Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-1 #soschat #EDReform

Mother Crusader: NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 minutes ago

Mother Crusader: NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!:NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!by darciecimaI had a bit of an outburst when I read this in today's NJDOE press release:Under the Christie Administration, the Department has strengthened charter operations by:Following a careful and stringent three-stage review and approval process for new charter school applicants to evaluate the quality of the proposed educational program, the capacity of the founding team ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: MSNBC: Worse Than Fox

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: MSNBC: Worse Than Fox:MSNBC: Worse Than Foxby DukeMSNBC had yet another one of their "town halls" on education this morning. I could only watch a little as Mrs. Jazzman and I were busy getting the Jazzboys out the door and on the bus before I got in the car and drove to my job where I work daily to destroy America.From what I saw, this was yet another vacuous gab session which ignored actual teachers in favor of ... more »

Waist Deep In The Big Muddy, And The Little Fool Says To Push On | Edwize

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 minutes ago

Waist Deep In The Big Muddy, And The Little Fool Says To Push On | Edwize:Waist Deep In The Big Muddy, And The Little Fool Says To Push Onby Leo CaseyThis morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chancellor Dennis Walcott appeared at an American University forum with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and the mayors and school superintendents from Chicago and Los Angeles. A video of the forum is here.Bloomberg defended giving out invalid and inaccurate Teacher Data Reports as ... more »

Department Announces New Effort to Strengthen Accountability for Students with Disabilities | U.S. Department of Education

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Department Announces New Effort to Strengthen Accountability for Students with Disabilities | U.S. Department of Education:Department Announces New Effort to Strengthen Accountability for Students with DisabilitiesMoving from Compliance-Focused Approach to One Driven by ResultsMARCH 2, 2012Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Related ResourcesOffice of Special Education ProgramsToday, the Department of Education announced new steps to help close the achievement gap for students with disabilities by moving away from a one-size-fits-all, compliance-focused approach to a... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Community Education - It's Not Just For Pottery and Dance Classes

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 minutes ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Community Education - It's Not Just For Pottery and Dance Classes:Community Education - It's Not Just For Pottery and Dance Classesby AnngieSpringfield MO is testing a pilot program for a community school. This is not continuing education for adults, this is a full service community center housed in the public school. Their integrated focus is on academics, youth development, family support, health and social services and community development. The belief is that such an approach leads to ... more »

Honoring our Heroes By Closing Opportunity Gaps « EdVox

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Honoring our Heroes By Closing Opportunity Gaps « EdVox:Honoring our Heroes By Closing Opportunity Gapsby edvoxnyBy Tina DoveFrom my earliest childhood, I was told that my education would provide the tools necessary to save my life, and that the pursuit of a high quality education would be extremely valuable. I later realized that I had an obligation as a woman of color to pass along this life-saving gift to others by becoming a high school teacher. One of my role ... more »

The Bait and Switch Between Senate and House Parent Trigger Bills on Cost | Scathing Purple Musings

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The Bait and Switch Between Senate and House Parent Trigger Bills on Cost | Scathing Purple Musings:There’s Bait and Switch Between Senate and House Parent Trigger Bills on Costby Bob SikesThe parent trigger bill which passed the House yesterday maintained that there would be no cost involved. This February 20th analysis of HB 1191 states:“the bill does not have a fiscal impact on state or local governments.”But a different story is being told in the Senate bill. An analysis released ... more »

The double-edged sword. What goes up, must come down. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 minutes ago

The double-edged sword. What goes up, must come down. « Fred Klonsky:The double-edged sword. What goes up, must come down.by Fred KlonskyTim has a point. He says, “I think that faculties should organize themselves in such a way that they are prepared to politely and publicly decline any awards offered to them based on standardized test scores.”When we make too much of it when our scores go up, there are no excuses when they go down some years.And they will. ... more »

L.A. mayor: Bypass states on No Child Left Behind education waivers - Washington Times

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L.A. mayor: Bypass states on No Child Left Behind education waivers - Washington Times:L.A. mayor: Bypass states on No Child Left Behind education waiversBy Ben Wolfgang-The Washington TimesFriday, March 2, 2012**FILE** Los Angeles Mayor Antonio VillaraigosaSTORY TOPICSPoliticsEducationAntonio VillaraigosaBarack ObamaD.C.'S American UniversityFOLLOW US ONFACEBOOKQUESTION OF THE DAYShould home-schooled children be able to participate in public school activities and athletics?YesNoUndecidedOtherLogin to VoteView resultsSpeaking at an education roundtable at D.C.’sAmerican University, ... more »

Student Protests Boiling Over as Marchers Head to Sacramento | Fog City Journal

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Student Protests Boiling Over as Marchers Head to Sacramento | Fog City Journal:Student Protests Boiling Overas Marchers Head to SacramentoDemonstrating for social and economic justice, protesters began a 4-day march from Oakland to Sacramento yesterday in a quest to restore cuts to education and social services. Photo by Eric Louie, Media Workers Guild.By Eric Louie, via Media Workers Guild.March 2, 2012The weather was ominous Thursday morning as Bay Area Occupiers for Education prepared to spend four days marching to Sacramento ... more »

Digital Natives, Or Digital Citizens? | Taking Note

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 3 hours ago

Digital Natives, Or Digital Citizens? | Taking Note:Digital Natives, Or Digital Citizens?by John MerrowHow can we make today's students less consumers of technology -- and more the innovators behind it?I often hear adults describing today’s young people as ‘digital natives,’ usually with a tone of resignation or acceptance: “They are so far ahead of us, but we can turn to them for help,” is the general message I hear.My reaction is “Whoa there, Nellie,” because to me that kind of ... more »

Shanker Blog » A Look At The Education Programs Of The Gates Foundation

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Shanker Blog » A Look At The Education Programs Of The Gates Foundation:A Look At The Education Programs Of The Gates Foundationby Ken LibbyOur guest author today is Ken Libby, a graduate student studying educational foundations, policy and practice at the University of Colorado at Boulder.The Bill Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest philanthropic organization involved in public education. Their flexible capital allows the foundation to change course, experiment and take on tasks that would be problematic for other organizations.Although ... more »

(Real) Graph vs (Fake) Graph Friday « School Finance 101

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(Real) Graph vs (Fake) Graph Friday « School Finance 101:(Real) Graph vs (Fake) Graph Fridayby schoolfinance101This post provides a quick follow up to yesterday’s post (late last night) when I critiqued a questionable graph from an NJDOE presentation here: State of NJ Schools presentation 2-29-2012It turns out that the slide presentation had many comparable graphs that deserve at least some attention. First, there’s this graph which attempts to argue that early reading proficiency is a statewide issue, and not just ... more »

Diane Ravitch criticizes Jindal education plan | The Advertiser | theadvertiser.com

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Author criticizes Jindal education plan | The Advertiser | theadvertiser.com:Author criticizes Jindal education plan11:00 PM, Mar. 1, 2012 | CommentsAAGuest speaker Diane Ravitch delivers her keynote address during the School Board Association Meeting at the Cajundome Convention Center on Thursday in Lafayette.Written byMike HastenFILED UNDERNewsLocal NewsBobby JindalLAFAYETTE — Gov. Bobby Jindal and several other governors across the country have bought into an education reform plan that won't work, a nationally recognized education advisor and author told members of the Louisiana ... more »

The Education Games: Reform as Doublespeak | Dailycensored.com

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The Education Games: Reform as Doublespeak | Dailycensored.com:The Education Games: Reform as Doublespeakby Paul ThomasAlthough we currently live in a world informed by George Orwell’s dystopian unmasking-as-novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, we seem unable to acknowledge that the Ministry of Peace is actually waging war. In our current education reform debate, educators must come to terms with Orwell’s recognition of the essential nature of political speech:“I have not here been considering the literary use of language, but merely language as an instrument ... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

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Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, EFL:The Best Photos — In The World?Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 7 hours agoSmithsonian Magazine just announced the fifty finalists in their annual photo competition. You can see the finalists, and the winners from their previous nine years, here. You can also see a related photo gallery created by the Boston Globe’s Big … Continue reading →Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELLLarry Ferlazzo at Larry ... more »

Steinberg back with API alternative | Thoughts on Public Education

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Steinberg back with API alternative | Thoughts on Public Education:Steinberg back with API alternative - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guessby John Fensterwald - Educated GuessRebuffed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is back with another academic accountability bill, this time giving the governor lots of latitude to help redefine how to measure schools’ performance. SB 1458 needs to be vague, because, at this point, no one but Brown professes to know what he ... more »

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss. « Fred Klonsky

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Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss. « Fred Klonsky:Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss.by Fred KlonskyToday is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The NEA initiated Read Across America to mark the occasion. This week my kindergarten and first grade students made Cat in the Hat hats in preparation. And I got to share my favorite Dr. Seuss book. His last. Hooray for Diffendoofer Day.“All schools for miles and miles aroundMust take a special test,To see who’s learning such and such -To see which school’s the best.If ... more »

NYC Educator: Christopher and the Measure of a Teacher

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NYC Educator: Christopher and the Measure of a Teacher:Christopher and the Measure of a Teacherby NYC Educator -by special guest blogger Citizen DoeThe release of Teacher Data Reports in NYC has focused attention on evaluating teachers with the use of numbers derived from complicated algorithms that are said to measure the “value” teachers “add” to their students. These algorithms pivot on the use of student test scores.Numbers do tell stories, and the public is being told that it can trust ... more »

Community Rights Campaign | The Labor Community Strategy Center

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Community Rights Campaign | The Labor Community Strategy Center: Community Rights CampaignAction Sum-UpFebruary 28, 2012 What is the meaning of our 14-0 victory at City Hall?A changed law, civil rights, our generation's fight, the role of organizingLast Wednesday, the City of Los Angeles took an historic step toward becoming a place that upholds the civil, human and educational rights of students and their families and promotes policies that reinvest in our youth to keep them in school and away from ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-1 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Making Learning Relevant for the Whole Child « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child EducationBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-42 minutes agoMaking Learning Relevant for the Whole Child « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Making Learning Relevant for the Whole Childby ASCD Whole Child BloggersPost submitted by Tim Magner, executive director of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), the leading national organization that advocates for 21st century readiness for every student. Magner has had an ... more »

TEACHER HEROES AND MERIT PAY « Teachers Fight Back

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TEACHER HEROES AND MERIT PAY « Teachers Fight Back:TEACHER HEROES AND MERIT PAYby alkleenI hope everyone saw the news conference concerning the school shooting in Ohio. The coach who chased the shooter away was given a few moments to speak. I hope everyone heard the emotion in the coach’s voice as he spoke about not being a hero and wishing he could have done more.I wish people could understand that there are teacher heroes at work every day in almost ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Once Again, NBC Ignores Teachers

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Once Again, NBC Ignores Teachers:Once Again, NBC Ignores Teachersby DukeSo there's another one of these big reformy lovefests on the "liberal" (ha!) MSNBC tomorrow. And, oh, huzzah -this one's in Jersey:New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will be at Fort Lee High School for a “special town hall meeting” Friday morning as one of many guests on the live broadcasts of MSNBC’s Morning Joeand Way Too Early, according to producers.Gov. Jack Markell, D-Del., Gov. Dannel Malloy, D-Conn. and Students ... more »

Amazing Graph Proves Poverty Doesn’t Matter!(?) « School Finance 101

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Amazing Graph Proves Poverty Doesn’t Matter!(?) « School Finance 101:Amazing Graph Proves Poverty Doesn’t Matter!(?)by schoolfinance101I just couldn’t pass this one up. This is a graph for the ages, and it comes from a presentation by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education given at the NJASA Commissioner’s Convocation in Jackson, NJ on Feb 29.State of NJ Schools presentation 2-29-2012Please turn to Slide #24:The title conveys the intended point of the graph – that if you look hard enough across New ... more »