TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 6/6/20 #REDFORED #tbats #ICantBreathe #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #justiceforfloyd #BlackLivesMatter

by Mike Simpson / 7min

Protests of the Enraged Youth L et me be blunt, I am frightened by the level of violence that protests have attained in my own city, and in cities throughout the country. But I am also acutely aware that I have little or no influence on the people out in the streets doing the worst damage. What we have going on here looks more and more like a generational uprising as well as a protest against po

by Mike Simpson / 7min

PPIC: Racial disparities are wide in California WATCH VIDEO: PPIC: Racial disparities are wide in California SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In response to the police killing of George Floyd and days of global protests, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released data showing the wide racial disparities within California. The nonprofit is a nonpartisan think tank that helps guide the state on

by Mike Simpson / 7min

Sacramento schools speak out on protests, killing of George Floyd — some posts upset students Sacramento schools speak out on protests, killing of George Floyd some posts upset students Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn and Mayor Darrell Steinberg kneel with demonstrators in Oak Park on Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in a display of unity as another day of protests over the death of George Floyd are

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Release of Guidance Document and Upcoming Webinar - Letters (CA Dept of Education) Stronger Together: A Guidebook for the Safe Reopening of California’s Public Schools Dear Education Leaders and Stakeholders: Release of Guidance Document and Upcoming Webinar I am proud to announce that on Monday, June 8, the California Department of Education (CDE) will release our guidance document, “Stronger To

by Mike Simpson / 2h

When elephants fight, it is the [New Yorkers] that suffer, [amended African Proverb] States, counties and cities are facing catastrophic budget shortfalls; unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression and uncertainty over the re-opening of businesses and schools. Each day as expenditures exceed revenues the deficits widen, While the state budget was approved on April 1, under his emerg

by Mike Simpson / 2h

BREAKING NEWS: NEW STUDY FINDS ONLINE CHARTERS PERFORM POORLY The University of Kentucky College of Education has some breaking news. A new study by one of our faculty members finds that online charters perform poorly— suggesting problematic implications for critics of public education that have been calling for expansion of online charter schools in the midst of COVID19. Here’s our press releas

by Mike Simpson / 2h

June Newsletter: NPE Stands with Those Who Demand Racial Justice The Network for Public Education’s Statement on the Murder of George Floyd These are the worst of times. Police brutality in Minneapolis murdered George Floyd who allegedly used a fake $20 bill. Petty crimes are adjudicated in a court of law. Police do not have the authority or right to use lethal force when confronting an unarmed

by Mike Simpson / 2h

This is Not About Peace: This is About Power and Control For several nights this week, Seattle has had a curfew. It started with 5 p.m., then 6 p.m., then 9 p.m. On each of those nights righteous protesters violated the curfew making the determination that, in the balance of things, Black lives matter more than some ad hoc law. They remained in the park where they had gathered, they remained in

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Do Exit Exams Reduce Crime Of all the claims made about high school exit exams, this has to be one of the most unlikely, but here comes Matthew Larsen in the ever reformy Education Next to argue that exit exams--tests that are required to get a diploma--reduce crime . Larsen is an assistant professo r at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. He's in the economics department, because of course he is

by Mike Simpson / 5h

NewBlackMan (in Exile) YESTERDAY Racial Inequality: Black Workers Face 'Devastating Job Loss' During The Pandemic, Study Says by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h 'Black Americans are disproportionately hard hit by the current loss of jobs. We explore why and what can be done to reverse this trend. On Point's Coronavirus Hours is joined by Valerie Wilson , director of the Economic Policy Institute ’s prog

by Mike Simpson / 5h

Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report JUN 04 A Look at Health Sciences Subbaccalaureate Students by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d Today , the National Center for Education Statistics released a new report that examines the enrollment and demographic characteristics of subbaccalaureate (certificate and associate’s degree) health sciences students. Key findings include: Among the

by Mike Simpson / 5h

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 YESTERDAY June 8th Is World Oceans Day – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources by Larry Ferlazzo / 15h Free-Photos / Pixabay The United Nations has declared June 8th to be World Oce

by Mike Simpson / 5h

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all YESTERDAY Trump Claims that the New Jobs Data Made George Floyd Happy. Is He Insane? by dianeravitch / 11h Dana Milbank writes a regular opinion column for the Washington Post. Today, he lacerated Trump for what must be a new low , a speech so di

by Mike Simpson / 23h

‘This Is No Time For Us to Look Away’ Within three months, the world saw egregious attacks on black Americans: Feb. 23 : While out on a jog—Ahmaud Arbery, a black man, was shot and killed by two white men with ties to the local police department. Arbery’s case made national news on May 5, when a 28-second cellphone video capturing the killing was leaked onto social media. March 13 : Breonna Tayl

by Mike Simpson / 23h

Changing What We Teach Over the past couple of days, there has been a steady stream of resources, generously shared, for anti-racist teaching. Here , for example. Here , here and here and here . And this , just this afternoon. There are plenty of articles out there speculating on when and how we go back to school, and the consequences of going back too soon. But all the handwringing over alterna

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Students in masks? Sick kids staying home? Teachers aren’t convinced plans will keep them safe. Christian Herr is only 35, but he has been on medication ever since he suffered a heart attack in his classroom nine years ago. His cardiologist is clear: Herr’s condition puts him at risk of dangerous complications if he contracts the novel coronavirus . So two months after his school closed, and wit

by Mike Simpson / 1d

WE PROTEST POLICE IN THE STREETS, SO WHY DO WE LET POLICE IN OUR SCHOOLS? The Fear Of Black Students And White Savior Ideology In Educators And Policymakers Is Keeping Police In Under-Resourced Schools Despite Their Role In The School-To-Prison Pipeline And The Well-Known Harm To Students. In the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, police violence has again been brought to th

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Public Funds Public Schools Website Provides Compendium of Research on School Vouchers Ohio was one of the first states, in 1996, to impose school vouchers, and today across Ohio and many other states, vouchers are devastating local school district budgets. Nationally, the nation’s loudest voucher cheerleader, Education Secretary Betsy Devos, continues to promote vouchers and their cousins—tuiti

by Mike Simpson / 1d

BLACK MATH TEACHERS ARE GOOD FOR MORE THAN RACE STUFF This #Blackout era has provided some of us with a quixotic yet prosperous platform to center our experiences without apology. The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of police, plus the ensuing uprisings across the world have created a level of urgency among white educators to become more aware of their

by Mike Simpson / 1d

NYPD At The Crossroads- Some Background History All over the nation, protesters are demanding that police budgets be cut and that the funds saved be invested in community development projects in working class neighborhoods, particularly those which have high concentrations of Black people. As this movement spreads to NYC, it might be useful to review the history of police expansion and militariz

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 SPECIAL EDITION PROTEST AND EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 TODAY CBS News Video: “Authors Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi on how to become aware of privilege” by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h I’m adding this new video to New & Revised: Re

by Mike Simpson / 1d

A little more about Chaz It’s been a month to the day since the world lost Eric Chasanoff to Covid, and a month to the day since the New York City teacher/blogger universe lost Chaz’s School Daze . I wrote about Chaz in this space – my immediate reaction to his passing. Many others wrote, too. I submitted something to UFT Honors , and they used a few of my words. And then one of the editors sugg

by Mike Simpson / 1d

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Multi-Pronged Partnerships, Initiatives to Address Implicit Bias and Racism SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on Thursday announced that the California Department of Education (CDE) has received a $500,000 philanthropic grant to train all of CDE’s 2,500 employees in implicit bias and to create guidance for school dist

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Diane Ravitch in Conversation with Amy Frogge Start: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 • 7:30 PM • Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00) End: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 • 9:00 PM • Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00) The Network for Public Education invites you to join us for a video conference with NPE President Diane Ravitch. Diane's guest this week will be Metro Nashville Public Sc

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Graduation in the Age of Covid-19 There are three bridges that run in and out of my small town. Currently, each bridge is flying a batch of banners that collectively list the entire 2020 graduating class at our high school. When the banners went up, a photo of some seniors looking for their names on the banners ran on the front page of the local paper. High school graduation is a big deal in sma

by Mike Simpson / 1d

In a Big News Week, Updated Schools and Communities First Quietly Qualifies for the November Ballot Back in April , backers of Schools and Communities First submitted a record-breaking 1.7 million signatures to the Secretary of State to qualify the funding measure for the fall ballot. While the state had to verify the signatures, less than 1 million were needed so it was all-but-certain the meas

by Mike Simpson / 1d

"Where Love Rules There is Not a Will to Power" Psychologist Carl Jung wrote, "Where love rules there is not a will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking." This, I think, is an important thing upon which modern educators in general, and early childhood educators in particular, could stand to meditate. I strive to place love at the center of my practice, as I know is true

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Helping Students Heal | Live Long and Prosper Helping Students Heal The education blogosphere, as well as the general media, is full of articles dealing with opening schools in the fall, keeping students safe, social distancing by lowering class size, doubling the number of buses, and other, expensive fixes. Additionally, schools will have to take into consideration the mental and emotional healt

by Mike Simpson / 1d

An Enrollment Crisis Is Coming for School Districts If even a small number parents choose not to send their kids back to traditional schools in the fall, it could trigger a massive funding crisis and sever the longtime link between neighborhoods and schools. Deep down in their May 18 letter to lawmakers warning that they could not “in good conscience” return students to the classroom if the stat

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Why California Kids Should Go on Strike As COVID Collapses Budgets, It’s Up to Children to Save Their Schools Dear California Kids, Don’t let us adults destroy your futures! This time of “distance learning” and COVID-19 chaos is the opportunity of a generation—maybe a century—to fix what’s so very wrong with how California treats you. And right now, you have unprecedented power. I am begging you

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Community Care: Grief Circle Parenting for Liberation is honored to co-host a Grief Circle with Spiritual Alchemy. “As Black parents in the Americas, we are no stranger to harm to our communities and the killing of our children at the hands of law enforcement or vigilantes. However, what has sustained us is our ability to gather in community to tell stories, share a meal and lean on one another

by Mike Simpson / 2d

All White People Must Confront How the System Only Works in Total Whiteness I was born in 1961, after Brown v. Board but before the Civil Rights Act . My childhood in the upstate of South Carolina included the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Robert Kennedy as well as vivid memories of my mother’s family living through the racial unrest in nearby Asheville

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Most California districts would get more in federal aid than they’d lose in budget cuts Districts argue they still need more money — distributed differently. S tate Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and coalitions of labor and school district groups are asserting that California schools won’t be able to open safely if Congress doesn’t provide more aid to cope with the coronaviru

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Sacramento City School District Email Claims 'Racism is Prevalent Throughout This Country, Including in Sacramento' - California Globe Sacramento City School District Email Claims ‘Racism is Prevalent Throughout This Country, Including in Sacramento’ This is exactly what they think of you In an email sent out June 1st by officials in the Sacramento City Unified School District, the subject – “Adv

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Hundreds of Sacramento Kids Stopped Schooling Due To COVID-19 More than 500 Sacramento kids have lost touch with the Sacramento City Unified School District since schools closed their doors in mid-March to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The number of kids who hadn’t started the distance-learning process was initially higher — 1,636 students — but school district employees have whittled the numb

by Mike Simpson / 2d

A Significant Error in Policy Thinking In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the imminent re-opening of schools in the next few months, I re-visit a post I published nearly a decade ago about a significant error that policymakers have committed repeatedly in actions taken about teachers, teaching, students, and learning. The current crisis offers officials and practitioners an opportunity to rec

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Instruction for the Vulnerable Reader: Spelling Today I continue with my series on the vulnerable reader gathering posts from the past to look at instruction for our neediest readers. My previous post looked at one aspect of word work: decoding. In this post, I look at most frustrating of topics: spelling. Many vulnerable readers have difficulty with accurate spelling. For some children the diff

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 SPECIAL EDITION PROTEST AND EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 TODAY The Tiananmen Square Protests Were Put Down On This Day In 1989 – Here Are Related Resources by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h Chinese Army troops put down the Tiananmen Square

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Mail Order Schools: the Past and Present of Distance Learning Students flailing without real teachers. Sky-high dropout rates. Aggressive sales pitches. Sound familiar? Have You Heard revisits America’s first great love affair with distance learning, the learn-by-mail craze that swept the nation 100+ years ago. The case for distance learning made by the original (for profit) edu-preneurs was vir

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Louisiana Superintendent Cade Brumley Confirmed; Jessica Baghian Submits Resignation On June 01, 2020, the Louisiana Senate confirmed Louisiana’s new state superintendent, Cade Brumley: Brumley’s first day as state superintendent is June 08, 2020 . Many individuals congratulated Brumley in the comments section of his Twitter announcement. I noticed assistant superintendent, Jessica Baghian , did

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Private School P-EBT Data Collection Application Coronavirus (COVID-19) Main Web Page The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Department of Education (CDE), in a joint effort, are administering the federal Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program. Under this program, students eligible for Free or Reduced-Priced Meals (FRPM) under the National School Lun

by Mike Simpson / 2d

"Talk out of School": Defunding the Police and Investing in our Schools instead Please check out the latest "Talk out of School" podcast featuring Alex Vitale, professor at Brooklyn College and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project , and Jasmine Gripper, Executive Director of Alliance for Quality Education . They discuss how over-policing in NYC and elsewhere has contributed to

by Mike Simpson / 2d

What If Everyone Understood Play? We tend to ascribe wisdom to those who have lived longest. And that's valid: the longer someone has lived, the more mistakes they've made, and therefore, the more experience they have. But there is another type of wisdom -- if wisdom is the right word -- with which we are born, and that we proceed to "unlearn" as we get older. Specifically, I'm thinking about pl

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Progress in Organizing: Minneapolis Says No to Police in Public Schools | Schott Foundation for Public Education Progress in Organizing: Minneapolis Says No to Police in Public Schools Progress in Organizing: Minneapolis Says No to Police in Public Schools The Schott team is personally devastated by the brutal killing of George Floyd, yet one more tragedy that further exposes the deep systemic ra

by Mike Simpson / 3d

A Citizens’ Rebellion 2020 The United States began to form after the rebellion against the King of England when the settlers in the colonies along the eastern coast reacted to the injustice of having to pay taxes without representation in Parliament starting on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston. Another big step in US history was the rebellion of workers in factories and the longsh

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Betsy DeVos Made More Than $56 Million Last Year Betsy DeVos reported up to $100 million or more in income last year while serving as the Secretary of Education, according to a review of her personal financial disclosures by CREW. More than $20 million of that came from Alticor, the parent company of multi-level marketing behemoth Amway, co-founded by DeVos’ late father-in-law Rich DeVos. The co

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Book Review Trina Greene Brown’s ‘Parenting for Liberation’ Redefines Black Parenting in All Its Strength and Beauty One of the most compelling elements of Parenting for Liberation is the freedom woven into its fabric, right down to how you read it. Brown’s philosophy is rooted in the transformation of Black parenting from a style defined by fear to a style focused on liberation. Through her thr

by Mike Simpson / 3d

HOW ARE SCHOOLS AND NON-PROFIT LEADERS SPEAKING TO THEIR STAFF ABOUT AMERICA’S RACISM PANDEMIC? Courage, commitment, and foresight are consistently needed when you work in schools, districts, and organizations that claim to be doing the work of anti-racism. There are too many organizations and school/district leaders today, who can’t even muster the ounce of courage it takes to speak with their

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 SPECIAL EDITION PROTEST AND EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 TODAY Video: “Kids Around the World Share Their Lockdown Experiences” by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h MiroslavaChrienova / Pixabay I’m adding this new video to A BEGINNING LIST OF

by Mike Simpson / 3d

MY BIRTHDAY RIDE WILL BE ON ESPN THIS YEAR Sometime between today and June 14th, my 79th birthday, I will once again attempt to bike my age. This will mark the 14th year in a row of this challenge, which, so far, I have been able to meet. But this time things are more exciting and more challenging for these five reasons: 1 & 2: The ride is a mile longer, and I am a year older. 3: I cannot use my

by Mike Simpson / 3d

NYC Educator: On Union in Apocolypse Times On Union in Apocalypse Times The other day I read a post on Facebook that asked what our union was doing about the outlandish work/ PD day we have tomorrow. It continued to say something like, "I don't want to hear any of that we are the union crap." This member, like a whole lot of us, sees the union as a separate entity. When you're in trouble, the uni

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Community Schools May Be the Best Post-Pandemic Educational Strategy Jeff Bryant recently profiled Mary Parr-Sanchez , the current president of the National Education Association’s New Mexico affiliate, speaking about what education will be like after the pandemic: “‘I think we’re all going to be different after this… When I first learned of the community schools model, it hit me like a lightnin

by Mike Simpson / 3d

My Top Three Policy Proposals for Getting Us Out of This Crisis What this crisis tells us is that people have been pushed to the wall economically as well as victimized on the basis of their race. We have to deal with both issues to heal our wounded country. In response, I propose the following three initiatives 1. A New Deal Style jobs and public works program, modeled on the WPA and the CCC, t

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Revenue and Cost Report (PSD and COE) - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) Revenue and Cost Report (PSD and COE) Revenue and Cost Report (Other agency types) - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/snprevcostreportother.asp Unprocessed Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Applications - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/usdapilotprojectapp.asp This messa

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Successful School Reopening Plans Will Have One Thing In Common Plenty of folks have thoughts about the conditions under which schools should be opened. The CDC thinks desks should be six feet apart. The American Enterprise Institute suggests that districts might want to get all staff members over fifty-five to take early retirement. Senator Bill Cassidy has called for aggressive testing and con

by Mike Simpson / 3d

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Calls on Schools and Communities to Take Action to Address Institutional Racism and Educational Inequities SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today responded to the death of George Floyd by calling on communities across the state and nation to take action to dismantle institutional racism and inequities in public schools. He als

by Mike Simpson / 4d

U.S. Policing a Systemic, not a “Bad Apple” Problem Here are the two foundational and enduring problems with policing in the U.S.: (1) U.S. police forces are hyper – militarized and have been killing 1000+ people a year since 2013 (other countries do not have these numbers or rates for police killing citizens; see Germany ). The New York Times (2) Black people are killed at disproportionate rate

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Politico: States Divided About Following DeVos Guidance to Fund Private Schools Politico Morning Education reports that states are divided about whether to take Betsy DeVos’ advice and distribute federal funds based on enrollment, not need. This is her way of sending federal money to private schools, including elite private schools. She has been rebuked by both Republican leaders like Lamar Alex

by Mike Simpson / 4d

With Revenue Down, ACT’s CEO Exits On May 28, 2020, ACT announced a “leadership change” involving the departure of CEO Marten Roorda, who will be replaced by ACT’s chief operating officer (COO), Janet Godwin: IOWA CITY, Iowa—ACT, the nonprofit organization that develops and delivers the ACT test, announced today a change in leadership and a series of cost-cutting measures to enable it to continu

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Schools Re-open in Israel After nine weeks of closure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that schools be re-opened within 48 hours. On May 3rd the first phase of re-opening occurred. A national system of schooling, the Ministry of Education had issued numerous guidelines and directives for opening schools balancing health and safety with the need to get children learning and parents back

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Toxic Ideas Here are two views of the word that are loose in this country: The way the world works is (or is supposed to be) that you get what you deserve. Make bad choices? You get bad consequences. Your success or failure is completely up to you-- it's the result of the choices that you make. And this: It's not about high ideals or honor or empathy or care for your fellow human. It's about pow

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Who will be selected as the next NYS Commissioner of Education? From within NYS? The acting Commissioner? A National Leader? Will Principals/Teachers/Parents be part of the search process? | Ed In The Apple Who will be selected as the next NYS Commissioner of Education? From within NYS? The acting Commissioner? A National Leader? Will Principals/Teachers/Parents be part of the search process? At

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Outside Agitators and Bad Apples We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe. ~~~Frantz Fanon, Provocateur. I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without first having spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government. ~~~Martin Luther King Jr., Outside agitator. Can libe

by Mike Simpson / 4d

The Rage of the Young at a Compromised Future Adds Fuel to the Flames Let me be blunt, I am frightened by the level of violence that protests have attained in my own city, and in cities throughout the country. But I am also acutely aware that I have little or no influence on the people out in the streets doing the worst damage. What we have going on here looks more and more like a generational u

by Mike Simpson / 4d

America Has Failed in Every Way But One This year has been a disaster. We are living through a global pandemic yet have inadequate health screenings, medical equipment or a viable vaccine. We are witness to public lynchings of black people at the hands of law enforcement yet our legal system continues to be slow to act if at all. Our schools and hospitals are starved for resources yet police hav

by Mike Simpson / 4d

FL: Philanthropy Backs Testing Has there ever been a time when it was more obvious that the Big Standardized Test is waste of time and money? Do you hear anybody out on the street over the last week declaring, "What we need is some standardized testing to show systemic racism, because otherwise, how will we know?" But education amateurs still believe in testing's magic power, and nowhere is the

by Mike Simpson / 4d

‘Teaching for Black Lives’ — a handbook to fight America’s ferocious racism in (virtual or face-to-face) classrooms On July 10, 2018, I wrote about a book that had just been published titled “ Teaching for Black Lives ,” a collection of writings that helps educators humanize blacks in curriculum, teaching and policy and connect lessons to young people’s lives. At that time, President Trump was b

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Instruction for the Vulnerable Reader: Word Work Last week's post addressed one aspect of the question Why Johnny Can't Read, the issue of quality of instruction. Quality instruction, I argue, is balanced instruction. Balanced instruction includes word work, read aloud, shared reading and writing, guided reading, and independent reading and writing. Today, I would like to focus on word work. Her

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Reimagine Schools after Covid-19? Bring Children Together! Reimagine Schools after Covid-19? Bring Children Together! In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can’t seem to get there no-how. I can’t seem to get over that line. ~ Harriet Tubman Public schools can bring us

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Minnesota governor Tim Walz draws on his career as a public school teacher to prepare for reckoning after George Floyd's murder Before I was in elected office, I was, I’m a public school teacher by trade. I spent 20 years doing that. One of the things I was most proud of--and I think as Minnesotans, many of you across the world maybe getting your first look at who we are and that’s unfortunate b

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Imagine a Unites States … People often either over-idealize or reject as a “bad” song the lyrics to John Lennon’s “Imagine,” but the concept serves a useful purpose. Imagine a United States where the public and political leadership took seriously Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protests against the racially inequitable policing and justice system in the US. Imagine white America taking action becaus

by Mike Simpson / 5d

“Out of Control: Taking Liberties with Autonomy During a Pandemic” by Alfie Kohn “Warren Buffett famously commented that when the tide goes out, we can finally see who has been swimming naked. By the same token, when a pandemic arrives, we are confronted with a vivid display of just what kind of society we’ve really had all along: “We see the implications of having lacked a robust public health

by Mike Simpson / 5d

George Floyd: Grief and anger and a cry for justice We are watching the protests in Minneapolis and across the country and we are all in shock. Again. And yet again. And as I say this, I know it seems right to be stunned and appalled. We want to be shocked, but honestly, are we? How can we be shocked at what is routine? How can we pretend to be surprised at such callous cruelty by those charged

by Mike Simpson / 5d

While the Press Covers the Police Killing of a Black Man, Riots, and the Pandemic, Trump Quietly Vetoes Rule to Protect Defrauded Student Borrowers On Saturday morning, the Washington Post ‘s Matt Zapotosky and Isaac Stanley-Becker began their coverage of the state of our nation: “A global pandemic has now killed more than 100,000 Americans and left 40 million unemployed in its wake. Protests —

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Dear Young People who are my students Dear Young People who are my students, Sometimes life imitates art. Late last night the Public Theater canceled a virtual event for Monday. “In this time of national trauma” they wrote in their email, “when the Covid crisis has so disproportionately impacted the Black community, when the injustices of our way of life have been made so clear, it just feels wr

by Mike Simpson / 5d

"White Privilege; Black Anger" A Powerful Essay by Pamela Knight author of "Teaching While Black" Let me be clear on something. I would not loot my city, HOWEVER, when people are just as upset over people looting in response to another unarmed black man being killed for no reason, as they are that a LIFE, not a store front, not a police station, not a Target, but a living, breathing human being

by Mike Simpson / 5d

A JUSTICE LETTER TO EDUCATORS OF COLOR AND CONSCIENCE This one is dedicated specifically to my educators of color and conscience, When I became a teacher, I inherited a tradition of Black teaching that spans this country’s history since time immemorial. Similar to Black people in any official government role, Black teaching came with the complications of the job. From the standards and curriculu

by Mike Simpson / 6d

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Hellacious Week Edition (5/31) Hellacious Week Edition Well, this has been a bunch of big ugly crap, on top of the One Damn Thing After Another sundae that is 2020. Let's read. All About the Mask Nancy Flanagan looks at the politics and symbolism of the ongoing mask wars. Chalkbeat Discovers Teachers on Front Lines Chalkbeat lets a brand new charter leader lay out some obvi

by Mike Simpson / 6d

EdAction in Congress May 31, 2020 McConnell still stalling on fiscal aid while 40 million are jobless The coronavirus has killed more than 100,000 Americans and left more than 40 million jobless—roughly a quarter of the U.S. workforce, the level at the height of the Great Depression. But that’s no reason for Congress to act anytime soon, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Teaching And The Social Contract (TL;DR) I didn't write anything yesterday, which is an unusual day for me, but I've just been trying to take it all in. I have family in Seattle, friends in Pittsburgh. There's a lot of mess out there tonight. It's nothing new for our country, but it's never been laid out so starkly. The woman in Central Park deliberately weaponizing her status as a white woman t

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Robert Shepherd’s Glossary of Adjectives to Describe Trump Robert Shepherd writes comments on the blog frequently, and he also writes his own blog. He is a recently retired teacher in Florida who spent decades as a writer, editor, and developer of curriculum and assessments in the education publishing industry. Since he has often expresssed his views of the current occupant of the White House, I

by Mike Simpson / 6d

America Is Burning These are the worst of times. Police brutality in Minneapolis murdered a black man who allegedly used a fake $20 bill. Petty crimes are adjudicated in a court of law. Police do not have the authority or right to use lethal force when confronting an unarmed person. After a long string of similar incidents where black people were unjustly murdered, the killing of George Floyd ig

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Black Lives Matter; The Truth Matters I was packed into the intersection at Fairfax and Third today with my adult daughter. And I didn’t feel any of this reported aggression. A veteran of a fair number of protests, this rally was not like any other. It felt intense, powered by focused anger, but not aggressive. I never once felt unsafe or as if the crowd were out of control. People were mad but

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Good News: Harrisburg is Not Cutting Education Funding! Bad News: Handouts for the Rich & Charter Schools If you live in Pennsylvania, you can breathe a sigh of relief now that the legislature has passed a stopgap budget that does not cut education funding . But you can let out that breath in a cry of disgust when you see where much of that money is going and how many underprivileged kids will b

by Mike Simpson / 6d

What Senator Milligan Said to Cade Brumley About Teacher Voice, and More On May 27, 2020, newly-appointed Louisiana state superintendent, Cade Brumley, made his appearance before Louisiana’s Senate and Governmental Affairs committee for his confirmation hearing. The video archive can be found here , beginning at time 2:27:00.) I watched much of Brumley’s hearing and was particularly impressed by

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Portfolio Management At LAUSD: Private Security, Promotional Hats, Outsourced Instruction, No-Bid HighTech Contracts In mid-May, 2020 the LAUSD board reviewed the Deputy Superintendent’s weekly lists of purchases and contracts for March 16-May 8, 2020 , part of “the $540m in expenditures for Covid19” approved through the LA County Office of Education (LACOE). That $314m is detailed below, author

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 5/30/20 ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post The real story of New