mathdittos2.com
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Curriki
While messing around with Curriki and doing some searches about it (Wikipedia entry), I ran across Mashable Features Editor Josh Catone's Back to School: 10 Terrific Web Apps for Teachers from last fall. Looking it over, many of the apps listed might still be beneficial for teachers today. And while I was messing around, I couldn't help wonder how I missed Curriki when I did my Resource Sites for Teachers and The Freewares of 2009 feature articles last year. Other candidates for my "Oops" award might be the Connixions and MIT Open Courseware sites. Minnesota Rejects Common Core Math Standards Megan Bolt reports in Minnesota educators say no to joining the crowd that Minnesota has decided not to use the recently developed Common Core Standards in math. The state "will use the Common Core English language arts standards as a base when state standards are rewritten this year" according to Karen Klinzing, the state's deputy education commissioner. But the math standards were felt to be "no match for current state standards that are clear and rigorous and were developed by local math experts." An analysis conducted by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute released in July had found Minnesota's math standards slightly inferior, but state educators and lawmakers found the math standards lacking, worried about federal control and felt "the time frame for switching to national standards is too short." The decision means Minnesota will lose out on federal funds to help develop assessments based on the Common Core standards. Odds 'n' Ends James Farwell, an educational psychologist from San Francisco, weighs in on Education Week with What Would Real School Reform Look Like? It's a very good read, but is currently available to subscribers only. Buried in the middle, paid, part of the commentary is the gem:
Farwell concludes with an admonition the Obama Administration should, but won't heed:
Walt Gardner's Evaluating the Evaluators of Public Schools, also on Education Week, continues his Reality Check blog look at how schools and teachers are judged. Walt recommends two books that help readers separate true research of value from think tank policy briefs presented as original research. Michael Winerip has a good article about inclusion and autistic students in the Madison (WI) Schools in A School District That Takes the Isolation Out of Autism. Susan Kinzie's Venture Philanthropy gives $5.5 million for expansion of KIPP DC charter schools tells of a big grant to D.C. KIPP schools. Lisa Guernsey has a great article about what is wrong with our early childhood efforts in Ed policies ignore science on how/when kids learn. Send Feedback to |
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Teacher Bailout Vote Delayed A Senate vote scheduled for last night on a $10 billion teacher bailout and $16.1 billion to help states with Medicaid obligations was delayed until Wednesday at the earliest. Senate Democrats thought they had the votes and also budget offsets to pass the bill, but they ended up having neither. With the House in recess until mid-September, the bill won't do much good for folks already riffed and hoping to be called back this fall.
Ravitch on Mayoral Control Diane Ravitch, guest blogging on Valerie Strauss's The Answer Sheet, writes that "with the release of the state test results for 2010, New York City’s claims came crashing to the ground." In Mayoral control means zero accountability, she tells of New York's scores being no better than cities without mayoral control of the schools and concludes, "The belief that mayoral control was a panacea for urban ills was no longer sustainable." Odds 'n' Ends eCampus News reports that a Study suggests Wikipedia is accurate … and a little dull. While the study was confined to medical articles, it's nice to hear Wikipedia get a little credit. Dana Hunsinger asks in the Indy Star, Do first-graders really need to have a laptop? She tells of many primary students whose parents are making the big investment along with pencils, backpacks, and school clothes for this fall. Senate Passes Edujobs/Medicaid Bill The Senate passed a $26 billion bill on Thursday to preserve teacher jobs and shore up states on Medicaid. Alyson Klein writes in Senate Passes Edujobs Bill, "The bill is explicit that the money would have to be used for salaries, benefits, and support services for school staff." Carl Hulse tells in Senate Votes $26 Billion for States and Schools that the House "is being rushed back into session next Tuesday from its own extended August break to consider the state and local aid that had been caught up in a partisan impasse." Odds 'n' Ends I got very busy towards the end of this week trying to catch up on gardening and mowing...and staying cool. The summer heat wave has made gardening a morning only activity for me, the time I usually update Educators' News. But we also have enjoyed a bumper crop of melons and have some gorgeous flowers to lift our spirits.
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©2010 Steven L. Wood