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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Arne Debunkin’ | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

Arne Debunkin’ | Gary Rubinstein's Blog:



Arne Debunkin’

A little over three years ago, I first encountered Arne Duncan when he spoke at the TFA 20 year alumni summit and described the miracle school Urban Prep.  He implied that this school had a 100% graduation rate and a 100% college acceptance rate, which inspired me to investigate this clam leading to my very first school debunking.  My research became a part of the ‘game changing’ (as Duncan likes to say) NY Times Op-Ed by Diane Ravitch, Waiting for a School Miracle.
Since that Op-Ed, politicians, including Duncan, have been a bit more careful with their miracle school claims.  I suppose that Duncan felt it was safe to go back into the water when I saw himtweet, the other day:
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I followed the link to the ed week blog, which began with the paragraph:  “A high school graduation rate of 100 percent is quite a feat. At Stapleton High School in Denver, not only will all seniors earn a diploma this spring—each one has been admitted to a four-year college or university, according to a press release issued last week. And it’s not a fluke. This has been the case every year since 2008, for the school, where 40 percent of the racially and ethnically diverse student population comes from low-income families.”
So, let’s see, the opening sentence “A high school graduation rate of 100 percent is quite a feat.”  Actually it depends on what they mean by a 100 percent graduation rate.  If they mean a 100 percent ‘cohort’ rate, meaning that all the students who began as 9th graders three years earlier, eventually graduated, then yes, that would be something.  But if they just mean that all Arne Debunkin’ | Gary Rubinstein's Blog:

Nite Cap 4-16-14 #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



4-16-14 The Whole Child Blog — Imagine Today's Children at 25 — Whole Child Education
Imagine Today's Children at 25 — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGImagine Today’s Children at 25April 16, 2014 by Whole Child Symposium"What do we want our children to be like? Think of that child, that teenager, that young adult and describe them. What words do we use? ... What do our children want to be like when they are 25? How would they describe themselves? Are they content wi
The Daily Censored » After we’ve won: 3 education policy proposals: Truth/facts, Love/community, Lifelong virtue
The Daily Censored » After we’ve won: 3 education policy proposals: Truth/facts, Love/community, Lifelong virtue: After we’ve won: 3 education policy proposals: Truth/facts, Love/community, Lifelong virtueEducation builds the future, and as you who read alternative media know so well, is a lifelong upgrade in virtue.Alternative media is engaged in an education contest. We educate the public that U
John Thompson: Gallup Poll Finds Majority of Teachers "Not Engaged" - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
John Thompson: Gallup Poll Finds Majority of Teachers "Not Engaged" - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Gallup Poll Finds Majority of Teachers "Not Engaged"By Anthony Cody on April 16, 2014 12:43 PMGuest post by John Thompson.Gallup has produced decades of research on the characteristics of high-performing educators, students and schools. Gallup explai
Elizabeth Warren and I | Diane Ravitch's blog
Elizabeth Warren and I | Diane Ravitch's blog: I have recently read that Senator Elizabeth Warren is a supporter of school vouchers. This made people who despise public schools, like certain hedge fund managers, tingle with joy. At last, a progressive who is as contemptuous of public education as they are! At last, someone who will support their efforts to dismantle our nation’s precious democrati
Common Core Taking a Beating in Oklahoma Statehouse and Campaign Trail | Truth in American Education
Common Core Taking a Beating in Oklahoma Statehouse and Campaign Trail | Truth in American Education: Common Core Taking a Beating in Oklahoma Statehouse and Campaign TrailFiled in Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level by Shane Vander Hart on April 16, 2014 • 0 CommentsIt is not a done deal yet.  Earlier this month the Oklahoma Senate passed HB3399 on a 37 to 10 vote.  The Oklahoma
Listen: In Louisville, Education Instigator Diane Ravitch Shares Concerns About School Reforms | WFPL
Listen: In Louisville, Education Instigator Diane Ravitch Shares Concerns About School Reforms | WFPL: Listen: In Louisville, Education Instigator Diane Ravitch Shares Concerns About School ReformsShareTweetE-mail0 CommentsPrintBy DEVIN KATAYAMAShe's against high-stakes testing, big business in schools, and doubts charters are the answer to improving public education. But Diane Ravitch, a New York
“Revival from the Roots”: A listening tour of Philly Schools with Parents United and PFT’s Jerry Jordan | Parents United for Public Education
“Revival from the Roots”: A listening tour of Philly Schools with Parents United and PFT’s Jerry Jordan | Parents United for Public Education: “Revival from the Roots”: A listening tour of Philly Schools with Parents United and PFT’s Jerry JordanPosted on April 16, 2014 by HELENGYMI was deeply moved in watching the final cut of “Revival from the Roots,” a listening tour Parents United did with the
Competing Views of Teacher Tenure Are on Display in California Case - NYTimes.com
Competing Views of Teacher Tenure Are on Display in California Case - NYTimes.com: Competing Views of Teacher Tenure Are on Display in California CaseOne of the student plaintiffs spoke outside the Superior Court of Los Angeles County on the opening day of Vergara v. The State of California in May 2012.CreditMonica Almeida/The New York TimesLOS ANGELES — These are two vastly different portraits of
4-16-14 Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement": Useful New “Family Engagement Brief”The National Center For Families Learning has just published a useful “Family Engagement Brief.” I don’t think people familiar with parent engagement research will find anything new in it, but it provides a well-written and concise review of research on the topic, along with providing som
John White’s is doing a fantastic job! | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
John White’s is doing a fantastic job! | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Crazy Crawfish's BlogZesty Louisiana Education PoliticsJohn White’s is doing a fantastic job!Posted on April 16, 20141John White is doing a fantastic job at destroying public education. BESE recently reviewed White and gave him 3 out of 4 on his annual review and commended him for his great success. Let’s recap some of his success sto
Are Teacher Evaluations Education ‘Reform’s’ Biggest Bust?
Are Teacher Evaluations Education ‘Reform’s’ Biggest Bust?:  Are Teacher Evaluations Education ‘Reform’s’ Biggest Bust?Would you like your job performance judged by a five-year-old? That’s a relevant question for public school teachers in Hawaii, where the state’s new teacher evaluation system attributes ten percent of their job performance rating on what children as young as 5 years old think. Al
4-16-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington Education News RoundupTo repeat, Senator Rodney Tom, noted turncoat for the Dems, is not going to run again after all (citing health concerns for himself and his elderly father).  The Times ran a blathering editorial about how great he was but you really can't take them seriously when they start with, "But this time you might wonder, what will becom
Failing Goals of Education | My Island View
Failing Goals of Education | My Island View: Failing Goals of EducationApril 16, 2014 by tomwhitbyI recently had a discussion with a friend John, who is a Superintendent in a rural school district. We were discussing his district specifically and what it was providing its students in the way of relevant programs of study. The conversation came around to a question often asked and an answer that is
4-16-13 Curmudgucation Week
CURMUDGUCATION: Bill McCallum, CCSS Author & Sad ScientistWhen movies present us with science-related disasters, we generally involve one of two sciency types-- the mad scientists and the sad scientist. The mad scientist is the one genetically engineering giant gerbils to take over the world (cue maniacal laugh). The sad scientist is the one who believes that he is Doing Great Things, like cre
Education's culture of overwork is turning children and teachers into ghosts | Melissa Benn | Comment is free | The Guardian
Education's culture of overwork is turning children and teachers into ghosts | Melissa Benn | Comment is free | The Guardian: Education's culture of overwork is turning children and teachers into ghostsIf schools slowed down and focused on a deeper kind of flourishing, they might be more productive (if not very Goveian)'Educational reform now largely equals intensive schooling: catch-up classes, a
Is the NJEA waking up? | Bob Braun's Ledger
Is the NJEA waking up? | Bob Braun's Ledger: Is the NJEA waking up?NJEA President Wendell SteinhauerThe struggle to save public schools from private, profit-making scams could well be lost. It will be lost–if it already hasn’t been lost–unless those groups  with experience in organizing, resources for getting their message out,  a history of lobbying, and a willingness to use the courts, grow some
Why you can’t compare simple achievement gaps across states! So don’t! | School Finance 101
Why you can’t compare simple achievement gaps across states! So don’t! | School Finance 101: Why you can’t compare simple achievement gaps across states! So don’t!Posted on April 16, 20140Consider this post the second in my series of basic data issues in education policy analysis.This is a topic on which I’ve written numerous previous posts. In most previous posts I’ve focused specifically on the
4-16-14 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): Parent panels now reviewing LA Unified’s next spending planParents involved in setting spending priorities for LA Unified have a lot of homework to do over the next two weeks. Members of the Parent Advisory Committee and the District English Learner Advisory Committee have been instructed to “take home an
Back to the Lab Again | EduShyster
Back to the Lab Again | EduShyster: Back to the Lab Again In which I visit Arne Duncan’s alma mater on the hunt for *secret sauce*The University of Chicago Lab Schools which Arne Duncan attended from K-12.Reader: you are almost certainly aware that our Secretary of Education, Mr. Arne Duncan, has many excellent ideas regarding how to enhance the excellence of our failed and failing public schools.
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, April 16, 2014
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Districts face challenge of prioritizing public input on school spendingEducation HeadlinesWednesday, April 16, 2014FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.Top Centinela official says FBI probing superintendent's
4-16-14 Ed Notes Online: Jean Anyon "Radical Possibilities" Updated
Ed Notes Online: Jean Anyon "Radical Possibilities" Updated: Jean Anyon "Radical Possibilities" UpdatedRead about the late Jean Anyon's enormous impact at Kiersten Greene's  Mediated blog: How Do I Even Express…Just got this from the publisher. I ordered a review copy which I will share with anyone who will write a review.If nothing changes, urban school reform is doomed to fai
Education Committee Approves Charter School Reform Bill - Assemblymember Ed Chau Representing the 49th California Assembly District
Education Committee Approves Charter School Reform Bill - Assemblymember Ed Chau Representing the 49th California Assembly District: Education Committee Approves Charter School Reform Bill   April 10, 2014Sacramento – The Assembly Committee on Education passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1531, authored by Assemblymember Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park), which requires that public charter schools be governed by bo
4-16-14 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: Interesting Teacher Appreciation festivities from a MI charter school, via @eclectablogA MI charter school decides to humiliate its teachers to appreciate them. Interesting. MANDIVA – Our 3 favorite male faculty members in heels for an hour SAVE MY JOB – 3 faculty members will stand in the parking lot during dismissal and hold a sign. CREAM FACIAL – Students will throw pie in 3 f
SES IS A MESS: Tutor center scammed $2M in federal funds | New York Post
Tutor center scammed $2M in federal funds | New York Post: Tutor center scammed $2M in federal fundsBy Rich CalderApril 15, 2014 | 6:42pmModal TriggerPhoto: ShutterstockMORE ON:SCAMSCasino: World poker champ took $9.6M in card-cheat scamCheating bus driver turns himself in to Manhattan DASmooth-talking con man sent to slammerHasbro cheated ‘Mr. Scrabble’ out of $1M: suitA bicoastal tutoring center
Wendy Kopp, TFA, and life in a bubble. | The Paper Graders
Wendy Kopp, TFA, and life in a bubble. | The Paper Graders: Wendy Kopp, TFA, and life in a bubble.by MR. S posted on MARCH 14, 2012Yesterday the Huffington Post ran an op/ed piece by Wendy Kopp, the founder of TFA. The title was In Defense of Optimism.  I read it, tweeted it, and moved on, but it has been rattling in my head for 24 hours now, so here are some thoughts in response.To start, I think
Morning Wink 4-16-14 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-16-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: How Many Hours Should It Take to Test Children in Grades 3-8 in Basic Skills?Principals, teachers, and parents in New York state complained that the Common Core tests for grades 3-8 were too lon
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-16-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: How Many Hours Should It Take to Test Children in Grades 3-8 in Basic Skills?Principals, teachers, and parents in New York state complained that the Common Core tests for grades 3-8 were too long. The tests for math and reading together take about 7 hours. Commissioner John King responded in a recent speech at New York University t
4-16-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Surprise, Surprise — Study Finds Shouting At Children “creates further discipline problems”To few teachers surprise, a new study has found that shouting at children is counter-productive. You can read all about it at Shouting at children ‘increases their behaviour problems’ in the British newspaper, The Telegraph. There hav
4-16-14 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.: Awareness.Banners went up and banners came down. Some were professionally printed. Some were hand-made by students on long white sheets of butcher paper. April was a busy month for banners. Shoe-horned in around Spring Break was Poetry Appreciation month and Autism Awareness month. This is about Autis
4-16-14 Wait What?
Wait What?: Even more students lose as the “cost” of the Common Core Testing growsThe Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Field Test of a test means more testing and less learning. The Common Core test will cost Connecticut’s students and teachers hundreds of hours of lost instructional time. The Common Core test will cost schools and taxpayers tens of millions in computer and internet upgrade
The Answer Sheet 4-16-14
The Answer Sheet: Live online chat at 1 p.m. todayI’ll be doing a live chat on washingtonpost.com at 1 p.m. today, so if you have any questions or comments about anything in education (or even marginally related), send them in here: http://live.washingtonpost.com/the-answer-sheet-20140409.html#submit-question Here’s a transcript of the first chat, and here is the transcript of last week’s.by Valer
4-16-14 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Dockery: Senate Should Let Voucher Expansion DieWriting in her hometown newspaper, the Lakeland Ledger, former republican  state senator Paula Dockery makes the clear case why voucher expansion cannot be intellectually be defended: Opponents of voucher expansion make a v
Pencils Out - Linda Darling-Hammond about standardized testing in the implementation of Common Core
Pencils Out: Pencils OutGAVIN BADEAPRIL 8, 2014The Prospect speaks with an education-policy expert Linda Darling-Hammond about standardized testing in the implementation of Common Core, a national set of guidelines on math and reading.Courtesy of Stanford UniversityLinda Darling-HammondOne of the most contentious debates racking state houses this year isn't about Obamacare, inequality, or even job
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 4-16-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: DISTRICTS FACE CHALENGE OF PRIORITIZING PUBLIC INPUT ON SCHOOL SPENDING + smf’s 2¢By Louis Freedberg | EdSource Today http://bit.ly/1iZj3lv April 15th, 2014 | California’s school funding reform law has triggered a burst of outreach efforts to solicit parent and community input in at least some districts – along with a plethora of suggestions about how t
4-16-14 Perdido Street School Week
Perdido Street School: Wall Street Journal Covers ATR'sThe Wall Street Journal reports that the ATR issue is a major part of the contract discussion:As negotiations drag on over a new contract for the city's teachers, one sticky issue involves how to handle teachers who lost permanent jobs during cutbacks but keep getting full paychecks as they bounce around schools for brief stints, filling in fo
Pay-for-Performance for CEOs and Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Pay-for-Performance for CEOs and Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Pay-for-Performance for CEOs and TeachersOracle CEO Larry Ellison earns $37,692 an hour. No, that is not a typo or misplaced comma. Ellison’ annual salary ran $78.4 million, much of it in stock option awards. His salary was based on the annual performance of the company’s stock. Oracle’s Board of Direc
API suspended but not accountability mandates :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
API suspended but not accountability mandates :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: APRIL 16, 2014API suspended but not accountability mandatesby Kimberly Beltran(Calif.) With scores for the annual Academic Performance Index suspended for the next two years, school districts will still be required to meet accountability mandates set out in the Go
Can A Child Be Accused of Insubordination for Refusing the Test? | Missouri Education Watchdog
Can A Child Be Accused of Insubordination for Refusing the Test? | Missouri Education Watchdog: Can A Child Be Accused of Insubordination for Refusing the Test?inShare A Nevada mom contacted me about the issues arising from a parent’s request to opt his child out of standardized testing and her letter appears below:Whose Child is this Anyway? For the past several months parents of public school ch
Inviting the Fox Right Into the Henhouse | janresseger
Inviting the Fox Right Into the Henhouse | janresseger: Inviting the Fox Right Into the HenhousePosted on April 16, 2014 by janressegerOhio sends $1 billion every year out of its public education budget to charter schools and vouchers.  According to Doug Livingston at the Akron Beacon-Journal, Ohio’s charter schools and their sponsors are so poorly regulated by the state legislature that the priva
NYC Educator: The Old, Old Song, and the Never-ending Battle Between Students and Teachers
NYC Educator: The Old, Old Song, and the Never-ending Battle Between Students and Teachers: The Old, Old Song, and the Never-ending Battle Between Students and TeachersLast year I had a student who was a big fan of the band Queen. Actually I don't know the precise extent of his love for the band, but I'm certain he enjoyed the song, "We Will Rock You." I know this because he was fond of
Opinion: What's Good for Our Teachers Is Good for Our Students - NJ Spotlight
Opinion: What's Good for Our Teachers Is Good for Our Students - NJ Spotlight: OPINION: WHAT'S GOOD FOR OUR TEACHERS IS GOOD FOR OUR STUDENTSMARK WEBER | APRIL 16, 2014Attempts to deprecate or demonize teachers when they stand up for themselves are bad for our kids' educationWhy is teaching the only profession in New Jersey (and the nation) where employees are criticized for standing up for themse
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New study on inequity and teacher "effectiveness" misses the mark
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New study on inequity and teacher "effectiveness" misses the mark: New study on inequity and teacher "effectiveness" misses the markYes, there's lots of evidence to show poor kids and children of color are generally being taught by teachers with less experience (or no experience) which puts them at a severe disadvantage. But the Huffington headlin

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Watching Pearson: A Micro-Documentary by Todd Finley
Watching Pearson: A Micro-Documentary by Todd Finley
Districts face challenge of prioritizing public input on school spending | EdSource Today
Districts face challenge of prioritizing public input on school spending | EdSource Today: Districts face challenge of prioritizing public input on school spendingApril 15th, 2014 | Add a Comment | By Louis FreedbergCalifornia’s school funding reform laws have triggered a burst of outreach efforts to solicit parent and community input – along with a plethora of suggestions about how to spend the a
Can BESE Save White from Jindal? I’m Thinking… No. | deutsch29
Can BESE Save White from Jindal? I’m Thinking… No. | deutsch29: Can BESE Save White from Jindal? I’m Thinking… No.April 15, 2014John White’s job is on the line, and the primarily-purchased Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is standing behind its Common Core State Standards (CCSS)- and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)-promoting talki
New teacher evaluations: Search and destroy missions rather... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
New teacher evaluations: Search and destroy missions rather... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: New teacher evaluations: Search and destroy missions rather than efforts to improve instruction? COMMENT(1) 0 0 0 NewView Larger Teachers under siege?Previous PostsTuition will rise 2.5 percent at most Georgia colleges, but 9 percent at Tech and 7 at UGAApril 15, 2014Will the revised SAT be: A. Better; B.
Field Test Update Through 4-11-14 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)
Field Test Update Through 4-11-14 - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education): Smarter Balanced Assessments Field Test Update through April 11Week Three of Smarter Balanced Field Test*Students beginning testing (cumulative): 576,900.Students completing testing (cumulative): 320,300.Average daily number of calls to California Technical Assistance Center (CalTAC) for Week Three: 710.Trending topics of calls
4-15-14 The Whole Child Blog — Glowing, Growing, and Getting Back to the Real Basics
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGGlowing, Growing, and Getting Back to the Real BasicsApril 15, 2014 by Whole Child PodcastDownload Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save]In this era of school reform, turn around, and educational change, it is easy to overlook the basics of why we educate and what we want for our children. These aren't the typical basics—reading, 'riting
VAM and Status Quo Bias | Paul Bruno
VAM and Status Quo Bias | Paul Bruno: VAM and Status Quo BiasBy PAUL BRUNO | Published: APRIL 15, 2014Yesterday at This Week in Ed I wrote aboutthe American Statistical Association’s reporton value-added modeling in education:[I]f you were to hear about this report only from the staunchest, most ideological opponents of VAM, you would think it says something else entirely. Valerie Strauss, for ins
solidaridad: NPIC Poverty Pimps and Privatization Pushers unhappy I finished school and have time to expose them again
solidaridad: NPIC Poverty Pimps and Privatization Pushers unhappy I finished school and have time to expose them again: NPIC Poverty Pimps and Privatization Pushers unhappy I finished school and have time to expose them againHere's some interesting privatization connections in regards to the LAUSD District 1 raceFirst published April 15, 2014 on Los Angeles Independent Media Center "There is
Nite Cap 4-15-14 #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 CAPAgenda April 30 and May 1, 2014 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education)Agenda April 30 and May 1, 2014 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education): Agenda April 30 and May 1, 2014Advisory Commission on Special Education (A