The Carnival Of Education: Week 59
Welcome to this week's cavalcade of posts from around the EduSphere! All entries were submitted by the writers unless clearly labeled otherwise and are grouped into several categories. They represent a wide variety of political and educational viewpoints.
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Consider helping spread the word about the midway. Links are appreciated, trackbacks are adored. As always, your comments and constructive criticism are most welcome.
Next Week's Carnival midway will be hosted by Rightwingprof over at Right Wing Nation. Please send contributions to: rightwingprof [at] gmail [dot] com. The Prof should receive them no later than 4:00 PM (Eastern) 1:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, March 28th. (Please note the time change.) Include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the midway of should open over at Rightwing Nation next Wednesday morning.
Last week's Carnival is here. See the complete set of archives there. For our latest posts, please visit our home page.
Let the free exchange of thoughts and ideas begin...
Education Policy:
Ms. Cornelius asks a very intriguing question: In light of pressure to increase test scores in reading and math, are schools leaving History behind?
Some of the biggest financial scandals in public education today involve the shenanigans that are being pulled by some of the for-profit tutoring companies that were hired by schools in order to satisfy certain requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Over at The School of Blog they have the latest eye-witness account.
Polski3 went into his school's office the other morning and learned first-hand about the disconnect between what the State of California says that he's qualified to teach and what the federal government says he's allowed to teach.
Some argue that schools should be run in a business-like fashion with the goal of satisfying
Newsweek magazine publishes a list of what it calls, "America's Best High Schools." But are the criteria used for inclusion in the list both fair and accurate? Eduwonk.com, voice of the independent think-tank Education Sector, expresses some valid concerns. (Consider following the links; well worth your time!)
Actually, Education Sector now has two voices in the EduSphere. Making their Carnival debut with this very readable post titled, "The Allegedly Ever-Tightening College Admissions Rat Race, Part MCMDLXVII," say "hello" to The Quick and the Ed.
Sophistpundit chimes in on the small-school Vs. large-school EduDebate.
What's the best way to attract the highest quality teaching talent into our public school classrooms? NCLBlog takes a look at both the ideal and the pragmatic. See part I here and part II over there.
Is there a place for a "moment of silence" in our public schools?
Alexander Russo, the host of This Week in Education, presents the latest edition of the weekly HotSeat. This time, it's Andrew Rotherham of Washington think-tank Education Sector (and publisher of Eduwonk.com) who's getting The Treatment. (Be sure to check-out the tabloid that Mr. Rotherham is pictured with.)
Spunky is telling us that there is a movement afoot to have teenagers choose their careers by the time they are in tenth grade. (When I was 15 years old, my chief worry was surviving high school, not how to pay any future mortgage.)
Editor's Choice: Joanne Jacobs has the alarming story of the California school system that is requiring parent volunteers to pay some $57 for the privilege of donating their time in the classrooms of their children's school. (What kind of Superintendent would allow this awful practice to occur, much less continue?!?)
From The Classroom:
When I was in third grade, it seemed like we spent a lot of time in lines. At The Art of Getting By they take us down memory lane by giving us a whimsical look at The Art of Getting Kids In The Not-So-Perfect Line. Let's take a peek:
Despite all of this effort at order, not chaos, at least once a week, if not once a day I see students fighting for their place in line. One person gets a step in front of you and there's pushing, shoving and racing like you wouldn't believe. If you want to know where road rage starts, look no further than the hallways of the elementary schools of America.Dr. Jean publishes books and puts on workshops that feature, "Songs and Activities for Young Children." Mamacita, over at Scheiss Weekly, takes Dr. Jean to task and challenges her to introduce our youngest to a better grade of music.
The title of this entry by substitute teacher Mr. Lawrence says it all: How Do You Stop Two Girls From Making Out In Class?
The Thomas Institute is showing everybody that Coaches aren't just for history class any more.
Owl pellets. The productive use of Jigsaw puzzles. And a little sex talk thrown-in for good measure. Sounds like they were having quite a time in the college Biology Lab that Coturnix was teaching.
For several years now, teachers have been using rubrics in order to objectively grade writing assignments. Next week's Carnival guest host, the Rightwingprof has a primer that explains the mystery behind what many of us at the middle school level refer to as the "R Word."
From our Lemons-to-Lemonade Department, see what happens when a math teacher who is teaching probability with dice loses them and looks in the closet for some replacements.
Even though the technology changes, the things that some kids do in the classroom never seem to change.
Editor's Choice: Over at Ms. Frizzles' place, she let's us take an engaging look at her efforts to guide her students' essay-writing efforts... in science class.
Educational Leadership:
An effective principal is a key component of a great school. And effective principals are the subject of this entry by Alpha Shrugged.
Curricular Matters:
When it comes to the teaching of reading in the elementary grades, is it better to teach a wide variety of skills or fewer skills in more depth? An eternal EduMystery not easily solved, Jenny D. presents a convincing case.
Testing And Related Issues:
Scott Elliott, education reporter of The Dayton Daily News and publisher of Get on the Bus, asks a thought-provoking question: Considering the all the pressures of NCLB, are testing companies flunking out? (Lotsa good links to follow over there.)
Editor's Choice: At Number 2 Pencil, Kimberly has the latest about standardized testing for college students.
The Secret Lives Of Teachers:
Here's an interesting concept: What if teachers used the same methods as those employed by President Bush's handlers?
Parents And Parenting:
Darren has an object-lesson for parents on how not to act when attending a parent-teacher conference.
What drives the phenomenon of Helicopter Parents? A recent Washington Post article about how schools are coping with this new parental paradigm is the subject of this highly readable entry by Matt Johnson.
Student Voices:
My goodness. A homeschooled youngster who is reading nine books simultaneously. Is it any wonder that she feels as though she's leading A Plagiarized Life?
Humbly submitted for your consideration is our coverage of seven-year-old Autum Ashante's controversial speech that she delivered to the parents and students of the Westchester, New York public school system.
Homeschooling:
Using the Beatitudes as a model, A mom who homeschools seven (!) children shares her technique for memorizing long passages with children.
Technology:
Here is a completely new idea for the use of blogging technology: Government agencies using blogs to disseminate their viewpoints without the filter of today's mainstream media. (I wish that I'd have thought of that; could be a lucrative niche for a consultant or two.)
Inside The EduBlogs:
This is what happens when a dishonest college official sells out the kids by falsifying documentation so that crooked teachers can bilk the taxpayer. Serves all of 'em right!
Consider dropping by the 12th edition of The Carnival of Homeschooling over at Phat Mommy's place.
And finally: As always, this journey around the EduSphere has been both enjoyable and informative. Thanks to all the contributors whose submissions make the midway's continuing success possible, the folks who help spread the word, and all the readers who continue to make it rewarding.
By:EdWonk ~ Permalink:3/22/2006
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