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

More student unrest likely, California college officials tell legislative panel - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 20 minutes ago

More student unrest likely, California college officials tell legislative panel - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:More student unrest likely, California college officials tell legislative panelby sstanton@sacbee.com (Sam Stanton)One month after the pepper-spraying of student protesters at the University of California, Davis, officials are struggling with how to move forward, even as they prepare for the possibility of new protests and building takeovers when students return next month.UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi speaks at ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: An "astonishing number..."

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 20 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: An "astonishing number...":An "astonishing number..."by Mike KlonskyRemember last spring when Arne Duncan was pushing for reauthorization of NCLB, heclaimed that 82 percent of public schools were "failing"? Three days later, President Obama repeated Duncan's foolish claim in a speech at Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Va. “Four out of five schools will be labeled as failing,” Obama said , in March. “That’s an astonishing number.”Astonishing indeed. The only thing "failing" was NCLB itself.As Duncan himself admitted ... more »

NYC Educator: Digging in His Heels

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 20 minutes ago

NYC Educator: Digging in His Heels:Digging in His Heelsby Miss Eyre"Ronny" is a senior at my school. Ronny is universally regarded as, on one hand, bright and capable; on the other, as stubborn, strong-willed, and difficult to get to know. As you can imagine, working with Ronny is not an easy task as the seniors wrap up their college applications.Ronny does not want to go to college. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts. Four years at an ostensibly college-prep school ... more »

Jerry Brown’s cagily worded initiative | Thoughts on Public Education

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Jerry Brown’s cagily worded initiative | Thoughts on Public Education:Jerry Brown’s cagily worded initiative - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guessby John Fensterwald - Educated GuessCalifornians like the shorthand explanation of the tax increase that Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing for November. Seventy percent in a recent poll said they’d favor the initiative if the money would go to K-12 schools. But this would be true only in a narrow, technical sense. Schools will likely get billions of dollars less. ... more »

Why strong afterschool programs matter - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 20 minutes ago

Why strong afterschool programs matter - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Why strong afterschool programs matterby Valerie StraussThis was written by Jodi Grant, executive director of the nonprofit Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs.By Jodi GrantThe National School Boards Association recently released a report comparing the time U.S. students spend in school to the time spent in school in other countries — questioning the trendy notion ... more »

Daily Kos: Some thoughts on teaching (redux)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 20 minutes ago

Daily Kos: Some thoughts on teaching (redux):Some thoughts on teaching (redux)by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)which were occasioned by a recent conversation where i was asked if I thought teaching more of an art rather than a science. I responded that the question was a false frame, and was asked to explain.My explanation comes in part from my background and formal education in music.I think what we are seeing in education is neither art nor science, but the attempt to turn education into ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Hypocrisy One

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Jersey Jazzman: Hypocrisy One:Hypocrisy Oneby DukeChris Christie, 12/14/11:Gov. Chris Christie deflected a question today on whether he used his power this week to extract revenge on State Sen. Richard Codey — but not before taking another jab at the former governor.“What I’ve learned about legislators over time, and particularly about Sen. Codey, is that they seem to be much more worried about the perks of the job than they are about actually getting the job done,” Christie said today at ... more »

School Tech Connect: Krashen Reviews The Evidence, Again

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 20 minutes ago

School Tech Connect: Krashen Reviews The Evidence, Again:Krashen Reviews The Evidence, Againby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)TFT has posted a CTU video of Stephen Krashen. Go watch it.I'm making it my goal to get this information before the eyes of my elected people. All of us in the resistance know these things already, but our lawmakers get their information from Arne Duncan, who is where he is basically because he plays basketball with the President.I love this: "International tests are reliable. They're good ... more »

$$$ CONTRIBUTE TO PERDAILY ADVOCACY ON YOUR BEHALF $$$ ($ $ $ CONTRIBUIR A LA DEFENSA EN SU NOMBRE PERDAILY $ $ $) - Perdaily.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 20 minutes ago

$$$ CONTRIBUTE TO PERDAILY ADVOCACY ON YOUR BEHALF $$$ ($ $ $ CONTRIBUIR A LA DEFENSA EN SU NOMBRE PERDAILY $ $ $) - Perdaily.com:$$$ CONTRIBUTE TO PERDAILY ADVOCACY ON YOUR BEHALF $$$ ($ $ $ CONTRIBUIR A LA DEFENSA EN SU NOMBRE PERDAILY $ $ $)by Leonard Isenberg(Mensaje se repite en Español)As the number of teachers still working for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) continues to plummet precipitously to approximately 35,000 - down close to 8,000 in ... more »

A Teacher’s Christmas Wish « City School Stories

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A Teacher’s Christmas Wish « City School Stories:A Teacher’s Christmas Wishby fmurphyTeacher StoriesSubmitted by: Joy of Teaching on December 15,2011The holiday season is upon us. I know because the local radio station jolted me into it with the round-the-clock Christmas music a week before Thanksgiving. The other day, I heard a song by Amy Grant titled “My Grown Up Christmas List”. The lyrics express an adult’s wish for a peaceful world, long lasting friendships and healing. This song has me ... more »

Real school reform creates access to educational opportunities for every child Philadelphia Federation of Teachers #edreform #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers:To: All House MembersFrom: Jerry Jordan, President, Philadelphia Federation of TeachersThe 20,000 teachers, staff and retirees represented by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers support real and meaningful charter school reforms. We support legislation that emulates Governor Corbett's often repeated goal of "transparency and accountability" in the operation and administration of taxpayer financed public charter schools.Currently, two bills on second consideration in the House, SB 560 and SB 858 contain three proposed amendments dealing with, a...more »

New website ignores progress of English language learners | EdNewsColorado

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

New website ignores progress of English language learners | EdNewsColorado:New website ignores progress of English language learnersby Guest ColumnistThis article was submitted by Andrea Mérida, a Denver school board member representing southwest DenverThe ballyhoo over a new school grading website piqued my interest, so I surfed over toColoradoSchoolGrades.com to check it out. After all, the power partners that have coalesced around the website’s development and launch know how to make a splash. And why wouldn’t I be interested in the ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Does NJ DOE Commish Cerf REALLY Want A Hearing?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Does NJ DOE Commish Cerf REALLY Want A Hearing?:Does NJ DOE Commish Cerf REALLY Want A Hearing?by DukeThere's a pissing contest going on right now between Governor Christie and NJ Senator Ron Rice. Christie wants a confirmation hearing for his ACTING Education Commissioner, Chris Cerf, but Rice is holding up the process. So Christie is holding up judicial nominations in Rice's county in retaliation; it's already affecting trials. And now former Governor and current Senator Dick Codey is ... more »

State Allocation Board Projects Approved - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

State Allocation Board Projects Approved - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education):State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Fundingfor School Construction and Modernization ProjectsSACRAMENTO—The State Allocation Board (SAB) today disbursed $923.8 million to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools for the construction and modernization of 377 schools, said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson."Our schools and California's budget are in a state of financial emergency," said Torlakson. "These funds will give districts some of the resources th... more »

Ignoring the hard-won progress of English learners « Parents Across America

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Ignoring the hard-won progress of English learners « Parents Across America:Ignoring the hard-won progress of English learnersby andreameridaThe ballyhoo over a new school grading website piqued my interest, so I surfed over toColoradoSchoolGrades.com to check it out. After all, the power partners that have coalesced around the website’s development and launch know how to make a splash. And why wouldn’t I be interested in the fact that they’ve taken the pains to offer information in Spanish?After just a few searches ... more »

Other schools without space where city gave Moskowitz a home | GothamSchools

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Other schools without space where city gave Moskowitz a home | GothamSchools:Other schools without space where city gave Moskowitz a homeby Geoff DeckerBy the end of tonight’s Panel for Educational Policy meeting, Eva Moskowitz’s new Success Academy charter school is virtually assured of having a home next fall in Brownstone Brooklyn. For another charter school that, unlike Moskowitz’s, had applied to open there, the future is less certain.The charter school that the Department of Education has proposed siting in District ... more »

Test Scores Often Misused In Policy Decisions

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Test Scores Often Misused In Policy Decisions:Joy ResmovitsJoy.resmovits@huffingtonpost.comBecome a fan of this reporterGET UPDATES FROM JOYStudent Performance Measurement Used In Education Policy Flunk -- Paperby The Huffington Post News TeamEducation policies that affect millions of students have long been tied to test scores, but a new paper suggests those scores are regularly misinterpreted.According to the new research out of Mathematica, a statistical research group, the comparisons sometimes used to judge school performance are more indicative of demographic change than actua... more »

What Happens When The Edu-Bubble Bursts? | OurFuture.org

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

What Happens When The Edu-Bubble Bursts? | OurFuture.org:What Happens When The Edu-Bubble Bursts?by Jeff BryantHeard the term "edu-bubble" yet? Chances are you will soon.No doubt you've heard of the "dot-com bubble." And if you're like millions of Americans, you may be currently experiencing the ravages of the "housing bubble." But the edu-bubble?During the dot-com bubble, from 1990-2000, speculative capital drove up the wildly inflated prospects of internet-based businesses. The speculation was driven to a great extent by venture capitalists and ... more »

Robert Reich (An Offer to the President Mr. President, we heard...)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Robert Reich (An Offer to the President Mr. President, we heard...):An Offer to the President Mr. President, we heard what you said...PopoutAn Offer to the President Mr. President, we heard what you said last week in Kansas – about the dangers to our economy and democracy of the increasing concentration of income and wealth at the top. We agree. And many of us are prepared to work our hearts to get you reelected – as long as you commit to ... more »

Looking at the Concept of Adultism | Lefty Parent

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

Looking at the Concept of Adultism | Lefty Parent:Looking at the Concept of Adultismby Cooper Zale[FYI... for those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you may recognize this piece as the combining of three pieces I wrote previously on this subject.]So you have probably already been “ism’d” within an inch of your life and may be ready to roll your eyes if I attempt to direct your attention to another one! Seems the 20th Century ... more »