Steven Singer: Top 10 Reasons to Oppose Charter Schools

dianeravitch posted: "Have you ever wished you had a bullet list to explain succinctly why charter schools are a terrible idea? Steven Singer has created that list. He says that "school choice is no choice." The school chooses the student, the student doesn't choose the school" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog Steven Singer: Top 10 Reasons to Oppose Charter Schools by dianeravitch Have you ever wished you had a bullet list to explain succinctly why charter schools are a terrible idea? Steven Singer has created that list. He says that "school choice is no choice." The school chooses the student, the student doesn't choose the school. Ask yourself: why do we need a dual school system? One gets to choose its students, the other must accept everyone. What a bad idea!

EduShyster: What Are the Differences Between Suburban Public Schools and Urban Charter Schools?Urban

dianeravitch posted: "Emily Kaplan has written a guest column for EduShyster. Kaplan taught in a no-excuses charter school, and she now teaches in a suburban public school. Here she describes the differences, much of which hasty do with power. The suburban parents "own" their " Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog EduShyster: What Are the Differences Between Suburban Public Schools and Urban Charter Schools?Urban by dianeravitch Emily Kaplan has written a guest column for EduShyster. Kaplan taught in a no-excuses charter school, and she now teaches in a suburban public school. Here she describes the differences, much of which hasty do with power. The suburban parents "own" their public school; the urban charter parents can stay in the school only if their child obeys directions and follows the rules. Kaplan writes: "Politically and financially, affluent suburban parents own their children's schools. Parents of students at urban charters, however, better not push their luck. (They "won the lottery," after all.) Suburban parents can question the system all they like; ultimately, they are the system. Charter parents are certainly not— and by questioning it, they have everything to lose. (The racial undertones of this environment—black parents should be grateful for the education these white educators so generously provide— are significant.) Unlike suburban students who attend district schools, students at urban charter schools can be expelled or pushed out— and no parent wants to be forced back to the district which drove them to enter the charter lottery in the first place.

NY Opt Out: How the Tests Will Harm Children

dianeravitch posted: "Bianca Tanis, who is a parent, a teacher, and a leader of the opt out movement, warns of the dangers of the tests that start next week.     She writes:     The New York State Common Core tests are almost upon us and promises of s" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog NY Opt Out: How the Tests Will Harm Children by dianeravitch Bianca Tanis, who is a parent, a teacher, and a leader of the opt out movement, warns of the dangers of the tests that start next week. She writes: The New York State Common Core tests are almost upon us and promises of sweeping changes to NYS tests and standards are rampant. The NYS Education Department is urging parents to opt back in and the media has reported that education officials are "bending over backwards" to address the concerns of parents and educators.

John Thompson: The Utter Failure of Standardized Teacher Evaluation

dianeravitch posted: "John Thompson, teacher and historian, writes here about one of the most controversial education issues of our time: mandated systems of test-based teacher evaluation. This was a central aspect of Race to the Top, and it was hated by large numbers of teach" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog John Thompson: The Utter Failure of Standardized Teacher Evaluation by dianeravitch John Thompson, teacher and historian, writes here about one of the most controversial education issues of our time: mandated systems of test-based teacher evaluation. This was a central aspect of Race to the Top, and it was hated by large numbers of teachers. Thompson writes:

Utica: A Newspaper That Understands Education!

dianeravitch posted: "I have read so many misguided and ignorant newspaper editorials about education in the past few decades (including some in our leading newspapers) that I am always surprised and delighted to read an editorial that shows a deep understanding of the challen" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog Utica: A Newspaper That Understands Education! by dianeravitch I have read so many misguided and ignorant newspaper editorials about education in the past few decades (including some in our leading newspapers) that I am always surprised and delighted to read an editorial that shows a deep understanding of the challenges of teaching and learning. I hereby put the editorial board of the Utica, New York, Observer-Dispatch on the blog's honor roll for sanity and clear thinking. In this editorial statement, the newspaper writes that the politicians, policymakers, and pundits should stop blaming principals and teachers for low test scores. If they want to pin blame on someone or something, the editorial says, blame the state. It says: One can't help wonder whether the powers that be in the state Education Department and Legislature have a firm grasp on reality. Do the bureaucrats and politicians who write the education policies and approve the laws ever step inside a classroom? Do they ever visit the troubled schools they pass judgment on?

Florida Passes School Choice Bill, Again

dianeravitch posted: "The Florida legislature thinks that you can never have too much choice. Their one abiding goal is to destroy completely the traditional neighborhood school, which they think is the root of all evil. They would rather have kids go to a basement school in a" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog Florida Passes School Choice Bill, Again by dianeravitch The Florida legislature thinks that you can never have too much choice. Their one abiding goal is to destroy completely the traditional neighborhood school, which they think is the root of all evil. They would rather have kids go to a basement school in a rundown church than attend a neighborhood school. Now, the legislature has passed a law to allow high school students to transfer to any high school in the state, so long as they provide their own transportation, a seat in the receiving school is available, and the student has not been suspended or expelled. Wow! Just think!  A student in Miami can transfer to a school in Orlando, or Jacksonville, or just anywhere at all. What's next: full choice for any elementary school student in the state? Some really deep thinking going on here about improving education. Florida also recently passed legislation that included the "best and brightest" plan that gives a bonus to teachers based on their high school SAT scores. Veteran teachers must have both their high school SAT scores (from 25 years ago?) and be rated highly effective to qualify. This is essentially a bonus designed for TFA temp teachers. The law was widely denounced as the stupidest legislation ever, but there is nothing that is too stupid for the Florida legislature when it comes to choice or harassing teachers. dianeravitch | March 11, 2016 at 2:00 pm | Categories: Education Reform, Florida, School Choice | URL: http://wp.me/p2odLa-de9 Comment    See all comments

] Paul Thomas: No One Should Hit a Child, Ever

dianeravitch posted: "Today is the birthday of Paul Thomas' daughter. In his home, there were a few ironclad rules. No physical intimidation of children, no racism, no tolerance for violence against others.   Our society seems evens to be rushing backwards in its regard" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog Paul Thomas: No One Should Hit a Child, Ever by dianeravitch Today is the birthday of Paul Thomas' daughter. In his home, there were a few ironclad rules. No physical intimidation of children, no racism, no tolerance for violence against others. Our society seems evens to be rushing backwards in its regard for other human beings. Yesterday I saw a member of the audience at a Trump rally punch a young black protestor in the face. Maybe if the guy had grown up in a home like Paul's, he would have stopped himself.  What did his parents teach him, by word and deed? dianeravitch | March 11, 2016 at 2:00 pm | Categories: Discipline, Education Reform | URL: http://wp.me/p2odLa-deE Comment    See all comments

Chicago Public Schools Sues Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Co-Defendants for $65 Million

dianeravitch posted: "Thanks to reader Chiara for calling attention to this new development in Chicago.   The Chicago Tribune reports that the Chicago public schools are suing former CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the SUPES Academy, Synesi Associates, and Gary Solomon, who o" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog Chicago Public Schools Sues Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Co-Defendants for $65 Million by dianeravitch Thanks to reader Chiara for calling attention to this new development in Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reports that the Chicago public schools are suing former CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the SUPES Academy, Synesi Associates, and Gary Solomon, who owns the companies named, for $65 million. Byrd-Bennett was convicted last year in a scheme to take kickbacks from the companies. "In plain terms, Defendants have stolen money from Plaintiff and the schoolchildren of the City of Chicago, and that money should be returned," the school board said in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court. Byrd-Bennett pleaded guilty and faces up to 7 and 1/2 years in prison. The others are negotiating possible guilty pleas with federal prosecutors. The federal indictment accused Solomon and Vranas of arranging to pay Byrd-Bennett as much as $2.3 million in kickbacks and other perks in exchange for her using her influence to award more than $23 million in no-bid contracts to SUPES Academy. Byrd-Bennett had previously worked as a consultant for SUPES. Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool framed the lawsuit as an effort to "fight for every dollar our children deserve." The lawsuit hinges on Illinois law that entitles public entities defrauded by corrupt individuals and companies to three times the amount of what was "fraudulently obtained," Claypool said. That would include salary, pension contributions or other payments CPS made to Byrd-Bennett and her co-conspirators, Claypool said. As a consultant and as CEO for CPS, Byrd-Bennett received almost $870,000, according to the lawsuit. Solomon, Vranas, SUPES and another company, Synesi, were paid a total of $15.5 million, the lawsuit said. Claypool said "there's no guarantee whatsoever" that CPS would receive restitution as a result of the federal case against Byrd-Bennett and SUPES' owners. But the state law "gives us a path to recover these dollars," he said. "These gentlemen have been in business a long time, all over the country. We're entitled to discover assets, we have various legal tools available to us to track those assets and we will pursue every one of them," Claypool said. The link includes a link to the court papers. dianeravitch | March 11, 2016 at 4:33 pm | Categories: Accountability, Cheating, Chicago, Education Reform | URL: http://wp.me/p2odLa-dfc Comment    See all comments Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

Plan Ahead: SOS March in July in DC

dianeravitch posted: "Save Our Schools plans to March on Washington on July 8-10.   This will be an exciting event! Plan to be there. Raise your voice against corporate reform, high stakes testing and privatization.      " Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog Plan Ahead: SOS March in July in DC by dianeravitch Save Our Schools plans to March on Washington on July 8-10. This will be an exciting event! Plan to be there. Raise your voice against corporate reform, high stakes testing and privatization. dianeravitch | March 6, 2016 at 3:00 pm | Categories: Education Reform, Resistance, Supporting public schools | URL: http://wp.me/p2odLa-cBv Comment    See all comments

Visiting BT’s Information Age Gallery at the Science Museum

In The Playroom posted: "On Sunday morning we visited the Science Museum and, as my other half was particularly keen, headed straight up to the Information Age gallery on the second floor before it got busy (a side benefit of arriving at opening time: you might just be able to na" New post on In The Playroom Visiting BT's Information Age Gallery at the Science Museum by In The Playroom On Sunday morning we visited the Science Museum and, as my other half was particularly keen, headed straight up to the Information Age gallery on the second floor before it got busy (a side benefit of arriving at opening time: you might just be able to nab one of the parking slots on Prince Consort Road, about 3 minutes walk away, which is free on Sundays).

Activists Urge Senate Not to Confirm John King as Secretary of Education

dianeravitch posted: "A letter signed by numerous parents, educators and scholars was sent to the US Senste, opposing John King for the post of Secretary of Education. The signatories were especially concerned about King's enthusiastic embrace of Common Core, his rushed and" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Diane Ravitch's blog Activists Urge Senate Not to Confirm John King as Secretary of Education by dianeravitch A letter signed by numerous parents, educators and scholars was sent to the US Senste, opposing John King for the post of Secretary of Education. The signatories were especially concerned about King's enthusiastic embrace of Common Core, his rushed and flawed rollout of CCSS, and his devotion to testing. The letter was written primarily by Nikhil Goyal, a young man of 20 who has already written two books about education and spoken in many settings, about the need to transform education in fundamental ways. . dianeravitch | March 4, 2016 at 12:39 am | Categories: Resistance, Testing, U.S. Department of Education | URL: http://wp.me/p2odLa-d9B Comment    See all comments

Teach Preschool: Preparing the preschool environment

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Preparing the preschool environment Posted: 28 Feb 2016 08:21 PM PST There was a time in my teaching career when I spent the majority of my preparation time researching and writing out my daily lesson plans. This was time well spent, make no mistake about that. Because of all those years writing and implementing my own lesson plans, I built up a library of ideas that I […]

] Life in the UK Through the Decades

In The Playroom posted: "It's amazing to think about how life can change from one generation to the next. The amount of developments and advancements that take place during even one decade mean that life is quite different for us than it was for our parents, and for our children " New post on In The Playroom Life in the UK Through the Decades by In The Playroom It's amazing to think about how life can change from one generation to the next. The amount of developments and advancements that take place during even one decade mean that life is quite different for us than it was for our parents, and for our children no doubt the world will be even more different once they have grown up and are leading lives of their own. Sun Life Direct have recently created a map of the UK to explore this concept. The interactive map provides an interesting fact for every region in the UK from each decade, starting from the 60s and going up to the present day. Using the tool, you can find out where the first ever MRI scanner was built or in what city the world's first test-tube baby was born in, and lots more! Read more of this post In The Playroom | February 26, 2016 at 9:02 pm | Categories: Sponsored | URL: http://wp.me/p3uLZj-5C2 Comment    See all comments