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Friday, July 4, 2014

Nite Cap 7-4-14 #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


HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!



7-4-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Dissecting Moaning Mona DavidsMoaning Mona Davids has switched sides more times than a tennis ball.... and burned more bridges than the retreating German army..... Ed Notes Local 372 President Santos Crespo Jr. fired [Mona] Davids in December, then sued her in January, claiming she failed to turn over passwords to databases containing confidential information about the union’s mem
About that StudentsFirst tweet… | teacherbiz
About that StudentsFirst tweet… | teacherbiz: About that StudentsFirst tweet…https://twitter.com/StudentsFirst/status/484839932007964672It never shocks me when StudentsFirst says something ridiculous, but this tweet I came across yesterday is particularly laughable.  The tweet itself is a quote from an Alexander Russo blurb (which is in direct response to a Politico article) that compares Students
7-4-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": “How to end homework for moms”How to end homework for moms is a very helpful article that appeared recently in The Washington Post. In it, former National Principal of The Year Mel Riddile provides some good advice to teachers about the kind of homework to give that will be helpful to students and promote a positive feeling
Update: American Class Schedule 2014
AMERICAN CLASS SCHEDULE 2014 Upper ClassMiddle ClassMY PLACE Proudly Sponsored by
Emergency! Please Send an Email Protesting Injustice to Children | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
Emergency! Please Send an Email Protesting Injustice to Children | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Emergency! Please Send an Email Protesting Injustice to ChildrenFiled under: American Injustice,Immigration — millerlf @ 2:35 pm Emergency!! Minutemen and other right-wing groups are mobilizing to stop more busses of children in Murrieta, California.Please send an emergency protest email
Frankly My Dear… | WagTheDog
Frankly My Dear… | WagTheDog: Frankly My Dear… Many people have commented on David Coleman’s infamous statement at a 4/28/11 Common Core conference in NY:“As you grow up in this world, you realize people really don’t give a sh#@ about what you feel or what you think.”Coleman’s dismissal and disapproval of personal reflections is also apparent in the Common Core teacher training video; “Preparing f
Fraud, embezzlement in charter schools nationally resonate with problems in Connecticut - Courant.com
Fraud, embezzlement in charter schools nationally resonate with problems in Connecticut - Courant.com: Hustlers Cash In On Charter School Craze Colin McEnroeTo Wit7:30 p.m. EDT, July 3, 2014If I showed you the headline "Weak Charter School Laws Enable Scams, Insider Dealing," you'd probably assume it's the latest shoe to drop in the unfurling scandal of FUSE, the punch-drunk charter scho
California's education leaders - AWOL again - SFGate
California's education leaders - AWOL again - SFGate: California's education leaders - AWOL againPeter SchragUpdated 11:41 am, Thursday, June 5, 2014Johanna Paraiso is an English teacher at Fremont High School in Oakland, one of three Bay Area schools named in the lawsuit over the time poor and immigrant students spend learning. Photo: Michael Short, The ChronicleThere's no way to know how many Ca
Good Riddance to Common Core Testing | Diane Ravitch
Good Riddance to Common Core Testing | Diane Ravitch: Good Riddance to Common Core TestingA few years ago, Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, David Coleman, and a merry band of policy wonks had a grand plan. The non-governmental groups like Achieve, the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and Coleman's own Student Achievement Partners would write the Common Core stand
7-4-14 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: Tuck throws a punch at TorlacksonChallenger to CA schools chief  blasts handling of Inglewood Unified takeover Marshall Tuck, the man who hopes to unseat Tom Torlakson as state superintendent of public instruction on Wednesday decried a legislative committee’s failure to authorize an audit o
Summer Lost: Episode 1 - The Slide | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Summer Lost: Episode 1 - The Slide | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Summer Lost: Episode 1 - The SlideIt’s a sweltering summer afternoon in Philadelphia and Dion Jones is reading to his two sons, Jayven and Cameron, on a bench in Smith Memorial Playground.It’s July 1 — one of the first weeks of summer vacation — and Jones just received a handful of free children’s books from the Philadelphia
lol my common core | Missouri Education Watchdog
lol my common core | Missouri Education Watchdog: lol my common coreinShareWhat would Bill Gates write about his CCSSI investment? “I get to spend over $200 Million for standards adoption, implementation and PR campaigns and call it a performance about being the nation’s superintendent.”Imagine that you are a student studying for your doctorate.  You are in the midst of writing your thesis which d
Russ on Reading: Walter Dean Myers: An Appreciation
Russ on Reading: Walter Dean Myers: An Appreciation: Walter Dean Myers: An AppreciationI was saddened to learn of the passing of the great young adult author, Walter Dean Myers. Myers was an important presence on my classroom bookshelves. His books spoke to a segment of my students who found very few voices they could relate to in literature. He wrote of poor African American kids on the streets o
My Independence Day Post Featuring Kate Smith and God Bless America | deutsch29
My Independence Day Post Featuring Kate Smith and God Bless America | deutsch29: My Independence Day Post Featuring Kate Smith and God Bless AmericaJuly 4, 2014For my July Fourth post, I would like to feature what is now a well-known American anthem as performed by the iconic Kate Smith, God Bless America. Written by Irvin Berlin and made famous by Smith, the song premiered in 1938. As noted in Pa
The VergarGuments are Coming to New York State! | School Finance 101
The VergarGuments are Coming to New York State! | School Finance 101: The VergarGuments are Coming to New York State!Posted on July 4, 20140      Rate ThisAnd so it goes… The VergarGuments keep-a-comin… spreading their way from California to the Empire State, from Albany to Buffalo. And what are VergarGuments you say?Well, a VergarGument is a fallacious form of legal reasoning applied in the conte
FLASHBACK: 4th of July
FLASHBACK: 4th of JulyNite Cap 7-4-13 #neara13 #RYH4Ed #BATsACT #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2 #HEREPASTJUNEJames 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 CAPTODAYEducation is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world - Nelson Mandela - Wait, What?Education is the most powerful
Morning Wink 7-4-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-4-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A Reading List on TestingBob Shepherd posted this reading list on testing. The list was compiled by Alfie Kohn. I have a few additions: Todd Farley, Making the Grades Banesh Hoffman, The Tyranny
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-4-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A Reading List on TestingBob Shepherd posted this reading list on testing. The list was compiled by Alfie Kohn. I have a few additions: Todd Farley, Making the Grades Banesh Hoffman, The Tyranny of Testing Phil Harris, The Myth of Standardized Testing Jim Horn and Denise Wilburn, The Mismeasure of Education Daniel Koretz, Measuring
7-4-14 Wait What? - Jonathan Pelto: Gubernatorial Candidate and A Really Nice Guy
Wait What?: Wait What? When Democracy is seen as a danger…This week, as our state and nation prepared to celebrate the 4th of July, the union leaders of the Connecticut AFL-CIO sent out their weekly email to members.  Their update included the following article, Can’t Support Petitioning For Pelto I am an advocate for access to the election ballot. I was a plaintiff in a […] The post When Democrac
7-4-14 Answer Sheet
Answer Sheet: A declaration for teachersThere’s no better time of  year to talk about declarations than on July 4th, the day the second Constitutional Convention meeting in 1776 approved the Declaration of Independence.  Here’s a new one by Jennifer Barnett, a classroom teacher for more than 20 years who decided it was time for teachers to have a declaration of […]49 by Valerie Strauss / 4h 7-3-14
7-4-14 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.: The courts pension decision and the governor’s race.Yesterday’s Illinois Supreme Court decision is cause for celebration. Six of the seven judges agreed that the pension protection clause of the state’s constitution meant what it said. Contractual pension benefits between the state and all government
7-4-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: “‘There Are So Many Inspirational Teachers Out There’: An Interview With Meenoo Rami”‘There Are So Many Inspirational Teachers Out There’: An Interview With Meenoo Rami is my latest post over at Education Week Teacher. This summer, I’ll be alternating between publishing thematic compilations of past posts and sharing interv
7-4-14 Schools Matter All Week
Schools Matter: David Brooks: In Praise of SegregationIt's not often that NYTimes conservative columnist, David Brooks, finds any way to use science try to justify the lifestyles of the rich and separate, but someone sent him news of a study that he obviously felt he could manipulate to rationalize the continuing resegregation of America and its schools. Good fences make good neighbors. When ethni
7-4-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Expect a regular series on saving a schoolAs some of you may know, I walked away from a position in higher education to return to the elementary classroom. With roughly 13 years of experience in education, and two advanced degrees, even rather late in the hiring cycle, I had my pick of teaching positions in Washington, DC. I immediately chose, without hesitation, […]2 by Shaun Jo
7-4-14 Curmudgucation
CURMUDGUCATION: Hess: Free Press Charter Stories "Unhelpful"The Detroit Free Press recently ran a huge, extensively researched and reported story on Michigan's charter schools. They concluded, among other things, that charters hoover up a billion dollars with little transparency, that many charters are simply an ATM for family and friends of operators, that even really bad charters have
7-4-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: The Hubris, Arrogance And Authoritarianism Of Common Core ProponentsSome of the comments on Jay Greene's Common Core Political Naivete and the Enemies List post get at this:"The main problem has not been intention, I think, but strategy. I have no doubt many Core supporters really think national standards are educationally important. The problem is, to get what they tho
"This July 4, governing in the spirit of revenge"
"This July 4, governing in the spirit of revenge": "This July 4, governing in the spirit of revenge"byteacherkenFollow    8 Comments / 8 NewAs we celebrate the Fourth of July, who can argue that our democracy is working the way the Founders intended? And who can deny that most of the blame for dysfunction must fall to the Republican Party?So begins Eugene Robinson's column in t
NYC Educator: Could Educational Extortion Work?
NYC Educator: Could Educational Extortion Work?: Could Educational Extortion Work?Imagine the Crime of the Century:With all the money that Bill Gates has poured into the Common Core, pawning it off on states in return for large grants, seeming to buy the loyalty of organizations like the National PTA and AFT, it may come as a surprise that his Common Core has been kidnapped.  There has been much s
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Eric Holder turned into a political hack for Rahm
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Eric Holder turned into a political hack for Rahm: Eric Holder turned into a political hack for RahmShame on Attorney General Eric Holder for allowing himself and his office to be used to kickstart Rahm Emanuel's re-election campaign. Holder was in town Wednesday to hail the “amazing” turnaround in school safety since the 2009 beating death of Fenger Academy student
Day 2: NEA Rep Assembly BAT Blog #NEARA14 #NEABAT (With pictures) | Continuing Change
Day 2: NEA Rep Assembly BAT Blog #NEARA14 #NEABAT (With pictures) | Continuing Change: Day 2: NEA Rep Assembly BAT Blog #NEARA14 #NEABAT (With pictures)July 4, 2014EducationNEA      Rate ThisOn yet another beautiful Colorado day, thousands upon thousands of teachers and support personnel poured into the Denver Convention Center.Today, our National Education Association kicked off our 2014 Represen

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Geaux Teacher!: White Pulls a Dead Rabbit Out of His Hat!
Geaux Teacher!: White Pulls a Dead Rabbit Out of His Hat!: White Pulls a Dead Rabbit Out of His Hat!I sent this letter to all BESE members along with various and sundry other people today.On July 1, during the BESE special meeting, it was stated several times that "teachers don't get to see the iLEAP or LEAP tests and parents can't see the tests after administration," so it would not be
Digital Tools As The Gateway Drug To Real Pedagogy? - The Jose Vilson
Digital Tools As The Gateway Drug To Real Pedagogy? - The Jose Vilson: Digital Tools As The Gateway Drug To Real Pedagogy?by JOSE VILSON on JULY 3, 2014in JOSEOn Sunday, I spent some time with the good folks at SMART Technologies (yeah, I can’t believe I’m saying that either, but more on that later) for the annual ISTE conference, a mega-large education conference hosted this year in Atlanta, GA.
7-3-14 Schools Matter All Week
Schools Matter: Picket, Boycott, Shut Down Weingarten's Common Core ConventionFrom Inside AFT: The AFT convention, set for July 11-14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will focus on fighting back and fighting forward on key domestic issues to reclaim the promise of America, including the Common Core State Standards . . .2 by Jim Horn / 51min 7-2-14 Schools Matter All WeekSchools Matter: Join M
Oregon Save Our Schools: Oregon SOS at the Gates Foundation Protest in Seattle
Oregon Save Our Schools: Oregon SOS at the Gates Foundation Protest in Seattle: Oregon SOS at the Gates Foundation Protest in SeattleOn Thursday, June 26th, members of Oregon Save Our Schools joined Oregon Bad Ass Teachers (BATs) in Seattle in solidarity with Washington BATs and Washington Save Our Schools at an event designed to bring attention to Bill Gates’ undue influence in our public schools
NEA - 2014 News Releases
NEA - 2014 News Releases: NEA delegates approve creation of national campaign for equity and against “Toxic Testing”Campaign to focus on assessments and developing real accountability systemsDENVER—The National Education Association (NEA) will launch a national campaign to put the focus of assessments and accountability back on ensuring equity and supporting student learning and end the “test blam
Nite Cap 7-3-14 #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 CAPThe Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Frederick Douglass | Bill AyersThe Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Frederick Douglass | Bill Ayers: The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Frederick DouglassA speech given at Rochester, New