My Top Links for the Week 7-8-11

(a.k.a  The links I liked enough to leave open in my browser all week and now really want to close) 

1.  http://nasspblogs.org/principaldifference/2010/12/pisa_its_poverty_not_stupid_1.html

“PISA:  It’s Poverty Not Stupid” --2010 article on PISA scores, disaggregated by income level.

2.   http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=5183

“David Brooks, Diane Ravitch, and the education wars” by John Merrow—Another take on the Ravitch/Brooks debate.  Look for my comment!

3.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/06/opinion/l06dialogue.html?_r=3

“Invitation to a Dialogue: Fixing the Schools” by Diane Ravitch—Calls for reader responses.  Haven’t had a chance to write mine yet L

4.  http://www.michaelfullan.ca/home_articles/SeminarPaper204.pdf

“Choosing the wrong drives for system reform”—Interesting paper saying Australia should not use the U.S. current reforms as a model.  Hell no!

5.  http://www.scribd.com/doc/36268640/Pb-Berliner-Non-School#archive 

“Poverty and Potential:  Out-of-School Factors and School Success” by David Berliner--#povertymatters

6.  http://blogs.forbes.com/johntharvey/2011/07/08/save-our-schools/ 

“Why US education deserves our praise (and funding)”—Give teachers the respect they deserve!  Why is it only people married to teachers or raised by teachers that get this idea???

7.  Speaking of our longs hours…

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/06/25/number-of-the-week-u-s-teachers-hours-among-worlds-longest//#

“Number of the Week:  U.S. Teachers' Hours Among World’s Longest”—And from the WSJ no less…

8.  http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/the-offensively-defensive-ideology-of-charter-schooling/ 

“The Offensively Defensive Ideology of Charter Schooling”—Awesome data showing the cracks in the charter school hoopla. 

9.  http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2011/07/chicago-parking-meters-funding-charter-school/

“Chicago Parking Meters funding charter schools”—I mean, really?

10.    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/07/atlanta-cheating-scandal-_n_892169.html?ref=tw

“Atlanta Cheating Scandal:  Arne Duncan ‘Stunned’”—Almost punched the computer screen when I saw this one!  Bad culture??  The schools didn’t want to get shut down.  They wanted to be there for their students.  They wanted their stinking jobs.  Should they have cheated?  No, of course not.  But they shouldn’t have been put in the position where they think they have to cheat.  Dumb NCLB...

11. http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2011/02/11/the-best-posts-articles-raising-concerns-about-teach-for-america/

 “The Best Post & Articles Raising Concerns About Teach For America”—Great resource from Larry Ferlazzo posted in February.  The more I know about TFA, the more I hate it. 

12.  http://parentsacrossamerica.org/2011/07/stand-for-children-a-hometown-perspective-of-its-evolution/

“Stand for Children:  A Hometown  Perspective of its Evolution”—So scary how the ed deformers continuously trick people into following them by using positive-sounding messages.  This parent wised up to SFA true agenda.  Good for you, Ms. Barrett!