Etch A Sketch Stock Surges Thanks to Mitt Romney Campaign Aide’s Comment!

Dear Commons Community,

Here is some light fare from the Huffington Post as we begin the weekend.

Bloomberg reports that the maker of the Etch A Sketch toy saw its stock surge on Thursday. The share price of Ohio Art Co. nearly tripled days after Romney’s campaign aide, Eric Fehrnstrom, told CNN, “You hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again.”

Romney’s opponents have pounced on the gaff, describing it as further evidence that Romney’s political positions are unpredictable and inconsistent.

The Associated Press reports that Ohio Art is thrilled to be a part of the national conversation. The company sent a huge box of Etch A Sketches to all the presidential campaigns as a thank you gift, according to the AP.

Talking Points Memo notes that Ohio Art Chairman Bill Killgallon has donated to Republicans in the past, but as of now, he has yet to donate to any presidential campaign.

Tony

 

 

High School English Teacher Flunks Danielson Framework!

Dear Commons Community,

New York City high school English teacher, Tim Clifford, voiced his concerns about the new rubric for evaluating teachers in New York State. In a New York Times online article he gives the new framework an “F”.

As background, the New York State Education Department is establishing the  Danielson Framework as  the basis of teacher observations in New York State. It features 54 pages of rubrics that  attempt to evaluate teaching.

The version on the New York State Education Department Web site consists of 54 pages of rubrics, examples and explanations.

It breaks teaching down into four “domains”: Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction, and Professional Responsibilities. These are further divided into “elements,” of which there are 22.

Each element then lists criteria by which the teacher will be judged as Unsatisfactory, Basic, Proficient or Distinguished. For example, here is what a teacher must do to be considered Distinguished on the very first entry on the rubric, 1A: Demonstrating Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy:

Teacher displays extensive knowledge of the important concepts in the discipline and how these relate both to one another and to other disciplines. Teacher’s plans and practice reflect understanding of prerequisite relationships among topics and concepts and a link to necessary cognitive structures by students to ensure understanding. Teacher’s plans and practice reflect familiarity with a wide range of effective pedagogical approaches in the discipline, anticipating student misconceptions. (Page 2 of 54)

That’s only 1A. There are 21 more elements.

In Clifford’s view, this rubric is far too complicated to be of real use. To quote:

“I don’t think it’s possible to design and execute a lesson, or even a series of lessons, that would touch on all the elements required to deem a teacher Distinguished. I doubt Charlotte Danielson could do it, either. What this framework does is create anxiety for teachers who try to meet all 22 “elements” in the span of a 45-minute lesson, day in and day out.”

Tony

 

Rick Santorum: Re-Elect Barack Obama Rather than Vote for Mitt Romney!

Dear Commons Community,

Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum  said yesterday that Republicans should give President Barack Obama another term if Santorum isn’t the GOP nominee and for a second day compared rival Mitt Romney to an Etch A Sketch toy.  The Huffington Post reported Santorum reiterated an argument he has made before: The former Massachusetts governor is not conservative enough to offer voters a clear choice in the fall election and that only he can provide that contrast.

“You win by giving people a choice,” Santorum said during a campaign stop in Texas. “You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who’s just going to be a little different than the person in there.”

Santorum added: “If they’re going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk of what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate for the future.”

Santorum was referencing Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom’s comment Wednesday that “everything changes” for the fall campaign. “It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch,” he said on CNN. “You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again.”

I think President Obama should ask Santorum to campaign for him in the fall.

Tony