Arne and the Disruptors (great name for a bad band) are always talking about edu-reform taking us beyond the status quo. Well, they are at it again, and the resulting changes this time are like most of the rest, taking the status quo backward, rather than forward. The arrogant corporate fools in charge of federal […]
"Highly-Qualified" Temporary School Missionaries for Children Who Need Experienced Teachers
December 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Rhee’s Backers
December 29, 2010 By 1 Comment
Which foundations will back Rhee’s new org? Some clues from the Washington Examiner: Rhee said grants from foundations — including several that sponsored the teacher merit pay plan Rhee introduced in the District — will fund Students First, alongside membership dues and individual donations. Her goal is 1 million members and $1 billion. The Laura […]
Easy return
December 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Since the holiday season is finally beginning to thaw, I thought I would return with something quick and easy. So, someone suggested that early childhood or kindergarten teachers should be paid some obscene amount of money, like $300K, something like that. Inasmuch as I support paying teachers more, should we quibble over how to pay […]
How to save more money: The California Budget
December 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
@font-face { font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Published in the San Francisco Examiner How to save more money Letters, December 28, 2010 I hope the Jerry Brown administration considers […]
Is Breastfeeding the Answer to our Literacy Problems? Probably Not.
December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
@font-face { font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Is Breastfeeding the Answer to our Literacy Problems? Probably Not. Stephen Krashen A recently published Australian study on the impact of early […]
Wake County’s Gang of Five Chooses Inexperienced Broadie for Superintendent
December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
No experience in curriculum, instruction, assessment? Check. No experience as educator? Check. A graduate of Eli Broad’s training camp? Check? Former Rhee employee? Check? Tea Partier? Check. Thinks Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Barack Obama? Double check. Plus he writes spy novels and blogs. Sign him up: WAKE COUNTY (WTVD) — […]
Breaking News: Boston Globe Has Something Worth Reading on Education
December 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Is the Boston Globe’s printing of this a signal that the Oligarchs are having a change of heart? Don’t kid yourself–that would require, first, a heart: . . . . Finland, one of the world’s top educational performers according to the last PISA study and a recent McKinsey report, was once in a similar slump […]
To Starve the Beast, We Must Drown the Children
December 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Posted at Kenniwick School District Citizens: Waiting For SuperFraudBy Michael T. Martin Public schools have to fail. There is no alternative. So give up trying to argue otherwise with facts and logic. The mockumentary Waiting For Superman made this clear. Funded by millionaires, the movie told the story of some privatized schools in Harlem portrayed […]
How to Fix Bill Gates and Randi Weingarten
December 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Looking at the Newsweek photo, I was struck at how it might feel to find yourself in a pre-arranged motel room with the antithesis of what your chosen partner would look like. Here is Bill, having become the richest man in the world as the result of federal tax largesse and a marketing department that […]
Maybe you are failing the schools, Chancellor …
December 24, 2010 By 1 Comment
@font-face { font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }p { margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Times; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Tireseus (the blind prophet): Do you really think closing schools is the […]
Great debate
December 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Great debate going on in the comments, check it out. Someone asked for solutions. I’m going to have to work on that and perhaps post a follow-up. For now, and this could get me excommunicated from schools, but why not an opt-out protest? Seriously. Remember all of the hubbub on Thanksgiving about the porno-scanners? Well, […]
Parent Trigger, Media Coverage, and More…
In case you haven’t been following CA education happenings, there has been more than a little dust-up over the newly-enacted “Parent Trigger” legislation and implementation. Accusations of wrongdoing have been tossed around, confusion reigns, and – if anything – this should tell policymakers and the general public that the legislation ought to be looked at […]