#ESSASummit17

Thank you Laura and team

Super excited to "go live" with a 1st of its kind virtual "Summit" on the nation's new K-12 law, #ESSA. Passed with significant bipartisan support in early 2016, it's hard to imagine the current madness in the confirmation hearings and subsequent frustrations as her nom moved to the Senate floor of the new ED secretary.




Click on the video in the tweet below to see me at work:

Discussion feeds open till 5 p.m. Reporters signing off! Part one of #ESSASummit17 finished! pic.twitter.com/OawCPc0T06

— Edweek Events (@edweekevents) February 1, 2017

But for four hours today, Education Week brought you everything you might ever want to know about ESSA:

• Live Discussions with 6 exceptional reporters
• Live webinar with our research center on what state and district folks know—and don't know—about ESSA.
• Livestream including a reporter wrap of the day
• Archived resources including webinars, articles, special reports, video introductions to each topic, video explainers, and much more.

Screenshot as we headed just over 4,000 users today
5 minutes before we started

For the K-12 professional impacted by this huge new law, there isn't anything quite like this Summit anywhere I've seen on the internet. And yeah, bragging rights: concept, development, execution, that was all me. But without many key colleagues, it'd have been impossible

• A truly engaged and enthusiastic Assistant Managing Editor
• An art department who worked way ahead to support a project that wasn't on the books for FY17
• A publisher and boss who were willing to let me build it to see if they'd come
• A staff of researchers, bloggers, and editors who supported our lead reporters at a moment's notice when I asked this week for their participation
• A top notch production team who brought the notion of using a platform intended for job fairs to life with editorial content, and lastly,
• 4,267 registered used, and 1,300+ live participants in the 90 minutes of discussions that kicked off the day. 

Now it's onto the live webinar, another hour of interaction and ideas exchange with our readers, and then the final reporter wrap.

Preparing the Reporters for #ESSASummit17

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"Lost Wages and Jobs?" Nope.

How is a 5' 5" Female Competing against a 6' 3" Provider?

This election: it's not about lost wages and jobs. It's about lost stature for white men and the women who depend on white men for a living. And that's kinda absurd.

Honestly, bad enough the country wanted to have a beer with W back in 2000. (To be fair, I didn't want to have a beer with Gore. I don't think I could have withstood his personality.) But picking presidents based on their personalities makes zero sense to me. And the Repubs used to be the best on this issue: they had Nixon, Goldwater, Coolidge. Not terrifically sexy or convincingly "fun" guys.

Dems had Jack, Bill, Teddy, Robert. And all was going just fine, until the Repubs hit upon a winning formula—telegenic shisters. And so the world got Reagan. And as undereducated he was, at least he had experience governing a REAL state. OK, he buried it in debt and supported laws that drained the government coffers, but at least we knew that going in.

What strikes me is how ludicrously under experienced the candidate of the current Republican party is. Why is this guy the party pic? A series of articles in the Times illuminated the answer today. The upshot is that the median income of the average Trump primary voter is $72,000, which is $16,000 higher than the national average.

Why does this matter? Because it means well-off higher educated people are what's truly driving his campaign. Uneducated, "some time" voters don't drive elections. Two things drive elections of inexperienced candidates: "hope" or "glory."

I believe Trump brings these well-off folks a sense that the country they used to have more power over looked a certain way, and that meant it was led by a tall, strapping former footballer, not a 5' 5" woman who graduated at the top of her class. We don't want the valedictorian, we want the sexy all-star. We want glory this year. for 8 years we wanted the former head of the law review. But after 8 years of the C student who got us mired in the middle east, the head of the law review seemed like a better bet.

But these folks suddenly realized, "Hey wait a minute, this guys doesn't look like me or the high school footballer. He looks eerily different. And now after 8 years of different, you want me to vote for a what?!" A woman? How emascualating!

LOL, paleez. Grow a pair, fellas.

And all those women voting for this strapping bully are interested in him mostly because they know their income stream depends on a man or men or child support that is tied to men like that succeeding. These are women living in states where its hard for a woman to make a satisfying wage. If you've lived your reality in a place where your wages depend on the local mines or the local manufacturing and the pensions that used to come with it, well, that money isn't there any longer. And if you are the wife of one of those men, well...that cushy retirement you were promised is more or less not there.

So be not surprised when you see all these Trump women. They have nothing to look forward to when they see a woman in the White House. Her ascension would be just more proof that that pension left when we started flooding our markets with Chinese steel.

The consequences are complicated, obviously. We cannot hope for peace after this election, the country is too fractured. 9/11 was probably the initial blow—bringing to American reality what a half century of a hateful middle east policy could drive into the people who lived half way around the world. And then Trump was the death knell cleaving a country that was well on its way into two divided state. His ability to now bring the radical right agenda to "normalcy" will be the kindling that these folks need to make closure nigh impossible.

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Two Publishers Amp Up Events With Help From Editorial Staff

 From the SIPAlert, October 21, 2016 by Ronn Levine

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"I utilize all editorial team members, editors and staff writers with on stage moderating and discussion," Matthew Cibellis, director of programming, live & virtual events for Education Week,wrote to me in an email recently. The subject was getting the editorial side involved in your events.

"We have the reporters and editors select their guests. Often we are asking them to bring their sources on stage, and that can be journalistically compromising. So I step in when it's a bad choice to have them make the calls to recruit speakers. I will do that for them and what's best for each event. When it's not a conflict, they will recruit the speakers. But it's a push and pull, depending on the content."

As events become more and more a part of a publisher's revenue-generating offerings, it's important that editorial does play a valuable role—both for their sake and the company's. They are the ones on the frontlines of your topics and the ones who your audience may already follow, or should be following.

Folio: just wrote about The New Yorker Festival, a very successful, annual event the popular magazine brand runs. The festival is entirely programmed by editorial staff. "It's an editorial outgrowth of what we do," The New Yorker publisher Lisa Hughes told Folio:. "You gotta believe that [our] editorial staff has their hand on the pulse of what's cool. Our writers are out there, they know what's coming up and what's interesting."

Interestingly, their big event often feeds the magazine, not the other way around. Only a quarter of the event attendees subscribe to the magazine. That leaves a lot of opportunity for subscription growth. "For many people, it's how they get introduced to the brand," said Hughes. "It's a mix of the avid reader and fan, and someone who comes because they're a big fan of the person that we're interviewing."

Cibellis said that they identify an assistant managing editor (AME) for each event, with that person being well-versed in the subject. He will then work with that AME to develop the event descriptions from a deeper, more reader-focused perspective. "If it doesn't look like a deep dive, readers generally won't pay to attend. This way we mix up the event descriptions, making them both content-rich and reader-engaging, and not too marketing-ish and promotional. This appears to work for us. 

"One element that I do drag the editors into is the marketing e-blast editing. The content is simplified, obviously, so it fits [that element's] nature." Cibellis said that e-blasts should go out within the style guide your editors use. "This way your readers have a uniformity of reading experience whether reading an e-blast or reading the event collateral or reading the [publication]."

Just like native advertising is popular now, The New Yorker Festival offers "native panels." Epix, the entertainment network, "sponsored several showings of their upcoming series, all free for guests to attend..." Folio: wrote. "The event also featured a native panel incorporating speakers from other Condé Nast brands—the first of its kind, but probably not the last."

"We're really looking to work as one company, and this was really successful," Hughes said.

At our Business Information & Media Summit (BIMS) coming up next month in Fort Lauderdale, we'll have a few sponsored roundtables, but the content is always vetted to make sure it's topical and unbiased. Our sponsors bring a lot of great information to the table.

Cibellis uses his research team to provide webinar moderation, sponsored-dinner discussion moderating, and more. He said they have shown an excellent ability to straddle the editorial/business line.

Not every publisher has a research team or data analysts, of course. But with data becoming so much more integral to success, you're seeing more go in that direction. Cibellis cited a successful sponsored research product they did—interviewing readers—that turned into a well-attended webinar excellently moderated by the marketing manager with the director of research as a guest. Talk about everyone pitching in.

A model for the future perhaps?

___________________________________________

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Two Publishers Amp Up Events With Help From Editorial Staff

 From the SIPAlert, October 21, 2016 by Ronn Levine

Share |

"I utilize all editorial team members, editors and staff writers with on stage moderating and discussion," Matthew Cibellis, director of programming, live & virtual events for Education Week,wrote to me in an email recently. The subject was getting the editorial side involved in your events.

"We have the reporters and editors select their guests. Often we are asking them to bring their sources on stage, and that can be journalistically compromising. So I step in when it's a bad choice to have them make the calls to recruit speakers. I will do that for them and what's best for each event. When it's not a conflict, they will recruit the speakers. But it's a push and pull, depending on the content."

As events become more and more a part of a publisher's revenue-generating offerings, it's important that editorial does play a valuable role—both for their sake and the company's. They are the ones on the frontlines of your topics and the ones who your audience may already follow, or should be following.

Folio: just wrote about The New Yorker Festival, a very successful, annual event the popular magazine brand runs. The festival is entirely programmed by editorial staff. "It's an editorial outgrowth of what we do," The New Yorker publisher Lisa Hughes told Folio:. "You gotta believe that [our] editorial staff has their hand on the pulse of what's cool. Our writers are out there, they know what's coming up and what's interesting."

Interestingly, their big event often feeds the magazine, not the other way around. Only a quarter of the event attendees subscribe to the magazine. That leaves a lot of opportunity for subscription growth. "For many people, it's how they get introduced to the brand," said Hughes. "It's a mix of the avid reader and fan, and someone who comes because they're a big fan of the person that we're interviewing."

Cibellis said that they identify an assistant managing editor (AME) for each event, with that person being well-versed in the subject. He will then work with that AME to develop the event descriptions from a deeper, more reader-focused perspective. "If it doesn't look like a deep dive, readers generally won't pay to attend. This way we mix up the event descriptions, making them both content-rich and reader-engaging, and not too marketing-ish and promotional. This appears to work for us. 

"One element that I do drag the editors into is the marketing e-blast editing. The content is simplified, obviously, so it fits [that element's] nature." Cibellis said that e-blasts should go out within the style guide your editors use. "This way your readers have a uniformity of reading experience whether reading an e-blast or reading the event collateral or reading the [publication]."

Just like native advertising is popular now, The New Yorker Festival offers "native panels." Epix, the entertainment network, "sponsored several showings of their upcoming series, all free for guests to attend..." Folio: wrote. "The event also featured a native panel incorporating speakers from other Condé Nast brands—the first of its kind, but probably not the last."

"We're really looking to work as one company, and this was really successful," Hughes said.

At our Business Information & Media Summit (BIMS) coming up next month in Fort Lauderdale, we'll have a few sponsored roundtables, but the content is always vetted to make sure it's topical and unbiased. Our sponsors bring a lot of great information to the table.

Cibellis uses his research team to provide webinar moderation, sponsored-dinner discussion moderating, and more. He said they have shown an excellent ability to straddle the editorial/business line.

Not every publisher has a research team or data analysts, of course. But with data becoming so much more integral to success, you're seeing more go in that direction. Cibellis cited a successful sponsored research product they did—interviewing readers—that turned into a well-attended webinar excellently moderated by the marketing manager with the director of research as a guest. Talk about everyone pitching in.

A model for the future perhaps?

___________________________________________

Be sure to follow A Lunch Box Blog  

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Constellation Buys Five of Charles Smith's Washington Wine Brands

An end of an era: 

Constellation Buys Five of Charles Smith's Washington Wine Brands

ARGH!!! There goes the neighborhood. I swear to god, it was bad enough when Foley was buying up all of Santa Barbara, but Washington State!? Constellation: making fine wine the Mouton Cadet of the American market. Blech.

Let us all pray they do not destroy the wines.

From Wine Spectator this week: "The wine giant expands its premium portfolio with a stable of quirkily labeled wines, including Kung Fu Girl Riesling.

Constellation Brands added to its burgeoning collection of premium wine brands, announcing this morning an agreement to purchase five Washington brands from Charles Smith Wines. With this deal, Constellation says it will become the second largest supplier of Washington state wines. The purchase comes on the heels of Constellation's acquisition of two California brands:

• The Prisoner in April for $285 million and
• The Pinot Noir brand Meiomi in 2015 for $315 million

Smith is selling Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Eve Chardonnay, Boom Boom Syrah, Velvet Devil Merlot and Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon." 

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Constellation Buys Five of Charles Smith

An end of an era: Constellation Buys Five of Charles Smith's Washington Wine Brands

ARGH!!! There goes the neighborhood. I swear to god, it was bad enough when Foley was buying up all of Santa Barbara, but Washington State!? Constellation: making fine wine the Mouton Cadet of the American market. Blech.

Let us all pray they do not destroy the wines.

From Wine Spectator this week: "The wine giant expands its premium portfolio with a stable of quirkily labeled wines, including Kung Fu Girl Riesling.

Constellation Brands added to its burgeoning collection of premium wine brands, announcing this morning an agreement to purchase five Washington brands from Charles Smith Wines. With this deal, Constellation says it will become the second largest supplier of Washington state wines. The purchase comes on the heels of Constellation's acquisition of two California brands:

• The Prisoner in April for $285 million and
• The Pinot Noir brand Meiomi in 2015 for $315 million

Smith is selling Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Eve Chardonnay, Boom Boom Syrah, Velvet Devil Merlot and Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon."

Onion Marmalade for the Masses

Oh joy…something to do with all those onions you get from the CSA: made this last week and have been living off of this ever since. Super easy to make, just turn the onions on low in 2T of butter for 45 minutes during the next episode of Westworld, and at the end of the episode, finish the dish. Easy as pie…onion pie with marmalade.

From Wine Spectator magazine’s “Cheese” issue. So use nice wine. I used Columbia Crest Merlot. Quite good with d’Affinois brie, on paninis, and with roasted chicken. The article/recipe says to use it with epoisses cheese which I believe is particularly stinky, but I thought it worked with both Camembert and brie. Yummm…

Ingredients

2 medium yellow onions finely sliced (although I used white and yellow combined)

½ c red wine

¼ c red wine vinegar

¼ c sugar (you’ll need all of it, and probably a tablespoon or so more)

1 t soy sauce (!)

1 t salt

1 t fresh thyme leaves (I used ¼-½ t dried)

Cracked black pepper

Instructions

Melt the butter in cast iron pan, add onions, cook for 45 minutes. Stir every once in a while to brown the onions on all sides and then toss to pick up the fond in the pan.

In a separate small pot, set over medium head all the other ingredient together, then add the onions, stirring often until reduced and syrupy. About 5 minutes.

Voila!

Keeps in the fridge for at least a week or more. 

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