Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 2-14 AM Posts #edreform #edchat


Schools Matter: Resistance begins with organizing: Social Justice Schools Conference Report Back

Schools Matter: Resistance begins with organizing: Social Justice Schools Conference Report Back:Resistance begins with organizing: Social Justice Schools Conference Report Backby Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene"How do we help students and teachers to stop blaming ourselves and each other and start working together to change the system?" — CEJ Student Activist Photos by Robert D. Skeels, see the entire set.We're beginning to see scattered resistance to the corporate school privatization agenda of the Billionaire Boys Club, ALEC, and Arne Duncan. ... more »

Sac City Unified May Close A.M. Winn After All - Rosemont, CA Patch

Sac City Unified May Close A.M. Winn After All - Rosemont, CA Patch:Sac City Unified May Close A.M. Winn After AllElementary school students just east of Rosemont may have to find a new school next year, despite a previous decision by the Sacramento City Unified School District not to close their school.That campus, A.M. Winn Elementary School, is under-enrolled and could save the district $181,000 if closed.Potential budget cuts for the 2012-13 school year are forcing the district to choose ... more »

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Learning from Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee #edchat

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Learning from Rhee:Learning from Rheeby The Perimeter PrimateThis is a guest post by Joanna A. Bujes, an Oakland public school parent and supporter of public education. She has taught at U.C. Berkeley, University of Santa Clara, and SUNY Plattsburgh, and she has been a volunteer teacher and tutor in the Oakland public schools (poetry, drama, math) whenever she could find the time.RHEE'S FRAMING OF THE DEBATE ON EDUCATIONOn the evening of February 7, Michelle Rhee, former chancellor ... more »

Opening the Door to a Private Education with Public Money | Uppity Wisconsin

Opening the Door to a Private Education with Public Money | Uppity Wisconsin:Opening the Door to a Private Education with Public MoneySubmitted by Sen. K. Vinehout on Mon, 02/13/2012 - 11:48amBuried in the state budget is a little known provision that opens the door to using state money for private schools.Under the “voucher program” parents in Milwaukee can send their children to private schools with money from the state. A ‘voucher’ is like a coupon. Parents use state money pay ... more »

Cory Booker and Chris Christie: Teachers Should Live in Downtown Newark | The Nation

Cory Booker and Chris Christie: Teachers Should Live in Downtown Newark | The Nation:Cory Booker and Chris Christie: Teachers Should Live in Downtown NewarkDana Goldstein on February 10, 2012 - 5:56pm ETFuture site of the Teachers’ Village development in downtown Newark, New JerseyYesterday Newark Mayor Cory Booker, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and several private developers and investors—including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein—converged on a vacant lot in Newark’s historic downtown for the groundbreaking of Teachers’ Village.The mixed-use development, a ... more »

When Educators Reflect as Parents… | Connected Principals

When Educators Reflect as Parents… | Connected Principals:When Educators Reflect as Parents…by Scott ShawAs a principal, one of my favorite things to do is listen to success stories shared by the teachers. As a father, one of my favorite things to do is listen to success stories shared by other parents. When the two worlds collide, the moment is even more special.One of our brilliant educators recently shared the following (names have been changed):Last night, Tommy was excited to share ... more »

solidaridad: ALL OUT: Tuesday, February 14 Rally “Stop the Insanity”! 1-5pm at LAUSD (Beaudry)

solidaridad: ALL OUT: Tuesday, February 14 Rally “Stop the Insanity”! 1-5pm at LAUSD (Beaudry):ALL OUT: Tuesday, February 14 Rally “Stop the Insanity”! 1-5pm at LAUSD (Beaudry)ALL OUT: Tuesday, February 14 Rally “Stop the Insanity”! 1-5pm at LAUSD (Beaudry)

2013 Education Budget: What it Means For You | ED.gov Blog

2013 Education Budget: What it Means For You | ED.gov Blog:2013 Education Budget: What it Means For YouPosted on February 13, 2012 by Cameron BrenchleyContinuing its commitment to education and an America built to last, the Obama Administration released its 2013 budget proposal to Congress today. It includes new education investments that will give U.S. students and workers the education and training they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow.The Department of Education is requesting $69.8 billion in discretionary ... more »

President's Budget Proposal Fails to Fund D.C. Voucher Program - MarketWatch

President's Budget Proposal Fails to Fund D.C. Voucher Program - MarketWatch:President's Budget Proposal Fails to Fund D.C. Voucher ProgramWASHINGTON, February 13, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Despite reauthorization agreement, Obama aims to halt highly-successful Opportunity Scholarship ProgramPresident Barack Obama's newly-released federal budget would not provide funding to the highly-successful D.C. voucher program, despite an agreement signed by the president last year that reauthorized the program.The American Federation --the nation's voice for school choice--strongly decr... more »

Dirty Work - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Dirty Work - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:Dirty Workby Nancy FlanaganEver have a summer job as a teenager? Yup. Me, too. I was a chicken fryer and pot washer at a KFC. I had a 6:00 a.m. waitressing gig at a dockside breakfast joint where fishermen impressed with my coffee-refill speed left hefty 50-cent tips. I've been a cashier, a security guard and a berry picker. The list goes on.Ever find yourself exploited on that job? ... more »

Schools Matter: Gerald Coles: Response to The growing education gap between the rich and poor"

Schools Matter: Gerald Coles: Response to The growing education gap between the rich and poor":Gerald Coles: Response to The growing education gap between the rich and poor"by skrashenResponse to The growing education gap between the rich and poor"Gerald ColesAppeared on the listserv of the Rochester Coalition for Justice in Education. Posted with permission, OK to share with others.A few comments on the recent NY Times article, "Education Gap Grows Between Rich Poor, Studies Say."While it was good to see the ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Afternoon Posts 2-13 #edchat #edreform

Schools Matter: Simple MathBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-56 minutes agoSchools Matter: Simple Math:Simple Mathby P. L. ThomasCommon Core Standards adopted+Silence from teachers, professional organizations, parents+New tests, more tests, pre-tests, post-tests+Silence fromIn Case You Missed It: Loud Protests, Lots of Closures, Less Support for Bloomberg « EdVoxBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-56 minutes agoIn Case You Missed It: Loud Protests, Lots of Closures, Less Support for Bloomberg « EdVox:In Case You Missed It: Loud Protests, Lots of Closures, ... more »

On Alan Borsuk’s Commentary on New MPS Budget « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

On Alan Borsuk’s Commentary on New MPS Budget « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:On Alan Borsuk’s Commentary on New MPS Budgetby millerlfBy Larry MillerWhen does speculation – what MPS parents might do – become suggestions – what MPS parents ought to do?In a February 12 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel commentary, Alan Borsuk appeared to be on a slippery slope about the woes facing parents of students at top-performing MPS schools.First, Borsuk claimed our schools are suffering because the district failed ... more »

Schools Matter: Guest Post: Why Reformers Misunderstand Their Own Research

Schools Matter: Guest Post: Why Reformers Misunderstand Their Own Research:Guest Post: Why Reformers Misunderstand Their Own Researchby Robert D. Skeels * rdsatheneBy John ThompsonAccording to the latest Gates Foundation study, "Gathering Feedback for Teaching," student surveys are more reliable than outside observers in evaluating teachers. I agree with the researchers that such a finding should be no surprise. Even though I trust my students' judgments more than those of principals, or even trained outside evaluators, however, I would think twice ... more »

Democurmudgeon: Charter Schools fail to block public, ordered to reveal how they spent taxpayer money!

Democurmudgeon: Charter Schools fail to block public, ordered to reveal how they spent taxpayer money!:Charter Schools fail to block public, ordered to reveal how they spent taxpayer money!by DemocurmudgeonCharter schools are trying break free from the chains ofpublic accountability, by claiming taxpayer money is theirs once paid, and thereforewhat they do is no longer public.And conservatives complain about how our public schools andteachers aren’t accountable? Again, this is another warning, and only the startof our journey down the road to ... more »

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Press release: Parents, students protest Noble Network’s predatory discipline policy

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Press release: Parents, students protest Noble Network’s predatory discipline policy:Press release: Parents, students protest Noble Network’s predatory discipline policyby adminStudent "chefs" protest Noble's "secret sauce"Parents, Students: Noble Street Profitingfrom Predatory Discipline CodePractices spread as Mayor Emanuel promotes a hidden education tax on Chicago’s Black and Latino familiesFEBRUARY 13—With Mayor Emanuel expanding the Noble Street Charter Network as a model for public education throughout Chicago, communi... more »

Confused About No Child Left Behind? A History of K-12 Education Regulation - Yahoo! News

Confused About No Child Left Behind? A History of K-12 Education Regulation - Yahoo! News:Confused About No Child Left Behind? A History of K-12 Education RegulationBy Calvin Wolf | Yahoo! Contributor Network – 2 hrs 54 mins agoThis story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributorEmail2PrintAccording to Time, President Barack Obama has exempted 10 states from the ... more »

NCLB Waiver Statement - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

NCLB Waiver Statement - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Issues Statement on NCLB WaiversSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement regarding today's announcement of the first states to be granted waivers from No Child Left Behind requirements:"California has rejected No Child Left Behind as a broken system that has not worked for our schools or our students. While our state continues to weigh its options regarding a waiver, this much is ... more »

Tribune polling on pensions. What it doesn’t tell us. « Fred Klonsky

Tribune polling on pensions. What it doesn’t tell us. « Fred Klonsky:Tribune polling on pensions. What it doesn’t tell us.by Fred KlonskyThe Chicago Tribune claims thatBack home lobbying? Why not make it easier. An New Business Item for the IEA RA.by Fred KlonskyIt is no secret that I think the cancelation of Lobby Day in Springfield this year was a bad idea.The IEA leadership and Government Relations seem to think that meet ups back home (which we always have done ... more »

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Points to Overlooked Ethics Ordinance as Route to Reopening Parking Meter Contract

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Mayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Points to Overlooked Ethics Ordinance as Route to Reopening Parking Meter ContractMayoral Candidate Miguel del Valle Points to Overlooked Ethics Ordinance as Route to Reopening Parking Meter Contractby Joanna2011Calls on opponents to explain positions and AG Madigan to reopen investigationFebruary 8, 2011 (CHICAGO)--City Clerk and mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle pointed to a new possible route today to reopen Chicago’s 75-year parking meter contract ... more »