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Thursday, July 23, 2015

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/23/15


SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM



Polishing the Apple: Examining Political Spending in New York to Influence Education Policy
Common Cause – Polishing the Apple: Examining Political Spending in New York to Influence Education Policy: Polishing the Apple: Examining Political Spending in New York to Influence Education PolicyJune 15, 2015READ: Polishing the Apple: Examining Political Spending in New York to Influence Education PolicyDiane Ravitch's blog Bombshell Report from Common Cause: Privatizers Flood New York Politic
A pox on both of your standardized tests | GazetteNet.com
Lissa Pierce Bonifaz: A pox on both of your standardized tests | GazetteNet.com: A pox on both of your standardized testsAMHERST — When it comes to the question of standardized testing in our schools, we should listen to the educators. At a recent forum in Springfield, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education presented only two options: MCAS or PARC.The special education teach
Right-Wing ALEC Now Says School Vouchers Are for Kids in Suburbia - Not The Poor | Alternet
Right-Wing ALEC Now Says School Vouchers Are for Kids in Suburbia - Not The Poor | Alternet: Right-Wing ALEC Now Says School Vouchers Are for Kids in Suburbia - Not The PoorPrivatizers go where the money is: the middle class.School vouchers were never about helping poor, at-risk or minority students. But selling them as social mobility tickets was a useful fiction that for some twenty-five years h
Introducing Louisiana BESE District 5 Candidate Johnny Fatheree | deutsch29
Introducing Louisiana BESE District 5 Candidate Johnny Fatheree | deutsch29: Introducing Louisiana BESE District 5 Candidate Johnny FathereeOn May 31, 2015, I wrote a post about Louisiana’s next state board of education (BESE) elections, to be held on October 24, 2015.Regarding BESE District 5, I wrote the following:District 5 (Claiborne, Union, Morehouse, West Carroll, East Carroll, Lincoln, Ouac
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Cheerleaders Can't Be Referees
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Cheerleaders Can't Be Referees: Charter Cheerleaders Can't Be RefereesBlogging's been light this past week, largely because I've been finishing a big project with Bruce Baker about charter schools that we hope to tell you more about later this year.Let me state this one more time: I am not against charter schools. I started my K-12 teaching career in a charter. There is an
A New Study On Texas Charter Schools found students there are lagging behind their peers in traditional public schools
A new study on Texas charter schools has found students there are lagging behind their peers in traditional public schools when it comes to reading and math. Charter School Performance in Texas 2015Press Release Full Report
CURMUDGUCATION: ME: Reformster Drive By
CURMUDGUCATION: ME: Reformster Drive By: ME: Reformster Drive ByOne of the basic premises of reformsterism is that nobody who actually lives in your state or district already knows what your community needs to do about education-- you must bring in an expert. So a whole cottage industry of traveling education consultants/experts/talking heads has sprung up, despite the lumps of cognitive dissonanc
A Woman’s Place… - Lily's Blackboard
A Woman’s Place… - Lily's Blackboard: A Woman’s Place…You’ve heard the saying, “A woman’s place is in the home”, or you’ve certainly heard variations of this little expression. Interestingly, but not surprising, most of these declarations of a woman’s place are from men. I read somewhere that it started with the Greeks and playwright Aeschylus, who in Seven Against Thebes, 467 B.C., wrote: “Let wo
#commoncore Project Innovative Twitter study reveals how social media is changing the politics of education
#commoncore Project: Innovative Twitter study reveals how social media is changing the politics of educationPhiladelphia, PA – In the past year, arguments about the Common Core State Standards spilled from education policy circles into the public dialogue. By democratizing the flow of information and offering a rallying point for normally divergent groups, Twitter played a key role in the crossove
Choice, competition a losing strategy - The Denver Post
Choice, competition a losing strategy - The Denver Post: Choice, competition a losing strategyPOSTED:   07/23/2015 12:01:00 AM MDTADD A COMMENT(Handout)Now that the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Douglas County School District's voucher program violates the Colorado Constitution, it is time to remove the facade on the voucher and choice policies of the district's board of education. We need
Education Secretary Responds To New ‘No Child Left Behind’ Bills | Here & Now
Education Secretary Responds To New ‘No Child Left Behind’ Bills | Here & Now: Education Secretary Responds To New ‘No Child Left Behind’ BillsSixteen years ago under President George W. Bush, the American education system was introduced to No Child Left Behind. The policy’s goal was that every public school student everywhere would be considered academically successful by 2014.It is widely be
Nevada’s New Voucher Plan Is Designed to Bankrupt the Public Schools | janresseger
Nevada’s New Voucher Plan Is Designed to Bankrupt the Public Schools | janresseger: Nevada’s New Voucher Plan Is Designed to Bankrupt the Public SchoolsNevada is one of our nation’s 24 one-party, all Republican states.  Writing for the Washington Post, Lyndsey Layton and Emma Brown note that, “In January, Republicans took control of the Nevada legislature and the governor’s mansion for the first t
Charter School + Corporate Education Reform Industry continue record-breaking spending on lobbying - Wait What?
Charter School + Corporate Education Reform Industry continue record-breaking spending on lobbying - Wait What?: Charter School + Corporate Education Reform Industry continue record-breaking spending on lobbyingWith the 2015 session of the Connecticut General Assembly finally over, the corporate education reform industry is celebrating its victories.More money for charter schools, while Connecticu
A Texas Teaching Moment - WSJ
A Texas Teaching Moment - WSJ: A Texas Teaching MomentWhy shouldn’t a home-schooling mother chair the school board?Texas is America’s most interesting state, and the latest example comes courtesy of Governor Greg Abbott, who caused a ruckus last month by appointing a home-schooler to chair the Texas Board of Education.Donna Bahorich taught her three children from her Houston home from kindergarten
What LAUSD needs in its next superintendent - LA Times
What LAUSD needs in its next superintendent - LA Times: What LAUSD needs in its next superintendentThere needs to be a countervailing force in Los Angeles that bolsters the core American tradition of public education: schools that are controlled not by private, unaccountable boards but by the public, through elections. LAUSD needs a superintendent who will scrutinize charter schools for their use
Performance Standards | WagTheDog
Performance Standards | WagTheDog: Performance StandardsThe Common Core’s emphasis on higher learning standards is well intended but poorly executed and evaluated. Standards are expectations of student learning and skill development. Skills must be acquired by students rather than imparted by teachers or the standards.We are mistakenly evaluating student learning and predicting future outcomes bas

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/22/15
SPECIAL NITE CAP CORPORATE ED REFORMEducation Reform Is Malpractice | Steve NelsonEducation Reform Is Malpractice | Steve Nelson: Education Reform Is MalpracticeIrony is often amusing. When the future of millions of children is at stake -- not so much.The tragic irony in education is that the policies and practices enacted in response to concerns over low achievement will further disable a generat