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Monday, April 23, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 4-23 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? pineapple question stumps ... everyone!

Captain: Are ya ready kids?Kids: Aye, Aye captain!Captain: I can't heeeaaar yooouuu!Kids: AYE, AYE CAPTAIN!Captain: oooooooooooo...Captain: Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?Kids: Sponge Bob Square Pants!Captain: Absorbent and yellow and porous is he.Kids: Sponge Bob Square Pants!Captain: If nautical nonsense be somethin' ya wish.Kids: Sponge Bob Square Pants!Captain: Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish.Kids: Sponge Bob Square Pants!Captain: Ready? Sponge Bob Square Pants,Captain Kids: Sponge Bob Square Pants, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Sponge Bob ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 4-22 #soschat #EDReform

What Do New Studies Say Happens If You Are Treated Unfairly And/Or Feel Controlled? | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-13 minutes agoWhat Do New Studies Say Happens If You Are Treated Unfairly And/Or Feel Controlled? | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: What Do New Studies Say Happens If You Are Treated Unfairly And/Or Feel Controlled?byLarry FerlazzoProf. Armin Falk, a professor at Bonn University, unveiled some very intriguing studies on motivation last week. ...more »

Educator Musing: Real Parent Empowerment is a Rebellion

Educator Musing: Real Parent Empowerment is a Rebellion: Real Parent Empowerment is a RebellionbyEducator Musing If without medical justification, [your son] is absent fromschool on any dayduring the Assessment period, the District will deem thisabsence as unexcused. Further, if you keep [your son] home from school during theAssessment period,without medical verification, it is within the District’sdiscretion to deemthese absences as indicia of educational neglect, whichwould leave the Districtlittle choice but to contact Child Protective Services(“CPS”). Pursuant to theNew York

Teacher Appreciation:From the Mouths of Babes! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

Teacher Appreciation:From the Mouths of Babes! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!: Teacher Appreciation:From the Mouths ofBabes!Some of my studentswrote a letter for the state department’s Teacher Appreciation Day contest. After reading the letters, it gave me some insight as to what my students appreciate about me. I chose to use the letters as an informal evaluation tool to see what I am doing right,(or wrong). I found some of the responses quite amusing.:)I bustle (Vocabulary word) around on ... more »

ARE MORE OF Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Right Wing Buddies Turning On Her?

Potter Williams Report: Michelle Rhee’s Mask Is Slipping: Illegal Activity in Constitution State?: ARE MORE OF Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Right Wing Buddies Turning On Her?MICHELLE RHEE’S MASK IS SLIPPING: ILLEGAL ACTIVITY IN CONSTITUTION STATE?It was only a matter of time before Michelle Rhee would start blowing her cover. But I have to admit she’s held off “enquiring minds who want to know” for at least five years since signing on to DC.Citizen watchdogs have found evidence of Rhee's ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Pineapples Don't Have Sleeves

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Pineapples Don't Have Sleeves: Pineapples Don't Have SleevesbyMelissa WestbrookIf ever there was a reason to pull a stop on standardized testing mania, it's this story.The Hare and the Pineapple.Yes, apparently in NYC's 8th grade standardized test there was a reading section, based on a story by Daniel Pinkwater, the children's author, about a hare and a pineapple having a race, based on The Tortoise and the Hare. (The story was altered from Mr. Pinkwater's original according ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 4-22 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform

ED News Worth Reading April 2011 at Pinterest.Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-12 minutes agoED News Worth Reading April 2011:ED News Worth Reading April 2011ED News Worth Reading April 2011https://pinterest.com/coopmike48/ed-news-worth-reading-april-2011/4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CORONA-NORCO USD IN INLAND EMPIRE GIVES TEACHERS THE FREEDOM TO EXPERIMENT INSTEAD OF PRESCRIBED LESSON PLANS, boosting scores and graduation rates in the heavily Latino, low-income district.Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-12 minutes ago4LAKids - some of the news... more »

NSBA President’s letter to Obama: please change direction! « Parents Across America

NSBA President’s letter to Obama: please change direction! « Parents Across America: NSBA President’s letter to Obama: please change direction!byleoniehaimson“…school board members and top educational thinkers overwhelming urge abandoning the current “command-and-control” federal educational oversight…driving us toward mediocrity….Mr. President, public education in the U.S. is on the wrong track. As we have moved decision-making farther

Bridgeport Schools Going Private With Taxpayer Money? - Jonathan Kantrowitz - Connecticut News

Bridgeport Schools Going Private With Taxpayer Money? - Jonathan Kantrowitz - Connecticut News: Bridgeport Schools Going Private With Taxpayer Money?April 22, 2012 at 3:18 pm byJonathan Kantrowitzby Jon Pelto fromWait, WhatThis week we learned that Governor Malloy and his education commissioner, Stefan Pryor hired certain consultants to help develop Malloy’s “Education Reform” bill. Rather than go through some silly competitive bidding process, they simply got a quasi-state agency, SERC to hire the two consultants; one for $195,000 and the other ... more »

Andrea Merida on why Denver school board should reject Gates grant « Parents Across America

Andrea Merida on why Denver school board should reject Gates grant « Parents Across America: Andrea Merida on why Denver school board should reject Gates grantbyleoniehaimsonSee video below of Andrea Merida, a member of the Denver school board and Parents Across America, on why they should reject a grant from the ALEC-linked Gates Foundation. [For more on this issue, see theGates website,including comments from critics.] In hermessageon vimeo, Andrea asks:Why are the Denver Public Schools accepting money from the Bill ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: NYC principal opting her own children out of testing

NYC Public School Parents: NYC principal opting her own children out of testing: NYC principal opting her own children out of testingbyLeonie HaimsonHere is a letter from a NYC principal who spoke outagainst standardized testing and corporate education reform onWNYC radio, whenBrian Lehrer had Michelle Rhee as his guest. She sent the below letter,about opting her children out of testing in the Ridgewood NJ public schools, to their principals,teachers, the superintendent, the NCLB administrator, guidance counselors,Special Education supervisor, etc.The official ... more »

What Do New Studies Say Happens If You Are Treated Unfairly And/Or Feel Controlled? | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

What Do New Studies Say Happens If You Are Treated Unfairly And/Or Feel Controlled? | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: What Do New Studies Say Happens If You Are Treated Unfairly And/Or Feel Controlled?byLarry FerlazzoProf. Armin Falk, a professor at Bonn University, unveiled some very intriguing studies on motivation last week. I’ll provide a short summary of how I believe some of his key findings can be applied to education. You can also read a more extensive reporthere, review ... more »

What Works in Education | Seattle Education

What Works in Education | Seattle Education: What Works in Educationbyseattleducation2011There are many successful programs that work around the country in terms of educating our students and one that was successful on a national level was the original war on poverty which was paid for by public funds.As Linda Darling-Hammond wrote in her book, The Flat World and Education:How Policy Can Matter…These declines are not inevitable. We have made strong headway on educational achievement in the past and can do ... more »

porcupine backs into a cactus - Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers

porcupine backs into a cactus -Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformersporcupine backs into a cactusJust Like Michelle Rhee's Students first only BETTERAstroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backersJust Like Michelle Rhee'sStudents firstAstroturf lobbying(only Better)we support:Promoting voucher progr... more »

I would’ve sworn you used the word “transparency” – The Art of Moving Public Funds “Off-Line” - Wait, What?

I would’ve sworn you used the word “transparency” – The Art of Moving Public Funds “Off-Line” - Wait, What?: I would’ve sworn you used the word “transparency” – The Art of Moving Public Funds “Off-Line”byjonpelto Oh, remember the good ole days when politicians just directed that public contracts go to friends, donors and certain companies.That was then and this is now…and a whole new approach is taking shape.This week we learned that Governor Malloy and his education commissioner, Stefan Pryor ... more »

MOM CONGRESS - Parenting.com

Educational Resources - Parental Involvement - Parenting.com: What Teachers Want to Tell ParentsThey don't really take summers off, and other info they'd like you to knowTEACHER TELL-ALLA Day in the Life of an Inner-City School TeacherA candid look into a world ofovercrowded classrooms, mouthy students, and too few resourcesTEACHER TIPS13 Discipline Tricks from TeachersHow they keep kids in line and how you can too!REINVENT PBJNew Ideas for School LunchTasty recipes for getting out a lunchbox ruttools guides+see allorganize volunteershealthy lunch ... more »

Frog Birds, Autonomous Individuals, Groups and Flying Kites in the Rain « Cooperative Catalyst

Frog Birds, Autonomous Individuals, Groups and Flying Kites in the Rain « Cooperative Catalyst: Frog Birds, Autonomous Individuals, Groups and Flying Kites in the RainbyThomas Steele-MaleyI believe that society must be reconstructed to enlarge the contribution of autonomous individuals and primary groups to the total effectiveness of a new system of production designed to satisfy the human needs which it also determines.-Illich (1973)Frog Birds, Autonomous Individuals and GroupsThe time is now to listen to Frog Birds, intensify your autonomous local ... more »

How zoning policies affect student achievement - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

How zoning policies affect student achievement - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: How zoning policies affect student achievementbyValerie Strauss Thiswas written by Richard D. Kahlenberg, senior fellow at TheCentury Foundation. It first appeared onthe foundation’s website.By Richard D. KahlenbergAmericans value equal educational opportunity, but our system has always undercut that goal with housing, zoning, and school assignment policies that consign low-income students to high-poverty schools where they tend to perform worse. A fascinatingnew studyby Jonathan Rothwell of the...more »

School Tech Connect: Pineapples

School Tech Connect: Pineapples: Pineapplesbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) I know there's been a lot of attention to thepineapple question on the New York test, but I'd like to point out that these terrible test questions are as common as the rain. You only hear about them when someone takes the risk of pointing them out. It is a testing violation for teachers to look through the testing booklet to see what's on the test.I did this very thing several times at ... more »

Cool Cat Teacher Blog The "James Brown" of Internet Teachers - Vicki Davis

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Learning about Learning: Research and Edreform News and Views 04/22/2012coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)atCool Cat Teacher Blog-15 minutes ago- 6 Q's About the News | Teenage Drivers and A.D.H.D. - NYTimes.com This is a fascinating lesson and student opinion question about teenagers with ADHD and their driving. I think this is one that all drivers ed teachers should read but also that should be part of discussions with students of driving age. (You could ... more »

The 5th Legislative District Passes a No-Charter School Resolution | Seattle Education

The 5th Legislative District Passes a No-Charter School Resolution | Seattle Education: The 5th Legislative District Passes a No-Charter School Resolutionbyseattleducation2011Resolution for Continued Prohibition of Charter Schools in Washington StateWhereas the platform of the Washington State Democrats specifically opposes publicly funded charter schools and vouchers; andWhereas the voters of Washington State have defeated charter measures three times; andWhereas peer-reviewed research shows that 83% of charter schools perform no better than public schools, and charter schools more...more »

ED News Worth Reading April 2011 at Pinterest.

ED News Worth Reading April 2011:ED News Worth Reading April 2011ED News Worth Reading April 2011https://pinterest.com/coopmike48/ed-news-worth-reading-april-2011/

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CORONA-NORCO USD IN INLAND EMPIRE GIVES TEACHERS THE FREEDOM TO EXPERIMENT INSTEAD OF PRESCRIBED LESSON PLANS, boosting scores and graduation rates in the heavily Latino, low-income district.

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CORONA-NORCO USD IN INLAND EMPIRE GIVES TEACHERS THE FREEDOM TO EXPERIMENT INSTEAD OF PRESCRIBED LESSON PLANS, boosting scores and graduation rates in the heavily Latino, low-income district.: CORONA-NORCO USD IN INLAND EMPIRE GIVES TEACHERS THE FREEDOM TO EXPERIMENT INSTEAD OF PRESCRIBED LESSON PLANS, boosting scores and graduation rates in the heavily Latino, low-income district.BY STEPHEN CEASAR, LOS ANGELES TIMES|HTTP://LAT.MS/HY6CGRAlejandra Zamora, left, and Saraiyah Hatter at Santiago High. As head of the ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: A Tale of Two Videos

Jersey Jazzman: A Tale of Two Videos: A Tale of Two VideosbyDukeFirst, watch this (h/tBrian Page):PopoutThen, watch this (finally found a work-safe version):PopoutThey spend billions of dollars every year lobbying -- lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want -- they want MORE for themselves and less for everybody else. But I'll tell you what they don't want.They

Don’t sit under the banana tree with anyone else but Rhee: Michele Rhee invited to speak to for-profit college “union” for $50K | Dailycensored.com

Don’t sit under the banana tree with anyone else but Rhee: Michele Rhee invited to speak to for-profit college “union” for $50K | Dailycensored.com: Don’t sit under the banana tree with anyone else but Rhee: Michele Rhee invited to speak to for-profit college “union” for $50KWritten byDanny WeilBusiness,Education,MediaApr 21, 2012 On January 23 the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), the trade “union” group for for-profit colleges in the United States, announced that former president George W. Bush ...more »

Jersey Jazzman: Some Of the Evaluation; All Of the Decision

Jersey Jazzman: Some Of the Evaluation; All Of the Decision: Some Of the Evaluation; All Of the DecisionbyDuke There is a recurring theme in reformy teacher evaluation schemes: "We're not encouraging teaching to the test, because we're usingmultiple measures. The test scores will only be x% of the teachers evaluation. Stop worrying!"This theme is important to selling the plan, because even the reformyists acknowledge that teaching to the test will stifle children's learning. They also inherently acknowledge that taking a ... more »

School Tech Connect: You Know It's A Bad Idea When...

School Tech Connect: You Know It's A Bad Idea When...: You Know It's A Bad Idea When...bynoreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)I just now noticed thatDavid Brooks just made an argumentfor something like value-added assessments at college, which illustrates the adage, "If there's a really, really bad idea, then David Brooks will be in favor of it and will in fact become this instant expert on it because as a person who is essentially a blogger with a column in a newspaper, that ... more »

Educator and Parent Opts Out in New Jersey | United Opt Out National

Educator and Parent Opts Out in New Jersey | United Opt Out National: Educator and Parent Opts Out in New Jerseybyadmin Good afternoon.Please be advised that I do not permit my childrento participate in the NJ ASK or any other standardized testing for state report cards and NCLB/RTTT accountability. I believe that this kind of testing is, at best, counter-productive and perhaps even harmful to my children’s education and development. My position is based on my conscientious objection to the ... more »

Inside FCAT 2.0: What Changes Mean for Teachers, Students « Tangerine, Florida

Inside FCAT 2.0: What Changes Mean for Teachers, Students « Tangerine, Florida: Inside FCAT 2.0: What Changes Mean for Teachers, Studentsby5redherrings April 20, 2012 | 2:41 PMBy Sarah GonzalezDanna Contreras doesn’t like the new FCAT.The sophomore at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami emigrated from Columbia three years ago.She wears thick, pink-rimmed glasses and she squints a lot. She says the new computerized version is harder to take.“I think I am better with paper, not on the computer because ... more »

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky: Sunday links.byFred KlonskyJohn Dillon explains the meaning ofschadnfreude.“Glad it’s you and not me, pal.” If you are a retired Illinois teacher and think that Quinn’s pension plan keeps you and yours safe,think again.The New York Timesfinallydiscoversthe dirty deeds of ALEC.Why the US is destroying it education system. ”A nation that destroys its systems of education, degrades its public information, guts its public libraries and turns its airwaves into vehicles for cheap, mindless amusement becomes deaf, ... more »

Meanwhile, Rick Scott Vetoed Funding for a Grad School Which Actually Generates STEM Professionals | Scathing Purple Musings

Meanwhile, Rick Scott Vetoed Funding for a Grad School Which Actually Generates STEM Professionals | Scathing Purple Musings: 'Meanwhile, Rick Scott Vetoed Funding for a Grad School Which Actually Generates STEM ProfessionalsbyBob SikesLost in all theoutcry of opponentsand the sanctimonious hyperventilation of supporters over the creation of Florida Polytech, was a story which received only local coverage. On Tuesday, Rick Scott vetoed funding which would have gone towardFAMU’s new pharmacy schoollocated in Crestview.A $1.5 million gubernatorial veto of funding for ... more »