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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Late Nite Posts #edreform


Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Late Nite Posts


California Partnership Academies Report - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

California Partnership Academies Report - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education):Partnership Academies Linked to Graduation, College ReadinessTorlakson notes findings 'confirm what I saw in my own classroom'SACRAMENTO—Students enrolled in California Partnership Academies are significantly more likely to graduate from high school and complete courses required to attend University of California or California State University once they do, according to a report released Tuesday by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson."A Profile of the California Partnership Academies 2009... more »

A Look at State Aid Cuts in New York State 2011-12 « School Finance 101

A Look at State Aid Cuts in New York State 2011-12 « School Finance 101:A Look at State Aid Cuts in New York State 2011-12by schoolfinance101Following is another in my school finance geeky series of straight-up analyses of state school finance formulas. I wrote about New Jersey’s funding formula few days ago. This analysis focuses specifically on the cuts levied across NY school districts for 2011-12 and the underfunding of the foundation formula for select districts.In 2007, New York State ...more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Big money to be made in the teacher evaluation biz

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Big money to be made in the teacher evaluation biz:Big money to be made in the teacher evaluation bizby Mike KlonskyEducation reforms translate into big money for private groups writes Sarah Garland in the Oct. 24th American Prospect. Following the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, states paid millions of dollars annually to companies to develop and administer the standardized tests required under the law. Companies also cashed in on a provision mandating tutoring for ... more »

Why I Like Tests - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Why I Like Tests - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:Why I Like Testsby Nancy FlanaganThat's right. I am not opposed to testing. Tests are frequently the fastest, most direct way of uncovering what your students have learned. There's no point in cobbling together an "authentic" task if what you're shooting for is a quick check on which kiddos can reliably multiply by fives or spell "democracy."Rockets, volcanoes and bubble bombs are fun to create and explode, ... more »

Randi Weingarten on Teacher Bashing | TIME Ideas | TIME.com

Randi Weingarten on Teacher Bashing | TIME Ideas | TIME.com:Randi Weingarten RespondsThe president of the American Federation of Teachers begs to differ with Rotherham's column, "Let’s Talk Honestly About Bad Teachers"By TIME STAFF | October 25, 2011 | +Andrew Rotherham follows developments in education reform closely, and we’ve discussed the work the American Federation of Teachers is doing to strengthen teaching and learning. On occasion, he’s even written about our efforts to improve teacher quality. But unfortunately, rather than acknowledging ... more »

The grade-in at #OWS. Going viral. « Fred Klonsky's blog

The grade-in at #OWS. Going viral. « Fred Klonsky's blog:The grade-in at #OWS. Going viral.by Fred KlonskyWhen we got back to where we were staying in Brooklyn after going to Occupy Wall Street on Sunday, I blogged a short post about the grade-in that was scheduled across the street from Liberty Park.Teachers have been organizing these activities to demonstrate in a public way the work they do long after the dismissal bell rings at the end of the day. The ... more »

Hechinger Report | Companies, nonprofits making millions off teacher effectiveness push

Hechinger Report | Companies, nonprofits making millions off teacher effectiveness push:Companies, nonprofits making millions off teacher effectiveness pushby Sarah GarlandNew education reforms often translate into big money for private groups. Following the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, states paid millions of dollars annually to companies to develop and administer the standardized tests required under the law. Companies also cashed in on a provision mandating tutoring for students at struggling schools.Now, a movement to overhaul the teaching profession is creating ... more »

Districts are still fearful of teachers communicating with students using Facebook | Dangerously Irrelevant

Districts are still fearful of teachers communicating with students using Facebook | Dangerously Irrelevant:Districts are still fearful of teachers communicating with students using Facebookby dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod)I just heard from the superintendent of yet another school district that's struggling with whether to allow its teachers to connect with students using Facebook. Here's my reply to her:Speaking as someone who has a law degree, attorneys (like IT staff) are inherently conservative. The bottom line is that Facebook is just another mechanism ...more »

Report details problems with full-time virtual schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Report details problems with full-time virtual schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Report details problems with full-time virtual schoolsby Valerie StraussWith millions of public high school students taking at least one course online, a new report says that virtual schools are too often subject to minimal oversight and that there is no-high quality research showing that cyber education is an acceptable full-time replacement for traditional classrooms.Virtual education is expanding. Forty states now operate or have authorized virtual classes ... more »

Why is George Bush Wading Into Denver's Education Debate on the Eve of Critical School Board Elections? | The Nation

Why is George Bush Wading Into Denver's Education Debate on the Eve of Critical School Board Elections? | The Nation:Why is George Bush Wading Into Denver's Education Debate on the Eve of Critical School Board Elections?John Nichols on October 24, 2011 - 3:18pm ETFormer President George W. Bush, whose administration once made a big deal about its diplomatic engagement with Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi, won’t talk about the recent unfortunate turn of events for the strongman. And don’t try to ... more »

Breaking the Barriers: Talking About Race in Baltimore | Re:education in Baltimore

Breaking the Barriers: Talking About Race in Baltimore | Re:education in Baltimore:Breaking the Barriers: Talking About Race in BaltimoreBaltimore in Black and White from Urbanite. Thanks to Michael Corbin for the tip.A number of heavy hitters in education reform name closing the achievement gap as a driving mission. They’re mostly white. Because I was curious about whether closing that gap was in itself a driver for education reform-minded African Americans, I made my way to the Enoch Pratt Free Library ... more »

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: Stand For Children stands with Carr, Sundquist and Martin-Morris (but not Maier?)

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: Stand For Children stands with Carr, Sundquist and Martin-Morris (but not Maier?):Stand For Children stands with Carr, Sundquist and Martin-Morris (but not Maier?)from Seattle Public Schools community blog by Melissa WestbrookStand has done a couple of puzzling things recently.First, they sent out a postcard supporting Sherry Carr, Steve Sundquist and Harium Martin-Morris. The question I had was - where's Peter Maier? Why leave him off? Damaged goods from Pottergate? Offended their leadership? It's just kind ... more »

Thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street Movement | Mr. D's Neighborhood #ows

Thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street Movement | Mr. D's Neighborhood:Thoughts on the Occupy Wall Street Movementby ldorazio1As a born and bred 99%-er, I have spent an inordinate amount of time among the 1%.Going to college with many of the sons and daughters of the top tier, I absorbed many of the traits, both good and bad, that go with a life of privilege. Exposure to both plenty and want gave me a window into two worlds—and allowed me to ... more »