wow, what a pair

this guy is priceless. He wants to make money 'managing' public pension funds, while at the same time is cofounder and board member of Students First. Students First, you may have heard, is AGAINST defined-benefit pensions for public employees like teachers. Remember Students First? It's Michelle Rhee's new gig. Where she accuses public school teachers of riding the gravy train at a fee of $50,000 plus travel expenses while also collecting a salary in excess of 100 grand. I can only hope to one day be so honestly and accountably employed...  What a matched set of hupocrites!

But, which games?

Researchers at UC Berkeley have done studies that appear to show students can learn from video games. So, which games did they use? My kids could use lots of  practice to develop their proportional reasoning, one of the skills mentioned in this article.

someone should rip off his bandaid

Dennis Walcott is a real piece of work. He's the NY schools chancellor, Bloomberg's second-choice (after the uncertified, unqualified Cathy Black) replacement for the Wizard of Chambers Street, Joel Klein. Apparently he has no more of a clue than his predecessors. He is practically bragging that test scores will drop as Common Core rolls out, claiming that it's time to rip off the bandaid. Whose bandaid is he ripping off, I'd like to know? Is he referring to kids, or teachers? And does he not realize that whichever one he's after, it will affect the other group? Complete idiot.

Bring your own device?

In Litchfield, CT, the school board pulled the plug on BYOD in grades K-6. I don't agree with the reasoning; there are much better reasons to restrict this. But, i do question the usefulness of this as the latest shot in the arm for 'engagement' in the classroom.

But, can the programming be fine-tuned?

There is new software, brought to us by the EdX folks, that supposedly uses artificial intelligence to grade essays and short-answer items, thus freeing up instructional time for more worthy endeavors. My question: If I'm looking for specific elements in an essay or short-answer, can the software be tweaked for that? Otherwise, it's generic and useless in many instances.

Steubenville, 2.0?

In Torrington, CT, two 17 year-olds and two 18 year-olds have been arrested for statutory rape. It appears they had intercourse with two 13 year-old girls. The case has exploded in the local press and in social media, as the teen culture holds the two under age girls responsible for the choices made by the much older 'boys' who've been arrested. Adults are mystified by the perspectives of the young people who are defending the accused. The victims are being blamed for ruining the lives of the accused, as if these guys had no say in what they did. Before it was even brought up in the Times article, my mind automatically called up the recent coverage of the Steubenville rape case. From what I see so far, at least 3 of the 4 defendants are football players, and one of them has other charges pending separate from the rape. But the girls who reported him are presumed at fault? Torrington High School students, friends and teammates took to social media in the wake of the arrests of Gonzalez and Toribio, attacking the victims in the cases via Twitter. Sickening.
But wait, there's more of this disgusting drivel. Seems the police have publicly made statements that seemed to minimize the facts, at least as stated in the arrest warrants. These are the people that your 13-year old daughter has to rely on if an older boy gets hold of her.

VAM explained

Finally, in terms EVERYONE can understand and be insulted by!
Diane Ravitch shared this today.

What do you make?

Taylor Mali says it best.

What do you make?

We may be destroying the Monarchs

In spite of a protected preserve in their wtntering gounds in Mexico, and putting a stop to illegal logging in and around the preserve, Monarch butterfly numbers continue to decline. Now it's because of human activity north of the border. Without changes, especially in agricultural practice, we may .lose the monarchs entirely

Bees like a buzz, too.

Apparently, some plant nectars contain caffeine, and the bees like it. A research group at Newcastle University (UK) was even able to train bees to a sugar solution laced with comparable amounts of caffeine. Supposedly ir gives them an adge.

Is this a natural extension of the TFA model?

An 'agent for change' who has made her name as a community activist/organizer/advocate in the South Bronx, then parlays it into a pricey consulting business, now finds herself on the receiving end of comments she herself once hurled at an adversary. In 1999,  she shouted at members of another community group, South Bronx Clean Air Coalition, for supporting the proposal: “You are accepting money from them and playing their community partner.”  That is exactly what some in the community are saying to Majora Carter now, as she is under contract with Fresh Direct to help bring their operation to the Bronx. By the way, until this flap hit the local media, Fresh Direct did not even do business in the Bronx, bringing a sense of elitism to the affair. From the Times article: Class implications idled near the surface: FreshDirect had become a hit with Manhattan residents who paid a premium to have their groceries dropped off at their doors, but it did not serve most of the Bronx, including the very streets where the government-subsidized headquarters were planned.
It is a sad reality of American business that impoverished and stressed communities are always considered as sources of labor, but not considered as potential markets.

Priceless

First saw this on the Teachers Don't Suck blog.
I started thinking of those old MasterCard commercials, where they gave you prices of things and ended with something priceless.
Here's the projected cost of implementing Common Core. Where the hell is this going to come from, in this age of school closings and reductions in force?

Can your child do this?

Some of my students can't. We can't contact parents because kids don't know a working phone number. And I'm not just talking about kids with serious learning problems.

 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/missing-pet-parakeet-chirps-home-address-police-article-1.1072051

Bicycles and teachers

Like comparing apples and oranges, you so, say? Oh, not so, my friends. Take a look at how Crazy Crawfish puts it all together for you. He's specifically discussing Louisiana, but the analogy works for any state, perhaps country, even, based on what I've read of  'reforms' in the UK and Australia. Beauty of it is, it all makes just as much sense as this VAM nonsense being offered as a solution to a nonexistent 'crisis' in education and global competition.

Class Warfare

Class Warfare

Shock Doctrine, anyone? Necessary reading these days.

More on using 'data'

Of course, the 'data' can be made to show pretty much whatever you want it to show...

Bruce Baker does a fine job of making the point here.

Again, this appeared on Diane Ravitch's blog. I love what she does.

No Fab Formula for Jalen Rose

No Fab Formula for Jalen Rose

If my school were in this much disarray, I'd be praying for the district to shut us down. As it is schools nowhere near such dire straits are closed every day (Chicago, Philly, NYC, etc). Yet, this place is allowed to continue. Why? Why? Why? It's time to channel Cee Lo Green and say, "Forget you!"

This isn't how you fatten the pig!

Continually weighing the pig, without feeding it, will not cause the pig to gain weight.

Likewise, continually testing the students, at the expense of actually TEACHING them, will not make them 'learn' more. (I disagree with the idea that these tests can show what's been learned.)

Some in Texas (yes, the folks who broght us NCLB) are beginning to realize that solution to the invented 'crisis' in education is not more testing. Not all agree, unfortunately, and even if testing is reined in in TX, it will probably take years for the rest of the country to catch up. In GA, more like 20 years...  

Thanks to Diane Ravitch for finding and posting the link at her blog.

For real, dude!

This is so apropo to my normal day...

from Facebook

Why Are Americans So Ignorant?

Why Are Americans So Ignorant?

Standardized Tests and the Joys of Spring

Standardized Tests and the Joys of Spring

Holding Their Tongues? Public Employees’ Rights and the Testing Debate

Holding Their Tongues? Public Employees’ Rights and the Testing Debate

you would never choose this for your child

But, by cutting back on schools, this is not so far off. We are not long from seeing a return to the days when daughters were married off to get them out of the house where they were costing money.
How is this different from the teenage girls who leave high school to go live with a boyfriend?
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/world/asia/afghan-debts-painful-payment-a-daughter-6.html?smid=fb-share

No kidding.

I often tell students a story from my childhood that pretty much makes this same point.
Shared with me on Facebook.

180 days

It's the typical length of an American school year. sure some schools go longer (year round charters, for example), some shorter (4 day week, anyone?), but basicaly we are on a 180-day calendar that hasn't changed in a hundred years.

A lot can happen in 180 days. Like a documentary.

PBS bagan airing it in late March, and I caught it during Spring Break. It follows the teachers and students of Washington Metropolitan High School in DC, known as "DC Met" to them. By the end of the year, they had their first graduating class, although a few kids had come up short and did not graduate. The principal was 'non-renewed'. In other words, fired. The Chancellor (Rhee's successor, Kaya Henderson) and the district never gave a reason for the decision. Nor did they ever provide the school with necessary resources. It's another view into the chaos that results from 'data-driven' decision making in education.

What the frack?

Is it really possible to induce earthquake through hydraulic fracturing? There seem to be some questions that need answering: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/03/does-fracking-cause-earthquakes-wastewater-dewatering

DCSS moves ahead with closure agenda - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

DCSS moves ahead with closure agenda - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

The consent decree has been in place forever. It is pointless, and has been pointless for a long time. It serves no real purpose. that said, I completely disagree with plans to close schools.

Just when you think you've heard it all

Some wingnut decides young children should be trained to attack mass murderers:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/03/kids-fight-school-shooters-alice-newtown

Much better idea than restricting access to 55-round magazines, right?

Maybe one day this will happen for teachers too

redicsovery of 'extinct' species after 135 years without a sighting...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Lizard-species-rediscovered-after-135-years/articleshow/19220349.cms

just cause it makes me smile

Wish this were my supt, or principal

Rod Rock of Clarkston Community Schools in Michigan. Dianne Ravitch has a letter he wrote to his faculty. Among other things, he says: Please help our children discover, create, and continuously recreate their own, unique definitions of themselves. If they don’t know themselves, they’ll struggle to contribute and become.

It was only a matter of time

before someone noticed that schools are sitting on real estate that could be generating income. big income. Well, Bloomberg & Co have finally picked up on it and are offering 3 sites for development. Odd thing, 2 of them are NOT 'failing' schools, and all 3 have had substantial investment in renovations/upgrades. Huh?
http://edushyster.com/?p=2277

I know this kid.

And I mean it this time...

What a student!

How great to read about a kid who is thinking about something in attition to the latest movie, CD, or the girl across the room! He is thinking about a solution to a worldwide problem: oceanic garbage patches. http://inhabitat.com/19-year-old-student-develops-ocean-cleanup-array-that-could-remove-7250000-tons-of-plastic-from-the-worlds-oceans/

He has his own website too: http://www.boyanslat.com/

And a TED Talk: http://www.boyanslat.com/TEDx/

skills gap debunked

Well, well, well. I've noticed for years the factors that are mentioned in the book about the "skills gap" in corporate employment. Take a look here:

http://andreagabor.com/2013/03/16/a-new-book-by-wharton-professor-debunks-the-skills-gap/

What, you mean we really are good enough?

All the new evaluation schemes are coming into being, and instead of rating large numbers of teachers as ineffective, the opposite seems to be happening. And the 'reformers' don't understand why. Maybe it's that the bar is set so low for the benefit of higher student pass rates. maybe it's that VAM is total bullshit. Maybe it's that we just don't know how to define, much less measure "effictiveness". The NY Times had an interesting article on the subject, entitled Curious Grade for Teachers: Nearly All Pass, and it included this tidbit:
Grover J. Whitehurst, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, said variations in teacher quality had been proven to affect student academic growth. If an evaluation system is not finding a wider distribution of effectiveness, “it is flawed,” he said.

“It would be an unusual profession that at least 5 percent are not deemed ineffective,” he added.

So, you aren't really interested in finding out if we are effective. You only want to rank and sort us in order to get rid of the lowest performers (regardless of how good they might really be).
What, exactly, is the evidence for the second statement? Do we routinely fire 5% of our firefighters, police officers, legislators for lack of performance? Do 5% or more of doctors, accountants, or lawyers lose their license to practice their profession for perceived inadequacy?

and the small schools experiments continue...

even though Bill Gates has admitted that he misjudged the impact of small programs.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/nyregion/at-the-stevenson-campus-nine-high-schools-one-roof.html?hpw&_r=0&pagewanted=all

Do you trust these morons to make decisions for you?

It's like the gang that couldn't shoot straight, or Keystone Kops. Arrests have been made in a campaign bribery case being called "the dumbest, most delusional scheme ever concocted." Some Queens knucklehead is accused of trying to bribe his way onto the mayoral ballot. And he had company! It's a 28-page indictment, with multiple named defendants. Guess they didn't care to do it the old-fashioned way: lots of Gates/Walton/Bloomberg money.

Cool, Bill. Now if only

If only you had asked some of these things before starting down the Yellow Brick Road. It doesn't take millions of dollars to find out that teachers need and want some intangibles above and beyond the paycheck. MetLife gathers that information for us every year (since 1984). Morale among the ranks is at a new low. You've been arrogant and short-sighted and you've contributed to the destruction of American public education by pursuing your agenda without any evidence or prospects of efficacy. I'll be waiting for the apology.
Check out Anthony Cody's take on the editorial, and don't miss his Billionaire Philanthropist Evaluation, in the name of accountability. It's great.

Mesopotamian Marsh

In between the first and second Gulf Wars, Saddam Hussein launched a massive project to drain the Mesopotamian Marshes, fed by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. It was an area twice the size of the Everglades. There were about a quarter million people who lived in and near the marshes, making their living by fishing, raising water buffalo, cutting reeds, etc. They are tribal groups collectively known as Marsh Arabs, and for unknown reasons, Hussein decided to starve them out. He had massive dikes constructed to impede the flow of water into the marshes from the rivers, and also dug canals to drain the marshes themselves.

Imagine what could have been accomplished with all that time, effort, and money- schools, hospitals, clinics, food, roads, the list goes on. But I digress.

By the time international military personnel reached the area (near Basra) in 2003, the marshes no longer existed. The area had been converted to a desert. If you have trouble understanding how the Sahara became a desert, you can clearly see it in the before and after photos and video in Braving Iraq, produced for Nature on PBS. The program documents efforts over the past 10 years to restore the marshes and the culture and wildlife that once flourished here.

So far, a small portion of the marshes is back, but the Marsh Arabs are returning, the reeds are growing, fish and frogs are reproducing, and migrating birds are nesting once again. Nature Iraq is working to restore the natural flow of the rivers, the flood cycle, and maintain a balance between conservation and sustainable human activity. They envision a national park, with eco-tourism, that will be on the list of must-see places in the world. When you see the flocks of pelicans and teals rise out of the reeds, you want them to succeed at their mission.

And, how does any of this help the child?

So, the little girl smells. Like what, they don't say in the article. Apparently the school thinks it's an issue of hygiene. So, why not help the kid out. Maybe let her get a shower at school. Maybe she needs a change of clothing. Mom says it's not a medical issue- did the school even consider that?  How does it fix the problem to have her miss 24 days of school (and counting!)?

This comes up regularly with older kids, and I've gotten good at 'the talk'. I've done it with groups, individually, and I even have some sample sizes of soaps and deodorants in my classroom in case they are needed or wanted. I've never had to call a parent about it, but it would never cross my mind that such a child should go through discipline over it.

Segregationist Time warp

Four years ago, people across the country were shocked to hear that segregated proms were still being held all over the South. The NY Times even covered the subject.
On the early news today, there was a report on a group of girls in Wilcox County, GA, are trying to organize an inclusive, Integrated Prom at their school this year. One of the girls was named Homecoming Queen, but even Homecoming dances are segregated, so she and the Homecoming King attended separate events. That kind of did it, I guess, and the four friends are trying to change things. It's not proving to be easy. Posters have been torn down, and adults are upset.
Funny thing, I applied for a job at that high school a couple of years ago. Wish I'd been hired. This is something I'd have sponsored.

UPDATE 4/5/13: This story has been picked up by national media. Both the NY Times and Wash Post have taken note, in addition to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Detroit Schools Emergency Manager Gets Accolades as Children Fall Further Behind

Detroit Schools Emergency Manager Gets Accolades as Children Fall Further Behind

The title says it all. and a 'data' bonus: if the data don't support your narrative, just make stuff up!

I think I'm glad I missed the 'summit'. NBC and their "Education Nation' make me mad. As a hatter. Like, I scream at the tv and throw things.

Jersey Jazzman: Charter School "Chef" Makes More Than Teachers!

How do I get a job like this one? 95K to make sandwiches for the kids, I canhandle that. Oh, wait, gotta sleep with... I'll get back to you on that...

Jersey Jazzman: Charter School "Chef" Makes More Than Teachers!: Want to make money at a charter school? Don't become a teacher; be a chef ! A March 2012 menu feature at Camden's LEAP Academy Uni...

Thanks again to Diane. Good laugh, after I was done being nauseous.

reading fiction- necessary for the soul

William Styron: You live several lives while reading.
Bradbury: “You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” 
Fran Lebowitz: “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” 
Joseph Brodsky: “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.” 
Willliam Nicholson: We read to know that we are not alone.
George R.R,Martin: “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” 
Stephen King: “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” 
Cassandra Clare: “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.” 
Jules Verne:“We are of opinion that instead of letting books grow moldy behind an iron grating, far from the vulgar gaze, it is better to let them wear out by being read.” 
Emerson: “I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” 
Jane Smiley: “Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book.” 

http://www.rotary.org/en/mediaandnews/therotarian/pages/business1303.aspx


all quotes found at goodreads.com

No Child Left Behind, unless they are gifted...

Not only did NCLB gut gifted programs along with Special Education, but Jacob JAvits funding was also cut by the feds about 4 years ago. I was earning my gifted endorsement at the time (still haven't gotten to use all that learning, like many of my classmates) and found the notice while working on research for a class assignment.


http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2013/03/26/no-child-left-behind-neglected-gifted-students-that-is-about-to-change-in-georgia/

"failing school" as a historical concept

I've also seen a comment somewhere that the notion of 'failing' or inadequate schools arose in the aftermath of forced desegregation...

http://federaleducationpolicy.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/historic-use-of-the-term-failing-school/

I know the feeling

This was my thought when I found out about the new statewide evlauation formula that passed the legislature last week with no media coverage whatsoever. Even my professional organization didn't mention it.

Cheating investigations: A Tale of Two Cities

Sol Stern of the Daily Beast has an interesting comparison of how the APS cheating scandal was handled by Gov Perdue, vs Bloomberg's handling of cheating allegations in NYC. One could easily toss in Rhee's handling of cheating 'investigation' in DC schools.
He also points out what all of us know: there are always those who will game the system, and play the rules that are make for personal advantage; a few people (not necessarily those who were directly changing answers) profited mightily from this culture of coercion for results.
As other states prepare to impose teacher evaluation systems heavily based on test results, they need to consider carefully the likely responses of those they propose to 'incentivize' for higher achievement. While I know that my kids are doing their personal best, despite their parents, the test will not reflect their growth because it is below-grade-level growth. That means, that sometime after 2014-15, my job will be on the line for being "ineffective". My principal's job will be on the line shortly after that, if too many of us are "ineffective". Do you really think no one will try something? I've got a lovely bridge to sell you.

SAT by any other name...

It wasn't so great when I took it back in 1984, and I doubt it will be improved in upgrade 3.0. Maybe it's time to accept that it doesn't really give us any real or useful information.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-nelson/the-college-board-fails-t_b_2801884.html?utm_source=Alert-blogger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%2BNot

professional standing (or falling?)

From tne Times, a year ago: "By all accounts, the teaching profession is at a crossroads. Since the early 1980's, when a presidential commission and the Carnegie Foundation declared a crisis of confidence in the public schools, attention has increasingly shifted to the poor quality of many teachers and of teacher education programs as sources of what the commission called ''a rising tide of mediocrity.''    
"At first, his friends admired him for being brave and daring enough to teach in what they considered a ghetto school. ''People said, 'Wow, that's so cool, so noble. Aren't you scared?' '' he recalled. But as the years went by, they started asking him when he was going to get a real job."   
"Mr. Plaks is struggling against the cynicism of both people like his mother and some of his colleagues."
"In the last year, he has seen five of his most senior and most skillful colleagues at Public School 192 retire."

They got it wrong. It's not about Social Status. It's about professional image and perception. We are not longer treated as educated professionals, but a production workers with no independent judgement. The legislature here has just passed a new law that will mandate test scores to comprise a minimum of 50% of teacher evaluations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/17/nyregion/as-social-status-sags-teachers-call-it-a-career.html?gwh=638D3268A32FA2B971CE69C10E241E17

Should Ga Tech change mascot?

A survey has been released today, ecplaining the various reasons to consider giving up on the yellow jacket (my favorite- In a series of tests, an actual bulldog was put in a room with an actual yellow jacket and the bulldog killed the yellow jacket 99 percent of the time. This is demoralizing for the football team, who would prefer a mascot that can, in real life, kill a real bulldog.)

You can vote here: http://newbuzz.gatech.edu/

But wait: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2013/04/01/to-bee-or-not-to-bee-is-it-time-for-georgia-tech-to-introduce-a-killer-buzz-or-a-robotic-one/

this is the primary consideration?

Now, I agree there are silly reasons why school calendars are set as they are, or changed. But, should tourism dollars and summer jobs for teens be the primary considerations? Here we get annual reports about how the school calendars affect revenue at Six Flags. You would think that the park gets no out of town/state visitors...

http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2013/03/25/shorter-summers-short-teens-chances-to-earn-money/

now, THAT'S what I'm talking about

AP makeover

Maybe it's time to stop putting all our eggs in one basket. And every day, we change the stupid basket! How about if there were thoughful discussions, followed by some sane decisions, instead of running around looking for the silver bullet that will cure the werewolf?

http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/advanced-placement-courses-need-more-than-a-makeover-jack-schneider/

untold Holocaust story

over the next week, PBS stations across the country will air "Rescue in the Phillippines", the story of a WWII rescue of some 1200 jews from the Phillipines. As the Japanese troops advanced, the Jews directly in harm's way. Some of them were desscended from Spanish families who fled the Spanish Inquistion, others had evacuated Europe or Shanghai.
http://rescueinthephilippines.com/

Marry my son, please!

So a Princeton grad and mom (and 'pioneer' of 1973) has written an open letter advising Princeton women to marry Princeton men, and to hurry up about it. After all, you only have 3 years before you are down to a limited pool because you will be older than 3/4 of them. Great advice, pioneering mom.
Wonder how her son feels?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2301415/Susan-A-Patton-wrote-Princeton-student-newspaper-urging-female-students-snag-man.html

poisoned by students

I thought the rudeness and lies were bad to deal with, now we have to worry that students might spike our drinks. Isopropyl alcohol is not meant for consumption- not only will you be buzzed, there's risk of permanent organ damage. This is no joke!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/middle-school-teacher-says-she-was-unaware-hand-sanitizer-was-being-put-in-her-tea/2013/03/29/4b9033f6-987d-11e2-b5b4-b63027b499de_story.html

this may really be how it started...

something to think about while watching Andy Murry getting creamed in Miami

Fantastic (NOT) idea

http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2013/03/27/new-race-to-the-top-teacher-evaluations-with-strong-reliance-on-test-scores-begin-in-2014-2015/?cp=3#comment-273225

Our esteemed and infallible legislators/policymakers/school detsroyers have finally enshrined VAM in state law. There is every reason to believe the Gov will sign this piece of toilet paper. He certainly has not said anything suggesting he wouldn't. 'At least' 50% of this score is now mandated to come from test scores.
Not one of these nitwits has spent time in a classroom to see students go to more effort avoiding their work than it would take to just do it. None of them has had the joy of hearing a student announce his/her intention to 'get' you in trouble, even if it requires a conspiracy of lies that rivals Watergate. Non of them has been grabbed by a student and dragged up and down the hallway in front of students and teachers. None of them has ever witnessed a student DELIBERATELY blow the test, for personal reasons (avoid higher demands, get parental attention, get out of the gifted classes, compete with peers for lowest possible results, etc.)
 Keep in mind the tests in question have yet to be written as we are in the middle of switching to Common Core standards, and the CCSS-based tests (from the PARCC Consortium) do not yet exist. Also keep in mind that NO ONE has yet shown that these tests measure ANYTHING other than the ability to distinguish the four letters A,B,C, and D. Further, keep in mind that the children and grandchildren of the aforementioned wonks attend non-public schools and will never be subjected to this bullshit of a system.
It's time to get the hell out of this place, if it's the last thing we ever do.

VRM evaluation system...

Love the idea. Let's expand it to include our legislators and business leaders...
http://protectportelos.org/new-nyc-firefighter-evaluations/

No thanks for the 'miracle', Florida

Umm, if this is what 'success' looks like, I'll pass.

http://m.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/opinion/editorial-florida-needs-no-advice-from-jeb-bush-on/nWYCy/

What happens when the 'war' is won?

Personally, I like the "Pottery Barn rule". Absolutely, you break it, you bought it.
Absolutely, there are a lot of factors that have not been considered in this data-driven, value-added, BS model we are being handed. Not just homeless kids and SWD, but also families that just move, sometimes 3 or 4 times in a year. And 'accountability' of the charters, private schools and other non-public entities that receive our students courtesy of 'vouchers', 'scholarships', or whatever sweet term is concocted. The comparison with mental health 'reform' is especially apt.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-epstein/the-education-reformers-e_b_840831.html

Thinking about how we measure learning...

What does it mean to say that a student (or group of students) has gained a year of learning, half a year of learning, whatever?
When we use a standardized test as the basis for such statements, what kind of raw scores are we talking about? Even the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Acheivement (3 ed), used with my students with disabilities and individually administered, sometimes makes me wonder.
So, what if we were talking about a generic test 40 questions long? How do you use that to gauge the amount of learning that has occurred?
TFA says you can claim a year of growth based on answering 3 more questions correctly compared to a control group... http://garyrubinstein.teachforus.org/2013/03/09/is-a-half-year-of-learning-equivalent-to-one-question-on-a-multiple-choice-test/

So, we aren't the only stupid ones

The push to privatize public education continues in England as well, to the detriment of the schools and their students:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/04/education-capitalist-command-economy

Glowing soldiers at Shiloh

Yep, during the Civil War.
After the battle of Shiloh, weather prevented medics from reaching the wounded soldiers. They lay in the mud during an overnight rain, getting filthy and hypothermic. When it was finally possible to go out and offer treatment, reports came back that some of the men's open wounds were glowing. Those who had the myssterious glow seemed to have better prospects for recovery than those who did not, and it became known as "Angel's Glow".
A while back, someone figured out a possible scientific explanation for the Angel's Glow: http://mentalfloss.com/article/30380/why-some-civil-war-soldiers-glowed-dark#ixzz2M1f5U4PV

Fascinating.

consistency- hobgoblin of little minds?

At my school, it's a running joke that if a decision is made by administration, it will get changed in no time. You can count on it. We might be told to tighten up on enforcing the dress code on Monday, then we'll be told Wednesday to ease up and concentrate on 'the important things'. The following week, when the kids are starting to look like MTV video stars, suddenly it's important to jump on that dress code again. You can get whiplash trying to keep up with the shifts in policy. And that's just one example. We've been given contradictory instructions about the school discipline plan, RTI procedures, and most anything else you can imagine. My favorite is when we get nailed for not doing something correctly, after following the only instructions we were provided, because the new expectation was never communicated to us. We have to constantly ask questions to clarify exactly what someone wants us to do, because it changes frequently and without notice.

ravitch remembers

So do I. It was all about what I was willing, and able to do. It never occured to me that the teacher was responsible for my test results.

http://dianeravitch.net/2012/07/27/do-you-remember/

the changing ways we communicate

The Social Century: 100 Years of Talking, Watching, Reading and Writing in America - The Atlantic

I wonder, what is the societal effect of these changes in the last 50 years?

sound and fury

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/01/science/discord-sound-noise-and-our-elusive-quest-for-quiet.html?pagewanted=1&src=recg&_r=0

There are times we just crave quiet, though we don't always realize that's what is happening.
And so, sometimes, I just want to lock my door and eat lunch, by myself, in relaive peace and quiet. Or at least accompanied by sounds of my choosing, instead of someone else's.

editorial on high stakes testing.

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20130213/OPINION01/302130015/Editorial-High-stakes-tests-killing-our-schools?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1

This writer said last month "deprivation of financial resources coupled with a regimented, dispassionate approach to measuring outcomes will by design sort out winners and losers". Ironically, it was exactly that kind of sorting system that we educators have been trying to get away from for many years. Race To the Top has revived it, on steroids. After all, how many can actually win the "race"?

Here's how I want to go out when te time comes

with a bang, not a whimper: http://www.upworthy.com/see-the-teacher-s-resignation-video-that-280-000-people-have-already-watched?g=3&c=ufb1

Define 'effective'

that''s the easy part.
Now, measure it.
"While the MET project has brought unprecedented vigor to teacher evaluation research, its results do not settle disagreements about what makes an effective teacher and offer little guidance about how to design real-world teacher evaluation systems."

Basically, they figured out that 'teacher effectiveness' is very difficult to measure in any meaningful way. I could have told them that, for a lot less money.

Diane Ravitch posted this today on her blog.

Finally, a rationale for student phones

When you get caught at school with liquor on your person, you have to be able to call your lawyer before speaking with the resource officer... Frankly, I'm surprised he got such prompt advice. When I need legal advice from my professional association, it takes several calls over a couple of days.

http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2013/03/15/heres-why-students-need-cellphones-in-school-to-call-their-lawyers/

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2013-03-15/oconee-student-calls-lawyer-when-found-gin-school

Which way to lean?

We have the CEO of Facebook telling us to lean in. The former CFO of Goldman Sachs says watch out. We have Pew Research telling us that others think we should lean back.

How about we each do what works (or is necessary) in our own lives? and what if everyone else just quit telling us how wrong they think we are?

Bullying, or not

Here are a couple of letters to the NY Times about bullying.
The original piece, "Defining Bullying Down", got my attention becuase it reflects my observations over the years. More and more, simple social behavior and disputes are categorized as bullying, making it something for the adults to address, instead of something for the kids to learn from. And, if we call every unpleasant encoutner 'bullying', then we diminish the real, awful experiences of true victims in favor of coddling kids who haven't learned social skills.

Common-Core Tests to Take Up to 10 Hours

Common-Core Tests to Take Up to 10 Hours

Umm, excuse me, but the CRCT already takes about 10 hours, before extended time for SWD... I might be glad (shudder) if that were reduced to 8 or so.

Now I just HAVE to read it!

Persepolis is being pulled from some, or maybe all, CPS classrooms. Story here. You can also google it and find plenty more.
That's all I need to hear. This is a book I MUST read, as soon as I locate a copy. If it's banned in Chicago, I've got to have it!

I'm still trying to manage my vortex

http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/teaching-math-the-driftwood-and-the-vortex-michele-kerr/

I've done this before, but this time it's not working. Don't know what to do with this one.

"most" kids drop out?

Recently it was revealed that my kids have this perception that "most" teens drop out of school. We were discussing someone who had entered college early, and I asked what most kids that age would be doing. Amost without exception, the class yelled out "drop out of school". There was no acknowledgement that, at least, someone that age should be in high school. It was eye-opening, in the sense of a window on their world. Even more upsetting was the girl who assumes that "most" teens are pregnant at that age. We'll be looking at dropout rates for different demographic groups and regions of the county to talk about why this is the case.
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/2008353_03.asp
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/2010313_08.asp
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/ESSIN_Task5_f2.asp

teacher voice

Read this yesterday. Here are my thoughts.

I am not a DeKalb County teacher. With 20 years in education, I am in my fifth year in a different metro area school district, where we are suffering from whiplash due to the shifting winds and changing plans and mandates. It seems that every year there is a new intitiative or program rolled out with much fanfare, and then incompletely implemented, only to be half-forgotten by spring testing. We have dutifully tackled Lerning Focused Schools, Understanding by Design, backwards design, differentiated instruction, inclusion, Working on the work, Results Now, schoolwide discipline, Marzano's research on Instruction that Works in Classrooms that Work ('high yield' strategies, which he himself says are no cure all), and on and on and on. Each time, we're put through a crash course or 'boot camp' on the new plan for making miracles, then quickly realize we are underprepared and under-resourced to truly implement the plan. Worse, the administrators who will evaluate us may not even understand what we are trying to accomplish, so we worry about a bad rating caused by misunderstanding.

We have to beg for common, basic supplies- pencils, pens, paper, board markers, but there are interactive whiteboards all over the place. One day, we may even have the time to learn how to use them to full advantage. I waited 4 months for basic stationery items. That's not a typo; it really took 4 months. It gets frustrating having to buy my own supplies and materials to work with, especially with a consultant coming through several times a year, at what is surely an astronomical cost, while we go without basics. I am paid less today than I was when I strted at this school. Between furloughs (pay cut), reductions in local supplement (pay cut), reduction in contributions to my retirement (future pay cut), increase insurance costs (ouch), and inflation, there's not much left for treats. Please don't expect me to provide school supplies as well.

Meanwhile, my students are less prepared and more needy every year. For too many, learning takes a backseat to dreams of fame and fortune on the athletic field or the stage. Sadly, their parents encourage this magical thinking instead of being realistic and insisting on education as a priority. They arrive without basic supplies, without even their schoolbooks. Paper disappears like candy. I've given out around 200 pencils to a small group of students with disabilities, and my closet is empty. They come to me with tremendous gaps in their skills, things they just never learned. The expectation laid at my feet? Fill the gaps while teaching grade-level curriculum to students who can't read or write fluently, or do basic arithmetic, or both.

Oh, and they desperately need social skills, never having mastered the fine points of listening to the person speaking to you before telling them off. They have learned survival socialization, meaning they draw a line and dare others to cross it so that then they feel obligated to prove that 'no one can diss me and get away with it'. The proof may be verbal, or physical. It comes daily, even hourly. In my classroom, as much time is spent on social skills as on our subject area. Fortunately, many of my kids' parents have no illusions about their young one's charms, but that doesn't substantially reduce the disruptions. There are others who look at us like we're nuts to expect a quiet and cooperation once in a while, as if incessant talking should be acceptable even it if keeps someone else from functioning. (“My child needs...” Yes, but what about all the OTHER children in the room?)

Please understand: I LOVE teaching. Really love it. In between their outbursts, I like the kids, too, even though they try hard to make themselves as unlikable as possible. The problem is that there is precious little teaching taking place many days. At this time of year, it's a balancing act to make sure students have at least seen everything that may be on the CRCT, while also trying to review from early in the year so that it's not forgotten. The test looms large on the horizon, like a sea monster in the distancee, and it's getting closer and closer by the day. I have no illusions about the validity of the test for my students, but at the end of the day, their success and mine come down to that number, and how close they come to the magic number of 800. Is this really the joy of learning that we are supposed to be sharing? Whatever happened to following an investigation where it leads? Whatever happened to students pursuing their interests? Whatever happened to reading a book and enjoying the journey, instead of taking a quiz on it? And then, after we the adults have made THE TEST into the end-all-be-all of this enterprise, we have the nerve to be upset with students' perception that there's nothing of importance going on at school after the end of April. Parents know this; your kids come home and tell you they aren't doing anything meaningful for the entire month of May. The truth is that is when we try to squeeze in the fun, interesting, student-directed learning opportunities that have been postponed for so long; it's just that the kids are no longer interested.

tackiling causes of incarceration

http://www.npr.org/2013/03/02/173303515/dealing-with-root-causes-to-tackle-incarceration-rates

How about declining budgets and availablility of school services to ensure these young people all develop the ability to read and write before leaving school? Could that possibly be a factor? Hmmm...

Believe or not believe, that is the question...

You came in with a complaint based on what your child told you. (nothing in the account rang familiar, and I don't know what you are referring to. As if I'd had a blackout in class that day.)  Almost in the next sentence, you tell me about how your child got hold of some important school forms and filled in all kinds of crazy lies, so it had to be redone.
Which part of the above should we take seriously? It's worrisome, and confusing.

Conference days

In this district, a couple of times a year, students are dismissed early and we use the afternoon (or evening) for parent conferences. For my students, we are already mandated to meet every year to review progress and update IEPs. Consequently, conference day is usually a pretty boring one for me. Parents of my kids just don't usually bother to come in, even when specifically asked to meet, so I wander around without much to do.

On our last conference day, I had just 4 parents coming in. It wasn't bad, just a headache making sure everything went ok. Starting with the parent who returned the form requesting a conference with me, signed, but minus her child's name. I made the extra effort to figure out who this was, which involved going to the office and looking up permanent records (the name she signed is not the name we have in the computer system, thereby requiring a visit to the records). She also did not make a preference as to time, and the form only reached me on the day before conferences. So, I picked a time for her and sent home an appointment slip. The afternoon of the conferences, guess who showed up 20 minutes late, having forgotten to arrange to leave work early?

For the same conference day, another parent texted the homeroom teacher after hours Wednesday (conferences were Friday), wanting a conference. It was set up, and I decided I would join them, as case manager for his child. I also sent home the invitation for the child's IEP meeting, as I had promised on the phone a few days before. When the day came, guess who didn't show up and didn't bother to let anyone know? By the way, he also emailed the other day to say he won't be attending the IEP meeting either. Nice to know my time listening to his complaints over the phone was wasted.

When I make an appointment with a professional service provider and then don't show up, they charge me for the time. We need to start doing the same. When we set up an appointment with you, that means someone else can't have that opportunity and gets upset. Then you don't show up, and we could have met with someone else.

A little courtesy and consideration for others is all that's needed.

Watch out for those marauding trees...

every tree deemed tall enough to fall across interstates and other limited-access highways.
Well, that would include most every 20-30 foot tree near the  road, wouldn't it?
http://www.walb.com/story/21541026/ga-highway-trees-on-chopping-block

I stand with the teachers of Stongsville, OH

They are fighting for survival in a district that is determined to break the union.
I live in a state where there is no collective bargaining, no unions, and strikes are illegal.
http://dianeravitch.net/2013/03/08/why-the-teachers-in-strongville-ohio-are-striking/

Don't know how

I'm in the doghouse again. She who shall not be named blasted me two days in a row, both times while I was on the phone with parents. No clue why, either. This came out of nowhere. There's nothing to do but stay out of her way. After the second encounter, I just went outside (on a cold day) and walked abit till I didn't feel so much like quitting and going home to cry. Made for along day, though, since it happened before 11 in the morning, and there were 4 classes still to be taught before dismissal.
My working conditions are your child's learning conditions. If there is an administrator making teachers miserable (not just unhappy, but absolutely miserable), don't you think that affects the students? Don't you think this person is treating them the same way?

Why Camden?

Written last night after the Rock Center broadcast:

Just watched the Rock Center story about Camden, NJ. Most viewers probably found it eye-opening. Shocking. Tragic. Shameful. Horrifying. They might be moved to do something.

I, on the other hand, found the piece irritating. It made me angry, but not for the reasons some might expect. I'm pissed because 30 years ago, I was a teenager living in a neighborhood very much like the places Brian Williams rode through with the Chief of Police. No reporters ever came around to see what it was like. Our parish priest never would have answered any questions. The local police commander was never seen, so I can't imagine him driving on a tour of the area. Bottom line: nobody gave a shit about us. We weren't worth the effort.

There was a man on my block raising fighting dogs. Yes, pit bulls. We had a cop living on our block. A younger boy we played with through his brother off the roof one day and was arrested. He was home a day or two later. Nobody wrote about it. It wasn't important.

We couldn't even get police to respond if there was no weapon in evidence. I was out of school by the time of the Simpson case. Late one night there was a loud argument on the street in front of the house. I looked out the window and say a couple having it out in the middle of the street. In half a minute he was not just hitting, but punching her in the face. An emergency dispatcher actually asked me what I expected the police to do about it. I finally got pissed and told her that they could choose between stopping the beating and waiting till he killed her. Nobody cared.

We came home one Sunday from a trip to find out there had been a drive-by shooting at the corner. When the cops were around, everyone was deaf, dumb, and blind. A few days later I heard kids talking about what had happened and who was involved. I called and tracked down the detective on that investigation to tell him what was being said. There were no news reports; it was just another shooting.

There was a drug dealer operating out of the building on the corner. It was across the street from a city bus stop. It was one block north from our parish church. The father of one of my classmates ran a taxi service, and his drivers came by regularly. The drug dealer provided drive-up service; the taxis would pull up in front, and someone would run outside to deliver the goods. During the summer, I sat on the front steps and counted how many of those cars, with the company name on them, pulled up in 10 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour. We lost track of how many times the place was “raided”. They would be released and back in business in 4 hours flat. Local police knew about it. My mother made sure of that, and even gave them license plate numbers. They still couldn't or wouldn't do anything about it. It didn't make the news. It wasn't newsworthy.

Eventually, after several years of this, a federal raid finally cleaned out the place one night. They had to go in shooting, killed several people as they went, and discovered the escape tunnels that came out somewere on the next street. No reporter came around to do interviews. We weren't interesting.

Starting when I was in high school, gunshots would wake me in the middle of the night. After a while you get to know from the sound whether it's a handgun, whether it's automatic or revolver, and the echo lets you figure out how many streets away it is. To this day, I automatically start counting when I hear shots. I can still tell a handgun from a shotgun by the sound.

I used to ride public transportation in that city, and walk down streets that would make most of my colleagues run for cover. I shopped in tiny little ethnic grocery stores in places that would make your skin crawl. You looked both ways, not for cars, but for criminals out to empty your pocket for you. No news people were interested except for when President Carter came to visit. Those of us living it weren't worth thinking about after he left.

Why is it newsworthy today, but not back then?

My bad

That's something commonly said around here by way of acknowledging your mistake. It's not exactly an apology, just sort of saying 'I blew it'.

My turn
I thought I was supposed to have high expectations for my students, but you refused to even try. My bad.
I think you should be able to hear what's going on in class, not just what I say, but your classmates' responses as well, but it made you angry when I asked you to listen without interrupting. My bad.
I thought you wanted to be able to see the interactive whiteboard, so I changed your seat and then you stormed out. My bad.
I thought I was supposed to help my kids behave properly, but your feelings were hurt when I corrected your behavior. My bad.
I thought I was supposed to keep parents informed, but you were offended when I let you know what's going on. My bad.
I thought the counselor was here to help us, but you think I 'got' you in trouble by bringing in the counselor. My bad.
I thought you wanted advance notice when I set up a parent meeting, so I did that, but you still didn't show up. My bad.
I think my students need to learn basic calculation rather than algebra. At least then they'll be able to manage their finances. My bad.
I thought I was supposed to send the disruptive students to the team leader's classroom, but instead he made a ruckus in the hallway. My bad.
I think my students need to learn to read a newspaper and job aevertisements. My bad.
I thought the students were supposed to follow rules and procedures without outside intervention, but apparently you only take instructions from the school secretary. My bad. Guess we should have her teach class next week.

The dream

My dream, shared by other teachers:
studetns come to school to learn
students have paper and pencils to complete their assignments
students take responsibility for books and don't lose them
students demonstrate common courtesy for others
students cooperate with each other to solve problems
students listen to each other, not just at lunch, but during lessons
students willling to make an effort to achieve goals

Each of these is an individual choice. I'm not even talking about parent involvement, although certainly parents need to lay a proper foundation for the above.
Notice, I didn't say anything about grade-level skills or income levels. Lots of money at home is not necessary to get a good education. Our grandparents can attest to that.

SAT redesign

So, the College Board is going to revamp the SAT. There's considerable information out there to show that the SAT doesn't do what it's supposed to do, doesn't measure what we assume it measures. My question, then, is this: What is the Value-Added Measure for the SAT? How effective a tool is it?

Folllow the money

http://www.pressherald.com/news/virtual-schools-in-maine_2012-09-02.html

If Finland has figured it out, why don't we try their approach?

They outperform us on the almighty International Assessments, yet instead of looking closely at how they do it, we are doing the opposite. This list of 10 facts is eye-opening.

http://www.takepart.com/photos/ten-surprising-facts-finlands-education-system-americans-should-not-ignore#

Pinterest is cool

I can keep and access lots of resources, personal and professional, both at home and at work (it's not blocked yet) for later use. Love it. When there's an interesting article or infographic that might be useful for a lesson later, or good reading when there's more time, I just Pin It. Then i can go back later and do whatever I had in mind.
www.pinterest.com

from the state of Mississippi...

and the state of Georgia. Not so different. Even now, and this is not a remote rural community...

http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/01/21/diary-first-year-teacher-racism-still-alive-and-well-mississippi-delta?cmpid=tp-ad-outbrain-general

Educators Issue VAM Report for Secretary Duncan - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

This is a great idea. We need a VAM report and ranking for all of our public officials. No results, and you are out. Of course, we'll use an "objective" metric to make this decision...

Educators Issue VAM Report for Secretary Duncan - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

and they probably have kids

Let's see, the best you can think of for making money involves multiple violations of state AND federal laws. Really?!? How is this behavior going to be justified? 99 counts. Guess he got carried away...

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional/three-charged-with-bear-poaching-more-arrests-expe/nWTdT/

When the Minimum Wage Makes Economists Smile

http://blogs.hbr.org/fox/2013/02/the-minimum-wage-and-textbook.html