Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Group Asks Teachers Unions To Promote Reform Policies At State Level
Michelle Rhee's Group Asks Teachers Unions To Promote Reform Policies At State Level: Michelle Rhee's Group Asks Teachers Unions To Promote Reform Policies At State Level by Joy Resmovits The day after Michelle Rhee's education lobbying group, StudentsFirst, got dumped by progressive petition site Change.org because of intense pressure from teachers' unions, StudentsFirst waved a thorny olive branch of sorts at the nation's two largest such unions. On Wednesday afternoon, StudentsFirst, along with other education groups such as Democrats for Education Reform, Students for Educati... more »
NCCP | Who are America’s Poor Children?
NCCP | Who are America’s Poor Children?: Who are America’s Poor Children? The Official Story *Authors:* Vanessa R. Wight, Michelle Chau, and Yumiko Aratani *Publication Date:* January 2010 DOWNLOAD PDF|PRINT|EMAIL Fourteen million American children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level, which is $22,050 a year for a family of four. 1 The number of children living in poverty increased by 21 percent between 2000 and 2008. There are 2.5 million more children living in poverty today than in 2000. Not only are these numbers troubling, the official poverty measure... more »
Rita M. Solnet: "Let's Be Real Clear"
Rita M. Solnet: "Let's Be Real Clear": ""Let's Be Real Clear"" "Let's Be Real Clear"*Rita Solnet* is a parent of a son who graduated from south Florida public schools in 2008. She has been an education activist in Palm Beach County and in Tallahassee for over a decade, and often acts as the intermediary to the business community. "Let's be real clear." That's what Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said to Florida School Board members who convened in Orlando on June 14th at the FSBA Conference. *"What they're focusing on is high-stakes testing, which is a political way of say... more »
Here’s me and David Schaper on Ken Davis’ Chicago Newsroom. « Fred Klonsky
Here’s me and David Schaper on Ken Davis’ Chicago Newsroom. « Fred Klonsky: Here’s me and David Schaper on Ken Davis’ Chicago Newsroom. by Fred Klonsky Popout Ken Davis is joined by education blogger, Fred Klonsky and NPR National Desk reporter, David Schaper. They discuss the merits of an elected school board, the CTU strike authorization vote and President Obama’s decision to block the deportation of young undocumented immigrants. This program was produced by Chicago Access Network Television.
RheeFirst! » Rhee speaks at subprime college conference, her booking agent is ec$tatic
RheeFirst! » Rhee speaks at subprime college conference, her booking agent is ec$tatic: Rhee speaks at subprime college conference, her booking agent is ec$tatic by admin Michelle Rhee is speaking today at the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities—the trade association of for-profit colleges, many of whom are under investigation. Following the outpouring of criticism, Rhee wrote an op-ed for the *Huffington Post* defending her appearance: “*Some have questioned why I would speak at an event like this, given the poor records of so many of these schools, and I under... more »
The Shame of the College Board « Diane Ravitch's blog
The Shame of the College Board « Diane Ravitch's blog: The Shame of the College Board by dianerav I opened up my *New York Times* and was surprised to find a full-page ad sponsored by the College Board attacking American education. The ad showed a graphic in which “national security,” “jobs,” “healthcare,” and the “economy” rest upon a base of “education,” but the base is cracking. The ad says: “Our future depends on the strength of our education system. But that system is crumbling.” The ad then says “Help make education a higher priority in the presidential campaign. Go to DontFo... more »
Mother Crusader: Virtual Charters Earn Real Money Despite Low Student Achievement
Mother Crusader: Virtual Charters Earn Real Money Despite Low Student Achievement: Virtual Charters Earn Real Money Despite Low Student Achievement by darciecima Looks like Pennsylvania has caught on: Under the law that brought charter schools to Pennsylvania in 1997, charters and cyber charters receive funds from school districts based on the district's own per-student spending. Because there are 500 school districts, there are 500 different rates. *And cyber charters - which enroll students from across the state - receive the same amount as traditional charter schools that ope... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, June 21, 2012
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: Solvang CA]*Solvang* *CA* Education Headlines *Thursday, June 21, 2012* Desert Sands Unified School District Superintendent plans to retireDesert Sands Unified School District Superintendent Sharon McGehee will retire next year. McGehee will leave the district Jan. 31, she said Tuesday during the district's Board of Education meeting. Fresno Unified approves hiring of consultants to track absenteeismFresno Unified trustees on Wednesday approved a contract with a Northern California consulting firm to track student absences ... more »
Presidential Scholars Recognized in Washington | ED.gov Blog
Presidential Scholars Recognized in Washington | ED.gov Blog: Presidential Scholars Recognized in Washington by Cameron Brenchley [image: Secretary Duncan and the 2012 US Presidential Scholars] Secretary Duncan and the 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholars at the White House this week. Official Department of Education photo by Leslie Williams. More than 140 of the country’s brightest high school seniors arrived in Washington this week for the U.S. Presidential Scholars’ National Recognition Week. The annual event brings together and honors the recipients of the nation’s highest honor for g... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Brizard the 'great unifier', runs for cover
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Brizard the 'great unifier', runs for cover: Brizard the 'great unifier', runs for cover by Mike Klonsky I've been working in and around schools for many years. In all that time I've rarely seen 90 percent agreement among teachers on anything. The one man who seems to unite every district teacher (against him) wherever he goes, is *J.C. Brizard.* His charm and education background seems to get him through his first year. But once teachers and the public see past the smiling face and figure out what he's there for, it's just a matter of time before the... more »
More re: GAO Report on Charters and Special Education « Diane Ravitch's blog
More re: GAO Report on Charters and Special Education « Diane Ravitch's blog: More re: GAO Report on Charters and Special Education by dianerav Matthew DiCarlo at the Shanker Blog is a careful social scientist who does thoughtful analysis of education issues. His blog today reviewed the GAO report on special education enrollments in charter schools. The report got lots of attention for finding that about 11% of students in the nation are special education, but charters enroll only 8%. James Shelton at the U.S. Department of Education was unimpressed by the disparity and basically ... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core is a Money Making Venture and Social Justice. Is this the Educational Reform Taxpayers Want?
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core is a Money Making Venture and Social Justice. Is this the Educational Reform Taxpayers Want?: Common Core is a Money Making Venture and Social Justice. Is this the Educational Reform Taxpayers Want? by stlgretchen Forget the Arne Duncan "Happy Dance" and verbal spin about his plan of education reform. Common Core and Race to the Top mandates are not about making students STEM ready or globally competitive. It's about: - making preselected suppliers wealthy - centralized educational control - educational equity That's it. It's c... more »
Letter From Cape Town - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Letter From Cape Town - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Letter From Cape Town by Deborah Meier Dear Diane, I'm sitting in Cape Town, having just cabled down from fabled Table Mountain. Even before that we were in love with Cape Town. We leave tomorrow, so I thought I'd send a few words for Thursday. I imagine that when I get into my own bed Thursday a.m. I won't want to stop to write! We've done all the usual and delightful tourist things—like safari'ing near Cape Elizabeth where we saw lions, giraffes, warthogs, hippos, many antelopes of every sort, and two elephants at pl... more »
Test-Based Teacher Evaluation Earns F, Again | Education | AlterNet
Test-Based Teacher Evaluation Earns F, Again | Education | AlterNet: Test-Based Teacher Evaluation Earns F, Again South Carolina is poised to link 40% of teacher evaluations to student test scores. Is that a colossal mistake? Teacher quality, including teacher evaluation and pay scales, is a growing national and state concern in education reform -- a trend that can be traced to, and remains reflected in, the *Los Angeles Times*' repeated publication of value-added models (VAM) of ranking teacher quality. Catherine S. Durso’s National Education Policy Center review of VAM results ca... more »
Schools Matter: Videos of Occupy the DOE Collected Here by UOON
Schools Matter: Videos of Occupy the DOE Collected Here by UOON: ' Videos of Occupy the DOE Collected Here by UOON Follow this link to the video library, which would not exist without the tireless work by Califather. You will find many useful talks that can be viewed by classes and parent-teacher groups for discussion and explication. My talk on KIPP starts 30 minutes into the third clip from the top and runs almost 40 minutes.
Lions and Tigers and Math SOL scores – Oh My!!! « PWC Education Reform Blog
Lions and Tigers and Math SOL scores – Oh My!!! « PWC Education Reform Blog: Lions and Tigers and Math SOL scores – Oh My!!! by pwceducationreform Lions and Tigers and Math SOL scores – Oh My!!!June 21, 2012 — pwceducationreform Word on the street is that PWCS’s pass rates on the revised and “more rigorous” Math SOL are abysmal, and hysteria has broken out across the county. OK, hysteria might be a bit of an exaggeration because most of us are already in a summer vacation frame of mind and getting all hot and bothered when it’s 90 degrees out at 8:30 in the morning is impossible,... more »
Shanker Blog » Do Charter Schools Serve Fewer Special Education Students?
Shanker Blog » Do Charter Schools Serve Fewer Special Education Students?: Do Charter Schools Serve Fewer Special Education Students? by Matthew Di Carlo A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides one of the first large-scale comparisons of special education enrollment between charter and regular public schools. The report’s primary finding, which, predictably, received a fair amount of attention, is that roughly 11 percent of students enrolled in regular public schools were on special education plans in 2009-10, compared with just 8 percent of char... more »
Corporate Education Reform - DC Style
*Corporate Education Reform - DC Style* * * * *
NYC Educator: They're Just Kids (and Teachers)! They Don't Need No Stinkin' A/C
NYC Educator: They're Just Kids (and Teachers)! They Don't Need No Stinkin' A/C: They're Just Kids (and Teachers)! They Don't Need No Stinkin' A/C by Miss Eyre Well, for once, I applaud Mayor Bloomberg's approach to answering questions about students in non-air-conditioned classrooms taking Regents exams and, theoretically, teachers still trying to conduct classes. Man up, kids, says the Mayor. Life is full of challenges. The Mayor, of course, is right. And I'm so excited to hear that he and his staff are foregoing air conditioning in solidarity. After all, running all these a... more »
Pa. auditor again blasts funding formula for cyber and charter schools
Pa. auditor again blasts funding formula for cyber and charter schools: ' Pa. auditor again blasts funding formula for cyber and charter schools By Martha Woodall Inquirer Staff Writer Pennsylvania taxpayers could save $365 million each year if the state fixed its flawed formula for funding cyber and charter schools, state Auditor General Jack Wagner said Wednesday. Wagner released a report saying the state has spent "substantially more" than the national average on the charter and cyber charter schools that educate more than 100,000 students. "With the tightening of school budge... more »
The in box. Todd Mertz responds to IEA President Cinda Klickna’s pension update. « Fred Klonsky
The in box. Todd Mertz responds to IEA President Cinda Klickna’s pension update. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Todd Mertz responds to IEA President Cinda Klickna’s pension update. by Fred Klonsky Todd Mertz is an Illinois teacher pension activist. *Dear President Klickna and the EA Team,* *I, and others, have major concerns and are disappointed with the IEA Pension update on June 13th.* *It appears to us that the IEA is “softening us” for some concessions ahead. I’m sure you can understand this perturbs us. Please correct me if I am wrong with any of these historical facts below: *... more »
Death Watch for Public Schools in Michigan « Diane Ravitch's blog
Death Watch for Public Schools in Michigan « Diane Ravitch's blog: Death Watch for Public Schools in Michigan by dianerav Governor Rick Snyder’s administration is closing down public schools in two districts in Michigan and turning the schools over to charter operators. Michigan has a draconian law that permits the governor to appoint an emergency manager whenever a municipality or school district or other governmental entity is in financial distress. All democratically elected officials are superseded by the emergency manager. Democracy comes to an end. The emergency manager has a... more »
Oh No! I Am a Member of Students First « Diane Ravitch's blog
Oh No! I Am a Member of Students First « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Oh No! I Am a Member of Students First by dianerav After I blogged about Change.org dropping Michelle Rhee and Jonah Edelman, I got an email from a representative of Change.org asking me to explain its policy on my blog. I told him my concern was not with its policy, but with the deception involved in signing people up as members of an organization they did not wish to join. On our third exchange of emails, he informed me that I was a member of Students First. He sai... more »
The in box. Response to Fareed Zakaria’s “Why We Need Pension Reform,” (Time Magazine, June 25) by Richard Sasso. « Fred Klonsky
The in box. Response to Fareed Zakaria’s “Why We Need Pension Reform,” (Time Magazine, June 25) by Richard Sasso. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Response to Fareed Zakaria’s “Why We Need Pension Reform,” (Time Magazine, June 25) by Richard Sasso. by Fred Klonsky From Glen Brown’s blog. *I write in defense of my pension and that of my fellow public employees. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously quipped that people were entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. In the recent debate surrounding public pensions, I have noticed that many people desperately wa... more »
Another report urges changing API | Thoughts on Public Education
Another report urges changing API | Thoughts on Public Education: [image: Account-EdSectorStudyCover062012] Another report urges changing API Share Added arguments making Steinberg's case Posted on 6/21/12 • Categorized as A to G Curriculum, Multiple pathways, Tests, Twenty-first Century Learning, Workforce preparation By *John Fensterwald - Educated Guess* A report this week from a Washington think tank bolsters Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s call for significantly revising the state’s primary accountability measure, the Academic Performance Index. Now, if Gov. Jerry ... more »
Daily Kos: June 21, 1964 - A day of shame
Daily Kos: June 21, 1964 - A day of shame: June 21, 1964 - A day of shame by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) It is the date on which three young men, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, "disappeared." All three were involved in Freedom Summer, the attempt to register - and educate - Blacks in Mississippi. They had been arrested on false charges, released from the jail in Neshoba County and ordered to leave the county, but then re-arrested as they were living the county by deputy sheriff Cecil Price and held until a murder squad from the KKK arrived. They were mur... more »
The real meaning of ‘accountability’ and ‘trust’ in education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
The real meaning of ‘accountability’ and ‘trust’ in education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: The real meaning of ‘accountability’ and ‘trust’ in education By Valerie Strauss This* is an abridged version of a speech that Michael J. Feuer, dean of George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development, recently gave at a conference in Jerusalem about trust and accountability in education.* ** By Michael Feuer The topic of this conference brings back fond memories of my undergraduate years at Queens College (CUNY), where lessons of accountability ... more »
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Gail Collins' take on privatization
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Gail Collins' take on privatization: Gail Collins' take on privatization by Mike Klonsky In her column this morning, "Political Private Practice", NYT's Gail Collins talks privatization, including public school privatization with what she calls *humorization*. No one can do it better. I*n honor of the campaign season, maybe this is a good time to point out some examples of privatization disasters. Texas tried to turn eligibility screening for social services over to a private company, creating all sorts of messes until it gave up the experimen... more »
Unsolicited Advice for New and Novice Teachers: How We Teach Matters Most & Stay Humble | Outside the Cave
Unsolicited Advice for New and Novice Teachers: How We Teach Matters Most & Stay Humble | Outside the Cave: Unsolicited Advice for New and Novice Teachers: How We Teach Matters Most & Stay Humble by Stephen Lazar I caught wind of a math blog meme giving advice to new teachers after reading a wonderful post from Jason Buell called “Life in the Gray,” which nicely goes a long way toward summing up how complicated teaching really is. It reminded me of something I just wrote, which I though I would post here as well. The following is a response to an email that was forwarded to me wit... more »
Change.org's Support for Stand For Children Should (And Did) Not Stand: When Liberals Push An ALEC Education Agenda | K-12 News Network
Change.org's Support for Stand For Children Should (And Did) Not Stand: When Liberals Push An ALEC Education Agenda | K-12 News Network: Change.org’s Support for Stand For Children Should (And Did) Not Stand: When Liberals Push An ALEC Education Agenda by admin *Disclosure: I was sought out by and interviewed with Change.org back when they were seeking an education organizer; I like and respect many talented organizers there, and from speaking with him, I believe that Ben Rattray is a reasonable, thoughtful, person committed to social change. I’ve also written for Care2.com and s... more »
All Education Matters: Cruel and Inhumane Punishment - "Father Struggles To Pay Dead Son's Student Loans"
All Education Matters: Cruel and Inhumane Punishment - "Father Struggles To Pay Dead Son's Student Loans": Cruel and Inhumane Punishment - "Father Struggles To Pay Dead Son's Student Loans" by Cryn Johannsen I have heard so many stories that are similar to this one. It's infuriating, because it is unjust and cruel and unnecessary. The creation of this system of payday scammers of higher education is despicable, and has no place in our society. And yet they are flourishing and cashing in at the expense of borrowers, their families, and US taxpayers. Meanwhile, the best we can get... more »
Can’t Economists Stay Away From Schools? Don’t They Have Enough Other Things To Do? | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…
Can’t Economists Stay Away From Schools? Don’t They Have Enough Other Things To Do? | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: Can’t Economists Stay Away From Schools? Don’t They Have Enough Other Things To Do? by Larry Ferlazzo Just what we need, another study from economists telling us how to make schools more effective (one released earlier this year concluded that “The message is to fire people sooner rather than later” ). This new study, The Behavioralist Goes to School: Leveraging Behavioral Economics to Improve Educational Performance, has several authors, including Steven D... more »
Participate in “The People’s School for Public Education” and endorse Oakland’s Sit-in | Dailycensored.com
Participate in “The People’s School for Public Education” and endorse Oakland’s Sit-in | Dailycensored.com: Participate in “The People’s School for Public Education” and endorse Oakland’s Sit-in by Danny Weil Dear community and supporters, We have managed to hold on to the Lakeview building and grounds for 6 days now!!! We also have been running a free Social Justice based summer program since Monday morning. Each day we have had more students attending. Yesterday there were between 20 and 30 students! For more updates and pictures check out our blog at: saveoaklandschools.org We... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In the Mailbox
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In the Mailbox: In the Mailbox by Mike Klonsky *From Jennifer Johnson* Dear Public Education and Teacher Supporters, Yesterday, we got some good news. Thanks largely to your thousands of signatures and comments Change.org has dropped both Jonah Edleman’s Stand for Children and Michelle Rhee’s Students First as clients. You can read Huffington Post's coverage here: huff.to/M5j0bh Though this is good news, we still need to be very realistic about Change.org and their willingness to repeatedly dupe signers into supporting petitions that appear to be p... more »
APNewsBreak: Post-Katrina school firings wrongful - Boston.com
APNewsBreak: Post-Katrina school firings wrongful - Boston.com: APNewsBreak: Post-Katrina school firings wrongful By Kevin McGill Associated Press / June 20, 2012 - E-mail| - Print| - Comments (0) Text size – + NEW ORLEANS—Thousands of New Orleans school employees were wrongfully fired after Hurricane Katrina scattered the populations and shut down the city and its schools, a Louisiana judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Ethel Simms Julien awarded more than $1 million to seven people who filed the class-action suit against the New Orleans school board and the state. Her deci... more »
Oprah, Reagan and Mitt Romney’s Views on EducationPolitical News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View | Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View
Oprah, Reagan and Mitt Romney’s Views on EducationPolitical News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View | Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View: Oprah, Reagan and Mitt Romney’s Views on Education [image: Oprah, Reagan and Mitt Romney’s Views on Education] Asked nearly half a dozen times whether or not he would overturnPresident Obama’s decision to stop deporting undocumented youth, affording them the opportunity to pursue higher education, careers in the armed services, and temporary work permits, Mitt Romney danced around the question as though he ... more »
Corporate Education Reform - Sacramento Style - What's Wrong With This Picture?
*Corporate Education Reform - Sacramento Style * * What's Wrong With This Picture?* [image: ScreenHunter_33 Jun. 20 12.10] Joe Biden to raise money in Sacramento on Tuesday Vice President *Joe Biden*, in California for two days this week, is scheduled to attend a fundraiser at the Sutter Club in downtown Sacramento on Tuesday. Tickets for the afternoon fundraiser, to raise money for the Obama Victory Fund, start at $500. Biden was expected to speak earlier Tuesday in Los Angeles, at a convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. He is expected to a... more »
Hedge funders latest plan? More experimentation on CPS children Parents United for Responsible Education
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Hedge funders latest plan? More experimentation on CPS children: Hedge funders latest plan? More experimentation on CPS children by admin The latest offer of “help” from the hedge fund crowd comes from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, which is establishing ELP Venture, a “venture philanthropy fund” to offer rewards for more education innovations to inflict on CPS students. According to the Sun-Times, “Rather than focus on proven reforms, the group hopes to develop ‘the new, yet-to-be-proven reform,’ said class member G... more »
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: I Just Want to Teach: A Teacher's Plea!
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: I Just Want to Teach: A Teacher's Plea!: I Just Want to Teach: A Teacher's Plea! by Lisa M [image: Sad Smiley Clip Art] The other day I posted a status on FB, "They are sucking the joy out of teaching!" You know who "they" are. I have taught for 27 years, and never have I felt this way. It's not the new principal. It's all the next "new" things that have been lobbed at me from one day to the next. After I duck one, or get hit, depending on what innovative thing they have come up with, something new is thrown at me. I sat at our last meeting, ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We're number worst!
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: We're number worst!: We're number worst! by Mike Klonsky Illinois gets a solid F grade and is rated number one worst of all 50 states when it comes to inequitable funding. This according to the Second Edition of the National Report Card on public school funding, *Is School Funding Fair*? The report lists the six states with the most regressive school funding systems in the nation. That is, where districts with higher poverty rates actually receive less funding than more well-off districts. The most regressive state is Illinois, followed by North Caro... more »
Will Ben Chavis be subjected to unorthodox and harsh methods of discipline like his students at the Gulag, ‘The Ameriican Indian Charter School’? | Dailycensored.com
Will Ben Chavis be subjected to unorthodox and harsh methods of discipline like his students at the Gulag, ‘The Ameriican Indian Charter School’? | Dailycensored.com: Will Ben Chavis be subjected to unorthodox and harsh methods of discipline like his students at the Gulag, ‘The Ameriican Indian Charter School’? by Danny Weil Jill Tucker, a reporter for the SF Chronicle, wrote a good article in the SF Examiner on alleged crook, Ben Chavis, the charter school hooligan out of Oakland. Seems the whole Chavis family was dipping into the publicly subsidized charter school trough to line... more »
Connect, Direct, Solidify: Maximize Mass, Minimize Cash « Parents Across America
Connect, Direct, Solidify: Maximize Mass, Minimize Cash « Parents Across America: Connect, Direct, Solidify: Maximize Mass, Minimize Cash by Lorie Barzano Lorie Barzano, Co-Chair, CoalitionSAUS (Strengthen Austin Urban Schools), PAA affiliate and grassroots, parent led group representing 20 public school campuses in Austin’s urban core, which has a vision of quality, accessible public education for all. You can contact Lorie at coalitionsaus@gmail.com. These days, it can seem like a new charter school pushes to open daily, state legislators sponsor ALEC-backed bills on a weekly b... more »
