Five Best Blogs: Tennessee Two-Step

Tennessee’s Push to Transform Schools NYT:  Even with shortcomings, the new approach to teacher evaluation is a vast improvement over the one it replaced.

“Jim Crow Is Dead, But His Cousins Are Still Alive” Larry Ferlazzo:  The NYT editorial writers might not have any idea about what they’re talking about when they write on education issues, but they’ve certainly nailed things on the Alabama immigration law.

Occupy School Boards? Mike Antonucci: These are labor issues, not education issues, so reformers are at a severe disadvantage in addressing them. It just seems to me to be a more efficient use of resources to tackle them at the state level. 

I’m Free! Thompson: The first round of state applications for the NCLB waivers is due today and all 11 anticipated applications have arrived in ED’s in-box. A big question: How will states craft their annual measurable objectives (AMO)? 

Public schools go online Joanne Jacobs:  If your teacher is an app, you’d better have an educated, at-home parent, who can answer questions immediately.  Not every student has that.

MORE BLOG POSTS INSIDE

The Evidence On Charter Schools ShankerBlog: On the whole, charters confront the same challenges as traditional district schools in meeting students’ diverse needs and boosting performance. There is no test-based evidence for supporting either form of governance solely for its own sake. 

Friends With Benefits Richard Blow (NYT):  Government is not the enemy. Not always. Don’t believe that right-wing malarkey. via TeacherKen. 

No More Excuses: We Can Get All Children Reading Robert Slavin: Many problems of education are very complex, and the right solutions are not immediately apparent. In contrast, reading for every child is dead simple. 

Lessons for advocates from The Education Trust National Conference PIE:  Help educators understand how reforms around teaching can help them do a better job for their students.

Comments

[Chandra]

Question: Do we firmly believe that every child can read? I personally believe that every child can learn. However, read? Garners' theory of multiple intelligences suggest that we learn in many different ways. So, can we assume that all children learn at different rates and levels and thus some may not be able to grasp the concept of reading due to their cognitive level?

[Michael]

Still not really sure why you link to Mike Antonucci ever. He is just a labor basher, his only comments on edu unrelated to labor issues seem terribly banal and seeing how teachers often read your blog, and teachers are "labor", you may be losing your audience. Reform types I am sure are always looking for some union dirt but they probably read eduwonk for that. Teachers are well enough aware of teacher union failings (few of which Mike A. types fail to even mention somehow, they just keeps repeating how we do not care about education or kids), so it is not like his posts provide perspective, just some shallow snark.

[Mary]

Michael, I'm wondering why he links to Antonucci, too. Alexander has asked us to refrain from speculating about his motives (which are fluid anyway, in response to the opportunities of the moment).

The rabid little anti-union site just reposted Petrilli's blood curdling anti-democratic screed, in fact. This anti-democratic venom comes from Fordham itself; why not link to that?
http://www.educationgadfly.net/flypaper/2011/11/dealing-with-disingenuous-teachers-unions-there-are-no-shortcuts/

It has an interesting comment stream, from Ravitch and even Weingarten (working to overcome her own history of complicity with Bloomberg in ravaging NYC schools for his patronage machine).