NYTimes: What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students

What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students: "Gates Foundation research found that students who rated their teachers highly also scored better on standardized tests than their peers.

NYTimes: Obama Administration Rethinks Education Plan

Obama Administration Rethinks Education Plan: "Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the Republican-led Congress would force him to shift gears on the administration’s education agenda.

Visualizing Slavery - NYTimes.com

Visualizing Slavery - NYTimes.com

The map reaffirmed the belief of many in the Union that secession was driven not by a notion of “state rights,” but by the defense of a labor system. A table at the lower edge of the map measured each state’s slave population, and contemporaries would have immediately noticed that this corresponded closely to the order of secession. South Carolina, which led the rebellion, was one of two states which enslaved a majority of its population, a fact starkly represented on the map.

The Answer Sheet - What Tom Friedman got wrong about schools and why it matters

By Valerie Strauss

The great New York Times columnist Tom Friedman wrote in a recent piece that if he were a cub reporter today, he’d want to be “covering the epicenter of national security -- but that would be the Education Department.”

Then he goes on to quote liberally from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, taking no account of what veteran teacher Anthony Cody, in a recent piece on his blog, described as a serious mismatch between the secretary's words and actions.

If Friedman the cub reporter had turned this piece in, a veteran education editor would have sent it back, asking him to back up his contentions with research. He’d have a hard time.

Look at just a few things Friedman got wrong. 

iCivics | The Democracy Lab

iCivics | The Democracy Lab

iCivics (formerly Our Courts) is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. iCivics is the vision of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is concerned that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support.

Larry Ferlazzo: “The corporate takeover of American schools”

The corporate takeover of American schools is an article appearing in the British Guardian newspaper, and it’s one of the best pieces on school policy that I’ve read all year.

Its subtitle is “The trend for appointing CEOs to the top jobs is symptomatic of a declining commitment to public education and social justice.”

I’m adding it to The Best Blog Posts & Articles About Joel Klein’s Departure & The Question Of Who Should Be Leading Our Schools.

Thanks to Mike Klonsky for the tip.

Larry Ferlazzo: The Best Posts & Articles Analyzing Charter Schools

I’ve previously written several times about my concerns about charter schools and how they are often described by some school reformers as the answer to all that ails public education.

I thought it would be useful to readers, and to me, to bring together some article that I’ve found useful in learning about charters.

Here are my choices for The Best Posts & Articles Analyzing Charter Schools:

Schools Of Last Resort by Walter Gardner at Education Week.
The Myth of Charter Schools by Diane Ravitch at The New York Review of Books.
Charters vs. public schools: Behind the numbers by Valerie Strauss at the Washington Post.
What charter schools really tell us about education reform by Raina Kelley at Newsweek.
Charters: To Skim or Not to Skim? by former Executive Director Claus von Zastrow at Learning First.
What’s not to like about charter schools?
Question raised about new KIPP study (with update) by Valerie Strauss

Feedback is always welcome, including additional suggestions. If you found this post useful, you might want to consider subscribing to this blog for free. You might also want to explore the 500 other “The Best…” lists I’ve compiled.
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Larry Ferlazzo: “A teacher’s guide to using audio and podcasting in the classroom”

A teacher’s guide to using audio and podcasting in the classroom is a nice overview of applications to use in the classroom, including videos. It was created by Kit Hard.

I’m adding the link to both The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English and to The Best Places To Learn Web 2.0 Basics.

Thanks to Mariel Amez for the tip.

The Learning Network: Creative State of Mind: Focusing on the Writing Process

The Learning Network: Creative State of Mind: Focusing on the Writing Process: "Lesson Plan | Examining Jay-Z's lyrics, considering his writing process, and then starting writer's notebooks to record and develop writing ideas.

Diann Woodard: School Reform or Permanent Underclass?

Diann Woodard: School Reform or Permanent Underclass?: "The recent spate of resignations by heads of school districts in Chicago, Washington and New York City who advocate the so-called business model of school reform has predictably been followed by new appointees as ill-prepared for the challenge of improving student performance as their predecessors.

The common theme in the message of these departing chancellors and the politicians who appointed them is that controversy equals success, with little or no evidence to support the rhetoric, an increasingly disturbing trend among policy elites who are joined at the hip by their neo-liberal proclivities for privatizing public services and empowering corporate domination of policy making.

In New York, for example, Joel Klein, an anti-trust lawyer who had been appointed by Mayor Bloomberg, was replaced by Cathleen P. Black, herself a media executive like Mayor Bloomberg, with no experience as a public school educator.

As with the postmortem on Michelle Rhee's departure from Washington, the departing New York chancellor was praised by his political benefactor for 'stirring things up. That was his job,' the Mayor crowed, 'and the great beneficiaries of that stirring were our children.'