Weekend Reading: "Breaking Bad" Will Not Teach You Chemistry

Here are some links to magazines and sites I don't check during the week, in Twitter form (#thisweekined), plus whatever else I come across along the way or missed during the week.  Good stuff, worth the click:

Come across something I've missed? Put it in comments or tweet it out using #thisweekined and it will show up above. Links and retweets aren't necessarily endorsements, you ungrateful wretches, just an effort to give you a range of interesting news and opinion with which to challenge your knee-jerk view of the world.

Comments

[Mary]

did you see this?
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2011/11/27/WP-Can-Computers-Replace-Classrooms.aspx#page1

It's long, and is really just the details of the sausage making we already know about. But these are political details I can use, to get some people voted out of office in my own state.

A short excerpt:
"K12 has hired lobbyists from Boise to Boston and backed political candidates who support school choice in general and virtual education in particular. From 2004 to 2010, K12 gave about $500,000 in direct contributions to state politicians across the country, with three-quarters going to Republicans, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics.
“We understand the politics of education pretty well,” Packard told investors recently.
K12’s push into New England illustrates its skill. In 2009, the company began exploring the potential for opening a virtual school in Massachusetts in partnership with the rural Greenfield school district..."

[Mary]

Here's another one; you've probably all picked it up; NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/us/for-profit-certification-for-teachers-in-texas-is-booming.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&src=recg&adxnnlx=1322470309-odN057YAOKXH9jaJvokCog

[Mary]

Yes, you've seen the Fiscal Times story, because it's the same one you tweeted, from WaPo Local. Way to go, Emma.

[Mary]

More links, because nobody's up yet.
Except Jay Mathews, with this pitifully transparent paen to for-profit colleges:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/5-reasons-for-profit-colleges-will-survive/2011/11/27/gIQApBvy2N_blog.html#pagebreak

Here's a screen grab of my last comment to him. You may or may not see it on the actual story, because he (or somebody) just took it down twice:
mport84
5:35 AM EST

Did you take my comments down, Jay, or did "They"?

Again, WaPo Local itself has finally broken the disclosure ban on discussing Kaplan's partially-failed clandestine expansion into the for-profit K12 virtual schools you've been promoting all along.

"Kaplan is a for-profit education provider owned by The Washington Post Co. It competed directly with K12 until May, when K12 acquired Kaplan’s virtual-schools business. Kaplan continues to offer test-preparation courses, and in November the two companies announced an agreement to share distribution of some products and services."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/virt...
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[Mary]

Diane Ravitch, yesterday, at the Opportunity to Learn Summit:
http://www.ucc.org/justice/public-education/pdfs/NatlOTL.pdf

Courtesy of Teacherken.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/10/1044013/-The-most-important-speech-on-education-in-years

Remind me again, why do you not call this movement "education reform"?

[Mary]

http://michaelklonsky.blogspot.com/2012/01/report-from-last-nights-hearing-on.html?spref=tw
(via education notes online)
According to Ritter, Mayor Emanuel's office bussed in 200 paid protesters to support shutting down Crane HS Friday night, but the community coalition talked them over and they chanted with the people's side.

[Dani]

Hello Mr Russo!
I'm a 4th grade charter school teacher in San Diego and I truly admire your work on the HuffPost. My school is in the process of unionizing and I really want to read your article "Charters and Unions: What's the future for this unorthodox relationship?", but i can't find it online or through my university's journal library. Do you know where it is available for public viewing?

THanks again for all your work!

[Alexander Russo]

here's a link to the charter union article --
http://www.hepg.org/hel/article/432
i'm sure your university library subscribes and can give you full content.
if not, let me know at thisweekineducation@gmail.com

[Vitaliy]

Excellent information.. which I believe will be very useful for me

[Merilyn]

This is the great time to read some magazines and newspaper it's a perfect day in this Sunday morning.

[Viajay the 2nd grade math teacher]

I always like to read Mr. Russo's informative articles at my school journal.

[Bill Payment]

Your blog is quite remarkable. Its articles are rather good and I like it particularly very much. I really hope to make a good friend with you.

[Agreement Templates]

Very informative post. Impressible content.

[sudip]

We accept the backroom of apprenticeship appealing well,” Packard told investors recently.

K12’s advance into New England illustrates its skill. In 2009, the aggregation began exploring the abeyant for aperture a basic academy in Massachusetts in affiliation with the rural Greenfield academy district..."

[sandip]

Hello,

I'm a in San Diego and I absolutely adore your plan on the HuffPost. My academy is in the action of unionizing and I absolutely wish to apprehend your commodity "Charters and Unions: What's the approaching for this beatnik relationship?", but i can't acquisition it online or through my university's account library. Do you apperceive area it is accessible for accessible viewing?

THanks afresh for all your work!

expert guidance in all subjects

[environmental articles]

I'm a Civil War history buff so I am interested in all 3 you've shared and again I should have started at the beginning. Once again too, and with no offense, check spelling,,, IE: first sentence last paragraph. "vied" should be "viewed."

[Sarah]

I’ll be generous and say I found the article on the fact that a team forfeited because they thought, because of religious reasons, it was wrong to accept a female as a competitor... interesting. While statistics would argue otherwise, I thought we’d moved largely past sexual discrimination at the school level.

[Sarah]

I’m not exactly sure TED talks are a substitute for instruction, but they’re certainly a valuable resource for classrooms.

[Dental braces]

I just want to mention I’m newbie to blogging and seriously savored your website. Very likely I’m going to bookmark your website . You certainly come with really good well written articles. Thanks for sharing with us your webpage.

[Sarah]

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a man attract as much criticism and praise simultaneously as McCullough has for his speech. It’s ridiculous to me that he would be anything but praised, but I suppose we live in a world where if you aren’t telling student they’re going to always be awesome and accomplish everything there is to accomplish in the known universe, you’re committing a social faux pas.