Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-14-12 #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



Jersey Jazzman: Cuomo to Teachers: Who Cares What You Think?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
Jersey Jazzman: Cuomo to Teachers: Who Cares What You Think?: Cuomo to Teachers: Who Cares What You Think? by Duke This makes me just so hopping mad: The committee charged with making education-policy recommendations to Gov. Andrew Cuomo will hold its first public meeting on June 26. The long list of committee members reads like a who’s who of education leaders in the state, from Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers union, to Geoffrey Canada, CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone. Oh, really? "Education leaders," did you say? Well, there must be plenty of te... more »

Reading, Pennsylvania: Poorest U.S. City Loses Pre-Kindergarten, 170 Teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago
Reading, Pennsylvania: Poorest U.S. City Loses Pre-Kindergarten, 170 Teachers: Reading, Pennsylvania: Poorest U.S. City Loses Pre-Kindergarten, 170 Teachers by Joy Resmovits [image: Joy Resmovits's Profile Picture]Joy Resmovits Joy.resmovits@huffingtonpost.com Eighth-grader Selena Karner lined up in her Reading, Pa., middle school auditorium last week to receive an award for language arts. But during what would normally be a joyous moment for her teachers, educators were crying in the audience. Many were absent. Teachers were less than joyous for the awards ceremony because 11... more »

Schools Matter: Brian Barabe: ACTFL should show more respect for the profession it represents

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago
Schools Matter: Brian Barabe: ACTFL should show more respect for the profession it represents: Brian Barabe: ACTFL should show more respect for the profession it represents by skrashen Brian Barabe comments on ACTFL featuring “Speak the Language,” on SMARTBRIEF. "Speak the Language" appeared in a highly circulated magazine, and promoted heavy grammar study, memorizing vocabulary and forced speech: I am appalled at the damage you have risked doing to, and the low regard you show for, our profession by your link to Eil’s article “Speak the Language” in the Washington Post. First, ... more »

Florida School Board Members Enraged at Robinson’s Attempt to Usurp Local Board Control | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago
Florida School Board Members Enraged at Robinson’s Attempt to Usurp Local Board Control | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida School Board Members Enraged at Robinson’s Attempt to Usurp Local Board Control by Bob Sikes Wow. More from *State Impact’s John O’C*onnor: Florida school board members say education commissioner Gerard Robinson issued a threat to local control during a lunchtime speech Thursday at the state association meeting in Tampa. Robinson told the Florida School Boards Association members they were free to oppose the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, but they we... more »

Parents Across America in the News | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Parents Across America in the News | Seattle Education: Parents Across America in the News by seattleducation2011 *PAA Action Alert**Another “Waiting for Superman”?*Let’s challenge the Hollywood “parent trigger” movie! Today PAA sent around our “thumbs down” review of the trailer for an upcoming movie called “Won’t Back Down.” First the corporate reformers tried to sway the public against public schools and teachers with the pseudo-documentary, “Waiting for Superman,” and now they are bringing out big name stars in a big-budget movie to push the “parent trigger” method of school clo... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Why many parents and teachers fear the special education initiative will fail our children

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
NYC Public School Parents: Why many parents and teachers fear the special education initiative will fail our children: Why many parents and teachers fear the special education initiative will fail our children by Leonie Haimson Two days ago, there were hearings on the DOE’s special education inclusion initiative. (See NY1 story here; my testimony on this initiative as well as mandatory Kindergarten is posted here.) The DOE earlier released a power point to reporters and the PEP that showed NO significant gain in either achievement or attendance for students with disabilities in ... more »

Oakland Unified board orders investigation of church school | California Watch

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Oakland Unified board orders investigation of church school | California Watch: Oakland Unified board orders investigation of church school Will Evans Michael Short/California Watch St. Andrew Missionary Baptist Church and private school in West Oakland Oakland's school board has ordered a formal investigation of a church school, a school board member confirmed today, following a meeting last night where angry parents of former students accused the school of exploiting and abusing children. The Oakland Unified School District board directed its general counsel to investigate wheth... more »

The SHAPE Update - Spring 2012, Volume 1, Issue 2 - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The SHAPE Update - Spring 2012, Volume 1, Issue 2 - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education (CA Dept of Education): The SHAPE Update - Spring 2012, Volume 1, Issue 2Spring 2012 Shaping Health as Partners in Education (SHAPE) e-newsletter to provide SHAPE agencies with information, opportunities, and ideas to assist their ongoing development of healthier school environments. ------------------------------ [image: Shaping Health as Partners in Education (SHAPE) California logo.] SHAPEing Success | What's the Buzz? | Training Opportunities | Funding Opportunities Initiatives | Resources ... more »

This Week In Education: Reform: The Problem With "Parents Across America"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
This Week In Education: Reform: The Problem With "Parents Across America": Reform: The Problem With "Parents Across America" by Alexander Russo There's a small but very active group called Parents Across America that's been around the last year and change, usually criticizing reform measures like turnarounds, value-added, and the parent trigger. [image: ScreenHunter_22 Jun. 14 12.54] Their criticisms are all fine and good -- I have my own issues with many reform priorities. But I do have at least one big issues with them. (Or really two, but they're closely related.) No, it's not t... more »

Connecting Across Spaces — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Connecting Across Spaces — Whole Child Education: Connecting Across Spaces by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers [image: ASCD Annual Conference] *Post submitted by whole child blogger Caroline Newton, a sophomore at Temple University. Newton is studying journalism and writes for *Jump: The Philly Music Project* magazine.* "How can we prepare our learners for the future? How can our learners cultivate global competence?" Heidi Hayes Jacobs of Curriculum21 asked in her ASCD Annual Conference session. The topic of the hour? Connecting the classroom and the school to the global world. To help s... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Gates Foundation A Little Red In The Face Over GSR Bracelet Study

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Gates Foundation A Little Red In The Face Over GSR Bracelet Study: Gates Foundation A Little Red In The Face Over GSR Bracelet Study by Anngie *Ok We Can, But Should We?* On Monday the mainstream press picked up a report put out by Valerie Strauss of The Answer Sheet. Strauss revealed what Susan Ohanian and Diane Ravitch had learned about a study being funded by the Gates Foundation to measure student and teacher engagement through the use of Galvanic Skin Response bracelets. Clemson University was awarded a research grant of almost a half million do... more »

And Mitt Romney’s Education Plan Receives a D | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
And Mitt Romney’s Education Plan Receives a D | Truth in American Education: And Mitt Romney’s Education Plan Receives a D by truthed By our own Shane Vander Hart While there are some encouraging aspects to Governor Romney’s plan and I can point to specific improvements over what we currently see in the Obama administration. The complaint that Obama has expanded federal education bureaucracy, (pg. 13) is countered with slightly less federal bureaucracy. Given that the principles of federalism are still being ignored, the school choice measures are anemic and there is an over e... more »

RheeFirst! » Teacher (and victim of StudentsFirst’s Change.org petition scam) to Michelle Rhee– “please don’t count me as one of your supporters”

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
RheeFirst! » Teacher (and victim of StudentsFirst’s Change.org petition scam) to Michelle Rhee– “please don’t count me as one of your supporters”: Teacher (and victim of StudentsFirst’s Change.org petition scam) to Michelle Rhee– “please don’t count me as one of your supporters” by admin Written by Christal Watts for her blog. Read the entire post here. “*Somehow I accidentally signed Michelle Rhee’s stupid petition on Change.org. This is the e-mail letter I received from her organization today. When I went to the “StudentFirst” facebook page to post a comment, I came to discover ... more »

Geaux Teacher!: IS JINDAL A REAL REPUBLICAN?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Geaux Teacher!: IS JINDAL A REAL REPUBLICAN?: IS JINDAL A REAL REPUBLICAN? by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) Jindal claims to be a Republican but no real Republican would support the idea of a local, state or federal administration removing the ability of the people to exercise (much less express) their will through their elected representatives and thereby LENGTHENING rather than SHORTENING the long arm of government. I recently openly objected to the application of the term FASCIST that was rapidly becoming a popular description for Jindal and the party he seeme... more »

New 2011 API Reports - Academic Performance Index (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
API Reports - Academic Performance Index (CA Dept of Education): API ReportsPrintable state, county, district, and school level reports for the Academic Performance Index (API). ------------------------------ About Updates to Data School Reports - 2011 API school reports District Reports - 2011 API district reports County Reports - 2011 API county reports State Reports - 2011 API state reports About Updates to Data - Reports and data files are based on test results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, the California... more »

Gerard Robinson’s Arrogant, Desperate Dismissal of Florida’s Local School Boards | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Gerard Robinson’s Arrogant, Desperate Dismissal of Florida’s Local School Boards | Scathing Purple Musings: Gerard Robinson’s Arrogant, Desperate Dismissal of Florida’s Local School Boards by Bob Sikes In a lunch time address to state school board members, Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson lectured board members that they were “ignoring” a decade of progess if they move forward with their resolution against high-stakes tests. *State Impact’s John O’Connor *reports Robinson added this: “They can express their opinion,” he said. “But let’s also remember the local school bo... more »

Incremental fascism, drop by drop: Galvanic bracelets that measure student engagement | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Incremental fascism, drop by drop: Galvanic bracelets that measure student engagement | Dailycensored.com: Incremental fascism, drop by drop: Galvanic bracelets that measure student engagement by Danny Weil *Welcome to the Brave New World* In the ‘you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff’ category, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is spending about $1.1 million to develop a way to physiologically measure how engaged students are by their teachers’ lessons. This involves “galvanic skin response” bracelets that kids would wear so their engagement levels could be measured. If this tells us... more »

Nova High School’s Guatemala Social Justice Program | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Nova High School’s Guatemala Social Justice Program | Seattle Education: Nova High School’s Guatemala Social Justice Program by seattleducation2011 Support Nova High School’s *Guatemala Social Justice Travel Program* Saturday June 16th, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM 2021 NE 75th St., Seattle In the home of Joe Szwaja, History teacher at Nova and coordinator of this social justice project. The students are asking for donations to help the ex-refugee community that they have linked up with. All donations will be greatly appreciated! • Great food, drink and Guatemalan Crafts • DVD’s and Photos Highl... more »

Why Latino education is more important than ever

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Why Latino education is more important than ever: Why Latino education is more important than ever by Being Latino Contributors [image: Diverse students] Educated Latinos are essential to U.S. economic strength. Census data continues to show that black and Latino children make up the majority of babies born in the United States, yet they continually underperform their white peers. However, there is a silver lining to a booming minority population. Many issues facing these communities are going to be so large that they can no longer be overlooked. Education gaps in particular will h... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More on Rahm turning Chicago into Wisconsin

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: More on Rahm turning Chicago into Wisconsin: More on Rahm turning Chicago into Wisconsin by Mike Klonsky All eyes it seem, are on Chicago, where the CTU refuses to roll over in the face of Rahm Emanuel's assault on teachers' collective bargaining rights and on the teaching profession itself. The other day, Sun-Times reporter, *Fran Speilman* asked Rahm a great question. She wanted to know if the mayor was concerned, *"whether the showdown with teachers threatens to turn Chicago into 'another Wisconsin?'”* JoravskyThe Reader's Ben Joravsky takes off in... more »

FSBA Resolution Includes Elimination of Standardized Tests as “Primary Basis for Evaluating Teachers” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
FSBA Resolution Includes Elimination of Standardized Tests as “Primary Basis for Evaluating Teachers” | Scathing Purple Musings: FSBA Resolution Includes Elimination of Standardized Tests as “Primary Basis for Evaluating Teachers” by Bob Sikes From Jeff Solocheck at GRADEBOOK: Rather than simply adopting a national resolution against states’ reliance on high-stakes testing, the Florida School Boards Association today will take up its own Florida-centered version of the concept. It points out specific concerns with the FCAT and its use for a variety of measures, and then rather ... more »

Why is NAACP promoting vouchers in FL ? We say NO – Separate is STILL not Equal. -Response to Rev Manuel Sykes, NAACP letter in Tampa Bay Times 6/14/12 « Continuing Change

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Why is NAACP promoting vouchers in FL ? We say NO – Separate is STILL not Equal. -Response to Rev Manuel Sykes, NAACP letter in Tampa Bay Times 6/14/12 « Continuing Change: Why is NAACP promoting vouchers in FL ? We say NO – Separate is STILL not Equal. -Response to Rev Manuel Sykes, NAACP letter in Tampa Bay Times 6/14/12 by gatorbonbc *It is difficult to counter an article written by a Reverand and the NAACP. For a moment, I was speechless.* *.* *I found my voice.* *.* *Here is my response / comment to the writer of the 6/14/12 article in the Tampa Bay Times entitled, Florida ... more »

Parents give “Won’t Back Down” movie trailer a thumbs down « Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Parents give “Won’t Back Down” movie trailer a thumbs down « Parents Across America: Parents give “Won’t Back Down” movie trailer a thumbs down by pureparents *June 14, 2012* *Contacts:* Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters, NYC 917-435-9329 LeonieH@parentsacrossamerica.org Caroline Grannan, PAA member, San Francisco, CA, 415-412-5758 CarolineG@parentsacrossamerica.org Julie Woestehoff, Parents United for Responsible Education, Chicago, 773-538-1135 JulieW@parentsacrossamerica.org *Parents Give “Won’t Back Down” Movie Trailer a Thumbs-Down* “*Parent trigger” reality distorted to fit c... more »

Oh, No! Yet Another Arts Assessment « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Oh, No! Yet Another Arts Assessment « Diane Ravitch's blog: Oh, No! Yet Another Arts Assessment by dianerav Oh, no! Dana Goldstein visited Memphis, where she found that arts teachers are using portfolio assessments. I suppose that is a step up from online standardized tests and the old-fashioned machine-scored computerized tests, but it is still a very bad idea. The whole premise of testing is that teachers cannot be trusted to reach responsible judgments about student work. And the purpose of the assessment is not to help students but to devise a numerical rating so teachers of t... more »

What do we say to leadership that would rather surrender than lose a fight? « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
What do we say to leadership that would rather surrender than lose a fight? « Fred Klonsky: What do we say to leadership that would rather surrender than lose a fight? by Fred Klonsky Talking to IEA Presdient Cinda Klickna is just depressing. That’s why I don’t do it very often. Her sentences are long excuses for surrender. Diane Ravitch recently wrote a blog piece about the stunning 98% yes vote of Chicago teachers to a resolution for strike authorization. Someone wrote to her and asked, “Yes. But what if they lose?” Apologies to Professor Ravitch for reprinting her entire response.... more »

Schools Matter: GUEST BLOG: Against the Digital Nursery, Douglas Storm

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Schools Matter: GUEST BLOG: Against the Digital Nursery, Douglas Storm: GUEST BLOG: Against the Digital Nursery, Douglas Storm by P. L. Thomas GUEST BLOG: Against the Digital Nursery, Douglas Storm Against “technology” consultants “integrating” education and technology “in the classroom.” Against the Society of ED TECH creating the professional “experts” that insist schools MUST HAVE iPads etc. in the classroom in order to prepare for the “future.” Today’s news: iTeach. Mindless drone teaching–how to make distraction prettier and make it seem like “learning.” First iTeach Acade... more »

Online Classes Should be About Enriching, Not Privatizing, Education | NEA Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Online Classes Should be About Enriching, Not Privatizing, Education | NEA Today: Online Classes Should be About Enriching, Not Privatizing, Education June 14, 2012 by twalker Filed under Featured News, Higher Education, Top Stories Leave a Comment [image: Email][image: Share] *By Mary Ellen Flannery* As online courses continue to grow rapidly in number and size, and as some colleges begin to experiment with the use of “academic coaches” or even robots to lead those courses, some educators are wondering whether it’s all a scheme to privatize teaching and rid campuses of tenured fac... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, June 14, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: http://www.sandiego.org Education Headlines *Thursday, June 14, 2012* Sonora High to try for bond?Sonora Union High School District will consider placing a bond issue on the ballot this November to raise funds for renovating school facilities. The general obligation bond issue would place a $25 to $30 tax on every $100,000 of assessed value on homes within Sonora Union High School District boundaries. Parents say Coast Union just too far from CayucosIt makes more sense for high school students living in Cayucos to go four miles sout... more »

Occupy Lakeview Elementary School – Closed by Oakland School District | OccupyWallSt.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Occupy Lakeview Elementary School – Closed by Oakland School District | OccupyWallSt.org: Occupy Lakeview Elementary School – Closed by Oakland School District by OccupyWallSt [image: thousands gathered in oakland] *Occupy Oakland gathered in front of Lakeview Elementary School last November* *via Occupy Oakland* *WHERE:* Lakeview Elementary School, 746 Grand Avenue, Oakland CA 94610 *WHAT:* Sit-in Protest To Reverse Closures of Oakland Public Schools *WHEN:* Beginning Friday, June 15 at 1:00 p.m. PST *WHO:* Teachers, parents, students, allies, and all who believe in public educati...more »

Another “Miracle School” Debunked: Harlem Village Academies | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Another “Miracle School” Debunked: Harlem Village Academies | Seattle Education: Another “Miracle School” Debunked: Harlem Village Academies by seattleducation2011 ” All that holds Village Academies together is Deborah Kenny’s unrelenting ambition and greed.” Gary Rubenstein looks closely at yet another charter school touted as a miracle school by the ed reformers and their accolades echoed by the press to find out what’s really going on in his post: *It takes a village.* Probably the worst part about being an opponent of bad education reform is when I have to ‘debunk’ a potential... more »

Is criticizing the IEA leadership engaging in a circular firing squad? « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
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)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
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 »