Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 4-20 AM Posts #soschat #edreform

Creighton supporters stave off charter conversion - for now | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

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Creighton supporters stave off charter conversion - for now | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Creighton supporters stave off charter conversion - for nowbyBenjamin Heroldon Apr 19 2012 Posted inLatest news By Benjamin Heroldfor the Notebook and WHYY/NewsworksResponding to passionate support from parents, community members, and teachers foran “outside-the-box” planto keep Thomas Creighton Elementary under District control, the School Reform Commission decided on Thursday evening to delay a planned vote to convert Creighton into a Renaissance charter.“I agree with my colleagues ... more »

Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson nails it

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Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson nails it: Eugene Robinson nails itbyrss@dailykos.com (teacherken)in his Friday column for the Washington Post. TitledRepublican rhetoric over the topit totally demolishes the false equivalence some try to offer to avoid confronting how awful some of what spews from the mouths of Republicans and their supporters actually is.He begins very bluntly:Not all overheated political rhetoric is alike. Delusional right-wing crazy talk — the kind of ranting we’ve heard recently from washed-up rock star Ted Nugent and Tea ... more »

Testing the Teachers - NYTimes.com

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Testing the Teachers - NYTimes.com: Testing the TeachersByDAVID BROOKSPublished: April 19, 2012FACEBOOKTWITTERGOOGLE+EMAILSHAREPRINTREPRINTSThere’s an atmosphere of grand fragility hanging over America’s colleges. The grandeur comes from the surging application rates, the international renown, the fancy new dining and athletic facilities. The fragility comes from the fact that colleges are charging more money, but it’s not clear how much actual benefit they are providing.Josh Haner/The New York TimesDavid BrooksGo to Columnist Page »Go to David Brooks’s Blog »The ConversationDavid B... more »

Friday Finds | Inside Higher Ed

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Friday Finds | Inside Higher Ed: Friday FindsbyDean DadBlog:Confessions of a Community College DeanIf you haven’t seen thisinterview with Jane Wellman,it’s well worth a read. She’s an expert on the drivers of college costs, and she was the founding director of the Delta Cost Project. (She’s also funny as hell in a sardonic, I’ve-had-toothaches-scarier-than-you way.) She makes several points that I wish we could all just stipulate before having any more conversations about college costs: that every new dollar of ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: More calls for civility

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Seattle Schools Community Forum: More calls for civility: More calls for civilitybyCharlie Mas Here's an interesting trend: calls for civility in the discussion of education issues in Seattle.They are coming from a variety of sources.Here'sone from Alison Krupnickthat I read in Crosscut. Yeah, Crosscut, where the editor referred to the two newly elected board members as "insurgents" and refuse to interview them as candidates.Here'sone from Robin Lakeof the Center for Reinventing Public Education that appeared on the EdWeek blog.Here'sone from ... more »

The Innovative Educator: Tell Bully Principal How You Feel

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The Innovative Educator: Tell Bully Principal How You Feel: Tell Bully Principal How You Feelbynoreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen)This week in theOpt Out of Testing - New Yorkgroup (there's a group for each state)one parent shared the response of her school's principal in regards to opting out of tests. As you'll note in the email below the principal not only disregards this parent's decision to do what is best for her child, but he threatens to contact child protective services. Why on ... more »

Daily Kos: Why I Teach - Educators Share Their Stories

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Daily Kos: Why I Teach - Educators Share Their Stories: Why I Teach - Educators Share Their Storiesbyrss@dailykos.com (teacherken)is a new endeavor by John Merrow of Learning Matters, who covers education for the News Hour, to highlight teachers.You can see the entire serieshere.So far there have been four post:Esther Wojcicki of Palo Alto High schoolNancy Gardner, Mooresville (NC) High SchoolJessica Hahn, Explore Charter School in NYand someone who began his post like this: I chose to teach so I could ... more »

Palm Beach School Board Blasts FCAT; Is Texas-Style Opposition Next? | Scathing Purple Musings

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Palm Beach School Board Blasts FCAT; Is Texas-Style Opposition Next? | Scathing Purple Musings: Palm Beach School Board Blasts FCAT; Is Texas-Style Opposition Next?byBob SikesSmall wonder Florida republican legislators want to end salaries of school board members. They can’t have high-profile opposition to the one thing they cannot go without to drive their privatization agenda. Last night, members of the Palm Beach county school board let everyone know that they didn’t care for FCAT and didn’t like the effect it ... more »

Hartford Courant Editorial Sticks to “Don’t Confuse me with the Facts” Approach. by jonpelto- Wait, What?

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- Wait, What?: Hartford Courant Editorial Sticks to “Don’t Confuse me with the Facts” Approach.byjonpeltoNo matter how much the downsizing and corporatization of the Hartford Courant undermines the image it once had, I will never stop believing that it the Courant is OUR newspaper and, as such, has earned the right to continue to be known as Connecticut’s “paper of record.”That’s why I find it so painful, frustrating and sad when they write editorials that lack an underpinning of facts. ... more »

The Toxic Trifecta, Bad Measurement & Evolving Teacher Evaluation Policies « School Finance 101

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The Toxic Trifecta, Bad Measurement Evolving Teacher Evaluation Policies « School Finance 101: The Toxic Trifecta, Bad Measurement Evolving Teacher Evaluation Policiesbyschoolfinance101This post contains my preliminary thoughts in development for a forthcoming article dealing with the intersection between statistical and measurement issues in teacher evaluation and teachers’ constitutional rights where those measures are used for making high stakes decisions.The Toxic Trifecta in Current Legislative Models for Teacher EvaluationA relatively consistent legislative framework for teach... more »

Schools Matter: The Real News on the Fake Education Reform

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Schools Matter: The Real News on the Fake Education Reform: The Real News on the Fake Education ReformbyJudy RabinPopoutMore testing, more accountability for teachers and public schools, more data collection, merit pay for teachers based on worthless test scores and crap curriculum supplied by Pearon, McGraw Hill and Houghton Mifflin, more computer learning, more charters and more privatization. Yes, that is the agenda of those who profit from this fake education reform in the name of closing the achievement gap.The ... more »

ADOLF HITLER CURRENTLY MORE POPULAR THAN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ PENSIONS? « Teachers Fight Back

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ADOLF HITLER CURRENTLY MORE POPULAR THAN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ PENSIONS? « Teachers Fight Back: ADOLF HITLER CURRENTLY MORE POPULAR THAN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ PENSIONS?byalkleenWith no dissenting votes, the Illinois House proposed a constitutional amendment that would make it more difficult to increase pension benefits for public employees. The House voted 113-0 to adopt the amendment and send it to the Senate. If the Senate approves it, it will appear on the November ballot. The amendment requires that any legislation that enhances pension ... more »

Dear Ms. Rhee…. « An Educator's Journey

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Dear Ms. Rhee…. « An Educator's Journey: Dear Ms.Rhee….April 19, 2012 byamybisson It could be that it’s the “vacation” head cold talking, but I don’t think so. I was working in my classroom this morning, when I opened up my school email account. And here, for the third time in the last couple of months, is – unedited – what I found:________________________________________From: Michelle Rhee, StudentsFirst [admin@studentsfirst.org]Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 10:19 AMTo: Bisson, AmySubject: An important battle[http://studentsfirst.org/page/-/email/wrapper/email-header-smaller.jpg]p...more »

Fred Bauer: Vouchers, Testing-Driven Education Reform on a Collision Course?

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Fred Bauer: Vouchers, Testing-Driven Education Reform on a Collision Course?: Vouchers, Testing-Driven Education Reform on a Collision Course? Conservative approaches to education reform may in the next few years encounter a fateful fork in the road. One long tradition of conservative educational theory has stressed the value of vouchers as a way of decentralizing education and providing state subsidies directly to parents (rather than routed through local school systems) for their children's education. A newer movement on the right has ... more »

Montgomery Superintendent Joshua Starr sharpens critique of national reforms - Maryland Schools Insider - The Washington Post

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Montgomery Superintendent Joshua Starr sharpens critique of national reforms - Maryland Schools Insider - The Washington Post: Montgomery Superintendent Joshua Starr sharpens critique of national reformsByMichael Alison ChandlerMontgomery schools superintendent Joshua Starr congratulated the school board Tuesday on standing firm against some of the turbulent reform efforts being embraced around the country.He called their political posture, including the past decision not to support the state’s application for a federalRace to the Top Grant, “one of the reasons I was so ... more »

Who Controls the Table Wins | National Education Policy Center

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Who Controls the Table Wins | National Education Policy Center: Who Controls the Table WinsSharebyPaul ThomasApril 19, 2012Paul ThomasReform and RestructuringPoliticsInher discussion of science fiction, Margaret Atwood examines and confronts the nuances among sci-fi, speculative fiction, fantasy, and utopian/dystopian fiction, and throughout, she highlights the power of these overlapping genres to explore the "What if?" by blending dramatizations of human history with human possibility. These genres have the power as well to force us to re-seenowin the imagined context ofothertimes ...more »

School Tech Connect: Illinois Lurches Rightward

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School Tech Connect: Illinois Lurches Rightward: Illinois Lurches Rightwardbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)Michigan'sundoing of democracy has made baby steps here in Illinois.Illinois state superintendent Christopher Koch is taking the first steps toward removing local school board members in two of the state’s lowest performing districts.The state currently helps run the public schools in North Chicago District 187 and East St. Louis District 189 because both districts have been failing for years.This narrative of "failing schools," which actually means, "schools where the test ... more »

School Breakfast Programs - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

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School Breakfast Programs - Letters (CA Dept of Education): Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and School Food Service Directors:IMPROVING STUDENT NUTRITION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTTHROUGH SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAMS I am proud to be the honorary chair of the BreakfastFirst Campaign. Promoting the School Breakfast Program (SBP) is integral to my Team California for Healthy Kids campaign, which focuses on makinghealthy choicestheeasy choices.In alignment with the Team California for Healthy Kids goal to promote good eating habits, BreakfastFirst ai... more »

Education Research Report: Areas with relatively high levels of economic segregation exhibit the highest school test-score gaps between low-income students and other students

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Education Research Report: Areas with relatively high levels of economic segregation exhibit the highest school test-score gaps between low-income students and other students: Areas with relatively high levels of economic segregation exhibit the highest school test-score gaps between low-income students and other studentsbyJonathan KantrowitzΩ Housing Costs, Zoning, and Access to High-Scoring Schools: Metropolitan ProfilesAn analysis by The Brookings Institutionof national and metropolitan data on public school populations and state standardized test scores for 84,077 schools in 2010... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A new angle on the anti-bullying campaign

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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A new angle on the anti-bullying campaign: A new angle on the anti-bullying campaignbyMike KlonskyA lot of accusations and allegations have been flying around here lately, but this one had to make me laugh. Our little band of progressive bloggers and tweeters are being made out to be "bullies" by theWall Street Journal. And just who is it we have allegedly been bullying? It's these poor, little kids on the block named, Coca-Cola, Gates Foundation, the ... more »

The Bully Politics of Education Reform

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The Bully Politics of Education Reform: The Bully Politics of Education ReformThursday, 19 April 2012 09:48By Paul Thomas,The Daily Censored| News Analysis 4font sizePrintEmailAmerica is a bully nation.America is the embodiment of might-makes-right. When another country (USSR) invades Afghanistan, America is filled with righteous indignation, but when America invades Afghanistan, well, all is right with the world.America has bred the bully tactic of vigilantism in the sanctified Petri dish of law (Stand Your Ground), and the result isthe person with ... more »

How Can We Turn This Mess Around? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

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How Can We Turn This Mess Around? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Nancy FlanaganNancy Flanagan is an education writer and consultant focusing on teacher leadership. She spent 30 years in a K-12 music classroom in Hartland, Mich, and was named Michigan Teacher of the Year in 1993. She is National Board-certified, and a member of the Teacher Leaders Network. She welcomes feedback on her sharp-eyed perspectives on the inconsistencies and inspirations, the incomprehensible, immoral and ...more »

NYC Public School Parents: The Pineapple and the Hare: Pearson's absurd, nonsensical ELA exam, recycled endlessly throughout country;

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NYC Public School Parents: The Pineapple and the Hare: Pearson's absurd, nonsensical ELA exam, recycled endlessly throughout country;: The Pineapple and the Hare: Pearson's absurd, nonsensical ELA exam, recycled endlessly throughout country;byLeonie HaimsonThere was a ridiculous passage on Tuesday’s 8thgrade NY State ELA exam about a Pineapple and a Hare, along with some absurd questions. Here is a comment about the passage from a student:I had this same story for my 8th grade ELA New York state test! Everybody was ... more »

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. If you “think” you voted does that mean you did? « Fred Klonsky

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Life in Rahm’s Chicago. If you “think” you voted does that mean you did? « Fred Klonsky: Life in Rahm’s Chicago. If you “think” you voted does that mean you did?byFred KlonskyChicago is witnessing the largest municipal election in the country.6,500 candidates are running for positions on Local School Councils, an 80s school reform that has made a difference at many the city’s schools.LSCs also constitute a bother for Rahm and the other suits who run the bureaucracy. They tried ... more »

Jack Hassard: The Testing Games put our Youth at Risk - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

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Jack Hassard: The Testing Games put our Youth at Risk - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Jack Hassard: The Testing Games put our Youth at RiskbyAnthony CodyGuest post by Jack Hassard.Originally postedhere.Note: This is the third in a series of articles on the consequences of the authoritarian standards high-stakes testingIn the next month every American girl and boy in grades 3- 8 will participate in the testing games, an annual competition to determine which schools are good or ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: ALEC calls out for help from right-wing Breitbart bloggers

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Schooling in the Ownership Society: ALEC calls out for help from right-wing Breitbart bloggers: ALEC calls out for help from right-wing Breitbart bloggersbyMike Klonskyheritagefoundationon livestream.com.Broadcast Live FreeThe right-wing lobbying group ALEC is in retreat mode and we bloggers and tweeters deserve some of the credit.TheAmerican Legislative Exchange Council, the once-obscure organization that pairs corporations with state lawmakers to draft pro-business and often anti-union legislation for the state level, is in damage control mode. Corporate members such asMcDonald's,... more »

Federal Student Aid Join @FAFSA for #AskFAFSA Office Hours with Career Expert, Lindsey Pollak | ED.gov Blog

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Join @FAFSA for #AskFAFSA Office Hours with Career Expert, Lindsey Pollak | ED.gov Blog: Join @FAFSA for #AskFAFSA Office Hours with Career Expert, Lindsey PollakbyGuest BloggerIn honor of National Financial Literacy Month,@FAFSAwill hold a special#AskFAFSAOffice Hours with guest hostLindsey Pollak, a bestselling author, keynote speaker and internationally recognized expert on next generation career trends.We’re excited to have Lindsey join us at such an important time. Not only is it National Financial Literacy Month, but with graduation season a short time ... more »

Modern School: Censorship and Suppression of Academic Freedom at UCLA

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Modern School: Censorship and Suppression of Academic Freedom at UCLA: Censorship and Suppression of Academic Freedom at UCLAbyMichael DunnUCLA Professor David Delgado Shorter has been asked to remove a link on his website that calls for the boycott of Israel, according to theLos Angeles Times. The university has asked him to remove the link and claimed he has agreed to not use the link in the future. Shorter claimed he never made such an agreement. In fact, he thought they ... more »

Sending Out an SOS - Bridging Differences - Education Week

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Sending Out an SOS - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Sending Out an SOSbyDeborah MeierDear Diane,HELP!!! SOS!!! "Reformed" schools are literally becomingreform schoolsfor the poor. It's a sign of "the future" as some people envision it. Although, of course, these are not the schools for the reformers' kids.Mitt Romney "declared that this century must be an American century," and President Barack Obama insists that "anyone who tells you that America is in decline ... doesn't know what they are talking ... more »