Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-13 #soschat #EDReform
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 53 minutes ago
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 ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Jose Vilson joins SOS leadership team
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 53 minutes ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Jose Vilson joins SOS leadership team: Jose Vilson joins SOS leadership teambyMike KlonskyJose Vilson (left) and Pedro Noguera at SOS RallyCongratulations toJose Vilsonon his appointment to the National Steering Committee of Save Our Schools. Jose was a speaker at our national march and rally in D.C. last July. As we build for the next SOS Platform Convention in D.C., August 3-5, Jose will be a great addition to the organization's leadership team. Jose is a teacher/writer/activist ... more »
The Organization That Dare Not Speak Its Name* | Edwize
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 53 minutes ago
The Organization That Dare Not Speak Its Name* | Edwize: The Organization That Dare Not Speak Its Name*byLeo CaseyClick image for a larger version.On Sunday, my wife came home from church with a leaflet and a strange story.Someone who was a tad bit reluctant to provide her name had passed out a leaflet and attempted to recruit members of her congregation to an organization of parents fighting for better schools, PTA Now. But it didn’t really seem like the PTAs ... more »
Modern School: Teacher Morale Lowest in 20 Years
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 53 minutes ago
Modern School: Teacher Morale Lowest in 20 Years: Teacher Morale Lowest in 20 YearsbyMichael DunnIn a recent survey of the nation’s teachers, more than half expressed reservations about their jobs, according to theNew York Times, the highest level of dissatisfaction since 1989. Nearly one-third said they were likely to leave teaching within the next five years (three years ago only 25% expected to leave teaching within five years). Many expressed concerns about job security, increased class sizes, cuts to programs ... more »
School Tech Connect: Nurturing The Sense of Inquiry
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
School 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 may or may not know, the term "multiple measures" in Duncanville has come to mean ... more »
Jersey Jazzman: No Shame at the NJDOE
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: No Shame at the NJDOE: No Shame at the NJDOEbyDukeAfter all of the debunking that's taken place over the last several months, I cannot believe thatACTING NJDOE Commissioner Cerfwould say this:Acting Education commissioner Chris Cerf says, “According to data over the past several years,charter schools on average across the state are outperforming other district options for students in high-need communities.However, we must also be honest that just as some district schools are failing students, some charter schools in ... more »
In the News: Parent engagement up across U.S. | catalyst-chicago.org
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
In the News: Parent engagement up across U.S. | catalyst-chicago.org: In the News: Parent engagement up across U.S.Share on windycitizenShare on facebookShare on emailBy:Cassandra West/ March 13, 2012Tags:parent engagementteacher evaluationteacher performanceWhile teacher satisfaction has declined to its lowest point in more than two decades, parent engagement is climbing to new heights across America, anew surveyreports.Also: Two-thirds of students (64 percent) report that they talk about what happens at school with their parents every day, up 14 percent from 1988, the ... more »
'Occupy Education' Debates the Gates Foundation (and Wins) | Common Dreams
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
'Occupy Education' Debates the Gates Foundation (and Wins) | Common Dreams: Published on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 byCommon Dreams'Occupy Education' Debates the Gates Foundation (and Wins)byJesse Hagopian“Gates Foundation you will fail / Education is not for sale!”The chants of some 150 teachers, students, parents and Occupy Seattle activists reverberated off the windows of the global headquarters of the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation – a leading promoter of a corporate brand of education reform—announcing we were ready for our scheduled debate ... more »
Give Students the Opportunity to Take the Lead — Whole Child Education
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
Give Students the Opportunity to Take the Lead — Whole Child Education: Give Students the Opportunity to Take the LeadbyASCD Whole Child BloggersPost submitted byPaula Mirk, MEd. Mirk has worked at whole child partner theInstitute for Global Ethics(IGE) since 1996 and currently oversees the IGE education department's many initiatives, including theEthical Literacyexpanding community of schools.We call itEthical Fitness®: an approach and process to help young people and adults internalize ethical values and frameworks for critical thinking about ethics. Like physical ... more »
John Thompson: New York Reformers Show Their True Colors - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
John Thompson: New York Reformers Show Their True Colors - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: New York Reformers Show Their True ColorsbyAnthony CodyGuest post by John Thompson.If nothing else, the controversy over publicizing New York City teachers' value-added scores has revealed the essence of test-driven school "reform." The contemporary data-driven accountability experiment was begun by idealists, who sincerely sought a "civil rights movement of the 21st century," but who were clueless about the realities of urban ... more »
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Tribune: “Off with their heads!” Fire school board for saying no to charter school
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Tribune: “Off with their heads!” Fire school board for saying no to charter school: Tribune: School board should be “fired” for saying no to charter schoolbyadminToday’s Chicago Tribune editorial boardfronts an attackon corporate reform’s next target: elected school boards.Yep. The privatizers have decided that democratically-elected school boards just get in the way of “real reform” like privatization, expanding charter schools, and replacing experienced teachers with deer-in-the-headlights Teach for America kids.PAA co-foun... more »
What do Eva Longoria, Emilio Estefan and Wilmer Valderrama have in common with Lily? - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
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, ... more »
PURE: More nasty stuff from Stand for Children in Chicago #soschat
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » More nasty stuff from Stand for Children in Chicago: More nasty stuff from Stand for Children in ChicagobyadminChicago Public Schools and Stand for Children staffers sharing a car? How cozy… (read about it below).I didn’t name him, but the same Stand for Children creepI wrote about last monthhas been skulking around other Chicagoparent group meetings, and some believe he and SFC should be exposed for the tactics they are using. I ... more »
Seattle Teachers Union Seeks to Ban Teach For America « Union Watch
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
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 ... more »
What UTLA and LAUSD Must Do: Some Solutions to Our Current State of Affairs in the LAUSD by Dr. John Fernandez - Perdaily.com
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
What UTLA and LAUSD Must Do: Some Solutions to Our Current State of Affairs in the LAUSD by Dr. John Fernandez (Lo que UTLA y el LAUSD debe hacer: algunas soluciones para nuestro actual estado de cosas en el LAUSD por el Dr. John Fernández) - Perdaily.com:What UTLA and LAUSD Must Do: Some Solutions to Our Current State of Affairs in the LAUSD by Dr. John Fernandez (Lo que UTLA y el LAUSD debe hacer: algunas soluciones para nuestro actual ... more »
I can lose weight. But they will still be wrong about unions and firing teachers. « Fred Klonsky
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
I can lose weight. But they will still be wrong about unions and firing teachers. « Fred Klonsky: I can lose weight. But they will still be wrong about unions and firing teachers.byFred KlonskyPopoutI get a few nasty emails to my blog from the irrational anti-union community.I delete most of them. I post a few. They make a good foil.One recently attacked me for being a union guy
The Waiver Wire: The Only Game in Town (besides that basketball thing)
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
The Waiver Wire: The Only Game in Town (besides that basketball thing): The Waiver Wire: The Only Game in Town (besides that basketball thing)byANNE HYSLOPonMARCH 13, 2012Image from esea.netTwo weeks ago, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce reported out two of Chairman John Kline’sESEA reauthorization bills, the Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teaching Act, on a party-line vote, 23-16.Democrats, led byRanking Member George Miller, offered just two (unsuccessful) amendments, both substitute bills. These would ... more »
Dallas school board president Lew Blackburn on Mayor Rawlings' involvement in superintendent search, which may wrap up next month | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
Dallas school board president Lew Blackburn on Mayor Rawlings' involvement in superintendent search, which may wrap up next month | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com: Dallas school board president Lew Blackburn on Mayor Rawlings' involvement in superintendent search, which may wrap up next monthRobert WilonskyYesterday, on the City Hall blog,Mayor Mike Rawlings acknowledged that he's been actively involved in the search for a new Dallas Independent School District superintendent, sending to the district's search firm a list of names given ... more »
High-Stakes Tests Bad for Learning, Studies Show | The Forum for Education and Democracy
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
High-Stakes Tests Bad for Learning, Studies Show | The Forum for Education and Democracy: High-Stakes Tests Bad for Learning, Studies ShowbyChris Stephensby Carolyn J. Heinrich(The American-Statesman, Austin, Texas, March 10, 2012)Standardized achievement tests have long been a routine part of our efforts to measure the educational progress of students. In the distant past, testing days came and went with little notice or fanfare for students, parents and teachers alike. And in those days and times, the tests probably provided fairly ... more »
It's All About Advertising - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
It's All About Advertising - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: It's All About AdvertisingbyNancy FlanaganMarvelous piece in the FebruaryEsquire:A Short Prayer for Advertising. Author Stephen Marche points out that "there is no outside the ad anymore"--even anti-advertising organizations likeAdbustersare their own brand.Everyone is part of the promotional machinery, and we are submitting to this machinery in every aspect of our existence. Advertising works: Why do you think Americans are so fat and in debt? A world ... more »
Dean Baker: Affirmative Action for School Reformers?
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
Dean Baker: Affirmative Action for School Reformers?:Affirmative Action for School Reformers?Posted: 03/12/2012 4:48 pmAffirmative action is a policy that does not poll well these days. Large majorities typically reject the idea that hiring or school admissions should take into account the discrimination that African Americans, women and other groups face. Most people will argue that we should have a strictly merit-based system with people evaluated on their records.It might seem like a good idea that people stand or fall on ... more »
Wendy Kopp: In Defense of Optimism in Education
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
Wendy Kopp: In Defense of Optimism in Education:In Defense of Optimism in EducationPosted: 03/13/2012 10:50 amLast year I publishedA Chance To Make Historyto share my reflections on what I've learned from our teachers, alumni, and colleagues in urban and rural communities since launching Teach For America twenty years ago. My determination to end educational inequality and optimism that it can be done has only grown stronger over the years as we've seen more examples of what is possible. But my ... more »
“I Dare You to Measure the ‘Value’ I Add” | Edwize
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago
“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 ... more »
A People's Resolution Model to Help Combat High Stakes Testing.... Let it go Viral!
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
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 ... more »
In Michigan charter schools, results no better than other public schools | MLive.com
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
In Michigan charter schools, results no better than other public schools | MLive.com: In Michigan charter schools, results no better than other public schoolsPublished: Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 6:50 AMByNancy Derringer | Bridge MagazineWhat's the difference?Nearly 20 years into the experiment, public-school academies -- charter schools, as they are more popularly known -- would appear a rousing success. An enthusiastic Michigan Legislature, as part of a comprehensive reform package, lifted the state cap on charters late last year. The charter ... more »
Save Our Schools Rallies Against Underfunding of Public Education - South Brunswick, NJ Patch
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
Save Our Schools Rallies Against Underfunding of Public Education - South Brunswick, NJ Patch: Save Our Schools Rallies Against Underfunding of Public EducationParents and education leaders across New Jersey lament continued underfunding of public education in the 2013 state budget.4:50 amEmailPrint1CommentUpload Photos and VideosEditor's note: The following is a news release by Save Our Schools NJ.Parents, Board of Education members, and Superintendents from fifteen communities across New Jersey discussed the impact of the state’s persistent underfunding of public education at ...more »
KQED holds town hall in Oakland Tuesday about the dropout crisis - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
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 ... more »
The Joel Klein-Condi Rice ed report: What it will and won’t say - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
The Joel Klein-Condi Rice ed report: What it will and won’t say - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: The Joel Klein-Condi Rice ed report: What it will and won’t saybyValerie StraussSometime soon we can expect a report from the Council on Foreign Relations’ Independent Task Force on U.S. Education Reform and National Security, chaired by Joel Klein and Condoleezza Rice.The panel started its work in April 2011 and was charged, according to the council’s Web site, with “evaluating ... more »
Teachers For Social Justice: This Saturday: ItAG Finale @ Marwen!
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
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, ... more »
School Tech Connect: iPod Worship
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
School Tech Connect: iPod Worship: iPod Worshipbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim)I have nothing against audiobooks; in fact, I'm a huge fan. For kids, for adults--- audiobooks are good.But let's count the ways in whichthis is jacked up.The guy is basically using audiobooks along with the hardcopies he has available---it isn't very clear from the article. Again, all good.It's this worship of Scholastic that has me worried:Just so you know, the Scholastic Reading Counts tests don't measure anything worth measuring. It's a very
NYC Educator: The Five Stages of Guilt Over Teacher Sick Days
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
NYC Educator: The Five Stages of Guilt Over Teacher Sick Days: The Five Stages of Guilt Over Teacher Sick DaysbyMiss EyreLike a lot of young lady teachers, I'm saving up my sick days to have a baby someday, so I rarely take a day off. I recently took one, however, which actually might have been more miserable than sucking it up and going to work. Herewith I offer you the Five Stages of Guilt Over Teacher Sick Days.DENIAL [5:45 a.m.]: ... more »
LAUSD to mail more than 11,700 pink slips to educators, employees - LA Daily News
Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago
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 ... more »
