Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break
Newest testing outrage involves pro-charter school propaganda in Chicago assessments « Parents Across America
Newest testing outrage involves pro-charter school propaganda in Chicago assessments « Parents Across America: *Go to Parents Across America.* * * * * Newest testing outrage involves pro-charter school propaganda in Chicago assessments by pureparents May 28, 2012 Contact: Julie Woestehoff, Parents United for Responsible Education, Chicago, 773-538-1135 Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters, New York City, 917-435-9329 Pamela Grundy, Mecklenburg ACTS, Charlotte, 704-375-4222 Newest testing outrage involves pro-charter school propaganda in Chicago assessments Parents Across America leade... more »
Petitions | The White House - Replace Sec. Ed. Arne Duncan with Prof. Diane Ravitch
Petitions | The White House: WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO: Replace Sec. Ed. Arne Duncan with Prof. Diane Ravitch, as Duncan's ed advice to Obama hurts more students than it helps If President Obama truly desires to provide all students with access to the best public education possible, and concurrently to energize teachers as an important voting bloc in his re-election campaign, he should replace Sec. of Ed. Arne Duncan with Prof. Diane Ravitch, or someone else not beholden to corporate interests, such as Prof. Linda Darling-Hammond, Prof. Yong Zhao, or similar. Duncan'... more »
Free Resources From All My Books | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…
Free Resources From All My Books | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: Free Resources From All My Books by Larry Ferlazzo I have many free resources, including excerpts and student hand-outs, available from all my books. Clicking on the covers will lead you to them: [image: Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Problems.]
888-412-6570 « Fred Klonsky
888-412-6570 « Fred Klonsky: 888-412-6570 by Fred Klonsky *Will He Find It?* Word is there is deal making going on today in Springfield between GOP House Leader Tom Cross and Democratic Party Chairman and Speaker Michael Madigan over the pension bill. If Cross doesn’t get something then he won’t support the Democrat’s pension bill. Reminder: The Democrats pension bill will force teachers to choose between a cost of living adjustment in their retirement plan and health insurance. Madigan believes that providing this choice makes the bill constitutional. No it doesn’t. If Madigan and ... more »
“It’s not about the tool” – a naïve myth. « Cooperative Catalyst
“It’s not about the tool” – a naïve myth. « Cooperative Catalyst: “It’s not about the tool” – a naïve myth. by peter skillen “It’s not about the tool – it’s about the learning.” – a naïve myth.I think I understand the intent of these kinds of statements. I believe it is a reaction that arises because some teachers and kids are focusing on the skills required to *use* the tool rather than on the ‘subject-matter’ at hand. Many times we see kids spending much time on learning technical aspects of software rather than on gaining the deeper understandings and knowledge construction rela... more »
Hair of the dog at the Red Line Tap. « Fred Klonsky
Hair of the dog at the Red Line Tap. « Fred Klonsky: Hair of the dog at the Red Line Tap. by Fred Klonsky I don’t usually stop by the Red Line Tap so early on a Monday morning. But’s it’s Memorial Day. No school. It’s going to be another scorcher and after last night’s retirement bash, I needed a little *hair of the dog.* Needless to say, Tony had beat me to a stool. “Heard you had a little
Geaux Teacher!: RECALL KEVIN PEARSON!!!
Geaux Teacher!: RECALL KEVIN PEARSON!!!: RECALL KEVIN PEARSON!!! by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) [image: Recall efforts focus on St. Tammany lawmakers]Recall efforts focus on Reps. Kevin Pearson and Greg Cromer IF ST. TAMMANY VOTERS NEEDED ANOTHER REASON TO RECALL KEVIN PEARSON, HERE IT IS!!! *Treachery and contempt in the House Retirement Committee* Treacherous is just one of the words describing the actions of the House Retirement Committee on Wednesday. The committee’s utter contempt for the people of the state and the rule of law is surpassed only by its crav... more »
Gerard Robinson’s Evolving Talking Points | Scathing Purple Musings
Gerard Robinson’s Evolving Talking Points | Scathing Purple Musings: Gerard Robinson’s Evolving Talking Points by Bob Sikes So Gerard Robinson’s FCAT *Listening-Apology-It’s Here to Stay Tour* continued yesterday in Orlando. And the “Emergency Meeting” arranged by Sen Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) provided a tidbit of information that shows Robinson – and his bosses – are retreating in a disingenuous manner. *WFTV* reports that Robinson said this to parents at Evans High School last night: The test is strong. It is valid,” Robinson said. “It prepares and predicts where we want our stud... more »
School Tech Connect: Waiting For The Testing Tide To Turn
School Tech Connect: Waiting For The Testing Tide To Turn: Waiting For The Testing Tide To Turn by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Diane's got a post up about the NYDOE encouraging its teachers to lie to students about the purpose of a new test they're running in June. It's a field test, which means they're just running the questions through the computers to establish reliability, or whatever. Pearson is entitled to the free time and labor of our already test-stressed kids to participate in product development for new revenue sources. Last week, the New York State Education Depar... more »
Please join us for the Save Our Schools chat on Twitter this Tue, 5/29 with AFT President Randi Weingarten #SOSChat
Please join us for the *Save Our Schools* chat on Twitter this Tue, 5/29 with AFT - American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. We will discuss the AFT Resolution Against Testing Fixation in our Public Schools. Jump right in at 9pm on the east coast; 6pm on the west coast. #SOSChat Save Our Schools Webinars *Save Our Schools Webinar* *Early Childhood Educators Say “No!” to Standards and Tests* June 1, 2012 9 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT} Please Join Us! Deborah Meier and Nancy Carlsson-Paige will discuss the myriad ways that young children learn through pla... more »
Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-28 AM Posts #soschat #edreform
*BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS* “they struggled to preserve a positive identity by embracing their stigma” | The G Bitch Spot coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago “they struggled to preserve a positive identity by embracing their stigma” | The G Bitch Spot: “they struggled to preserve a positive identity by embracing their stigma” by G Bitch Again, though, it is useful to put the commodification of gangsta culture in proper perspective. The worst of gangsta rap and other forms of blaxploitation [such as VH1’s Flavor of Love] is best understood as a modern-... more »
“they struggled to preserve a positive identity by embracing their stigma” | The G Bitch Spot
“they struggled to preserve a positive identity by embracing their stigma” | The G Bitch Spot: “they struggled to preserve a positive identity by embracing their stigma” by G Bitch Again, though, it is useful to put the commodification of gangsta culture in proper perspective. The worst of gangsta rap and other forms of blaxploitation [such as VH1’s Flavor of Love] is best understood as a modern-day minstrel show, only this time televised around the clock for a worldwide audience. It is a for-profit display of the worst racial stereotypes and images associated with the era of mass... more »
Two Persistent Reformy Misrepresentations regarding VAM Estimates « School Finance 101
Two Persistent Reformy Misrepresentations regarding VAM Estimates « School Finance 101: Two Persistent Reformy Misrepresentations regarding VAM Estimates by schoolfinance101 I have written much on this blog about problems with the use of Value-added Estimates of teacher *effect* (used loosely) on student test score gains on this blog. I have addressed problems with both the reliability and validity of VAM estimates, and I have pointed out how SGP based estimates of student growth are invalid on their face for determining teacher effectiveness. But, I keep hearing two common refr... more »
Memorial Day quiz: Test yourself - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
Memorial Day quiz: Test yourself - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: Memorial Day quiz: Test yourself By Valerie Strauss Here’s a quiz to test yourself on how much you know about Memorial Day and the wars in which U.S. soldiers have fought and died. Answers, with a bit of history, follow the questions. Sscouts light more than 17,000 candles at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery in Virginia. (Peter Cihelka/AP)*1. Memorial Day was a response to the loss of American lives in which war?* a) Revolutionary War b) Civil War c) World War I d) World War II *2. What was the bloodi... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky [image: My Photo] *Mike Klonsky* Chicago, IL, United States Educator, author, school reform activist Pedro Noguera *"The way we are now as a country, not only aren't we living up to the Brown decision, we're not even living up the Plessy v. Ferguson of separate but equal." *-- Up W/ Chris Hayes Melissa Harris-Perry *"I live in the 7th ward of New Orleans, and I don't like what I see happening there in the KIPP schools. I am distressed by the movement away from teachers unions that can actua... more »
4LAKids - Save Our Schools Webinar Friday June 1: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS SAY "NO!" TO STANDARDS+ TESTS with Nancy Carlsson-Paige & Deb Meier
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Save Our Schools Webinar Friday June 1: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS SAY "NO!" TO STANDARDS+ TESTS with Nancy Carlsson-Paige & Deb Meier: Save Our Schools Webinar Friday June 1: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS SAY "NO!" TO STANDARDS+ TESTS with Nancy Carlsson-Paige & Deb Meier BY EMAIL FROM SAVE OUR SCHOOLS | HTTP://BIT.LY/L7THRI *REGISTER NOW* Deborah Meier and Nancy Carlsson-Paige will discuss the myriad ways that young children learn through play and active experiences. They will contrast this meaningful and engaged learning with the more super... more »
Schools Matter: The States: More Bully Politics of Education Reform
Schools Matter: The States: More Bully Politics of Education Reform: The States: More Bully Politics of Education Reform by P. L. Thomas From South Carolina to New Jersey to Wisconsin—and all across the U.S.—universal public education is under assault by the bully politics of education reform. In my home state of South Carolina, Governor Haley and Superintendent Zais, neither of whom have experience or expertise in education, are seeking to attack unions (although SC is a non-union, right-to-work state), increase education testing through adopting Common Core State Standards, dep... more »
Billionaire Boys Club Hook up Sacramento (Mayor) King 1% Kevin Johnson @ fundraiser - Sacramento City News - The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson expected in L.A. for fundraiser - Sacramento City News - The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Mayor King 1% Johnson expected in L.A. for fundraiser Share By Ryan Lillis rlillis@sacbee.com Published: Tuesday, May. 22, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 2B Last Modified: Tuesday, May. 22, 2012 - 8:29 am [image: Corporate Media = Corporate Lies] *Mayor **King 1% Johnson* was scheduled to be in Los Angeles on Monday night for a fundraiser hosted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa that could have an impact on Sacramento's ongoing – although faded – arena effort. Tim Leiweke, the... more »
FayObserver.com - Charter schools could take funding away from Cumberland County's traditional schools
FayObserver.com - Charter schools could take funding away from Cumberland County's traditional schools: Charter schools could take funding away from Cumberland County's traditional schools [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] The Cumberland County school system stands to lose millions of dollars in local, state and federal money if two charter schools open in the county next year. Supporters of the charter schools counter that the competition will lead to a better education for students. It's not yet clear how much money the two proposed charter schools - one ... more »
When Charters Compete « Diane Ravitch's blog
When Charters Compete « Diane Ravitch's blog: When Charters Compete by dianerav [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] I live in New York City, where charters are aggressively expanding. Many, perhaps most, of our charters have hedge fund managers on their board of directors. They want to win. They want higher test scores than the neighborhood public school. They compete with one another and they compete with the neighborhood school. The city government–which is to say, Mayor Michael Bloomberg–believes in charters. He pushed energetically to get the Legislatur... more »
Does Public Education Matter? « Diane Ravitch's blog
Does Public Education Matter? « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Does Public Education Matter? by dianerav Yesterday I wrote a blog about a tiny rural district in Idaho where the community did everything possible to support their school but it wasn’t good enough. The tax base was so meager that the school was in deficit, and budget cuts were putting the school in peril. A reader commented that this was an instance where the district might benefit by abandoning its public school and turning it into a charter school. This, the reader said, w... more »
No Child Left Behind’s successor, smartly written, can make impact | Thoughts on Public Education
No Child Left Behind’s successor, smartly written, can make impact | Thoughts on Public Education: No Child Left Behind’s successor, smartly written, can make impact - by Marshall (Mike) Smith by Marshall (Mike) Smith If you had $23 billion a year dedicated to improving low-income children’s education and addressing a wide variety of other congressionally negotiated purposes, what would you do? This is the question Congress should be asking when its members finally sit down to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Instead, however, it’s more likely that Congress w... more »
Ignoring Poverty in the U.S. || Information Age Publishing
Ignoring Poverty in the U.S. || Information Age Publishing: Ignoring Poverty in the U.S.The Corporate Takeover of Public Education By: *P. L. Thomas*, *Furman University*. - *Buy Online* - *Paperback* 978-1-61735-783-1 Web Price: $39.09 (Reg. $45.99) + add to cart - *Hardcover* 978-1-61735-784-8 Web Price: $73.09 (Reg. $85.99) + add to cart - *eBook* - ISBN: 978-1-61735-785-5 *SHARE:* Tell a Friend | Link to this | Embed this *In Press 2012* Ignoring Poverty in the U.S.: The Corporate Takeover of Public Education examines the div...more »
NYC Educator: Sorely in Need of a Teacher
NYC Educator: Sorely in Need of a Teacher: Sorely in Need of a Teacher by NYC Educator Heroic captain "Sully" Sullengberger has written a new book, in which he praises several Americans he perceives as heroes.Included in his list is former DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Firstly, I'm somewhat stunned that this former pilot is an authority on education. For one thing, he hasn't got as much money as most "experts," like Gates, Broad, or Rhee Herself. I'm trying to recall the last time a teachers were queried for their opinions on landing planes. Nothing comes to mind, and for t... more »
The June Ballot: Lots of Reform, How Much Change? | California Progress Report
The June Ballot: Lots of Reform, How Much Change? | California Progress Report: *All the signs so far indicate that both super-rich individuals like Republican Charles Munger, a funder of the initiative changing the redistricting process and a backer of the Top Two primary, and special interest groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Michelle Rhee’s Students First, a pro-charter school group, are spending big bucks to influence the primaries.* The June Ballot: Lots of Reform, How Much Change? by jeffson *By Peter Schrag* Those of us who can be bothered to go to the polls in next m... more »
http://www.southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Why Does Whitney Tilson Associate With A Known Convicterd Criminal? by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) Every now and then we here at SBSB get an email throwing someone under the bus. Lately, we have a source that is giving away the farm on the machinations of Whitney Tilson. We here at SBSB wish to thank this brave source. In the latest email from our source, we were told to goggle the phrase; "paragon of integrity Whitney Tilson gets laryngitis" It sure did wet our collective whistles here at SBSB to read such a cryptic phrase. However, like C... more »
Sacramento Press / 70 adults and children protest adult ESL budget cuts
Sacramento Press / 70 adults and children protest adult ESL budget cuts: 70 adults and children protest adult ESL budget cutsby Kristin Thebaud, published on *May 27, 2012* at *7:58 PM* * * * Adult ESL learners and their children came out in droves to rally for Sacramento City Unified School District to reinstate funding for the ESL program at Fremont Adult School in Sacramento. Seventy people waved signs and cheered outside the school district office on 47th Avenue on Thursday. Countless cars honked and showed their support. Student Juan Navarrete said in a letter to the school boa... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Decline To Sign - New Facebook Group
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Decline To Sign - New Facebook Group: Decline To Sign - New Facebook Group by Melissa Westbrook Join my new Facebook group - *Decline to Sign - Charter-Free Washington. * * * It's pretty simple - when (if) this charter initiative gets out to petitions, just *Decline to Sign*. Getting it on the ballot is NOT an invitation to discussion (despite what the Times' says/thinks). If they want a discussion, the time is *NOW*, not after it's on the ballot. Tell your friends, neighbors, family members, co-workers and fellow PTA members, *Decline to Sign.*... more »
School Tech Connect: Notes From The Red Line Tap
School Tech Connect: Notes From The Red Line Tap: Notes From The Red Line Tap by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Came home early from Fred Klonsky's retirement celebration over at the Red Line Tap in Rogers Park. I know better than to stay late at the Red Line. The last time I closed that place, which is right at the Morse CTA stop, I woke up in Hammond, which in case you forgot is in another state. Long story. Anyway, what a tribute. The place was packed, and it was a virtual *who's who* of the people who elected Obama and were to one extent or another left behind by that part... more »
Animal Lover Alert « Diane Ravitch's blog
Animal Lover Alert « Diane Ravitch's blog: Animal Lover Alert by dianerav This is my blog, and there’s no rule that says I’m only allowed to write about education. Right now, I want to write about the animals I lost in the past three years. It’s been really hard because I miss them. I miss them every day. Molly, a Tibetan terrier, died in 2010 at the age of 13. Molly had lymphoma for three long, hard years. What a wonderful, funny dog she was. She was a clown, and her last few years were so hard. Traditional western medicine didn’t work for her. The traditional vets said “put her d... more »
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-24-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-23-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-22-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-21-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap UPDATE 5-23-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-23-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap UPDATE 5-22-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-22-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-21-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2