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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Morning Wink 7-7-13 AM Posts #neara13 #RYH4Ed #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




Mayor Kevin Johnson warns of ‘Crisis’ in education | Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper
Mayor Kevin Johnson warns of ‘Crisis’ in education | Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper: Mayor Kevin Johnson warns of ‘Crisis’ in education4 JULY 2013By George E. Curry, NNPA Editor-in-ChiefMayor Kevin JohnsonThe education of Blacks has reached a state of crisis that demands a strong response from all African Americans, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson told members of the National Newspaper Publishe
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-7-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: David Foster Wallace in 2005: “This Is Water”David Foster Wallace gave the commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005. In this speech, called “This Is Water,” Wallace tried to explain to the graduates what really matters most in life. Wallace was a gifted and successful novelist. He contrasted “the default setting” in which most
7-7-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: Clarifying Common Core Compromise (part 2) | the becoming radicalClarifying Common Core Compromise (part 2) | the becoming radical.by plthomasedd / 1hAll Week 7-6-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: TODAYNC Tea Party Taliban Requires Health Teachers to Lie to 7th Graders on Later Effects of AbortionThat’s right.  The bill
What Happened to My Grade Book?: "Beyond Expectations"
What Happened to My Grade Book?: "Beyond Expectations": "Beyond Expectations"I  recently received a quick note from a former professor which read, "Lots of work to do to make sure future schools really do the work that they should so that all kids learn beyond expectations!"I love this for so many reasons, and I thought immediately of a student who taught me many lessons one year.  This student wa
My Fanboi Email To The Principal of PS 154 DR Alison Coviello southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: My Fanboi Email To The Principal of PS 154 DR Alison CovielloThis was written to DR Alsion Coviello, principal of PS 154 a week or two before this email. I was quite tired as I wrote this and came out more like a soliloquy or stream of consciousness, or a combination thereof.I shared this with many. Yet it is time for the world to know. Enjoy.Dear Dr Coviello- I fi
What Families Need to Get By: The 2013 Update of EPI’s Family Budget Calculator | Economic Policy Institute
What Families Need to Get By: The 2013 Update of EPI’s Family Budget Calculator | Economic Policy Institute: What Families Need to Get ByThe 2013 Update of EPI’s Family Budget CalculatorBy Elise Gould, Hilary Wething, Natalie Sabadish, and Nicholas Finio | July 3, 2013Issue Brief #368 View PDF Download PDF  Press releaseShare this page:Share on facebookShare on google_plusone_shareShare on googleM
Whither MOOCs? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
Whither MOOCs? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Whither MOOCs?Universal access to high-quality college courses at low cost for students anywhere with an Internet connection continues to make Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) the innovation that will, in the minds of its advocates, “revolutionize” or to use the favorite word of entrepreneurs, “disrupt” higher education.Deep
Sunday reads. | Fred Klonsky
Sunday reads. | Fred Klonsky: Sunday reads.JULY 7, 2013Birthplace of the Reverend Matin Luther King, Jr., Atlanta, Georgia.Trayvon Martin was one of the few guys who didn’t tease Rachel Jeantel.The rich are not like the rest of us. Because, well, they’re rich.The NSA knows everything about you. But if you try to find out what corporations and the government are up to, crickets.It is easier and mor

YESTERDAY

Single fathers head record number of households with children | The Mommy Files | an SFGate.com blog
Single fathers head record number of households with children | The Mommy Files | an SFGate.com blog: « Things to do with kids this summer | Main |Single fathers head record number of households with childrenComments(33)|E-mail|PrintTV's single dadsShare this gallery: 1 of 17 (ABC Photo Archives / ABC via Getty Images)Tom Corbett on The Courtship of Eddie's FatherSingle fathers, a longtime trope o
White Hat Management's Ohio charter schools in the midst of upheaval | cleveland.com
White Hat Management's Ohio charter schools in the midst of upheaval | cleveland.com: White Hat Management's Ohio charter schools in the midst of upheaval1 / 7PrintBy Edith Starzyk, The Plain Dealer Email the authoron July 06, 2013 at 4:00 PM, updated July 06, 2013 at 7:33 PMCHARTER CHANGESSplit of White Hat, charter school boards may cause confusionPolicy Matters Ohio says White Hat state law on
Nite Cap 7-6-13 #neara13 #RYH4Ed #BATsACT #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2 #HEREPASTJUNE
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 CAPNYC Educator: Charlotte Danielson on Value-AddedNYC Educator: Charlotte Danielson on Value-Added: Charlotte Danielson on Value-AddedShe seems to agree it's not ready for prime-time.Posted by NYC Educator at 1:16 PM by mike simpson / 12min It Can’t Happen H
NYC Educator: Charlotte Danielson on Value-Added
NYC Educator: Charlotte Danielson on Value-Added: Charlotte Danielson on Value-AddedShe seems to agree it's not ready for prime-time.Posted by NYC Educator at 1:16 PM 
It Can’t Happen Here… Really? | GoingPublic
It Can’t Happen Here… Really? | GoingPublic: It Can’t Happen Here… Really?Sinclair Lewis wrote the satirical political novel, It Can’t Happen Here, in 1935, when the United States and Western Europe had been in a depression for six years.  Lewis asks us to consider what could happen if some ambitious politician used the 1936 presidential election to make himself dictator by promising quick, easy s
The in box. Peter Kuttner’s Richard Mell moment. | Fred Klonsky
The in box. Peter Kuttner’s Richard Mell moment. | Fred Klonsky: The in box. Peter Kuttner’s Richard Mell moment.JULY 6, 2013Fred,In my Richard Mell moment, no one calls him an “asshole politician”, he just acts like one.I also lived in his 33rd Ward and was working for Washington at Lathrop Homes, the low-rise public housing project down the street from my house. We knew there were lots of votes
Diane in the Evening 7-6-13 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 One Rogue Democrat Saved Vouchers in ArizonaJust when vouchers seemed to be in trouble in the Arizona legislature, Democrat Barbara McGuire changed her vote to preserve this stealth attack on public schools. Blogger David Safier says no one should be surprised by her last-minute switch.by dianerav / 6h Oklahoma: Barresi Pulls O
“How much is 2+2?” | Reclaim Reform
“How much is 2+2?” | Reclaim Reform: “How much is 2+2?”Posted on July 6, 2013by kenprevitiDeep within the bowels of a certain state Capital building, a certain long-long term Speaker of the House was interviewing a few candidates for the collection and gathering of financial data regarding the attack on teacher pensions. Let’s call him Mighty Mickey Madagain.The first candidate for this financiall
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: The Teacher Code of Silence:Yeah, We Have One Too!
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: The Teacher Code of Silence:Yeah, We Have One Too!: The Teacher Code of Silence:Yeah, We Have One Too!You know you saw it. You saw her go up one side of him and down the other. You felt so bad for him. But what did you do? You walked past, eyes averted, hoping to save him from further embarrassment. She looked at you, eyes locking, and shared a smug, "Yeah, I got
2nd Banana 7-6-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #soschat #p2 #1u
BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANA RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POSTPregnant/parenting students’ rights protected by Title IX SI&A Cabinet Report – News & ResourcesSI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Pregnant/parenting students’ rights protected by Title IX By Kimberly BeltranWednesday, July 03, 2013In a nod to the recent 40th anniversary of Title IX, the U.S. Department of Education’s
Morning Wink 7-6-13 AM Posts #neara13 #RYH4Ed #BATsACT #edreform #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Setting Goals by Race, Etc.: Everyone Does It, and It’s WrongIn a recent post, I criticized Alabama for setting goals based on race, ethnicity, and disability status. I said it was unAmerica
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Setting Goals by Race, Etc.: Everyone Does It, and It’s WrongIn a recent post, I criticized Alabama for setting goals based on race, ethnicity, and disability status. I said it was unAmerican. Our goal as a society is equality of educational opportunity. There is something repulsive, to me at least, in saying that schools will set


Mayor Kevin Johnson warns of ‘Crisis’ in education | Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

Mayor Kevin Johnson warns of ‘Crisis’ in education | Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper:

Mayor Kevin Johnson warns of ‘Crisis’ in education

4 JULY 2013By George E. Curry NNPA Editor-in-Chief


The education of Blacks has reached a state of crisis that demands a strong response from all African Americans, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson told members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association at its annual convention here.
“We have a crisis when it comes to public education in this country,” Johnson said at a luncheon on Friday. “Only 52 percent of our third- and fourth-graders are reading at grade level. If you’re Black, only 16 percent of our kids in the third and fourth grade are reading at grade level – only 16 percent. To make matters worse, if you’re not reading at grade level by the time you leave the third grade, 75 percent of the kids never catch up.”
Johnson continued, “So, essentially if you can’t read by the time you leave the third grade, the chances of you ever reading is very slim. This should be enough to outrage every single person in this room when 84 percent of the kids who look like us cannot read.”
Johnson, a former star point guard for the Phoenix Suns, is president of the National Conference of Black Mayors and is slated to become president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors next year. He is passionate about education, setting up his own private school in Sacramento prior to becoming Sacramento’s first Black mayor.
“That’s the third grade. Let’s fast forward to the eighth grade. Eight years ago, only 12 percent of or kids in the eighth grade could read at grade level. In the last eight years, we went from 12 percent to 14 percent. In an 8-year period of time, we’ve closed the gap two percentage points,” he said. “… If our goal was 80 percent and continue at the rate of 2 percent [every eight year], it will take us 248 years
- See more at: http://milwaukeecourieronline.com/index.php/2013/07/04/mayor-kevin-johnson-warns-of-crisis-in-education/#sthash.WlM85vuD.dpuf


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-7-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch








Marc Epstein: Big Lie Journalism in New York City
Marc Epstein taught at Jamaica High School in NYC for many years. He has a Ph.D. In Japanese history. Since his school started closing, he has taught in many of the city’s schools. He writes: What Ever Happened To In Loco Parentis? Well, another June another student field trip drowning. But this time around the schools chancellor has assured us that there were a sufficient number of chaperones an

David Foster Wallace in 2005: “This Is Water”
David Foster Wallace gave the commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005. In this speech, called “This Is Water,” Wallace tried to explain to the graduates what really matters most in life. Wallace was a gifted and successful novelist. He contrasted “the default setting” in which most of us live, reacting with frustration, anger, greed, me-first, to a conscious choice about leading a different
The Superintendent of a High-Performing District Speaks Out
An earlier post linked to an article by Scott Waldman in the Albany Times-Union, in which Waldman pointed out that rankings accurately reflect the socioeconomic status of families in the schools, not the quality of the schools. He asked, what do those school rankings really demonstrate? This letter came from a superintendent in the area of upstate New York about which Waldman wrote:   I am the sup
ee cummings on the common core
David Coleman, the architect of the Common Core and now president of the College Board, once famously said–in a presentation at the New York State Education Department–that as you grow older, you learn that “people really don’t give a s–t what you feel or what you think.” And so students will be reading more “informational text”–not prose, not nonfiction, but “informational text,” which sounds lik
Diane in the Evening 7-6-13 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 One Rogue Democrat Saved Vouchers in ArizonaJust when vouchers seemed to be in trouble in the Arizona legislature, Democrat Barbara McGuire changed her vote to preserve this stealth attack on public schools. Blogger David Safier says no one should be surprised by her last-minute switch.by dianerav / 6h Oklahoma: Barresi Pulls O

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 7-6-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGTODAYSetting Goals by Race, Etc.: Everyone Does It, and It’s WrongIn a recent post, I criticized Alabama for setting goals based on race, ethnicity, and disability status. I said it was unAmerican. Our goal as a society is equality of educational opportunity. There is something repulsive, to me at least, in saying that s

7-7-13 SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE

SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE:

gears






Villaraigosa: The Myth of The Progressive Mayor
“The alliance, formed between the mayor, the school board, and Los Angeles’ corporate elite to design the idea of ‘public school choice,’ is another example of how neoliberal economic policies have influenced educational policies.” — Professor Theresa Montaño Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaking at a school privatization event. Photo by Robert D. Skeels I finally finished […]


solidaridad: The 99 Cents Store School… brought to you by the lucrative charter school industry
First published on solidaridad on July 7, 2013 Lalo Alcaraz’s La Cucaracha strip often features pro-public education items, which are also typically sensitive to ongoing attacks on the teaching profession and the difficulties of teaching. This particular strip is a favorite of mine, highlighting both the institutional racism and profit motive behind the neoliberal school […]


A quick word: Support Rethinking Schools NOW!
Over the last several years, I’ve found publications from Rethinking Schools to be absolutely essential to my worldview when it comes to education. Unfortunately, I was too dull as a novice teacher to discover them on my own. But ensuing gains in wisdom made myself and RT very close friends. I’m a subscriber. I’ve used […]


Clarifying Common Core Compromise (part 2) | the becoming radical
Clarifying Common Core Compromise (part 2) | the becoming radical.
All Week 7-6-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER
@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: TODAYNC Tea Party Taliban Requires Health Teachers to Lie to 7th Graders on Later Effects of AbortionThat’s right.  The bill passed both legislative bodies and is now on the Governor’s desk, who is expected to sign it–even though he promised during his campaign that he would sign no new abortion legislation. SB 132, AN ACT TO INCLUDE INSTRUCTION IN THE SCHOOL
7-6-13 Schools Matter @ The Chalk Face
SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE: NC Tea Party Taliban Requires Health Teachers to Lie to 7th Graders on Later Effects of AbortionThat’s right.  The bill passed both legislative bodies and is now on the Governor’s desk, who is expected to sign it–even though he promised during his campaign that he would sign no new abortion legislation. SB 132, AN ACT TO INCLUDE INSTRUCTION IN THE SCHOOL HEALTH EDU

What Happened to My Grade Book?: "Beyond Expectations"

What Happened to My Grade Book?: "Beyond Expectations":

"Beyond Expectations"



I  recently received a quick note from a former professor which read, "Lots of work to do to make sure future schools really do the work that they should so that all kids learn beyond expectations!"


I love this for so many reasons, and I thought immediately of a student who taught me many lessons one year.  


This student was legally blind.  


He had limited eyesight in one eye and read using Braille.  He often used the computer as he could read and write in English as well as in Braille.  (Perhaps he would have been considered trilingual since he spoke another language as well?)   Thinking back, I'm just astonished by this boy.  Since he could see a little, he occasionally wrote with a paper and pencil, usually during math.  When writing, he used his Braille writer.  I worked along side an amazing teacher who was paired with him and a few other students in the district to help in our communication barrier since I have no idea how to read Braille. 


There was a game I used to play with students called Digits and Places.  If there was 5 minutes left before lining up for lunch after wrapping up a lesson, we would play Digits and Places.  I drew a T-chart on the board. with a D on the left top and a P on the right top.  I would start with two digit numbers and increase the difficulty to 3 or 4 digit numbers as it became too easy for the class.  There are many benefits to the game, and most of the students enjoyed playing it.  The game is 

My Fanboi Email To The Principal of PS 154 DR Alison Coviello southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

My Fanboi Email To The Principal of PS 154 DR Alison Coviello

This was written to DR Alsion Coviello, principal of PS 154 a week or two before this email. I was quite tired as I wrote this and came out more like a soliloquy or stream of consciousness, or a combination thereof.

I shared this with many. Yet it is time for the world to know. Enjoy.


Dear Dr Coviello- 

I find it quite inconsiderate that you have decided to email me on my vacation with news that I will not only be meeting with you on Thursday morning, but will be observed as well on Friday, February 22. I only opened up the jdhyatt email by accident to find this.  In essence, you have given me one day to prepare for our meeting, forcing me to prepare during my vacation. But I have several questions and concerns that have been on my mind for some time and wish to share them with you.
 

Why is it that I cannot pick the class that is observed? Why am I not able to have more than 

What Families Need to Get By: The 2013 Update of EPI’s Family Budget Calculator | Economic Policy Institute

What Families Need to Get By: The 2013 Update of EPI’s Family Budget Calculator | Economic Policy Institute:

What Families Need to Get ByThe 2013 Update of EPI’s Family Budget Calculator

Issue Brief #368

 Download PDF 
 Press release
Share this page:
The income level necessary for families to secure an adequate but modest living standard is an important economic yardstick. While poverty thresholds, generally set at the national level, help to evaluate what it takes for families to live free of serious economic deprivation, the Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) Family Budget Calculator—recently updated for 2013—offers a broader measure of economic welfare and provides an additional metric for academics and policy experts looking for comprehensive measures of economic security. The basic family budgets presented in this report, as well as those presented via the Family Budget Calculator itself, measure the income families need in order to attain a secure yet modest living standard where they live by estimating community-specific costs of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, other necessities, and taxes.
EPI’s Family Budget Calculator is particularly useful given the inadequacies of both the federal poverty line and the new Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) when it comes to measuring families’ fundamental needs (CCED 2013). EPI’s basic family budgets overcome many of these shortcomings by providing a wealth of geographic and family-type detail; they are calculated for over 600 U.S. communities and six family types (either one or two parents with one, two, or three children). The rich detail afforded by these geographic and family-type customizations, the relative accessibility of these numbers, and the rigor and transparency with which they are developed make the family budgets presented in this report and via the Family Budget Calculatoruniquely valuable to non-experts and academics alike.

Whither MOOCs? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Whither MOOCs? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Whither MOOCs?

Universal access to high-quality college courses at low cost for students anywhere with an Internet connection continues to make Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) the innovation that will, in the minds of its advocates, “revolutionize” or to use the favorite word of entrepreneurs, “disrupt” higher education.
21MOOC-slide
Deep and abiding issues, however, prevent MOOCs from revolutionizing higher education. One issue is money. States have reduced funding for public higher education institutions. Universities have lowered labor costs by increasing adjunct and part-time faculty yet have raised tuition so that students face prices for going to college that far outstrip increases in wages and the cost of living. So how can MOOCs be converted into a revenue stream for money-strapped institutions? The other issue is the pattern of universities taming innovations to keep things as they are, a pattern that entrepreneurial reformers scorn and wish 

Sunday reads. | Fred Klonsky

Sunday reads. | Fred Klonsky:

Sunday reads.

JULY 7, 2013
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Birthplace of the Reverend Matin Luther King, Jr., Atlanta, Georgia.
Trayvon Martin was one of the few guys who didn’t tease Rachel Jeantel.
The rich are not like the rest of us. Because, well, they’re rich.
The NSA knows everything about you. But if you try to find out what corporations and the government are up to, crickets.
It is easier and more expedient for politicians and naysayers in general, to attack schools–their costs, their teachers, their calendar, their curriculum–rather than