Last Week's Best Posts on Big Education Ape 3-17-12 » PostRank #EDchat #EDreform #soschat #p2 #1u

Last Week's Best Posts on Big Education Ape » PostRank 

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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Texas Two-Step -- Cut budgets, increase class size

2012-Mar-16

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Texas Two-Step -- Cut budgets, increase class size: The Texas Two-Step -- Cut budgets, increase class sizebyMike Klonsky"I try to meet their needs. I'm not sure I am anymore," says Sara Estrada, who has been teaching for 27 years, says of her pre-kindergarten class at Lion Lane School in Houston, which has grown to 25 students even as it lost its full-time teacher's aide.--Houston ChronicleRahm Emanuelloves the way they do schooling in Texas. Time and ...

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Beyond personal pain, teacher layoffs have rippling effects on schools | EdSource Extra!

2012-Mar-16

Beyond personal pain, teacher layoffs have rippling effects on schools | EdSource Extra!: ""Beyond personal pain, teacher layoffs have rippling effects on schoolsMarch 15th, 2012 |Add a CommentBySue FreyandLouis Freedberg~ EdSource ExtraOf all the budget-cutting remedies that school districts have to undertake, laying off teachers — or even the threat of being laid off — has a rippling effect on schools and students that goes far beyond the pain being experienced by individual teachers faced with losing their jobs.Layoffs create ...

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New York’s Common Core Pre-K Standards: They’re Not Kidding Around | Dailycensored.com

2012-Mar-16

New York’s Common Core Pre-K Standards: They’re Not Kidding Around | Dailycensored.com: New York’s Common Core Pre-K Standards: They’re Not Kidding AroundWritten bysusanoDaily Journal (Opinion),Education,Media,PoliticsMar 16, 20120diggShareAn angry New York City parent of a preschooler got my attention on Twitter. “Are you f**king kidding me?” she wrote. “I may just quit my job and home-school my daughter.”I wondered what on earth could be so terrible. I soon found out: the New York City Department of Education’s “Common Core–aligned tasks embedded ...

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Blue Jersey:: Charter School Authorization Vote Today

2012-Mar-15

Blue Jersey:: Charter School Authorization Vote Today: Charter School Authorization Vote TodaybyJersey JazzmanSave Our Schools NJreports that the full Assembly will vote today on two charter school bills:-Assembly bill 1877 (bill A3852/S2243 last session), which would require local approval before the establishment of new charter schools, and-Assembly bill 2147 (bills A3356/S3005/S3001 last session), which would increase charter school educational and financial accountability and transparency and address the fact that NJ charter school students do not represent the demographics of their ...

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Louisiana Educator: HB 976 and 974 Pushed Through Committee

2012-Mar-15

Louisiana Educator: HB 976 and 974 Pushed Through Committee: HB 976 and 974 Pushed Through CommitteebyMichael Deshotels(The following is a report of events at the Capitol on Wednesday, by the Louisiana Association of Educators)See also The Advocate story linked here.Gov.Jindal Attempts to Suppress Educators Thousands Push Back to Make Voices HeardEducators Testify on Capitol Steps to Express Outrage over Attempt To Ram Education Package Through LegislatureBATON ROUGE, LA –March 14, 2012 – Thousands of education stakeholders flooded the steps of ...

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Schools can choose to embrace or eschew 'pink slime' - LA Daily News

2012-Mar-14

Schools can choose to embrace or eschew 'pink slime' - LA Daily News: Schools can choose to embrace or eschew 'pink slime'ByMICHAEL HILL, Associated PressPosted: 03/14/2012 07:20:17 PM PDTUpdated: 03/14/2012 07:24:27 PM PDTIn this undated image released by Beef Products Inc., boneless lean beef trimmings are shown before packaging. Critics call the substance "pink slime."Federal regulators say it meets standards for food safety. Critics liken it to pet food. (AP Photo/Beef Products Inc.)ALBANY, N.Y. -- "Pink slime" just went from ...

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Students shocked as US high school assembly descends into homophobic rant | Mail Online

2012-Mar-14

Students shocked as US high school assembly descends into homophobic rant | Mail Online: Students shocked as US high school assembly descends into homophobic rant against Sir Elton John and Lady GagaByLYLE BRENNANPUBLISHED:07:43 EST, 14 March 2012|UPDATED:11:01 EST, 14 March 2012Comments (13)ShareKicking off with a hard rock performance, it was clear this was not to be your average assembly.At first students at Dunkerton High School, Iowa, seemed grateful for this musical break from the norm - albeit with Christian-themed lyrics ...

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ASCD Honors Canadian School for its Supportive Education Community — Whole Child Education

2012-Mar-15

ASCD Honors Canadian School for its Supportive Education Community — Whole Child Education: ASCD Honors Canadian School for its Supportive Education CommunitybyKlea ScharbergByrne Creek Secondary School, located in Burnaby, British Columbia, is the 2012 winner of ASCD's annual Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award. ASCD honored Byrne Creek because it is an example of the supportive education community that a commitment to the whole child can create. It is the first Canadian school to receive the award.Vision in ...

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Weathering the Storm: How Districts are Responding to Continued Economic Crisis | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

2012-Mar-15

Weathering the Storm: How Districts are Responding to Continued Economic Crisis | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Weathering the Storm: How Districts are Responding to Continued Economic CrisisbyobrienaWhile nationally we may be in the midst of an economic recovery, anew surveyfrom the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) offers the latest evidence that the good news has not yet fully trickled down to state and local budgets – the budgets from which most education funding is drawn.Nearly ...

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Blue Jersey:: Charter School Authorization Vote Today

2012-Mar-15

Blue Jersey:: Charter School Authorization Vote Today: Charter School Authorization Vote TodaybyJersey JazzmanSave Our Schools NJreports that the full Assembly will vote today on two charter school bills:-Assembly bill 1877 (bill A3852/S2243 last session), which would require local approval before the establishment of new charter schools, and-Assembly bill 2147 (bills A3356/S3005/S3001 last session), which would increase charter school educational and financial accountability and transparency and address the fact that NJ charter school students do not represent the demographics of their ...

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Louisiana Educator: HB 976 and 974 Pushed Through Committee

2012-Mar-15

Louisiana Educator: HB 976 and 974 Pushed Through Committee: HB 976 and 974 Pushed Through CommitteebyMichael Deshotels(The following is a report of events at the Capitol on Wednesday, by the Louisiana Association of Educators)See also The Advocate story linked here.Gov.Jindal Attempts to Suppress Educators Thousands Push Back to Make Voices HeardEducators Testify on Capitol Steps to Express Outrage over Attempt To Ram Education Package Through LegislatureBATON ROUGE, LA –March 14, 2012 – Thousands of education stakeholders flooded the steps of ...

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California’s biggest Community Colleges tries two-tier prices for in-demand classes | Davis Enterprise

2012-Mar-14

College tries two-tier prices for in-demand classes | Davis Enterprise: College tries two-tier prices for in-demand classesBy Christina HoagSANTA MONICA (AP) — After three years of reducing class offerings, one of California’s biggest community colleges now plans to start adding them — but at quadruple the price.Under a new program designed to cope with rising student demand as state funds dwindle, Santa Monica College will form a separate nonprofit foundation to offer core courses for about $600 each, or about ...

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District answers questions about school lunches | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

2012-Mar-14

District answers questions about school lunches | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: District answers questions about school lunchesbyGuest bloggerThis guest blog post comes from thePhiladelphia Urban Food and Fitness Alliance. PUFFAsolicited questions from students, parents/guardians, and other community residents and received responses from the Food Services Division of the School District of Philadelphia.1. Why can't our children have organic milk to drink? The total cost allotted to a school lunch is $2.73 and $1.39 is allotted for food, $1.03 for labor ...

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Daily Kos: The Cult of Personality v. Expertise in the Education Debate

2012-Mar-14

Daily Kos: The Cult of Personality v. Expertise in the Education Debate: The Cult of Personality v. Expertise in the Education DebatebyplthomasEdDFollowShare4I recently spoke at theCouncil of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) conference in Columbia, SC, charged with the daunting task of speaking on the conference theme, "The Role of Technology in Public Education," while using technology toargue that education needs to heed strong cautions about the lure of technology.At one of the keynote talks, another speaker ended his presentation ...

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Yarbrough: Charter schools may be boondoggles | Online Athens

2012-Mar-14

Yarbrough: Charter schools may be boondoggles | Online Athens: Yarbrough: Charter schools may be boondogglesByDICK YARBROUGHPublishedTuesday, March 13, 20126commentsFollow ArticleSHARETWEETPRINTEMAILVote up!+1Vote down!One more time, let me go over my concerns about the charter school constitutional amendment bill in the state Senate. I don’t have a problem with charter schools. My problem is that nobody seems to be talking about for-profit charter schools.Call me cynical, but you have to wonder at the enthusiasm of legislators for charter schools, even as they ...

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Don’t Shoot the Piano; LAUSD’s Assault on Learning | California Father

2012-Mar-14

Don’t Shoot the Piano; LAUSD’s Assault on Learning | California Father: Don’t Shoot the Piano; LAUSD’s Assault on LearningbyCalifornia FatherFound this pathetic sight between buildings at our school–a piano abandoned and left naked to the elements. Kind of similar to what LAUSD is doing to our schools. Forget the arts and physical education; we’ll be lucky if we can teach anything pretty soon. With looming cuts, the board of ed is spiffing up theschool-to-prison pipelinemaking sure it’s ready to flush.

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Missouri Education Watchdog: Will Common Core Science Standards Embrace Standards of Scientific Practice?

2012-Mar-14

Missouri Education Watchdog: Will Common Core Science Standards Embrace Standards of Scientific Practice?: Will Common Core Science Standards Embrace Standards of Scientific Practice?byAnngieFirst the good news. Some things are still free of controversy. A verb is still an action word. A noun describes a person, place or thing. The area of a rectangle = LxW. The mathematical order of operations remains PENDAS. Developing common core standards for math and language arts was made a little easier by the fact that ...

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Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee wants to revamp the way teachers are prepared for the profession - baltimoresun.com

2012-Mar-14

Grasmick to overhaul Towson teacher training - baltimoresun.com: Grasmick to overhaul teacher training at Towson UniversityFormer state superintendent will head project to create a model national program to educate future teachersComments0Share11RelatedPictures: Famous Towson University alumniGrasmick's last day marks end of an eraInsideEd blog: News and issues in educationTowson president completes unusual rise from theater to her alma mater's top jobGrasmick working at Towson U.TopicsTeaching and LearningColleges and UniversitiesTeachersSee more topics »ByLiz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun7:16 p.m. EDT,March 13, 2012Several months ...

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Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 3-14 AM Posts #soschat #edreform

2012-Mar-14

School Tech Connect: Nurturing The Sense of InquiryBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-3 hours agoSchool Tech Connect: Nurturing The Sense of Inquiry: Nurturing The Sense of Inquirybynoreply@blogger.com (Tim)This is hugely encouragingand humane and totally John Deweyish. This is the sort of thing that Michelle Rhee's corporate backers don't want coming down the pike. It's the sort of thing Jonah Edelman would like for his own children but that would be extremely inconvenient for the buying-of-legislation effort he's organized.As you ...

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Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-13 #soschat #EDReform

2012-Mar-13

Seattle Teachers Union Seeks to Ban Teach For America « Union WatchBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-4 minutes agoSeattle Teachers Union Seeks to Ban Teach For America « Union Watch: Seattle Teachers Union Seeks to Ban Teach For AmericaBY LARRY SAND, ON MARCH 13TH, 2012Teachers unions, known for fighting to keep pedophiles in the classroom, try to get rid of good teachers in Seattle.Last week, I wrote about the particularly egregious case ofa teacher in Rochester, NYwho sent sexually ...

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What do Eva Longoria, Emilio Estefan and Wilmer Valderrama have in common with Lily? - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard

2012-Mar-13

What do Eva Longoria, Emilio Estefan and Wilmer Valderrama have in common with Lily? - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard: What do Eva Longoria, Emilio Estefan and Wilmer Valderrama have in common with Lily?byLilysBlackboardOur very own Lily Eskelsen was honored today by theLatino Leaders Networkwith their Eagle Leadership Award. She was recognized for her “outstanding contributions to the Latino community” and her dedication as an educator.Juan Sepúlveda, former director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, ...

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Seattle Teachers Union Seeks to Ban Teach For America « Union Watch

2012-Mar-13

Seattle Teachers Union Seeks to Ban Teach For America « Union Watch: Seattle Teachers Union Seeks to Ban Teach For AmericaBY LARRY SAND, ON MARCH 13TH, 2012Teachers unions, known for fighting to keep pedophiles in the classroom, try to get rid of good teachers in Seattle.Last week, I wrote about the particularly egregious case ofa teacher in Rochester, NYwho sent sexually charged emails to her principal and was subsequently jailed for ignoring a restraining order. Upon her release, she returned ...

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“I Dare You to Measure the ‘Value’ I Add” | Edwize

2012-Mar-13

“I Dare You to Measure the ‘Value’ I Add” | Edwize: “I Dare You to Measure the ‘Value’ I Add”byW.J. LevayAn ESL teacher in a NYC elementary schoolmakes a case against value-added assessments.Tell me how you determine the value I add to my class.Tell me about the algorithms you applied when you took data from 16 students over a course of nearly five years of teaching and somehow used it to judge me as “below average” and “average”.Tell me how ...

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A People's Resolution Model to Help Combat High Stakes Testing.... Let it go Viral!

2012-Mar-13

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: A People's Resolution Model to Help Combat High Stakes Testing.... Let it go Viral!==============BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF CLEAR CREEK INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTRESOLUTION CONCERNING HIGH STAKES, STANDARDIZED TESTINGOF TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTSSTATE OF TEXAS § COUNTY OF GALVESTONWHEREAS, the over reliance on standardized, high stakes testing as the only assessment of learning that really matters in the state and federal accountability systems is strangling our public schools and undermining any chance that educators ...

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KQED holds town hall in Oakland Tuesday about the dropout crisis - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

2012-Mar-13

KQED holds town hall in Oakland Tuesday about the dropout crisis - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: KQED holds town hall in Oakland Tuesday about the dropout crisisMonday, March 12th, 2012 at 7:42 pm indropouts2 Comments »More than one in every three Oakland teenagers drop out of high school — a rate twice the state average, according tothe most recent datafrom the California Department of Education from the class of 2009-10.What’s more,Oakland’s black and Latino ...

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Teachers For Social Justice: This Saturday: ItAG Finale @ Marwen!

2012-Mar-13

Teachers For Social Justice: This Saturday: ItAG Finale @ Marwen!: This Saturday: ItAG Finale @ Marwen!bysarah-jiJoin us for the wrap-up of TSJ's 3rd annual Inquiry-to-Action Groups!Educators from around the city have been meeting for 8 weeks to collectively study and plan actions around issues of social justice and schools. Come hear them reflect on their learning and plans. Hear report-backs from the groups focusing on Youth Activism, Anti-Military Recruitment in High Schools, Queer Issues in Education, The Community Writing Project, ...

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LAUSD to mail more than 11,700 pink slips to educators, employees - LA Daily News

2012-Mar-13

LAUSD to mail more than 11,700 pink slips to educators, employees - LA Daily News: LAUSD to mail more than 11,700 pink slips to educators, employeesbyBy Barbara Jones, Staff WriterDespite an infusion in state revenue that trimmed $167 million from Los Angeles Unified's deficit, the district plans to mail out more than 11,700 pink slips to educators and other employees, Superintendent John Deasy said Monday.Proposal would make firing teachers easierbyBy Barbara Jones, Staff WriterSix weeks after the molestation scandal broke ...

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Missouri Education Watchdog: Kindergarten Rigor in Connecticut and the Kirkwood School District

2012-Mar-13

Missouri Education Watchdog: Kindergarten Rigor in Connecticut and the Kirkwood School District: Kindergarten Rigor in Connecticut and the Kirkwood School DistrictbystlgretchenWhat do you remember about kindergarten? Was it the coloring? The playing of games? The songs? The end of the year recital? I remember playing the triangle for a song in an "orchestra" and being dressed up in a crepe paper flower costume my mother made for the finale presentation.I don't remember rote activities, assessments and rigid expectations. Probably most ...

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The Lion Sleeps Tonight | The Jose Vilson

2012-Mar-12

The Lion Sleeps Tonight | The Jose Vilson: The Lion Sleeps TonightbyJoseThe only way to shock my son out of his crying spurts is to sing the first big note in “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” I hit the highest falsetto possible, then jump right into the first few notes of the melody. Naturally, I forget the majority of the verses of the song, but by then, he’s bubbly, feet kicking and eyes forming crescents in form with his smile.Lately, I’ve ...

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Jersey Jazzman: B4K Ad Gets Tenure Wrong

2012-Mar-12

Jersey Jazzman: B4K Ad Gets Tenure Wrong: B4K Ad Gets Tenure WrongbyDukeYou may have seen this ad on my blog:Which is pretty funny when youremember this:I don't control which ads come up, so maybe they can't control where their ads are placed. It's still pretty funny to me that they can place an ad on a blog Derrell Bradford has banned evenmentioningon his Facebook page. Whatever...Let's talk about the ad. "Make tenure a reward, not a guaranteed job for life."

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California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) - Testing (CA Dept of Education)

2012-Mar-12

California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) - Testing (CA Dept of Education): California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)In California, all high school students must pass a test to earn a high school diploma. The test is called the CAHSEE. Some students with disabilities do not have to pass this test.California created the test to improve student achievement in high schools. The test helps to ensure that students graduate from high school with grade level skills in reading, writing, and math.Students ...

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Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee, Governor Branstad and Masking Tapegate | Blog for Iowa

2012-Mar-12

Michelle Rhee, Governor Branstad and Masking Tapegate | Blog for Iowa: Michelle Rhee, Governor Branstad and Masking TapegateMarch 12, 2012 | AuthorTrish NelsonOn Monday, Governor Branstad will meet with the former Chancellor of DC public schools, Michelle Rhee. As a former teacher, Rhee once put masking tape over her students’ mouths to keep them quiet on the way to lunch.This is no joke, although you can watch the video of her joking about it right here.As you watch and listen ...

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Missouri Education Watchdog: A Retired Math Teacher Wonders "What is a Failing School"?

2012-Mar-12

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Retired Math Teacher Wonders "What is a Failing School"?: A Retired Math Teacher Wonders "What is a Failing School"?bystlgretchenThe "regular" people are smarter than the Washington and financial elites attempting to control education. Forget the teacher evaluations foisted on districts which are dependent upon student assessments that may/may not successfully measure a child's knowledge. A teacher may have a low performing class for a year, not because he/she is a "bad" teacher, it could stem from ...

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Education - GOOD

2012-Mar-12

Education - GOOD: Why We Must Fund the Knowledge EconomyTom AhnatEducation-1 hour ago[image: first.graduate] In his 2012 State of the Union address, President Obama said "higher education can't be a luxury—it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford." But the hard truth is that it's not. And it won't be until we make some changes and view higher education as an investment in everyone's future. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, ...

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Louisiana Educator: The Object is to Fire Teachers; and Lots of Them

2012-Mar-12

Louisiana Educator: The Object is to Fire Teachers; and Lots of Them: The Object is to Fire Teachers; and Lots of ThembyMichael DeshotelsHave you sent emails to your legislators yet? Time is running out! Just scroll down to my Friday,March 9th post to get sample emails.Well it turns out thatthe Governor's teacherdismissal legislation,(HB 974orSB 603) is even worse than I thought it was. When you combinethe new legislationwith the implementation of the Act 54 evaluation, there are two major ways ...

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Jersey Jazzman: Sunday Music Blogging

2012-Mar-11

Jersey Jazzman: Sunday Music Blogging: Sunday Music BloggingbyDukeIn an effort to not be such a snarky old bastard all the time, let's try to do a little music blogging every Sunday, shall we?I'm just finishing a big band piece for a high school. A lot of times, when I write something, I think, "I want to do this piece I like, but recomposed my way." Like about 10,000 artists have said, "Good composers borrow; great composers steal."I may not be ...

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Hechinger Report | Indiana overhauls how it evaluates teachers

2012-Mar-11

Hechinger Report | Indiana overhauls how it evaluates teachers: Indiana overhauls how it evaluates teachersbyScott ElliottINDIANAPOLIS—Reform: There is perhaps no idea more embraced in education circles nationally—and especially here.Indiana is in the midst of a massive education reform effort that includes the creation of vouchers, increasing the number of charter schools and adopting a new system to hold schools accountable. For the first time, that includes taking control of failing schools away from districts.It could be argued, however, that no ...