Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts #ows #edreform

Why School Choice Fails - NYTimes.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 28 minutes ago

Why School Choice Fails - NYTimes.com:Why School Choice FailsBy NATALIE HOPKINSONPublished: December 4, 2011RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINE-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHAREWashingtonRelatedTimes Topic: EducationIF you want to see the direction that education reform is taking the country, pay a visit to my leafy, majority-black neighborhood in Washington. While we have lived in the same house since our 11-year-old son was born, he’s been assigned to three different elementary schools as one after the other has been shuttered. Now it’s time for middle school, and there’s been no neighborhood ... more »

CPS Closings Spark Outcry - Chicago News Cooperative

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 28 minutes ago

CPS Closings Spark Outcry - Chicago News Cooperative:CPS Closings Spark Outcryby REBECCA VEVEAMayor Rahm Emanuel’s education team made its first attempt at improving struggling schools last week, and the negative reviews came quickly. State legislators and community leaders called the proposed closing or restructuring of 21 schools “very troubling” and said administrators were violating the intent of a new state law.Chicago Public Schools designated 10 schools for turnaround — a controversial process in which existing staff members are fired and ... more »

All Education Matters: Debt (The Student Loan Crisis) and Suicide

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 28 minutes ago

All Education Matters: Debt (The Student Loan Crisis) and Suicide:Debt (The Student Loan Crisis) and Suicideby Cryn JohannsenI've written about and have been researching the relationship between student loan debt and suicide for well over a year. A fellow activist sent me this clip that dramatizes the crisis in a powerful way. Sadly, I heard from a mother recently who told me that her son killed himself in part because of the debt he owed. (More on that later). In ... more »

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Pepper spray safe? We still don't know #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 28 minutes ago

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Pepper spray safe? We still don't know:PEPPER SPRAY SAFE? WE STILL DON'T KNOWSUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2011 AT 11:56AMThis article originally appeared at The Sacramento Bee on December 4, 2011.The pepper-spraying of 11 peaceful protesters at the University of California, Davis, provides an opportunity to reopen questions long ignored. Is oleoresin capsicum, the key ingredient of pepper spray, known to be safe? And if so, why have the authorities never performed the health risk assessments ... more »

Fatherhood In Patterns | The Jose Vilson

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Fatherhood In Patterns | The Jose Vilson:Fatherhood In Patternsby JoseThere’s only two ways to really look at every decision you make as a father: either you’ll do it just like you’re father or nothing like him. That goes for everything in life, because the any choice in life we make is binary. With all the exposure I have to children via my godson, nephews, and my own students, I’ve gotten a good grasp of the ins and outs of what ... more »

The Turnaround Timeline Simplified | The Classroom Sooth

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The Turnaround Timeline Simplified | The Classroom Sooth:The Turnaround Timeline Simplifiedby classroomsoothIn Chicago, and nationally, if schools don’t “work” we close them down or turn them around. If we take a look at why they do not “work” however, we see a pattern of strategic decision-making:1) Chronically under-resource a school.2) Declare it a “failure” after when you have a couple years of test-score results.3) Throw it away and tell the students and educators to go elsewhere.4) Re-open the building as ... more »

Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN

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Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN:Top Content this WeekTop Content Rank1A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work.m4vAdded by Thomas Whitby on November 22, 20112Learning Styles Don't ExistAdded by Thomas Whitby on April 11, 20103Finland - An Inconvenient TruthAdded by andy mellor on December 3, 20114TED Talk: Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kidsAdded by Thomas Whitby on November 23, 20115No One Writes Alone: Peer Review in the Classroom, A Guide For StudentsAdded by Thomas Whitby ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

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School Tech Connect: The Week in BooksBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-15 minutes agoSchool Tech Connect: The Week in Books:The Week in Booksby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)This week's haul from the Rogers Park branch library. My tech thought for the week is this: if your kids aren't reading a lot of books, on their e-readers or tablets or whatever, it doesn't matter what else you're doing: something has gone horribly awry.Here are my micro-reviews from last week. Each Litte Bird That ... more »

The best way to fight corporate education reform: New Triple Strength Prozac for Teachers | Dailycensored.com

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The best way to fight corporate education reform: New Triple Strength Prozac for Teachers | Dailycensored.com:The best way to fight corporate education reform: New Triple Strength Prozac for Teachersby Danny WeilWith education boiled down to illiteracy, teachers are finding that what was once a profession is now serfdom. The pharaceutical corporations that brought you ‘boner pills’, anti-depressants and other research marvels, now have a new market to target for their ‘suicide drugs’: the disenfranchised teacher. Take a look at the ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Week in Books

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago

School Tech Connect: The Week in Books:The Week in Booksby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)This week's haul from the Rogers Park branch library. My tech thought for the week is this: if your kids aren't reading a lot of books, on their e-readers or tablets or whatever, it doesn't matter what else you're doing: something has gone horribly awry.Here are my micro-reviews from last week. Each Litte Bird That Sings -- couldn't finish it; the narrator's voice annoyed me too much and, well, ... more »

OCCUPY EDUCATION - - Ive seen locked doors open due to my education ...

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OCCUPY EDUCATION - - Ive seen locked doors open due to my education ...:- Ive seen locked doors open due to my education - I want to...OCCUPY EDUCATION - 5 minutes ago- Ive seen locked doors open due to my education - I want to see money equally distributed to ALL schools, no matter that location of the institution or the race of the student body. - innovatively injecting education into the minds of the youth will cripple “the cycle” ... more »

What Is to Be Done about the Oligarchy? | Firedoglake

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What Is to Be Done about the Oligarchy? | Firedoglake:What Is to Be Done about the Oligarchy?by masaccioWe can’t afford this miserable oligarchy any more; so what should we do? There are two basic approaches. One is to cut down on the material inequality between the oligarchs and the rest of us. Another is to hem in the behaviors of Oligarchs so that their ability to damage the rest of us is significantly reduced. We can try both at the ... more »

Privatization of School Food Service: Unhealthy for Kids and Little Cost Savings « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

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Privatization of School Food Service: Unhealthy for Kids and Little Cost Savings « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Privatization of School Food Service: Unhealthy for Kids and Little Cost Savingsby millerlfHow the Food Industry Eats Your Kid’s LunchHeather Ainsworth for The New York TimesBy LUCY KOMISAR Published: December 3, 2011 NYTimesAn increasingly cozy alliance between companies that manufacture processed foods and companies that serve the meals is making students — a captive market — fat and sick while pulling in ... more »

Coaching Veteran Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

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Coaching Veteran Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:Coaching Veteran Teachersby larrycubanIt is rare to get a direct observation of instructional coaches working with experienced teachers. Atul Gawande, the veteran surgeon who took on a coach–see previous post–watched Jim Knight and his coaches at work in a Virginia middle school. Here is Gawande’s account.We met early one May morning at Leslie H. Walton Middle School, in Albemarle County, Virginia. In 2009, the Albemarle County public schools created ... more »

I am a Cultural Tourist. Are you the Tour Guides? « Cooperative Catalyst

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I am a Cultural Tourist. Are you the Tour Guides? « Cooperative Catalyst:I am a Cultural Tourist. Are you the Tour Guides?by Brent SnavelyI am sitting at my computer attempting to articulate profound thoughts and the TV show my wife is watching intrudes.The show is about Kevin Costner’s making of the film Dances with Wolves. Those interviewed claim “authenticity” (as defined by those telling the story) was an underlying concern of all who were involved in the film, investors and ... more »

4LAKids : DEAL GIVES LAUSD TEACHERS, PARENTS MORE SAY IN SOME SCHOOLS

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4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: DEAL GIVES LAUSD TEACHERS, PARENTS MORE SAY IN SOME SCHOOLS:DEAL GIVES LAUSD TEACHERS, PARENTS MORE SAY IN SOME SCHOOLSBY CITY NEWS SERVICE/EGP PUBLICATIONS | HTTP://BIT.LY/VWDWQXDec 1, 2011 :: The Los Angeles Unified School District announced a tentative labor agreement with the union representing the district’s teachers Tuesday – a pact aimed at giving more authority to teachers, principals and parents to determine policies and set the direction of individual schools.“Teachers and ... more »

ALEC and Bill Gates, the Mask Comes Off | AMPS

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ALEC and Bill Gates, the Mask Comes Off | AMPS:ALEC and Bill Gates, the Mask Comes Offby Thomas J. MertzThe Cramps, “What’s Behind the Mask” (click to listen or download)This morning a friend tweeted me a grant listing from the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Gates is giving ALEC $375,000[T]o educate and engage its membership on more efficient state budget approaches to drive greater student outcomes, as well as educate them on beneficial ... more »

Why Rick Scott’s Call for More STEM Degrees is Half Right | Scathing Purple Musings

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Why Rick Scott’s Call for More STEM Degrees is Half Right | Scathing Purple Musings:Why Rick Scott’s Call for More STEM Degrees is Half Rightby Bob SikesI thought that Rick Scott was on solid ground when he called for an increased emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education programs. Scott was correct to point out that there are some empty degrees being pushed on college campuses which do not prepare students for employment. Athough he was misguided in ... more »

Chicago to join Gates Foundation charter compact | catalyst-chicago.org #edreform #ows

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Chicago to join Gates Foundation charter compact | catalyst-chicago.org:Chicago to join Gates Foundation charter compactBy: Sarah Karp / December 02, 2011Tags: charter schools finance and budgetsThough they are still in negotiations over the details, Chicago Public Schools officials are set to sign on to a national intiaitive that encourages stronger cooperation between charter schools and traditional schools, as well as providing equitable district funding for charters.Nine cities have already signed such agreements, called District Charter Collaboration Compacts, which are being ... more »