James Baldwin said it best:
"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."
A Big Education Ape Nite Cap
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Using the "Negative" Trick
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Using the "Negative" Trick: Using the "Negative" Trick by Melissa Westbrook I wanted to follow-up on Charlie's thread about negativism(so skip this if you are not interested but please don't bother to comment that...you're not interested). I've heard this rap before about me or Charlie or the blog. As you can see, we are not likely to change much. We are guided by our own experiences, both as parents in the district and as activists. We are just a lot more clear-eyed and maybe jaded than most of you. That's important to understand. We've bee... more »
Amber Cabral Makes Race Palpable | The Jose Vilson
Amber Cabral Makes Race Palpable | The Jose Vilson: Amber Cabral Makes Race Palpable by Jose Let her cook: Most of us who have children, teach them as we were taught: that people are going to hate you because you are Black. People are going to make you prove yourself twice as often. People are going to expect twice as much before they help you or even give you the respect owed to a whole man. People are going to not hold doors for you, gossip about you, doubt your intelligence. People are going to call you nigger. Police are always looking for you. And you must stand tall and pe... more »
Schools Matter: Those who read more (fiction), know more.
Schools Matter: Those who read more (fiction), know more.: Those who read more (fiction), know more. by skrashen Those who read more (fiction), know more. Stephen Krashen The recent insistence that English Language Arts standards include more nonfiction and less fiction is based on the assumption that nonfiction reading will better prepare students for the rigors of the real world. There are no studies I know of that compare fiction and nonfiction reading in terms of knowledge development, but a number of studies done by Stanovich and his colleagues show that those who read more f... more »
PAA highlights ALEC influence on North Carolina education policy « Parents Across America
PAA highlights ALEC influence on North Carolina education policy « Parents Across America: PAA highlights ALEC influence on North Carolina education policy by pagrundy Republican members of the North Carolina Senate recently introduced an education bill that bears the distinctive stamp of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). PAA affiliate MecklenburgACTS has taken a leading role in publicizing the origins and the implications of the bill, as in this story broadcast by Charlotte’s NPR affiliate, WFAE. In it, PAA co-founder Pamela Grundy says of the bill: “It’s not tailo... more »
At the NATO protest. « Fred Klonsky
At the NATO protest. « Fred Klonsky: At the NATO protest. by Fred Klonsky At the Chicago NATO protest. That’s me representing with the Black Bloc anarchists. As anarchists, they want an end to the entire system of capitalism. I want teachers to get their promised pension. They may have better luck at getting what they want then teachers have at getting what we want.
An Urban Teacher's Education: GO WATCH THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!!
An Urban Teacher's Education: GO WATCH THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!!: GO WATCH THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!! Last July, I had the privilege to attend a session led by Curtis Acosta (one of the teachers of the ethnic studies program recently banned by the Tucson Unified School District) at the SOS conference in DC. I noted it as the highlight of my conference experience. In the session, participants had the opportunity to view a documentary on the ethnic studies program called Precious Knowledge. I am ecstatic that everyone can now go watch the documentary for free until June 7. I've embedded it belo... more »
On Trust | Connected Principals
On Trust | Connected Principals: On Trust May 20, 2012 By Brian Harrison Photo credit: mayte_pons http://bit.ly/L9lCj4 *“I discovered, to my surprise, that the adults in school~even colleagues who had more or less equal power~found it hard to trust each other. Something about teaching is so personal and raw that teachers spend a lot of energy avoiding serious help from those who could best give it.” * ~Deborah Meier~ Our district has embarked upon an ambitious project; the adoption of the Instructional Rounds protocol as a process to support networked professional learni... more »
Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break 5-20 #soschat #edreform
*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* Seattle Schools Community Forum: Stand for Children; Another Dangerous Group coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 36 minutes ago Seattle Schools Community Forum: Stand for Children; Another Dangerous Group: Stand for Children; Another Dangerous Group by Melissa Westbrook When Stand for Children came to town, I was contacted by a very nice woman who sat down with me to explain who they were and what they were doing. I found it interesting but I also felt confused. Were they working with parents or not? I tried to get a bead on if they were try... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Stand for Children; Another Dangerous Group
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Stand for Children; Another Dangerous Group: Stand for Children; Another Dangerous Group by Melissa Westbrook When Stand for Children came to town, I was contacted by a very nice woman who sat down with me to explain who they were and what they were doing. I found it interesting but I also felt confused. Were they working with parents or not? I tried to get a bead on if they were trying to compete or compliment PTA. It sounded good but vague. One thing I do recall is her telling me they had a specific non-profit status so that they could lob... more »
Democurmudgeon: The Whole Truth about the Attack on Public Education. A Must Read.
Democurmudgeon: The Whole Truth about the Attack on Public Education. A Must Read.: The Whole Truth about the Attack on Public Education. A Must Read. by Democurmudgeon The *Jersey Jazzman* related this back and forth between education historian Diane Ravitch and the Obama administration. Believe me, if you ever wanted to get caught up on where we headed thanks to privateers like Scott Walker, this is it. Hint; look what corporations did to wages and quality in manufacturing: *Weasel words are flying out of the Obama/Duncan Department of Education … Here's the story: First, Dian... more »
The Crushing, Suffocating Realities of High Stakes Tests on Florida’s Classrooms | Scathing Purple Musings
The Crushing, Suffocating Realities of High Stakes Tests on Florida’s Classrooms | Scathing Purple Musings: The Crushing, Suffocating Realities of High Stakes Tests on Florida’s Classrooms by Bob Sikes On Friday, the Central Florida School Board Coalition released a report on conditions that currently exists in their 10 school districts as a result of high-stakes test domination. *The Answer Sheet *has the entire report with facts and statistics in bullet-form lists. This post will focus on the reports conclusions. The Coalition counts 16 tests, administered to multiple grades wer... more »
Ed reform bullpucky bingo | Seattle Education
Ed reform bullpucky bingo | Seattle Education: Ed reform bullpucky bingo Posted on May 20, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment We’ve all heard these words and phrases coming out of the mouths of ed reformers. If nothing else, these folks do remain true to their script. I have heard these terms from leadership within the Washington State PTA, the League of Education Voters, Stand for Children, Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, the Broadies and many other corporate privateers. Unfortunately, these words and phrases have reverberated throughout the corporate sponsored media a... more »
Please Come to Chicago 1968 - 2012
Please Come to Chicago 1968 - 2012 [image: police blockade the road] [image: occupy marches for health care not warfare] [image: power to the people] [image: human rights not corporate greed] [image: photo via ] *1968 Free the Chicago 8* *2012 Free the **Chicago** 3 4 5* And Counting The 1968 Democratic National Convention The contentious, political, and cultural conflict of the sixties marked by the Vietnam War, the counterculture movement, and struggles for civil rights was exemplified in the events of the 1968 Democratic National Convention,... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Power of Positive Thinking
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Power of Positive Thinking: The Power of Positive Thinking by Charlie Mas We get a certain amount of heat here at Seattle Schools Community Blog for being "negative". We are, from time to time, accused of being whiners, complainers, gossips, and worse. I'm not looking to discuss the merits of those accusations right now - we can entertain that topic in another thread. Instead, I would like to open the discussion to the question of how this blog can be a tool for positive change in the district. We can certainly serve as a news and information ... more »
CANG8 March & Mass Rally Against the NATO/G8 Summits | OccupyWallSt.org
CANG8 March & Mass Rally Against the NATO/G8 Summits | OccupyWallSt.org: CANG8 March & Mass Rally Against the NATO/G8 Summits by OccupyWallSt Watch live streaming video from chicagoindymedia at livestream.com *CANG8 March & Mass rally against the NATO/G8 summits* *Time:* 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. CDT *Location:* Petrillo Band Shell, Grant Park, downtown Chicago. Followed by protest march to McCormick Convention Center, sight of NATO summit This is the official permitted protest rally against the NATO summit organized by the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda (CANG8). CANG8 is a b... more »
Editorial: New pressure for teacher quality - Editorials - The Sacramento Bee
Editorial: New pressure for teacher quality - Editorials - The Sacramento Bee: Editorial: New pressure for teacher quality Share Published: Sunday, May. 20, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 6E Across the political spectrum, people agree that quality teaching is essential to student success. The National Council on Teacher Quality puts it this way: "Effective teachers matter a great deal and ineffective teachers may matter even more." Yet in California, principals and superintendents have very little flexibility in hiring and firing teachers. While some California governors and lawmakers ha... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Education Political Correctness, Education Elites and the Sunday Education Weekly Reader 05.20.12
Missouri Education Watchdog: Education Political Correctness, Education Elites and the Sunday Education Weekly Reader 05.20.12: Education Political Correctness, Education Elites and the Sunday Education Weekly Reader 05.20.12 by stlgretchen YOU are ultimately responsible for your education and life choices. Welcome to the Sunday Education Weekly Reader 05.20.12. From the twitter world this week: - Political correctness gone amok or valid concerns over unfair commentary? Does it make a difference to know she is married to an African-American man and has bi-racial childr... more »
Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky
Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky: Sunday links. by Fred Klonsky *Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Photo: Bret Jelenek* *John Dillon’s pension vocabulary of the week*: Tribune. I’m still having trouble with the link to John’s blog site on my sidebar. Damn WordPress! But here it is. This week John explains how the Tribune is no tribune. *Overheard at the Woody Guthrie one hundredth birthday party at Chicago’s Metro last night.* *“Didn’t you know Woody when he was a kid?”* And that was said to me! *It’s a warm sunny Sunday in Chicago.* A perfect day for a demonstration. As the great Cub Ernie Banks... more »
Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-20 AM Posts #soschat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS Jersey Jazzman: Incompetent Corporatists Shouldn't Run Schools! coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago Jersey Jazzman: Incompetent Corporatists Shouldn't Run Schools!: Incompetent Corporatists Shouldn't Run Schools! by Duke When I see that America's business titans are making education policy while teachers are kicked to the curb, it makes me crazy. Partially because I'm angry that we're being excluded; partially because these guys shouldn't get tax gifts to amass the billions they spend to remake schools the way they want them. ... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Incompetent Corporatists Shouldn't Run Schools!
Jersey Jazzman: Incompetent Corporatists Shouldn't Run Schools!: Incompetent Corporatists Shouldn't Run Schools! by Duke When I see that America's business titans are making education policy while teachers are kicked to the curb, it makes me crazy. Partially because I'm angry that we're being excluded; partially because these guys shouldn't get tax gifts to amass the billions they spend to remake schools the way they want them. But what really makes me nuts is that these "titans" shouldn't be allow to run anything until they clean up their own messes! Take James Crown of Chicago... more »
A City Education: The Power of Staff-Parent Teams - Education - GOOD
A City Education: The Power of Staff-Parent Teams - Education - GOOD: A City Education: The Power of Staff-Parent Teams by Liz Warden *[image: charlotte] In our A City Education series, two City Year corps members share their experiences working as tutors and mentors in schools in hopes of closing the achievement gap and ending the dropout crisis.* Eddie, a sixth grader in my after-school tutoring group, has plenty of energy, but convincing him to focus it can be a challenge. My teammate Charlotte works in Eddie's English and math classroom. He disrupts the learning atmosphere by co... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Zuck's Billions To Newark Ain't Free
Jersey Jazzman: Zuck's Billions To Newark Ain't Free: Zuck's Billions To Newark Ain't Free by Duke How did Mark Zuckerberg get so much money that he can pay $100 million to remake Newark's schools however he wants? [image: Fine Print Caution Clip Art] Tax gifts: The right-wing has been lauding Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin for his decision to renounce his U.S. citizenship in order to avoid taxes. But he isn’t the only one who’s going to slash his tax bill in the wake of Facebook’s upcoming initial public offering: both CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the company itself will lower th... more »
Daily Kos: some thoughts to consider
Daily Kos: some thoughts to consider: some thoughts to consider by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) that perhaps have no connection with one another except that they are all rattling around inside my brain. 1. We do not have a constitutional right to vote. Yes, there are amendments that attempt to increase the ability of people to vote, but they are all phrased in the sense of that one cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, gender, age, or failure to pay a poll tax. But except for the provision of the 14th Amendment that says whatever proportion of male voters over ... more »
Yuck: US DOE Supports For-profit Entrepreneurs « Diane Ravitch's blog
Yuck: US DOE Supports For-profit Entrepreneurs « Diane Ravitch's blog: Yuck: US DOE Supports For-profit Entrepreneurs by dianerav Yesterday I engaged in an unexpected exchange on Twitter with Justin Hamilton, who is press secretary to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. It started after I retweeted a blog by master-teacher Nancy Flanagan. Nancy’s blog took issue with a listing of the up-and-coming stars of American education, which focused heavily on the entrepreneurial sector and forgot teachers. Nancy listed some of the outspoken teachers who are emerging stars in the profession... more »
Enter the New Dallas Superintendent « Diane Ravitch's blog
Enter the New Dallas Superintendent « Diane Ravitch's blog: Enter the New Dallas Superintendent by dianerav "Road to Broad" Explore Superintendent Mike Miles' 'Destination 2020,' his ambitious plan to Jack Public Education The new superintendent of the Dallas public schools, Mike Miles, is off to a rousing start. He is a military man, and he thinks in terms of organizational goals, the mission, the beliefs. The story about Miles’ plan appears in the Dallas Morning News behind a paywall, so I can’t link to it. But here are the essentials: Like his predecessors, Miles has a long list... more »
The mission of community colleges is under siege | Get Schooled
The mission of community colleges is under siege | Get Schooled: The mission of community colleges is under siege by Maureen Downey Rick Diguette teaches English at a local college. He is also a great op-ed writer. Here is a new piece by him. By Rick Diguette At the large community college where I teach, we face challenges that go to the heart of our mission as a gateway institution of higher education. Although student needs have remained relatively constant over the years, today the business of effectively meeting those needs is fraught with uncertainty. That uncertainty is dr... more »
The Innovative Educator: Using Cell Phones to Increase Student Achievement and Engagement with Reading and Writing
The Innovative Educator: Using Cell Phones to Increase Student Achievement and Engagement with Reading and Writing: Using Cell Phones to Increase Student Achievement and Engagement with Reading and Writing by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen) Cell phones are a terrific tool to support student engagement and achievement in reading and writing. To follow are some ideas explaining how teachers are doing just that by using cell phones in the way they are most commonly used among youth -- for texting and group texting. We will also look at a newly emerging trend...using cell phon... more »
hctiB G: Test Scores, Charters, Teachers and More Scores | The G Bitch Spot
hctiB G: Test Scores, Charters, Teachers and More Scores | The G Bitch Spot: hctiB G: Test Scores, Charters, Teachers and More Scores by G Bitch *What, Me Worry?* originally posted May 20, 2008 - What did test scores prove about vouchers? In New Orleans schools that have been taken over by the state in recent years, scores among fourth-graders on this spring’s Louisiana Educational Assessment Program test increased by 12 percentage points compared to last year. Scores for eighth-graders rose 4 percentage points. It was a sign of long-awaited success for public education in New... more »
‘Is this really what education is about?’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
‘Is this really what education is about?’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: ‘Is this really what education is about?’ by Valerie Strauss his *was written by Vicki Abeles, a parent of three and the director of the documentary, “Race to Nowhere” and Jo Boaler a professor of mathematics education at Stanford University. “Race to Nowhere” challenges common assumptions about how children are best educated.* By Vicki Abeles and Jo Boaler Welcome to standardized testing season, when students nationwide are clearing their desks, sharpening their pencils and fighting feelings of an... more »
Stop investing time, money in charter schools | The Greenville News | GreenvilleOnline.com
Stop investing time, money in charter schools | The Greenville News | GreenvilleOnline.com: Stop investing time, money in charter schools One pattern of failure in education reform is that political leadership and the public focus attention and resources to solutions while rarely asking what problems we are addressing or how those solutions address identified problems. The current and possibly increasing advocacy of charter schools is a perfect example of that flawed approach to improving our schools across the U.S. and in South Carolina. Let’s start with two clarifications. First,... more »
Thousands march to oppose police repression in run-up to NATO summit | OccupyWallSt.org
Thousands march to oppose police repression in run-up to NATO summit | OccupyWallSt.org: Thousands march to oppose police repression in run-up to NATO summit by OccupyWallSt Popout*The following post is borrowed from Chicago Indymedia* Chicago saw thousands of people in the streets Saturday in the run-up to the beginning of the NATO summit. with the afternoon's boisterous but peaceful protest marches marred by sweeping police violence. Protests began in the morning, when people gathered at the Irving Park Brown Line public transit stop to don hospital gowns and canvas the local neig... more »
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » David Coleman, David Coleman, who art thou?
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » David Coleman, David Coleman, who art thou?: David Coleman, David Coleman, who art thou? by alicemercer [image: question-mark] Common Core confusion continues this week as one of my posts on the subject, got picked up by education reporter Dana Goldstein on her blog. Her post focused on criticism that Common Core is dumping fiction reading, and narrative writing from the curriculum. Since I’m in a state with standards that already emphasize reading of expository/informational text starting in grade 4, that’s not so much of a leap, but she di... more »
Superheros, Superegos, and Student Discipline | Connected Principals
Superheros, Superegos, and Student Discipline | Connected Principals: Superheros, Superegos, and Student Discipline by jdelp cc flickr photo by brettjordan How we treat our best students shows our aspirations; how we treat our most challenging students shows our values. ~ Mendler and Curwin This past Friday, an incident occurred at school that had me seeing red. While supervising in the cafeteria during the lunch period, I was asked by our one of our cafeteria staff members to address a group of boys who had been leaving trash on their table, and arguing with one of our lunchroom... more »
Up to 13 LAUSD continuation schools may be closed as part of cost-cutting move - LA Daily News
Up to 13 LAUSD continuation schools may be closed as part of cost-cutting move - LA Daily News: Up to 13 LAUSD continuation schools may be closed as part of cost-cutting move By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer Posted: 05/19/2012 06:42:17 PM PDT Updated: 05/19/2012 07:35:08 PM PDT Students and faculty outside Earhart Continuation High School in North Hollywood. Earhart is among 13 continuation schools in LAUSD targeted for closure because of the budget crisis. (Hans Gutknecht / Staff Photographer) Signs outside Earhart Continuation High School in North Hollywood. Earhart is among 13... more »
OCCUPY EDUCATION - “It is easier to buy a gun than my education!”
OCCUPY EDUCATION - “It is easier to buy a gun than my education!”: “It is easier to buy a gun than my education!” “It is easier to buy a gun than my education!”
Academica: Florida’s richest charter school management firm - Cashing In On Kids - MiamiHerald.com
Academica: Florida’s richest charter school management firm - Cashing In On Kids - MiamiHerald.com: Academica: Florida’s richest charter school management firm [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Academica has become Florida’s largest and richest charter-school management company, running more than 60 schools just in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Fernando Zulueta, president of Academica, gets a drink at the bar in Cain at The Cove, Friday, September 16, 2011, an exclusive beach club in the Bahamas' Atlantis resort. It was at The Cove that Academica hel... more »
Integration Worked. Why Have We Rejected It? - NYTimes.com
Integration Worked. Why Have We Rejected It? - NYTimes.com: Making Schools WorkBy DAVID L. KIRPPublished: May 19, 2012 Comment AMID the ceaseless and cacophonous debates about how to close the achievement gap, we’ve turned away from one tool that has been shown to work: school desegregation. That strategy, ushered in by the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, has been unceremoniously ushered out, an artifact in the museum of failed social experiments. The Supreme Court’s ruling that racially segregated schools were “inherently unequal” shook up the... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Weasels In the Department of Education
Jersey Jazzman: Weasels In the Department of Education: Weasels In the Department of Education by Duke Weasel words are flying out of the Obama/Duncan Department of Education tonight. Here's the story: First, Diane Ravitch tweeted the most important question right now in the education world: Who will transform education: entrepreneurs or educators? goo.gl/srER4 Which links to the piece by Nancy Flanagan which, again, asks this most important question in our current education debate: So--Sara Mead is again highlighting 17 "up and coming" edu-preneurs who will "*lead the transfor... more »
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-19-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
James Baldwin said it best:
"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."
A Big Education Ape Nite Cap
