BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS
Is criticizing the IEA leadership engaging in a circular firing squad? « Fred Klonsky
Is criticizing the IEA leadership engaging in a circular firing squad? « Fred Klonsky: Is criticizing the IEA leadership engaging in a circular firing squad? by Fred Klonsky *The IEA membership speaks to our president through a magic decoder ring.* I’m on a bunch of email lists of retired and active teachers who are engaged in defending teacher pensions. Lately there has been some discussion, heated at times, about what to do about the next round of pension assaults. It is only natural that at times like this, frustrations will boil over into angry words. We should avoid that. But on... more »
State Should Get Tough On Voucher Schools
State Should Get Tough On Voucher Schools: State Should Get Tough On Voucher Schools by Jim Beam Giving parents more school choices and helping students leave failing schools for better ones are definitely worthwhile goals. Both have been repeated often by Gov. Bobby Jindal to promote his voucher program that he calls Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence. Unfortunately, the governor and John White, his state superintendent of education, appear to have put “the cart before the horse.” Based on recent revelations, parents can’t be guaranteed their students will end up in ... more »
Hechinger Report | A Newark school prepares—again—to reinvent itself
Hechinger Report | A Newark school prepares—again—to reinvent itself: A Newark school prepares—again—to reinvent itself by Sara Neufeld NEWARK, N.J.—Erskine Glover has interviewed for his job as principal of Quitman Street Community School three times in the past two years—undergoing a total of 15 hours of questioning. With his latest rehiring a few weeks ago, he was given authority to decide which of his teachers will return for another year with him. Glover believes weeding out subpar instruction is the single most important action he can take to lift Quitman out of New Jersey’s ... more »
Pop Quiz on Testing | FairTest
Pop Quiz on Testing | FairTest: Pop Quiz on Testing Submitted by fairtest on June 13, 2012 - 12:43pm - FairTest in the News - fairtest on national - k-12 - news - university - whats new Published in Education Week June 13, 2012 Commentary By Lisa Guisbond You can practically hear the collective relief as school testing season winds down across America. It's not just the sighs of millions of overtested and stressed-out children. Joining them are state officials, school administrators, teachers, and parents. All, for varying reasons, are no doubt happy to c... more »
Grandma Esther. « Fred Klonsky
Grandma Esther. « Fred Klonsky: Grandma Esther. by Fred Klonsky Esther Wainer lived a long life. She was 92 when she died. I hope I have that DNA. Esther and I share a birthday. It is today. Grandma Esther was born in Russia. Most of what I know about her life is oral history. So half of what I know is probably not true and the other half is exaggerated. Her father did not believe in girls getting a college education. She ran away from home and went to Heidelberg in Germany where she met my grandfather, Samuel. He was studying to be a dentist. At some point around 1910 they came t... more »
Lessons From Chinese Classrooms - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Lessons From Chinese Classrooms - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Lessons From Chinese Classrooms by Deborah Meier *Deborah Meier is traveling in South Africa this week. She wrote this blog post before she left.* Dear Diane, I wish I had read Nancy Pine's *Educating Young Giants, What Kids Learn (and Don't Learn) in China and America *before I went to China in 2007! But it fits neatly with my thoughts from last week. It's a thoughtful and thorough account that starts with classrooms in both nations that come alive in her telling. She has a familiarity with both, and a bread... more »
Defunding Public Education in Texas « Diane Ravitch's blog
Defunding Public Education in Texas « Diane Ravitch's blog: Defunding Public Education in Texas by dianerav In recent years, the governor and legislature in Texas have cut billions of dollars from the budget for public education. They have shown their priorities. By keeping taxes low, they can grow new jobs, or so they say. But at the same time, they are destroying the public schools that prepare the next generation for citizenship and work and innovation. A Texas colleague sent me an article to show what the cuts are doing to one small district. The Hutto school district must cut m... more »
NYC Educator: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (Sometimes)
NYC Educator: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (Sometimes): Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (Sometimes) by Miss Eyre As I've mentioned in this space, I looped for the first time this past year, keeping my 2010-11 darlings for another year. Two years is a long time to spend with any group of kids, especially a group of high school kids going through the dramatic changes that take place from 14 to 16. Herewith, now that the year is complete, is my reflection on whether or not you should consider doing something ostensibly crazy like this if you ever have the chance. PROS: ... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Cheerleaders Admit: We Can't Teach EVERYONE
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Cheerleaders Admit: We Can't Teach EVERYONE: Charter Cheerleaders Admit: We Can't Teach EVERYONE by Duke [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] When charter cheerleaders are called on their bluffs, they always fold: The head of one of the city’s largest charter school networks is *calling on state charter authorizers to reject a law that requires charter schools to serve a larger share of high-needs students.* The law, Success Academy Charter Schools CEO Eva Moskowitz wrote in a letter to authorizers this month, creates “perverse incenti... more »
The Joys of Blogging « Diane Ravitch's blog
The Joys of Blogging « Diane Ravitch's blog: The Joys of Blogging by dianerav [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] I have written a lot of articles for publication in newspapers and magazines. If I publish in the *New York Times* or the *Washington Post* or the *New York Daily News, *my writing will reach hundreds of thousands of readers. Of course, many of their readers will pass right over your article, will not read it. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting my articles published. The blog reaches thousands of readers every day, not hundreds of thousands, and I’m c... more »
Charter schools test church and state boundary | Deseret News
Charter schools test church and state boundary | Deseret News: Charter schools test church and state boundary Summary Walk into any Waldorf-inspired charter school, and you enter a different world of public education where students sing songs, stamp out math with their feet, carve wood, play recorders and draw maps. Walk into any Waldorf-inspired charter school, and you enter a different world of public education where students sing songs, stamp out math with their feet, carve wood, play recorders and draw maps. You'll also find students outside. "If you are going to learn about sc... more »
Gates Foundation Responds To GSR Bracelets Controversy - Forbes
Gates Foundation Responds To GSR Bracelets Controversy - Forbes: Gates Foundation Responds To GSR Bracelets Controversy + Comment now A relatively tiny donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has created quite a stir over the past several days. News broke that Clemson U. had late last year obtained a nearly half million dollar grant from the foundation to conduct a pilot study with Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) bracelets, wireless sensors that track physiological reactions, in schools. The idea supposedly was that children would wear these biometric bracelets in classrooms... more »
Stand for Children Does Not Stand for Public Education « Diane Ravitch's blog
Stand for Children Does Not Stand for Public Education « Diane Ravitch's blog: Stand for Children Does Not Stand for Public Education by dianerav Stand for Children has moved its campaign for privatization and against experienced teachers to Massachusetts. Stand’s politically savvy, well-connected, and well-funded leader Jonah Edelman threatened ananti-teacher ballot initiative unless the unions negotiated away their seniority and tenure. Governor Deval Patrick agreed with Stand for Children that teacher evaluation (based to some extent on standardized test scores of students, w... more »
LAUSD: WHAT'S THE ANSWER? HELL, WHAT'S THE QUESTION? - Perdaily.com
LAUSD: WHAT'S THE ANSWER? HELL, WHAT'S THE QUESTION? - Perdaily.com: LAUSD: WHAT'S THE ANSWER? HELL, WHAT'S THE QUESTION? by Leonard Isenberg [image: tea and cookies.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)* *My problems with the Los Angeles Unified School District started when I was 8 years old and had the misfortune of having Mrs. Arthur as my 3rd grade teacher at Laurel Elementary School. Like all children prior to being cowered and anesthetized by the mindless repetition of most LAUSD classrooms, I was ... more »
Leg erases Gov’s ed reforms | Thoughts on Public Education
Leg erases Gov’s ed reforms | Thoughts on Public Education: Leg erases Gov’s ed reforms - by Kathryn Baron by Kathryn Baron *John Fensterwald co-authored this article.* The Legislature’s budget package is missing many of Gov. Brown’s controversial education initiatives. A joint Senate and Assembly plan outlined yesterday protects transitional kindergarten, the science mandate, and the AVID program, rejects the weighted student funding formula, and offers districts a choice in how they’re paid for state mandates. “This budget protects and invests in public education this year, and i... more »
State auditors find misappropriation of funds, evidence of fraud and conflict of interest by charter school director - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
State auditors find misappropriation of funds, evidence of fraud and conflict of interest by charter school director - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: State auditors find misappropriation of funds, evidence of fraud and conflict of interest by charter school director Wednesday, June 13th, 2012 at 11:30 pm in No Comments *photo by D. Ross Cameron/Bay Area News Group staff* There’s much to say about this report, but it’s been a long day, and the school board meeting is still going on. So for now, all I have for you is a link to the Tribune story about the... more »
News Brief 6-13-12
I Have Seen The Future by John Merrow Daniel P. King arrived in a district with a dropout rate almost double the Texas average. He had a plan, and ... it's working. John Merrow explains. by JOHN MERROW on 13. JUN, 2012 in 2012 BLOGS “I have seen the future, and it works.” I write those words with some trepidation, because another journalist used those exact words in 1919 and lived to regret it, big time. If you remember your history, Lincoln Steffens said that after returning from newly Communist Russia. Only later did he see with clarity the harsh cruelty of the Soviet dictatorsh... more »
NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris' testimony on the current testing regime
NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris' testimony on the current testing regime: Carol Burris' testimony on the current testing regime by Leonie Haimson *On Monday, the NYS Senate held hearings on testing. Here is the testimony of Carol Burris, LI principal and one of the co-authors of the principals' letter to Commissioner King.* Dear Senator Flanagan: I would like to thank you for holding a public hearing on the evolution of student assessments. It is vitally important that we think long and hard about the role of assessments, the quality of assessments, the learning we wish t... more »
Moskowitz to authorizers: Reject high-need enrollment targets | GothamSchools
Moskowitz to authorizers: Reject high-need enrollment targets | GothamSchools: Moskowitz to authorizers: Reject high-need enrollment targetsby Geoff Decker, at 7:34 pm[image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] The head of one of the city’s largest charter school networks is calling on state charter authorizers to reject a law that requires charter schools to serve a larger share of high-needs students. The law, Success Academy Charter Schools CEO Eva Moskowitz wrote in a letter to authorizers this month, creates “perverse incentives” for charter schools to “over-id... more »
solidaridad: Important Recall Mónica García Update
solidaridad: Important Recall Mónica García Update: Important Recall Mónica García Update by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene [image: recall monica garcia lausd l.a. unified] PopoutJOIN US FOR A PRESS CONFERENCE Recall Mónica García Students, Parents, and Community Activists to provide an update on the recall campaign and other activities to save LAUSD SRLDP, Early Education Centers, Adult Education, and to prevent further privatization, reconstitution, and closures of our local neigboorhood schools. Monday at 12:30 June 18, 2012 LAUSD Headquarters (Boardroom Side) 333 S. Beaudry Ave. ... more »
Does CA charter deserve strokes or pokes for its attrition rate? « Parents Across America
Does CA charter deserve strokes or pokes for its attrition rate? « Parents Across America: Does CA charter deserve strokes or pokes for its attrition rate? *By Caroline Grannan* * * *Parents Across America founding member, San Francisco* Blogger Alexander Russo raised some questions about happy-talk PR by a K-12 charter school in Lodi, Calif., which put out a press release announcing that its first cohort that started at the school in kindergarten is now graduating — with eight of the original 60 kids still at the school. Russo questioned whether that attrition rate should be discu... more »
Stop the Attacks on Children « MomsRising Blog
Stop the Attacks on Children « MomsRising Blog: Stop the Attacks on ChildrenPosted June 13th, 2012 by Bruce Lesley and Wendy Cervantes [image: Wendy Cervantes]This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court ruling, a statute that embodies our belief as Americans that all children should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. The ruling established that every child, regardless of their immigration status, is entitled to a public K-12 education. Specifically, the ruling deemed it unconstitutional to discriminate against children “on the basis ... more »
Join UNITE HERE at the Congress Hotel. Friday from 4PM to 6PM. « Fred Klonsky
Join UNITE HERE at the Congress Hotel. Friday from 4PM to 6PM. « Fred Klonsky: Join UNITE HERE at the Congress Hotel. Friday from 4PM to 6PM. by Fred Klonsky More thoughts on IEA leadership bullying. by Fred Klonsky Tim is right. Nobody but Aurdrey, Ken and Mitch claim that Jonah Edelman was wrong on the Aspen video. Mitch is disappointingly wrong on several levels: *As for Edelman’s statement, if it is what you say (I haven’t gone back and listened to it), it is a lie. For what purpose, I have no idea what goes on in his mind and have no real desire to delve into it. However, ... more »
Father of High-Stakes Testing, Paul Vallas, now opposes them Parents United for Responsible Education
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Father of High-Stakes Testing, Paul Vallas, now opposes them: Father of High-Stakes Testing, Paul Vallas, now opposes them by admin Reuters reports that former Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas thinks end-of-year assessments are “not useful” and that it’s “a big mistake” to use them for high-stakes purposes. Well, he needs to apologize to about 125,000 Chicago Public School students who have been flunked because of the high-stakes testing policy he started in 1996 as CPS CEO. And maybe his “education ... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: What you will NEVER Read in an Arne Duncan Department of Education Press Release.
Missouri Education Watchdog: What you will NEVER Read in an Arne Duncan Department of Education Press Release.: What you will NEVER Read in an Arne Duncan Department of Education Press Release. by stlgretchen Should THESE be the buzzwords of education reform? Andreas Schleicher, the developer of the PISA test surmises why Chinese students outperform other students: *"In China, more than nine out of 10 children tell you: 'It depends on the effort I invest and I can succeed if I study hard.'* I would wager you will never hear Arne Duncan state the preceding quote about American st... more »
Soul Food Luncheon/Dinner For The Arts Fundraiser
Sojourner Truth Museum Presents Soul Food Luncheon/Dinner For The Arts Fundraiser scheduled 6/15/2012 - 7/6/2012 - 8/3/2012 [image: soul food 1] *Beginning 6/15/2012 Sojourner Truth Museum will present the Soul/Food Luncheon/Dinner for the Arts Fundraiser. Our goal is to raise funds for our tenth year of Sojo Summer Art Camp and the upcoming Sacramento Banana Festival. Our 2012 Sojo Summer Art Camp will continue to educate, promote and improve the lives of youth in our community. Advance lunch/dinner sales are encouraged by mailing your check to 2251 Florin Rd #126 **or stopping by... more »
Hey Mitt, Leave Our Teachers Alone | OurFuture.org
Hey Mitt, Leave Our Teachers Alone | OurFuture.org: Hey Mitt, Leave Our Teachers Alone by Terrance Heath Yesterday was the last day of school for public school students in Montgomery County, Maryland, where we live — including our nine-year-old son, who just completed the third grade. I began the morning by sending a one last email to his teacher. I asked her about the summer reading and math packets we were expecting our son to bring. I also thanked her for all the work she'd done to help our son this year. As I thought about how much our son has grown and improved over the past ... more »
Romney's Education Policies: Eliminate Public Education As We Know It With "Voucherlike" Plan | K-12 News Network
Romney's Education Policies: Eliminate Public Education As We Know It With "Voucherlike" Plan | K-12 News Network: Romney’s Education Policies: Eliminate Public Education As We Know It With “Voucherlike” Plan by admin MOMocrats mentioned. Mitt Romney’s latest statements about his vision for America’s public schools can be summed up by his declaration that it’d be best to let families “vote with their feet” and have federal dollars follow children to private/religious, public, charter, or online schools. Reckless, foolish, clueless, or all of the above? Perhaps if someone actually... more »
Teachers group unveils its proposal for new evaluations - latimes.com
Teachers group unveils its proposal for new evaluations - latimes.com: Teachers group unveils its proposal for new evaluations [image: Teacher Maria Duarte goes over fractions and division with her fourth grade math class at Los Angeles Elementary School in 2011.] A group of Los Angeles teachers Wednesday unveiled their own proposal for a new performance review system that would use both state standardized test scores and assessments chosen by individual schools to measure how well instructors help their students learn. The proposal by Educators 4 Excellence, whose L.A. chapter of 90... more »
What the Kids Think — Whole Child Education
What the Kids Think — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Sean Slade]What the Kids Think June 13, 2012 by Sean Slade A couple of weeks back I wrote about “The Unknown Students" and outlined a simple process for discovering which students are flying under the radar and are unknown by adults at the school. In discussing solutions such as having adults linked to students as mentors to get to know them, it was made clear that the key factor is that the students believe that their teachers and other adults at the school know them. It’s not enough that we may think we kno... more »
In the News: CPS parents complain about robo calls | catalyst-chicago.org
In the News: CPS parents complain about robo calls | catalyst-chicago.org: In the News: CPS parents complain about robo calls - *By: *Cassandra West / June 13, 2012 [image: DFER Fake Democrats for Education Privatization (click on Picture)] IT IS A RULE: YOU CAN'T BE AGAINST PEOPLE AND FOR CORPORATIONS AND CALL YOURSELF A DEMOCRAT...EVER! In the wake of complaints from parents who suspected that CPS gave their phone numbers to Democrats for Education Reform, Education Reform Now Advocacy Director Jake Breymaier says the phone numbers were purchased from the Illinois Democr...more »
Daily Kos: We owe Bernie Sanders thanks -
Daily Kos: We owe Bernie Sanders thanks -: We owe Bernie Sanders thanks - by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) and now we have the evidence that the entire financial system needs to be totally reshaped. Courtesy of Reader Supported News we have access to the list of 18 serious conflicts of interest between executives of financial institutions receiving bailouts from the Fed at the same time they sat on Fed boards. One, Jeffrey Immelt, has been further rewarded by this administration putting him in a key position for its jobs initiative at the same time he is exporting jobs overseas. ... more »
Bill Maher on unions. « Fred Klonsky
Bill Maher on unions. « Fred Klonsky: Bill Maher on unions. by Fred Klonsky Popout The in box. “Mitch is nit-picking.” Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 46 seconds ago Fred, Mitch’s letter is nit-picking. The IEA leadership admittedly not only supported SB7 but claimed it as a model for all other unions to follow. If that’s not pressure, I don’t know what is. it was IEA spokesman Charlie McBarron who originally said that the SB7 deal, “puts kids first and will move education forward. [...] Bill Maher on unions. Fred Klonsky at Fred Klonsky - 4 minutes ago Is Audrey Soglin a bully? Th... more »
EVIL UNIONS DOMINATE THE STATE GOVERNMENT WORKFORCE IN ILLINOIS « Teachers Fight Back
EVIL UNIONS DOMINATE THE STATE GOVERNMENT WORKFORCE IN ILLINOIS « Teachers Fight Back: EVIL UNIONS DOMINATE THE STATE GOVERNMENT WORKFORCE IN ILLINOIS by alkleen Oh no, the horror! The Chicago Tribune in its lead editorial today exposes the horrible fact that nearly 96 percent of the Illinois state government workforce is unionized. Not only that, but many of the other 4% are trying to join a union to avoid layoffs and or pay reductions. The Tribune is demanding legislators do something about this terrible situation. The chutzpah of this paper is incredible. They are constantly be... more »
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-13-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-11-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-10-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-9-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-7-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-6-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-5-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-4-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-13-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-11-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-10-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-9-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-7-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-6-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-5-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-4-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2