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Monday, August 29, 2011

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: A "Wow" News Story and a "Hmm" What's This One All About story

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: A "Wow" News Story and a "Hmm" What's This One All About story:

A "Wow" News Story and a "Hmm" What's This One All About story

Over at the Huffington Post, there were two interesting stories.

The first is about Larry Powell, the superintendent of Fresno county, CA schools. Larry was worried about what would happen to some of the programs he cared most about in his district, he took an $800k pay cut over the next three years. Holy cow!

He runs 325 schools in 35 districts with 195,000 students. He'll run those districts on less than a starting California teacher salary. He technically retired, then agreed to be rehired for $31k a year ($10k less than a starting teacher). From the story:

Powell's generosity is more than just a gesture in a region with some of the nation's highest rates of unemployment. As he prepares for retirement, he wants to ensure that his pet projects survive California budget

Lobato 8/29: Can’t fire your way to Finland | EdNewsColorado

Lobato 8/29: Can’t fire your way to Finland | EdNewsColorado:

Lobato 8/29: Can’t fire your way to Finland

Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford University professor who testified earlier for the plaintiffs, returned to the stand Monday to rebut defense testimony by Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution, which is affiliated with Stanford.

Lobato v. State illustrationEarlier in the day Monday, four witnesses for the state mostly actually said what plaintiffs’ lawyers wanted to hear about the condition of Colorado’s school finance system.

Darling-Hammond, one of the key plaintiffs’ expert witness in the case, testified at length on Aug. 19 about teaching best practices and implementation of standards-based reforms (see story). Her testimony was polished

Domino, Domino, Only Spot A Few Blacks The Higher I Go | The Jose Vilson

Domino, Domino, Only Spot A Few Blacks The Higher I Go | The Jose Vilson:

Domino, Domino, Only Spot A Few Blacks The Higher I Go

Jay-Z

My good friend Brent reminded me that Diane Ravitch tweeted the notorious article by Michael Petrilli comparing Klout scores of some of the biggest names in the online education world. It has the effect where people can take a macro-view of the education world and have some discussion of what it means to have influence in this sphere. Klout’s a rather crude measure for influence, but it’s as good as it gets. Because of the limitations on Klout

School Tech Connect: Pension Call Tuesday, Spread The Word

School Tech Connect: Pension Call Tuesday, Spread The Word:

Pension Call Tuesday, Spread The Word

Pension Call, Pension Call! All hands on deck!

They're all important but this one is not to be missed.

As Fred points out, Nekritz voted "yes" on SB 512*, the Fahner/Madigan Pension Destruction Act of 2011, even though she was throwing all kinds of signals that it wasn't her cup of tea. She needs to know that people have her back when she stands up for the good rather than caving to whatever Madigan is holding against her. By all rights, she should have voted no; she was elected by a base that would have supported a "No" vote back in May. Her "Yes" vote was an Obama-like appeal to people who will never vote for her in a general election. Call her. Support her. Let her know you'll march though the streets of Northbrook, dangerously over-trafficked though they may be.

The only people she ever hears from are angry, angry TAKU** people. I worked in Northbrook for years. I know. You've got to call her!

*She's on the committee that voted to send it to the House floor, where it was later pulled because of, among other things, our calls.

**Taxes are KILLING us!

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - Plagiarism Resources

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - Plagiarism Resources:

Jersey Jazzman: Derrell Bradford Channels Emily Post

Jersey Jazzman: Derrell Bradford Channels Emily Post:

Derrell Bradford Channels Emily Post

Apparently, there's been some rudeness over at B4K:
This page is for discussion. The discussion can be intense, but it should not be acrimonious. This page is not for snark (though a good turn of phrase is appreciated), barbs, insults or incriminations. Everyone here wants to help kids. There are often differences of opinion about how that should be done. Feelings are as welcome as facts, but keep it civil.
Here's how to keep it "civil," apparently:

Let’s ask schools to fix society’s problems | Lefty Parent

Let’s ask schools to fix society’s problems | Lefty Parent:

Let’s ask schools to fix society’s problems

With all due respect to my comrades plthomasEdD and catwho (who also contribute to the Daily KOS “Education Alternatives” group), and the thoughtful pieces they have recently posted on the group’s list, I wish to put forward a very different thought on this issue of what are appropriate and inappropriate venues for trying to fix our society’s problems. In particular, I want to challenge their assumption that we can not “fix” schools until we first address the underlying issues of poverty and inequity that make our society dysfunctional.

Blogger catwho sums up this position I am taking issue with in their piece, “The Myth of Failing Schools”…

You cannot fix the schools until you fix the students. You cannot fix the students until you fix their

Big Education Ape: 8-29-11 PM Empty Test Chair by Empty Test Chair EDition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now:

Published by Coopmike48 – 5 news spotters today

All A-Twitter about Education : Education Next

educationnext.org - Improving our schools in 140 characters or less By Michael Petrilli | Print | NO PDF | Share Fall 2011 / Vol. 11, No. 4 Once upon a time, the education “war of ideas” was fought on the battleground...

DianeRavitch

Krueger to Be Chosen to Lead Economic Council

nytimes.com - Alan B. Krueger, a Princeton University professor who recently served as chief economist in the United States Treasury, is being tapped to head the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, a White...

leoniehaimson

Class Warfare: Fact checking pages 1 through 100

garyrubinstein.teachforus.org - When the new book ‘Class Warfare’ came out, the story of the current ed reform movement featuring TFA and KIPP, I refused to buy it, since I didn’t want anyone to profit from passing fiction and fa...

DianeRavitch

Empty Test Chair by Empty Test Chair

dailykos.com - Ryan’s was correct in identifying public policy and discrimination as factors, but he failed to include the negative impact of K -12 public school education policy that is beginning to and will cau...

DianeRavitch

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coopmike48 The AFT's Triangulation Strategy Falls Apart | Dropout Nation: by RiShawn Biddle - http://t.co/5Irxb0F2 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 587 Applicants Vie for Smaller Round of i3 Grants - Politics K-12 - Education Week - http://t.co/jcsbLmwabout 1 minute ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Read Damn Good Education Daily on http://t.co/gpb4k5P #SOSMARCH· reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Aw shucks, Rhee First. T'wern't nothin'...http://t.co/7j9uiW9 #Edu7 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

EducationSee all

The Graduates | Education | Urbanite Baltimore Magazine

urbanitebaltimore.com - "The model determines the question, the question determines the answer, and the answer determines what the policy is going to be ... right?"Dayvon Love, 24, is given to punctuating his answers to i...

DianeRavitch

Smoking Rhee-Fer « The Recovering Politician

therecoveringpolitician.com - When Waiting for Superman was released in 2010, it was largely hailed as a documentary that depicted the human costs of children trapped in failing schools. The film helped escalate Michelle Rhee’...

mikeklonsky

SocietySee all

We too came as immigrants…

areachicago.org - The following essay is adapted from a chapter of the forthcoming memoir, Sacred Ground: The Chicago Streets of Timuel Black, by Timuel Black with Susan Klonsky. I was under a year old when my par...

mikeklonsky

PoliticsSee all

The Wonkster » Blog Archive » DiNapoli vs. Murdoch

gothamgazette.com - You might have missed this as you were taping your windows yesterday: The Daily News reports that State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has rejected the state Department of Education contracts with Wir...

DianeRavitch

WLS 890AM

wlsam.com - Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Chuck Brueckmann/WLS) Posted 8/26/11 12:32 p.m.WLS Radio's Bill Cameron ReportsCHICAGO (WLS) - Mayor Rahm Emanuel sat down for a one-on-one interview with WLS Radio’s Bill Cam...

fklonsky

StoriesSee all

Illinois Teachers Hit The Bricks For A Principle

schooltechconnect.com - I don't know where I've been on this one, but it's long past time for people to chime in here. Here in the Prairie State, literally out on the prairie, there's a local that's been out on strike for...

fklonsky

EnvironmentSee all

President Obama, Look Out Your Window!

huffingtonpost.com - I run a mobile telephone company, and expect to be arrested in Washington today just outside your window representing my customers' view on global warming. Seriously!Your administration is soon to ...

fklonsky

(NRC) Virginia quake may have exceeded nuclear plant design

democraticunderground.com - Source: Reuters WASHINGTON, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The historic earthquake thatshut Dominion Resources Inc's (D.N) North Anna nuclear plant inVirginia last week may have shaken the facility more than i...

coopmike48

Blog posts on this issue

whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release August 29, 2011 Six years ago today, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, upending families and ravaging communities – and no...

coopmike48

Art & EntertainmentSee all

Burning Man founder's new stage

sfgate.com - Lacy Atkins / The Chronicle Larry Harvey, Burning Man founder. Few people recognize Larry Harvey without his trademark wide-brimmed hat. But the Burning Man founder hasn't been wearing the cream-co...

coopmike48

Home - Inside Higher Ed

insidehighered.com - February 24, 2011 The return of ROTC to some campuses -- seemingly assured by the end of the military's policy against gay service members -- may be hitting a few bumps.More February 24, 2011 City ...

coopmike48

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