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Friday, August 12, 2011

Lobato 8/12: The first real clash | EdNewsColorado

Lobato 8/12: The first real clash | EdNewsColorado

Lobato 8/12: The first real clash

by Todd Engdahl

Amendment 23 author Cary Kennedy had a rough cross-examination, and the first real legal tussling erupted Friday afternoon as the Lobato trial ended its second week.

Lobato v. State illustrationKennedy, state treasurer from 2007 to early this year, has been a central figure in school finance discussions and decisions for more than a decade. She was subpoenaed to be an expert witness for the plaintiffs, a large group of parents and school districts that is suing the state, claiming Colorado’s school finance system doesn’t meet the “thorough and uniform” education requirements of the state constitution. She recently was named chief financial officer for the City and County of Denver.

Most of Kennedy’s testimony, elicited with detailed questions by plaintiffs’ lawyer Kenzo Kawanabe, sketched

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Teachers upset enough to ask for strike vote, union chief says - Chicago Sun-Times

Teachers upset enough to ask for strike vote, union chief says - Chicago Sun-Times

Teachers upset enough to ask for strike vote, union chief says

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter rrossi@suntimes.com August 12, 2011 8:54PM

Story Image

Karen Lewis

Updated: August 12, 2011 9:47PM



The president of the Chicago Teachers Union said Friday on a radio show that there is a “very high” likelihood that teachers will ask her to take a strike vote, given how angry and disrespected they feel.

But clarifying later to the Chicago Sun-Times, Karen Lewis said she did not predict that teachers will ultimately go on strike, only that the probability is high that members will call for a strike vote.

“People are very upset. People feel disrespected,’’ Lewis told WLS- AM Radio’s Connected to Chicago, which airs at 6 a.m. Sunday.

“We have teachers who have been extremely vilified for political purposes,’’

Faced with a tougher new bar for approving a strike, Lewis said she would only call for a strike vote if teachers came to her and requested it. But, given the disrespect and “loss of dignity” teachers feel, Lewis said, the likelihood o

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Veteran educator says tests are failing, standardized approach hobbles teachers and students | OregonLive.com

Veteran educator says tests are failing, standardized approach hobbles teachers and students | OregonLive.com

Veteran educator says tests are failing, standardized approach hobbles teachers and students

Published: Friday, August 12, 2011, 6:48 PM

meier.JPGView full sizeAnne Laufe, Special to The OregonianVivien Orlen (left), principal at Portland's Grant High School, hosts New York educator and activist Deborah Meier on her visit to Portland.
Some local educators reacted in dismay to the news that more Portland schools are failing under federal No Child Left Behind guidelines, but not Deborah Meier.

"The tests are meaningless," the veteran school reform activist said, referring to the measures used to determine how schools are performing.

Meier, who lives in New York City, was in Portland recently to speak at a conference sponsored by theAlternative Education Resource Organization.

Currently on the faculty at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education, the 80-year-old
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Late Night FDL – Don’t Just Sit There, Go Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower! | Firedoglake

Late Night FDL – Don’t Just Sit There, Go Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower! | Firedoglake

Late Night FDL – Don’t Just Sit There, Go Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower!

by Bill Egnor

Tonight is the peak night of the Perseid Meteor shower. It is one of my favorite times of the whole summer, the night when you either stay up really late or get up really early to go to some darkened field to watch little flecks of fire streak across the sky.

Now, not everyone can get out of their Mega-City to watch this yearly occurrence; but not to worry, the guys at NASA will hook you up! That is what we have at the top of this post a live composite of the meteors that have streaked across the sky.

They should be starting the view right as this post, um, posts, so take a look. There is also a live chat with

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Modern School: Free Speech Victory For Teen Girls

Modern School: Free Speech Victory For Teen Girls

Free Speech Victory For Teen Girls

by Michael Dunn

A judge has ruled in favor of two girls who had been punished by their school for posting suggestive pictures on MySpace during the summer (Daily Mail Reporter). U.S District Judge Philip Simon ruled that an Indiana school district violated the girls’ First Amendment rights by punishing them for posting sexually suggestive photos on MySpace. However, he delayed his decision on whether to award damages while awaiting a ruling in a difference case before the 7th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana had filed a lawsuit on behalf of the teens in October 2009, claiming the district improperly banned the girls from extracurricular activities even though their behavior had not involved the school. Furthermore, the school humiliated the
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Commentary: Ackerman's last days | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Commentary: Ackerman's last days | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Commentary: Ackerman's last days

by Helen Gym on Aug 12 2011 Posted in Blogger commentary

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The final act of Arlene Ackerman’s tenure should come with little surprise but plenty of outrage at the local and state powers who have let it drag out in such bitter, toxic fashion.

The last two School Reform Commission meetings and the media attention around them have been, frankly, a citywide embarrassment and alarming to parents, school staff and community organizations working frantically to get ready for the start of school. We’ve got more than a thousand vacancies districtwide – a terrifying number considering that it’s less than three weeks before teachers report for their first day.

Yet paralysis has gripped the District with the political silence around Ackerman’s tenure.

Few doubt that there’s backroom negotiation to push her out while her lawyers try

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School Tech Connect: Nose, Grindstone

School Tech Connect: Nose, Grindstone

Nose, Grindstone

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)
The permanent pension attack is gearing back up. We're outspent, but we're not outnumbered, and as long as it's one-person*, one-vote in this country we have a chance to defend ourselves. Here's tonight's letter to my representative. Faxed it off only moments ago.




One hates to harp on the same old thing but....in a better world, not even a perfect world, I would go over to my
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Community Education Task Force Slate for Educational Change « Failing Schools

Community Education Task Force Slate for Educational Change « Failing Schools

Community Education Task Force Slate for Educational Change

AUGUST 12, 2011
by markfriedman1

We in the Community Education Task Force in Rochester, New York have been struggling around several crucial issues that touch many other locations. We were part of a successful effort against the attempt to bring about mayoral control in the Rochester City School District (at least temporarily, as we know the issue will be back). We were part of a collective effort to push out a Broad-trained Superintendent, Jean-Claude Brizard, and have since continued the struggle against corporate-driven privatization reforms in favor of grassroots community-driven decision making and empowerment. We held a large community-wide education summit in which

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Judge halts voucher pilot for now | EdNewsColorado

Judge halts voucher pilot for now | EdNewsColorado

Judge halts voucher pilot for now

by Nancy Mitchell

Denver District Court Judge Michael Martinez has granted an injunction that effectively halts the Douglas County voucher pilot until legal challenges to the first-of-its-kind plan are resolved.

Martinez issued the ruling today, following last week’s three-day hearing on a motion for preliminary injunction filed by a group of parents and civil-liberties organizations suing to shut the pilot down.

In his ruling, Martinez concluded, “the Court finds that, not only have Plaintiffs presented sufficient evidence to

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Thoughts on Diane Ravitch’s Critique of U.S. Education System | Lefty Parent

Thoughts on Diane Ravitch’s Critique of U.S. Education System | Lefty Parent

Thoughts on Diane Ravitch’s Critique of U.S. Education System

by Cooper Zale

Reviewing Ken Bernstein’s piece, “Diane Ravitch is interviewed – by Diane Ravitch”, I think Ravitch has presented a thoughtful and comprehensive critique of our education system, including critiquing assumptions made by those up at the state and federal level who govern and control that system. To continue the discussion that I assume Ken is attempting to provoke, here are my thoughts on some of Diane’s, bringing my take as a parent (of now young adult kids who both left school in their early teens, and

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A Summer Song

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Thanks, Dusty & Gay Blech! An Epilogue

Thanks, Dusty & Gay Blech! An Epilogue

Thanks, Dusty & Gay Blech! An Epilogue

by NancyFlanagan

From Dusty & Gay, August 7, 2011:

The Save Our Schools rally and march on Washington was an outstanding event and, as you no doubt could have guessed, filled with very clever, creative, and passionate teachers and people concerned about public education in America. We have heard that some of our followers have contributed to S.O.S. Thank you!

Gay and I wore our New Mexico bike jerseys and rode our tandem bike named “Bipurbole” to the Ellipse where the rally was held. We saw five other New Mexico educators and

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After Two Months of Riding--Gay & Dusty at the Save Our Schools Rally

After Two Months of Riding--Gay & Dusty at the Save Our Schools Rally

After Two Months of Riding–Gay & Dusty at the Save Our Schools Rally

by NancyFlanagan

Poster’s Note: Apologies to Dusty & Gay Blech who faithfully shared all aspects of their amazing journey with the Save Our Schools March, for the delayed posting of their last two posts. Things got a little crazy before and immediately after the March. It’s been an honor to log in the legs of their journey–and a fascinating privilege to follow their thinking. Sincerely, Nancy Flanagan (SOS March Electronic Media

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Big Education Ape: 8-12-11 PM California's Parent Trigger Isn't About Schools. It's About Power EDition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

Published by Coopmike48 – 7 news spotters today

The New York Times - Schools For Tomorrow

nytschoolsfortomorrow.com - come back on september 22 to watch a live stream of the conference. Ellie AvishaiDirector, I-Think Initiative, Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking, Rotman School of Management, University of ...

DianeRavitch

Champions of Change: Arts Education

whitehouse.gov - President Obama believes that the arts and humanities should be part of the education of every child in America. The power of the arts and humanities to foster creativity in developing minds, to en...

arneduncan

The Duncan Precedent, 2013 Edition :: Frederick M. Hess

frederickhess.org - by Frederick M. Hess • Aug 11, 2011 at 7:59 amCross-posted from Education Weekhttp://www.frederickhess.org/2011/08/the-duncan-precedent-2013-editionThe Obama administration steadfastly refuses to...

DianeRavitch

Rick Perry and the Myth of the ‘Texas Miracle’

thefiscaltimes.com - Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who ends his shadow run for the White House this weekend by announcing his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, has been touting the success of the Lone Star State’s econ...

mikeklonsky

Steve Nelson: Let Them Eat Cake!

huffingtonpost.com - The New York Times reported positive news this week in the decade-long quest to make America's children healthier. 10 years after the enactment of No Children with Large Behinds (NCLB), the latest ...

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coopmike48 #EDU Daily Kos: Video of the Richard Clarke interview - and more: Daily Kos: Video of the Richard Clarke intervi...http://t.co/gnsRmfS10 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Daily Kos: Video of the Richard Clarke interview - and morehttp://t.co/VdGNFF7 #Edu9 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Some of Huffington's Fanfare Hires Are Quietly Leaving - Business - The Atlantic Wire - http://t.co/zlIePbb8 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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The Real Score on the 2011 Test Scores « EdVox

edvox.org - By Zakiyah Ansari Next, Wednesday, August 17th is the next Panel for Education Policy (PEP) meeting at Murry Bergtraum High School, and on the agenda are contracts and the budget. Does anyone bes...

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SocietySee all

City Council Eyes More Budget Scrutiny

online.wsj.com - BY MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL New York City's mayor should be prohibited in the future from inserting multimillion dollar expenditures into the budget at the 11th hour without public scrutiny, as Michael ...

leoniehaimson

Anti-Union and Anti-Women | LFA: Join The Conversation

learningfirst.org - A recent Salon article by Natasha Lennard discusses the central role of women’s issues in the current Wisconsin political saga, including this week’s recall elections. For six months, since Govern...

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PoliticsSee all

Winners & Losers, August 12 edition

cityhallnews.com - Tweet Tags: Bob Turner, bob-master, carl-kruger, charlie-rangel, Chris Ward, John Bonacic, michael-bloomberg, pedro-espada, Rob Walsh, steve-israel, winners-losers Related Content: By City Hall If ...

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The Hijacked Crisis

nytimes.com - Has market turmoil left you feeling afraid? Well, it should. Clearly, the economic crisis that began in 2008 is by no means over. But there’s another emotion you should feel: anger. For...

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StoriesSee all

Final Friday. « Fred Klonsky's blog

preaprez.wordpress.com - Today is the final Friday of my last summer break. Next Friday my final teaching year begins with one of those Institute Days: A morning motivational speaker and an afternoon of meetings, with fold...

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In Manhattan, Preschool Interviews Induce Anxiety : NPR

npr.org - Mark Lennihan/AP Children play with blue foam building blocks at the Blue School in New York City on March 31. The Blue School is one of many competitive private preschools in Manhattan, founded by...

coopmike48

NYC Educator: Forgotten, but Not Gone

nyceducator.com - Cathie Black has finally made her stamp on NYC schools. Ms. Black famously asked, when presented with evidence of chronic and systematic overcrowding, why we couldn't have just a little more birth ...

leoniehaimson

BusinessSee all

Hedge Funds Get Unfamiliar Taste of Losing

dealbook.nytimes.com - For hedge funds, just one week can change their entire year. With the stock market shedding billions of dollars in value and uncertainty in Europe stoking fear, some funds are watching their return...

mikeklonsky

Consumer Sentiment in U.S. Plunges to a Three-Decade Low

democraticunderground.com - Source: BloombergAug 12, 2011 10:39 AM ET Confidence among U.S. consumers plunged in August to the lowest level since May 1980, adding to concern that weak employment gains and volatility in the st...

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EnvironmentSee all

We Need an Unbalanced Budget Amendment

forbes.com - Alex Tabarrok makes the case for an unbalanced budget amendment: The unbalanced budget amendment is a requirement that in good times the government must run a budget surplus. The virtues of such a ...

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Blog posts on this issue

whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release August 12, 2011 Next Week President to Host White House Rural Economic ForumWASHINGTON – Today, the White House Rural Council rel...

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#eduRead this paperSee all

The Real Score on the 2011 Test Scores « EdVox

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - The Real Score on the 2011 Test Scores « EdVoxThe Real Score on the 2011 Test Scoresby edvoxnyWill the PEP Confront the Numbers? By Zakiyah AnsariNext, Wednesday, August 17th is the next Panel for...

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#verizonRead this paperSee all

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