October 31, 2007

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Teacher News of the Day

Filed under: Roundup by Steve Perez @ 5:43 pm

More staph infections in city schools . . .

. . . more questions on how infections are being reported . . .

. . . and the UFT responds.

City Department of Education officials helped Kathryn Wilde write a hit piece on Diane Ravitch . . .

. . . Leo Casey responds.

Chancellor Klein is standardizing admissions for the city’s gifted and talented programs . . .

. . . the UFT responds.

An AP-Johns Hopkins study using Education Department data labels schools “dropout factories” . . .

. . . the list of schools.

And an update on No Child Left Behind.

Update: I’ve been reminded that I need to link to Eduwonkette’s Halloween edu-parade. My apologies for the omission.

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The Politics Of Personal Attack [Updated]

Filed under: Education by Leo Casey @ 1:36 pm

Education policy thrives in a vigorous, dynamic public sphere where ideas and initiatives — new and old, good and bad, half-baked and well-formulated — are subjected to open, lively debate and contestation. What is essential in this sphere is that it is the policies, not the persons advocating them, which are the center of debate.

This New York Post op-ed commentary by Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of the business roundtable Partnership for New York City, is designed not to enter this public sphere to contest ideas and policy positions, but to end debate and shut down criticism. From the headline of “Hypocritical Critic” forward, this op-ed is a transparent attempt to undermine the standing and credibility of Diane Ravitch as a public intellectual and a respected commentator on matters educational. It does not contest Ravitch’s ideas, but rather assaults her character; it does not engage her positions and argue that they are mistaken, but rather seeks to diminish her reputation and silence her voice. Wylde’s op-ed brings the politics of personal attack and personal destruction that has been so corrosive in our nation’s political culture to New York City’s educational policy circles.

The revelation in today’s New York Sun that Wylde acted as a surrogate for educational policy makers who were the subject of criticism by Ravitch, writing her op-ed based on arguments they supplied her, makes the whole episode all that more sordid. It seems that for some, markets should rule all education — except for the free marketplace of ideas. There, their monopoly must go unquestioned and uncriticized.

Like many others active in New York City educational circles, I have known and worked with Diane Ravitch for many years. For an even longer period of time, I have learned much from reading her classic histories of New York City public schools. Without question, she is one of this nation’s leading educational scholars. She and I have not always been of the same mind on particular issues, but agree or disagree, I never had the slightest doubt that she was an intellectual of immense learning and unimpeachable integrity. It is not she, but the authors of this campaign of personal vindictiveness, that are diminished by it.

Update:

Diane Ravitch responds here.

October 30, 2007

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I Wish I Knew How To Quit You

Filed under: New Teacher Diaries by miss brave @ 7:01 pm

[Editor’s note: Miss Brave is the pseudonym for a first-year elementary school writing teacher.]

Nudity, nosebleed, no voice, and news of teachers quitting — whew! It was an eventful day.

My wasting virus of last week disintegrated into a cough and laryngitis, so I sounded like the Bride of Frankenstein today. I was with the kindergarteners all day, and they were full of questions about it. Some of them were merely curious: “Why does your voice sound different?” Others were more forward: “Why is your voice all funny?” Still others were full of helpful advice: “You got to drink water to make your voice come back!” I tried to explain that even though I sounded different, I was still Miss Brave, and that meant they still had to listen to me…you can imagine how well that went over with 27 4- and 5-year-olds.

On to nudity! Today Alejandro asked — nay, begged — to use the restroom. I was reluctant to let him because he tends to disappear for quite some time. But he insisted, several times, that he had to “do #2,” so off he went.
(more…)

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Predicting Futility (At a Price)

Filed under: Education Teaching Testing by Jackie Bennett @ 11:56 am

Last week, I spent time learning about the Department of Education’s new predictive and interim ELA assessments. According to Klein, the tests are “more accurate than what our schools have today” and will “make it easier for our educators to tailor instruction.” But Klein’s not a teacher, and frankly, I think that’s poppycock. The new testing system is one snazzy product, but in spite of all the money spent, I doubt it will make better readers and writers of our kids. In fact, it’s more likely to undermine that goal. (more…)

October 29, 2007

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CFE: $$$ for high-needs schools

Filed under: Education by Maisie @ 5:14 pm

It took 13 years, but the Campaign for Fiscal Equity forced the state to start spending on poor children. After dickering while a whole generation of children passed through the school system, the state finally relented and allocated $7 billion in new education spending over the next four years. Real money. The possibility of real change.

So why does it feel as if nothing’s changed–or it’s changing in tiny increments? Where are the small class sizes? What’s up with universal pre-K? Why aren’t our middle schools restructured? What happened to serious mentoring of new teachers? And where are all the new school facilities?

(more…)

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Teacher News of the Day

Filed under: Roundup by Steve Perez @ 4:31 pm

Initial ideas on measuring performance under the school-wide bonus pilot program.

Are teachers at the Graphics Communications Arts HS being unfairly sent to the rubber room?

A Brooklyn middle school student’s death last week was caused by a staph infection. More here, here and here.

How do you think a program to keep high school students from dropping out by putting them in college classes will turn out?

The New York Times looks at who pays when special ed students go to private school, with the recent Supreme Court case serving as a backdrop.

The AFT looks at student achievement in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Read about Automotive HS in Brooklyn.

Does your school recycle?

Global Kids is accepting applications for its Education Fellowship.

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An Expert on Assessment Offers Sage Commentary

Filed under: Guest Bloggers Testing by teacherken @ 11:11 am

[Editor’s note: teacherken is a high school social studies teacher in the MD suburbs of DC and an active blogger on education and other subjects. This post was originally posted in a slightly different form at Daily Kos.]

The expert is Rick Stiggins, who is the founder of ETS’s Assement Training Institute in Portland, OR. The sage commentary appears in the Oct. 17 edition of Education Week, the national weekly indispensable for news on Education (and even if you are not a subscriber you can register for free to read two articles a week). The article to which I refer is entitled Five Assessment Myths and Their Consequences (registration required). Below I will offer all five of the myths, a bit of what Stiggins has to say about each, and as per my custom, offer a few comments of my own.

Stiggins begins his commentary with the following introduction:

America has spent 60 years building layer upon layer of district, state, national, and international assessments at immense cost—and with little evidence that our assessment practices have improved learning. True, testing data have revealed achievement problems. But revealing problems and helping fix them are two entirely different things.

As a member of the measurement community, I find this legacy very discouraging. It causes me to reflect deeply on my role and function. Are we helping students and teachers with our assessment practices, or contributing to their problems?

He then tells the reader that assessments impact on school improvement has been seriously impacted by erroneous myths, five of which he wants to share with us. (more…)

October 26, 2007

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Observe!

Filed under: New Teacher Diaries by miss brave @ 7:04 pm

[Editor’s note: Miss Brave is the pseudonym for a first-year elementary school writing teacher.]

I guess now I can officially call myself a teacher: I have been Observed.

Every school is different, but at my school, Observations are a Big Deal. I know this because all the advice I’ve been taking from other teachers has been like a pop quiz:

Veteran Teacher: “Do you have to do ______?”
Miss Brave: “Uhhhhhhh…”
Veteran Teacher, ominously: “Find out before you get Observed!” (more…)

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Teacher News of the Day

Filed under: Roundup by Steve Perez @ 6:56 pm

SUNY Trustees have approved the Green Dot New York Charter School for the South Bronx.

Diane Ravitch on school-wide bonuses . . .

. . . and on NAEP and NCLB.

Education recommendations from the state Board of Regents.

A report from the New Teacher Center makes the case for training new teachers (pdf).

City Comptroller Bill Thompson and Mayor Bloomberg are arguing about the Mayor’s education policies . . .

. . . and Thompson still supports mayoral control.

A look at the city pension fund.

A middle school student in Brooklyn who died had a staph infection.

If you’ve been missing Teacher News of the Day this week, make up for the break with a pair of roundups: first the AFT and then the Carnival of Education.

UFT President Randi Weingarten and former Chancellor Rudy Crew will be interviewed on “Eyewitness News Close-Up” this Sunday at 11 a.m. on Channel 7.

And Stephen Colbert talks about DonorsChoose.

Have you used DonorsChoose? Share your experience with the rest of us.

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Constructing a Straw Man

Filed under: NCLB by Steve Perez @ 5:25 pm

I could play games and say it’s hard to know what Charles Barone is up to when he claims “it is just a matter of time before NCLB is in some way blamed for the spread of the Superbug.” Alexander Russo joins in, imagining that people are blaming NCLB for “the nasty cold I have, the wildfires in San Diego County, and the coming wave of subprime mortgage defaults.”

I could be coy, but why? This is a transparent attempt to dismiss criticism of No Child Left Behind by playing the victim.

So let’s be clear: there’s no need to blame NCLB for things it has no bearing on because the law has so many clear instances where it hasn’t worked and needs to be fixed. Criticizing NCLB’s faults is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Frankly, that’s regrettable - we’d rather federal law improve public education. But I understand why NCLB’s cheerleaders are going this route. They’re in a tough position when it comes to defending the law. And when you have to defend the indefensible, it can seem like a good bet to construct a straw man.

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