Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break
Notes on the death of Ray Bradbury. « Fred Klonsky
Notes on the death of Ray Bradbury. « Fred Klonsky: Notes on the death of Ray Bradbury. by Fred Klonsky When word came of the death of writer Ray Bradbury at the age of 91, I started receiving notes from friends I went to high school with. Also included is a Bradbury memory I shared. *This is very sad news for me.* *Not only was he a brilliant icon of science fiction,* *But a kind and very accessible member of the community.* *I wrote to him about a year ago…I knew he must be* *Failing because he always answered letters…* *A response never came.* + *When my father passed away ten ye... more »
Another death at Life Academy - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
Another death at Life Academy - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Another death at Life Academy Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at 10:33 pm in *photo by Kristopher Skinner/Bay Area News Group* Yesterday in the school auditorium at Life Academy, school employees and grief counselors stood in a circle and quietly discussed their plan for the memorial assembly in 18-year-old Alejandro Aguilera‘s honor. Some of them had puffy eyes. Most looked exhausted. Apart from the sorrow and the heaviness in the room that day, something else hit me: Everyone seemed to
Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Test Scores vs. Entrepreneurship: PISA, TIMSS, and Confidence
Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Test Scores vs. Entrepreneurship: PISA, TIMSS, and Confidence: Test Scores vs. Entrepreneurship: PISA, TIMSS, and Confidence by YongZhao Education has been given the task to turn our children into globally competitive workforce. It is thus no surprise that results of international assessments such as the PISA and TIMSS are closely watched by policy makers and the media as an indication a nation’s education quality and their future competitiveness. While I have serious reservations about making “global competitiveness” as an hon... more »
Pearson Field Test Boycott Update & Field Trip TOMORROW | United Opt Out National
Pearson Field Test Boycott Update & Field Trip TOMORROW | United Opt Out National: Pearson Field Test Boycott Update & Field Trip TOMORROW by admin A field trip you won’t want to miss – tomorrow, Thursday, June 7th at 11 a.m. meet at the SE Corner of 53rd & 6th Ave. NYC for March to Pearson Headquarters. Read additional information below regarding the field test boycott. Courtesy of the REF Steering Committee: The Field test Boycott is taking place this week. Here are 2 things you can do in addition to registering your child for the boycott plus see below for the details for actu... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Trying to make some sense of the Wisconsin vote
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Trying to make some sense of the Wisconsin vote: Trying to make some sense of the Wisconsin vote by Mike Klonsky Precincts Reported: 99% As of 3:16 a.m. ET % Votes WALKER (R) 53.2 1,331,076 2. BARRETT (D) 46.3 1,158,337 Source: Associated Press Indicates winner The right is jubilant. Just look at them dance for joy. Read their headlines: *Governor Walker's Victory Spells Doom For Public Sector Unions" -- Forbes * *"Victory for Walker could spell doom for Obama" -- FOX News* *"Biggest losers: Teacher’s unions earn “F” for Wisconsin recall abuse" -- M... more »
Yes. « Fred Klonsky
Yes. « Fred Klonsky: Yes. by Fred Klonsky The in box. To those who feel comfortable about our pensions and the courts. by Fred Klonsky *Subject: Fwd: HJRCA49 Explanation* *Date: May 10, 2012 12:37:29 PM CDT* *To: SIUC-EMERITUS-L@…* *Reply-To: SIUC-EMERITUS-L List * *To SIUC AA Members: If you need a better understanding of why the constitutional amendment that will be on the November ballot is of such great danger to us, here’s a concise description of the problem(s). Bruce C. Appleby* *borrowed from* *Linda Guinn and Lou Anderson @ Kankakee Community College* * * ... more »
Value Added Measures: What they are and what they’re not | Seattle Education
Value Added Measures: What they are and what they’re not | Seattle Education: Value Added Measures: What they are and what they’re not by seattleducation2011 Value Added Measures, also referred to as VAM, and sometimes referred to as Value Added Modeling or Value Added Assessments, has made it’s way to Seattle. It has been pushed by Bill Gates and other ed reformers who are not educated in the field of education or for that matter in mathematical formulas and their meanings. In our state, this evaluation system was heralded by the League of Education Voters (LEV) and the Washingt... more »
Fulton controversy: Shedding light on the Gulen network of charter schools | Get Schooled
Fulton controversy: Shedding light on the Gulen network of charter schools | Get Schooled: Fulton controversy: Shedding light on the Gulen network of charter schools by Maureen Downey The AJC has an interesting story today about the surge in Turkish-run public charter schools, such as the three in Fulton County. Charter schools are public schools that operate under contractual charters. One of the three Fulton charter schools, the Fulton Science Academy Middle School, will cease to be a charter school at the end of this month and try to continue as a private school in which parents... more »
Louisiana Educator: New Accountability Rules
Louisiana Educator: New Accountability Rules: New Accountability Rules by Michael Deshotels On May 29 the US Department of Education approved Louisiana's ESEA Flexibility Request. This approval means that Louisiana will be given flexibility in the use of ESEA Title I funds and will be granted a waiver from some of the mandates and possible sanctions of the No Child Left Behind Act. This waiver should allow public schools more flexibility in how they utilize Title I funds and may not force schools to implement programs and practices that have not been found to be ineffective in im... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, June 6, 2012
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: FCMAT] Education Headlines *Wednesday, June 6, 2012* One school bond appears to pass, another failingNorris School District's $149 million bond measure to update and expand campuses for the next 20 years appeared Wednesday to have fallen just short of the 55 percent "yes" votes needed to pass. Spanish immersion classes fantastico at Rorimer in Rowland UnifiedHabla usted español? Paulo Ortega and Jasmine Melgar do. Muy bien, in fact. The sixth-graders are the first graduates of the dual immersion program at Rorimer Eleme... more »
Report Highlights Shifts in the High School Experience — Whole Child Education
Report Highlights Shifts in the High School Experience — Whole Child Education: Report Highlights Shifts in the High School Experience by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released its annual analysis of the significant developments and trends in U.S. education. As always, *The Condition of Education* report addresses all aspects and all levels of education, but this year's version includes a special focus on the changes in the nation's high schools over the past 20 years. According to the NCES report, high school students today are... more »
Paul “The Standardized Testing Master” Vallas Does The Victory Dance! - Wait, What?
Paul “The Standardized Testing Master” Vallas Does The Victory Dance! - Wait, What?: Paul “The Standardized Testing Master” Vallas Does The Victory Dance! by jonpelto This week, the children who attend Bridgeport’s Public School are having the opportunity to spend four days take a whole new round of standardized tests. Thanks to Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s “interim” superintendent, who is collecting $229,000 plus benefits for a part-time commitment to the city’s schools, decided to diverted scarce resources away from instruction and to more testing, despite the fact that students to... more »
The Obama Campaign Wants to Know « Diane Ravitch's blog
The Obama Campaign Wants to Know « Diane Ravitch's blog: The Obama Campaign Wants to Know by dianerav A reader told me that she received an email from the Obama campaign asking her how the administration’s education policies have affected her. I received the same email, as have, I assume, thousands or millions of others. So, yes, please tell the campaign how Race to the Top has affected you. Let them know how their policies have pushed state legislatures to pass teacher-evaluation systems that are unproven, inaccurate, unstable, and punitive. Let them know how teachers will be eval... more »
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Richard Cordray, 6/5/12 | The White House
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Richard Cordray, 6/5/12 | The White House: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Richard Cordray, 6/5/12 by The White House James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 2:35 P.M. EDT MR. CARNEY: We apologize for the delay, but we are glad that you’re here and welcome you as ever to the briefing room for your daily briefing. As I think was advertised, I ha... more »
This Week In Education: Bruno: How Seniority Sends Teachers Into Charters
This Week In Education: Bruno: How Seniority Sends Teachers Into Charters: Bruno: How Seniority Sends Teachers Into Charters by Paul Bruno [image: D1325will-work-for-money-posters]This summer my family will be relocating from the Bay Area to Southern California. This means that a fair amount of my free time these days is occupied by looking for work in the Los Angeles area. Since my preferred placement is middle school science in a public school with generally under-served demographics, I'm pretty confident that I'll eventually find a job for the 2012-2013 school year, but I haven't... more »
FCAT “An Academic and Psychological Piece of Junk” | Scathing Purple Musings
FCAT “An Academic and Psychological Piece of Junk” | Scathing Purple Musings: FCAT “An Academic and Psychological Piece of Junk” by Bob Sikes It’s useful to counter the narrative of test-based policy-makers with observations of folks who do this stuff for a living. Consider the following from Dr. Perry Miller writing in the *Sun-Sentinel*: In two separate articles of May 26, both of which included Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson’s thoughts regarding the FCAT testing program, it became evident that the Commissioner has not the foggiest understanding or knowledge that the... more »
Strike memory. « Fred Klonsky
Strike memory. « Fred Klonsky: Strike memory. by Fred Klonsky Today’s strike authorization vote by members of the Chicago Teachers Union brings back memories of the week that my local went out on strike. It was a cold November week in 2003. Our strike memory is still fresh for many. Two thirds of those presently teaching in Park Ridge, District 64 took part in that strike. There had not been a strike in our district for a quarter of a century. Few teachers ever thought they would ever need to walk out. For many it was a decision they made with a certain degree of anxiety and fear of... more »
The Adamowski Pension: A Story of one Education Reformers Sense of “Entitlement” - Wait, What?
The Adamowski Pension: A Story of one Education Reformers Sense of “Entitlement” - Wait, What?: The Adamowski Pension: A Story of one Education Reformers Sense of “Entitlement” Forty-five thousand teachers and nine thousand administrators have managed to follow Connecticut law and acquired Department of Education certification in order to participate in the Teachers Retirement System, but Steven Adamowski and the Malloy Administration continue to believe that one of Malloy’s “education reform experts” and “Special Master” for the Windham School System, deserves an exemption fro... more »
After Wisconsin « Diane Ravitch's blog
After Wisconsin « Diane Ravitch's blog: After Wisconsin by dianerav The question before the June 5 recall election in Wisconsin was whether big money would be enough to carry Governor Scott Walker to victory. Now we know. Money was more than enough. When I heard the results last night, I was disappointed but not surprised. The polls were discouraging, and they were right. People power was not sufficient to overcome the enormous advantage that Walker had as a result of the millions of dollars that poured in from out-of-state people. Walker had become the poster boy for the hard-rig... more »
Time to Reassess California’s API
Time to Reassess California’s API: Time to Reassess California’s API by Mandy Zatynski As a reporter for a small-town paper in California, I dreaded August. It was the month that the state department of education released its annual Academic Performance Index (API) rankings. Teachers, administrators, parents, and realtors live and die by the API, a somewhat ambiguous figure based on a complicated math formula that considers students’ proficiency levels on state tests. As a reporter, I felt it never told us, or the public, very much about a school’s progress over time. But as Rich... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core = Educational Equity, NOT Educational Excellence.
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core = Educational Equity, NOT Educational Excellence.: Common Core = Educational Equity, NOT Educational Excellence. by stlgretchen ...two words NOT allowed in Common Core standards. "Uncommon" & "Creative" Jamie Gass from Pioneer Institute writes about current DOEd education reform and common core standards in an article entitled "Leaves of Memory Going Dark": *Gov. Patrick, Secretary Reville, and other state officials must realize the damage the national standards are doing to the high school English curriculum and require yearlong courses in... more »
DC Public Schools to replace 18 of Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's principals | Washington Examiner
DC Public Schools to replace 18 principals | Washington Examiner: DC Public Schools to replace 18 principals The District is quietly replacing 18 of its public school principals, most of whom were hired by former Chancellor Michelle Rhee to turn around the schools. DC Public Schools spokeswoman Melissa Salmanowitz declined to say how many of the 18 principals were retiring, resigning or being fired. But parents told The Washington Examiner that several principals, including Rhee appointees at Garrison Elementary School and Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson, were terminated. Sha... more »
Are Teachers Too Easily Caught in Crossfire Over Student Achievement? | PBS NewsHour | June 5, 2012 | PBS
Are Teachers Too Easily Caught in Crossfire Over Student Achievement? | PBS NewsHour | June 5, 2012 | PBS: Are Teachers Too Easily Caught in Crossfire Over Student Achievement? Watch Are Teachers Too Accountable Over Student Achievement? on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour. *SUMMARY* Part of the American Graduate project addressing the country's high school dropout crisis, Ray Suarez and former Deputy Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch discuss education reform and her approach to teacher accountability. Transcript *JEFFREY BROWN:* And next, the second part of our series about... more »
Vouchers and the future of public education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
Vouchers and the future of public education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: Vouchers and the future of public education By Valerie Strauss This *was written by education historian Diane Ravitch, a research professor at New York University and author of the bestselling “The Death and Life of the Great American School System.” This first appeared on her blog.* ** By Diane Ravitch I debated whether to give this blog post the title you see or to call it “State Commissioner of Education John White Acknowledges That He Doesn’t Know How to Improve Schools.” I felt a sense of ou... more »
Charter school proponents edging adversaries in Sacramento County school board races - Elections - The Sacramento Bee
Charter school proponents edging adversaries in Sacramento County school board races - Elections - The Sacramento Bee: Charter school proponents edging adversaries in Sacramento County school board races Share By Diana Lambert dlambert@sacbee.com Published: Tuesday, Jun. 5, 2012 - 10:18 pm Last Modified: Wednesday, Jun. 6, 2012 - 1:34 am Charter school proponents were edging out union candidates for control of the Sacramento County Office of Education board Tuesday night. If charter supporters win a majority of the board's seven seats, they could secure the future of a chain of For... more »
Failing Data in Education Reform | National Education Policy Center
Failing Data in Education Reform | National Education Policy Center: Failing Data in Education Reform Share Paul Thomas June 5, 2012 - Paul Thomas - Accountability and Testing - No Child Left Behind Few phrases have been written or uttered more often than "data-driven instruction" or *"evidence-based decision making"*since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) codified "scientifically-based" practices in 2001. The accountability era begun in the early 1980s intensified the near mania for data in the U.S. that can be traced back to the first few decades of the twentieth century... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Eli Broad Buys New Jersey's Schools
Jersey Jazzman: Eli Broad Buys New Jersey's Schools: Eli Broad Buys New Jersey's Schools by Duke Tomorrow, Eli Broad will buy New Jersey's schools... and at a bargain price! The State Board of Education tomorrow will have two unusual resolutions before it to accept more than $600,000 in outside funds from two foundations: - $200,000 from StartUp:Education, the national foundation created by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. - *$430,000 from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation*, the California-based organization that has helped train and support three of the admini... more »
THE INSULAR CULTURE OF LAUSD IS ANTITHETICAL TO EXCELLENT PUBLIC EDUCATION - Perdaily.com
THE INSULAR CULTURE OF LAUSD IS ANTITHETICAL TO EXCELLENT PUBLIC EDUCATION - Perdaily.com: THE INSULAR CULTURE OF LAUSD IS ANTITHETICAL TO EXCELLENT PUBLIC EDUCATION by Leonard Isenberg [image: Insularity.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)** Today I went to speak before the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board of Directors before they were scheduled to go into closed session to deal again with the Scot Graham - ex-Superintendent Ramon Cortines alleged sexual harassment issue that the LAUS... more »
Audits for 3 Georgia Charter Schools Tied to Gulen Movement - NYTimes.com
Audits for 3 Georgia Charter Schools Tied to Gulen Movement - NYTimes.com: Audits for 3 Georgia Schools Tied to Turkish MovementBy STEPHANIE SAUL A group of three publicly financed charter schools in Georgia run by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a prominent Turkish imam, have come under scrutiny after they defaulted on bonds and an audit found that the schools improperly granted hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts to businesses and groups, many of them with ties to the Gulen movement. The audit released Tuesday by the Fulton County Schools near Atlanta found the schools mad... more »
NYC Educator: End-Year Evaluation
NYC Educator: End-Year Evaluation: End-Year Evaluation by NYC Educator I've got a few more years before the geniuses who run the government institute junk-science VAM tests so I can be fired for trying to teach high-needs kids. Meanwhile, I'm fortunate enough to work in a place without Leadership Academy lunatics pushing abject nonsense as the next up-and-coming religious icon. Every year, I pass around a suggestion box for my students. I let them say whatever they want anonymously, and then read the responses aloud. It’s pretty popular with the kids. So I'll consider this my asse... more »
Will Technology Cut the Budget? « Diane Ravitch's blog
Will Technology Cut the Budget? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Will Technology Cut the Budget? by dianerav The answer to this question, says this reader, is no. Libertarians and folks on the right believe that technology will make it possible to replace teachers with machines. Machines don’t need health care or pensions. And their salaries don’t go up in a step schedule. When the machines get obsolete, you junk them. With teachers, you can’t just toss them aside, unless your state passed a law banning seniority and tenure. This is the reader’s comment: *As a technology professional, I gu... more »
Last Stand for Children First: A Message to Chicago Teachers from JC on the Strike Vote
Last Stand for Children First: A Message to Chicago Teachers from JC on the Strike Vote: A Message to Chicago Teachers from JC on the Strike Vote Dear Teacher, Earlier this evening, I emailed you requesting that you reconsider voting yes in the strike authorization vote in our schools beginning Wednesday, June 6. I have it on very good authority that many of you did not heed my missive and in fact some of you have even taken to openly mocking it on forums and on Facebook. I am asking you again to reconsider and this time the gloves are off. I told you already about SB7. This... more »
Pass / Fail : Lawsuit against California officials, LA Unified would undo significant teacher job protections | 89.3 KPCC
Pass / Fail : Lawsuit against California officials, LA Unified would undo significant teacher job protections | 89.3 KPCC: Lawsuit against California officials, LA Unified would undo significant teacher job protections By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez [image: Deasy walks campus] Tami Abdollah/KPCC The lawsuit, known as Vergara vs. California, claims that teacher protections in the law violate students’ constitutional rights to an equal education. A recently filed lawsuit against California public officials and the LAUSD would radically change the way the district hires and fires public school... more »
All Education Matters: My Interview on CNN's Newsroom With Carol Costello
All Education Matters: My Interview on CNN's Newsroom With Carol Costello: My Interview on CNN's Newsroom With Carol Costello by Cryn Johannsen Here's my interview on CNN's Newsroom with Carol Costello. I was invited on to speak about the student loan rate battle, but also made a point to discuss the student lending crisis and why "loan forgiveness" is such awful rhetoric. See the clip below. Popout
Major Bill Actions in Education H.R.5836: Veterans and Service Members Educational Benefits Safety Act - OpenCongress
H.R.5836: Veterans and Service Members Educational Benefits Safety Act - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: *Open Congress* is a site that allows you to look up and communication with the folks you voted into office (you did vote, right?) and also allows you to get information regarding current legislations. Don't bury your head in the sand, know what your government is up to and let them know what you think Bill Introduced: H.R.5836 Veterans and Service Members Educational Benefits Safety Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 5 minutes ago To prohibit institutions of h... more »
“WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN MERIT PAY” « Teachers Fight Back
“WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN MERIT PAY” « Teachers Fight Back: “WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN MERIT PAY” by alkleen “We do not believe in merit pay” said Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewison when asked about Chicago Public Schools potentially losing a $35 million federal grant for a form of merit pay because the union won’t support the pilot program. Karen Lewison needs to learn how to speak to the press. She continues to say things that offer ammunition to the forces that are trying to convince people that teacher unions are evil. Instead of the above quote, she should have said, ” we ... more »
Modern School: Majority of New Grads Embrace Vow of Poverty
Modern School: Majority of New Grads Embrace Vow of Poverty: Majority of New Grads Embrace Vow of Poverty by Michael Dunn The majority of new grads say they would gladly take a pay cut if that meant they could do something that “made a difference,” according to a recent survey by Net Impact. The survey found that 72% of graduating seniors felt that making a “positive societal impact” was essential to their happiness, while 45% said they would take a 15% pay cut to work at an organization they believed was making such an impact, according to Good Education. Of course similar secula... more »
