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Monday, February 20, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 2-20 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


Santorum Defends Remarks on Obama and Public Schools - NYTimes.com

Santorum Defends Remarks on Obama and Public Schools - NYTimes.com:Santorum Defends Remarks on Obama and Government’s Role in EducationBy TRIP GABRIELPublished: February 19, 2012RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINE-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHARECUMMING, Ga. — As Rick Santorum has addressed huge, supportive crowds in recent days — with hundreds whooping at his jokes and cheering his blistering criticism of the Obama administration — he seems to be displaying a newfound swagger and letting loose with free-swinging remarks.Enlarge This ImageErik S. Lesser/European Pressphoto AgencySigns of support for Ri... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-19 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

Parents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a Stakeholder Meeting | The Classroom Sooth #ows #soschatBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-1 hour agoParents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a Stakeholder Meeting | The Classroom Sooth:Parents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a Stakeholder Meetingby classroomsoothCongratulations to the parents of students at Brian Piccolo Elementary School in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. I have a feeling we will see more #OccupyOurSchools in our city ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: The battle for the soul of a community: #soschat

NYC Public School Parents: The battle for the soul of a community: Thursday night's contentious charter school hearing in S. Williamsburg -- and the memory of another controversial co-location 25 years ago:The battle for the soul of a community: Thursday night's contentious charter school hearing in S. Williamsburg -- and reference to 1986 boycott because of another "co-location"by Leonie HaimsonPlease check out the videos of Thursday night’s contentious hearing on the proposed co-location of yet another branch of the Success ... more »

Parents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a stakeholder meeting. | The Classroom Sooth

Parents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a stakeholder meeting. | The Classroom Sooth:Parents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a stakeholder meeting.by classroomsoothCongratulations to the parents of students at Brian Piccolo Public School in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. I have a feeling we will see more #OccupyOurSchools in our city and across the nation as the fight to reclaim our public schools grows.While you plan your occupation, please join Parents Across America in national ... more »

Peg with Pen: Looking the Other Way

Peg with Pen: Looking the Other Way:Looking the Other Wayby PeggyThis weekend I attended the Colorado People’s Assembly, agathering of activists from across the state who are working hard to wake upColorado. They have brilliant ideas and strategies – they weren’t crunching numbers to determine howthe end result will create profit for a few.I went to the Colorado People’s Assembly to help create communityand to do a teach-in on the effects of corporate education reform. It can be hard for ... more »

Daily Kos: A couple of personal and professional observations

Daily Kos: A couple of personal and professional observations:A couple of personal and professional observationsby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)1) I am active enough in enough circles to have a very good sense of what teachers think on a lot of topics.2) In general, teachers have tended not to be outspoken, but so many are so upset with this administration that they have been saying and doing things that in the past would have been inconceivable.3) My diary earlier today, Dear Mr. President, ... more »

Schools Matter: Charles Murray, KIPP, and the Second Coming of Eugenics

Schools Matter: Charles Murray, KIPP, and the Second Coming of Eugenics:Charles Murray, KIPP, and the Second Coming of Eugenicsby Jim Horn A similar version of this commentary was published by Substance News earlier today:The old-school eugenics of the previous century was aimed to eradicate all sorts of unfit and anti-social behavior, from theft to laziness to wandering to sexual deviance. The source of these problems was thought to be a biological defect in the genes, or germ plasm, as that ... more »

Chicago: Tell Rahm. “Support our schools. Don’t shut them down.” « Fred Klonsky

Chicago: Tell Rahm. “Support our schools. Don’t shut them down.” « Fred Klonsky:Chicago: Tell Rahm. “Support our schools. Don’t shut them down.”by Fred Klonsky

CHARTER SCHOOLS - THE THRILL IS GONE #SOSCHAT #EREFORM

Not All Charter Schools Suck but Closure Rate Tops 15 PercentCharter Schools Closure Rate Tops 15 Percent:• Of the approximately 6,700 charter schools that have ever opened across the United States, 1,036 have closed since 1992. There are 500 additional charter schools that have been consolidated back into the district or received a charter but were unable to open.• There are five primary reasons for charter closures – financial (41.7 percent), mismanagement (24 percent), academic (18.6 percent), district obstacles (6.3 ... more »

Parents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a Stakeholder Meeting | The Classroom Sooth #ows #soschat

Parents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a Stakeholder Meeting | The Classroom Sooth:Parents in Chicago Occupy their School and win a Stakeholder Meetingby classroomsoothCongratulations to the parents of students at Brian Piccolo Elementary School in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. I have a feeling we will see more #OccupyOurSchools in our city and across the nation as the fight to reclaim our public schools grows.While you plan your occupation, please join Parents Across America in national ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Community Meetings on Saturday the 18th

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Community Meetings on Saturday the 18th:Community Meetings on Saturday the 18thby Melissa WestbrookI attended Michael DeBell's community meeting. Did anyone attend Sharon Peaslee's? If so, let us know about the discussion.DeBell's meeting was interesting with the majority of participants from McClure Middle School. They had a variety of concerns including less-than-stellar science program, loss of students from "good" elementaries like Coe, John Hay, etc. from elementary to middle school (thus creating funding issues for McClure) and ...more »

Presidents’ Day: The quiz - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Presidents’ Day: The quiz - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Presidents’ Day: The quizby Valerie StraussIt’s Presidents’ Day Monday, but whom the holiday is meant to honor depends on whom you ask. Even the placement of the apostrophe is open to question!To the U.S. government and Virginia, the home state of George Washington, the holiday is recognized as “Washington’s Birthday.” Some states jointly celebrate the birthdays of George Washington, born Feb. 22, and Abraham Lincoln, born Feb. 12, while ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 2-19 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform

‘You are so smart…why did you become a teacher?’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington PostBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-19 minutes ago‘You are so smart…why did you become a teacher?’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:‘You are so smart…why did you become a teacher?’by Valerie StraussThis was written by Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators ... more »

Twenty-Three Things You May Not Have Known About the Japanese-American Internment « Student Activism

Twenty-Three Things You May Not Have Known About the Japanese-American Internment « Student Activism:Twenty-Three Things You May Not Have Known About the Japanese-American Internmentby Angus JohnstonToday is the 70th anniversary of #EO9066, the FDR executive order that authorized Japanese deportation from the West Coast during WWII.— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) February 19, 2012I just posted a string of tweets, including the one above, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. EO 9066, signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on February ... more »

Jack Hassard: Test-Based Reform: What Values are we Adding? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Jack Hassard: Test-Based Reform: What Values are we Adding? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Jack Hassard: Test-Based Reform: What Values are we Adding?by Anthony CodyGuest post by Jack Hassard. You can read Part One here.Practicing teachers, clinical professors, and researchers who work in the field know that assessing teachers or students requires much more than simply looking at test scores. And indeed, researchers who have examined the value-added assessment system which purports to measure the "teacher effect" on ... more »

Support PURE! » Climate change deniers want their views in nation’s textbooks

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Climate change deniers want their views in nation’s textbooks:Climate change deniers want their views in nation’s textbooksby adminA plot by Chicago-based Heartland Institute to control the way our children are taught about global warming has been exposed. Science? Heartland’s agin’ it.By the way, Heartland Institute’s Bruno Behrend, who runs their Center for School Choice, occasionally posts nasty blog comments about Parents Across America (e.g. here).Here’s what happened, according to Salon.com:On Tuesday, ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Want to Add Your Anti-Common Core Comment on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Site?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Want to Add Your Anti-Common Core Comment on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Site?:Want to Add Your Anti-Common Core Comment on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Site?by stlgretchenHere's your chance to tell the Gates Foundation what you think about the institution of the common core. The Gates Foundation has spent millions of dollars in various states and organizations to ensure they will be implemented in states....by taxpayer dollars....without taxpayer input.Impatient Optimists, a Bill and Melinda ... more »

Student Bill of Rights From Youth Empowered in the Struggle « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Student Bill of Rights From Youth Empowered in the Struggle « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Student Bill of Rights From Youth Empowered in the Struggleby millerlfFollowing is a Student Bill of Rights written by student members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES), a youth organization associated with Voces de la Frontera. Over one thousand students, mostly in Milwaukee and Racine, have reviewed the document and given input to its content. YES has also received input from a number ... more »

‘You are so smart…why did you become a teacher?’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

‘You are so smart…why did you become a teacher?’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:‘You are so smart…why did you become a teacher?’by Valerie StraussThis was written by Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State. She is one of the co-authors of the principals’ letter against evaluating teachers by student test scores, which has ... more »

Schools Matter: Rethinking Teacher Quality and Metrics-mania

Schools Matter: Rethinking Teacher Quality and Metrics-mania:Rethinking Teacher Quality and Metrics-maniaby P. L. ThomasOnce President Barack Obama referred to the claim that teacher quality translates directly into increasing lifetime earnings of students, that assertion and connected study are destined to remain in the public domain in the same way that claims about three quality teachers in a row has persisted. These claims share something other than being quickly and broadly embraced, however; they are also misleading, incomplete, and harmful to ... more »

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky:Sunday links.by Fred KlonskyThe Piccolo Occupation celebrates a victory last night when the CPS agreed to actually talk to parents and teachers at the school before closing it down. Photo: Katie Osgood.The tactic of occupation chalked up another victory last night as community members triumphantly walked out of Brian Piccolo school in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park neighborhood. The school was occupied Friday night after CPS and Mayor Emanuel refused to meet with parents opposed to handing ...more »

QWERTY - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

QWERTY - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators:QWERTYIn Jim Collins’ latest work, Great by Choice, he offers the following shift in innovation strategy: fire bullets first…then cannon balls. A warfare metaphor? Yes. But what does it mean? Traditionally, military strategy has been to soften up an opponent’s defenses by lobbing in artillery first, before sending in men armed with weapons. Makes sense. Create a strategic advantage before committing lives. So how ... more »

Civics and Civility : Thoughts on Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee in Oakland (Community Voices) | Oakland Local

Civics and Civility : Thoughts on Michelle Rhee in Oakland (Community Voices) | Oakland Local:Civics and Civility : Thoughts on Michelle Rhee in Oakland (Community Voices)C.j. Hirschfeld Sat, 18 Feb at 8:38amMichelle Rhee, www.studentsfirst.org/pages/about-michelle-rheeTwo recent incidents have made me worry about the decline of public discourse in Oakland and about how organized labor is contributing to that decline.It troubles me to write this because I respect the important role labor unions have played in American history, and I support the ... more »

Santorum Criticizes Education System and Obama - NYTimes.com

Santorum Criticizes Education System and Obama - NYTimes.com:Santorum Questions Education System; Criticizes ObamaMichael McElroy for The New York TimesRick Santorum said the idea of governments operating public schools was “anachronistic.”By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.Published: February 18, 2012RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINCOMMENTS(450)E-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHARECOLUMBUS, Ohio — With his candidacy surging, Rick Santorum on Saturday questioned the legitimacy of state-run public education systems and suggested that President Obama’s agenda sprang from a “phony theology.”MultimediaInteractive Featu... more »

Daily Kos: Dear Mr. President,

Daily Kos: Dear Mr. President,:Dear Mr. President,by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)I am a teacher. You know, one of those about whom you and your Secretary of Education say are so important to our young people. If only I - and thousands, perhaps millions of other teachers - could believe those words. There are things your administration has done that we respect, at least most of us. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act meant large numbers of teachers and other public employees did ... more »

TV and movies give exposure to autism disorders - NorthJersey.com

TV and movies give exposure to autism disorders - NorthJersey.com:TV and movies give exposure to autism disordersSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2012, 9:43 AMBY VIRGINIA ROHANSTAFF WRITERTHE RECORDPRINT | E-MAILMax Braverman, 10, is obsessed with bugs and cannot handle any change in plans.Linda (Sandra Bullock) comforts her son, Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn), who has Asperger's syndrome, in 'Extremely Loud Incredibly Close.''Parenthood's' Max Braverman (Max Burkholder) also has Asperger's.Jake Bohm, 11, does not speak or make eye ... more »

A Southwest Florida Newspaper Leads in Establishing a Local Education Alliance | Scathing Purple Musings

A Southwest Florida Newspaper Leads in Establishing a Local Education Alliance | Scathing Purple Musings:A Southwest Florida Newspaper Leads in Establishing a Local Education Allianceby Bob SikesNo Jeb Bush. No Gerard Robinson. Not even Rick Scott, who makes his home in the area. The Fort Meyers News-Press clearly saw the need to separate a local initiative from the current crop of Tallahassee lawmakers in creating The Alliance of Education Leaders. In this morning’s op-ed they subtly explain why:Indeed, there are ... more »

Can’t Wait to Have Students Read This | Outside the Cave

Can’t Wait to Have Students Read This | Outside the Cave:Can’t Wait to Have Students Read Thisby Stephen LazarThere’s an interesting op-ed in Thursday’s New York Times, “Why China’s Political Model Is Superior.” The author Eric X. Li, makes some claims in it that are beyond radical from an American perspective:In the history of human governance, spanning thousands of years, there have been two major experiments in democracy. The first was Athens, which lasted a century and a half; the ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-18 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

LAUSD Supt. John Deasy addresses Miramonte sex-abuse allegations - latimes.comBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-52 minutes agoLAUSD Supt. John Deasy addresses Miramonte sex-abuse allegations - latimes.com:LAUSD Supt. John Deasy addresses Miramonte sex-abuse allegationsIn the wake of teachers being charged with lewd acts with students, Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. John Deasy has sought to reassure teachers and staff in a video address.In his four-minute address, which was sent to the employees districtwide, Deasy said the investigation into the ... more »