All About Education-Urban Ed-Links

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/03/05/23ltlf-dupree.h33.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1

Pushing the Back of the Envelope NYC school reform may have produced real economic benefits, but Sonecon report’s analysis is nothing more than fantasy     URL for this press release:  http://tinyurl.com/ ntg9dmc BOULDER, CO ( March 31, 2014 ) – A recent report, crediting New York City education reforms during the mayoral terms of Michael Bloomberg with boosting the city’s economy by $74 billion, is so seriously flawed as to be useless for policymakers, according to a new review. Sean P. Corcoran, associate professor of educational economics at New York University, reviewed  The Economic Benefits of New York City’s Public School Reforms, 2002-2013  for the Think Twice think tank review project. The review is published today by the National Education Policy Center, housed at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education. Professor Corcoran, who is on the faculty of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and is an affiliated faculty member

National Grammar Day

The Common Core State Standards and accompanying K-12 assessments have recently sparked a fierce national backlash against testing. Sound educational testing and assessment are integral to good teaching and learning in classrooms and necessary for evaluating school performance and assuring quality in education. Rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater, I propose a more considered, "mend, not end" approach to testing, assessment, and accountability in America's schools, with validity at the forefront of the conversation. Mending begins with understanding that most commercial standardized tests are designed to serve particular purposes well, for particular populations, and can support only particular decisions at best. To uphold validity principles in practice, it is worthwhile to ask: Are we using the test for the originally intended purpose, or for another purpose that taxes the tool beyond its technical limits? Multi-purposing a test indiscriminately is not a g

Bizarro Common Core kindergarten math homework stumps DAD WITH Ph.D. . Bizarro Common Core kindergarten math homework stumps DAD WITH Ph.D. Here is the latest in the never-ending litany of frighteningly stupid Common Core math worksheets. This one comes from the father of a kindergarten student in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. “I have a Ph.D., and I have no idea what is supposed to be done with this homework assignment,” the flummoxed father told The Daily Caller. He sent the bizarre worksheet to TheDC on the condition of anonymity because he didn’t want to risk having his child be the subject of any reprisals from school employees. “I can tell you that my five-year-old brought this home as kindergarten homework Thursday,” he said. “It was a single page worksheet, with the ‘Dear Parent’ section stapled to the top.” The doctoral dad added that he did research some of the terms on the workshee

Exciting news: Khan Academy is partnering with the College Board so that all students who want to go to college can prepare for the SAT at their own pace, at  no cost . The College Board just announced that they’re redesigning the SAT for 2016, and we’re partnering with them to make free, world-class prep materials. Know anyone preparing for the SAT? Let them know: By spring 2015, you’ll have access to state-of-the-art, interactive learning tools that give you deep practice and help you diagnose your gaps. All of this will be created through a close collaboration with the College Board specifically for the redesigned SAT. Stay tuned. In the meantime, if you are taking the SAT in 2014/15, you can start practicing today with hundreds of previously unreleased Math, Reading, and Writing questions from real SATs and more than 200 videos that show step-by-step solutions to each question

Amplify Tablet designed by Intel ® Education features a durable industrial design with bumpers that can withstand the inevitable drops and spills of student life to promote anytime, anywhere learning. Another kid-friendly feature is a stylus with a realistic pen-like grip that won't get lost because it's tethered to the device. The new Amplify Tablet also includes Corning ® Gorilla ® Glass, Intel's 2.0 Ghz dual-core processor, an advanced WiFi radio to solve the unique challenges of connectivity in schools, and all the other features of a high-end tablet. This new device is part of the integrated Amplify Tablet System, which also includes powerful instructional software, high-quality K-12 content, and strong implementation support. This tablet has been purpose-built for K-12 to withstand everyday use by active kids. If we want students to carry mobile devices around with them all day and use them for anytime, anywhere learning, they need to be rugged. Kid

Is it possible to recreate a world class MBA with the internet, a library card, and caffeine? Search A Missing Fear of Prerequisites It would not be totally true to say I am enjoying my newest Coursera.org class -  Social and Economic Networks: Models and Analysis from Stanford.  I started a similar  class last year (Social Network Analysis) which I really enjoyed and have applied at work (at least in theory) and thought this class might be as interesting.  I have a bit more time on my hands now than when I tried Social Network Analysis and was very optimistic I’d finish this class.   It’s feeling unlikely at the moment. I read the following description and decided – though I haven’t taken a math class in 10 years – I would go ahead and sign up : “The course is aimed at people interested in researching social and economic networks, generally masters and PhD students, as well as faculty and other res

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Private Pre-K Feels Heat From Public Providers Pearlie Harris, the director of the Royal Castle Child Development Center, watches over children at the school in New Orleans. In order to stay in business, the center must find ways to retain families who might be drawn to Louisiana's publicly funded preschool program. —Ted Jackson for Education Week Competition from free preschool can siphon off coveted clients By  Christina A. Samuels Printer-Friendly Email Article Reprints Comments Like Every year, Pearlie Harris hustles to keep 4-year-olds enrolled in the child care center she runs in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans. Louisiana regulations require one caregiver for every five children under 12 months old in center-based care, such as Ms. Harris' Royal Castle Child Development Center. For 4-year-olds, regulations allow one teacher for every 16 children. Ms. Harris' center uses a more labor-intensive formula: one ca

Research Questions Common-Core Claims by Publishers - Education Week

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/03/12/24techschool_ep.h33.html?tkn=ULNF4MfLHpyJa3NjbTZEPexmkHhx/cJkotXb&cmp=ENL-II-NEWS1

Dear jessica, In 2011, Teaching Tolerance released a report examining how states were approaching the teaching of the civil rights movement. What we found was alarming—most state standards did not adequately support the teaching of the civil rights movement. Today, we’re releasing an update in the Teaching the Movement series— Teaching the Movement 2014: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States . This new report evaluates progress made in state standards and, additionally, considers supplemental teaching resources provided to teachers. The results show that while some states have made improvements, coverage of this important period in our nation’s history is still woefully inadequate in most states. See how your state scored at tolerance.org/TTM2014. The civil rights movement is not a regional matter. Nor is it