Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Morning Wink 9-30-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-30-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Tennessee: Most Teachers Say Abandon Common CoreTennessee is one of Arne Duncan’s favorite states because it was one of the first states to win Race to the Top funding, it has a rightwing governor and legislature, and an experienced, TFA-trained state commissioner. Thus, the state is committed to charters, to privatization, and to
9-30-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Appocalypse Soon - DC Watch Debate: Guns and Race"When government officials distrust their people, they disarm the people to protect themselves from the dangers they fear from them...." - Gary Imhoff, DC WatchYou know I've been thinking along these lines. That with the .01% stealing resources with the ultimate possibility of unrest, the bringing home of the military and
9-30-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Upcoming Google Hangout: “Family and Community Engagement Practices that Raise Achievement”
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": Upcoming Google Hangout: “Family and Community Engagement Practices that Raise Achievement”Scholastic will be hosting what looks like a very useful Google Hangout on family engagement. Here’s how they describe it: Wed, Oct 8, 5:00 PM – 5:40 PM Hangouts On Air – Broadcast for free Join us for a Scholastic Mini-PD session foc
9-30-14 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.: Not my kids. Your kids.2 by Fred Klonsky / 33min hide  //  save“I hope this extra time to find new employment alleviates some of your hardship,” Balanoff said in the call.SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff. I hope writing about CPS janitors doesn’t cause me to receive a letter from SEIU lawyers. Like
9-30-14 Schools Matter - Comments on Naomi Klein's New Book
Schools Matter: Comments on Naomi Klein's New BookA clip from comments on Naomi Klein's new book at Nation of Change:Klein starts with a blunt statement of the problem: “[O]ur economic system and our planetary system are now at war. Or, more accurately, our economy is at war with many forms of life on earth, including human life.” (21) Human survival requires a new economics, which explains why cl
9-30-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Teachers Can Receive Free DVD Of “12 Years A Slave” & Study GuideTeachers can receive a free DVD copy of the movie “12 Years A Slave,” a book and more, and it’s very simple to register for it online. Here’s what you get: *FREE Educator’s Toolkit Includes: Full Length DVD copy of the movie (edited version, parental appro
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-30-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Newton in The LA Times: DEASY+CO CIRCLE THE WAGONS AS EMILY BRONTE MEETS CHRISTIAN GREYEXT. MONUMENT VALLEY – DAY THERE ARE SMOKE SIGNALS – AND THE SOUNDTRACK HAS AN INCESSENT DRUMBEAT. AND SO IT BEGINS, AS THE DEASY LOYALISTS, ®EFORMERS, ASTROTURF ALLIANCES, CHARTER SCHOOL PROPONENTS AND THE BILLIONARE BOYS CLUB CIRCLE THE WAGONS IN THE VALLEY AS THE B
9-30-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin 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 Thursd
9-30-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: Big Education Ape: Homeless students increase by 58 percent in past six years | Education By The Numbershttp://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2014/09/homeless-students-increase-by-58.html Homeless students increase by 58 percent in past six years | Education By The NumbersDespite signs of a national economic recovery, homelessness in U.S. public schools steadily increased 8 per
9-30-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Oprah Loves "Warriors"Associated Press today: SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey is donating $100,000 to a youth center on the south side of Syracuse.Winfrey made a surprise stop Monday at the Mary Nelson Youth Center and said she was writing out the check on the spot. She called Mary Nelson a "community warrior" for doing the work she does on the city'
How college ed programs try, fail to recruit teachers of color | The Hechinger Report
How college ed programs try, fail to recruit teachers of color | The Hechinger Report: How college ed programs try, fail to recruit teachers of colorOnly radical new engagement strategies can end racial disparityBy Andre PerryNationally, black males account for 2 percent of the teacher population. Blacks in total represent 8 percent of all teachers; Latinos, 7 percent; and Asians, 2 percent. My 3-
A #Commoncore Twitter Play | Missouri Education Watchdog
A #Commoncore Twitter Play | Missouri Education Watchdog: A #Commoncore Twitter PlayinSharePass the popcorn.CAST:Common Core Proponents (Supported by Tax Dollars and Special Interest Groups):Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, State Education Agency,Jefferson City, MO dese.mo.govRobert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow @ Fordham Institute; senior adviser @democracyprep. K-12 educatio
Ohio’s Plunderbund Examines Correlation of School District Ratings with Family Income | janresseger
Ohio’s Plunderbund Examines Correlation of School District Ratings with Family Income | janresseger: Ohio’s Plunderbund Examines Correlation of School District Ratings with Family IncomePosted on September 30, 2014 by janressegerFor many years Ohio has used a Performance Index to judge its school districts.  The Performance Index is a formula based primarily on standardized test scores.  Not too l
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Philly's cancerous approach to school funding
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Philly's cancerous approach to school funding: Philly's cancerous approach to school fundingAs if making schools dependent on property taxes wasn't bad enough, now Philadelphia Public Schools will have to rely on cigarette sales just to make it through the year. Without the regressive $2-a-pack cigarette tax increase passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Corbe
Teachers' Unions, Democracy, & Risk-Taking - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Teachers' Unions, Democracy, & Risk-Taking - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Teachers' Unions, Democracy, & Risk-TakingBy Deborah Meier on September 30, 2014 9:06 AMDeborah Meier continues her conversation with Leo Casey today. Dear Leo (and Readers),Yes, indeed, democracy is nonnegotiable, except ...  democracy is a constant negotiation, a balancing act, which never gets it quite r
Teaching U.S. History in a Failing School (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Teaching U.S. History in a Failing School (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Teaching U.S. History in a Failing School (Part 2)How to interpret the three history lessons I watched Mark Allison, a veteran teacher, teach?Allison had prepared an interactive lesson with a series of slides on the Civil Rights movement. He asked his students to inspect each slide carefully a
NYC Educator: What Does UFT Leadership Stand For?
NYC Educator: What Does UFT Leadership Stand For?: What Does UFT Leadership Stand For?We know that President Michael Mulgrew loves Common Core, because he clearly stated he'd punch anyone who tried to take it away from him. He then ridiculed those who said Gates had anything to do with it, though Gates clearly pumped hundreds of millions into it, several in the direction of teacher unions. While r
Brown wraps up ed bills, leaves some heads shaking :: SI&A Cabinet Report
Brown wraps up ed bills, leaves some heads shaking :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: SEPTEMBER 30, 2014Brown wraps up ed bills, leaves some heads shakingby Kimberly Beltran(Calif.) Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would have made kindergarten mandatory while at the same time signing one intended to show the overwhelming boost that opti
Evaluating Gates via His Microsoft Failure | deutsch29
Evaluating Gates via His Microsoft Failure | deutsch29: Evaluating Gates via His Microsoft FailureSeptember 30, 2014Billionaire Bill Gates has been buying his version of American public education for years now. His first major *reform* effort began in 2000 and involved chopping large urban high schools into smaller schools. It was his solution of choice for several years.  He abandoned the idea in

YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 9-29-14 #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORM“I must do right by the children… I refuse to administer the PARCC.”“I must do right by the children…” Do we realize that saving our children requires that we ALL “must do right by the children”? I know Peggy Robertson, a mom and a Colorado teacher who helped found United Opt Out. I have more respect for her as a human being and as a tea
Marie Corfield: UPDATE: The real story behind Lily's trip to Camden
Marie Corfield: UPDATE: The real story behind Lily's trip to Camden: UPDATE: The real story behind Lily's trip to CamdenTwo weeks ago NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia visited New Jersey as part of her 50-state Back to School Tour. I wrote about her visit and meeting with NJ ed bloggers here, here and here.One of her stops was Pyne Poynt Middle School in Camden which is also home to the co-locate
Nite Cap 9-29-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT
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 CAPA Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes BackA Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes Back: A Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes BackDon't Tread on My PROFITS! Rebellions sometimes begin slow
A Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes Back
A Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes Back: A Prof Debunks Standardized Testing & Pearson Strikes BackDon't Tread on My PROFITS! Rebellions sometimes begin slowly, and Walter Stroup had to wait almost seven hours to start his. The setting was a legislative hearing at the Texas Capitol in the summer of 2012 at which the growing opposition to high-stakes standardized testing
Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: How Charter School Owners Feather Their Nets & Other Conflicts of Interest
Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: How Charter School Owners Feather Their Nets & Other Conflicts of Interest: How Charter School Owners Feather Their Nets & Other Conflicts of InterestMany people in one of my home states — Arizona — seem to have no concept of a conflict of interest.When charter schools were authorized in Arizona in the mid-1990s, it wasn’t long before a young woman “r
Computer Essay Grading v. Student Journals
Computer Essay Grading v. Student Journals: Computer Essay Grading v. Student JournalsSEPTEMBER 29, 2014 BY NANCY BAILEY LEAVE A COMMENTThe beauty of being an English or language arts teacher is helping students develop the skill of writing. Next to learning how to read, learning how to express your ideas through writing is a valuable form of communication. And in today’s world, being able to comm
What I Saw, Who I Met and What You Should Know About My Back to School Tour - Lily's Blackboard
What I Saw, Who I Met and What You Should Know About My Back to School Tour - Lily's Blackboard: What I Saw, Who I Met and What You Should Know About My Back to School TourSeptember 29, 2014 by LilyCategories: GeneralTags: back to school, parents, Testing, tourI am on a plane, heading home for the first weekend I’ve had off in six weeks. I’m not tired. Maybe it’s the six cups of coffee I had this
9-29-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
Hemlock on the Rocks: Big Education Ape: LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher’s Salaries - Lydia Gutierrezhttp://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2014/09/lausd-spends-like-billionaires-while.html LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher's Salaries - Lydia Gutierrez Lydia Gutierrez: LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher's
9-29-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: EIA: Providence Teachers Union Prefers Convicted Felon to Charter School DirectorMy question to Mike Antonucci is: What exactly is the difference? Providence Teachers Union Prefers Convicted Felon to Charter School DirectorThe executive board of the Providence Teachers Union “overwhelmingly” endorsed Vincent “Buddy” Cianci Jr. for mayor. “Mr. Cianci had a little bit more experienc
Blue Jersey:: Camden parents protest "Urban Hope Act" outside Assembly Session
Blue Jersey:: Camden parents protest "Urban Hope Act" outside Assembly Session: Camden parents protest "Urban Hope Act" outside Assembly Sessionby: Rosi EfthimMon Sep 29, 2014 at 03:15:19 PM EDTA group of Camden parents is walking the halls of the New Jersey legislature today in advance of the Assembly's vote in this afternoon's session on the "Urban Hope Act".I'm tol
9-29-14 Curmudgucation - Data Dopiness Survives in Indiana
CURMUDGUCATION: Data Dopiness Survives in IndianaYou may recall that back in the day, one of the items on our List of Terrible Things About Reformy Stuff was data mining. Featured in RttT and RttT Lite Waivers, the mandate to hoover up giant mounds of data was one of the great hated evils of reformsterdom, loathed by conservatives and liberals alike.The Leonie Haimson led a fight against InBloom i
Choosing Democracy: California Enacts First-in-the-Nation Law to Eliminate Student Suspensions for Minor Misbehavior
Choosing Democracy: California Enacts First-in-the-Nation Law to Eliminate Student Suspensions for Minor Misbehavior: California Enacts First-in-the-Nation Law to Eliminate Student Suspensions for Minor Misbehavior AB 420 signing caps landmark year for school discipline reform in the stateRoger Dickinson SACRAMENTO, CA  – Today California becomes the first state in the nation to eliminate suspensi
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Shooting the messenger
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Shooting the messenger: Shooting the messengerOn Friday, I received the following missive from SEIU Pres. Christine Boardman via the union's general counsel Tyson Roan.First, I'm glad to find that the president of SEIU Local 73 is such an avid reader of SmallTalk. I remember meeting Mayor Emanuel at a social event a while back (got friends in low places) and as he sh
Did Rheeformers Rhee and Henderson Actually Close Any of Those Achievement Gaps in DC Public Schools? | GFBrandenburg's Blog
Did Rheeformers Rhee and Henderson Actually Close Any of Those Achievement Gaps in DC Public Schools? | GFBrandenburg's Blog: Did Rheeformers Rhee and Henderson Actually Close Any of Those Achievement Gaps in DC Public Schools?Part Sixteen and FinalToday we look at the black-white and hispanic-white achievement gaps in the Washington, DC public school system, which has now been under mayoral contr
LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher’s Salaries - Lydia Gutierrez
Lydia Gutierrez: LAUSD spends like Billionaires while being a Tyrant about Teacher’s SalariesLos Angeles: When charges were filled against LAUSD for not enforcing policy in protecting children from sexual predators, i.e. Mark Berndt, LAUSD School Board decided to hire 2 law firms, Sedgwick and Andrade, at $350 to $460 an hour, spending over $7 million dollars and still counting, to litigate the Mi
9-29-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: About the radio showJoin 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 Thursd
9-29-14 Cali Education Headlines CSIS – California School Information Services
Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team | CSIS – California School Information Services: Education HeadlinesManteca Unified on curriculum’s cutting edgeFast becoming one of the most tech-savvy districts in the state, Manteca Unified moved ahead this month on a plan to equip every one of its students in January with a tablet-style laptop as it moves into the second phase of its $30 million d
9-29-14 This Week in 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): Brown signs bill limiting ‘willful defiance’ suspensions, expulsionsBrown signs bill limiting ‘willful defiance’ suspensions, expulsions Gov. Jerry Brown With the signing of AB 420, Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday made California the first state in the nation to limit suspensions and expulsions for the reaso
BEING BAD: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison Pipeline | Bill Ayers
BEING BAD: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison Pipeline | Bill Ayers: BEING BAD: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison PipelineHere is another super-important book, just published and written by Crystal Laura, a former student and good friend. It’s called BEING BAD: My Baby Brother and the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and I wrote the Foreword (below). I sincerely hope people will check this
Come ride The BUS with SOS, United Opt Out, and The Badass Teachers’ Association | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing
Come ride The BUS with SOS, United Opt Out, and The Badass Teachers’ Association | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing: Come ride The BUS with SOS, United Opt Out, and The Badass Teachers’ AssociationTeaching and Speaking OutWhat happens to teachers who speak out about problems they see in their work? Teachers shared their first-hand stories on the Education Town HallBUS, Thursday, September 25.Fra
A Sociological Eye on Education | Want to be rated ‘highly effective’ in New York? Don’t teach English or math in grades 4-8
A Sociological Eye on Education | Want to be rated ‘highly effective’ in New York? Don’t teach English or math in grades 4-8: Want to be rated ‘highly effective’ in New York? Don’t teach English or math in grades 4-8English and math teachers in grades 4-8 in New York are much less effective in promoting student growth on state assessments (or comparable measures) than other teachers in the Empire
Meetings That Work–and Get Work Done! | Connected Principals
Meetings That Work–and Get Work Done! | Connected Principals: Meetings That Work–and Get Work Done!by Sam LeDeaux • September 29, 2014 • 0 CommentsIf you find these cartoons humorous, it’s unfortunately likely this is your workplace reality. You are not alone. Why is it common for meetings to be major obstacles to getting things done? Objective. Every leader of a meeting hopes it will be productiv
Blue Jersey:: The Danger of a Single Edu-Story
Blue Jersey:: The Danger of a Single Edu-Story: The Danger of a Single Edu-Storyby: okaikorMon Sep 29, 2014 at 06:40:07 AM EDTAfter several of us posted about an education bloggers meeting we had here in NJ with newly-elected NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia, Okaikor raised the question of why there were no black educators there. I thought it was a good question, particularly for NJEA to be invi
9-29-14 All NEW Living in Dialogue - Teachers and Students Still Trapped Going Up the Down Staircase
Home - Living in Dialogue: Teachers and Students Still Trapped Going Up the Down StaircaseBy John Thompson. Bel Kaufman’s Up the Down Staircase (1965) is the teachers’ and students’ Catch-22 (1961). She captures the fecklessness of bureaucracies, especially those damaged by a culture of powerlessness. She also illuminates the best single antidote to the situational ethics that dominate dysfunction
Announcing “More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing” | I AM AN EDUCATOR
Announcing “More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing” | I AM AN EDUCATOR: Announcing “More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing”By I AM AN EDUCATOR on September 29, 2014Pre-order available for More Than a ScoreEdited by Jesse Hagopian, Foreword by Diane Ravitch, Introduction by Alfie Kohn,Afterword by Wayne AuA teacher threatened with having her teachin
Educators4Excellence | Raginghorseblog
Educators4Excellence | Raginghorseblog:Vergara v. California Part One: Thoughts on Hannah Arendt, a New Totalitarianism and Completing The Circle of DominationApril 21, 2014The Vergara Nine surrounded by handlers.It is a peculiar, dark and unhinged world in which we dwell and it seems to grow more so all the time. Consider the extraordinary case of Vergara v. California, now winding down and await
Morning Wink 9-29-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Who Loves Teachers Most?Back to politico.com: Instead of scapegoating teachers, politicians are competing to claim they raised salaries. How short are teachers’ memories? Vying and usually lying