And intelligence too, I presume...

If this is true, then teachers are brilliant.

 

At this rate, I'll be a bloody GENIUS by the end of the year. Changes are coming so fast I'm getting whiplash. Everything I was taught in college seems to be wrong now. Or invalid. Or not good enough.

Said I...

AMEN, SISTER!

Here's an idea worth pondering.

Not so funny

Can't fix stupid

http://m.ajc.com/news/news/school-allegedly-tried-ban-students-speaking-spani/ncCKD/

Really dumb question

 

 

 

Apparently not.

And neither do the administrators who've ceased to support our growth.

The joys of lesson planning

Or, more precisely, figuring out just what the hell is supposed to be on the damn form. It's a mashup of Learning-Focused Schools, Assessment for Learning, Understanding by Design, and probably Charlotte Danielson. Hell if I know. Planning hasn't been this much of an ordeal since college, when we were expected to script all questions and (student) answers, as if you could anticipate the little fellow who answered, "a pail of vomit". WTF?!?
This time it took the better part of an hour to figure out what to put on paper, and more importantly, HOW to put on paper, a week's worth of instruction. I'd have planned farther out, but there wasn't any more time before the kids arrived for class. Plus, I worked through lunch. And it will probably get ripped to shreds anyway. Nothing I do seems to be adequate, yet there are no suggestions for improvement. After I see the results of the next TKES observation (the big one- 30 minutes!), I'll figure out what to do next.

Met this kid on MOnday.

Jersey Jazzman: 'Twas the Night Before PISA Day!

Jersey Jazzman: 'Twas the Night Before PISA Day!: 'Twas the night before PISA Day , when all through the foundations The wonks were all dreaming about Bill Gates's donations ; Th...

Very true.

My evaluator is proof...

 

 

Truly frightening...

Personality and management style

We have two assistant principals at my school. Their personalities are very different. One has a sense of humor, and sees the humor and opportunity in every situation, while the other sees only crisis everywhere, and treats everyone and everything accordingly. Management styles are also very different. With the new statewide evaluation system, there is lots of confusion. There are unanswered questions that go unanswered because no one seems to have an answer. Basically, it feels as if this new process is being made up as we go. Naturally, teachers are not sure what is actually expected of us. And, sadly, it seems the interpretation of our new professional standards is controlled by the personality of the evaluator. One of them treats it as a partnership in a learning process, and actually talks with the teachers during or after observations. The other treats it as a checklist to be marked off, so if it's not immediately evident you get demerits.

For instance, one of the standards is about Instructional Planning:

The teacher plans using state and local school district curricula and standards, effective strategies, resources, and data to address the differentiated needs of all students.

An 'exemplary' teacher

The teacher continually seeks and uses multiple data and real world resources to plan differentiated instruction to meet the individual student needs and interests in order to promote student accountability and engagement. (Teachers rated as Exemplary continually seek ways to serve as role models or teacher leaders.)

A 'proficient' teacher

The teacher consistently plans using state and local school district curricula and standards, effective strategies, resources, and data to address the differentiated needs of all students.

Apparently, the only evidence worthy of consideration on this point is to be found in the written lesson plan. At least, that's how my evaluator sees it. In spite of materials at the ready (did they fall from the sky?), equipment prepared ahead of time (by the equipment fairy, perhaps?), my written lesson plan is inadequate and therefore, I was marked "Not Evident" on this standard.
Let me point out that we are using a new lesson plan format which we are also not sure about, we've been giving no help in using it, and it takes me hours to complete the document. This is a sore point for me, as I feel those hours would be MUCH better utilized in actual preparation for great instruction. I don't have precise dates on my lesson plan, and today's prompt did not appear on the plan. Apparently, once the plan is made, we are not allowed to make any adjustments on the fly, to meet learner needs. BTW, when I had a killer lesson with stations, as described in the lesson plan, and invited this evaluator, there was no response. Put technology in the kids' hands, in the form of digital cameras (purchased, at my expense, from the thrift store) to document our work? No points. It doesn't fit into one of the check boxes. Have them apply what they've learned in a writing task in the content area? No points. Must've forgotten to write it in the lesson plan. Real world scenario and data for student use posted in the room? Not even acknowledged. I'm not aware of any research to support this particular planning form as an effective instructional tool.
By the way, the standard on "Instructional Strategies" received no comments beyond observing student use of the cameras. Just checkboxes. And I would submit that those were inaccurate, anyway, being that Providing Directions/Instructions and Student Writing were not marked, though clearly displayed on the board. Oh, well, I guess this is too complex for poor little me.
In my college program, they taught us that the lesson plan is for the teacher's use and convenience. This turns it upside down and makes it a tool for the aid and  convenience of the evaluator.
Frankly, if someone wants me to leave, they should tell me. I'd be glad to go. But, if this evaluator destroys me on TKES, the chances of getting out are slim.

The truth is out there...

a few are willing to speak the truth- Diane Ravitch, Valerie Strauss, Anthony Cody come to mind.
and Jack Hassard:  And don’t be fooled into thinking that the NGSS were written by classroom teachers. 

Bill Moyers disappointed me last month

I've actually been so swamped at the school that there was only time just now to look up the details. There was a Bill Moyers & Co some weeks back that made me want to scream. In fact, I think I did scream. The interviewee was a psychologist who was wringing her hands over the breakdown in 'real' communication and social interaction brought about by the ubiquitousness of technology and reliance on social media.
Really, Dr. Turkle?  http://billmoyers.com/guest/sherry-turkle/
This is the most pressing issue in the first quarter of the 21st century? Is this was concerns you most?
personally, I'm more outraged at the fact that over two-thirds of the kids in my school are living in poverty. I'm more worried for the kids who haven't got tenough food when they go home, and the crappy school lunch is their best meal of the day. I'm more upset about the number of kids who will go home after school to an unsafe home. I'm concerned for the kids who don't even know where they will sleep tonight, the ones who will be listening to the sound of gunshots instead of sleeping, the ones who will hide from an abusive adult who lives in their home.
Dr. Turkle, it seems to me, is obsessing over a problem of the privileged, and ignoring the reality of those who don't have the luxury of access to social media.
Like I said, I was disappointed by Bill, and I screamed.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox

Teacher Killings Bring Profession's Risks to Light

Teacher Killings Bring Profession's Risks to Light


And if you have a panic button, but it is routinely ignored, that's worse than having nothing. It is false security and betrayal of trust.

What an arrogant twit!

Your esteemed Secretary of Education, on the suburban backlash against standardized testing and Common Core, observes that suburban moms have discovered their children aren't as brilliant as they thought, and the schools aren't as good as they thought. Methinks he's in danger of rousing a whole lotta Tiger Moms...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/16/arne-duncan-white-surburban-moms-upset-that-common-core-shows-their-kids-arent-brilliant/

New evaluation system

This new system is so confusing that apparently no one understands it. I certainly don't, and neither do my administrators. It is turning into a time-consuming fiasco. We are flying at 30000 feet in an airplane that is still being assembled, without an operating manual. How long before we crash?

Waiting for Downton

I confess:
I LOVE watching Downton Abbey. Even in reruns. Especially since reruns of Downton tend to be of much higher quality than most of the first-run junk the networks put out. And, each time I watch, I notice something that I missed the last time.
So, I was naturally tickled when I walked into the public library ( to enjoy their open-air seating at tree level and the wifi) and found a little surprise on the NEW BOOKS shelf. It's called While We Were Watching Downton Abbey and it's a novel by Wendy Wax. I confess, I'm not familiar with her other books, but this one got me in chapter 1 while I waited for my computer to boot up. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember, and use, such archaic computer jargon.) I've added it to my Goodreads list of books I want to read. Goodreads is a cool site, by the way.

Meanwhile, with respect to Beckett, I'm Waiting for Downton so I can get a fix. In January. hence the Thursday night reruns...

A New Declaration of Right

The Right to Public Libraries
During the summer, I missed this one, even as I was visiting the public libraries in my area, enjoying the change of scenery to use their workspace and enjoy the a/c and wifi. Also read the occasional book (I have a stack waiting for me to get to them) or magazine.

Ever feel like this in meeting with no redeeming purpose?

Next-Generation Science Assessments

Uh-oh. Here's a piece from EdWeek that rips apart the notion that the 'new' tests will be any different/better/more valid/more reliable/more useful than the 'old' tests.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/10/02/06science.h33.html?tkn=TOUFxOBuVQz1P02WiCw1CcPQNp21Rc%2FWUquz&cmp=ENL-CM-NEWS2

Here's a winner:
...performing proficiently in 8th grade science on the National Assessment of Educational Progress has been highly correlated with the amount of out-of-school science enrichment students receive, which, she says suggests that schools already have little time to dedicate to complex science tasks, and less time to prepare for similarly complex test items.

So, even the much vaunted NAEP doesn't really tell us what the reformers say it tells us. It doesn't tell us how well kids are learning at school, and it damn sure doesn't tell us anything about the quality of classroom instruction.
I submit that this correlation has less to do with available instructional time and more with the financial resources of the family to enrich the child's environment. In other words, it's the poverty, AGAIN, stupid.

The achievement gap is (still) really an income gap

Funny how schools in wealthier neighborhoods have higher SAT scores and bigger gains than others.
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2013/oct/06/ajc-special-report-sat-scores-rise-family-wealth-n/

How about those "best practices"?

I maintain that "best practice" consists of whatever will get the point across to a particular group of kids. That may change from class period to class period, depending on the kids' needs, never mind year to year.

Here's what Larry Cuban has to say on the subject:
http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/the-sham-and-shame-of-best-practices/
Where does phrase “best practices” originate? Its origin seems to be in the business sector with management consultants. It has become a buzzword across governmental, educational, and medical organizations. In becoming popular, the phrase has drifted away linguistically from its original meaning of effective practices in accomplishing goals to mean faddish or trendy activities.

Pay attention to what he says about medical research and one-size-fits-all procedures.

He goes on to say:  ...I am not the first educator, nor the last, to make the point that school reform is a value-driven (not research-driven) business where policymakers depend far more on faith than facts and far more on uniformity than context.
In comparing “best practices” in medicine and education, I now see more clearly how (and why) state and federal policymakers, grasping for anything that looks like success, spread faddish and unexamined reforms. This is both a sham and a shame.

Bet you always thought you can't have your cake and eat it, too.

Charter operators have figured out how. They can be private corporations and yet be funded with your tax dollars, siphoning funds from the REAL public schools. That's why your neighborhood school has no money to buy new library books, replace computers, or even keep toilet paper in the bathrooms.
http://dianeravitch.net/2013/10/09/charter-schools-insist-we-are-private-not-public/

Juan Velazquez Heilig is awesome

He produces these fantastic arguments, kills the straw man with evidence, and even draws cartoons! He never misses a chance to shoot down Arne Duncan and his bullshit.

http://cloakinginequity.com/2013/10/05/breaking-news-whose-opinion-matters/

http://cloakinginequity.com/2013/10/04/the-broad-foundation-and-broadies-kings-of-distruptive-and-unreasonable-trickle-down-reform/

The Koch brothers are at it again?

Now I often find Huffington Post to be a little out there, and off base on many things. However, I'm inclined to believe this one, in light of similar investigative pieces in the past couple of years. They have put their money to work in union-busting, dismantling public education, and controlling national and local politics. This would be just one more notch on the bedpost.

Banned books

The school board of Randolph County, NC were presented with a parent's complaint about one of the books on the high school reading list. Students were to choose 2 of the 3 titles to read and then complete an assignment. One of the 3 books was The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
Just in time for Banned Books Week, the board heard from the parent, from the school-level committee that recommended keeping the book, and from the district-level committee that recommended keeping the book. Board members allegedly had read the book. And they voted to not only take if off the reading list, but off the shelves entirely.
Based on their comments, it sounds to me as if they were uncomfortable with the topics and issues the book raises. Ellison wrote it in the 1950s, and the book won the 1953 National Book Award for Fiction. It discusses and illustrates very serious issues of race and class. The kind of thing that makes some people itchy these days. And, it's historical, which some folks will say means we don't need to be concerned with such things, because they are in the past.
Fortunately for all concerned, the school board saw the error of their decision and it has been reversed, probably after a truckload of phone messages and emails from more literate types.
Now, I am not insensitive to parental concerns about the things we read and see in school. Catcher in the Rye still mystifies me; I had to read it in high school. It's especially mystifying to me after recent revelations about the author. But, really, can't we talk this over before you make a demand that will affect other people's children? You don't want your child reading it, fine. She didn't actually have to read it. She could have read the other book on the list. But I don't see where you get the right to make this choice for other families. Plus, this kind of thing tends to make national headlines and embarrass your community. Remember the Harry Potter flap?

New cut scores for state exams

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local-education/state-crct-scores-mixed-bag/nYTmc/

So, the feds insist that the tests must get harder, just in time to find out if we meet the NCLB challenge of 100% proficiency? Sounds like the game is rigged to ensure kids will lose.

And the new scores weren't announced until after school started. Here is an excerpt from another school district's newsletter, dated 8/2. Whoops, spoke too soon. The file is corrupted.

Here is the section from my superintendent's newsletter. There was no time to read the newsletter when it hit the inbox (TKES tasks came first), so the next morning I almost lost my breakfast:


Remember, I teach non-readers, so this is an absolute nightmare for me. For those not familiar, the old cut score was 800. It has apparently not been publicly announced yet. Hopefully that will happen sooner than the day before testing starts.

By the way, if you look for it on the GA DOE website, you'll have a dandy time hunting for this news. I can't find it, and I'm usually pretty good at that stuff. This is all I could find, and it is NOT what we received this week. For the record, I have no idea how they take 60 or 70 questions and turn that into scores of 650-920.

Watch out for the frat boys...

You'd think that someone admitted to the Georgia Institute of Technology would demonstrate better sense, wouldn't you? Email never goes away, and this idiot's name will forever be attached to the word 'rapebait'.
 http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2013/oct/08/couldnt-someone-have-given-tech-frat-member-some-b/
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/georgia-tech-fraternity-under-investigation-for-ra/nbH2q/

Some of it is basic social advice for geeks, the rest is plain creepy and disgusting. On local news, it's being treated as something shocking to discover that horny males use alcohol to make it easier to get some action. Really, ladies, if he brings you  more than 1 beer, you need to get clear, fast. Who hadn't realized that?

For the text of the email, see here: http://totalfratmove.com/%CE%A6kt-member-from-georgia-tech-sends-rapiest-email-ever/
Notice he says NO RAPING and ends with "in luring rapebait". He  really should make up his mind.

For the record, I have met a number of Tech students and grads. They are great people and full of smarts. I also was blessed to twice work with some of the folks from the CEISMC program at Tech. They do great things for teachers.

For schools that try to do too much...

Sounds like a self-help book.
I've often noticed that when we have open house, curriculum night, Title I night, PTO, chorus and band concerts, etc, parent attendance is light. Some folks just drop off their kids, and not even on time. This is a middle school, by the way. Funny thing is, when there is a sports event, especially football or basketball, you actually can't get through the driveway.
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2013/oct/07/are-schools-doing-too-much-kids-outside-classroom/

My heroes

As a classroom teacher, I am often disappointed and occasionally outraged at the behavior of athletes and the preferential treatment they receive. I was even scolded once by the assistant principal for holding the athletes to the same academic standard and offering them the same opportunity to retake a quiz for a better grade- after school. This scolding occurred in a meeting with both the parent and the student in attendance. Shame on her. Athletic participation is a choice, and a privilege. It comes with rules and responsibility.
In 1999, Coach Ken Carter benched his entire basketball team at Richmond HS in Richmond, CA, for not meeting their academic and behavioral obligations. He was played by Samuel L. Jackson in the movie.
Now, Coach Matt Labrum of Union High School in Roosevelt, UT has held his football players to similar standards. Upon realizing the young men were skipping classes, failing, possibly bullying someone online, and being disrespectful to teachers, he called them together after a game and directed everyone to hand in their jersey and equipment, until they were EARNED back through community service, a leadership class, and study hall to make up work. I hope they get someone good to play him on the big screen, too.

Jack Hassard is great

Here's his new post: http://www.artofteachingscience.org/is-the-purpose-of-education/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+artofteachingscience%2FABWH+%28The+Art+of+Teaching+Science+Blog%29

I LOVE the way he skewers the Governor and State Supe.

Disappointment...

I'm disappointed with my job. Let me count the ways,,,

1. We just got the new health inurance rates. We've been screwed and didn't even get dinner first.
2. The state DOE, in their infinite foolishness, decided to change the CRCT cut score. It's two months in to the school year, for heaven's sake, and I teach nonreaders. 'Nuff said.
3. The principal stood up in front of us in a meeting and told us that 'some of this stuff will have to get done outside of school hours'. This as our time (before school) was wasted on something other than planning wonderful lessons.
4. Our new evaluation system hinges on a digital portfolio platform which comes with no instructions on what goes where. Then we get scolded if it's not perfectly done on deadline, with no instructions. The dragon lady has already chewed my ass.
5. As a teacher of students with special needs, I get bounced around every year and don't ever have the opportunity for real reflection and improvement since I start over each time.
6. As a teacher of students with special needs, I have to fight for books and materials and often forgo the teacher edition because there aren't enough to go around.
7. As an inclusion teacher, there have been no subs for me on three of the four occasions I've been out of my classroom for assigned professional activity.
8. I have followed the new procedure for ordering classroom supplies; after 6 weeks I've yet to receive a single one of those items. It can't be helped, I was told today.
9. After great effort to coordinate with my coteacher and get some lesson planning done, administration showed their appreciation by pulling us out of class on 2 days notice to observe a model lesson. Seriously, with 6 adults observing and recording, do you think it was representative of anything?
10. Even though the two of us bust our chops daily to teach our kids together, the 'coverage' provided on this occasion consisted of ONE person. So, which one of us is not needed?
11. My day at work regularly ends at 6 pm or later, trying to finish tasks that require sustained concentration. It's hard to concentrate when you are interrupted during your planning.
12. The science department ordered materials and equipment months ago. None of it has turned up yet. But, keep those wonderful hands-on lessons coming!
13. Twice in the space of a week, my classroom has been interrupted by an administrator who can't be bothered to find out my schedule when I'm needed for something. Please just let me teach.
14. I'm sure there's more to add, but I'm too exhaustipated to think any longer!

How ya doin' ?

This is me:

Jason Stanford on Jared Polis on Diane Ravitch...

http://jasonstanford.org/2013/09/go-home-congressman-youre-drunk/

So, there's this Colorado congressman who has turned out to be quite the internet troll, having started a flame war on Twitter over Diane Ravitch's new book. He's called her evil, her ideas damaging, etc. Oh, well, guess you can't please them all, right? So, Jason Stanford has a few things to say. Have a look. My favorite is the part from Polis where he says
You cite the performance of these schools on standardized tests, but I don’t believe that standardized tests give the full picture. Your attitude that the test scores mean somehow that the school isn’t doing a good job is part of the problem.

Well, now he understands how the rest of us non-charter school teachers feel, hearing for years that the test scores 'prove' we are just a bunch of lazy slackers feeding at the public trough. My annual evaluation will depend heavily on test results this year, even though I'm teaching some of the most needy kids in my school, and many of them can't read well enough to succeed on the standardized tests.

Jersey Jazzman: @jaredpolis: America's Worst Congressperson

Jersey Jazzman: @jaredpolis: America's Worst Congressperson: What a schmuck : Yes, 75 year old Diane Ravitch -- grandmother, author, and historian -- is "evil" in the eyes of this sittin...

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2013/09/how_public_is_the_public_school_system.html

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2013/09/how_public_is_the_public_school_system.html


HMM.....

Delta Scape: Why do we need celebrities to fix education?

Delta Scape: Why do we need celebrities to fix education?: Director M. Night Shyamalan is the latest celebrity to take a turn at telling us how to fix the education system in the United States.  I ...

For the record, I LOVED Lady in the Water, Signs, Sixth Sense. But on this, he's lost me. Off the rails, totally.

Be sure and watch the interview. Listen for how little he really says.
Then, watch the parody down the page. and roar with laughter.

BTW, it's after hours, and i'm at the public library on their late night...
Update, 28 minutes later:
Excerpt of Shyamalan's book, on NPR, here:  http://www.npr.org/books/titles/221422419/i-got-schooled-the-unlikely-story-of-how-a-moonlighting-movie-maker-learned-the-?tab=excerpt#excerpt

And, here's SLATE, with predictions for the ending of the book: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/09/09/m_night_shyamalan_s_new_book_i_got_schooled_about_how_to_fix_the_education.html

The real status quo?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/29/how-school-reform-preserves-the-status-quo-and-what-real-change-would-look-like/

Wow, I'm a 1-percenter!

So says Charles Koch, (of the Koch Brothers, Koch Foundation, Tea Party, free-market economics, etc). Of course, his reference is the entire world. Which does me a fat lot of good, since I earn and spend my teaching salary here in the US, where it ain't even close. Too bad the commute from Bangkok or Calcutta is such a bitch. My money would stretch a LOT more there, or any number of other places around the globe. But, again, I live HERE, and it just doesn't go very far, with rising costs for, well, EVERYTHING, and no cost of living adjustments in years. And, in this 'right to work' state, I have no union protection, no collective bargaining. My well-being and ability to earn a living depends entirely upon the whims of the state legislature every January.

Read up on Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics if you're interested in background on Koch's position. I'm trying to get through Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine, but it's depressing to read and realize these jerks are calling the shots. Have your heard about the

What a school year, already

I've been snowed under, managing students, contacting parents, trying to plan properly with my co-teacher, teaching and reteaching, while planning time is eaten up with the new state evaluation system for teachers. It'called TKES. Teacher Keys Effectiveness System. Sounds impressive. Really it's VAM dressed up. And our training for it is in the form of these boring, repetitive videos that we have to watch and sign off that we've watched. Imagine if I taught class this way...

Be careful, in the wrong hands, it's dangerous...

Yikes

Watch out

Had a rough day, kids?

listening to the radio after work

A song by The Band Perry came on. Done. I started thinking of my favorite people at work...
I was also taught to play nice, but that was then.

A familiar story nationwide

Most of us can relate to this shift in mobility and opportunity in American society from then till now. Unless you are among the 1%, in which case it's perfectly okay.

New York City charter schools getting $4.5 million state grant to teach regular public schools

So, one school is being paid to collaborate with the other school. Why aren't they both receiving some of the money? Why would PS85 want to show the charter how to connect with parents, just to see them lured away by the charter? Seems rather one-sided to me.

Myths about introverts

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/29/introvert-myths_n_3569058.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Georgia Attorney General says SACS should be more transparent

Wow, ya think? An organization with the power to torpedo superintendents, get board members removed, and revoke accreditation should maybe get in line with sunshine laws? HOw about when a state agency uses their info and reports as basis for action? Maybe they should have to reveal all the details...

You tell 'em, finland

Sahlberg tells what he thinks of the Gove  (UK) plan:  http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/jul/01/education-michael-gove-finland-gcse?CMP=twt_gu&view=mobile

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/us-education-reform-lessons-from-finland

Wow, you mean, it's the poverty?

A new report from ETS explains all the long-term effects of poverty. Amazing.
http://www.ets.org/newsroom/news_releases/report_warns_child_poverty

Why can't John Merrow get published?

You'd think it would be a slam dunk. He's an experienced, respected journalist. When all his comments on the subject were complimentary and supportive, nobody had a problem. Now that he is thinking for himself, suddenly it's not newsworthy.
http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=6490

Why do great teachers give up teaching?

why great teachers hang it up.

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/07/17/why-great-teachers-are-fleeing-the-profession/

Dangers of Technology

Diane Ravitch is fantastic. Check out her blog, but first read this piece in Scientific American. She clearly lays out her argument for why we should be cautious about the rise of technology in our schools, instead of accepting big tech arguments without questioning.

What are we doing to families?

We insist that a parent who 'cares' will read to their youngster every day, and then listen to them read when they are older. But if it becomes a burden, or interferes with other, more pressing priorities, what is really accomplished? This mother is exhausted. We can sit back in our armchair and analyze all that we believe should be changed in her life, but, it's HER life, after all. We don't know what the pressures and obstacles may be. If she is exhausted from work because she is the primary wage earner in the household, who has the right to criticize her for keeping a roof over their head and food on the table? If she is simultaneously caring for children and an elderly parent (or in-law), how can we take issue? Bottom line, she dreads the read aloud, and her son will eventually pick up on that. He will begin to dread her dread. How does this serve the aim of building a literate society.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/im-tired-of-reading-out-loud-to-my-son-o-k/

Wow, some people really illustrate that Mark Twain quote...

"It's better to remain silent and be assumed a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

That can also apply to launching a Twitter tirade without knowing ANY of the facts. See this rehash of what happened on Twitter after Marc Anthony sang at the baseball All-Star Game. It shows the frightening level of ignorance and prejudice in our society. Manuel Monserrate has explained the truth that shows the extent of this lunacy better than I ever could, so please read and enjoy. For this reason, I eagerly await the day when some uneducated cop tries to give me grief, a day which can't be long off.

So, you run a 'successful' charter school and want to have control of the preparation of your teachers. The answer? Start your own Graduate School of Education. That's the premise behind the Relay Graduate School of Education, housed at North Star Academy in Newark, NJ. Here's one take on it:
But is a school really successful if 50 enter 5^th grade, 1/3 are gone by 8^th grade and only a handful ever graduate?
Is this any indication of the quality of teaching, or pedagogy involved?  I won’t go so far as to suggest that what I personally might perceive as offensive, demeaning pedagogy is driving these attrition rates (okay… maybe I just did).

Gates branching out

Now he wants to get his hooks into higher ed.  Excerpt:
Critics fear that the focus on quickly pumping more students through the system could encourage colleges to water down requirements or turn away applicants who might struggle. Already some feel it has prompted community colleges to churn out too many graduates with short-term certificates that polish the colleges' completion numbers but offer dubious long-term value to students. Eventually, critics worry, the foundation's efforts to promote access and completion could actually increase social divisions by creating separate and unequal programs.
If philanthropic efforts like Gates's create public colleges that are just teaching to the job interview, the result could be "a better on-ramp for jobs but a worse one for real social mobility," says Robin Rogers, an associate professor of sociology at Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, in an e-mail. Ms. Rogers, who is working on a book about the role of billionaire philanthropy in public policy, says "the leadership class of the United States could become one that students had to be born into or selected to be in"—through scholarships—"by the existing elite."

Your brain on professional sports

The Chronicle has an article about brain injury and CTE. Focuses on football players, mentions milder head injuries in passing, but doesn't really drive home the point that you can develop problems very easily.

Must read

If you don't follow Jack Hassard's blog, The Art of Teaching Science, you really should. He has dissected Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, the NCTQ report, and now he's looking at  the makeup of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Apparently this is replacing NCATE. I missed that one. Anyway, Jack is blistering the choice of who serves on this council, as it is heavy on admin and reformer types. Take a look.

Once again, all together...

IT'S THE POVERTY, STUPID!

http://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/kids-count-on-public-education-not-grit-or-no-excuses/

P.L. Thomas (Furman University) lays it all out for anyone who STILL doesn't get it. That would be everyone living under a rock since the 1960s. Like 95% of our elected officials.
So, you are 2.5x more likely to be a rich adult if you were born rich and never bothered to go to college than if you were born poor and, against all odds, went to college and graduated.

This will be welcome news to folks in underserved communities, I'm sure

I'm so glad that now we can all benefit from the latest technical advances, brought to us by Doctors for America.

*Sarcasm intended*
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_news.php?id=899

Work-family balance in academia

Someone has looked at the men's side of this discussion, specifically men in the sciences. The categories and comments are interesting. for instance, Asked, “Do you think that having children then is difficult to manage with being a scientist?” one physicist said, “No, absolutely not. That’s why you have a wife.”
That kind of comment would not likely be heard in a business setting, at least not without the door closed and locked. Wow.

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/08/22/sociologists-consider-how-male-scientists-balance-work-and-family#ixzz2ZJo6s67M
Inside Higher Ed

Finally, TFA criticism they can't ignore

It's coming from those who've completed their program, instead of only outside observers. They'll have to pay attention to this.
http://prospect.org/article/teach-americas-civil-war

Members of Congress don't like critique

There is a member who is a former HS English teacher. He had the audacity to critique a memo from another member. It's priceless. and revealing.
http://www.happyplace.com/25021/former-high-school-teacher-congressman-irks-gop-by-marking-their-memos-with-a-red-pen

Wow, so much for romney's bluster and dire warnings about Obamacare

None of it came true in Massachusetts: http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/01/pf/massachusetts-health-care.moneymag/index.html

so, why did he spew so much nonsense on the campaign?

Back to Finland

From the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/07/the-secret-to-finlands-success-with-schools-moms-kids-and-everything/277699/

The Finns didn't always have it this good. For much of the early 20th century, Finland was agrarian and underdeveloped, with a GDP per capita trailing other Nordic countries by 30 to 40 percent in 1900.


Finland's strong trade unions pioneered its initial worker protections, but the state soon took those functions over. Today, roughly 75 to 80 percent of Finns are union members (it's about 11 percent in the U.S.), and the groups dictate the salaries and working conditions for large swaths of the population.
And as the country worked to industrialize in the 1960s, its economic policymakers took on a mentality similar to that of CEOs at tech companies with awesome employee perks like free string cheese and massages.

The morality of income inequality

No surprises here:

Americans know they live in a two-tier country -- one where the uber-super-ultra-rich are leaving the rest of us behind; where, as Michael Moore famously put it, 400 of the richest people control the same amount of wealth as 150 million others; where, as President Obama said in a speech on Wednesday, the "average CEO has gotten a raise of nearly 40% since 2009, but the average American earns less than he or she did in 1999."

 The fairness gap is the basis for a wide range of policies, from the tax code to education; health care to the minimum wage.

 If the rich making more will help the poor be better off, too, that's cool. If not, it's unfair, or amoral. For real-world reference, here's a quick look at CEO pay in the United States, from the AFL-CIO: The average S&P 500 CEO compensation in 2012, according to that labor group, was $12.3 million. A worker? $35,000. Do the poor benefit from that disparity? Does everyone? Anyone?

from TIME magazine

Interesting article.

"Earlier this year, S. Paul Reville, the Massachusetts Secretary of Education, blogged in Education Week that reformers need now to think beyond the numbers and “admit that closing achievement gaps is not as simple as adopting a set of standards, accountability and instructional improvement strategies.” In Massachusetts, he wrote, “We have set the nation’s highest standards, been tough on accountability and invested billions in building school capacity, yet we still see a very strong correlation between socioeconomic background and educational achievement and attainment. It is now clear that unless and until we make a more active effort to mitigate the impediments to learning that are commonly associated with poverty, we will still be faced with large numbers of children who are either unable to come to school or so distracted as not to be able to be attentive and supply effort when they get there.” Reville called for “wraparound services” that would allow schools to provide students with a “healthy platform” from which they could begin to work on learning."

Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2011/12/09/why-are-the-rich-so-interested-in-public-school-reform/#ixzz2Z9IOJ0pc

What a relief- I'm actually a 1-percenter.

So says Charles Koch, in a new commercial airing in some parts of the country.
Of course, he is using the entire globe as his reference population. so, by his reckoning, if you make 34,000/yr, you are among the top 1% wealthy people IN THE WORLD. Whew, I feel so much better now. It's not such a big deal anymore that it's a struggle to cover the bills some months, that I haven't seen a pay increase in several years (in fact I make LESS now than 5 years ago when I started at my current school), that the price of gasoline is shooting up suddenly for no damn reason.
For background on Koch and his economic philosophy, read up on Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics. Also try reading Shock Doctrine, if it's not too depressing. I'm still working on it. Also look at the article exposing their political influence and connections, as soon as I find it. Here's one to get you started. And another. How about the Times?
Aha, here it is: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer
There's even a film about it: http://www.thenation.com/blog/167502/koch-brothers-exposed#

By the way, here's an example of what free-market policy can get you.

Jersey Jazzman: Creeps Like Mitch Daniels Make Teacher Tenure Nece...

Jersey Jazzman: Creeps Like Mitch Daniels Make Teacher Tenure Nece...: UPDATE: Daniels isn't only a twerp; he's a dishonest academic . Mitch Daniels - former governor of Indiana and current president ...

PUtting the cart before the horseO

Or, in this case, the policy before the science?  Interesting comparison of soda and chocolate milk...

Academic freedm? In Indiana, not so much

And he has now been named President of Purdue University, by a board that he mostly appointed.
http://chronicle.com/article/In-E-Mails-Former-Indiana/140401/
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/mitch-daniels-academic-freedom-94318.html
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/07/17/e-mails-reveal-mitch-daniels-governor-tried-ban-howard-zinn-book
The best part is where he tried to ban Howard Zinn's book in IN colleges and schools. Because he's an expert?

Kirk's first bloody nose

That's Kirk Douglas. Here he writes about why he's proud to be a Jew.
I learned a bit of Georgia history reading this: the state tried to outlaw the show South Pacific because of the song "You've got to be carefully taught", claiming that "it contained "an underlying philosophy inspired by Moscow." " I can believe there was someone that ignorant and paranoid- he's probably still serving in the legislature.

For those interested, here's Matthew Morrison (Glee) singing the song on the stage: http://www.broadway.com/videos/145507/show-clip-south-pacific-youve-got-to-be-carefully-taught/?sort=popular&page=1&show=south-pacific

Bet you know at least parts of the Gangnam Style lyrics...

Surprise, surprise. If you sing in a target language, it helps you to learn that language. Well, duh! Those of a certain age remember singing Frere Jacques. I remember it to this day. There's also this old standby. It was included in an episode of Law and Order: SVU. Extended lyrics here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10188533/Singing-can-help-when-learning-a-foreign-language.html

Gentrification comes in many forms

It comes in the form of upper-income homebuyers moving into 'blighted' neighborhoods and turning them around so that tax rates and real estate prices skyrocket till the families who've lived there for generations can't afford to stay. It also comes in the form of  'private operators' taking over formerly public schools. Again, the community is gradually displaced as outsiders arrive in the wake of supposedly 'desirable' schools. Just my 2 cents.
http://www.citylimits.org/conversations/207/gentrification-goes-global

This has come up before: the high-tech 'shortage' is bogus. Baloney. B.S. There is not really a shortage of high-tech workers. There is a shortage of Americans willing to work at reduced rates, just as there is a shortage of employers willing to pay a fair salary for this expertise. Why are the salaries down? (or, at least, have not risen in several years) Why? It's because tech employers have opted to recruit cheaper workers from other countries. They are willing to work for less, and I don't blame them. I blame the employers who choose to manipulate the market by manipulating job-seekers.

From the Newshour website:

<<Studies find a decrease in the intensity of firms' recruitment efforts since the recession and an increase in pickiness about whom they are willing to hire. ...the inference seems obvious: the supply of potential workers is already plentiful relative to employer demand. So why are stories about the need for guest workers and the U.S. falling behind in the global high-tech talent search dominating the discussion?>>
<<Currently, U.S. colleges graduate far more scientists and engineers than find employment in those fields every year -- about 200,000 more -- while the IT industry fills about two-thirds of its entry-level positions with guest workers.>>

Turnover is bad

Wow, who would have guessed. Yes, I'm being sarcastic. I think it's insane that turnover in the NBA coaching ranks is used to make it comprehensible to the public. Sad that we have to use a sports analogy to illustrate failings in education policy.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/science/2013/06/firing_nba_coaches_and_school_superintendents_too_quickly_is_a_bad_thing.html

"Success" for all? NOT

NY is closing schools in a hurry to make room for charters that will open this fall, and beyond, even after Bloomberg is out of office. Some haven't even been  approved by the state, and yet they have space designated for them. Such is the rush to provatize. And pay careful attention to the policies as some of these charters extend from elementary into high school. If you don't take any outsiders, then where do kids go who have left (or been invited to leave) your program? Where will they go to high school? Success, my foot.
http://www.citylimits.org/news/articles/4839/new-charter-high-school-will-be-closed-to-transfer-students#.UdGoYz772bI

Now, here's a school that might succeed

Although I suspect TPTB will still find a flaw and blame the teachers, so they can be replaced with computer software.... sounds like something Georgia would actually do.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/progressive-charter-school-doesnt-have-students,33009/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=LinkPreview%3A1%3ADefault

Many times, I'm more productive without thos pesky students underfoot, too.

When it costs you money to get paid

Can you afford your job? More and more employers are skipping the old routine of cutting payroll checks, or even sending direct deposit transactions, in favor or loading your salary onto a debit card. Of their choosing, of course. In osme cases, the fees associated with the cards are a burden to workers, who may not even be aware they have a choice in the matter. Sounds like company scrip is back, in a new form. FOLLOW THE MONEY.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/business/as-pay-cards-replace-paychecks-bank-fees-hurt-workers.html?src=me&ref=general

Teacher fired after putting fire out

Teacher fired after putting fire out

So, when will she fire the person who left food cooking UNATTENDED in that oven?

Celebrate: the book isn't dead yet!

College students still turn to print (over e-books) for 'serious' reading, that is academic and "long-form" reading. Yay, the book still lives!
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/students-prefer-print-but-not-books-for-serious-academic-reading/44871

The loss of another choice for parents

Funny that in this age where "choice" in education is trumpeted as such a wonderful thing, the one choice that has persisted the longest is in decline, with hardly a droop of ink devoted to the subject. Catholic schools are closing, mostly because of declining enrollment. These schools have been one of the primary alternatives to inner city public schools for generations, and now they are closing by the dozens. Enrollment has declined over the years, revenues are down, and with increasing number of lay teachers, expenses are up. In neighborhoods where the local public school was a killing zone, these schools provided a haven for students who would have been ground into hamburger. Where are all the wealthy foundations with big checks to keep these schools open? Where are the advocates? Where are all the interested journalists? There seems to be only one journalist who has noticed: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/nyregion/as-archdioceses-schools-retrench-worries-grow-for-a-building-block-for-minority-students.html
For some schools it's already too late. My old elementary school has just had its last year of operation. Maybe some of the others can still be saved?
Oh, by the way, these schools have always served the underserved. Today, that means lots of brown children who will lose out on real opportunity in favor of privatized "choice".

The iimportance of persistence

Academics don't always get published just because they want it. It takes work, revision, and persistence in submitting to another publication or publisher. This reminds me of Kid President's Pep Talk, where he asks "What if Michael Jordan had quit?...when he was cut from the team in high school?"
Professor Martin says, Persistence is not about hitting your head against a brick wall when there is no chance of breaking through. It is about developing a capacity to judge your own work, making a considered judgment about what to do next, and then actually doing it. Most of all it is about being willing to fail, learning from the experience, and trying again.


Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2013/07/08/essay-importance-rejection-academic-careers#ixzz2ZJmTKYJA
Inside Higher Ed

On the decline of editorial cartooning

In a society where independent, critical thoughts are dangerous, the population of editorial cartoonists has dwindled from 280 in 1990 to 80 in 2000, to possibly fewer than 30 today. Ted Rall has some thoughts on the matter.

Now, this takes nerve

The guy must have stainless-steel balls to even try it. He faked data that was used in over 50 published papers. Some of those papers were written by students he mentored, and who trusted and relied upon his data sets. And he describes himself as a junkie, addicted to clean, elegant data- that he manufactured. no wonder it was so pretty. My bank account statement is kind of messy. I'd like to make it look better. Think I could make up somenumbers that are  more appealing?

HS graduation test, French style

Here's what we are doing to out young people. even they recognize that this process has no real purpose or significance, yet it continues. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/28/world/europe/a-rite-of-passage-for-french-students-receives-a-poor-grade.html?src=recg

Newark High Street Fire

102 years ago, the Triangle Factory burned, and 146 employees, overwhelmingly young, female, and immigrant, died. I've been reading David Von Drehle's book on the  subject, and contemplating the truth of his subtitle, The Fire That Changed America. Frankly, I'm not sure so much has changed, but that's a topic for another day. What has gotten me as I read is finding out that fire was part of the business back then, and that there had been a deadly fire in a Newark garment factory just six months before the Triangle. http://blog.nj.com/njv_mark_diionno/2010/11/decades-old_fatal_newark_facto.html  Plus, the fledgling garment worker's union had called a strike and picketed during 1909-1910. Unfortunately, safety concerns were not part of the discussion, as the primary concerns were wages and working hours for workers who were often the sole support of their families.
Sounding familiar?

Wonder if NCATE has reviewed them?

You may have heard of the NCTQ report, which gave poor ratings to many highly-regarded schools/colleges of education, without ever stepping foot on campus or interviewing a living soul. Having completed one of those allegedly inadequate programs many years ago, I'm curious how NCTQ would rate TFA in terms of program quality, especially now that it is  “approved as a state sanctioned vehicle for the preparation of teachers in Idaho.” Exactly which exemplary practices are to be found in the 5-week summer boot camp and hit-or-miss follow-up during the school year, and particularly, what is exemplary and worth replicating in the minimal two-year commitment?
Perhaps our schools of education should emulate the financial arrangements of TFA in order to get back in the good graces of the folks at NCTQ.

Top NYC adminsitrators no longer evaluated

In the NYC school system, home of value-added evalutations and performance pay strategies, none of the senior personnel are subject to formal evaluations any more. The current Chancellor, Dennis Walcott, says formal evaluations aren't needed; he evaluates his staff informally on a daily basis, yadda yadda. Funny, I do the same with my students, but no one gives a damn about my assessments of their progress. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323683504578567970958195656.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird
BTW, it took a Freedom of Information Act request to get this info... so much for transparency.

Then there's this gem:
"Certainly that's how we do it in business," said Mr. Levy, who is a managing director of investment firm Palm Ventures. "Everyone has an evaluation from the CEO on down, and I've always thought that that was an appropriate way to manage."

QUESTION:
How many of those CEOs lose their jobs over these formal evaluations? my sense of it is they generally keep their job until they get into a pissing contest with the wrong faction on the board of directors.

Obesity and food deserts

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/experts-food-deserts-linked-childhood-obesity/nYtPQ/

Who is surprised?

Those greedy SNAP leeches

The Food Stamp Program, currently known as SNAP, is under attack in Congress. here are some examples of what's been going on. Remember, there are restrictions on what you can use your food stamps for, and it's no easy thing in this economy. Keep in  mind that Walmart, which opposes the Living Wage concept, keeps its employees low paid so that many of them actually qualify for assistance. In some states, teachers and college professors qualify for assistance. No small thing, yet certain of our legislators consider it to be a handout for lazy bums, not help for folks struggling to feed their families. Pay close attention to this graph from a July article:

Can't you just hear them in DC? Ah, let them eat cake!

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/farm-bill-deal-to-hungry-americans-youre-on-your-own/277721/?google_editors_picks=true

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/07/11/billions_for_farmers_nothing_for_the_poor.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/07/yes-you-should-be-totally-outraged-by-the-farm-bill/277159/

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/07/farm-bill-passes-food-stamps

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/07/hooray-lets-screw-poor-even-more-when-economy-already-keeping-them-out-work

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/06/republican-farm-bill-asset-test-food-stamps-snap

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/05/senate-agriculture-committee-food-stamps-discrimination

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/12/soledad-obrien-food-stamps-jeff-sessions-fiscal-cliff

On books and bookworms

I'm sitting in one of my favorite places to work and think, and just sit: the library. The public library, which has had its hours cut to the bone, barely allowing the staff to maintain their status as full-time employees. This library is open only 4 days a week, a total of 32 hours. Sad to think that one day, kids won't have the opportunity I had at their age.

Ahm, something to look forward to...

Getting smarter with age. In many different ways.

http://www.oprah.com/health/Aging-Brain-Facts-Do-You-Get-Smarter-as-You-Age

A Teacher on Teaching: NFL Adopts Common Core Playbook--Copying Education...

A Teacher on Teaching: NFL Adopts Common Core Playbook--Copying Education...: (Washington, D. C.) In a surprise news conference today U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and National Football League Commissioner R...

Weird statement on unemployment.

On the noon news, it was reported that unemployment figures are up statewide. The stated reason was "teachers and new graduates" who are not working this summer. But, teachers who are going back to work in a couple of weeks are NOT unemployed, nor are we eligible for unemployment benefits. And as for graduates, they aren't eligible for benefits either, as they are looking for that first professional opportunity. So I started searching and came up with this announcement from Labor which says, “The rate increased primarily because of two factors that occur this time of year,” said State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “A large number of education workers are unemployed during the summer and new graduates are considered unemployed until they find a job.” So, it isn't teachers, but the other folks in seasonal jobs such as bus drivers and nutrition services, who are allowed to receive benefits (don't understand why; other folks in seasonal jobs are denied benefits on the grounds they knew the job was seasonal). As for the new grads, how do we know how many of them are 'unemployed' and not in internships, getting ready for grad school, leaving the state, getting married, joining the military, etc.
This is what should have been the real concern: "The number of jobs declined slightly to 4,043,500, down from 4,044,100 in May. State and local government education services lost 12,700 jobs, the most of any sector. However, some industries added workers. Those increases came in professional and business services, 8,000; leisure and hospitality, 4,000; construction and financial services, 1,700 each; and manufacturing and other services, 1,200 each."

Here's what the tv station put on their website, but the on-air reader screwed up. Notice also how much is left out of this version.

So, unemployment is actually up because there are FEWER JOBS. Who would have thought?

Unreal

A couple of points:
1. Funny that this occurred in late June, as school was closing for the summer.
2. I doubt that a fantastic collection, of, say, Holocaust materials, would be dumped so unceremoniously from the library of a school in the 'burbs.
3. First, it was a mistake, then the charter was offered the collection and they dumped whatever was rejected, then there simply isn't money to maintain the collection. Make up your mind, folks. Pick a story and STICK TO IT.
http://www.freep.com/article/20130625/NEWS02/306250101/Highland-Park-African-American-books-thrown-out

blasting NCTQ in the wake of their 'report'

@the chalk face- what a cool site, with lots of sharp-witted folks to write for them. I've been cruising a bit and found this one

Erich Fromm said 50 years ago that “we are losing that teaching which is the most important one for human development: the teaching which can only be given by the simple presence of a mature, loving person.” We are still losing them today, and we can’t afford to lose any more.

Paul Thomas on Common Core Evidence

Thomas here rips Duncan's defense of Common Core and points out that there is not a shred of evidence it will produce the desired recults, or indeed, any positive results. Another gem by way of Diane Ravitch.

Back to the myth of public pension liability

Public pensions and their beneficiaries have been taking a lot of heat the last couple of years. These defined benefit plans have been blamed for 'bankrupting' cities across the country. several states also blame public pensions for their fiscal woes. In Illinois, for example, the state is $100 BILLION in the red on pension obligations. Why? Not because those bloodsucking employees did anything wrong, but because lawmakers either skipped or shorted payments to the state's five retirement systems for decades. So, I'm with the governor on his plan to hold paychecks of legislators until they come up with a plan. It's the same all over. Cities and states have 'postponed' mandatory conributions again and again, and now the bill is due, but there's no money to pay it. Funny, if I do that, they turn off my utilities, right? legislators do it, and they just keep on rolling.

Having said all of this, I do not understand why a college basketball coach makes so much money. And I think I need to look into the possibility of a job with the prison system. Their docs, shrinks, and dentists seem to make out great.

An elected official in support of schools- endangered species

He says, among other things:

I do not have advanced degrees in mathematics or statistics, but I was entirely public-school educated, from grade school and high school to college and law school, and I know that restoring $100 million after a $1 billion cut is anything but record funding.

There is a myth that we live in an era of no options other than to continue to cut funding for schools and teachers, but what is so disturbing to me is the fact that we have practical options at our disposal to begin to restore adequate funding to our schools.

Institutions of public education should be grand. They should be bold. They should be tall, towering monuments to not just the achievements of American industry and perseverance, but to their potential as well. Let us fully fund and promote public education and allow America's youth to thrive in this new millennium with the tools, resources, and education needed to be the smartest, most innovative and most adaptive workforce on Earth. It won't happen overnight. It won't happen with one budget, in one state, in one year, but this is where we can start. Let's start to make America's public education system the envy of the world, as it once was

 

Amazing, isn't it? You can find the Diane Ravitch summary here, and then follow the link to his complete comments, with video.

The value of 'games'

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/02/beyond-strategy-and-winning-how-games-teach-kids-empathy/

Maybe the kdis are learning what it's like on the other side of winning. Maybe they are figuring out how to read the other playes and anticipate the next move. Maybe they are learning some planning skills. Regardless, we need to make time for games. Not gaming, but games.

Pontiac teachers’ health insurance cancelled when district uses insurance premiums to balance its books

Pontiac teachers’ health insurance cancelled when district uses insurance premiums to balance its books

Forget a lawsuit, someone needs to  pursue criminal charges of fraud and theft against everyone involved in this outrageous mess.

In spite of all the official rhetoric about our impossibly broken system that must be replaced instead of fixed, there are a few indications that all is not disaster in education. Wouldn't we all be better served if someone would examine these data and figure what went right so the rest of us can try to emulate it? Scalable, right?

It' good to know who our elected officials really serve

Because it sure isn't us!
The governor of Idaho pitched low labor costs in his state in trying to entice gun manufacturers to relocate. His letter said that "Idaho’s average cost for our highly skilled, often custom-trained workforce is 21 percent less than Connecticut". Who would have ever imagined that having the second- lowest per capita personal income would be a point to brag about? The gov's spokesman says that the intent was to emphasize predictability for business: “You want predictability in taxes, you want predictability in labor costs, you want predictability in your costs,” Hanian says. “Right now, in this business sector, in a number of states, there is anything but certainty. That’s not the case with Idaho.”  And when big business comes to town, they will expect those favorable conditions to be maintained. How will that play with the voters, I wonder?
In out nation's capital, Walmart is in a funk over a proposed "living wage". Keep in mind that they are the masters of low-wage management and manipulation. They are upset that someone might actually want them to pay a decent wage, which the federal minimum definitely is not. So, they threatened to take their marbles and go home. The mayor's position? "In a statement, Gray hinted more strongly than ever that he is prepared to veto the legislation. “The cancellation of three planned stores will surely set us back,” he said. “I strongly urge the Council to consider whether this legislation will actually promote strong economic development in the District and expand job opportunities for District residents.”"  Apparently he REALLY wants Walmart in his neighborhood. When they pulled this in Chicago, the mayor caved and vetoed the legislation. Again, whose interest is being served here?

And more sea waste...

The images in this slide show are all from the Pacific Ocean, but the point applies every where: when it goes overboard, or downriver, this is where it winds up.

Some of the locations of the photos:
Monterey Canyon, off the coast of California
http://sanctuarysimon.org/monterey/images/build/sc_overview_map_full.jpg
info here: http://sanctuarysimon.org/monterey/sections/submarineCanyons/overview.php

Davidson Seamount:
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/02davidson/background/missionplan/media/locatormap.html


Axial Seamount:
a seismically active underwater volcano at the edge of the Juan de Fuca plate (remember the tectonic plates? this is the smallest and it's sliding underneath the North american plate.) This is the area I visited as a teacher at sea some years back...
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/axial98/axial98.html

More about submarine volcanoes here: http://www.ooi.washington.edu/story/Axial+Seamount  These folks know their stuff. Axial photo here: http://www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=331021
And a 2011 eruption at Axial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY8Cx9rLiY4  Folks in Seattle are up on this stuff.

Ever notice a local restaurant that has tremendous turnover of their waitstaff? The reason may be something like this. In other words, these business people/entrepreneurs are breaking the law. and, that's not all. There's more. Let's just remember that most of this contract would be unenforceable if challenged in court, but how many of their servers have the resources to do so? It would be much better, now that this is all out in the open, for the state of Arizona to launch an investigation. But, of course, that's not likely to happen. And so, these two individuals will not learn any respect for the law nor for their employees in the foreseeable future.

Dolphins can choke on your fishing gear

So, since apparently no one has considered this possibility before, please pay attention to how you dispose of your lines, hooks, lures, etc. Don't leave them behind. Not only dolphins, but waterfowl, small pets, and children can be injured by the junk you leave behind. Drop it in the trash can, and if there isn't one, put it in your tackle box or your car until you get to someplace that has one. Remember the bait shop where you stopped on the way to go fishing? Truly, I'm tired of picking up tangled and abandoned fishing lines with all manner of hardware still attached...

http://news.discovery.com/earth/oceans/dolphins-choke-on-fish-and-fishing-gear-in-florida-lagoon-13062.htm#mkcpgn=emnws1