Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 2-8 #ows #edreform

Missouri Education Watchdog: Imagine

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Imagine:Imagineby AnngieJohn Lennon asked us, through music, to Imagine. As long as we're looking to reform education, let's follow his suggestion and imagine what could be in public education.Imagine how much less school would cost if we didn't have to subscribe to, practice for and administer standardized assessments.Imagine how much could be saved if teachers were given a not-to-exceed classroom budget that they could spend any way they chose, without having to buy a specific set of ... more »

Workers & Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FL « Continuing Change

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

Workers Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FL « Continuing Change:Workers Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FLby gatorbonbcWisconsin … SW Florida residents and Wear Red for Ed has joined with the AFL CIO and many other activists/organizations to rally/protest the visit of Wisconsin’s Gov Scott Walker in Naples, FL today. We will be sure to let him know we do not need another Scott in Florida… we have Rick Scott…and he is one ... more »

The rush to endorse is unseemly. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

The rush to endorse is unseemly. « Fred Klonsky:The rush to endorse is unseemly.by Fred KlonskyTeachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. And in return, grant schools flexibility: to teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn. That’s a bargain worth ... more »

Occupy the DOE in DC Schedule: March 30th to April 2nd, 2012 | United Opt Out National #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

Occupy the DOE in DC Schedule: March 30th to April 2nd, 2012 | United Opt Out National:OCCUPY THE DOE IN DC SCHEDULE: MARCH 30TH TO APRIL 2ND, 2012Our schedule is up! It is subject to revision. Please click HERE to find our schedule, map information for hotels and pertinent locations, a letter to share about our plans to occupy, posters and Occupy DOE Rules of Engagement. We encourage everyone to join the forum to begin making arrangements for carpools and ... more »

TWITTER TOWN HALL 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT)- El secretario de Educación DUNCAN SERÁ SEDE DE SALA CIUDAD TWITTER para la Excelencia Educativa HISPANO

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

Education Department on USTREAM: .:EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN TO HOST TWITTER TOWN HALL ON HISPANIC EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCEFollowing President Obama’s State of the Union Address – in which critical topics like college affordability, dropout rates, teachers, and job training were addressed – U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will engage with the Hispanic community through a twitter town hall at 3 p.m. ET on February 8. The conversation will be conducted in both English and Spanish.José Rico, executive director of the White ... more »

Shanker Blog » A Look Inside Principals' Decisions To Dismiss Teachers

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

Shanker Blog » A Look Inside Principals' Decisions To Dismiss Teachers:A Look Inside Principals’ Decisions To Dismiss Teachersby Matthew Di CarloDespite all the heated talk about how to identify and dismiss low-performing teachers, there’s relatively little research on how administrators choose whom to dismiss, whether various dismissal options might actually serve to improve performance, and other aspects in this area. A paper by economist Brian Jacob, released as working paper in 2010 and published late last year in the journal ... more »

Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protesters - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protesters - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protestersBy Katy MurphyTuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 9:55 pm in Uncategorized.The well-known former chancellor of Washington, D.C.’s public schools spoke tonight at a private event organized by the Oakland Speaker Series at the Paramount Theatre.Michelle Rhee, who founded the Sacramento-based advocacy group StudentsFirst in 2010, after leaving her chancellor’s post, has challenged many ... more »

Education Department’s obsession with test scores deepens - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

Education Department’s obsession with test scores deepens - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Education Department’s obsession with test scores deepensBy Valerie StraussApparently it’s not enough for the Obama administration thatstandardized test scores are now used to evaluate students, schools, teachers and principals. In a new display of its obsession with test scores, the Education Department is embarking on a study to determine which parts of clinical teacher training lead to higher average test scores Education Secretary Arne Duncan speaks ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Worst Pro-Charter Statement Yet

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 27 minutes ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Worst Pro-Charter Statement Yet:Worst Pro-Charter Statement Yetby Charlie MasToday, the Seattle Times ran an editorial by Lynne Varner ("Adding color to the education reform debate") which is, without a doubt, the worst statement in support of charters yet to appear.Ms Varner proudly quotes a study which reports:"60% of the charter schools performed with similar or better success than the traditional public schools in reading and 53 percnet (sic) of charter schools performed with similar or better ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-7 #edreform #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

An essay on what our children need | Seattle EducationBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-1 hour agoAn essay on what our children need | Seattle Education:An essay on what our children needby seattleducation2011“When will the conversation shift away from non-issues like choice, competition, bad teachers, and test scores, to finally focus on the kinds of reform that would actually make a difference in these kids’ lives?”I am re-posting an excerpt of an essay written by Katie Osgood who is ... more »

Louisiana Educator: No Evidence for Voucher Choice

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Louisiana Educator: No Evidence for Voucher Choice:No Evidence for Voucher ChoiceThe heart of Governor Jindal's education reform package this legislative session will be a proposal that any low income family whose children attend a "C" or lower rated public school could receive a "scholarship" to attend a private or parochial school instead of his or her public school. The governor makes the claim that parents are the best judges of the best school for their child. To drive his point ...more »

SHOCKER! State Rules in Favor of Charter Schools USA and its Well-Connected CEO

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

SHOCKER! State Rules in Favor of Charter Schools USA and its Well-Connected CEO Over the Orange County School Board | Scathing Purple Musings:SHOCKER! State Rules in Favor of Charter Schools USA and its Well-Connected CEO Over the Orange County School Boardby Bob Sikes You really didn’t think a state commission stocked with hand-picked political appointees would rule againstCharter Schools USA CEO Jonathan Hage? You know that guy who was on Rick Scott’s education transition team? And the same guy who’s ... more »

On the beating of a former student of mine by the NYPD… « Outside the Cave

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

On the beating of a former student of mine by the NYPD… « Outside the Cave:On the beating of a former student of mine by the NYPD…by Stephen LazarIf you’re in New York, you’ve undoubtedly heard by now about two cases of police brutality in the Bronx in the past couple weeks. In one incident, an 18 year old was shot while unarmed in his home. The other, is captured in the video below:PopoutThe young man that was savagely beaten ... more »

Modern School: Jerry Brown: Friend to Teachers Dumb Enough to Believe It

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Modern School: Jerry Brown: Friend to Teachers Dumb Enough to Believe It:Jerry Brown: Friend to Teachers Dumb Enough to Believe Itby Michael DunnDespite ample evidence to the contrary, Jerry Brown continues to be called a friend of labor. This is probably because big unions like the California Teachers Association invested so much money into his campaign for governor that they can’t afford to criticize him out of fear that he won’t pay them back in kind (as if this were ... more »

The Story of PS161: The Crown School & How to Fail/Fix NYC Public Schools « EdVox

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

The Story of PS161: The Crown School How to Fail/Fix NYC Public Schools « EdVox:The Story of PS161: The Crown School How to Fail/Fix NYC Public Schoolsby edvoxnyby Fred Baptiste, PTA Vice-President of PS 161As a parent of children at PS 161 – The Crown School, a resident of Crown Heights, and a taxpayer, I am strongly against the proposal to truncate of the 6-8th grades at the Crown School and the policy of school closures in general, because it ... more »

Teacher pensions and the two plans. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Teacher pensions and the two plans. « Fred Klonsky:Teacher pensions and the two plans.by Fred KlonskyThe last session of the General Assembly there was just one plan for screwing teachers. That was Senate Bill 512. It was the brainchild of the Civic Committee, which is headed by millionaire corporate lawyer Ty Fahner. The plan was pushed by GOP House Leader Tom Cross and the Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party who is also Speaker of the House, Michael Madigan. He ... more »

Hechinger Report | Q&A with Deborah Gist: Involving teachers in evaluation policy

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Hechinger Report | QA with Deborah Gist: Involving teachers in evaluation policy:QA with Deborah Gist: Involving teachers in evaluation policyby Nick PandolfoDeborah Gist (Photo by Frank Curran)Deborah Gist, Rhode Island’s Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, has implemented some major reforms since assuming her role in 2009. She has raised the score required to pass teacher-certification tests and allowed a superintendent to fire all of the teachers at a school that was resisting reforms. Perhaps most notably, she has overseen ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Afternoon Posts 2-7 #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Secretary of Education Calls for Comprehensive Reform | News | The Harvard CrimsonBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-4 minutes agoSecretary of Education Calls for Comprehensive Reform | News | The Harvard Crimson:Secretary of Education Calls for Comprehensive ReformBy ELIZABETH S. AURITT, CRIMSON STAFF WRITERPublished: Tuesday, February 07, 2012COMMENTEMAILPRINT During a speech at the Graduate School of Education on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne S. Duncan ’86 said that schools should not limit the scope of their focus and ... more »

Detroit To Parents: Time To Get Involved in Education : NPR

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Detroit To Parents: Time To Get Involved in Education : NPR:Detroit To Parents: Time To Get Involved in Educationby LARRY ABRAMSON In Detroit, officials say they are trying everything they can to revive the city's public school system, from replacing dilapidated buildings to hiring new school leaders. Detroit Public Schools is also focusing on a neglected piece of the education equation: parents.The effort to involve parents in public education in Detroit focuses on a lot of little things, like "the ... more »

An essay on what our children need | Seattle Education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 19 hours ago

An essay on what our children need | Seattle Education:An essay on what our children needby seattleducation2011“When will the conversation shift away from non-issues like choice, competition, bad teachers, and test scores, to finally focus on the kinds of reform that would actually make a difference in these kids’ lives?”I am re-posting an excerpt of an essay written by Katie Osgood who is a special education teacher working in a psychiatric hospital in Chicago. The original post is on Anthony ... more »