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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 3-29 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


900 Posts, Because the Last 100 Didn’t Make It Easy | The Jose Vilson

900 Posts, Because the Last 100 Didn’t Make It Easy | The Jose Vilson: 900 Posts, Because the Last 100 Didn’t Make It EasybyJoseLadies and gents, I’ve arrived at my 900th post.I should dedicate this one to the fact that George Zimmerman, Trayvon Miller’s murderer, was caughtunbloodied and unbruised on videoduring his trip to the Sanford Police Department with police, dispelling his account almost assuredly. I could also dedicated to the lesser known Shaima Al-Awadi, a mother of four waswho ... more »

Police Video of Trayvon Martin's Killer Shows No Visible -- Much Less Severe -- Injuries | MyFDL

Police Video of Trayvon Martin's Killer Shows No Visible -- Much Less Severe -- Injuries | MyFDL: Police Video of Trayvon Martin’s Killer Shows No Visible — Much Less Severe — InjuriesbyPhoenix WomanPopoutOne of the tropes most often used by the right-wing and often blatantly racist defenders of George Zimmerman, the man who shot an unarmed Trayvon Martin to death in a Florida gated community last month, was that Zimmerman was allegedly beaten to a bloody pulp by the 17-year-old ... more »

Every man a King

Huey Long was a Progressive Senator during the Great Depression who believed in wealth redistribution. He organized upwards of seven million Americans to see this dream of wealth redistribution come true. He wanted the wealthy in America to "give back" to the country, or else. He not only called for an even playing field, but he called for an even result. The following is a speech he made on December 11, 1934:"According to the tables which we have assembled, it ... more »

Plug pulled on parent trigger bill | EdNewsColorado #soschat

Plug pulled on parent trigger bill | EdNewsColorado: Plug pulled on parent trigger billbyTodd EngdahlThe three Democrats on the Senate State Affairs Committee outvoted their two GOP colleagues Wednesday afternoon and killed House Bill 12-1149, this year’s mild version of a parent trigger proposal.The vote didn’t come as a major surprise, given that State Affairs is known as the “kill committee” where leadership sends bills it doesn’t like.Sen. Mike Johnston (center) was smiling even when flanked by two opponents, Bruce ... more »

What Is The NEA Hoping To Do With Its "New Action Agenda"? - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher

What Is The NEA Hoping To Do With Its "New Action Agenda"? - Classroom QA With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher: Larry FerlazzoAn award-winning English and Social Studies teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif., Larry Ferlazzo is the author ofHelping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges,English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies That Work, andBuilding Parent Engagement In Schools.He also maintains the popularWebsites of the Dayblog. In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, he will ... more »

Support PURE! » Major CTU longer day salary victory Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Major CTU longer day salary victory: Major CTU longer day salary victorybyadminFrom the CTU:The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have settled a long-running dispute over CPS’s unlawful implementation of a longer school day at 13 neighborhood schools without properly compensating the teachers for the extra hours of work. The agreement was signed by both parties following today’s Board of Education meeting.CPS unilaterally implemented the Longer School ... more »

Modern School: 30 Detroit Labor Unions Sell Souls for Illusion of Security

Modern School: 30 Detroit Labor Unions Sell Souls for Illusion of Security: 30 Detroit Labor Unions Sell Souls for Illusion of SecuritybyMichael DunnA coalition of 30 labor unions representing Detroit workers ratified new sell-out contracts this week in hopes of averting the imposition of an emergency financial manager by Gov. Rick Snyder. Under Michigan’s Emergency Manager law (seehere,hereandhere), the governor can dissolve union contracts, abolish collective bargaining and fire elected officials when a city or municipality is deemed a financial ... more »

Financial records reveal school board spent public money on home furnishings

Financial records reveal school board spent public money on home furnishings: Financial records reveal school board spent public money on home furnishingsPosted: 03/23/2012Last Updated: 5 hours and 16 minutes agoBy: Lori Jane GlihaPHOENIX - A Valley charter high school used public funds to pay for and fully furnish a residential home in a neighborhood less than a half a mile from the school.According to financial documents supplied to the ABC15 Investigators by theVicki A Romero High School, a Phoenix charter ... more »

D.C. school budget: Parents, students decry cuts to high schools, librarians, special ed coordinators - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post

D.C. school budget: Parents, students decry cuts to high schools, librarians, special ed coordinators - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post: "Ways "D.C. school budget: Parents, students decry cuts to high schools, librarians, special ed coordinatorsByBill TurqueThe witness list ran nine pages for Wednesday’s D.C. Council hearing on Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s proposedFY 2013 education budget, testament to the volume of unmet needs--and programs at risk of cuts--in the city’s schools.Gray’s proposedspending planprovides a 2 percent raise in the ... more »

Stay In Your Lane [A Math Teacher's Lament] | The Jose Vilson

Stay In Your Lane [A Math Teacher's Lament] | The Jose Vilson: Stay In Your Lane [A Math Teacher's Lament]byJoseWhy do people stigmatize math teachers?It’s bad enough we teach people that they’re either math people or they’re not (patent lie, I promise you). Now, we’re even limiting math teachers to the fields in which they can excel. They stereotype (!) math teachers as having hobbies like playing piano (fractions!) and read xkcd (might be true), but God forbid they actually ... more »

Grumpy Educators: South Carolina: Parent Opposition and Resistance on Ed Reform Initiatives

Grumpy Educators: South Carolina: Parent Opposition and Resistance on Ed Reform Initiatives: South Carolina: Parent Opposition and Resistance on Ed Reform InitiativesbySandraMarch 27, 2012Contact Person: Sarah JohnsonPhone: (803) 920-4058, (843) 819-8933Email: CVedu20@gmail.comLocal Parent/Teacher Advocacy Group Welcomes US Secretary of Education to TownCharleston, SC – Charleston Area Community Voice for Education, an affiliate of Parents Across America, extends a welcome to US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, who will be participating in a local round-table discussion on educa... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-27 #soschat #EDReform

Rockford teachers strike set for Thursday. « Fred KlonskyBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-2 minutes agoRockford teachers strike set for Thursday. « Fred Klonsky: Rockford teachers strike set for Thursday.byFred KlonskyMembers of the Rockford Education Association wait for the start of a closed-door meeting about contract negotiations Monday, March 26, 2012, at the Coronado Performing Arts Center in Rockford.No negotiating sessions are planned between now and Thursday.Members of the Rockford Education Association have had the legal authority to strike ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Why Weren't Charter Teachers Teaching Today?

Jersey Jazzman: Why Weren't Charter Teachers Teaching Today?: Why Weren't Charter Teachers Teaching Today?byDukeI'm sure you will be as shocked as I was to find out that hundreds of teachers were not in school today; instead,they were in Atlantic City!ATLANTIC CITY -- Administrators and teachers packed Bally's for a 2-day education conference. The event is titled "Navigating Toward Quality Education". Which is the main focus on developing and sharing teaching techniques to help strengthen charter schools throughout the state.New Jersey ... more »

Trabajadoras: A Union Voice for Working Women - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard

Trabajadoras: A Union Voice for Working Women - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard: Trabajadoras: A Union Voice for Working WomenbyLilyTrabajadoras: A Union Voice for Working WomenMar 27th, 2012byLily.Trabajadoras is the Spanish word for Working Women. Today was an important day for Latina Working Women. Not necessarily a happy day. But an important day.Because an organization that fights for them,The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, released a first-of-its-kind report on the working world of Latinas in our country and the ... more »

Closed Schools Ten Years Later: Who Goes There Now? | Edwize

Closed Schools Ten Years Later: Who Goes There Now? | Edwize: Closed Schools Ten Years Later: Who Goes There Now?byJackie BennettIn case you have not been paying attention, the mayor is vowing to dismantle about 30 school communities for reasons that pretty much no one can figure out. In fact, things have reached such alevel of absurdity in New Yorkthat there are very few New Yorkers who actually believe that the campaign against our schools has anything to do with ... more »

Parents decry cuts to ELL services to Council | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Parents decry cuts to ELL services to Council | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Parents decry cuts to ELL services to CouncilbyDale MezzacappaAlthough one in eight students in Philadelphia public schools now come from homes in which English is the second language, services for them are being dismantled through the District's budget cuts, activists told City Council.Schools serving these students lack materials, are largely staffed by inexperienced teachers in overcrowded classrooms, do not have enough counselors, and have cut back crucial ... more »

Engaging Parents In School… - St. Paul Mayor Wants To Support Parent Engagement

Engaging Parents In School… - St. Paul Mayor Wants To Support Parent Engagement: St. Paul Mayor Wants To Support Parent EngagementMarch 27th, 2012 byLarry FerlazzoThe Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota has just called for spending $300,000 on expanding parent engagement efforts. Here’s a video clip of his comments. I don’t know the specifics, and the devil is always in the details, but it sure sounds good:Posted inpublic policy|No Comments »

Geaux Teacher!: Check This Out!

Geaux Teacher!: Check This Out!: CAN WE TALK ABOUT EDUCATION?VisitFollow The Bill Louisiana!to join a live conversation on the home page, while you watch a live video ofthe current legislative proceedings in another window.Check This Out!

Free Webinar: Common Core Assessment Shifts — Whole Child Education

Free Webinar: Common Core Assessment Shifts — Whole Child Education: Free Webinar: Common Core Assessment ShiftsbyKlea ScharbergDiscover the kinds of formative and summative classroom assessments that best coordinate with the new generation of testing consortia for the common core. JoinASCD author Susan Brookhartin a discussion of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments and discover how to create classroom assessments that form a balanced system that supports student learning ... more »

#Parents United for Responsible Education: Crank up the pressure!

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 3-17-12: Crank up the pressure!: PSAT for 3-17-12: Crank up the pressure!byadminPerhaps in response to Illinois having been named thethird most corrupt state in the nation, and maybe also just having watched former governor Blagojevich head off to prison for 14 years, our state legislators have begun acting uncannily as though they are listening to us instead of the power elite.First we heard about Sen. Delgadosponsoring an amendmentto ban ... more »

ASCD Inservice: Gaps Close When Whole Child Beliefs Are Matched with Actions

ASCD Inservice: Gaps Close When Whole Child Beliefs Are Matched with Actions: Gaps Close When Whole Child Beliefs Are Matched with ActionsWade Boykinof Howard University andPedro Nogueraof New York University presented a research-packed and passionate session titled, "Creating the Opportunity to Learn: Moving from Research to Practice to Close the Achievement Gap" at ASCD's Annual Conference on Saturday morning.They wasted no time laying out their main issue:Achievement gaps are not sufficiently addressed in our work with schools.Their Goals:Challenge expectations:We have ... more »

RheeFirst! » A poster child for ed reform’s moral disconnect

RheeFirst! » A poster child for ed reform’s moral disconnect: A poster child for ed reform’s moral disconnectbyadmin Written by Joanne Barkan for Dissent Magazine. Read theentire article here.“The disconnect between what ed reformers claim to be doing for low-income children and what they actually bring about boggles the mind.The poster child for this moral disconnect is former Washington, D.C. schools chancellor and ed reform celebrity Michelle Rhee. Rhee resigned her D.C. post in October 2010 after her boss, Mayor ... more »