If you’re as busy as I’ve been for the last few days, you’ll look forward to winding down with a few education carnivals.

What It’s Like on the Inside is hosting the 169th Carnival of Education - and there are lots and lots of good entries here.

Personally, I don’t think that Carl Chew is much like John Adams, the American Revolutionaries or any other American hero, but someone does.

The Carnival of Homeschooling is over at HomeSchoolBuzz.com - I particularly liked Jacque Dixon’s post on gardening/homeschooling.

For your reading pleasure, take a peep at the 162nd Carnival of Education hosted by Mister Teacher and this last week’s Carnival of Homeschooling hosted by At Home With Kris.

There are plenty of good entries to keep you busy. I haven’t read so many from each Carnival in weeks.

It’s that time of week again… the Carnivals are up and commanding attention.

The 137th Carnival of Education is live at The Education Wonks including my entry about the Ed in ‘08 campaign. You can also browse last week’s Carnival at History is Elementary.

Beverly Hernandez at About Homeschooling hosts this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling - it’s a clean, easy format with lots of solid posts.

Secondhand Thoughts has given Best Practices in Education the nod for this week’s Wednesday Website. It’s a good choice - 30plusteacher’s content is informative and engaging and I, like Eric, would love to see more of it!

The 136th Carnival of Education is online at History is Elementary - it’s got dozens of excellent posts on teaching, policy, higher education and, really, all things school. It seems like the CoE gets better by the week.

The 89th edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling is live at Why Homeschool. It’s the soccer edition - how our hosts managed to work so many posts into a coherent soccer theme is nothing short of a work of art.

And don’t forget to take a look at Secondhand Thoughts’ Wednesday website. This week’s edition showcases Journeys, a site that I’ve had in my RSS reader and blogroll for a while now. It’s a great selection - the perspective Diane provides from the library/media standpoint is a welcome addition to my daily reads. She’s certified in New York, so I may be biased… but I doubt it. Add her and give a read - you’ll likely agree that it’s good stuff.

The 135th Carnival of Education is up at The Wonks. This edition has a good mix of policy, teaching, stories and a few more higher education submissions than last week.

When you’re done peeping the Carnival, give some time to the video showcasing Danielle Cookson’s plight with the United Food and Commercial Workers [UFCW] union. They’re attempting to force Cookson, an employee of Albertson’s, to join and contribute union dues [$30/month and an $80 initiation fee]. She’s fighting back hard.

Why am I highlighting her story?

Danielle is 16 years old and took a part-time job at Albertson’s to save money for college. She understands the role of a union and knows that a portion of union dues goes to support collective bargaining that benefits her and others like her. When she offered to pay that portion, the UFCW said no. In short, they advised that she weigh two options: full dues vs. no job.

Danielle’s response was, “They just want my money.” She’s right, and the National Labor Relations Board will likely agree.

Watch the video of Danielle’s news coverage [RSS readers, click here to watch the video]:

Here’s one girl who won’t struggle to choose a personal statement topic come college application time.

Top tier schools, are you watching? You may want to poke the name ‘Danielle Cookson’ into your Blackberries. I sense a few leadership qualities that are a bit more impressive than ye olde Student Council credential. If her academics are even a fraction of her will, you want this girl matriculating.

Cooperstown, NY is a busy place in the summer. Every week 96 youth baseball travel teams [and their families] come to the Cooperstown Dreams Park to play a week-long tournament; just a few weeks ago The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2007 Induction Ceremony dragged over 70,000 more into a village of 2,000; this weekend the National Soccer Hall of Fame in nearby Oneonta hosted 5,000 who welcomed Mia Hamm’s enshrinement.

I thought I’d host the Carnival of Education once all this summer hoopla died down. After committing to the 134th Carnival, I realized that I was in direct competition with the New York State Fair in Syracuse.

We have 44 booths in this edition of the Carnival of Education - here’s hoping we draw more people than Wednesday night’s Hilary Duff concert at the Fairgrounds.

And now for the Midway…

• Trials and Tribulations of the New School Year

Mrs. Bluebird spent a chunk of her third full day of school outside the building. Fire drill? Nope, real emergency.

Frumteacher gives us a solid first-day report: what went right, what went wrong and what to improve on tomorrow.

Mister Teacher at Learn Me Good has sent home a ‘welcome’ letter to parents. It’s got tips for a successful year and a few ground rules; my favorite is, “Dogfighting, convenience store robbery, and “making it rain” will not be tolerated.”

Siobhan Curious has a thoughtful submission regarding discipline at the beginning of the school year. Maybe you can help her decide… should she be “Mean ’til Halloween?”

Mamacita of Scheiss Weekly picked up her instructor’s ID today. She appears to have come to a harsh [and probably undeserved] realization.

• Movers and Shakers in Curriculum

JD2718 has banned FOILing in his NYC classroom. You know, that tried-and-true method for multiplying binomials? It sounds radical, but he’s got plenty of reasoning behind his decision.

Terrell at Alone on a Limb tells us about the interaction between a nonagenarian and a class of 10-year olds. This article runs the range from funny to touching - it’s a must-read.

Henry of Why Homeschool read Ben Franklin’s autobiography and muses on an American institution important both then and now: the library.

Jacque at Seeking Rest in the Ancient Paths has been researching pioneer life and can’t help but ask, “How did pioneer women do all of this?!”

Shay at Life Without School tells us about how sailing was a part of her childhood. She’s passing that knowledge - and more - on to her daughter.

Jocelyn, blogging out of Lothlorien, is writing her own e-book called “How to Build a Hope Chest.” She wants to know why you have a hope chest and what it means to you.

Darren of Right on the Left Coast has to teach geometry this year from a textbook he hasn’t used. Other teachers have, so he can use their lesson plans… right?

Denise at Let’s Play Math is hooked on writing to learn math. She’s put together an excellent list of resources to help you explore math journaling.

Amanda at The Daily Planet shares her fiction reading list that ranges from Jane Austen to Lord of the Rings. If her forthcoming non-fiction list is as good, we’re all going to have to pencil in some more reading time.

• Policy: For Better or Worse

Dave Saba of the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence website spent a day on school beautification in DC. He came away with some first-hand insight on the state of DC public schools: he’s got evidence, albeit anecdotal, that some things have improved and others haven’t.

IB A Math Teacher has a problem with his state’s ruling that Algebra I won’t count toward 3 required years of math.

Matt Johnston of Going to the Mat thinks that Maryland’s murky allowances for “test-taking anxiety” to bypass the MD high school exit exam isn’t much different than social promotion.

Old Andrew at Scenes From the Battleground details the muddled philosophy and practice behind teaching civics/politics in tough British schools.

The Education Wonks are dismayed by falling reading scores in the United States. They want to know what happened and how we might fix it.

NYC Educator lays out 6 steps to solving that pesky teacher recruitment problem.

Thespis Journal respects the coverage of Dayton-area schools, but he can’t help but feel that public education has been reduced to simplistic statistics and rankings.

Bill Ferriter at The Tempered Radical takes on a very interesting question: Should spouses and relatives of teachers be allowed to vote?

Education Notes Online has identified a pattern in NYC: clueless officials who don’t know how to fix the system blame the teachers and close the schools. Re-organize. Rinse. Repeat.

Maria Marien knows that music makes our kids smarter. She’s compelled to ask: If so, why aren’t we committed to providing it?

Batya at Shiloh Musings doesn’t think much of Yuli Tamir’s education reforms in Israel, and she tells you exactly why.

• The Ever-present Money Issues

Finance is Personal reminds us what student loans are for - and what they aren’t for.

Millionaire Mommy Next Door is worried about an epidemic that plagues even our children: Affluenza.

Dave of Friends of Dave runs some numbers on the cost of school supplies at the household, local and state levels. He should feel lucky, says Staples, but he doesn’t.

Saving Advice delivers a must-read on how to save money buying school supplies. If you’ve already gotten yours, read anyway - there are excellent tips to keep your kids and classrooms well-stocked on the cheap throughout the year. [And, as much as you may not want to hear it, there’s always next year.]

• Technology, Technology, Technology

The Homeschool 2.0 Blog took advantage of two free web applications to help her daughter collect and analyze survey data on all 50 state governments. Was it effective? Well, just ask the Wall Street Journal - they reported on it Thursday!

Sylvia at Generation YES takes some lessons from a recent study about McDonald’s, marketing and children and applies them to technology.

Tom Kim has a well-considered, comprehensive plan for implementing blogs in his English classroom. I like what I see.

• Teaching and Classroom Management

Right Wing Nation has updated his excellent, easy-to-follow guide on how a teacher can use basic statistics to evaluate curriculum, tests and compare classes.

What It’s Like on the Inside considers grading policy, implementing student/teacher contracts and “help” in completing assignments.

30PlusTeacher offers 5 sage tips for classroom teachers looking to avoid clutter.

dy/dan shares a quick, easy and cheap way to make gigantic posters for your classroom.

Jose Vilson reviews Gary Rubenstein’s Reluctant Disciplinarian and then adds 10 disciplinary lessons he’s learned.

Ms. T. at Lasting Peace tackles the complexities of childhood belonging, a child’s relationship with parents and how she manages everything in between. She isn’t comfortable with how her CIs are handling the kids, but I have a feeling she’ll be the last to lose hope.

• The Electives in That Liberal Arts Degree

Chanman had to dust off his anti-aircraft guns to deal with a helicopter parent attack on Buckhorn Road. She escaped this time, but he’s not too worried if she comes back.

Joanne Jacobs is skeptical about Harvard Business Online’s answer to the question, “Is College Necessary?”

Eric of Secondhand Thoughts is a retired soldier, full-time student and future history teacher. He tells us why he loves history and why he wants to teach it.

The Brain Fitness Blog offers up 10 Habits of Highly Effective Brains. I have a feeling we can all use these tips.

Judy at Consent of the Governed weighs in on the prosecution of two hardcore criminals - or relatively normal 7th graders with, well, 7th grade bad judgment, depending on how you look at it.

And, finally, Matthew K. Tabor reviews edublogger John Pearson’s literary debut, Learn Me Good.

Not enough? Thirsty for more? Feel free to sate those desires in the Carnival of Education Archives.

And a quick note regarding next week’s Carnival:

Next week’s carnival will return to home at The Education Wonks. You can email your posts by 11:00 PM (EDST) to owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] com or you can use this handy submission form.

It’s been a pleasure handling this week’s Carnival. Any thoughts, suggestions, criticism or errors/omissions? Just send an e-mail to mktabor@gmail.com and let me know.

I’d like to give a quick heads-up to the Carnivaliers regarding next week’s edition.

But first, I’d like to point to this week’s 133rd Carnival of Education at The Red Pencil. Lots of good stuff there as usual.

Next week’s Carnival will be hosted here. EdWonk used the phrase “editorial control,” so I wanted to let everyone know what the ground rules will be.

• All submissions accepted. Unless you’re submitting spam or blatant self-promotion of professional services, you’ll be in the Carnival. I’m tired of a) having my submissions not being included and b) reading about others’ submissions not being included.
• There won’t be a theme. I don’t have the time to weave a story around a series of education articles and I also don’t have the time to read through a themed list. If you want fiction, I suggest Orhan Pamuk’s My Name Is Red, it’s one of my favorites.
• Short, accurate descriptions. I’ll read your article in full and give a brief, unbiased and accurate description of its content. You’ve taken the time to write and submit it, you deserve it. If there’s a problem with the description I’ve given, just let me know - I’ll change it immediately. I don’t anticipate any problems, though.
• E-mail acknowledgment of your submission. There won’t be any issues with your submission not being received. If you e-mail your submission, you’ll get a reply from me saying it was received. If you use the submission form, you’ll still get an e-mail reply from me even though you already got an automatic receipt. If you don’t get an e-mail acknowledgment from me within 24 hours of your submission, you’ll know that it didn’t go through - please send it again.
• There’s a deadline. Submissions should be received by 11pm EST on Tuesday, August 28. I understand that the deadline can go unnoticed - we’re all busy - so I’ll include submissions after the deadline as they’re received. You may or may not believe this, but I’m human, too.

To submit an article for next week’s Carnival, send an e-mail to mktabor@gmail.com or use the submission form. In the words of former Washoe County prosecutor Mills Lane, “Let’s get it on!”

UPDATE at 08.23.07, 7.24pm:

I’m a little surprised to have to say this, but submissions should be relevant to education.  I thought that was understood and I apologize for the omission.

What It’s Like on the Inside hosts the 124th Carnival of Education. Looks like a beach theme.

This week’s All-Star Team:

• Friends of Dave is pleased that a school district finally shut down a school that, well, desperately needed to be shut down.
• Going to the Mat used common sense: altering class sizes forces logistical changes.
• Dangerously Irrelevant’s series on change is worth reading.
• The Daily Grind should reflect on his evaluations - they often tell us things we don’t see ourselves.
• Luke Walsh’s analysis of his evaluations is excellent reading.

You can read the entire Carnival at the home of the Science Goddess, including my submission debating the role of race in education technology.

A note about next week’s Carnival, which will be hosted by Education in Texas:

Please be sure to join in the ‘Sesquicen-Carnival’ over at Education in Texas next week. Get your posts to Mike (mikea3_98[at]yahoo[dot]com) or use this handy submission form no later than 10 p.m. CST on Tuesday, June 26.

The Education Wonks are hosting the 123rd Carnival of Education. It’s got the usual variety, from the serious to not-so-serious, from policy to practices.

This week’s All-Star Team:

• Hearthside talks a bit about students being paid for performance.
• NYC Educator relays the story of a teacher who gives away test answers. Oddly enough, he can’t find any takers.
• RightWingProf’s recommendations for how to combat the cheating culture are excellent.
• Middle School Teacher has the right idea for how to think about grade promotion. Advancing to the 6th grade shouldn’t be treated as the pinnacle achievement in one’s life. Her honesty and realism is refreshing.

You can read the entire Carnival at the Wonks, including my entry about my decision to blacklist Florida A&M University [FAMU] Law School, though the Wonks call it “lay[ing] the smackdown.”

A note about next week’s Carnival, which will be hosted by Science Goddess:

Next Week’s Carnival midway will be hosted by the Science Goddess over at What It’s Like on the Inside. Contributors are invited to send their submissions to: the_science_goddess[at]yahoo[dot]com, or use this handy submission form. Entries should be received no later than 6:00 PM (Eastern) 3:00 PM (Pacific) Tuesday, June 19, 2007. Please include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open next Wednesday morning.

If you’re interested in some other good stuff [not just education], you can see the best of what I’ve read this week by checking out my del.icio.us.

I Thought a Think hosts the 120th Carnival of Education this week. This edition of the variety show runs the gamut from teaching to policy with a few surprises.

This week’s All-Star team:

• The Science Goddess feels sadness for the members of the local teachers union.
• Educator on the Edge has a gripe of her own - her union seems not to understand that doing what is best for the kids is the most important thing in education.
• CaliforniaTeacherGuy has the right attitude.
• It took a while, but now we can see Right Wing Nation’s analysis of the New Math.
• Who?!?
• AimlessMiss dissects John Edwards’ “College for Everyone” plan. Really, it isn’t a very good plan - I’m glad someone has taken the time to go through it, because the “college for everyone” soundbyte is so misleading and politickingly-sweet that it just might give you a cavity.
• Online Degrees Today offends with an extremely simplistic analysis of how to choose a grad school, though writing anything else might hurt their business [This is the Carnival of Education All-Star selection equivalent of David Eckstein, 2006].

You can read the entire Carnival at I Thought a Think, including my submission about Valley Central’s bribe campaign in last week’s budget/board votes.

A note about next week’s Carnival, which heads back to the Wonks:

Next week the Midway returns home to The Education Wonks; Submissions to Carnival #121 should be sent no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) on Tuesday, May 15th to owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net. You can also use the ever-handy submission form here.

If you’re interested in some other good stuff [not just education], you can see the best of what I’ve read this week by checking out my del.icio.us.

I’ve missed the last few Carnivals due to the busy schedule in the weeks that preceded the election, but I’m back for #119. The Education Wonks have served up another offering that varies from policy to teaching to testing to technology - with more than a few stops in between.

This week’s All-Star team:

• Darren from Right On The Left Coast walked into the copy room at his school and saw above the machine a list of Anti-NCLB talking points. He wasn’t convinced. Are you?
• Matt Johnston considers whether there’s a place for charter schools in already-successful districts.
• Poliscope’s college is in desperate need of a new course evaluation system - and an institution-wide change in attitude toward evaluations.
• Three Standard Deviations to the Left contends that 45 is indeed not a color, despite what his/her students think.
• Nucleus Learning compares a Chinese math question to one from Canada. China wins.

You can read the entire Carnival at the Wonks.

A note about next week’s Carnival, which will be hosted by I Thought A Think:

Next Week’s Carnival midway will be hosted by I Thought A Think. Contributors are invited to send submissions to: rgrant [at] mlsd [dot] org , or use this handy submission form. Entries should be received no later than 9:00 PM (Eastern) Tuesday, May 22, 2007. Please include the title of your post, and its URL, if possible. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open next Wednesday morning.

If you’re interested in some other good stuff [not just education], you can see the best of what I’ve read this week by checking out my del.icio.us.

The Carnival is back at The Education Wonks this week. There are posts about everything from technology in schools to Virginia Tech, so come and get it - you’ll most certainly find something that interests you.

This week’s All-Star Team:

• Dangerously Irrelevant addresses two of the most salient issues in education: leadership and technology. The Carnival linked to one of his posts, but after reading for an hour, I’ve got to recommend his entire site.
• Textbook Evaluator makes consecutive All-Star Teams with a thoughtful post on curriculum and how we think about education. We’re distrustful, we can’t back it up with much, anything goes, and the textbook companies will put things in order if we don’t. Eeep.
• Education in Texas details the war of attrition between a motivated, effective teacher and her administration. Guess who won?