In Oakland, transitional kindergarten is still a go - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
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In Oakland, transitional kindergarten is still a go - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: In Oakland, transitional kindergarten is still a goFriday, March 16th, 2012 at 12:13 pm inJerry Brownpreschoolphoto of transitional kindergarten pilot at Greenleaf Elementary by Laura A. Oda/StaffIt’s been a confusing few months for families with children who are turning 5 in November — kids who, until this year, would have been eligible to start kindergarten.First, they hear that their local district ... more »
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN
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Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: Top ContentRank1What students should do about a 'bad grade'Added byruthschapiraon March 7, 20122Why mobile learning?Added byThomas Whitbyon February 10, 20123Simple Booklet--simple, indeed!Added byLeanna K Johnsonon March 10, 20124How do you motivate your online learners?Posted byJackie Savinion March 12, 20125KONY 2012Added byThomas Whitbyon March 9, 20126How do you keep students engaged in your online classroom?Posted byJackie Savinion February 12, 20127More Assessment info from Dr. TomlinsonPosted byJamie Houseon March 6, 20128An Introd... more »
How Charter Schools Can Hurt - NYTimes.com
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How Charter Schools Can Hurt - NYTimes.com: How Charter Schools Can HurtBy Lucinda RosenfeldPublished: March 16, 2012RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINE-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHAREMY daughter is a kindergarten pupil at P.S. 261 in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. She started there in September, and she loves everything about it: her friends, her teachers and her school-related activities, like Girl Scouts. Intense excitement accompanied both the post office project earlier this year and theHalloweenDay Characters Parade, in which her class dressed up as the Three Little Pigs.Related in OpinionMore onEducati... more »
Helping girls make better choices - California Teachers Association
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Helping girls make better choices - California Teachers Association: Helping girls make better choicesBy Sherry Posnick-GoodwinConnie Iglesias (left) with Bianca Arias.Castro Valley High School senior Bianca Arias plans on becoming a nurse, and she has applied to several universities to achieve her goal. She gives much of the credit for her academic success to the “strong support system” she receives from belonging to Mujeres, a group that meets regularly with school counselor Connie Iglesias.“Instead of thinking short-term, I’m thinking long-term,” ... more »
Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-16 #soschat #EDReform
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Hide8.7Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Texas Two-Step -- Cut budgets, increase class size2012-Mar-16Mike 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 ... more »
Attorney Gen. Madigan Assigns Teams to Monitor Illinois Primary - Hispanically Speaking News
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Attorney Gen. Madigan Assigns Teams to Monitor Illinois Primary - Hispanically Speaking News: Attorney Gen. Madigan Assigns Teams to Monitor Illinois Primary ElectionAttorney General Lisa Madigan announced today that more than 160 teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators from her staff will be working throughout the state on Tuesday, Mar. 20, to monitor the primary elections to ensure that Illinoisans’ voting rights are protected and that polling places are accessible.Madigan urges voters to call her office if they encounter ... more »
The World “Because of” Standardized Testing!(A Little Teacher Humor!:) « Diary of a Public School Teacher!
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The World “Because of” Standardized Testing!(A Little Teacher Humor!:) « Diary of a Public School Teacher!: The World “Because of” Standardized Testing!(A Little Teacher Humor!:)byOldschoolteachThe World “Because of” Standardized Testing!(A Little TeacherHumor!:)Posted March 16, 2012 by Oldschoolteach inBlogging about Education,Education Blog,Elementary Education Blog,Standardized Testing. Tagged:cons of standardized testing,education humor,Standardized test,state testing,teacher,teacher humor. Leave a CommentI hate standardized testing. I hate what standardized testing has done to ...more »
FLORIDA CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: H/T @ritacolleen
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CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: *Florida: Source: bigeducationape.blogspot.com via Mike on PinterestFlorida charter schools (investigator observations)“Experiences As A Police Officer With The Ugly Side Of Charter Schools And Their Management Companies.”Florida Public Employees Partnership, 12/15/2011With such a strong push for continued expansion in Florida, I am compelled to share my experiences as a police officer with the ugly side of Charter Schools and their management companies. As a former investigator and supervisor of a public corruption unit, several years ago my unit ... more »
“I’m with Fred.” « Fred Klonsky
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“I’m with Fred.” « Fred Klonsky: “I’m with Fred.”fromFred Klonsky's blogbyFred KlonskyI was trying to ask a question of Audrey Soglin, IEA Executive Director. This was several years ago right after she had led the committee that wrote the legislation that created PERA, the bill that tied teacher evaluation to student growth scores on standardized tests.Ken Swanson, who was IEA President at the time, refused to call me even though I was the first person at the microphone.“I didn’t see ... more »
Like White Castle to fine dining. « Fred Klonsky
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Like White Castle to fine dining. « Fred Klonsky: Like White Castle to fine dining.byFred KlonskyFormer IEA President (right) and other members of IEA Retired leave the RA with 26,000 signatures for the governor. It was a grass roots effort to restore state funding to retiree health insurance.Democray is the the IEA RA what White Castle is to fine dining.This is not new a new observation.But things have never been this perilous for teachers and teacher unions. There is little ... more »
Survey: Teachers work 53 hours per week on average - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
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Survey: Teachers work 53 hours per week on average - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: Survey: Teachers work 53 hours per week on averagebyValerie StraussThis waswritten by Francie Alexander, chief academic officer for Scholastic, Inc. She has has taught at all levels, was a district reading consultant for Pre-K through high school, and has authored numerous professional articles for educators and dozens of books for children.By Francie AlexanderTeaching is a much talked about yet often misunderstood profession. Educators ... more »
Schools Matter: Charter Schools Not the Answer, Especially if We Fail to Identify the Question
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Schools Matter: Charter Schools Not the Answer, Especially if We Fail to Identify the Question:Charter Schools Not the Answer, Especially if We Fail to Identify the QuestionbyP. L. ThomasOne pattern of failure in education reform is that political leadership and the public focus attention and resources on solutions while rarely asking what problems we are addressing or how those solutions address identified problems. The current and possibly increasing advocacy of charter schools is a perfect example of that flawed approach ... more »
STUDY: Bilingual Immigrants are Healthier - Hispanically Speaking News
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STUDY: Bilingual Immigrants are Healthier - Hispanically Speaking News: STUDY: Bilingual Immigrants are HealthierBilingual immigrants are healthier than immigrants who speak only one language, according to new research from sociologists at Rice University.The study, which appears in the March issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, found that people with strong English and native language proficiencies report better physical and mental health than unilingual immigrants.“Our research suggests that English proficiency gained at the expense of native-language fluency may ... more »
ED News Worth Reading - Big Education Ape on Pinterest
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ED News Worth Reading: This Is Everything You Need To Know About Pinterest(Infographic)
Education Reporting Awards: Contest Winners - Education Writers Association
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Education Reporting Awards: Contest Winners - Education Writers Association: EWA Announces Winners ofNational Reporting ContestMarch 15, 2012 – Whether investigating questionable test results, untangling Byzantine school budgets or revealing the hidden lives of homeless schoolchildren, members of the Education Writers Association distinguished themselves in 2011 with stories that were nuanced, affecting and important.EWA – the only professional organization for members of the news media who specialize in education – each year recognizes excellence on the education beat across multip... more »
If you find this whole State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness as confusing as the trustees ... | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com
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If you find this whole State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness as confusing as the trustees ... | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com: If you find this whole State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness as confusing as the trustees ...byRobert WilonskyMy son, a Dallas ISD third-grader, has taken a few practice swings atthe State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness practice-test questionsthe district recently made available; it was either that or clean his room. The Real Thing starts ... more »
Michigan politicians retaliate against educators for speaking up
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Education Votes: Michigan politicians retaliate against educators for speaking upbyfperez | March 15, 2012 | Discuss0Shareby Félix Pérez, with contributions by Ben ChametskyIn what is widely viewed as “blatant retaliation” against educators for proposing a constitutional amendment that would protect the right of all workers to come together and protect their jobs, the Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature senta bill to the governor March 9 that singles out and severely limits the ability of educators to speak outfor students, schools and the ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Texas Two-Step -- Cut budgets, increase class size
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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 ... more »
Pink slips, 2012: a different story - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
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Pink slips, 2012: a different story - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Pink slips, 2012: a different storyThursday, March 15th, 2012 at 8:12 pm inbudgetLast yearby this date, 657 Oakland teachers had slips of paper telling them they were at risk of losing their jobs because of budget cuts — a traumatic development that hit some schools particularly hard. (When all was said and done, the district eliminated about 95 of the 538 full-time positions ...more »
Weekly Marches on Wall Street Start Today! 2PM LIBERTY SQUARE | OccupyWallSt.org #ows
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Weekly Marches on Wall Street Start Today! 2PM LIBERTY SQUARE | OccupyWallSt.org: Weekly Marches on Wall Street Start Today! 2PM LIBERTY SQUAREPosted 2 hours ago on March 16, 2012, 7:12 a.m. EST byOccupyWallStStart training for May Day and join the spring resistance! Weekly marches every Friday; meet at 2 PM in Liberty Square!via theNYCGA:On Friday, March 16, 2012, at 2PM, Occupy Wall Street will converge in the streets once again and launch the first in a series of spring training ... more »
Open Letter to Governor Jerry Brown from UC, CSU and CCC Student Leaders | California Progress Report
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Open Letter to Governor Jerry Brown from UC, CSU and CCC Student Leaders | California Progress Report: Open Letter to Governor Jerry Brown from UC, CSU and CCC Student LeadersbymeganMarch 15, 2012Dear Governor Brown,We are writing you with deep concern about the state's continuing disinvestment from public higher education, and your lack of direct communication with students.When you were elected in 2010, many students hoped that your election would usher in a new era for public higher education in
All Education Matters: Loop 21 - Battle Over Voter ID Bills
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All Education Matters: Loop 21 - Battle Over Voter ID Bills: Loop 21 - Battle Over Voter ID BillsbyCryn JohannsenHere's my latest over at Loop 21:In state after state, Voter ID bills are being passed or proposed. More often than not, Republicans are the ones drafting this legislation and defending the bills, claiming they prevent voter fraud. In addition, Republican politicians have been pushing the idea that voting is a privilege and not a right.You can read the rest of ... more »
Charters serving at-risk students plead for another chance | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
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Charters serving at-risk students plead for another chance | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Charters serving at-risk students plead for another chancebyDale MezzacappaRecent recommendations from District staff to close two charters pose a difficult dilemma for the School Reform Commission.Should charters whose mission is to take in the students who are most at-risk – those in foster care, children who have suffered trauma, youth returning from juvenile placement – be shut down if their test scores don't match up to the ... more »
For The Love of Self, Get Yourself Checked Out | The Jose Vilson
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For The Love of Self, Get Yourself Checked Out | The Jose Vilson: For The Love of Self, Get Yourself Checked OutbyJoseFor my thirtieth birthday, I got myself two ties, a blue cardigan, a metallic grey collared shirt, and an appointment for a general doctor.The latter item didn’t come so easy, either. The last time I went to the doctor, it was because I had a serious heart scare that turned out to be noth