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

Schools Matter: Rsponding to the Economist

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Schools Matter: Rsponding to the Economist:Rsponding to the Economistby skrashenThe importance of quality libraries: What the research saysSent to The Economist, Dec 2“Checked out” (Dec 3) asks us not to “underestimate the symbolic role libraries play as a visible public good.” Libraries play much more than a symbolic role.Study after study has shown that reading achievement is higher when children have access to better school and public libraries, that is, libraries with better holdings and with qualified staff. This has ... more »

Mike Butz, The Prude Deadhead, Hates Blowjobs

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Mike Butz, The Prude Deadhead, Hates Blowjobs:Mike Butz, The Prude Deadhead, Hates BlowjobsMike Butz is a Michelle Rhee fan and has even written for StudentsFirst. He says he's a Democrat, and I am sure he is. But he is very conservative, and now, apparently, he is showing he is also a prude.He is not an educator; never was. He claims to understand science via osmosis. He rants and raves about how teachers, unions and districts don't know what they are ... more »

Dear Colleague Letter from Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali.

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Dear Colleague Letter from Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali.:Dear Colleague LetterOFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARYU.S. Department of JusticeCivil Rights DivisionU.S. Department of EducationOffice for Civil Rights MORE RESOURCESDear Colleague Letter PDF (136K)Guidance ESE PDF (290K)Guidance PSE PDF (124K)December 2, 2011Dear Colleague: Today, the United States Department of Education (ED) and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) are jointly issuing guidance that explains how educational institutions can lawfully pursue voluntary policies to achieve diversity... more »

Occupy SF Protesters to Open People's Reserve Credit Union - San Francisco News - The Snitch #ows #coop

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Occupy SF Protesters to Open People's Reserve Credit Union - San Francisco News - The Snitch:Occupy SF Protesters to Open People's Reserve Credit UnionBy Erin Sherbert Fri., Dec. 2 2011 at 1:10 PMComments (10) Categories: OccupyShare0diggOccupy is doing something besides squatting​A few weeks ago, we got a real kick out of the fact that Occupy Oakland deposited a $20,000 donation it received into Wells Fargo -- one of the many big banks the movement has been actively protesting since September. ... more »

Repairing a Culture of Blame « InterACT #EDreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Repairing a Culture of Blame « InterACT:Repairing a Culture of Blameby David B. CohenMaybe we can all agree on a basic starting point: no one is perfect, and every individual and organization should strive for growth and improvement.To go a step further, perhaps we can all agree that it is our shared responsibility to monitor public institutions – including schools, school districts, state and federal governments – and hold them to high standards.What happens when we fall short? Or when ...more »

Da DEAL: L.A. teachers union drops legal challenge to evaluation system - latimes.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

L.A. teachers union drops legal challenge to evaluation system - latimes.com:L.A. teachers union drops legal challenge to evaluation systemDecember 2, 2011 | 4:18 pm 20The union for Los Angeles teachers has suspended its legal challenge to a pilot evaluation program that includes using standardized test scores as part of a teacher’s performance review. The union also reserved the right to reactivate the case should talks with the district sour.A joint statement released by L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy and United ... more »

Farmers Join Occupy Wall Street, Calling for Food Justice | OccupyWallSt.org #ows #coop #ucdavis

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Farmers Join Occupy Wall Street, Calling for Food Justice | OccupyWallSt.org:Farmers Join Occupy Wall Street, Calling for Food Justiceby OccupyWallStAs Wall Street’s corrupt influence on the economy has grown, the corporate ownership of our food system has hurt the health and livelihood’s of some of our most vulnerable communities. This Sunday, December 4th food justice activists and occupiers will be traveling from as far as Colorado, Iowa, Maine and Upstate New York to join together for the Occupy Wall Street ... more »

"Teacher Centers 'never missed a beat'." www.nysut.org

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"Teacher Centers 'never missed a beat'." December 02, 2011. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals. www.nysut.org:Teacher Centers 'never missed a beat'Darryl McGrath - NYSUT Communications - December 2, 2011 NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira (standing) speaks to Kenmore teachers Joi Chimera (left) and Elaine Altman at the teacher center event. Photo by El-Wise Noisette.New York State Teacher Centers are not only back up and running, but thriving in an atmosphere of renewed appreciation for their work on behalf of students and ...more »

Teachers’ Union Will Issue Endorsement in Governor’s Race Tomorrow | PubliCola

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Teachers’ Union Will Issue Endorsement in Governor’s Race Tomorrow | PubliCola:Teachers’ Union Will Issue Endorsement in Governor’s Race TomorrowThe Washington Education Association’s political action committee board is interviewing US Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA, 1) and Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna—the Democratic and Republican 2012 candidates for governor, respectively—tomorrow. Inslee will go first at 11 am and McKenna will follow him at 1:30 (with liveTwitterandFacebookupdates).Even though McKenna hasmadeeducation and education funding the focal point of his campaign,... more »

Occupy Broadway | OccupyWallSt.org #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Occupy Broadway | OccupyWallSt.org:Occupy Broadwayby OccupyWallStThis Saturday, creative artists, performers occupy Broadway and commence an all-night performance in an undisclosed bonus plaza.EVENT: Occupy Broadway (theatre/shopping district) with a 24-hour performance.WHEN: From December 2nd starting at 6pm until December 3rd at 6pmWHERE: Times Square by the red stairs, between 46th and 47th streets, along 7th Ave, NY, NYSHHH!: location released at 6pm day of: @OccupyWallStNYC #OccupyBroadwayNEW YORK, NY (December, 2011) – On December 2, 2011 New York artists will introduce touris... more »

School Strategies that Support Physical Activity « Whole Child Education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:School Strategies that Support Physical ActivityASCD Whole Child Bloggers at Whole Child Education » The Whole Child Blog - 16 hours agoSchools, through recess, physical education, and other programs provide opportunities for children to accrue their recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. What strategies does your school employ to keep students active?Ask Dr. Judy Webinar: How Can Students Remember Next Year What I Teach This Year?Klea Scharberg at Whole Child Education » ... more »

Bigger money wins in school board races | EdNewsColorado

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Bigger money wins in school board races | EdNewsColorado:Bigger money wins in school board racesby Nancy Mitchell and Charlie BrennanMoney apparently mattered in recent school board campaigns in the state’s largest school districts, with the top fundraisers winning in seven of eight elections in Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties.Final campaign finance reports filed Thursday for school board candidates show Denver’s citywide at-large race may rank as the most expensive in the city’s history, with five candidates raising more than $267,111.But ... more »

Fewer schools keep librarians on staff | California Watch

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Fewer schools keep librarians on staff | California Watch:Fewer schools keep librarians on staffEleanor Yang Sukali9/istockphoto.comFewer than 1 out of 4 schools in California is staffed with a credentialed librarian, according to the state Department of Education. Recent figures compiled by the department show there are about 900 school librarians in the state – that’s down from more than 1,100 two years ago.From Los Angeles to San Mateo and Fullerton, school districts have cut librarian positions this year to cope ... more »

Stand for Children? Following Costly Misstep, Education Group Tries to Rebound - Chicago News Cooperative

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Following Costly Misstep, Education Group Tries to Rebound - Chicago News Cooperative:Following Costly Misstep, Education Group Tries to Reboundby KRISTEN McQUEARYAn Oregon-based education group, whose deep pockets and skillful maneuvering made it a surprising powerhouse player in Springfield earlier this year, is regrouping after an embarrassing outburst by its founder forced a leadership shuffle within the organization.The Illinois chapter of Stand for Children raised more money than any other major lobbying interest in the capital last fall. But it has ... more »

Viewpoints: Our struggling schools need a long-term fix - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

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Viewpoints: Our struggling schools need a long-term fix - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee:Viewpoints: Our struggling schools need a long-term fixShareBy Jonathan RaymondSpecial to The BeePublished: Friday, Dec. 2, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 17AThe nonprofit group Advancement Project plans to gather signatures for a November 2012 ballot initiative that would raise money for schools, The Bee reported Wednesday. This is in addition to the 2012 Kids Education Plan, also aiming for the November ballot, which ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:What is the Mayor of Wall Street smoking?Mike Klonsky at Schooling in the Ownership Society - 5 minutes ago*He looked like he was from another planet when he dressed as a hippie for a political show, but the mayor’s blueprint for fixing city schools have some asking “what was he smoking?”* -- CBS News In a speech at MIT, Bloomberg said Thursday he would accomplish more with less by slashing the teaching staff in half and doubling ... more »

Big choices for LA teachers | Thoughts on Public Education

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Big choices for LA teachers | Thoughts on Public Education:Big choices for LA teachers - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guessby John Fensterwald - Educated GuessTeachers and principals in the state’s largest school district will be able to free themselves from a range of district policies and restrictions of the union contract – if they choose to. In a break from their ongoing battle over teacher evaluations, Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy and United Teachers Los Angeles President Warren ... more »

Engaging Parents In School… - Going Beyond Parent “Involvement”

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Engaging Parents In School… - Going Beyond Parent “Involvement”:Just this week, two short pieces talking about community organizing and parent engagement were published. They might be worth a look: What Inspired Me to Study Parent and Community Engagement at Harvard Education Publishing. Education reform through community action at The Washington Post.“Building Trust With Parents”Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 1 day agoBuilding Trust With Parents is another excellent post by Chris Wejr. I’m adding it to The Best ... more »

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:What matters most in college admissions — money or merit?Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 hours agoThis *was written by Esther Quintero, a research associate at the nonprofit Albert Shanker Institute. It first appeared on the institute’s blog. * By Esther Quintero A recent survey of college admission directors and enrollment managers conducted by Inside Higher Education sparked considerable media coverage about ... more »