Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Rheediculous …a village of idiots and the billionaire bubble club. Education « Continuing Change:Rheediculous …a village of idiots and the billionaire bubble club. Educationby gatorbonbcLMAOMichelle Rhee charges a school $35,000 to speak to 600 people about how great bubble tests and billionaires are for our kids…Really?Hey, I’ll be on stage speaking to at least 600 kids next week at our pep rally. Do you think I can’t get that much

Redefining Teachers as True Professionals | Lefty Parent

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 seconds ago

Redefining Teachers as True Professionals | Lefty Parent:Redefining Teachers as True Professionalsby Cooper ZaleSo why is it that doctors play a key role in running the institutions (hospitals) where they practice their profession and defining what constitutes quality practice, but teachers generally don’t? Aren’t these both considered “professions”, and as such should be given comparable stature? No hospital would think of having a governance structure where doctor’s don’t play a key role, particularly in the delivery of medical care. Shouldn’t ... more »

Schools Matter: 99% Educator Sarah Knopp interviewed at OccupyLAUSD #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 seconds ago

Schools Matter: 99% Educator Sarah Knopp interviewed at OccupyLAUSD:99% Educator Sarah Knopp interviewed at OccupyLAUSDby Robert D. Skeels * rdsatheneTeachers and students and parents are part of the 99% and that we're really one of the groups that has taken the brunt of the economic crises... In reality public employees and our unions are being blamed for a problem that was caused by the banks. Where the banks are getting a 700 billion dollar bail out, whereas the banks, Chase ...more »

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 5-7 Focus on Formative Assessment

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Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 5-7 Focus on Formative Assessment:Week 5-7 Focus on Formative Assessmentby alicemercerI apologize to my readers, but I’ve been really caught up in working in my new environment. Things are definitely NOT perfect, but I feel that they are headed in the right direction and are under control.I got a book for sending in a question to Larry Ferlazzo’s Ed Week blog, and I chose a title on Formative Assessment, because I’m really ... more »

Robinson Says Charter School Performance Doesn’t Matter in Application Process | Scathing Purple Musings

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Robinson Says Charter School Performance Doesn’t Matter in Application Process | Scathing Purple Musings:Robinson Says Charter School Performance Doesn’t Matter in Application Processby Bob SikesFrom the Florida Times-Union’s Topher Sanders:Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said Tuesday the state application for opening charter schools doesn’t need to address performance.The application doesn’t take into account whether a charter organization already has schools open and how those schools are performing.KIPP Jacksonville has applied to open two new elementary schools in...more »

Thousands occupy Illinois Capitol for retirement security. « Fred Klonsky's blog

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Thousands occupy Illinois Capitol for retirement security. « Fred Klonsky's blog:Thousands occupy Illinois Capitol for retirement security.by Fred KlonskyThousands of state employees and their families occupied the Illinois Capitol Building in Springfield at noon today. The action was sponsored by the labor coalition, We Are One.The message: Don’t mess with our promised pensions.The target: The Illinois General Assembly meeting in a six-day veto session.The concern: A stealth pension killing bill it is rumored will be proposed and passed in the ... more »

Schools Matter: Dana Goldstein "Hearts" Yellow Unions and Company Crafted Contracts

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Schools Matter: Dana Goldstein "Hearts" Yellow Unions and Company Crafted Contracts:Dana Goldstein "Hearts" Yellow Unions and Company Crafted Contractsby Robert D. Skeels * rdsatheneDana Goldstein is a widely read journalist and a fellow of the right-of-center New America Foundation think tank. Her education writings are occasionally mildly skeptical of the corporate reform clique's claims of miracles, but at the same time she has no problem casting vile villains like Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee, Eva Moskowitz, and Joe Williams as individuals ... more »

Bloomberg Knows What’s Best for Us, too | The G Bitch Spot

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Bloomberg Knows What’s Best for Us, too | The G Bitch Spot:Bloomberg Knows What’s Best for Us, tooby G BitchTimes-Pic/nola.com: New York’s Mayor Bloomberg joins fray over control of state school boardNew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who kicked off his own controversial reform effort in New York City schools almost a decade ago,…signed a $5,000 check this month to help get Kira Orange Jones get [sic] elected to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.…Bloomberg also contributed $100,000 to ... more »

#OccupyOakland Returns to Oscar Grant Plaza « occupy california #ows

#OccupyOakland Returns to Oscar Grant Plaza « occupy california:

#OccupyOakland Returns to Oscar Grant Plaza

by *

OAKLAND, California – On Tuesday, the City of Oakland befouled both occupations thriving in downtown. At 4:30am, Oakland police along side other police from all over Alameda County and beyond, in excess of 500 officers, ransacked the occupations at Oscar Grant Plaza, followed by Snowpark. Yesterday at 4pm, occupiers gathered themselves and reconvened in front of one of Oakland’s public libraries, also suffering from austerity, to respond to the show of force earlier that day which resulted in over 100 arrests. They vowed to return the next day, and every day at 6pm until the occupations were reborn. Through the rest of the evening several thousand joined the marchers as they sought to restore their encampment. However, police still swarmed the area and refused the occupiers return to Oscar Grant Plaza. As the night wore on, police continue to show their brutality, launching dozens of attacks on peaceful marchers with rubber bullets, tear gas, and the blunt edge of the billy

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: No, KC Elections Did NOT Give Out Your Phone Number

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: No, KC Elections Did NOT Give Out Your Phone Number:

No, KC Elections Did NOT Give Out Your Phone Number

by Melissa Westbrook

I called KC Elections about Stand for Children's rep telling me last night that they got my phone number from them. I was told, they never give out phone numbers or e-mail addresses.

I called Stand and talked to a couple of people I know there. I was pretty clear on my unhappiness. I was told that they DID get it from the voter registration rolls. I told them KC Elections said no so how could this be?

I was told that Stand had used a group - Win Win - and got the list from them and they "probably" got it from the voter registration. I was also told that robo calls are legal because it's a political message being delivered but, of

Mr. Teachbad | Where Teachers Laugh and Complain

Mr. Teachbad | Where Teachers Laugh and Complain:

The “Do Now”

teachbad at Mr. Teachbad - 7 minutes ago

It is referred to variously as a Do Now or a Warm-up or, if you are a hard-core edu-dork, an Activator. There may be other regional variants. And if you are a vice principal who is really intent on showing how out of touch you are, you can require teachers to engage in these at [...]

Teachbad Sings: “Watch You Drown”

teachbad at Mr. Teachbad - 7 minutes ago

Hi, Folks- Mr. Teachbad has written a new song. I am aware that the bulk of my talent allotment has not been delivered in the form of singing, guitar-playing or song-writing abilities. So, once again, I have decided to combine all three into a one-stop wonder of mediocrity. Just for you. Watch You Drown Every [...]

I Hope You Are Settling In

teachbad at Mr. Teachbad - 7 minutes ago

By now everybody is back to work. Some have been at it for a long time already. I hope you are all settling in alright. Many of you are probably still stinging, sore and swollen from the many days of indoctrination and team-building to which you have recently been subjected. It takes time to heal. [...]

Respect Individuality (No, Silly, Not Yours)

teachbad at Mr. Teachbad - 7 minutes ago

What would happen if you told Dracula that you really needed him to stumble around a shopping mall all day long and eat human brains? He’d tell you to stick it up your ass, that’s what. I sleep all day, yo. I get up a little after dusk. Shower. Read the paper. I clean up [...]

A Day in the Life of Teachbad

teachbad at Mr. Teachbad - 7 minutes ago

Teachbad and Jay Mathews: Part 2

teachbad at Mr. Teachbad - 7 minutes ago

To fully appreciate this post, you should probably take a quick look at the last post if you have not already. This is the continuation of a dialogue between myself and Jay Mathews, education writer at the Washington Post, about the school where I formerly taught, Columbia Heights Education Campus(CHEC). (I promise the next post [...]

Teachbad and Jay Mathews: Part I

teachbad at Mr. Teachbad - 7 minutes ago

Happy Back to School time to everybody. I’m sorry. Do you know what you need? A good read and some magnets. Last week Jay Mathews at the Washington Post ran a piece, not exactly about me, but using me as an example in order to propose an argument. It was called Maybe Schools Shouldn’t Work [...]

Out of a Job; In the News

teachbad at Mr. Teachbad - 7 minutes ago

The jig is up The news is out They finally found me The Renegade who had it made Retrieved for the bounty Nevermore to go astray This’ll be the end today Of the wanted man That’s how Mr. Teachbad feels today. But tomorrow is a new day. And in about two weeks, teachers will be [...]

Against Outrage « occupy california #ows

Against Outrage « occupy california:

Against Outrage

by *

The news didn’t come in the middle of the night as we expected, but in the morning, at a reasonable hour EST. Hundreds of riot cops had raided the encampment at Oscar Grant Plaza, wildly swinging their batons and firing tear gas and beanbag rounds into a crowd made up of our friends, comrades, and allies who had for the last two weeks taken over and transformed dead space into the Oakland commune.

Our initial reaction was outrage, an intense hatred of the police and all those who look away, who justify their actions, who volunteer platitudes like, “They’re just doing their job.” Anger rose up inside of us. How could they—we growled indignantly, clenching our teeth—shoot teargas at innocent protesters? What could possibly justify this show of militarized force? Is this really what democracy looks like?

And then we took a step back and started to think about outrage.

To feel outrage, we must hold that there are appropriate channels through which social conflict can be mediated

Rheediculous …a village of idiots and the billionaire bubble club. Education « Continuing Change

Rheediculous …a village of idiots and the billionaire bubble club. Education « Continuing Change:

Rheediculous …a village of idiots and the billionaire bubble club. Education

by gatorbonbc

LMAO

Michelle Rhee charges a school $35,000 to speak to 600 people about how great bubble tests and billionaires are for our kids…

Really?

Hey, I’ll be on stage speaking to at least 600 kids next week at our pep rally. Do you think I can’t get that much

Redefining Teachers as True Professionals | Lefty Parent

Redefining Teachers as True Professionals | Lefty Parent:

Redefining Teachers as True Professionals

by Cooper Zale

So why is it that doctors play a key role in running the institutions (hospitals) where they practice their profession and defining what constitutes quality practice, but teachers generally don’t? Aren’t these both considered “professions”, and as such should be given comparable stature? No hospital would think of having a governance structure where doctor’s don’t play a key role, particularly in the delivery of medical care. Shouldn’t teachers play a comparably critical role in running their schools and defining what constitutes educational practice?

Perhaps as a parent, and not a professional educator, I am not in the ideal position to pose these questions, but I don’t find the teachers I know posing them. The teachers I know personally generally define themselves as