Khan Academy. Schools We Can Envy by Diane Ravitch. Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland? By Pasi Sahlberg, with a foreword by Andy Hargreaves Teachers College Press, 167 pp., $34.95 (paper) In recent years, elected officials and policymakers such as former president George W. Bush, former schools chancellor Joel Klein in New York City, former schools chancellor Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C., and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have agreed that there should be “no excuses” for schools with low test scores. Nothing is said about holding accountable the district leadership or the elected officials who determine such crucial issues as funding, class size, and resource allocation. The belief that schools alone can overcome the effects of poverty may be traced back many decades but its most recent manifestation was a short book published in 2000 by the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., titled No Excuses.
Second, from an American perspective, Finland is an alternative universe. Teacher Page. In accordance with longstanding past policy and practice, the first two days of Passover (Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday, April 16, 2014) are NOT SCHEDULED AS HOLIDAYS since it has been contrary to policy and practice to schedule holidays that would result in a workweek limited to two non-consecutive work days; most recently it occurred in 1993, 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2011.
In future years these two days will remain paid holidays for employees (i.e., when scheduled on weekdays except when their scheduling results in a workweek limited to two non-consecutive workdays), except for "prevailing wage rate employees" subject to Section 220 of the New York State Labor Law and managerial/confidential employees, i.e., pedagogic managers not covered by a collective bargaining agreement (even when receiving benefits through the CSA), all administrative managers, and employees in Original Jurisdiction (OJ) titles receiving benefits through the City of New York Management Benefits Fund (MBF). Des collégiens en stage dans l'armée : retour sur un fiasco. Le stage en immersion à la caserne de Monthléry s’est révélé une expérimentation hasardeuse et à l’idéologie dangereuse. Image extraite du reportage de France 3 Paris Ile-de-France sur le stage des collégiens au 121e régiment Cela s’est passé durant la semaine du 2 au 6 mai, dans la caserne militaire du 121e régiment de Montlhéry.
Dix collégiens venus de l’établissement de réinsertion scolaire (ERS) de Nanterre ont été aux ordres de l’armée pendant une semaine. Ce stage en immersion était présenté par l’inspecteur d’académie des Hauts-de-Seine comme une « expérimentation de coopération entre l’Education nationale et la Défense ». Car le principe d’une immersion a été respecté à la lettre : uniforme pour tout le monde, y compris pour le personnel présent sur le terrain (dont une psychologue scolaire !) Des sorties ont aussi été organisées, notamment la visite du musée de l’Armée aux Invalides et le ravivage de la flamme du soldat inconnu sous l’Arc de Triomphe.