Really, Can Any Field Top Education’s Credentials Fetish? Plus Shavar Jefferies On Bernie Sanders, RiShawn Biddle On Success Academy, Pennington’s Eval Tip Sheet, ESSA News, Hampton Lax, Pensions, Unions, Charter Authorizing, Teacher Prep, And Lightning!

Shots! Shavar Jefferies jumps on Bernie Sanders about education policy.

Kaitlin Pennington’s tip sheet on teacher evaluation policy debates in the states. ESSA and early childhood education. Andy Smarick says ESSA is a great chance to rethink SEAs. New America wants to rethink federal higher ed policy more generally.

RiShawn Biddle calls out Eva Moskowitz:

There is a difference between an anomaly — or a rare event or incident within a system or institution that will almost never happen again — and what is normal or tends to be the established practice within that very organization. Based on the responses to the latest revelation about the practices of Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy chain of charter schools, this is something that the school reform movement must learn, especially if it is to remain a moral movement that builds brighter futures for all children.

Chris Stewart says not so fast!

These videos are so abundant that I wonder why we haven’t considered that American public education has a serious culture problem.

This about covers the merits of the latest David Denby education essay in The New Yorker. But everyone in education, whether Denby’s missive got you right in the erogenous zone or whether you thought it was wanting for some facts and context (you can see where I come down), might pause and ask themselves this: Would The New Yorker assign their film critic to write about, say, medical technology, the situation in Syria, or even a variety of other complicated social policy questions? A pretty good sign of the respect afforded to education and education policy…

If you taught for a while but can’t figure out why you don’t have more pension wealth, this two minute video can help you. Also, transparency and public pensions. Please!

This blog is not going to become your source for lacrosse news, but this story about Hampton University in Virginia is bittersweet and compelling.

Ellevation* closes another funding round. New offerings and new funding from BetterLesson. From the Wallace Foundation a new cost calculator for extended learning time. The state of charter school authorizing from NACSA.*

Patrick Riccards says competency based is a way through today’s teacher prep problems. Sexual abusers and schools. Broader implications from this discussion of credentials and the court. Classrooms and gender bias.

Is the break the unions appear to be catching on Friedrichs a second-chance? Andy Smarick says the second chance is a conservative – union alliance. In both instances isn’t the difference between public sector and private sector unions under-appreciated? The frustration between teachers unions and other parts of labor over Friedrichs was real – no one wanted to go on the record though. Reconciling that seems key to a stronger labor movement but right now the mood is more sweep under the rug. And to Smarick’s point it seems an odd sort of conservatism that romanticizes not civic organizations but organizations that thrive as creatures of state law and are dependent on state functions for their existence.

It’s hard out there at Brown…“There are people breaking down, dropping out of classes and failing classes because of the activism work they are taking on,”

Lightning strikes from space.  Fast stoner.

*I’m an advisor to both of these.

4 Replies to “Really, Can Any Field Top Education’s Credentials Fetish? Plus Shavar Jefferies On Bernie Sanders, RiShawn Biddle On Success Academy, Pennington’s Eval Tip Sheet, ESSA News, Hampton Lax, Pensions, Unions, Charter Authorizing, Teacher Prep, And Lightning!”

  1. In reference to your comments on the New Yorker Denby essay, of course nearly everyone figures they are education experts. After all, TFA members enter the classroom with only a couple of weeks of trainging and leave two years later as master teachers to go on to law school, or something more important than the classroom.

  2. Using David Denby is A pretty good sign of the respect afforded to education and education policy…
    while the headline screams “Really, Can Any Field Top Education’s Credentials Fetish?
    Poor Mr. Rotherham is missing his irony.

    One wonders why children in Arlington County get their class size capped at 20 with two college educated adults in the rooms

  3. So, “Citizen” Chris Stewart thinks it is OK to yell at your students.
    Too bad his teachers didn’t do that.
    Maybe it would have worked and knocked sense into his head.

  4. Speaking of pensions and pay. I was reading that the editor of 74 makes $200K/year other editors well over $100K I wonder how they view thier added value to the eduation of students.

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