Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, August 16, 2014

All Week 8-16-14 @ THE CHALK FACE

@ THE CHALK FACE : 
All Week @ THE CHALK FACE 

About the radio show
Join Drs. Shaun Johnson and Tim Slekar 
LIVE Sundays at 6PM EST and Wednesdays at 7PM EST 
on Blog Talk Radio for progressive, pro-public education talk radio. 

Call in to speak live with Tim and Shaun during the show, (805) 727-7111. 
You can also listen to our Monday "Sunday-Replay" at 7PM EST, and re-broadcasts of the archives every Tuesday and Thursday at 7PM EST.
Visit the @ the Chalk Face radio main page for more information on the show and syndication.





Updates for La. Common Core/ PARCC Lawsuits– Including Fresh Spin from John White
The State of Louisiana is currently involved in three lawsuits over the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and/or the CCSS testing consortium assessments belonging to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). Here is a brief update of the entire affair: Lawsuit One Update On August 13, 2014, Judge Todd Hernandez denied the […]

The NEA should have listened. It’s too late.
The Washington Post has a feisty profile of the new NEA president, Lily Eskelsen García: What would she do if she were still teaching and an administrator told her to do something in class to improve student’s standardized test scores so that her test-based evaluation would be better?  “I would totally ignore them,” she said. ” ‘Go […]

Yours truly as Hermione Granger in, I think, 2003?
Fifth grade level teachers for Halloween, characters from Harry Potter. Myself as Hermione Granger. Let your eyes settle on that one for a bit. Why do I look like I’m in pain? And, why does my wig look like it was stolen from Bea Arthur, may she rest in peace.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings […]
Phil Cantor and Zephyr Teachout @ the Chalk Face
Link to the full, double episode.Filed under: @TCF Radio Episodes
Student activist and school board candidate Melissa Katz @ the Chalk Face #stuvoice
The link to the full episode. After you listen, words of encouragement would be nice. Filed under: @TCF Radio Episodes Tagged: activism, new jersey, school board, student activism

AUG 13

Robin Williams, Toys, and charter schools
I am for some reason feeling very sad about the loss of comedian and actor Robin Williams. Just a quick note. A few weeks ago, I was for some reason thinking about his movie Toys. It’s interesting, if only for its sets and costumes. Actually, now that I think about it, I was reminded of the […]
History Rises Again
History Rises Again.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face
Stop Gritting Your Teeth When You Hear “Grit”
STOP GRITTING YOUR TEETH WHEN YOU HEAR “GRIT”.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face

AUG 12

Michelle Rhee-branded, But Still Promoting Crap
If I had to choose one individual for the title of Most Polarizing Educationist, that person would certainly be Michelle Rhee. (You know– educationist– the genuine article, like the Rolexx watch or Louis Wuitton handbag.) Though Rhee has received much press in venues including Time, the  Harvard Political Review, the Washington Post, and the New York Times for being “polarizing,” […]
Interview with Peter Zucker @ the Chalk Face
Full interview here on Blog Talk Radio.Filed under: @TCF Radio Episodes Tagged: @ the chalk face, peter zucker
Interview with Nel Noddings @ the Chalk Face
The interview in full on Blog Talk Radio.Filed under: @TCF Radio Episodes Tagged: @ the chalk face, Nel Noddings
DCPS sidelines test-based teacher evaluations. Fine, but…
This from Diane Ravitch. And others. Henderson described the move “as necessary in order to allow students to acclimate themselves to new tests built around the standards established by the Common Core.” That’s a very sensible move. I have, however, one caveat. DCPS evaluates its teachers using the IMPACT system. It may look a little […]

AUG 11

Interview with founder of Class Dojo @ the Chalk Face
Do you use Class Dojo? I did, last year, and I’ll do it again. Really simple tool. Great interface. I saw results, almost immediately, that were sustained for months. We do not often get to hear from app developers, so listen here as the new Dojo feature is announced publicly for the first time. You […]
We teachers are often the ones lacking imagination
From Facebook (take it with a grain of salt). But if this image is true, then we teachers are our own problems. What a simple, superfluous, insipid little assignment. Not that everything I’ve done is perfectly genius. In what universe is this an exemplar of “effective” teaching? Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the […]

AUG 10

Was accidentally wearing my sunglasses while looking up some stuff online. #theylive
Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face Tagged: Duncan, education, they live

AUG 09

RSD School Construction Overspending and Substandard Concrete: Time for Jindal Admin to Expand Its Audit
As of June 18, 2014, Louisiana State Superintendent John White has found himself to be the focus of Office of Contractual Renewal (OCR) and Division of Administration (DOA) investigation for his questionable methods regarding Louisiana’s assessment contracts. White has publicly complained that such is evidence that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is out to get him. […]