Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-29 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

Calif. Seeks its Own Version of an NCLB Waiver - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Calif. Seeks its Own Version of an NCLB Waiver - Politics K-12 - Education Week:Calif. Seeks its Own Version of an NCLB WaiverBy Michele McNeil on February 29, 2012 3:03 PMBy Sean CavanaghCalifornia is continuing to hold out on pursuing a waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act, citing its objections to the Obama administration's requirements of states that want that flexibility.Instead, the state is considering asking federal officials for its own brand of flexibility from the law—without having ... more »

Mother Crusader: How Many Districts Does It Take To Fill A Charter School?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Mother Crusader: How Many Districts Does It Take To Fill A Charter School?:How Many Districts Does It Take To Fill A Charter School?by darciecimaAmir Khan's Regis Academy was approved in September of 2011. He has had five months to reach out to parents and recruit students from the four sending districts for which he was approved, namely Cherry Hill, Lawnside, Somerdale and Voorhees. At his last public information session (where Khan threatened concerned citizens in attendance with calling the police ... more »

Davy Jones, actor and member of the Monkees, has died

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Davy Jones, actor and member of the Monkees, has diedFebruary 29, 2012 | 11:07 am 51Davy Jones, the British Invasion-era singer who became a household heartthrob as a member of the Monkees, has died in Florida.The Martin County Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida confirmed Wednesday morning that they had been notified of Jones’ death but would provide no other details. He was 66.Before the Monkees, Jones earned acclaim as the Artful Dodger in the London production of "Oliver!"PHOTOS: Davy Jones ... more »

Student Walk-Outs Planned at City College, SDSU, and UCSD for March 1st

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Student Walk-Outs Planned at City College, SDSU, and UCSD for March 1st:Student Walk-Outs Planned at City College, SDSU, and UCSD for March 1stby STAFF on FEBRUARY 29, 2012 · 0 COMMENTSin CALIFORNIA, CIVIL RIGHTS, ECONOMY, EDUCATION, ORGANIZING, SAN DIEGOStudent Walk-Outs Planned at City College, SDSU, and UCSD for March 1stbyStaffAs part of the March 1st National Day of Action for Education, three area college campuses are planning student and faculty walk-outs tomorrow, the first day of March.Students at City College, ... more »

Support PURE! » Hoosier legislators giving in to vouchers?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Hoosier legislators giving in to vouchers?:Hoosier legislators giving in to vouchers?by adminSome of our members live in Indiana or have friends/relatives there – it’s time to help them out!!!A voucher bill similar to the one described below has been in effect in Arizona for several years, and the result has been that middle- and upper-middle-class families get the money to pay for private schools their children were already attending. People are ... more »

Governor’s Budget for 2012-13 - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Governor’s Budget for 2012-13 - Letters (CA Dept of Education):Dear County and District Superintendents, Direct-Funded Charter School Administrators, and County Chief Business Officers:GOVERNOR’S BUDGET FOR 2012–13On January 5, 2012, Governor Jerry Brown released his proposed budget for the 2012–13 fiscal year. The budget provides a plan to close a $9.2 billion deficit for the 2011–12 and 2012–13 fiscal years through a combination of program reductions and reforms and revenue increases. The budget proposal assumes voter approval in November 2012 of ... more »

Dear President Obama: Dump Pritzker. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Dear President Obama: Dump Pritzker. « Fred Klonsky:Dear President Obama: Dump Pritzker.by Fred KlonskyDear President Obama,On February 21st your campaign announced the naming of six national co-chairs from Illinois.The list included Bill Daley, Sen. Dick Durbin, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Penny Pritzker, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Alan Solow.Yesterday Unite Here, which represents hotel employees at Penny Pritzker’s Hyatt Hotels, revealed that Penny Pritzker underpays the property taxes on her Chicago 7-bathroom mansion.This is the same Penny Pritzker who advocates ending public ... more »

Duncan Joins Mayors Bloomberg, Villaraigosa and Emanuel for “Education Now: Cities at the Forefront of Privatization ”

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Joins Mayors Bloomberg, Villaraigosa and Emanuel for “Education Now: Cities at the Forefront of Reform” | U.S. Department of Education:U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Joins Mayors Bloomberg, Villaraigosa and Emanuel for “Education Now: Cities at the Forefront of Reform”City Superintendents will also participate, highlight local efforts to improve education in nation's three largest schools districts: New York, Los Angeles and ChicagoContact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Event Date 1: March 02, 2012 10:00 ... more »

Shanker Blog » Ready, Aim, Hire: Predicting The Future Performance Of Teacher Candidates

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Shanker Blog » Ready, Aim, Hire: Predicting The Future Performance Of Teacher Candidates:Ready, Aim, Hire: Predicting The Future Performance Of Teacher Candidatesby Matthew Di CarloIn a previous post, I discussed the idea of “attracting the best candidates” to teaching by reviewing the research on the association between pre-service characteristics and future performance (usually defined in terms of teachers’ estimated effect on test scores once they get into the classroom). In general, this body of work indicates that, while far from ... more »

Teachers Face Good Cops or Bad Cops in Push for Evaluations - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 26 minutes ago

Teachers Face Good Cops or Bad Cops in Push for Evaluations - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Teachers Face Good Cops or Bad Cops in Push for Evaluationsby Anthony CodyLast week I wrote about the fairy dust of multiple measures that the Department of Education has been sprinkling on worthless Value Added Models, under the mistaken belief that this somehow renders them golden. Dept of Ed press secretary Justin Hamilton quoted Arne Duncan, who said, "here in the US ... more »

Standardized tests Simpson style

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

http://unitedoptout.com/

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-28 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

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

The Facts About Charter Schools - www.togetherwesoar.orgBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-21 minutes agowww.togetherwesoar.orgThe Facts About Charter SchoolsCharter schools are out-of-state, for-profit corporations that make personal profits from education tax dollars. The introduction of charter schools to Alabama will take nearly $200 million a year from our neighborhood public schools. Yet, major studies prove that charter schools fail to provide a better alternative to existing neighborhood public schools. Our kids can’t afford to lose another $200 million every year ... more »

School Tech Connect: Be Thankful For Your Pension

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

School Tech Connect: Be Thankful For Your Pension:Be Thankful For Your Pensionby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)A colleague tossed an email over the transom tonight. My colleagues was doing the virtual lobby thing, and he made a point in his correspondence with this representative that teachers don't get Social Security when they retire.This is part of the response. I'm keeping out the names because it's not a public statement per se.This is one of what I would call "the true believers," who thinks ... more »

Daily Kos: Education data matters when it can be used against teachers, but Michelle Rhee retains Teflon coat

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

Daily Kos: Education data matters when it can be used against teachers, but Michelle Rhee retains Teflon coat:Education data matters when it can be used against teachers, but Michelle Rhee retains Teflon coatbyLaura ClawsonFollowforDaily Kos LaborShareNew PERMALINK19 COMMENTS(Iris Harris—U.S. Department of Commerce)Two stories once again highlight how the supposedly data-driven corporate-style education reform is actually driven by ideology, with no data too shoddy and suspect to be held up against teachers or as a victory for "reform," and no amount ... more »

Ending Local Control of Schools Continues in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings

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

Ending Local Control of Schools Continues in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings:Ending Local Control of Schools Continues in Floridaby Bob SikesSigns that the end of local board control of schools – and its own finances – continued today when the state board of education overruled Orange and Seminole counties rejection of two charter schools. From Leslie Postal in the Orlando Sentinel:TALLAHASSEE – Orange and Seminole school districts should be forced to allow two charter schools they turned down, the state ... more »

City Pushes Ahead on Plan to Close, Then Reopen 33 Schools – SchoolBook

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

City Pushes Ahead on Plan to Close, Then Reopen 33 Schools – SchoolBook: City Pushes Ahead on Plan to Close, Then Reopen 33 SchoolsFACEBOOKTWITTERPRINT0 CommentsRespondRelated SchoolsBanana Kelly High SchoolJ.H.S. 22 Jordan L. MottFordham Leadership Academy for Business and TechnologyAutomotive High SchoolSheepshead Bay High SchoolHigh School of Graphic Communication ArtsHarlem Renaissance High SchoolWilliam Cullen Bryant High SchoolFeb. 28, 2012, 6:12 p.m.By FERNANDA SANTOSThe New York City Education Department has set in motion its plan to restore federal grants to 33 struggling ... more »

A+ is new scarlet letter - State prohibits Philly teachers from administering PSSA to their own students | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

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

State prohibits Philly teachers from administering PSSA to their own students | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:State prohibits Philly teachers from administering PSSA to their own studentsby Dale Mezzacappa on Feb 28 2012 Posted in Latest newsCOMMENTS (7)PRINTEMAILTags:cheatingINN feedstandardized testingunionsIn the wake of concerns about cheating on state exams, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has prohibited Philadelphia teachers – but apparently not teachers in other districts across the state – from administering the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (... more »

What 'Black Cool' Looks Like in the Classroom - Education - GOOD

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What 'Black Cool' Looks Like in the Classroom - Education - GOOD:What 'Black Cool' Looks Like in the Classroomby José VilsonIn 1926, Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week to ensure the contributions of black people would be taught and remembered. Woodson believed that eventually the week—which in 1976 become Black History Month—would eventually become unnecessary because everyone would learn black history.Seven years later, in his book The Mis-Education of the Negro, Woodson argued that America’s school system indoctrinated black ... more »

The Hyatt’s Penny Pritzker has seven bathrooms, appeals her taxes and screws her employees. « Fred Klonsky

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

The Hyatt’s Penny Pritzker has seven bathrooms, appeals her taxes and screws her employees. « Fred Klonsky:The Hyatt’s Penny Pritzker has seven bathrooms, appeals her taxes and screws her employees.by Fred KlonskyPenny Pritzker has seven bathrooms.H/T: Matt FarmerFor well over two years the employees of the Hyatt Hotels in Chicago and elsewhere have been in dispute over a contract.Hyatt is owned by the Pritzker family. Most prominently, Penny Pritzker. She served as chief fundraiser for Obama’s 2008 campaign and is ... more »

Support PURE! » MSNBC’s “Ed” turns up the heat on Noble Street.

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

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » MSNBC’s “Ed” turns up the heat on Noble Street.:MSNBC’s “Ed” turns up the heat on Noble Street.by admin“I don’t like what’s happening in Chicago.” Ed Schultz, MSNBCYesterday’s “Ed Show” featured our Tribune Op Ed on Noble charter’s discipline policy, along with parent Donna Moore, and Advancement Project Co-Director Judith Brown Dianis on “The Big Finish”.On his show last week, Ed brought in Karen Lewis to talk about the Board of Education’s ... more »