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

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 minutes ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 minutes ago

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

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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) - 12 minutes 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 »

Schools Matter: When Bribes Don't Buy Buy-In, New York Ed Commish Tries the Extortion Route

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Schools Matter: When Bribes Don't Buy Buy-In, New York Ed Commish Tries the Extortion Route:When Bribes Don't Buy Buy-In, New York Ed Commish Tries the Extortion Routeby Jim HornFrom the NY Times, by Fernanda Santos:New York State’s education commissioner threatened on Tuesday to withhold tens of millions of dollars in federal grants to struggling schools in New York City and nine other districts statewide if they do not prove by Saturday that they will carry out new evaluation systems for ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Great Miami Herald Series on Charters

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Jersey Jazzman: Great Miami Herald Series on Charters:Great Miami Herald Series on Chartersby DukeThe Miami Herald did a terrific series about charter schools this month; if you haven't read it, you really should.Here's a little something for those of you who think the talk of Wall Street making money off of the charter movement is worthy of a tin-foil hat:Despite the criticism, the Zuluetas have repeated this business strategy across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Through similar arrangements, the Zuluetas control ... more »

Let’s Admit It – Education is Not the Most Important Thing in Life « Cooperative Catalyst

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Let’s Admit It – Education is Not the Most Important Thing in Life « Cooperative Catalyst:Let’s Admit It – Education is Not the Most Important Thing in Lifeby Pernille RippAah Christmas break, or winter break, as we call it in my district so as not to offend anyone with our secularism. The students eagerly awaiting when I would drop the bomb; the homework bomb. How much would I require to make them do during their break, what projects would they ... more »

Digitized Quotes – Susan Ohanian on NCLB… how about no child left in poverty

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Digitized Quotes – Susan Ohanian on NCLB… how about no child left in poverty ?? @susanoha Florida activists still going strong ! Wear Red for Ed ! Keep Public Schools Public ! « Continuing Change:Digitized Quotes – Susan Ohanian on NCLB… how about no child left in poverty ?? @susanoha Florida activists still going strong ! Wear Red for Ed ! Keep Public Schools Public !by gatorbonbcMy Favorite Quotes Digitized = Susan Ohanian I always have loved Susan Ohanian … ... more »

The Moneychangers: How Florida’s Education Reform Movement Uses Religion to Manipulate the Public | Scathing Purple Musings

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The Moneychangers: How Florida’s Education Reform Movement Uses Religion to Manipulate the Public | Scathing Purple Musings:The Moneychangers: How Florida’s Education Reform Movement Uses Religion to Manipulate the Publicby Bob SikesJacksonville writer, parent and public education advocate Julie Delegal closely follows Florida education policy. She offers this in response to legislative efforts to expand vouchers through repeal of the Blaine Amendment.In the wake of a recent circuit court decision, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has rewritten a legislatively composed ballot ... more »

Design Team Updates - Sacramento City Unified School District

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Design Team Updates - Sacramento City Unified School District:Design Team UpdatesLatest information on Design TeamsThis web page is a resource for all information regarding SCUSD schools recommended for a Design Team process. Please click on each individual school below for information about upcoming meetings, responses and comments from previous meetings, minutes from Design Team meetings and other useful information. Also to the right, you will find links to full reports issued by the 7-11 Committee and the Superintendent regarding these ... more »

Report: School principals unfamiliar with many parts of their jobs - SGVTribune.com

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Report: School principals unfamiliar with many parts of their jobs - SGVTribune.com:Report: School principals unfamiliar with many parts of their jobsBy J.D. Velasco, Staff WriterPosted: 12/25/2011 06:04:21 AM PSTAs education budgets and staffing levels have shrunk in recent years, school principals are being asked to take on an increasing number of duties - some in areas in which they don't have much experience, a new survey suggests.The recently released survey was conducted by the Center for the Future of Teaching ... more »

This Week In Education: Media: Reform Opponents Are Winning Online (For Now)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

This Week In Education: Media: Reform Opponents Are Winning Online (For Now):Media: Reform Opponents Are Winning Online (For Now)by Alexander RussoThere'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. But the mismatch could change quickly in the new year, and if it does things will get noisier but also -- I hope -- a little more interesting.As anyone who ... more »