Monday, November 28, 2011

Grumpy Educators Award Nominations

"Knowledge is power."


Blogs written by parents and community members on the subject of education reform is increasing and explaining education reform initiatives that main stream media ignores. It is still difficult for non-educators to access information explained well; but there are some solid resources available now. Since January, after careful review and selection, I visit several to learn and stay current.

Inspired by Edublog Awards, Grumpy Educators created its own awards and announces winners for the education-related blogs that contributed the following:

  • Brought parent, community member, and student perspectives out of the shadows

  • Brought factual information to the public that would not be found otherwise

  • Encouraged avenues for critical and constructive dialogue on educational change

The Golden Grumpy Educator Award
Huge thanks to Education Matters for the most referrals of all time that led readers to Grumpy Educators and for the comprehensive reporting on all things education, and provides focus on North Florida. Education Matters is a very important resource for all Floridians.

BEST FLORIDA INDIVIDUAL BLOG
Scathing Purple Musings keeps an eye on all things education in Florida. Scathing Purple Musings scooped a real analysis on the success of charter schools in Florida, revealing that 15 of the 31 Florida "F" schools were charters. This fact did not go unnoticed. Florida Senator David Simmons recently commented on this fact. The storm clouds are brewing for the 2012 legislative session. Scathing Purple Musings will remain my go-to blog for current information.

BEST FLORIDA INFORMATION RESOURCE ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Florida has a sizable population of students who are learning the language and the academic subjects. ESOLFlorida is a resource covers the actions of the Florida legislature and the Florida DOE and the effects of those actions on those students in this state.


BEST EDUCATION REFORM INFORMATION RESOURCE

Largely, the public is uninformed regarding the facts of education reform initiatives. The popular narrative, cleverly controlled by education reform advocates keep the facts in the dark. Truth in American Education (TAE) is a one-stop facts only resource, providing the details on Common Core standards, Common Core assessment, and the longitudinal database (Pre-K through first year of college). To get a complete picture presented in a reader-friendly manner, TAE is the best resource on the internet.

BEST NON-EDUCATOR BLOG
Missouri Education Watchdog (MEW) calls out bi-partisan support, on local and national levels, for educational initiatives that undermine local control, parents rights, and otherwise, make no sense.
Clearly written and fact-based, MEW provides a view of Missouri and of the national scene.

BEST NEW TWITTER HASHTAG FOR PARENTS

#edparents - Great idea from The minds of kids blog. The blogger notes:
"I've not found a general hashtag for parent activists interested in connecting with other parents nationwide. We are critical to the fight against corporate education reform and high-stakes testing culture. Parents who advocate for a truly child-centered education for all students need a hashtag to call our own."

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous said...
    Great list of resouorces. I'm honored that the ESOLFL blog is included. Thank you.
    November 30, 2011 9:29 AM
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    I'm not so sure-- I just an assistant part time editor here.. but I think that comment got posted on the wrong site so I copied it here. Either way I know Sandra will appreciate it, and reply a little later in the day.

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  2. Opps-I posted my thankyou on the wrong page. Here it is again, heartfelt if somewhat confused. I am honored to have the ESOLFL blog listed as one of your nominations.

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  3. Right you are, Assistant Editor. Thank you for re-routing my message.

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  4. You are welcome. You have certainly done a lot of work building a resource.

    Thank you for sharing some tips with me.

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  5. We are honored at Missouri Education Watchdog to have this honor!

    Thank you so much for reading our blog! And thanks for all YOU do on your site. Hopefully, with a concerted effort, we will restore true local control in education which serves children and not special interests. That's why we all do what we do.

    Thanks for being in the trenches with us.

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  6. Thanks for the mention and for helping #edparents take hold as a tool for education change.

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  7. To: Missouri Education Watchdog
    We will be busy in 2012, won't we.
    Happy holidays to you.

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  8. @Lisa - It's important to bring parent views out of the shadows. I was surprised there was no hashtag. Excellent idea to use #edparents

    Seasons greetings.

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