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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 2-28 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


NEA Read Across America promotional videos Dr. Seuss' The Lorax movie ...

The stars of the Lorax are shining the spotlight on NEA's Read Across America. The cast, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Betty White, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms and Rob Riggle are this year's honorary Co-chairs and took time from their busy schedule to record two promotional videos for NEA. Zac Efron will join NEA President Dennis Van Roekel in New York for the March 2 national kickoff.

My Friends, The Cops | The Jose Vilson

My Friends, The Cops | The Jose Vilson:My Friends, The Copsby JoseBefore the turn of the century, my friends and I took spring walks from school to home, following the route of the M14D, which runs all the way down 14th Street from West to East and back again. Along the way, there was a little deli / convenience store along the way with the usual characters, including an dark-skinned man stocking up groceries in the back. While I searched ... more »

State board re-examines statewide rights for charters | California Watch #soschat

State board re-examines statewide rights for charters | California Watch:State board re-examines statewide rights for chartersFebruary 9, 2011 | Corey G. JohnsonThe State Board of Education will hold a public hearing today to discuss what has become a thorny question: Under what circumstances should a charter school company be allowed to bypass local district control and operate statewide?The board has granted statewide status to three charter school organizations since 2006: High Tech High, Pacific Technology School and Aspire Public Schools.The ... more »

Enforcement Chief at Postsecondary Bureau to Resign - The Bay Citizen

Enforcement Chief at Postsecondary Bureau to Resign - The Bay Citizen:Enforcement Chief at Postsecondary Bureau to ResignResignation comes after The Bay Citizen revealed the bureau failed to properly oversee state's for-profit schoolsTEXT SIZE A A ABy JENNIFER GOLLAN on February 27, 2012 - 6:34 p.m. PSTstart discussionScreen shot from California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools Annual ConferenceKaren Newquist speaks to the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools' Annual Conference in Oct. 2011.The administrator in charge of policing the state’s for-profit... more »

Schools in the U.S Teaching Spanish With New Method - Hispanically Speaking News

Schools in the U.S Teaching Spanish With New Method - Hispanically Speaking News:Schools in the U.S Teaching Spanish With New MethodLearning Spanish is becoming more important for Americans every day, so the pilot launch of an interactive learning program in schools is being carried out to create a new model for introducing the United States’ second-most-spoken language into the country’s educational system.E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington has been the first to employ the new program that enables students ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-27 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

The Neighborhood as Curriculum - Dana GoldsteinBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-8 minutes agoThe Neighborhood as Curriculum - Dana Goldstein:The Neighborhood as Curriculumby Dana Goldstein Between periods at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, May 2011.The role of the curriculum in school "turnaround" efforts is not often acknowledged, which is why I wanted to writethis piece, about Crenshaw High School in South L.A. The school has struggled with difficult demographics, constant administrative turnover, and persistently low test scores. But ... more »

Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Law | Learn More About Teacher Evaluations

Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Law | Learn More About Teacher Evaluations:Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation LawBy Richard Iannuzzi, President, New York State United TeachersThe ink hadn’t dried on the agreement between NYSUT and the State Education Department before the press, blogs, e-mails and airwaves were filled with diatribes on what the new law does and does not do. While there were a lot of comments and reactions that understood ... more »

The Lake Wobegone Effect « Bill Ayers

The Lake Wobegone Effect « Bill Ayers:The Lake Wobegone Effectby billayersThe crazies driving the noisy, corporate-sponsored “school reform movement” exposed by my old friend Mike Klonsky—take a look:I rarely take statistics seriously when it comes to teacher evaluation. Especially when they’re based on student test scores and published in the New York Times. But this one is too good to pass up.At Public School 234 in TriBeCa, where children routinely alight for school from luxury cars, roughly one-third of the ... more »

Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Option « Continuing Change

Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Option « Continuing Change:Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Optionby gatorbonbcRegarding the investigation into Michelle Rhee and cheating in DC schools, Justin Hamilton, spokesman for Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, says:.“It’s irresponsible for a New York Times columnist to presume guilt before we have all the facts,” (NY Times article).Well, see, now… finally, w

Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdown | Seattle Education #soschat

Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdown | Seattle Education:Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdownby seattleducation2011Seattle Protest and March for Public EducationMarch 1 National Day of Action for EducationBanks got bailed out, students and teachers got sold out!Thursday, March 12:45pm – Gather at Westlake Park3:30pm – March to the Gates Foundation Headquarters (5th Mercer)4:15pm – Rally, teach-in, and grade-in led by ... more »

Family & Peers Essential, Mexican-American College Student Success - Hispanically Speaking News

Family Peers Essential, Mexican-American College Student Success - Hispanically Speaking News:STUDY: Family and Peers Essential to Mexican-American College Student SuccessHispanics are enrolling in the higher education system at a greater rate than ever, yet they are less likely than their non-Hispanic peers to enter college or earn degrees, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. A new study by a University of Missouri researcher found that Mexican-American college students’ family and peer attachments are associated with prosocial and physically aggressive behaviors ... more »

Engaging Parents In School… - “Obama Administration Announces Together for Tomorrow”

Engaging Parents In School… - “Obama Administration Announces Together for Tomorrow”:“Obama Administration Announces Together for Tomorrow”by Larry FerlazzoObama Administration Announces Together for Tomorrow is the headline of a press release just issued by the U.S. Department of Education.I’m including some excerpts from the press release at the end of this post. After reading it, I still don’t really have a clue what they’re talking about — except that it has to do with promoting community engagement with schools. Does anyone ... more »

JESSE, ROMNEY, QUINN, R- RATINGS, AND OHIO SHOOTING « Teachers Fight Back

JESSE, ROMNEY, QUINN, R- RATINGS, AND OHIO SHOOTING « Teachers Fight Back:JESSE, ROMNEY, QUINN, R- RATINGS, AND OHIO SHOOTINGby alkleenThe Rev. Jesse Jackson has joined the people protesting the planned closings of several failing Chicago schools. Jackson said the Rainbow/Push coalition will call on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate inequalities in the city’s public school system that, he said, have disproportionately affected African-American and Latino students. Huh? Hey, Rev, just a heads up, but 91% of students in ... more »

Support PURE! » PSAT for 2-28-12: Go to Springfield!

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 2-28-12: Go to Springfield!:PSAT for 2-28-12: Go to Springfield!by adminAn early and urgent PSAT for tomorrow- if you can’t get on the bus for Springfield (see below), at least call your state senator and ask him/her to sign on to SB3239, the school closing moratorium bill. Note below from Jackie Leavy and the CTU:***Dear Supporters of Great Public Schools for All Students: Please note – the Chicago Teachers Union ... more »

Latino leaders and parents will take concerns to DISD interim Sup. Alan King | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com

Latino leaders and parents will take concerns to DISD interim Sup. Alan King | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com:Latino leaders and parents will take concerns to DISD interim Sup. Alan Kingby Tawnell Hobbs/ReporterCommunity activist Jesse Diaz said that he will attend a meeting on Monday with five parents and interim Superintendent Alan King to discuss concerns related to the investigation of alleged abuse at Ebby Halliday Elementary School. Parents at the school made various complaints of mistreatment of their children ... more »

Jim Stergios Notes Duncan Deviation Into the Danger Zone | Truth in American Education

Jim Stergios Notes Duncan Deviation Into the Danger Zone | Truth in American Education:Jim Stergios Notes Duncan Deviation Into the Danger Zoneby James BellA sharp-minded clip from the recent Rock the Schoolhouse blog post at the Boston Globe:In addition to the lagging time to grasp the real policy questions before them, the past three years have brought a sea-change in the political landscape. The 2010 elections changed the make-up of state legislatures dramatically, with a greater number of fiscal conservatives ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: 30 Pieces of Silver

Jersey Jazzman: 30 Pieces of Silver:30 Pieces of Silverby DukeIt doesn't take a lot of money to sell out teachers:In the latest move to use money as an incentive, Gov. Chris Christie's administration has added to its new school funding plan a multimillion dollar program to reward schools and districts that meet specific goals and implement targeted reforms.Acting education commissioner Chris Cerf outlined the new "Innovation Fund" in last week's 83-page report on school funding, which serves as the basis ... more »

Best Questions: Engaging Learning Strategies « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

Best Questions: Engaging Learning Strategies « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Best Questions: Engaging Learning Strategiesby Molly McCloskeyDespite the rumors, school improvement is hard. It’s not about a single passionate leader. It’s not about “fixing” teachers and teaching or parents and parenting. It’s not about poverty. It’s not about money. And it’s not about standards. It’s about all of them. And more.In this column, I’ll take on the real deal of school improvement—for all schools, not just certain ... more »

RheeFirst! » NYT’s Winerip: Rhee’s and Atlanta’s internal investigation found no cheating; investigator disagrees

RheeFirst! » NYT’s Winerip: Rhee’s and Atlanta’s internal investigation found no cheating; investigator disagrees:NYT’s Winerip: Rhee’s and Atlanta’s internal investigation found no cheating; investigator disagreesby adminThe Washington Post and New York Times have joined a the growing demand for an honest investigation of the DC test cheating scandal (see the USA Today’s reporting here and here). Recently, the Post’s Robert McCartney speculated on the reasons behind the stonewalling. Official responses, as Winerip reveals in this New York Times article, have ... more »

The Neighborhood as Curriculum - Dana Goldstein

The Neighborhood as Curriculum - Dana Goldstein:The Neighborhood as Curriculumby Dana Goldstein Between periods at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, May 2011.The role of the curriculum in school "turnaround" efforts is not often acknowledged, which is why I wanted to writethis piece, about Crenshaw High School in South L.A. The school has struggled with difficult demographics, constant administrative turnover, and persistently low test scores. But the district has now empowered a group of activist teachers at Crenshaw to enact ... more »

Teacher Evaluation Bill SB 5895 and why it should be opposed vehemently | Seattle Education

Teacher Evaluation Bill SB 5895 and why it should be opposed vehemently | Seattle Education:Teacher Evaluation Bill SB 5895 and why it should be opposed vehementlyby seattleducation2011There is a Teacher Evaluation Bill SB 5895 which ties test scores to teacher evaluations. At this time the teachers union in the state of Washington has been working with OSPI on an evaluation system that was set forth to be developed in last years legislation. Now certain legislators want to ratchet it up ... more »

Diane Ravitch Addresses NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting on Vimeo

Diane Ravitch Addresses NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting on Vimeo:Diane Ravitch Addresses NAICU 2012 Annual MeetingRavitch warns that changes introduced by No Child Left Behind are coming to higher education. by NAICU 2 weeks agoDiane Ravitch Addresses NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting from NAICU on Vimeo.

New Education Trust—West Report Details How California Shortchanges its Poorest School Districts of Millions in Funding | Education Trust

New Education Trust—West Report Details How California Shortchanges its Poorest School Districts of Millions in Funding | Education Trust:New Education Trust—West Report Details How California Shortchanges its Poorest School Districts of Millions in FundingPrinter-friendly versionContact info: Eric Wagner (510) 465-6444, ext 318; Email: ewagner@edtrustwest.orgPublication date: February 23 2012OAKLAND, CA (February 23, 2012) – A new report released today paints a step-by-step picture of startling inequities in California’s system of education funding that harm our state’s poorest sch... more »

Charter schools could gain power to take over public schoolsv | Gainesville.com

Charter schools could gain power to take over public schoolsv | Gainesville.com:Charter schools could gain power to take over public schoolsBy Zac AndersonTallahassee bureauPublished: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 8:30 p.m.Last Modified: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 8:30 p.m.TALLAHASSEE — Charter schools would receive more construction money, greater freedom to expand and the ability to take over struggling public schools at the request of parents under two bills still in play as the legislative session winds down.Conservative education reformers are ... more »

Some California schools get twice the funding -- and more -- of others - San Jose Mercury News

Some California schools get twice the funding -- and more -- of others - San Jose Mercury News:Some California schools get twice the funding -- and more -- of othersBy Sharon Noguchisnoguchi@mercurynews.comPosted: 02/26/2012 05:37:03 PM PSTUpdated: 02/27/2012 03:09:47 AM PSTClick photo to enlargeA third-grade music class at Woodside Elementary, part of one of the best-funded districts in...Compare financesAt the Ed-Data site, click on "District," then "Compare Finances"Related StoriesFeb 26:Document: 'The Cruel Divide,' report of Education Trust-WestDocument: State and Local Per-Pup... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:WEEKEND QUOTABLESby Mike Klonsky“This is an amazing panel, so I’m thrilled to be part of it,” Mr. Duncan said in his opening comment.Investigator Richard Hyde“I’m shocked that the secretary of education would be fraternizing with someone who could potentially be the target of the investigation. The appearance of a conflict of interest is troubling because it can cause the public to lose faith in the investigation.” -- Amid a Federal Education Inquiry, an Unsettling Sight, ... more »

Financial aid officials question Cal Grants for online degrees Kaplan University| California Watch

Financial aid officials question Cal Grants for online degrees | California Watch:Financial aid officials question Cal Grants for online degreesFebruary 27, 2012 | Erica PerezEd Yourdon/FlickrThe California Student Aid Commission last week explored at a hearing whether, at a time of limited funds for college financial aid, the state should allow Cal Grants to cover all online degree programs.The commissioners held the meeting in part because they have been seeing an increasing number of colleges and universities entering into agreements ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Poverty, Schmoverty

Jersey Jazzman: Poverty, Schmoverty:Poverty, Schmovertyby DukeChildhood poverty bothers ACTING Education Commissioner Chris Cerf: he's worried the little waifs might be ripping him off:In New Jersey and across the nation, the number of students living in poverty is determined by how many of them qualify for free and reduced-price lunches, a federal program run by the Department of Agriculture. But the count is not just about the federally subsidized meals — schools with poor students in the lunch program receive up ... more »