Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 4-5 AM Posts #soschat #edreform

Who Are These People So Concerned With Education Reform? - Jonathan Kantrowitz - Connecticut News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Who Are These People So Concerned With Education Reform? - Jonathan Kantrowitz - Connecticut News: Jonathan KantrowitzPolitical activist, health nutAbout Jonathan KantrowitzWho Are These People So Concerned With Education Reform?April 4, 2012 at 10:43 pm byJonathan KantrowitzLet’s start withConnCAN,Here’s their Board Of Directors:Board of DirectorsBrian Olson, ChairCo-Founder, Viking Global InvestorsChairman, Civic BuildersAndy BoasPrincipal, Carl Marks Management, LLCDirector, Bridgeport Public Education FundSarah GreenhillFormer Vice President of Finance, Ultimate Software GroupWi... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Comes To New York Uninvited

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Michelle Rhee Comes To New York Uninvited: Michelle Rhee Comes To New York Uninvitedbynoreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)Did you hear that? You hear nothing correct? Don't be too sure, for that is the sound of the groundswell of support inviting Michelle Rhee and her minions with Students First as they bogart their way here into NY.It is true, sad, but it is true. In today'sNew York Times,MichelleRheeFirst, that grassroots organization heard the imagined pleas of parents all through this ... more »

The Duke - Jersey Jazzman

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: More "What Research?!"DukeatJersey Jazzman-1 hour agoAs I've moaned before, I hate it when anyone says "research shows..." and then refuses to cite the research. I mean, I *really* hate it: Teachers are the No. 1 in-school factor affecting student success. Research says a highly effective teacher can help students achieve as much as an additional year's worth of academic gains over one school year compared with a less effective teacher. [...] Research shows that there are both outstanding ... more »

Early Literacy:The Key to Unlocking Illiteracy? « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

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Early Literacy:The Key to Unlocking Illiteracy? « Diary of a Public School Teacher!: Early Literacy:The Key to Unlocking Illiteracy?byOldschoolteachEarly Literacy:The Key to UnlockingIlliteracy?Posted April 4, 2012 by Oldschoolteach inBlogging about Education,Education Blog,Elementary Education Blog. Tagged:early literacy,Education,importance of early literacy,Literacy,reading aloud,Ready for Kindergarten. Leave a CommentAs I mentioned in an earlier post, every Tuesday, I head over to the day care center across the street from my school. I am a member ofRead Aloud DE. What do I do? ...more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank 4-4 Top Early Evening Posts #SOSchat #p2 #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

This Week In Education: Quotes: "I Don't Live In Other Nations"Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-18 minutes agoThis Week In Education: Quotes: "I Don't Live In Other Nations": Quotes: "I Don't Live In Other Nations"byAlexander RussoRavitch: Interesting that top-performing and most equitable nations in world do not have vouchers or charters.Fuller: I don't live in other nations I live here I believe we need choice for poor families. If this is Diane u used to believe it too.Exchange between ... more »

School districts pass resolutions against TEACHNJ Act - NorthJersey.com

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School districts pass resolutions against TEACHNJ Act - NorthJersey.com: School districts pass resolutions against TEACHNJ ActWEDNESDAY APRIL 4, 2012, 6:46 PMBY KAREN KLEIMANNMANAGING EDITORTOWN JOURNALPAGES:1234DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE|PRINT|E-MAILSchool districts in the Town Journal area have officially voiced their opposition to a proposed Senate bill that would remove school boards and superintendents from personnel decisions by establishing a school improvement panel in its place.The proposed S-1455 bill, sponsored by Senator Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), would look to adopt different tea... more »

The Best Resources To Remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s Death (& Life) | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

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The Best Resources To Remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s Death ( Life) | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: The Best Resources To Remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s Death ( Life)byLarry FerlazzoOn this day in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.I thought I’d bring together a few related resources, and will add more.You might also be interested inThe Best Websites For Learning About Martin Luther King.Here are my choices for The Best Resources To Remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s ... more »

Hoping to please parents, school introduces real-time polling | GothamSchools

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Hoping to please parents, school introduces real-time polling | GothamSchools: Hoping to please parents, school introduces real-time pollingbyJessica CampbellThe results of the Department of Education’s learning environment surveys, due tomorrow, aren’t likely to go public until June. ButCatina Venning, the executive director of Fahari Academy Charter School, doesn’t want to wait. Since the start of the year, she has been polling Fahari’s families monthly about their satisfaction and tweaking the school’s practice in response.She launched the polls after Fahari scored ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: More "What Research?!"

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: More "What Research?!": More "What Research?!"byDukeAs I've moaned before, I hate it when anyone says "research shows..." and then refuses to cite the research.I mean,Ireallyhate it:Teachers are the No. 1 in-school factor affecting student success. Research says a highly effective teacher can help students achieve as much as an additional year's worth of academic gains over one school year compared with a less effective teacher.[...]Research shows that there are both outstanding teachers and ineffective teachers across all levels ... more »

A Trifecta Of Sins | Taking Note

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A Trifecta Of Sins | Taking Note: A Trifecta Of SinsbyJohn MerrowA comprehensive report in late March by theAtlanta Journal-Constitutionprovides strong evidence that adults in as many as 200 school systems have been cheating on their students’ standardized tests.We looked at this forNewsHourin 2011:BecauseI spent three years chronicling the tenure of Michelle Rhee in Washington, DC– another city with a spate of thus-far-unexplained ‘wrong to right’ erasures on standardized tests — I am interested in this story. I’d like to ... more »

GOP Budget Guts Education Spending To Benefit The One Percent | OurFuture.org

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GOP Budget Guts Education Spending To Benefit The One Percent | OurFuture.org: GOP Budget Guts Education Spending To Benefit The One PercentbyJeff BryantThis weekPresident Obamaderided the draconian budget conceived by Rep. Paul Ryan and endorsed by the clear frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary, Mitt Romney, as “laughable,” a “radical vision,” and "nothing but thinly veiled Social Darwinism.”But let's be clear. When it comes to how America advances the interests of school children and college students, Obama's assessment of the ... more »

Portland went too far in requiring high school teachers to work harder, must pay them $1.5 million, limit their student loads | OregonLive.com

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Portland went too far in requiring high school teachers to work harder, must pay them $1.5 million, limit their student loads | OregonLive.com: Portland went too far in requiring high school teachers to work harder, must pay them $1.5 million, limit their student loadsPublished: Wednesday, April 04, 2012, 2:12 PM Updated:Wednesday, April 04, 2012, 2:18 PMView full sizeThe OregonianPortland high schools created huge study halls, like this one at Benson High, to try to give teachers some relief from large ... more »

RheeFirst! » Rhee et al. forms yet another group to wage more war against teachers

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RheeFirst! » Rhee et al. forms yet another group to wage more war against teachers: Rhee et al. forms yet another group to wage more war against teachersbyadminWritten by Anna Phillips for the New York Times. Read theentire article here.“’If these 1-percenters want to mount an AstroTurf campaign with their deep pockets, they’ve done this before,’ [union president Mulgrew] said. ‘But let’s be clear: the public school parents have not bought into the Bloomberg education reform movement.’…Ms. Rhee and Mr. ... more »

What Atlanta newspaper cheating investigation says about Philadelphia | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

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What Atlanta newspaper cheating investigation says about Philadelphia | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: What Atlanta newspaper cheating investigation says about PhiladelphiabyDale Mezzacappaon Apr 04 2012 Posted inLatest newsCOMMENTS (0)PRINTEMAILTags:cheatingINN feedTheAtlanta Journal-Constitution, whose investigation of test score anomalies in Atlanta exposed a culture of cheating and led to the departure of former superintendent Beverly Hall, has expanded its reach toanalyze test score results across the country.According to the AJC, Philadelphia shows up on a list of196 sch... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Noble Charter Update

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Jersey Jazzman: Noble Charter Update: Noble Charter UpdatebyDukeEarlier this week, I took a look at the exercise in union-bashing propaganda that Juan Williams and Kyle Olson put out, disguised as a documentary about Noble Street Charter Network schools in Chicago. It turns out Noble is serving a substantially different student population than the rest of the CPS public high schools, which may well account for its higher test scores. There's also evidence that Noble has very high attrition rates.Two days ... more »

State burdened by oversight(or lack thereof) of more charter schools | EdSource Extra!

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State burdened by oversight of more charter schools | EdSource Extra!: State burdened by oversight of more charter schoolsSeptember 28th, 2011 |13 CommentsByLouis Freedberg~ EdSource ExtraPhoto by Seth SawyersThe closure and bankruptcy of a West Sacramento charter school this fall highlights the State Board of Education’sincreasing role in granting charters to charter schools—and its limited ability to oversee those schools.As charter schools continue to expand dramatically across the state, the number authorized and overseen by the board has grown from ... more »

Can giving parents a voice actually improve schools? - latimes.com

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Can giving parents a voice actually improve schools? - latimes.com: Can giving parents a voice actually improve schools?Comments0Share8Members of Desert Trails Parent Union are shown Jan. 12 carrying signed petitions as they march towards Desert Trails Elementary in Adelanto.(Los Angeles Times/April3, 2012)By Karin KleinApril 3, 2012,2:50 p.m.The latest setback for the parent-trigger reform -- when the Adelanto School District last week rejected a petition to ... well, it’s not exactly clear what the parents sought, but more on that later ...more »

Integrating Technology into a Math Lesson | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

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Integrating Technology into a Math Lesson | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Integrating Technology into a Math Lessonbylarrycuban“I’m petrified that we’ll apply new technology to old pedagogy,” Professor Elliot Soloway at the University of Michigansaid…. “We are not exploiting the affordances of the new technology to give kids new kinds of learn-by-doing activities….What a waste!”Soloway expresses in vivid language a fixed belief among many high-tech advocates that new technologies such as tablets, smart phones, and similar devices ... more »

This Week In Education: Quotes: "I Don't Live In Other Nations"

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This Week In Education: Quotes: "I Don't Live In Other Nations": Quotes: "I Don't Live In Other Nations"byAlexander RussoRavitch: Interesting that top-performing and most equitable nations in world do not have vouchers or charters.Fuller: I don't live in other nations I live here I believe we need choice for poor families. If this is Diane u used to believe it too.Exchange between Diane Ravitch and Howard Fuller, via Whitney Tilson. See full Tilson clip below.Fuller: Diane, how long has the ... more »

Just When I Almost Forget I Live in LA, the State Senate Slaps up a Reminder | The G Bitch Spot

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Just When I Almost Forget I Live in LA, the State Senate Slaps up a Reminder | The G Bitch Spot: Just When I Almost Forget I Live in LA, the State Senate Slaps up a ReminderbyG BitchLimit to contract clauses proposed, The (Baton Rouge, LA) Advocate, 4/2/12The headline is oddly flat and uninformative, considering what the bill was sparked by and is aimed at: anti-discriminationlanguagein charter school contracts. I think the answer to this “dilemma” is that theorganizationor individual ... more »

PISA: What can parents do to help their children succeed in school?

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PISA: What PISA IsPISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is an international study which began in the year 2000. It aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in participating countries/economies. Since the year 2000 over 70 countries and economies have participated in PISA.What's newPISA: What can parents do to help their children succeed in school?08-Nov-2011'PISA in Focus N°10' looks at the impact of parents' participation in their children's learning.PISA: School autonomy and ... more »

Pencils Down: Introduction: Why We Need to Rethink High-Stakes Assessment and Accountability | Seattle Education

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Pencils Down: Introduction: Why We Need to Rethink High-Stakes Assessment and Accountability | Seattle Education: Pencils Down: Introduction: Why We Need to Rethink High-Stakes Assessment and Accountabilitybyseattleducation2011Rethinking Schools has just come out with its latest publicationPencils Downedited byWayne AuandMelissa Bollow Tempel.To follow is theintroductionto the book.In 2000,Rethinking SchoolspublishedFailing Our Kids: Why the Testing Craze Won’t Fix Our Schools. In that volume, editors Kathy Williams (then Swope) and Barbara Miner pulled together a groundbreaking col... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Geoffrey Canada declares war on teacher unions

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Schooling in the Ownership Society: Geoffrey Canada declares war on teacher unions: Geoffrey Canada declares war on teacher unionsbyMike KlonskyRhee Canada lead the war on teacher unions.“Folks are genuinely looking for opportunities to make peace and not war,” Mr. Canada said. “And I think that’s terrific. But someone has to make war.”-- Geoffrey Canada Canada's war declaration comes at the end of aTimes storyannouncing the formation of a well-financed and politically connected alliance aimed at nothing less than smashing teacher ... more »

Schools Matter: Over 230 Texas School Systems Pass Resolution to Rein In High Stakes Testing

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Schools Matter: Over 230 Texas School Systems Pass Resolution to Rein In High Stakes Testing: Over 230 Texas School Systems Pass Resolution to Rein In High Stakes TestingIt's only fitting that the most sustained and widespread effort to stop the abusive testing frenzy would come from Texas, which is, after all, the birthplace of testing on steroids and the home of the only former American president who cannot travel abroad for fear of being arrested as a war criminal.The post ... more »

Daily Kos: on religion, belief, political participation and more

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Daily Kos: on religion, belief, political participation and moreon religion, belief, political participation and morebyrss@dailykos.com (teacherken)in light of the dueling diaries on the rec list on the subject of belief versus atheism etc., I thought it might be relevant for me to repost this, written almost 7 years ago on April 16, 2005. It might be worthwhile noting that progressives of faith were very much a part of the early days of this site, and we had worship services at ... more »

Can Arts Education Help Close the Achievement Gap? | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

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Can Arts Education Help Close the Achievement Gap? | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Can Arts Education Help Close the Achievement Gap?byobrienaArecent reportfrom the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) suggests that arts education can help narrow the achievement gap that exists between low-income students and their more advantaged peers. Butnew datafrom the federal government suggests that low-income students are less likely to have access to arts education than their higher-income peers.Certainly arts education is important for ... more »