how school administrators, driven by the Adequate
Art and Public Space | Bill Ayers
Art and Public Space | Bill Ayers: Art and Public SpaceWhat does it mean to be human today, trudging into the 21st Century?How can we act ethically in our hurried and bewildering world?How did we get here, and where do we want to go?Is there a Public Space? In fact, is there a Public?What is our diagram of the known world, and how might things be otherwise?What kind of society do we want to inhabi
NYC Educator: Does AFT Merit a Member Boycott?
NYC Educator: Does AFT Merit a Member Boycott?: Does AFT Merit a Member Boycott?AFT reps, not a single one of whom represents me or my school, took time out to assemble at a local Staples to protest their use of private workers to replace US Post Office workers. The President of NYSUT cut her Staples card in half to show she meant business. After all, we value union, and we don't want unqualified
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Events of past two weeks gives us hope
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Events of past two weeks gives us hope: Events of past two weeks gives us hopeDonna Brazile“The very premise of ‘market-driven education reform’ rests on the fallacy that the public school system is in crisis, and that the only solution is to let the market pick winners and losers.” -- Donna BrazileWow! What an amazing couple of weeks this has been.It started with th
Willing to die for justice? Comparing post-Katrina student activism to Freedom Summer | Hechinger Report
Willing to die for justice? Comparing post-Katrina student activism to Freedom Summer | Hechinger Report: Willing to die for justice? Comparing post-Katrina student activism to Freedom SummerBy Andre PerryTwo of the most significant student movements in the United States occurred in Jackson, Mississippi and New Orleans – separated by less than a three hours’ drive and fifty years. En masse, high s

YESTERDAY

SELLOUT: Why the NJEA’s testing compromise with Christie was a mistake | Bob Braun's Ledger
SELLOUT: Why the NJEA’s testing compromise with Christie was a mistake | Bob Braun's Ledger: SELLOUT: Why the NJEA’s testing compromise with Christie was a mistakeRemember?                   The problem with the compromise reached between the Christie Administration and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) over the uses of high-stakes testing is this: The teachers’ union, rightly concerned
With 8 weeks until school starts, Sacramento charter starts from scratch - Education - The Sacramento Bee
With 8 weeks until school starts, Sacramento charter starts from scratch - Education - The Sacramento Bee: With 8 weeks until school starts, Sacramento charter starts from scratchBy Loretta Kalblkalb@sacbee.comPublished: Monday, Jul. 14, 2014 - 5:54 pmLast Modified: Monday, Jul. 14, 2014 - 6:56 pmThe paint is fresh. The rooms are clean. All that’s needed at fledgling New Joseph Bonnheim Community 
Arne Duncan flubbed on Common Core, and then he made it worse - LA Times
Arne Duncan flubbed on Common Core, and then he made it worse - LA Times: Opinion Arne Duncan flubbed on Common Core, and then he made it worseRandi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks at its convention over the weekend in Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times)By KARIN KLEINcontact the reporterThe scaffolding of support for the Common Core curriculum standards continues,
Teachers of Color Caught In The Windmill (On Real Equity) - The Jose Vilson
Teachers of Color Caught In The Windmill (On Real Equity) - The Jose Vilson: Teachers of Color Caught In The Windmill (On Real Equity)Last week, I delved a little deeper into this issue of teachers of color, hoping to sow some of the prevailing narratives up and construct something more cogent.Yet, when it comes down to it, the lack of teachers of color is a symptom and not a cause of the educatio
Free Minds/Free People | Bill Ayers
Free Minds/Free People | Bill Ayers: Free Minds/Free PeopleBernardine and I met up with our old pal Jeff Jones, jumped in the car and headed off to the Oregon Country Fair outside Eugene where we’d been asked to speak about the political moment we were living through—Occupy your Imagination; Free Minds/Free People. It was a Blues Brothers road trip—we were on a mission from God.The Fair was an ins
Nite Cap 7-14-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #AFT14
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 CAPCharter Renewals FAQs Section 11 - Resources (CA Dept of Education)Charter Renewals FAQs Section 11 - Resources (CA Dept of Education): Charter Renewals FAQs Section 11Frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding academic performance determinations
Charter Renewals FAQs Section 11 - Resources (CA Dept of Education)
Charter Renewals FAQs Section 11 - Resources (CA Dept of Education): Charter Renewals FAQs Section 11Frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding academic performance determinations for charter renewal.Academic Performance Determinations for Charter RenewalQ.1. On what must an authorizer base its determination of a charter school's academic performance for purposes of charter renewal?Q.2. With recen
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More polls now indicate Rahm can be had
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More polls now indicate Rahm can be had: More polls now indicate Rahm can be hadEmanuel's weakness has been known for months—he lost the left ages ago, and has lost Chicagoans more generally over basic competence issues. In the Sun-Times, his response to the poll is an anonymous insult, "laughable." But this same pollster nailed the 2011 race, which Emanuel
The Case Against “reformers” | Live Long and Prosper
The Case Against “reformers” | Live Long and Prosper: The Case Against “reformers”THE ‘rEFORM’ LIEThree recent articles did a nice job of summarizing the problems facing public education in the U.S. They add to the already strong case against the so-called “reform” movement.The Vergara decision: The big picture by Stephen KrashenFive Facts for the Dangerously Deluded Education Reformers by Paul Bu
St. Paul teachers union boss to take national post - TwinCities.com #AFT14
St. Paul teachers union boss to take national post - TwinCities.com: St. Paul teachers union boss to take national postMary Cathryn Ricker (Courtesy of Education Minnesota)St. Paul teachers union president will step down to take a top leadership post with the national American Federation of Teachers.Mary Cathryn Ricker, head of the St. Paul Federation of Teachers, will become AFT's executive vice
7-14-14 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University)
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): Debating Common Core Is Proof that Educators Have LostRecently, many within and among the AFT and NEA communities have been applauding that summer conventions have devoted time to debating the Common Core, some going as far as hailing that debate as proof of democracy in
7-14-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What is Teaching Time Really About (and how is it counted)?by Melissa Westbrook / 2min 7-12-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum WeekSeattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community ForumSeattle Schools To Hold Community Meeting on Special EducationFrom SPS Communications:When:  Tuesday, July 22, 2014Time:  6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.Where:  Seattle Public John Sta
Why Can't Big Data Take a Bow, and then Contribute to the Collaborative Commons? | John Thompson
Why Can't Big Data Take a Bow, and then Contribute to the Collaborative Commons? | John Thompson: Why Can't Big Data Take a Bow, and then Contribute to the Collaborative Commons? Back in the early 1960s, when our elementary school teachers and principal had a particularly important point to make, they brought us across the courtyard into the junior high auditorium. Needless to say, those events ma
Former United Federation of Teachers VP Leo Casey Tries to Twitter-slam Me | deutsch29
Former United Federation of Teachers VP Leo Casey Tries to Twitter-slam Me | deutsch29: Former United Federation of Teachers VP Leo Casey Tries to Twitter-slam MeJuly 14, 2014I have been asked numerous times to join Twitter. The response I offer to this request: I haven’t the time to keep up with Twitter.That doesn’t mean that I do not occasionally become the topic of a Twitter exchange, however.A
All Things Education: Time for some 21st century honesty
All Things Education: Time for some 21st century honesty: Time for some 21st century honestyI am mostly writing this just to have a record of where I stand on so-called 21st century skills. Now, I am not an ed tech or tech expert at all, and though it's a topic I try to read a lot about, I haven't written a lot about it.For the most part, I don't really believe there is such a thing as "21st
We Party Patriots » Postal Worker Solidarity Hits New High as AFT Calls for National Boycott of Staples
We Party Patriots » Postal Worker Solidarity Hits New High as AFT Calls for National Boycott of Staples: Postal Worker Solidarity Hits New High as AFT Calls for National Boycott of StaplesAFT’s always fiery president, Randi Weingarten   This weekend at their bi-annual convention, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) passed a resolution calling for a national boycott of Staples in solidarity w
Video 2014 AFT Convention - YouTube #AFT14
2014 AFT Convention - YouTube: 2014 AFT Conventionby AFTHQ26 videos286 views4 hoursPlay all   Donna Brazile, Democrat for Public EducationAFTHQ15:36 Everyday Hero - Krystal WoolstonAFTHQ4:07 Congresswoman Judy ChuAFTHQ5:30 Sean McGarveyAFTHQ9:00 Solution-Driven Unionism Award Highlights InnovationAFTHQ2:51 Congressman Mike HondaAFTHQ8:31 Everyday Hero - Julie AhrenAFTHQ5:12 Philadelphia Activists
Michelle Rhee’s minions meet their match: New anti-charter group declares war - Salon.com
Michelle Rhee’s minions meet their match: New anti-charter group declares war - Salon.com: Michelle Rhee’s minions meet their match: New anti-charter group declares warHigh-profile Democrats -- from Donna Brazile to Jennifer Granholm -- are saying enough is enough re: charter-maniaDAVID DAYENThe internal war among Democrats over education policy escalated another notch this weekend at the annual c
People to Politicians: Address The Needy – redqueeninla
People to Politicians: Address The Needy – redqueeninla: People to Politicians: Address The Needy As a child I wondered of my elders ‘where were you’ during WWII? Why had you not “done something”? And found always the vague responses unsatisfying, referencing uncertainty as to what (often as a child) could have been done and even uncertainty (unconvincingly) regarding what had been happening. The
AFT convention low points - Substance News
AFT convention low points - Substance News: AFT CONVENTION NEWS AND ANALYSIS: Do AFT locals need an anti-bullying contract clause when facing national leaders? Randi's 'You're more beautiful when you're angry' smiles fall flat when dozens of her 'thugs' push, shove and manipulate the physical spaces in both Common Core debatesGeorge N.Schmidt - July 14, 201444-25. RESPECTFUL WORKING ENVIRONMENT. T
7-14-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Frack Me, Baby!#AFT14 - Randi says - AFT and NEA to Forge New Relationship - Short-Lived for SureRandi - we will forge a new relationship with NEA - introducing new President of NEA Lily Eskelsen Garcia.Let's see - Lily has term limits and will be out of office in 2 years.Randi, who just won re-election with 97% of the vote of 2783 delegates, is in office for life - or as long as
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 7-14-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: American Federation of Teachers: “REMEDIATING” DUNCAN AND RETAINING THE “CORRUPTED” COMMON CORE + smf’s 2¢by Mercedes Schneider | New post on deutsch29 blog /http://bit.ly/1mOAPwc July 14, 2014  ::  I'm wondering what of substance was accomplished thus far at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) national convention in Los Angeles July 11-14, 2014.
Donna Brazile, Democrats for Public Education
Donna Brazile, Democrats for Public EducationDonna Brazile as one of the founding members of "Democrats for Public Education" talks about how privatization and market-based education reform has made education less equitable in many communities.
ASU Economics Professor Margarita Pivovarova on Northwestern Economics Professors Kirabo Jackson’s VAM Study |
ASU Economics Professor Margarita Pivovarova on Northwestern Economics Professors Kirabo Jackson’s VAM Study |: ASU Economics Professor Margarita Pivovarova on Northwestern Economics Professors Kirabo Jackson’s VAM Study A “recent” (2012) economics-based study has recently come to VAMmers’ attention, about effective teachers’ effects on students’ non-cognitive skills, with evidence supporting that
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Powers Down Five State Affiliates, Including Fla. - State EdWatch - Education Week
Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Powers Down Five State Affiliates, Including Fla. - State EdWatch - Education Week: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Powers Down Five State Affiliates, Including Fla.By Andrew Ujifusa on July 14, 2014 12:30 PMStudentsFirst, the advocacy group founded by former District of Columbia schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, has expanded at a steady pace into m
7-14-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): Morning Read: Duncan must improve or resign, says AFTAnother teachers union ding for Arne Duncan The American Federation of Teachers approved a resolution this afternoon calling for Education Secretary Arne Duncan to resign if he does not improve under a plan to be implemented by President Barack Obama. P
7-14-14 The Whole Child Blog — MI21: Multiple Intelligences and Preparing Children for the 21st Century
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: MI21: Multiple Intelligences and Preparing Children for the 21st CenturySociety is quickly shifting, and so with it shifts the dialog about meaningfully learning and contributing. What used to pass for preparation to participate in a democratic society with a free market economy no longer holds true. Public schools currently reflect the 1900s more than
Anti-Common Core fervor reaches the silver screen :: SI&A Cabinet Report
Anti-Common Core fervor reaches the silver screen :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: JULY 14, 2014Anti-Common Core fervor reaches the silver screenby Alisha Kirby(Texas) The momentum behind the anti-Common Core State Standards movement is coming to a theater near you later this month in the form of an interactive experience hosted by conservat
Gülen charter schools scrutinized by US media | Politics | Daily Sabah
Gülen charter schools scrutinized by US media | Politics | Daily Sabah: GÜLEN CHARTER SCHOOLS SCRUTINIZED BY US MEDIADaily SabahUpdated : 13.07.2014 12:58:45Published : 13.07.2014 12:50:16ISTANBUL – Activities and operations of the Gülen Movement in the US and Turkey have recently been scrutinized by a number of American media outlets which question the movement's motives, opacity and why the US g
Parents, education advocates plan to defend teacher tenure against lawsuit filed by parents' reform group - NY Daily News
Parents, education advocates plan to defend teacher tenure against lawsuit filed by parents' reform group - NY Daily News: Parents, education advocates plan to defend teacher tenure against lawsuit filed by parents' reform groupAttorney Arthur Schwartz said he expects to file a motion in Staten Island Supreme Court within two weeks claiming his clients should be named as co-defendants of the city
Governors group skirts 'radioactive' Common Core | Nation & World | The Seattle Times
Governors group skirts 'radioactive' Common Core | Nation & World | The Seattle Times: Governors group skirts 'radioactive' Common CoreReviled by staunch conservatives, the common education standards designed to improve schools and student competitiveness are being modified by some Republican governors, who are pushing back against what they call the federal government's intrusion into the cla
Common Core debate at AFT - Substance News
Common Core debate at AFT - Substance News: New York votes dominate Common Core debate at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) convention as a majority of AFT delegates votes to continue critical support for Common Core ... AFT leadership has to deploy union officials to speak, while classroom teachers oppose Common CoreKati Gilson, NBCT - July 13, 2014A mad dash for the microphones started w
Morning Wink 7-14-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-14-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Paul Thomas on Arne Duncan and the Myth of Low ExpectationsPaul Thomas here reviews many of the public statements of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and finds a common theme: the cause of low