ACTION FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 1ST: PLAN FOR NATIONAL OPT OUT DAY, JANUARY 7TH
A New Year is upon us. It is paramount that we make the most of it and organize and ACT to end corporate education reform. We must move out into our neighborhoods, our communities, and support others in understanding the absolute destruction surrounding the tactics of the corporate education reformers. Opting out is essential if we are to end their rampage on our public schools and our children. Begin by making a New Year’s Resolution to OPT OUT of corporate education reform. January 7th is National Opt Out Day. Print out flyers and posters at www.mediafire.com. Use Login: jayrivett81@gmail.com and Password:unitedoptout. Organize a protest in your community. Mail the opt out postcards that can be found atwww.zazzle.com/unitedoptout. Ring in the New Year with a resolution to reclaim public education for all of America’s children.
Why I oppose Common Core standards: Ravitch (click picture)
Education historian Diane Ravitch, the leading voice in the movement opposing corporate-based school reform, has for several years said she has no definitive opinion on the Common Core State Standards. Now she has come out against them, in this post, which appeared today on her blog.
Translate Big Education APE
The Network for Public Education (click picture)
WE ARE MANY. THERE IS POWER IN OUR NUMBERS. TOGETHER, WE WILL SAVE OUR SCHOOLS. THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
Stop Closing Schools
Say NO to Privatization!
Who Supports democratic, free, Main Stream Public Schools?
A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.
Couldn't Find Your Own Special Charter School Scandal
Just Type the name of your city or charter school in the box below
SOS Save Our Schools
SOS Save Our Schools
contact your state legislators about school privatization
Wawa enters the cigarette-tax fray in Harrisburg
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*by Holly Otterbein for NewsWorks*
Wawa is circulating literature that raises concerns about a proposal to tax
cigarettes in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia'...
Closings, Speeches, Charter Study
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In addition to lots of comments and questions about school-specific budget
cuts (see comments below previous posts), today's news includes coverage of
28 s...
Don't always believe what the web tells you
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Yesterday I posted Success!! At least temporarily! in which I described my
wife's joy in having 23 bottles of Canada Dry Bitter Lemon delivered from
Amaz...
School Grading System a Farce
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The school grading system in Louisiana is a farce. It results in the
stigmatizing and unfair condemnation of professional educators,
the constant uprooting...
A ‘reform-to-English’ dictionary
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If it’s sometimes hard to understand the world of school reform, it’s no
wonder, given that things don’t always mean what their names or titles
suggest. H...
Allison Mora Couture Spring/Summer 2014 unveiling
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Allison Mora Couture presented her Spring/Summer 2014 Line at The Other
Office in Old Sacramento on Saturday, June 15.
The unveiling of Mora's latest li...
Bullying...with Food Allergies
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Hard to believe, sad to believe but apparently this is happening. From the NY
Times (bold mine):
*Any difference can set schoolchildren apart from their p...
Why So Serious? [On Demeanors In The Classroom]
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“Why are you so serious all the time, Mr. Vilson?” The students just
finished giving me my student evaluations, something I thought I’d try this
year, bu...
The New Lemonade Stand
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cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Steve Gasser Recently, our
government in Alberta came out with the Framework For Student Learning and
the subtitl...
HUMILIATION WILL GET YOU NOWHERE
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The Chicago Tribune continues to browbeat and humiliate any and all
Illinois legislators who dared to vote against the pension reform proposal
that the Tri...
Reflecting on Technology
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Taking time to recharge our social, emotional, and physical "batteries"
just may make us better at our jobs. Principal Chuck Bloch reflects on how
technolo...
The 1% Rules Through Corporations
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NSA’s PRISM The 1% Rules Through
Corporations Edward [...]
The post The 1% Rules Through Corporations appeared first o...
Don’t just test … Don’t just teach #BeABadAss
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Back in 67, the year I was born, there were some bad ass young folks
speaking up all around the streets of America – this song represented the
resistance. ...
UFT on Evaluation System
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On Sunday I posted about the new evaluation system, and about how effective
ratings started at 9 according to NYS statute, but started at 15 in Reformy
J...
Another attack aimed at colleges of education
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That great "revolutionary" thinker Arne Duncan, set the stage back in '09,
when he discredited all colleges of education, labeling them as "mediocre"
and c...
The Cabin in the Woods
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Here’s a unique real estate opportunity: The listing boasts, “Seclusion &
privacy like no other parcel on the lake! 820 feet of Canandaigua lake
frontage. ...
Debunking the ‘Reform’ Agenda
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*By Thomas J. Gentzel, Executive Director, National School Boards
Association (NSBA)*
No human enterprise is perfect, and we all are capable of improving...
There Are Good Schools Out There
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"The only innovative thing left to do in education reform is to stop innovating and find the experienced educators already succeeding."
The Common Core Loses This Teacher's Support
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By attaching them to government initiatives such as high-stakes testing and teacher evaluation, the standards are being used as an instrument to standardize ...
On Teaching (Elliot Eisner)
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Too few policymakers have ever taught in public schools. Even fewer can
articulate what it is about teaching young children, youth, and adults that
binds t...
Another Breakthrough! Hurrah!
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Surprise surprise. Sunday’s NY Times had two very good editorials. More
surprising however is that one is about education! “There are many reasons
to im...
Newark's Charters: Perception Is NOT Reality
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Apparently, the hue and cry in Newark against state control of the schools
(coming from the *elected* school advisory board, the *elected* city council,
th...
TP for CPS
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As an organization, Last Stand for Children First, is thrilled to stand
behind the TP for CPS campaign. If you have extra toilet paper sitting
around t...
A New framework for Working and Learning
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For many of us the rules of engagement at work are changing, from the
traditional approach of being told what to do by “bosses”, to a new more
egalitarian ...
Do Not Shake Hands with #commoncore
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Some days it is terribly overwhelming to read the comments of despair and
desperation from parents who are trying to figure out how to help their
children ...
The Common Core and the End of the World
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In case you haven’t been paying attention, the arrival of the Common Core
apparently means the end of the world as we know it. In fact, the Common
Core--do...
Teaching Career Pathways: Leadership Certification
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Note: In 2012, Accomplished California Teachers published Quality Teaching
in Every Classroom: New Approaches to Compensation and Career Pathways. Our
team...
(Extra)Ordinary People
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There’s an anecdote the Calhoun School’s Steve Nelson likes to share when
he speaks to teachers and parents about the purpose of education. “We
should th...
Poor Bastard on a Plane
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Like a lamb to the slaughter… Last night I was with my family in the
Minneapolis airport, waiting for a flight back home to Washington, DC. Of
the many peo...
Angry Moms are Rising Up Against Common Core
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Anne Gassel, co-editor of Missouri Education Watchdog was quoted in USA
Today about her opposition to Common Core. From* Include parents in
standards deba...
Voucher Schools: Inherently Unequal
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*State Senator Tim Cullen is one of Wisconsin's finest. He consistently
provides reasoned, historical perspective on state matters. This is Sen.
Cullen'...
THE 99 CENTS STORE EDUCATION FOR THE 99%
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In the old world from which most of our ancestors came, America served as a beacon, because unlike this stratified world of our origin, America was a place w...
What’s An Education Thought Leader?
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The position of education thought leader is not a job that someone applies
for. There is no “thought leader certification”, nor is there a license
required...
Week 36: The end is, well you know…
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Not much time is left now, and I thought I’d share pictures from Open
House, which technically happened in Week 35, but, oh well enjoy! Photo
Credit: The E...
We need you to speak up for our little DREAMers
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Call this number: 1-866-632-6057 Just call it. Really. Just do it. You
call, and something amazing happens. You call, and the National Education
Associatio...
Massive Spending Plan Approved for UConn
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The Connecticut General Assembly has given final approval to a plan to two
major spending initiatives for the University of Connecticut. One part
would p...
Moral Education
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This is my fiction writing, and not related to student loans. However, the
sentiment, my deep care for my fellow human being most certainly influences
my w...
Baby-faced Blackmailers
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NYC's youngest criminals
major in reading, writing
and extortion*New York -* Sometime on Thursday several elementary school
students, who thought they wer...
Principal removal and REAL parent empowerment
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Last week, a Parent Revolution-backed petition drive collected enough
signatures to force out the well-respected principal of Weigand Avenue
Elementary Sch...
Test Teaching
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On a recent road trip, I listened to the audiobook *Moneyball. *It made me
wonder if anyone has written on the clear connection between ideas
presented in ...
Nuestra Belleza Latina 2013, genera descontento
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Univisión es la mayor cadena hispana de televisión en los EE.UU. Eso mismo
ha hecho que el reality show Nuestra Belleza Latina tenga tanta sintonía y
la ve...
Let’s Build a Lemonade Stand, Kids!
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Students’ Response to School Budget Cuts Notes from the Field Submitted by
Angela Chan When I decided to teach, I believed that the betterment of our
natio...
UNO Charter Schools
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“More money from clout-heavy Hispanic group UNO went to insider.” Chicago
Sun Times (IL), 4/22/2013
Weeks after Federico “Fred” d’Escoto stepped down fro...
We Have Moved!
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NOTICE: On April 22, 2013, *SM* merged with @the chalkface. Find us at our
new home: atthechalkface.com. All *Schools Matter* previous posts are
archived t...
What’s up in Digital Media class?
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I’ve been teaching English language arts for over 20 years, and as much as
I love it, I have always wanted to add some variety to my work load by
teaching ...
An Open Letter
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Dear Editors:
I am writing in response to your recent article about McKinley Elementary
School, where a teacher was recently accused of giving answers to...
This Isn't Goodbye-Goodbye...
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...but it's goodbye for now.
And so we have come to the end of School TechConnect. It's been a hell of a
ride.
I'm taking a few months off.
I'll still b...
On a road trip to Florida
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It's my spring break and we'll be driving to Florida today with my
husband and 2 kids (age 8 and 5)....well, first to Georgia, then to Florida
the n...
An open letter from a Centennial parent
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Last night’s Board of Education meeting was a wild ride,and there’s so much
to tell you. First, this open invitation from one of the dads of
Centennial, t...
Song of the — Martin Luther King Jr — Day
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Solomon Burke — “Now Is The Time” (click to listen or download) See also
“Quotes of the — Martin Luther King Jr. — Day.” Thomas J. Mertz
Your 2012 Education Political Primer
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[image]As the election plays itself out this coming week, we as educators
continue to work on behalf of children and our communities as a whole.
Whatever t...
Abolition Was A Con...
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I have often said that the oligarchs were very clever in abolishing
slavery...
In business, the biggest cost is labour; with slavery, profits were wei...
My Review of Freshwaterboys by Adam Schuitema
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Well, Litstack went live on Monday and my first review went live today. You
can find my review of Adam Schuitema's wonderful collection of short storiesh...
Bravo, Joel!
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I say, it’s bold of Joel to write this piece, pointing out how billionaires
have managed to influence the politicians to finally represent their point
of v...
May 14th, Standing with Whittier Mothers
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Dear friends,
There is a buzz in Chicago among people striving for a city that works
together. Inspired by Wisconsin and our immigrant youth, Chicagoans ar...
College & Careers, No More Cuts! (Video)
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Governor Cuomo is proposing a $1.5 billion cut to public school funding,
the largest cut in New York State History. In this entry to the Alliance
for Quali...
Overcrowded Schools and Student Learning
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At this time of the year, schools in my district begin planning the
teaching assignments for the following year. As we worked on the teacher
matrix we too...
A New Year is upon us. It is paramount that we make the most of it and organize and ACT to end corporate education reform. We must move out into our neighborhoods, our communities, and support others in understanding the absolute destruction surrounding the tactics of the corporate education reformers. Opting out is essential if we are to end their rampage on our public schools and our children. Begin by making a New Year’s Resolution to OPT OUT of corporate education reform. January 7th is National Opt Out Day. Print out flyers and posters at www.mediafire.com. Use Login: jayrivett81@gmail.com and Password:unitedoptout. Organize a protest in your community. Mail the opt out postcards that can be found atwww.zazzle.com/unitedoptout. Ring in the New Year with a resolution to reclaim public education for all of America’s children. 
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