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

Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report finds

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 minutes ago

Great Lakes Center For Education Research Practice:Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report finds Study finds more questions than answers about the benefit of full-time virtual schoolsEAST LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 25, 2011) — Full-time virtual schools are expanding despite no high-quality evidence that they are effective, according to a new report released today.Cash-strapped states and school districts are using online education — including full-time virtual schools with no face-to-face contact between students and teachers — ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Bring Democracy To Jersey City

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Jersey Jazzman: Bring Democracy To Jersey City:Bring Democracy To Jersey Cityby DukeHey, Jersey City! If you're good, maybe ACTING Lord High Executioner Cerf will give you a hint about who he will install to run your schools:Some 40 people were stuck on the outside looking in for more than an hour on Dec. 22 when acting state education commissioner Christopher Cerf met with the school board in a closed session to discuss the ongoing superintendent search.Cerf and board members conferred ... more »

Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plate | Dailycensored.com

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Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plate | Dailycensored.com:Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plateby Adam BessieAre you a hedge fund manager or venture capitalist feeling guilty about being in the 1%?Do you need a philanthropic investment to help polish the image of your brand, sullied by the Occupy protests?Or are you a seeking a way to make huge profits off of the government you love to hate?If so, on January 12th in New York City, you’ll have an exciting ... more »

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - Anu Partanen - National - The Atlantic

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What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - Anu Partanen - National - The Atlantic:What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School SuccessDEC 29 2011, 3:00 PM ETThe Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.Sergey Ivanov/FlickrEveryone agrees the United States needs to improve its education system dramatically, but how? One of the hottest trends in education reform lately is looking at the stunning success of the West's reigning education superpower, Finland. Trouble is, when ... more »

DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of Funding

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 minutes ago

DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of Funding:DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of FundingDOROTHY ROWLEY THURSDAY, 29 DECEMBER 20110diggNational Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data shows the efforts of former D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Michelle Rhee and current Chancellor Kaya Henderson failed to reduce achievement gaps, or guarantee to that children would receive at least an adequate, "average" education, regardless of the school they attended.The report also concluded that in the DCPS system which ...more »

Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’ | PolitickerNY

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Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’ | PolitickerNY:Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’By Hunter Walker 3:42pmScott Stringer (Photo: Facebook)Manhattan Borough President and possible 2013 mayoral candidate Scott Stringer blasted the New York City Department of Education at a press conference today following the publication of a New York Times report documenting the DOE’s failure to claim millions of dollars in federal Medicaid reimbursements for ... more »

That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken? « At the Chalk Face

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 minutes ago

That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken? « At the Chalk Face:That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken?December 29, 2011I wish I could take credit for the pouting baby meme, but I think that’s Firedoglake. But I think SA’s Alex Russo gets the pouting baby merit award this week for starting a little online cat fight. So, the original catalyst was here, where in ... more »

Larry Ferlazzo: Education-Related Predictions for 2012

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 minutes ago

Larry Ferlazzo: Education-Related Predictions for 2012:Larry FerlazzoEnglish teacherGET UPDATES FROM LARRY FERLAZZO Education-Related Predictions for 2012Posted: 12/29/11 03:40 PM ETI recently posted The Best (and Worst) Education News of 2011, and thought I'd take a stab at some prognostication for 2012.I think I batted close to 50 percent in last year's predictions -- that can't be that much worse than those made by professional pundits.Feel free to add your own predictions in the comments section -- and don't hesitate to ... more »

Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

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Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken Systemby Anthony CodyAlexander Russo has done an excellent job stirring the pot with his column yesterday asserting that "reform critics" like myself are "winning" the online debate.As I tried to point out yesterday, the online debate is rather meaningless if the real decisions about our schools continue to be made based on misinformation, bribery and political ... more »

2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacic « InterACT

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2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacic « InterACT:2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacicby David B. CohenKelly KovacicContinuing to wrap up 2011 at InterACT, today I highlight a few of the great posts that Kelly Kovacic contributed this year. (Prior installments include best guest posts and best posts by Martha Infante). As a result of her time as a California Teacher of the Year, Kelly has kept quite busy not only here in California, but also participating in national, and even ... more »

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!

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Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!:Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)I've been writing, working on my blog, experimenting, doing this for Flat Classroom but I'd like to share my favorite 5 posts for looking at yourself this 2012 in the common retrospection that we have this time of year. I don't make resolutions, I make appointments with myself to ... more »

2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left Behind - US News and World Report

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2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left Behind - US News and World Report:2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left BehindIt was a big year for the nation's central K-12 education policyBy MALLIE JANE KIMDecember 28, 2011 RSS Feed PrintThe nation's now unpopular key education policy saw more action in Washington this year than it did since it passed in 2001.No Child Left Behind has been overdue for a rewrite since 2007, and education experts agree final reform needs to ...more »

The Education Optimists: Whose Race to the Top?

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The Education Optimists: Whose Race to the Top?:Whose Race to the Top?Posted by Sara Goldrick-RabA new investigation into the charter schools run by Joe Biden's brother Frank, a self-proclaimed "PT Barnum" of charters, raises interesting implications for the Obama Administration's educational policy known as Race to the Top.As many, including the U.S. Department of Educationwhich oversees RTTT, have pointed out, states that embrace charter schools are winning the race. As DOE materials put it, "President Obama has called upon states ... more »

The 1% and Education Policy « Nashville Jefferson: A Nashville Education Blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 17 hours ago

The 1% and Education Policy « Nashville Jefferson: A Nashville Education Blog:The 1% and Education PolicyDECEMBER 29, 2011tags: ALEC, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Billionaires' Boys Club, Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Barkan, Matthew McKnight, obligatory Occupy Wall Street reference, philanthrophy, private dollars, Sara Goldrick Rab, The Broad Foundation, The Education Optimists, The New Yorker, Walton Family FoundationLook, it’s no secret that an elite club of education dilettantes philanthropists have been throwing money at various educational causes for a good while, and ... more »

Florida Gets Acquainted With Ohio’s Master of Charter School Disaster | Scathing Purple Musings

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Florida Gets Acquainted With Ohio’s Master of Charter School Disaster | Scathing Purple Musings:Florida Gets Acquainted With Ohio’s Master of Charter School Disasterby Bob SikesIts been a really bad few weeks for Maverick’s charter schools. New Times reporter Lisa Rab has beenestablishing a timeline. Freelance writer Doug Martin has been following the money. Now comes word the founder of Mavericks is in some real trouble in Ohio. Writes Vince Grzegorek in Cleveland Scene Magazine.The tale of Mark Thimmig is a ... more »

Hechinger Report | As Ohio moves to defund remedial courses, new models arise

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Hechinger Report | As Ohio moves to defund remedial courses, new models arise:As Ohio moves to defund remedial courses, new models ariseby Sarah ButrymowiczStudents at Kent State University (Photo by Sarah Butrymowicz)KENT, Ohio—As finals approached, nearly 240 students in a computer lab worked through basic algebra problems at Kent State University, where they and more than 3,200 of their classmates had been deemed unprepared for college-level math. They struggled to solve for x in equations like 3x + 1 = ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A biblical school reform metaphor

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 17 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A biblical school reform metaphor:A biblical school reform metaphorby Mike KlonskyBut who's David and who's Goliath? There's a strange dynamic going on inside the online education reform debate in which the well-funded reformers play the role of wimpy David and the scrappy traditional educators are Goliath. --Alexander RussoI've got to hand it to provocateur metaphor-mixing Russo. He got some of my fellow SOSers and current reform critics to take the bait by referring to them as ... more »

Schools Matter: Gingrich Chooses Keegan for Her Strong Corruption Credentials?

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Schools Matter: Gingrich Chooses Keegan for Her Strong Corruption Credentials?:Gingrich Chooses Keegan for Her Strong Corruption Credentials?by Jim HornLisa G. Keegan has come a long way since her feature in the Peoria Times in 2006, which followed many months of avoiding questions emanating from a federal audit that noted the missing millions that someone raked away while she was running the Education Leaders Council during the champagne popping days for the ed industry under Bush II.Keegan served as McCain's mouthpiece ... more »

Presidential Proclamation -- National Mentoring Month, 2012 | The White House

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Presidential Proclamation -- National Mentoring Month, 2012 | The White House:Presidential Proclamation -- National Mentoring Month, 2012by The White HouseRelease Time: For Immediate ReleaseBY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATIONEvery day, mentors help young Americans face the challenges of growing into adulthood. By setting a positive example and sharing their time, knowledge, and experience, mentors play an essential role in preparing our Nation's youth for a bright future. During National Mentoring Month, we celebrate the contributions of ...more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Department of Education Just Won The Data Jackpot

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Missouri Education Watchdog: The Department of Education Just Won The Data Jackpot:The Department of Education Just Won The Data Jackpotby AnngieEmmett McGroarty, executive director of the Preserve Innocence Initiative of the American Principles Project and Jane Robbins, a senior fellow with the APP, wrote a great opinion piece that was featured in today's New York Post regarding the new access the Federal Dept of Education just granted itself to a wide range of data about your children. We are including ... more »