A little bit of lighter news to end the week. The international double-dutch championships are this Sunday at the Apollo Theater in Harlem (anyone want to go?), and apparently double-dutch has not only gone national -- a suburban North Carolina team is a top contender -- but it's also a big deal in Japan, which regularly sends teams that win. Check out some clips from last year's championship:
Who needs video games or even Dance Dance Revolution?
"Adam
Honeysett over at the USDE sends me an email now
and then. I don’t know who he is, but I like him," writes Sari at the Schools For Tomorrow blog (False, cheery optimism from the feds). "He always makes me
feel that our country is making great strides in education. Which, of
course, it probably isn’t."
"It's
likely a presidential endorsement will come out of the union's board of
directors meeting on December 7-8," writes Mike A (Has NEA Waited Too Long?). "How will the union deal with its national
and state officers campaigning on opposite sides?"
How many kids are dying -- and how the media has covered or ignored the situation -- has been a hot topic for the past six months in Chicago, in large part due to a Tribune story showing that some 32 Chicago Public Schools children had died within just part of a year.
Now, following on the news that a University of Chicago student was killed by a teenage CPS student named Eric Walker (pictured)
, one former Chicago teacher writes in to say that the public and the press and the city shouldn't just be concerned about the victims of the crimes, but also the perpetrators:
"CPS students are both killed and are killers. CPS wants to
focus the media attention on the innocent and ignore the failures of
the schools to be able to address the needs of the once upon a time
primary student Eric Walker," writes the former teacher, who worked in a school for troubled children. "That the needs of the Eric Walkers
enrolled in the CPS are many is unquestionable, that the funds needed
to provide extensive supports to such children are not in place is also
unquestionable."
At first glance, I didn't realize that the Best High Schools list that's out today came from US News, not Newsweek. Newsweek has long reigned supreme in the high school ranking business, much to the frustration of US News. (US News considers itself the king of school rankings, based in large part on its ginormously popular rankings of colleges and universities.)
So now US News has its own list, and we're left figuring out what to make of this. Are there lots of overlaps between the lists? No idea -- let me know if anyone's figured that out Which list is better? I'm not sure. The Newsweek list is more pure, focusing on the rigorous and more uniform Advanced Placement courses and tests. The US News list includes other factors. What I'd really love to see is a comparison between the two magazines and AYP.
I think weighted student funding (the idea that schools should be funded based on students' needs not a simple headcount or average teacher salaries) is a good one. And New Jersey appears to be making a push to implement just such a plan (Corzine Is Set to Revamp School Aid Formula). Let me know when it passes, though. As with many pointy-headed education ideas (performance pay, national standards, etc.), the politics aren't as thoroughly considered or addressed as the underlying idea. And, as we all know, politics > policy. Just ask Mayor Bloomberg, who tried to bring WSF into the New York City school system and ended up with a much-diluted result. Oh, hey, there politics are now: Republicans worry school funding revamp will be rushed (Newsday). Just in time.
Impress your kids (or students or colleagues) with these fancy lacing patterns from Wired (How To Lace Your Shoes), courtesy of a guy named "Professor Shoelace."
They are 1) Runner's stitch, 2) Hacky weave
, 3) Skater special, and the 4) Two-tone tie. Instructions included.
The Columbia Journalism Review weighs in this week on the absence of education in this year's politics -- a strong and welcome arrival (if not particularly full of insight for anyone who's already following the topic). Its main contribution is to quantify the dropoff in Republican focus on the topic compared to eight years ago (ie, before 9-11), and to lambaste CNN for failing to ask more education-related questions during its most recent debate, even though many were submitted . Democratic plans, it's noted, focus mostly on higher ed and preK, not K12 - a claim that some would question. (Where's Education?)
Best High Schools US News Using a formula produced in collaborat
ion with School Evaluation
Services, a K-12 data research and analysis business run by Standard
& Poor's, we put high schools in 40 states through a three-step
analysis.
Helicopter Parenting Turns Deadly New York Times The author considers the suicide of the teenager Megan Meier and the loss of parental boundaries.
Cynical NCLB Causes Crisis in Tucson Tucson Daily Why do TUSD and other districts play a game they cannot possibly win?
Because it is easier to conform to an amoral law than to challenge it.
'No Child...' makes the grade Boston Globe Nilaja Sun's "No Child . . .," a one-woman play drawn from her
experiences teaching theater in some of New York City's toughest public
schools, teeters precariously on the edge of sentimental cliche. But it
is saved, gloriously, by Sun's virtuosic performance, by her deep
empathy, and by her intelligent, clear-eyed, and sometimes painfully
funny take on the absurdly dysfunctional state of public education.
Charlie Barone and Joe Williams take on Hillary's education plan and come to different conclusions. Barone says the plan's detailed and
ambitious (Hillary Clinton's Big Plan)
but lacks enough substance and reminds him of a French farce. Long, but good. Joe says his hat's
off to HRC for raising the ante (The System Is Not Working) and links her sharp rhetoric to recent comments about getting rid of "crummy" teachers. Neither comments on the news that Hillary's camp apparently planted the gays in the military question that was used to skewer Mitt Romney in the debate last night.
Michele at EdWeek sorts through the questions sent in to the Republican presidential candidates (The CNN/YouTube Republican Debate). Joetta Sack at ASBJ says Hate NCLB? Ron Paul's your man. BoardBuzz says that the PIRLS reading scores provide surprising results if you look past misleading and simplistic comparisons and statistical significance. Over in AFT-Land, they're making fun of the EdTrust's Russlyn Ali for hyping NCLB in her LA Times debate against Richard Rothstein (The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread). Teacher Magazine points to new research suggesting better forms of PD (Let's Talk). Mike Antonucci riffs on plans for a teacher-led school in Ohio (The Lines Are Drawn in Toledo). Early Stories returns with a trio of new posts, including "Babysitting" in 'Bama?Joanne Jacobs writes about Texas' rejection of Everday Math textbooks (If math were a color).
Is it readers' faults that education coverage skews negative? The editor of the Greensboro Times News-Record seems to think so (Covering education). His explanations are the usual ones -- journalists look for unusual events, and like stories with a broad interest to readers who aren't parents. But that's not all. He blames readers for not remembering positive stories, and takes frighteningly little responsibility for newspapers creating negative and inaccurate perceptions of schools. Which they do. Because their editors most of them want to be covering something "more important."
Check out this video of the Ed In '08 politics and education panel that took place in New Hampshire on Monday night, which includes "national" pundits like Dan Balz and EJ Dionne:
Study Finds States on Board With English-Proficiency Tests Ed Week A
new report finds all states and the District of Columbia have now
ushered in new English-language-proficiency tests to comply with NCLB
requirements for those still learning the language. 2 Principals Are Honored For Transforming Schools Washington Post When
Suzanne Maxey arrived as the new principal at Seneca Valley High School
in 2003, students and teachers were struggling against a pervasive
feeling that the Germantown campus had descended into mediocrity.
National Math Panel Unveils Draft ReportAP
The
long-awaited report concludes that students’ success in math, and
algebra specifically, hinges largely on mastering a clearly defined set
of topics in that subject in early grades.
Looking for work? The Education Writers Association is advertising to fill a new "public editor" position.
It's not so much a media critic or watchdog who gives a voice to public concerns about education coverage, like other public editor spots at the NYT, etc. The new EWA spot is more about providing a journalistic coach for newsroom reporters who want to do better work, with some gentle suggestions to the rest of us along the way.
You know, constructive criticism and all that.
Obviously it's not for me, but what do I know? It sounded cool enough for EWA to Lumina, Pew, Joyce, and others to pony up the money. For all the details, go to ewa@ewa.org
The Ed Wonks have their Carnival of Education every week on Wednesdays -- check it out -- but every day is carnival day here. Diane Ravitch is all over the Times' goofy national testing endorsement (National Tests Keep the Districts Honest). EdWeek's Campaign K12 blog (more active lately than EWA's version) says that Education is a 'Duty, Not a Passion' for Dem presidential candidates. Indeed. Joanne Jacobs revisits the whole persistently dangerous issue (Defining dangerous down). But we already know that states and districts and teachers think uniformity and rigor are over-rated. Charlie Barone points us to the Philadelphia Story, a package of pieces from the Philly Notebook that includes an impassioned essay by him. Andywonk digs into some new afterschool research and asks What About Striking A Deal Instead?. The Biz Of Knowledge warns us that Kaplan Sets Sights on China.
It's Wednesday and maybe you're thinking about sticking your neck out a little? Suggest something new? Try something different? Maybe you should watch this snippet from Disney's "High School Musical" first:
Or, just because you're wondering what all the kids are talking about.
So the Forum for Education and Democracy has hired Kevin Franck from PFAW (pictured) and Beth Glenn from Cong. Eddie Bernice Johnson's office, and opened a DC office. Will that make any real difference? Maybe. The organization sure has its work cut out for it, considering the clutter of advocates and policy shops in town, including some like the Public Education Network and the other 140 organizations that signed that Joint statement. Also, DC is notoriously hard on anything with the words "practitioner" or "academic" in it -- both of which are at the core of what the FED is all about. But they're off to a good start, with kind words from Reg Weaver in their press release and a nice writeup from Ed Daily.
UPDATE: One of these two men is the real Kevin Franck. It's not the one that I originally posted (on the left). It's the guy with the nice tie on the right. Apologies to one and all.
No idea who that other guy is.
The NY Times editorial page jumps into education waters with this strangely mis-timed clunker on national testing (Test and Switch). In it, the Times calls for various baby steps towards a rigorous and comparable national test -- a NAEP-created test offered to states, a national list of states using weak homegrown versions. That's all well and good, I suppose, except for the fact that NAEP is having its own uniformity and rigor problems. According to the NY Sun and... no one else ... some districts are handing out NAEP accommodations like those
cheap Frisbees they give out when a new bank branch opens on the corner. Maybe NAEP should handle that one before we give it a broader scope of work? Or maybe I just woke up on the wrong side again.
This week's showdown between Times and Post education columnists goes to the Post's Jay Mathews, who tells the story of how a math professor from California feels wronged by a recent Fordham Foundation report on AP and IB quality. It's newsy, full of conflict, and fun (The Secret Gripes of Professor Klein). No matter -- this time -- that it's about Mathews' pet subjects, AP and IB programs.
Over at the Times, Joseph Berger tries to grab Boomer parents' attention with a piece about how slick college applications have gotten (A College Application and a Slick Sales Pitch). I feel like I've read that one before. Plus I don't have a college-age kid.
The Ed. Debate, in Dribs and Drabs EdWeek Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the only Democratic
candidate to back merit pay for individual teachers, didn’t have a
chance to tackle the question that night.
Spotting Signs of Sexual Misconduct in Schools NPR Guests discuss sex abuse in the school system --
the emotional impact on abused students, and how to spot warning signs
and prevent abuse before it starts.
UFT's Drive For Charters Nears a Success NY Sun An overwhelming vote by teachers at the Merrick Academy–Queens Public Charter School earlier this month could make it the first city charter school to voluntarily join the union in several years.
Mass. Weighs Legislation on Twins in Classrooms NPR Massachusetts
is among a growing number of states considering legislation that would
give parents the right to decide whether their twins (or triplets)
should be placed in the same class at school, or whether they should be
separated.
Yes, that's a bearded drag queen on the cover of French Vogue. No, there's no education angle.
The "Who's Who?" page continues to grow as more folks add, edit, and correct information on the page. There's a new page for Teacher Leaders that is quickly filling up. Over at Writers-Journalists, the team from the Columbus Dispatch is now listed. Someone added NEKIA's Jim Kohlmoos to Thinkers-Talkers, among others. A Clinton-era Dem -- who knew? The Doers-Providers are too cool or too busy doing and providing to get themselves listed. Ditto for the Advisors-Leg. Staff. Or maybe they're just recovering from the great NCLB reauthorization collapse of 2007. Meanwhile, someone -- I think it was Sherman -- added some Academics/Researchers so those folks aren't left out entirely. Thanks!
Some of you like Barack, but I could look at Michelle Obama pretty much all day. (That's her next to Oprah at a recent campaign event, I think.) Meanwhile in the edusphere: A feverish Eduwonkette turns "Jingle Bells" into a NCLB ditty (Edu-Bells). Teacher Leader Nancy Flanagan yells at us with her ALL-CAPS HEADLINE (TAUGHT to the TUNE of a HICKORY STICK). Please stop that -- PEN NewsBlast, too, while I'm at it. The AFTies go all Bell curve on us (This'll Spice Up The Reading Wars). Then they join with Andywonk in lambasting the Fordham Foundation for some academic tinkering (Grading On The Curve?, Math Skills Optional). Yes, AFT and Andy agree on something, sort of. Over at WebWatch, we find out that transfers hurt the schools being left (Parent Twist On NCLB). And the Hoff tells us that the House is all about making the grade (House Members Endorse NEA's Favorite Bills). Any other good posts out there today that I missed? Let me know.
No one else seems as fascinated as I am by the current strikes going on by the screenwriters and the stagehands, though Slate agrees with me that the strikers are getting awfully cushy coverage from the press (Why newspapers love the striking screenwriters) and no one's been able to persuade me that celebrity parents shouldn't be out there handing out cocoa to teachers just like screenwriters when the occasion arises. But my latest thought is to wonder why don't we have a national teachers strike. Not over specific contract terms, of course -- those vary locality by locality -- and not everywhere, since there aren't real unions in some states. But why not a strike over larger issues, like salaries in general, education spending, or -- fun! -- against the evils of NCLB? If those pencil-necked geeks can get more pay for Internet versions of The Daily Show, shouldn't good-hearted teachers of this nation be able to wrangle an end to ceaseless testing or an extra day of paid vacation for teaching everyone else's brats? I think they should. And a strike on someone's big testing day in March would be extra delicious.
We've heard a little about this before from Po Bronson and others, but hidden in a recent New York Times article is a description of a recent study showing how children react to different kinds of praise. Praise them for successful completion of a task, and they are likely to pick less challenging work in the future -- and fib about their success if it's less than stellar. Praise them for hard and persistent effort towards figuring a problem out, less so.
"Often parents and teachers unwittingly encourage this mind-set by
praising children for being smart rather than for trying hard or
struggling with the process. “One
thing I’ve learned is that kids are exquisitely attuned to the real
message, and the real message is, ‘Be smart,’” Professor Dweck said.
“It’s not, ‘We love it when you struggle, or when you learn and make
mistakes.’”
Check out the study and see if it resonates. Or, is this simply a modern version of all that feel-good crap from the 1990s, repackaged to look new and shiny?
Running From 'No Child' Washington Post Mr. Romney has said he believes the "testing of our kids to be a good thing." He points to Massachusetts, which, nine years before No Child, instituted its own reforms of holding schools accountable for student achievement. PLUS: Senator seeks flexibility on No Child Left Behind Chattanooga Times
Schools Chief in New Orleans Faces Tough Road to Rebuilding
PBS John Merrow returns to New Orleans for an update on how the city's
schools chief is faring in his attempts to enact change in a system
still working to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
Tutors for Toddlers Time Call it kindercramming. These days one of the fastest-growing markets
for after-school tutors is preschoolers and kindergartners, whose
parents are hoping that if their kids learn to read before first grade,
it will ultimately help them get into college and get good jobs.
Think that those Ed In '08 folks are really pushing the envelope when it comes to nonprofits getting directly involved in campaign politics? No doubt, they're working hard and having some success. But the Broad/Gates education effort is perhaps the least vigorous and specific of those included in a recent Time article about nonprofits in politics. Nonprofit-led demands including having candidates sign pledges that call for specific funding levels (HIV) and new policy initiatives (arts). That's why I say EI08 should go for something bigger and more concrete that 'specific and substantive discussion of education issues' or whatever their current language is. But then again, I wanted them to fund a 24/7 education politics campaign blog, too, and look where that went.
A free man sits in his apartment afraid to go outside except to go to work. An alleged rape victim confesses that she helped imprison the wrong man just to hide an affair. A judge agrees to retest a DNA sample after years of hand-written pleas from jail. My part in Sunday's NYT cover package (Free, And Then What?) was an extremely small one and had little to do with school reform, but tracking down and interviewing a dozen or so of the more than 200 people who been exonerated by DNA evidence over the last few years was a fascinating and heart-wrenching experience.
Thanks to Fritz for reminding me that the National Assessment of Title I (NCLB) is out, and includes some findings that might serve as a reality check for those of us arguing for or against it. According to the study, 75 percent of schools made AYP in 0405, and schools that didn't most often missed for all students or multiple subgroups, not a single group. Title I funding is up 35 percent over the last seven years, adjusted for inflation. Among states with three years of test data, the percentage scoring proficient rose for "most student subgroups in a majority of states" but not enough to get to 100 percent. Use of the transfer option has doubled, and use of SES has increased tenfold.
Failing Michigan School Hopes in Young Principal
NPR
At
a struggling school in Benton Harbor, Mich., all eyes are on a young,
new principal who has brought discipline and excitement about learning.
Michigan is one of several states with schools that have failed to meet
its No Child Left Behind goals for at least five consecutive years.
Spanish Teacher Remains Despite Conviction for Animal Cruelty Washington Post
When
police charged Maria Yordan Torres with criminal neglect of the fluffy
white Coton de Tulear dogs she bred in her home, many students at
Montgomery Blair High School assumed her career as a Spanish teacher
was over.
The Post's editorial page is right to notice the startling unanimity surrounding the current Head Start Renewal, but misguided to think that it will "help fuel the movement for states to expand and enhance education in childhood's critical early years."
Just the opposite. Congress' inability to make substantive changes to the program (ie, requiring higher teacher qualifications) and Presidential candidates' refusal to address Head Start reform even as they're promoting universal preschool are not good signs for those who want high-quality, well-coordinated early childhood education.
Test Invalidated over Directions GoofNPR Scores
on the Program for International Student Assessment tests taken by
thousands of American 15-year-olds last fall were voided because of
errors on the test itself.
