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Environmental Public Health Resources One of my favorite teacher resource sites, WGBH's Teachers' Domain, announced a new collection of Environmental Public Health resources last week. Resources in the new section "examine how technological advances have impacted our health and how people have acted to improve health conditions in various parts of the world." It currently includes 14 new resources for grades 6-12.
Other current features in the section include:
The "Year" of the Solar System Dr. Tony Phillips writes about The Year of the Solar System (YSS), which NASA proclaimed last week "to mark an unprecedented flurry of exploration which is about to begin." With a bit of humor, Phillips notes that, "Naturally, it's a Martian year." He quotes Jim Green, Director of Planetary Science at NASA headquarters, as explaining:
After bouncing around several space sites, I finally did a search of NASA Images for "solar system" and immediately came up with two great photo montages of the solar system. I really like the organization of pages on NASA Images, as they include a description of the image in a column on the left with the image presented to fit the browser window, but also zoomable to pick up detail. And of course, one can download either a low or high resolution copy of the image. When I was done downloading and opening the images in Photoshop, I faced the pleasant problem of which montage to use for this posting. I managed to neatly solve that problem by illustrating NASA Images' presentation with one montage and using the other below.
BTW: The image shown above is about one-fifth the size of the image I downloaded. Try downloading the full size image (4206 x 3306 pixels) and zoom in on the planets. You'll be surprised at the clarity of the image. While rummaging around the hard drive for solar system photos, I ran across my old worksheets for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Welcome to the Planets CD. I obtained a copy of the CD shortly after I switched from teaching regular education to special education. With the new job came a Macintosh LC III computer, which we kept in near constant use with our students. Even though we didn't have an internet connection at the time (1995), we used the CD and a web browser to simulate browsing Welcome to the Planets on the computer for some of our older special ed kids. We also used the CD's multimedia presentation, as it had what for its time was an innovative approach in providing audio narration of its text.
Since our kids could be pretty random in their approach to the material, I also developed a set of easy worksheets with lots of gorgeous planet photos, to go along with the lessons. I pulled the materials together into a PDF in 1999 and released it for download online. It's still available for download from our Freebies page. If you have a PDF plugin loaded on your web browser, you can see the files online here. Over the years, it's been downloaded thousands of times, with over 400 downloads so far this year. Since it's getting pretty long in the tooth (last updated in 2000), I wonder if folks aren't using it as a bad example of outdated stuff left online. But...the pictures are still smashing. Appalling, Bankrupt, Patently False... How to fix our schools: A manifesto by Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee and other education leaders on the Washington Post is being described by various bloggers as "appalling," "bankrupt," and based on a premise that is "patently false." The document was signed by 16 school district chiefs, including New York’s Joel Klein and Washington’s Michelle Rhee, and purports to tell America how to "fix" our schools. Unfortunately, the first argument of the document is based on the false premise: "...the single most important factor determining whether students succeed in school ...is the quality of their teacher." Once you get inside the schoolroom, that may be true, but research has repeatedly shown that other factors, primarily the home, parents, and economic status, are the primary predictors of student success. The document goes on with the usual teacher and union bashing arguments. Since the "manifesto" that was dated for the Sunday paper went up early on the Post's web site, response is already strong. The comments to it on the Post are lovely. Valerie Strauss lets you know what she thinks right from her title, The bankrupt 'school reform manifesto' of Rhee, Klein, etc. Linking to Valerie's posting, Larry Ferlazzo called the document "appalling." Anthony Cody takes its falsehoods apart piece by piece in A Manifesto of Errors: Rhee, Klein and the Gang Strike Out, as do Liam Goldrick in Misleading Manifesto, Stephen Krashen in The Manifesto got it all wrong, and A Teacher In The Bronx in Joel Klein Writes A Manifesto For Our Time. It would appear that Klein, Rhee, and the others are trying to quickly cash in on any political capital created by the film, Waiting for "Superman," and the recent Education Nation event on NBC. Odds 'n' Ends Robert King continues his excellent series in the Indianapolis Star following kindergarteners at PS 61 in IPS kids repeat kindergarten at a high rate, but does it help? Candi Peterson has published an update to her speculation about the recent D.C. wage and hiring freeze extending to teachers. "In response to questions raised on The Washington Teacher blog, Safiya Simmons, spokeswoman for Chancellor Michelle Rhee responded 'We remain fully committed to honoring the agreement we signed.'" Send Feedback to |
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Technology Access Law President Obama signed the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act into law last Friday. eSchool News reports in Technology access law helps those with special education needs that the law will help people with disabilities and those with related special education needs to be able to use smart phones, the internet, and other technologies more easily. It sets federal guidelines that require the telecommunications industry to:
Good Reads on Education Week Diane Ravitch's Are Charters the Silver Bullet and Walt Gardner's Expecting Too Much from the Best Teachers are both good reads. Odds 'n' Ends eSchool News reports in Gates Foundation launches $20 million program to expand technology use that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation yesterday announced the Next Generation Learning Challenges grant program for "organizations and innovators to expand promising technology tools to more students, teachers, and schools." The title Governor's veto ax falls heavily on welfare, child care and special education programs pretty well tells the sad story in California. Jennifer Medina's On New York School Tests, Warning Signs Ignored tells of how New York got itself into trouble with inflated test scores. Rhee to Announce Resignation Today Controversial D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee will announce her resignation as chancellor this morning and leave the post by the end of the month, according to multiple sources. "Rhee and presumptive mayor Vincent C. Gray recently reached a 'mutual decision' during a phone conversation that it was best for her to step down, said people close to both, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. 'They both agreed the sooner they could put this to bed, the better for the kids and the community,' an official close to Gray said."
In her commentary Rhee’s big legacy: Being a whirlwind, Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post writes:
Update: I'm writing while listening to a live feed of the press conference where Michelle Rhee just announced her resignation as chancellor of the D.C. Schools. While the D.C. mayoral election won't occur until next month, current D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty appears to be holding true to his promise to facilitate an effective transition from his administration to that of Democratic primary winner and presumptive mayoral winner in November, Vincent Gray. Fenty has acceded to Gray's apparent desire to replace Rhee, and has selected an interim superintendent of Gray's choice, Kaya Henderson. While Fenty's effusive praise of the divisive Rhee could be viewed as one commenter wrote, "Fenty just spewed a litany of lies, attempting to rewrite the reality of DCPS under Rhee," the reality of a needed change being cooperatively made should only help the D.C. Schools. On Parker-Spitzer Matt Miller, author of The Tyranny of Dead Ideas The segment wasn't all bad, but both Kathleen Parker and Elliot Spitzer obviously weren't up to speed on the current battle in this country over education reform. They let Miller get away with some mild praise for D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, and neither really offered anything more than softball questions to the author. As soon as the segment ended Monday evening, I fired off a rather intemperate email to the show suggesting they try to offer a bit more balance in their education coverage. But in thinking about it a bit more yesterday, I sent another email with a list of suggested guests who could accurately speak to the issue of what needs to be done to help improve education in America. Topping my list were Diane Ravitch, Deborah Meier, and Valerie Strauss, as shows like Parker-Spitzer seem to gravitate to guests who have been published and have a national reputation. But I also went on to list a number of career teachers (who also write) who could add some much needed perspective on education reform to their show. Let me suggest that you
your list of educators who might accurately portray what needs to be done in American education today. About the Harlem Children's Zone Sharon Otterman's Lauded Harlem Schools Have Their Own Difficulties is one of the better looks at the Harlem Children’s Zone that I've seen. Otterman fairly accurately removes most of the Waiting for "Superman" hype currently in the news to take a fair look at the schools and program there. Odds 'n' Ends I linked to Jennifer Medina's investigative report yesterday, On New York School Tests, Warning Signs Ignored. Today, Walt Gardner provides some commentary about the piece in his The Lessons Learned about Testing in New York. He writes that Bloomberg and Klein's "singular obsession with test scores had distorted the entire assessment process" and produced a "totally predictable" outcome:
Comment Like probably many of you, I was a bit foggy headed this morning from staying up late watching the first Chilean miners being rescued on TV last night. While I was still up when the Rhee resignation story broke, I'd long since shut off my computer and was just watching in wonder as the miners were brought up, one after another, after being trapped for 69 days underground. CNN, quite appropriately, never broke away from the story in Chile to cover the news of Rhee's coming announcement. The miraculous rescue continues, even as I write now. Rhee Stuff
Andrew Russo writes on Media: Rhee's Departure Meaningless, Claim Reformers:
Russo was referring to Sam Dillon's softball piece, Washington Chancellor’s Departure Isn’t Expected to Slow Public School Change, as "sticking close to the reformy talking points." While the education "reform" movement practices spin control on Rhee being pushed out of the D.C. Schools, Valerie Strauss looks ahead to keeping what was good from Rhee's tenure and dumping the junk in What D.C. schools need now: A departure from Rheeism. She writes:
Valerie also features a pretty fair guest blogger today with Nancy Flanigan's Radical idea: Public schools aren't an awful mess. Melinda Henneberger's Five Reasons Michelle Rhee's Departure Does Not Spell Disaster for D.C. Schools on Politics Daily is also a good appraisal of what may happen and why in the D.C. Schools. Corporate Reform Action Pack (CRAP) Bless Sabrina Stevens Shupe for posting her Corporate Reform Action Pack (CRAP) on YouTube.
Other Stuff Jose Vilson's Dear President Obama: It’s Not You; It’s Your Education Policy is pretty powerful stuff. So is Norm Scott's O Canada, So Inglorious and Untrue. David B. Cohen follows up his excellent The Danger of a Single Story (Part One) with an almost-as-good piece this week, The Danger of a Single Story (Part Two). Deborah Meier's most recent post on she and Diane Ravitch's Bridging Differences blog, Considering "The Same Thing Over and Over", is an excellent read. And I like Mike Doyle's line in his Infinite jest post on his Science Teacher blog:
A Must Read From the Economic Policy Institute:
The title of the Issue Brief is How to fix our schools. And as usual, Richard Rothstein is spot on with his critique of Klein's manifesto and his ideas on how to begin fixing what is wrong in American education without destroying what is good. Science Nation Science Nation is an online magazine from the National Science Foundation that carries brief feature stories about research and researchers across a wide variety of science topics. We've covered its progress several times here on Educators' News since its launch in June, 2009. Each issue includes an online video (typically around 2.5 minutes in length), a text version of the narration, the option to download and save the video in Quicktime format for later use, and related sidebar stories and links. The most recent issue (October 4, 2010, #62), Surgical Robotics, tells of a heart patient who opted for required surgery via the da Vinci® Surgical System. The da Vinci is a robotic system that uses small incisions though which its robotic "arms" are inserted to complete tasks in a less invasive way than using a standard, large incision. Other recent issues include:
"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly. The announcement of an education "summit" of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, AFT President Randi Weingarten and others on "labor-management collaboration" set off all kinds of warning signals in my head. Maybe it's because I first got the news via a DOE press release that extolled a long list of cities and school systems that have bought into performance pay based on high stakes testing. Or maybe it was just the titles and wording of the various announcements, but I have visions of lots of good union teachers getting sold down the river by their union presidents trying to collaborate with the chief architect of the Obama Administration's fatally flawed education "reform" plan. But then, maybe I'm just being paranoid...which reminds me of a poster I once hung in our teachers' lounge (and the principal ripped down) that had the saying, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you." Anyway, the Washington Post's Nick Anderson gives a much less suspicious report of the announced Here are the announcements from the various participants:
Odds 'n' Ends Erica L. Green's Baltimore teachers reject proposed contract relates that teachers in Baltimore rejected a new contract there that "would have tied the pay of all educators to how they perform in the classroom, a vague provision that caused discomfort for many union members." The proposed contract would have eliminated the traditional salary schedule based on experience and training with a four tiered pay plan tied in part to student test scores. Green writes that "the new contract did not include details about how teachers would be evaluated, because the Maryland State Department of Education is in the process of developing a new tool linking 50 percent of teacher evaluations to student performance." The agreement also included a provision that all schools would employ school-based options "under which 80 percent of teachers in a school could help set working conditions not outlined in the general contract, such as a longer work day or more planning time." Beyond the obvious changes to the salary schedule, it appears that the tentative agreement (1.6 MB PDF document) was viewed by Baltimore teachers as incomplete. Green reports teachers protesting the agreement until the evaluation criteria are detailed. Some called the pact a "sellout," while others characterized ratifying it as "signing a blank check." Have a great weekend! Ads shown on this site do not represent an endorsement or warranty of any kind of products or companies shown. Ads shown on archive pages may not represent the ads displayed in the original posting on Educators' News. |
, was a guest on the new CNN Parker-Spitzer show Monday evening. In a segment called 
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©2010 Steven L. Wood