Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break
Weekly Update: Teachers and parents push back, school privateers caught red handed and the scoop on online learning | Seattle Education
Weekly Update: Teachers and parents push back, school privateers caught red handed and the scoop on online learning | Seattle Education: Weekly Update: Teachers and parents push back, school privateers caught red handed and the scoop on online learning by seattleducation2011 The teachers in the school district of Reynolds, Oregon went on strike this week. Adam Sanchez who is the co-author of the Rethinking Schools article regarding Stand for Children, recently started up a Portland Social Equality Educators group, based on the Seattle Equality Educators organization in Seattle. T... more »
Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: Poverty and Student Achievement
Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: Poverty and Student Achievement: Poverty and Student Achievement by Tom King I've read more and more bully-pulpit Tweeters, big-time Bloggers, famous FB-posters and powerful Pundits lately suggesting that to fix the problem with K12 student achievement, all we need to do is solve the problem of poverty. First off, let me say the problem of student achievement is hard enough to fix. In fact, we're still trying. But until we get our focus off all this time-wasting standardized testing nonsense and find more ways to involve students and parents in assumi... more »
FCAT Debacle: Why Public Awareness Matters
FCAT Debacle: Why Public Awareness Matters: FCAT Debacle: Why Public Awareness Matters by Susan Headden Florida residents have been fuming over the latest fiasco in standardized testing— the plummeting scores on the writing portion of the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test, which had been changed to reflect higher standards. Only 27 percent of the state’s fourth-graders passed the test this year, compared to 81 percent who were deemed proficient last year. The state’s response? It lowered the score for passing the test. That action, taken by the state board of education in a... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: At what point does spin become lying Arne Duncan?
Missouri Education Watchdog: At what point does spin become lying Arne Duncan?: At what point does spin become lying Arne Duncan? by Anngie This week Secretary Duncan participated in the Labor Management Conference in Cincinnati. It looks like the conference wasn’t that interesting, because he had a lot of time to tweet about it. The tweets sounded wonderful until you really analyzed them, and put them up against what action the DOEd is taking. Then you realized every one of them was a bit of propaganda straight out of Edward Bernays' manual. 23 May Arne Duncan @arneduncan We ...more »
Vanguard Interview with Lucas Frerichs
Vanguard interviews Davis City Council Candidates Lucas Frerichs on the issues of the day and his candidacy. Voters go the polls June 5, 2012 and vote on three candidates out of five. For more information go to http:///davisvanguard.org Please Subscribe to the People's Vanguard of Davis! Visit our website! http://davisvanguard.org/ Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/davisvanguard Follow the Vanguard on Twitter: http:/www.twitter.com/davisvanguard Video URL: http://youtu.be/mdXJfeRgQ0Y Tags: Davis City Council 2012 Election Vanguard Lucas Frerichs the peoples vangu... more »
New York Teacher | Edwize
New York Teacher | Edwize: New York Teacher by W.J. Levay [image: New York Teacher, May 24, 2012]Highlights from the May 24 issue of *New York Teacher*: Mulgrew: Union ‘must’ play role in shaping city’s schools Saying that the union won’t wait for Bloomberg’s departure in 2013, UFT President Michael Mulgrew on May 12 mapped out a path for improving New York City public education built on bringing the public back into public education and ensuring that city schools work for and with the whole community. The operating roomA select group of 8th-graders at MS 217 in Queens knows exact... more »
RheeFirst! » President Obama, teachers speak out against Romney’s regressive ed policy, while Rhee rushes to Romney’s rescue
RheeFirst! » President Obama, teachers speak out against Romney’s regressive ed policy, while Rhee rushes to Romney’s rescue: President Obama, teachers speak out against Romney’s regressive ed policy, while Rhee rushes to Romney’s rescue by admin Last night, Rhee went on CNN to defend a comment that Mitt Romney made earlier that day: Popout President Obama is calling on parents and teachers to give their insight into the disastrous impact of classroom overcrowding. Here’s what teachers had to say:
Teach for America cashing in on ed reform? | Seattle Education
Teach for America cashing in on ed reform? | Seattle Education: Teach for America cashing in on ed reform? by seattleducation2011 What started out as a possibly altruistic idea of going into small towns in the South where it was difficult to staff schools and instead bring in lightly trained recent college graduates to populate the classrooms, has now become a multimillion dollar business relying on charter schools to use these recruits to staff their charter franchises. These recruits contract with TFA, Inc. for two or three years then most move on to graduate school, law school o... more »
Payola Policy: NCTQ Prepares its Hit on Schools of Education - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Payola Policy: NCTQ Prepares its Hit on Schools of Education - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Payola Policy: NCTQ Prepares its Hit on Schools of Education by Anthony Cody Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody Our political system has deteriorated to such a degree that policymaking in the education arena has come to resemble the selection of "hits" chosen for airplay by 1950s DJs. Back in the day, the main mode of advertising to promote the sale of records was to have the songs played on the radio. The "Payola" scandal occurred in the 1950s when it was discovered that m... more »
NYC Public School Parents: Deception by NYSED about the state field tests?
NYC Public School Parents: Deception by NYSED about the state field tests?: Deception by NYSED about the state field tests? by Leonie Haimson There's lots of controversy about next month's NY state field tests, designed by Pearson of Pineapplegate, and due to be given next month in all public schools statewide, in certain grades and subjects. Most parents still do not know about these exams, but those who do are fighting back and some are planning to have their children boycott them. See the resolution in support of a boycott, passed by CEC 20, and articles in GothamSchools, WSJ, ... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, May 25, 2012
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Friday, May 25, 2012* Two Fresno Unified trustees want inquiry into board president's residencyTwo Fresno Unified school trustees said Thursday they want a state agency to determine whether board president Tony Vang is eligible to serve on the board in light of questions about whether he lives in the district. Parents sue teacher accused of abuseThe parents of four students at Taft Elementary School have filed a lawsuit against teacher Daniel Ryan Lentini, Orange Unified School District and the school's princi... more »
Student protesters in Montreal defy restrictions as demonstrations grow | World news | guardian.co.uk
Student protesters in Montreal defy restrictions as demonstrations grow | World news | guardian.co.uk: Montreal's student protesters defy restrictions as demonstrations grow Emergency law tried to limit size and scope of tuition-hike protests, but police allow demonstration to go on as planned - Share****26 - - - Email - Erin Hale in Montreal - guardian.co.uk, Friday 25 May 2012 10.26 EDT - Comments (15) Montreal students defy new protest laws. Link to this video Demonstrators in Montreal have continued to defy an emergency law passed by the provincial gover... more »
A face of Philly ed reform likes the womenfolk silent and tending to the children | Young Philly Politics
A face of Philly ed reform likes the womenfolk silent and tending to the children | Young Philly Politics: A face of Philly ed reform likes the womenfolk silent and tending to the children Submitted by HelenGym on Thu, 05/24/2012 - 9:20am. If there's any question about the intent behind the people driving Philadelphia's current wave of education reform, look no further than thisgalling op-ed by Mark Gleason, executive director of the Philadelphia Schools Partnership which has an explicit mandate to support religious schools and is pushing for expanding school choice at any cost: ... more »
Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-25 AM Posts #soschat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why It's Hard to Find Middle Ground coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why It's Hard to Find Middle Ground: Why It's Hard to Find Middle Ground by Charlie Mas In case anyone didn't already know it, I sometimes meet and talk with people who are often cast as villains on this blog. I've met with Kelly Munn of LEV, Liv Finne of the Washington Policy Center, the former Executive Director of the Alliance for Education (not the current one), a lot of the staff at the... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why It's Hard to Find Middle Ground
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why It's Hard to Find Middle Ground: Why It's Hard to Find Middle Ground by Charlie Mas In case anyone didn't already know it, I sometimes meet and talk with people who are often cast as villains on this blog. I've met with Kelly Munn of LEV, Liv Finne of the Washington Policy Center, the former Executive Director of the Alliance for Education (not the current one), a lot of the staff at the Alliance for Education, and, recently, with Robin Lake of the Center on Reinventing Public Education. It has always been nice. In addition to these folks, I ha... more »
Florida’s Standardized Testing Disaster – “Education Reform” At Its Worst - Wait, What?
Florida’s Standardized Testing Disaster – “Education Reform” At Its Worst - Wait, What?: Florida’s Standardized Testing Disaster – “Education Reform” At Its Worst from Wait, What? by jonpelto Like the car accident that you can’t take your eyes off of, the incredible standardized test debacle that is playing itself out in Florida is a stunning lesson about how out of control the “education reformers” have become. Their mantra there, as it is here in Connecticut, is that standardized testing is the only way to force teachers to teach and children to learn. Most importantly, they cl... more »
Let's Stop Comparing Education to the Civil Rights Movement - Education - GOOD
Let's Stop Comparing Education to the Civil Rights Movement - Education - GOOD: Let's Stop Comparing Education to the Civil Rights Movement by Liz Dwyer [image: little.rock] This week, Mitt Romney said that fixing education "is the civil rights issue of our era. It's the great challenge of our time." The statement implies that students are being purposefully and systematically denied an education, and calls to mind the infamous photo of one of the Little Rock Nine, Elizabeth Eckford, as she attempted to enter Little Rock High School and was turned away by the National Guard as Haze... more »
Modern School: LAUSD To Apply for Paltry RttT Grant
Modern School: LAUSD To Apply for Paltry RttT Grant: LAUSD To Apply for Paltry RttT Grant by Michael Dunn Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons *3 Easy Tricks to Maximize Profits From the Public Sector* 1. Demand low taxes to increase personal income while decimating school budgets, thus making public education look like a disaster in need of corporate management 2. Claim your private enterprise will solve these problems and should be funded with public tax dollars (e.g., charter schools, Common Core Standards, laptops for every child, new textbooks or ebooks, tutoring services, ... more »
Save Our Schools June 1st Webinar | | Save Our SchoolsSave Our Schools
Save Our Schools June 1st Webinar | | Save Our SchoolsSave Our Schools: [image: SOS Save Our Schools]** Save Our Schools June 1st Webinar« Back to Events Event:Save Our Schools June 1st WebinarStart:June 1, 2012 9:00 pmEnd:June 1, 2012 10:30 pmCost:FreeCategory:WebinarsOrganizer:Save Our SchoolsEmail: saveourschoolsmarch@gmail.comUpdated:May 25, 2012Venue:Save Our Schools June 1st WebinarAddress: Your Computer and Browser of Choice,Hometown,United States *Save Our Schools Webinar* *Early Childhood Educators Say “No!” to Standards and Tests* June 1, 2012 9 PM Eastern Daylight Time [E... more »
Pols rake in pension payments while planning teacher benefit cuts. « Fred Klonsky
Pols rake in pension payments while planning teacher benefit cuts. « Fred Klonsky: Pols rake in pension payments while planning teacher benefit cuts. by Fred Klonsky As the Illinois General Assembly prepares to vote on Democratic Party Chairman and House Speaker Michael Madigan’s bill to cut teacher pension payments, the Chicago Tribune features the data that shows how these same pols rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars in their own pension payments. While a retired teacher downstate is getting $20,000 a year. More than a third of all retirees in the legislative pension fund ... more »
hctiB G: Testing v. Testing: 2 | The G Bitch Spot
hctiB G: Testing v. Testing: 2 | The G Bitch Spot: hctiB G: Testing v. Testing: 2 by G Bitch originally posted May 3, 2010 The Committee on Appropriate Test Use of the National Research Council stated in an authoritative report in 1999 that “tests are not perfect” and “a test score is not an accurate measure of a student’s knowledge or skills.” Because test scores are not an infallible measure, the committee warned, “an educational decision that will have a major impact on a test taker should not be made solely or automatically on the basis of a single test score.” …. Psychometric... more »
Charter Schools Exacerbate ethnic, racial and class divisions while feeding into a politics of public metldown,deracination and alienation | Dailycensored.com
Charter Schools Exacerbate ethnic, racial and class divisions while feeding into a politics of public metldown,deracination and alienation | Dailycensored.com: Charter Schools Exacerbate ethnic, racial and class divisions while feeding into a politics of public metldown,deracination and alienation by Danny Weil [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] In 2009 I posted this article understanding that charter schools would have the pernicious effect of using identity, religious tribalism, race, class and gender to cement the popularity of the publicly subsidized an... more »
Braun: The conservative case to save traditional public schools | NJ.com
Braun: The conservative case to save traditional public schools | NJ.com: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Braun: The conservative case to save traditional public schoolsPublished: Friday, May 25, 2012, 8:00 AM As soon as Diane Ravitch finished speaking in New Brunswick the other day, public school advocates left the lecture hall to bring the message of saving traditional schools to other organizations. Deborah Cornavaca of East Brunswick and Julia Rubin of Princeton, among others, had the commitments before listening to Ravitch’s talk, but the imagery was nice:... more »
What Is Campbell’s Law? « Diane Ravitch's blog
What Is Campbell’s Law? « Diane Ravitch's blog: What Is Campbell’s Law? from Diane Ravitch's blog by dianerav Everyone interested in understanding how the ceaseless pressure to raise test scores can corrupt the tests should be familiar with Campbell’s Law. This is an adage written by social scientist Donald T. Campbell in a 1976 paper. It says: “The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.” (You can ... more »
Romney’s Absurd Claims « Diane Ravitch's blog
Romney’s Absurd Claims « Diane Ravitch's blog: Romney’s Absurd Claims by dianerav Mitt Romney is out on the campaign trail, pushing vouchers and charters and online learning and for-profit schools and larger class size as the answers to our “failing” public schools. I wish someone would give him some actual facts to work with. Are our schools failing? No, they are not. According to the latest federal data, the high school graduation rate is now at the highest point in our history for every group: for white students, black students, Hispanic students, low-income students, middle-... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Another look at Rahm's Texas model
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Another look at Rahm's Texas model: Another look at Rahm's Texas model by Mike Klonsky *"If you start in the Chicago Public School system in kindergarten," offered Rahm, "and your cousin lives in Houston, and you both go all the way through high school, the cousin in Houston spends three more years in the classroom." *-- Rahm Emanuel* * Romney's ed adviser and former Houston Supt. Rod PaigeChicago's mayor, in his demagogic appeal for a longer (not necessarily better) school day, is fond ofholding up Houston, Texas as his model. This piece in the Texa... more »
Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » My new book: World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students
Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » My new book: World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students: My new book: World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students by YongZhao I am very pleased to announce that Corwin Press will release my new book *World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students *in association with the Ontario Principal’s Council, National Association of Elementary School Principal (NAESP) next month, June 2012. The book is about preparing global, creative, and entrepreneurial talents... more »
Daily Kos: of Wall Street and of Bain
Daily Kos: of Wall Street and of Bain: of Wall Street and of Bain by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) There are two somewhat related columns this morning by two important voices. Paul Krugman offers Egos and Immorality in which he deconstructs the incredible sensitivity of those in the financial sector to any kind of criticism, and their false assertion that they have created economic good times for the nation. Eugene Robinson hones in with Why Bain Questions Matter, in which his only criticism of the President is that he wishses the questions about Bain had been raised during the... more »
Diary of a Social Art-tivist Mommy: Systems. How they can inspire or burn us....
Diary of a Social Art-tivist Mommy: Systems. How they can inspire or burn us....: Systems. How they can inspire or burn us.... by ART-tivist Mommy Systems. We exist within them, we work in them, we send our children to them. There are systems all around us. School systems, government systems, economic systems, food systems. After my experience working in DCPS for 3 years, I have become ultra sensitive to systems and how they have the potential to make its participants either thrive or wilt. This is one of the reasons I am resigning from DCPS. Cu... more »
Louisiana Educator: Romney Adopts Jindal Reform Plan
Louisiana Educator: Romney Adopts Jindal Reform Plan: Romney Adopts Jindal Reform Plan by Michael Deshotels IMPORTANT INVITATION: All readers of *The Louisiana Educator* are invited to immediately join our new data base of email contacts that I am naming The D*efenders of Public Education.* We need you now! It is 100% free! It is 100% confidential! Just send an email using your preferred email address, and zip code to:louisianaeducator@gmail.com. Your zip code will be used to list you and I hope many others according to legislative district so that I can send you timely, relevant... more »
How ed policy is hurting early childhood education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
How ed policy is hurting early childhood education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: How ed policy is hurting early childhood education by Valerie Strauss This *was written by Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Diane E. Levin and Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin. Carlsson-Paige is professor emerita at Lesley University and an author of several books; Levin is a professor of early childhood education at Wheelock College; and McLaughlin is the founding teacher at the Mission Hill School in Roxbury, Ma., as well as the director of the Defending the Early Years coalition and founder of Empowere... more »
In Oakland schools, chronic absence, suspension derail black boys - The Bay Citizen
In Oakland schools, chronic absence, suspension derail black boys - The Bay Citizen: In Oakland schools, chronic absence, suspension derail black boys by Joanna Lin High rates of chronic absence, suspension and poor academic performance signal that more than half of African American male students in the Oakland Unified School District are at risk of dropping out, according to new research. The Urban Strategies Council, an Oakland-based community advocacy organization, found significant disparities between African American boys and their peers: Fifty-five percent of black boys in t... more »
“If This Is the Best Robinson Can Offer, He Should Resign” | Scathing Purple Musings
“If This Is the Best Robinson Can Offer, He Should Resign” | Scathing Purple Musings: “If This Is the Best Robinson Can Offer, He Should Resign” by Bob Sikes Looks like the editors of *TCPalm* have had enough of Florida’s test-based education system: Florida’s public school students aren’t stupid. And, teachers aren’t incompetent. But, can the same be said for the state’s education bureaucrats who are tasked with overseeing the education system? The recent debacle related to writing scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is just the latest example of a failure on the... more »
What Should We Cut? « Cooperative Catalyst
What Should We Cut? « Cooperative Catalyst: What Should We Cut? by John T. Spencer Someone asked me recently how I am able to respond to all student blogs, leave feedback for each child on the Google Docs and analyze which standards students are mastering. It sounds impressive on paper, but here’s a little secret: I’ve made cuts. Huge cuts. Massive cutbacks in what I do as a teacher. I don’t prep for lectures anymore. Instead, I think about how I will make lessons meaningful for students. I don’t input grades into the computer. Instead, I meet with students and we fill out our asse... more »
In Oakland schools, chronic absence, suspension derail black boys | California Watch
In Oakland schools, chronic absence, suspension derail black boys | California Watch: In Oakland schools, chronic absence, suspension derail black boys Joanna Lin arieliona/istockphoto.com High rates of chronic absence, suspension and poor academic performance signal that more than half of African American male students in the Oakland Unified School District are at risk of dropping out, according to new research. The Urban Strategies Council, an Oakland-based community advocacy organization, found significant disparities between African American boys and their peers: Fifty-five per... more »
Website Review: Dr. Seuss Went to War | Mr. D's Neighborhood
Website Review: Dr. Seuss Went to War | Mr. D's Neighborhood: Website Review: Dr. Seuss Went to War by ldorazio1 During World War II, everyone played a part. Everyone…including Dr. Seuss. Before Theodore Giesel gained worldwide prominence as a childrens’ book author, he was the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York magazine *PM . *Between 1941 and 1943, Geisel drew over 400 cartoons for the magazine, and also for other publications. It is a rare moment when an iconic figure shows his political colors–and a unique website allows us access to this part of his career. The Dr. Seus...more »
Educating and being educated in world of standardization,privatization,deregulation, and incompetence. « Cooperative Catalyst
Educating and being educated in world of standardization,privatization,deregulation, and incompetence. « Cooperative Catalyst: Educating and being educated in world of standardization,privatization,deregulation, and incompetence. by Jabreel Chisley What is the Condition of Education? *The Condition of Education: * We are approaching the horizon of a national crisis that is being ignored, blanketed in dissolution of hopes that it will be one of those “work itself out” issues like we hoped with the 2000’s financial meltdown. Our feelings about this crisis are the same as they wer... more »
Don’t Grade The MTA | The Jose Vilson
Don’t Grade The MTA | The Jose Vilson: Don’t Grade The MTA by Jose Dear members of the NYC City Councilmembers, I get it. You want to hold the MTA accountable somehow for their abhorrent misuse of funds, consistently delayed projects, and general failure to produce a good service for the amount of money the average New Yorker pays. It’s hard to blame the average service worker, but the guys at the top need to hear that we as a city aren’t happy with the mess that often is our daily commute. The smells we endure coupled with the delays and detours only exacerbate what we feel is a... more »
School Tech Connect: A Nose For News
School Tech Connect: A Nose For News: A Nose For News by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) I can't believe I haven't written about this yet, but I did a little search of the site, and sure enough, I haven't written about it. This evening I was just reviewing my decision not to attend ISTE 2012 in San Diego, and while I don't regret missing the scheduled video address by Arne Duncan, I do regret missing Yong Zhao's wry observations afterward. Arne Duncan is a talking-point machine; if he were reciting a poem, it would be about choosing for our nation the road* more* traveled by --... more »
Big Education Ape Nite Cap UPDATE 5-23-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
*UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* If I have to take one more of these frigging standardized test, I think my head will explode! *GO TO * *National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing* "Hey hey. Ho ho. Rahm Emanuel has got to go! by Mike Klonsky Thousands of CTU members march up Michigan Avenue to CPS Headquarters after a rally at the Auditorium Theatre. | Scott Stewart~Chicago Sun-Times.That was the thunderous sound of 5,000 red-clad Chicago union teachers marching past CPS headquarters at Adams & Clark. Just when Rahm thought is was safe to come out of his office after last weekend's N... more »
Big Education Ape Nite Cap UPDATE 5-22-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
*UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* If I have to take one more of these frigging standardized test, I think my head will explode! *GO TO * *National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing* College Is No Guarantee of Success by Duke Professional blind squirrel Campbell Brown finds a nut: Hardly reassuring words when you look at the reality. According to the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, about 53.6 percent of men and women under the age of 25 who hold bachelor’s degrees were jobless or underemployed last year, the most in at least 11 years. According to the Pew... more »