Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts 3-24 #edreform #soschat

Saturday coffee + Old school. « Fred Klonsky #trayvonmartin

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee.byFred KlonskyI’m pretty sure it wasn’t because Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie.Yesterday was the first day of Spring Break. Then all next week. Thursday I head for Brooklyn to see kids and grand kids.With the teacher haters Tweeting me about how overpaid and underworked teachers are, I feel compelled to explain that none of these days off are paid holidays.“What?”you say.Teachers are paid a per diem.No paid holidays.If the legislature were to pass ... more »

Snapshots of Connecticut Charter School Data « School Finance 101

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Snapshots of Connecticut Charter School Data « School Finance 101: Snapshots of Connecticut Charter School Databyschoolfinance101In several previous posts I have addressed the common argument among charter advocacy organizations (notably, not necessarily those out there doing the hard work of actually running a real charter school – but the pundits who claim to speak on their behalf) thatcharter schools do more, with less while serving comparable student populations.This argument appears to be a central theme of current policy proposals in ... more »

Trayvon … Same ALEC, different TRIGGER – May the world start asking, WHO? … Those who wrote STAND YOUR GROUND called it empowerment, too. #DoYouFeelEmpowered? « Continuing Change

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Trayvon … Same ALEC, different TRIGGER – May the world start asking, WHO? … Those who wrote STAND YOUR GROUND called it empowerment, too. #DoYouFeelEmpowered? « Continuing Change: Trayvon … Same ALEC, different TRIGGER – May the world start asking, WHO? … Those who wrote STAND YOUR GROUND called it empowerment, too. #DoYouFeelEmpowered?bygatorbonbcThere are alot of emotions about Trayvon’s death… the world is watching.Let the world know that this Stand Your Ground Law is just another product of ALEC…Through the ... more »

School Tech Connect: Today's Ed Reform Catechism

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

School Tech Connect: Today's Ed Reform Catechism: Today's Ed Reform Catechismbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim)Modern ed reform is like an obscure religion with tenets you may not have heard of but which the true believers cling to with fervor.One of the tenets is that certain types of teachers can eliminate, no merely reduce, the impact of poverty in its test-score manifestation. This belief is carved on a the holiest of tablets. The belief actually lets you off the hook for the causes of ... more »

Trayvon Martin - Parents Recall Son's Last Night : People.com #trayvonmartin

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Trayvon Martin - Parents Recall Son's Last Night : People.com: Trayvon Martin's Parents Recall His Last NightBY STEVE HELLINGSaturday March 24, 2012 08:30 AM EDTTrayvon MartinLandovFacebookTweetIn his quiet moments, Tracy Martin keeps replaying the night of Feb. 26, when his sonTrayvon Martin died, allegedly at the hands of neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman."I had gone out for dinner," says Tracy, "and when I got home, Trayvon wasn't there. I tried calling his cell phone several times, and it went straight ... more »

The Struggle to Save Adult Education in Los Angeles | Dissident Voice

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

The Struggle to Save Adult Education in Los Angeles | Dissident Voice: The Struggle to Save Adult Education in Los AngelesbyRobert D. SkeelsUsing State of California budget shortfalls as an excuse, Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) Superintendent John Deasy presented the LAUSD Board of Education (BOE) with a draconian budget that effectively cut some of the most crucial programs in the District. With enthusiastic collaboration from LAUSD BOE President Monica Garcia, Deasy’s chopping block included the District’s Student Readiness ... more »

Action for the Week of March 25th: Blast the Media | United Opt Out National #soschat #edchat

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Action for the Week of March 25th: Blast the Media | United Opt Out National: Action for the Week of March 25th: Blast the MediabyadminGood Morning Everyone!!! Our action for the week of March 25th is important. We are asking everyone to blast the media and tell them to come to our occupation. Email Rachel Maddow at mediainquiries@msnbc.com. Email The Ed Schultz Show at james@edschultzshow.com. Help us get them to cover this occupation. Add additional emails here for people to ... more »

Daily Kos: Texas School districts push back against too much testing

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Daily Kos: Texas School districts push back against too much testing: Texas School districts push back against too much testingbyrss@dailykos.com (teacherken)As one can see inthis blog post by Valerie Straussat the Washington Post, over 100 (out of more than 1300) Texas school districts have already signed on to an effort to stop the abuse of too much standardized testing.As Valerie notes, the movement was started in response to remarks of the Texas Commissioner of Education, Robert Scott,who, said the mentality ... more »

Chicago Teachers Union | Get on the bus to support neighborhood schools!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

Chicago Teachers Union | Get on the bus to support neighborhood schools!: Get on the bus to support neighborhood schools!03/22/2012Illinois State Rep. Cynthia Soto sponsoredHB4487which would place a moratorium on school closings, consolidations and phase-outs in CPS for the 2012-2013 school year.Sen. Iris Martinez sponsored the Senate version of the bill.We need your help to get these crucial bills passed. We need you to testify at theIllinois HouseElementary Secondary Education Committee hearing.Lobby Day:Monday, March 26, 2012Depart: 4:30 AM from 1100 ... more »

RHEE-VOLTING ‘Rhee Effect:’ Why depending on private cash for reform is a bad idea - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 hour ago

‘Rhee Effect:’ Why depending on private cash for reform is a bad idea - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: ‘Rhee Effect:’ Why depending on private cash for reform is a bad ideaByValerie StraussMichelle Rhee was a great fundraiser during the 3 1/2 years she was the chancellor of D.C.’s public schools.During her tenure, from 2007 until 2010, when she resigned, she persuaded a handful of private foundations to pony up a total of more than $80 million to ... more »

School Tech Connect: Will You Help Me Test?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Will You Help Me Test?: Will You Help Me Test?bynoreply@blogger.com (Tim)I've learned more about Google Sites and Google Forms and scripting in the last three hours than I ever imagined.I'm creating a database where pro-public education people living in the same state senate and representative districts can find each other easily. The hope is that all of us, representing the various groups that are fighting the good fight against corporate reform and the raiding of the pensions, ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: How Conservatives Co-Opt Racial Justice

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: How Conservatives Co-Opt Racial Justice: How Conservatives Co-Opt Racial JusticebyDukeYeah, it's a provocative title for a post, I'll admit; but what happened yesterday in New Jersey was awfully provocative.AsBlue Jersey reported, Chris Christie's nominee to the state Supreme Court, Phillip Kwon, was voted down by the Senate Judiciary Committee along party lines. This is a very big deal in the NJ education debate, because Christie has made it clear he wants to overturn the court's ruling that mandated ... more »

Educating Trayvon Martin « Cooperative Catalyst #trayvonmartin

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Educating Trayvon Martin « Cooperative Catalyst: Educating TrayvonMartinPOSTED BYTINASHE BLANCHET⋅MARCH 23, 2012 ⋅LEAVE A COMMENTFILED UNDERTRAYVON MARTINAs an educator, I feel that I must speak out on the outrageous injustice regarding the Trayvon Martin case. As you probably already know, Trayvon Martin is a 17-year-old African-American high school student who was accosted and shot dead by a self-appointed “neighborhood watchman” while walking home in his neighborhood. This happened a month ago, and to date, the killer has not been charged ... more »

Is the Killer of Trayvon Martin a Police Informant? Feds Must Investigate Sanford Police #trayvonmartin

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Is the Killer of Trayvon Martin a Police Informant? Feds Must Investigate SanfordPolice:IS THE KILLER OF TRAYVON MARTIN A POLICE INFORMANT? FEDS MUST INVESTIGATE SANFORDPOLICEFRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012 AT 1:37PMIs George Zimmerman, the killer of Trayvon Martin, a police informant?According to Professor Vincent Intondi at Seminole State College,“there’s no proof of that, but it’s the question a lot of us are asking. When the police arrived on the scene they asked him (zimmerman) about ... more »

RHEE-DUCED DCPS budget: the Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Effect - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

DCPS budget: the Rhee Effect - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post: DCPS budget: the Rhee EffectbyBill TurqueD.C. public and public charter schools get an additional $86 million in the FY 2013 budget proposed by Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Friday, much of it to cover projected enrollment increases. That includes a 2 percent increase in the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula, raising the basic allocation from $8,945 to $9,124. There is also $40 million — savings from rollbacks ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Just Try Them, You'll Like Them (and we'll throw in a vote to boot)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Just Try Them, You'll Like Them (and we'll throw in a vote to boot): Just Try Them, You'll Like Them (and we'll throw in a vote to boot)byMelissa WestbrookThe lure to legislators, well, I'll let Lisa Macfarlane of DFER tell you:Speaking of choice, why don't we let the voters decide this fall about whether they'd support a small pilot program for public charter schools? Lawmakers could pass a bill with a referendum clause adding the issue ... more »

New York Teacher | Edwize

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

New York Teacher | Edwize: New York TeacherbyW.J. LevayMembers, communities unite in anger against the mayorOutraged teachers, parents, students and community and political leaders rallied in every borough on March 15 in a Day of Solidarity to protest the Bloomberg administration’s decade of mismanaging the city’s schools. Their anger was directed at the staggering number of school closings, surge of co-locations, release of the Teacher Data Reports and the mounting attacks on teachers.Pension reduction for future city workersLegislators give another ... more »

IEA may have cancelled Lobby Day in Springfield. But Wisconsin’s Scott Walker didn’t. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

IEA may have cancelled Lobby Day in Springfield. But Wisconsin’s Scott Walker didn’t. « Fred Klonsky: IEA may have cancelled Lobby Day in Springfield. But Wisconsin’s Scott Walker didn’t.byFred KlonskyWisconsin’s Scott Walker is facing recall. He’s coming to Springfield.Our Park Ridge Education Association local was taken by surprise when the state leadership cancelled Lobby Day in Springfield this year. With our pensions under assault, we were looking forward to joining with thousands of other union members in demonstrating to our ... more »

Don’t miss me on Rev. Jesse Jackson show Saturday pm » Parents United for Responsible Education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Don’t miss me on Rev. Jesse Jackson show Saturday pm:Don’t miss me on Rev. Jesse Jackson show Saturday pmbyadminFront row: James Thindwa, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Julie Woestehoff; Back row: Mike Klonsky, Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.“Upfront with Jesse Jackson” airs Saturday at 9 pm CDT on the Word Network, which is Comcast Chicago cable channel 486. I will be a guest along with Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., James Thindwa and Mike Klonsky.We ...more »

NYC Public School Parents: The depressing idiocy of the Common Core

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: The depressing idiocy of the Common Core: The depressing idiocy of the Common CorebyLeonie HaimsonDavid ColemanAs readers of this blog are already aware, the Common Corestandards for English Language Arts were designed by a man namedDavid Coleman, a formerMcKinsey consultant who was hired by the Gates Foundation and never taught aday in his life. Coleman has now prescribed for thenation’s schools that at least 50 percent of all assigned reading in grades K-5must be “informational text” ... more »

Party! « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Party! « Fred Klonsky: Party!byFred KlonskyThere’s this odd mix of traditions when it comes to teacher retirements.Most teachers don’t want a fuss.I have known teachers who have asked that I and the district keep it a secret until the job must contractually be posted.I understand.But it’s not me.To me it is an excuse of a party.And any excuse for a party is good enough for me.Years ago our district would hold a retirement reception for all the retirees, including administrators, ... more »

Why Teachers Should Join the Global Movement Against Street Harassment « Feminist Teacher

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Why Teachers Should Join the Global Movement Against Street Harassment « Feminist Teacher: Why Teachers Should Join the Global Movement Against Street HarassmentbyfeministteacherMy student Grace testifying at the New York City Council Hearing on street harassment in October 2010. (photo by Ileana Jiménez)Last year, my student Grace did a very brave thing. Before a packed room of reporters, politicians, activists, and fellow testifiers,she shared her personal experience with street harassment to the leaders of the New York City Council.Duringher testimony, ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Adminstration Goes For the Education Hat Trick

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Adminstration Goes For the Education Hat TrickThe Adminstration Goes For the Education Hat TrickbyAnngieThey started with RTTT for K-12 education. Their stated goal was to help states with the problems created by NCLB which specifically addressed K-12. It was the first wedge into the public school system for Common Core Standards. However, in the RTTT grant application was a requirement for developing early childhood (pre-K) education programs. They had no intention of being limited to K-12. ... more »

All Education Matters: Why Is The Student Lending Crisis Being Ignored?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

All Education Matters: Why Is The Student Lending Crisis Being Ignored?: Why Is The Student Lending Crisis Being Ignored?byCryn JohannsenHere's is mylatest articleover at the Loop. It is about the band-aid solutions to the student lending crisis that politicians continue to introduce. Those who have graduated are pretty much being ignored. Read the entire story. It includes a phone interview with John Koch, and how defaulting on his federal loans affected his personal life. We need - as a country ... more »

Trayvon Martin Shooter George Zimmerman Expelled From Seminole State #trayvonmartinllege « Student Activism

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Trayvon Martin Shooter George Zimmerman Expelled From Seminole State College « Student Activism: Trayvon Martin Shooter George Zimmerman Expelled From Seminole State CollegebyAngus JohnstonGeorge Zimmerman, the 28-year-old Floridian who shot and killed teenager Trayvon Martin a month ago, has been suspended, or perhaps expelled, from Seminole State College as a result of the shooting.The reasoning behind what university officials are calling a “withdrawal” remains unclear. Ina statementyesterday, they said this:“Due to the highly charged and high-profile controversy involving this s... more »

Dharun Ravi, In First Interview, Says Tyler Clementi “Didn’t Care” About His Spying « Student Activism

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Dharun Ravi, In First Interview, Says Tyler Clementi “Didn’t Care” About His Spying « Student Activism: Dharun Ravi, In First Interview, Says Tyler Clementi “Didn’t Care” About His SpyingbyAngus JohnstonInhis first interviewsince his arrest and conviction on charges of violating Tyler Clementi’s privacy via webcam, Dharun Ravi says that although he “was stupid about a lot of stuff,” he doesn’t believe he contributed tohis Rutgers roommate’s suicide in any way.“I really don’t think he cared at all,” Ravi told ABC ... more »