The Most Appalling Statements of the Day, from Rhode Island

Diane Ravitch's blog

Thanks to reader Sheila Resseger, who sent this article about the low PARCC scores in Rhode Island.

Here were the results for the kids with the greatest need for support:

Less than 22 percent of black and Latino students scored proficient in English compared to a statewide average of almost 38 percent on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, a challenging test rolled out last year amid dismal results.

Less than 9 percent of English language learners reached the state standard, and that number fell to less than 6 percent for special-needs students.

The achievement gaps widened.

The State Commissioner of Education, Ken Wagner (formerly deputy commissioner in New York state), is quoted.

Less than 22 percent of black and Latino students scored proficient in English compared to a statewide average of almost 38 percent on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers…

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Choosing to Stay — Discover

Moving can be an adventure — a way to leave life’s problems behind. But as one young woman finds, staying put, investing in a place, and creating roots brings its own forms of satisfaction.

via Choosing to Stay — Discover

Leaving My Heart in Havana — Discover

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been completely enraptured by a city but Havana has all the elements that make it happen — history, art, architecture, beauty, kind people, heart, heat, spirit and music . . . so much music.” Kelly at Compass & Camera takes us on a tour of Havana, Cuba.

via Leaving My Heart in Havana — Discover

Igad joins US in accepting Machar’s ouster – his fate now sealed.

African Press International (API)

KEVIN J. KELLEY -1 | Ijumaa, Agosti 26, 2016

New York

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) said on Friday that it is up to the South Sudanese government to decide whether Dr Riek Machar should be reinstated as the country’s first vice president.

That decision would be “naturally accommodated by Igad,” Sharon Kuku, a spokeswoman for the eight-nation grouping of East African states, said in an email message.

Ms Kuku noted that Taban Deng Gai, appointed by President Salva Kiir as Dr Machar’s replacement, had pledged at Igad’s August 5 summit to abide by the South Sudan government’s decision on the first vice presidency.

“Igad did not stop Gen Deng from attending the summit nor speaking for the South Sudan government,” Ms Kuku pointed out.

Friday’s comment by Igad follows the group’s call on August 5 for Machar to be reinstalled as first vice president.

His removal was not…

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Jersey Jazzman: The Sick Consequences of Competition

Diane Ravitch's blog

Jersey Jazzman reports on what competition does to schools and communities. A new charter school in Bethlehem, PA., is recruiting students from the public schools by sending out mailers claiming that students who enroll in the charter school will be safe from drug dealers in the public school. Really.

A promotional mailer claiming to be from a new Catasauqua charter school paints Liberty High School students as drug users, sparking outrage among many Bethlehem residents.

Innovative Arts Academy Charter School denies it had anything to do with sending out the promotional mailer, which lists the school’s return address.

The postcard references the September 2015 drug arrest of a 17-year-old Liberty student and asks “Why worry about this type of student at school? Come visit Arts Academy Charter School. Now enrolling grades 6-12.”

It shows a stock image of a teenager holding their head in their hands and reprints a…

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Allie Gross: What You Need to Know About the Detroit Charter that Closed Its High School with Little Notice to Students

Diane Ravitch's blog

Allie Gross has reported in-depth on education issues in Detroit.

In this article, which appeared in Metro Times, she gives the context and background of the sudden closure of University YES Academy’s high school. High school students were told with only two weeks’ notice that they had to find a new school. One student she interviewed was just starting her senior year and was shocked to learn she had to find a new school at the last minute.

There is a backstory, and it relates to the school’s efforts to keep a union out.

“WHILE THE INSTABILITY FELT by the high schoolers at UYA Monday may seem like an isolated incident, it’s in fact one of several topsy-turvy occurrences that have transpired over the past few months — and really years.

“UYA, which opened its doors to sixth-grade students in the fall of 2010, came into local spotlight in…

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3 Skills Journalists Bring to Marketing

Sarah Thomas

Interviewing for Marketing Jobs with Journalism Skills

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When my peers informed me that it could take up to a year to find a job after graduation, I took their advice with a grain of salt. My unwavering bull-headedness prevented me from seeing that, although I have experience, landing a job out of college isn’t as easy as sending off a resume. In some ways, the first year after college can be the hardest. I am only a three-month fresh graduate, yet I can feel the dread setting in.

On a lighter note, I welcome this time to further explore the finer points of journalism. For example, having the freedom from assignments allows me to learn about more niches within journalism such as video or audio stories, such topics that were only touched on during my undergraduate career. The face of journalism is changing, and we must ride the tide of…

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VOODOO ECONOMICS: ‘Missing Mao’, China, and the Temporary Refuge of the illusory ‘Bubble’ Economy

RIELPOLITIK

Source – oftwominds.com

– “…This blowing new bubbles to replace the ones that popped works for a while, but at the expense of systemic stability. Each new bubble requires pushing the system to new extremes that increase the risk of instability and collapse – In other words, the stability of the new bubble is temporary and thus illusory”:

The only question left for China (and every other debt/bubble-dependent nation) is what socio-political consequences will manifest when the credit bubble finally bursts?

In Asia, it’s generally seen as unpatriotic to criticize one’s country in public, even if you disagree with its direction and leadership. The cultural norm is to maintain the “face” of one’s country by hiding its ills from outsiders.

This reticence is especially evident in China, which suffers from the memory of being subjugated by the Western imperialist powers in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

As…

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Rhode Island: Most “Fail” PARCC Test

Diane Ravitch's blog

No surprise: Most students in Rhode Island “failed” the Common Core PARCC tests. As I have explained many times, the tests were designed to fail most students. They are aligned with NAEP Proficient, which most students have never reached, with the sole exception of those in Massachusetts, where slightly more than half have reached that standard.

What is the point of giving a test that is too hard for most students?

Mike Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute wrote to say that the tests were designed to show college readiness, and only 40% (or less) are college ready. But 70% enroll in college. Thus, he writes, a remediation crisis in college.

But really, why should schools test third graders for college readiness?

Colleges set their own admission standards, they can accept or reject whoever they want.

I wonder if Michael Phelps or Simone Boles would have tested…

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COVER-UP: ‘The Soros Hack’, Top 10 Machinations of a Master Manipulator – By Makia Freeman

RIELPOLITIK

Source – zengardner.com

– “…Like so much conspiracy theory that turns out to be conspiracy fact, the Soros hack now proves the nefarious and heretofore hidden influence that rich NWO billionaires like George Soros have on world affairs, foreign and domestic, due to their practically unlimited funds. If you want to change the world, $25 billion goes a long way and will buy you a lot of influence over government policy and law. The Soros hack is yet more evidence that we do not live in a world where our leaders are elected, they are selected”:

(Soros Hack: Top 10 Machinations of a Master Manipulator – By Makia Freeman)

The recent Soros hack – the hacking and release of 2500+ emails and documents release by DCLeaks – shows black-and-white proof of the machinations, manipulations and massively long reach of Hungarian-born Jew, multi-billionaire, top Hillary Clinton donor, arch manipulator and big-time New World Order…

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