Big Education Ape 2nd Banana
Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Axelrod's old firm behind 'Infrastructure Trust', Citibank, and attacks on CTU
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Axelrod's old firm behind 'Infrastructure Trust', Citibank, and attacks on CTU: Axelrod's old firm behind 'Infrastructure Trust', Citibank, and attacks on CTU by Mike Klonsky Obama, Emanuel & AxelrodWell, mercy me! Look who's behind those ads blasting the CTU. Why, it's ASGK Public Strategies and AKPD, David Axelrod's old firms. An embarrassed Axelrod is claiming that he no longer has any connection to the firms since he sold them in 2009, when he became Obama's Senior White House Advisor. But he's still very much connected (the A stands for Axelrod)... more »
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight | Scathing Purple Musings
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight | Scathing Purple Musings: Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight by Bob Sikes From Rhee’s controversial *StudentsFirst *web site: (For background information, please read this recent Tampa Bay Times opinion editorial by speaker-designate Will Weatherford of the Florida House of Representatives where he discusses the importance of accountability and testing.) Florida has led the nation in its efforts to establish strong systems of accountabilit... more »
NEA - Let’s Use Our Power to Make Public Education Stronger, Van Roekel Tells Delegates
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
NEA - Let’s Use Our Power to Make Public Education Stronger, Van Roekel Tells Delegates: Let’s Use Our Power to Make Public Education Stronger, Van Roekel Tells Delegates NEA President Dennis Van Roekel opened the 2012 NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA) by challenging members to stand up for their profession and come together in a united mission to transform America’s public schools into world class institutions of learning. Van Roekel said NEA members realize they can’t set education policy by themselves, but they do have the power to influence it. “You do i... more »
It's Time for an Elected School Board in Chicago
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ-Chicago)—a member of CODE (Communities Organized for Democracy in Education)—put together this radio commercial in response to misinformation being spread by some big money astroturf groups. CODE is a coalition of over a dozen parent, teacher and community groups that seeks to bring an ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE School Board to Chicago. Chicago is the only school in the state of IL which by law cannot elect its own school board. The board is currently made up of appointed elite millionaire bankers and financiers who have not been responsive to the need... more »
From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA. « Fred Klonsky: From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA. JULY 2, 2012 We all know there are plenty of people who are eager to offer advice — or worse, try to impose their ideas on our profession. Bloggers, columnists, elected officials, and self‑proclaimed reformers, they are constantly weighing in about public education. I mean, they have an opinion on everything — the who, the what, the when, the where, and the how — all of that about public education. Always opinions. The “who” th... more »
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Don't Get Caught?: What Message Are We Sending Our Kids?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Don't Get Caught?: What Message Are We Sending Our Kids?: Don't Get Caught?: What Message Are We Sending Our Kids? by Lisa M Every Tuesday I read to 3 and 4 year olds at the day care center across the street from my school. As I picked up one of my enthusiastic charges I noticed the phrase on his t-shirt, "Don't Get Caught!" "Don't Get Caught?" I realized he had no idea what it said, so I left it alone. However, as we sat down to read, the phrase on his shirt picked at me. Negative connotations were the only meaning I could derive from that s... more »
Schools Matter: Democrats for Neoliberal Education Reform's Gloria J. Romero's Parent Tricker days are numbered
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 38 minutes ago
Schools Matter: Democrats for Neoliberal Education Reform's Gloria J. Romero's Parent Tricker days are numbered: Democrats for Neoliberal Education Reform's Gloria J. Romero's Parent Tricker days are numbered *I think about former Senator Gloria Romero comparing Compton educators to "batterers" and wondered whether the writers of those words ever stop to think about the consequences of their prose. — Martha Infante* [image: Gloria J. Romero, Queen of California School Privatization, head of reactionary DFER, darling of the CCSA.] Photo by Mark Warner (CC BY-SA 2.0) As the DFER vene... more »
The Failed Microsoft Corporate Origins of "Value-Added" Teacher Rankings | K-12 News Network
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The Failed Microsoft Corporate Origins of "Value-Added" Teacher Rankings | K-12 News Network: The Failed Microsoft Corporate Origins of “Value-Added” Teacher Rankings by admin Readers of the Vanity Fair piece highlighting Microsoft’s decade of failure to innovate and resulting loss of market share can’t help but notice the close parallels between that company’s decline and their corporate practice of “stack ranking.” “Stack ranking,” as described in “Microsoft’s Downfall: Inside the Executive E-mails and Cannibalistic Culture That Felled a Software Giant,” is the practice of impo... more »
JFK...the ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of ...
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
[image: abstract blue] *"But the educated citizen knows how much more there is to know. He knows that "knowledge is power," more so today than ever before. He knows that only an educated and informed people will be a free people, that the ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all, and that if we can, as Jefferson put it, "enlighten the people generally ... tyranny and the oppressions of mind and body will vanish, like evil spirits at the dawn of day." And, therefore, the educated citizen has a special obligation to encourage the pursuit of learning, to pro... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State gets NCLB Waiver
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State gets NCLB Waiver: Washington State gets NCLB Waiver by Melissa Westbrook From Ed Week and the NY Times comes word that Washington State, along with Wisconsin, have been granted waivers from some of the most "onerous conditions" of NCLB. That brings the total number of states with waivers up to 26. That's more than half the states and Andy Porter, the dean of U of Penn Graduate School of Education asks, "*The more waivers there are, the less there really is a law, right?"* From the Times: *In exchange for the education waivers... more »
Should schools still be teaching cursive? - California Teachers Association
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Should schools still be teaching cursive? - California Teachers Association: Should schools still be teaching cursive? By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin [image: image] Eldra Avery & Dustin Ellis: contrasting views on cursive Should fancy loops and flowing letters of cursive still be taught to students? Is cursive writing an obsolete skill no longer relevant in today’s technological society? The new Common Core State Standards for English do not require cursive. However, under the new standards, states are allowed to teach cursive if they choose, and California still does. Some states, like ... more »
NEA - NEA executive director calls members ‘social justice patriots’
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
NEA - NEA executive director calls members ‘social justice patriots’: NEA executive director calls members ‘social justice patriots’ Stocks tells educators that organized labor is ‘only effective answer’ to corporate greed WASHINGTON - July 04, 2012 - National Education Association Executive Director John Stocks delivered his first address as executive director of the nation’s largest professional organization. Speaking to the nearly 9,000 delegates at NEA’s annual Representative Assembly, Stocks challenged the educators to become “social justice patriots.” Following are S... more »
Video: Arts Education is essential and builds 21st century skills « Parents Across America
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Video: Arts Education is essential and builds 21st century skills « Parents Across America: Video: Arts Education is essential and builds 21st century skills by leoniehaimson *Hilary Frambes, a PAA member from Ohio, made this video about the importance of arts education, which is being cut from many schools. Please watch and visit her website for more videos and information.*
A MODEST PROPOSAL TO REPLACE LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY - Perdaily.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
A MODEST PROPOSAL TO REPLACE LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY - Perdaily.com: A MODEST PROPOSAL TO REPLACE LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY by Leonard Isenberg [image: Evelyn O' Connor.jpg] *For those of you who haven't as yet realized the national and international character of the well coordinated attack on public education and more specifically teachers, I would suggest you take 14 minutes and watch Evelyn O' Connor's acceptance speech, when she was recently chosen as teacher of the year in Ireland. What you will find is a highly intelligent and courageous teacher putting it a...more »
Biden Calls for an End to the Assault on Educators | NEA Today
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Biden Calls for an End to the Assault on Educators | NEA Today: Biden Calls
for an End to the Assault on Educators July 4, 2012 by twalker Filed under Featured News, Top Stories Leave a Comment [image: Email][image: Share] *By Will Potter* [image: Biden: Romney's assault on teachers] Vice President Joe Biden addressed thousands of educators at the National Education Association’s 150th Annual Meeting on Tuesday, and said that the “full-blown assault” they are experiencing would get much worse under the leadership of Governor Mitt Romney. “My Dad used to say ‘Don’t tell me what you ... more »
Background on Military Naturalization Ceremony at the White House | The White House
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Background on Military Naturalization Ceremony at the White House | The White House: Background on Military Naturalization Ceremony at the White House by The White House WASHINGTON, DC - On July 4, 2012, President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members in the East Room of the White House. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas will present the countries of the candidates for naturalization and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will deliver the oath of allegiance. The audience will be com... more »
Sacramento Press / Organization Wants Schools to take Notice - Seth's Law is in Effect
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Sacramento Press / Organization Wants Schools to take Notice - Seth's Law is in Effect: Organization Wants Schools to take Notice - Seth's Law is in Effect by Ken Pierce Peer-abuse and biased harassment is a problem in the best of schools. Last Sunday, “Seth’s Law” which forces public schools to better enforce existing anti-bullying policies took effect. To those parents whose children were victims of peer abuse-driven bullycide, based on biased harassment, this California law comes too late. However, for those students returning to school in the fall, it will offer them, as well a... more »
More on Memphis: Jim Horn Responds « Diane Ravitch's blog
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
More on Memphis: Jim Horn Responds « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] More on Memphis: Jim Horn Responds by dianerav In my post about the Memphis-Shelby County schools yesterday, I quoted Jim Horn of Schools Matter. Horn was extremely critical of the plan to increase the proportion of students in charters from 4% to 19%, resulting in a $212 transfer of public school funding from the Memphis public schools to private hands. A comment on the web site was highly critical of Horn and said he knew nothing about the plan or its supporters. *As a... more »
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Anniversary of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 | U.S. Department of Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Anniversary of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 | U.S. Department of Education: Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Anniversary of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 JULY 2, 2012 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov "Forty-eight years ago today, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act states, 'No person in the United States shall, on the basis of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the... more »
Diane Ravitch Gets A Corporate Spin From the Charter Queen | redefinED
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch, please stop distorting the origins of the parent trigger | redefinED: Diane Ravitch, please stop distorting the origins of the parent trigger (THE PARENT TRIGGER IS DISTORTED ENOUGH) By GLORIA ROMERO On JULY 2, 2012 In* EDUCATION REPORTING, GENERAL, CHARTER EMPOWERMENT,PARENTAL DECepTION, FAKE PROGRESSIVES AND ED DEFORM, SCHOOL JACK, UNIONISM* Diane Ravitch, are you listening? This is former state Sen. Gloria Romero calling. I am the author of California’s first Parent Trigger law, the first parent trigger law in the nation. Since I first wrote that law, some 15 other ... more »
RheeFirst! » StudentsFirstNY board members and funders attend Mitt Romney fundraiser at a StudentsFirstNY director’s mansion
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
RheeFirst! » StudentsFirstNY board members and funders attend Mitt Romney fundraiser at a StudentsFirstNY director’s mansion: StudentsFirstNY board members and funders attend Mitt Romney fundraiser at a StudentsFirstNY director’s mansion by admin StudentsFirstNY board member Joel Klein accompanied StudentsFirst funder Rupert Murdoch to a Mitt Romney fundraiser at the home of Ken Langone, a confirmed funder of StudentsFirst and member of the StudentsFirstNY board. StudentsFirst funder Julian Robertson was also in attendance. Written by Maggie Haberman for Politico.com. Read the ... more »
A hollow experience: Computer based learning | Seattle Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
A hollow experience: Computer based learning | Seattle Education: A hollow experience: Computer based learning by seattleducation2011 This article was recently sent to me and provides an excellent description of how much richer the experience is when we interact with other human beings rather than computers. Online learning will be the next big push in our state and there are privatizers waiting in the wings to make their next big fortune off of our children. Dora *Social Networking and Electronic Games – Hollow Victories*by Ted TwietmeyerMost everywhere you go today, you see youn... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July)
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July): Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July) by Melissa Westbrook This is last week of any public meeting for SPS until August. *There are two events this week, both on Tuesday. * First there is a required *public hearing from 4-4:30 p.m.* to hear testimony from the public about raising the amount the district will pay for the Associated Student Body fund. This was previously discussed at Board meetings. I *still* have not heard the explanation as t... more »
Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock | NEA Today
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock | NEA Today: Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock July 2, 2012 by twalker Filed under Must Reads Leave a Comment “It’s clear that Romney is out of touch with the concerns of middle-class families — his education plan ignores what they want and need for their children, and demonstrates total disdain for public schools and educators,” NEA President Dennis Van Roekel writes in Education Week. “When he made a speech about education, Romney blamed teachers but said nothing about any meaningful plan f... more »
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP [image: Convention] *FORWARDED IN AN EMAIL DIRECTED TO THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS CONVENTION 2012 (7/27) - THANK YOU MELODY**Inspired by New Mexico State Audit of Testing**WHEREAS*, the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 increased accountability requirements necessitating an increase in assessments and requirements for disaggregated data; and *WHEREAS*, for nearly a decade, imple... more »
Happy Birthday Diane Ravitch! What A Present You ARE!!!
When Education Reform Gets Personal:Confessions of a Policy-wonk Father (Scott Joftus) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
When Education Reform Gets Personal:Confessions of a Policy-wonk Father (Scott Joftus) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: When Education Reform Gets Personal:Confessions of a Policy-wonk Father (Scott Joftus) by larrycuban *Scott Joftus is the president of the education-consulting firm Cross & Joftus. This article appeared inEducation Next, Summer 2012, Vol. 12(3).* Over more than 20 years in the field of education—including two with Teach For America—I have helped promote state standards, the Common Core, the hiring of teachers with strong content knowledge, lo... more »
Robert Reich (Mitt Romney and the New Gilded Age)
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Robert Reich (Mitt Romney and the New Gilded Age): Mitt Romney and the New Gilded Age SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 The election of 2012 raises two perplexing questions. The first is how the GOP could put up someone for president who so brazenly epitomizes the excesses of casino capitalism that have nearly destroyed the economy and overwhelmed our democracy. The second is why the Democrats have failed to point this out. The White House has criticized Mitt Romney for his years at the helm of Bain Capital, pointing to a deal that led to the bankruptcy of GS Technologies, a Bain investment... more »
Privatizing Public Education, Higher Ed Policy, and Teachers - Alec Exposed
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Privatizing Public Education, Higher Ed Policy, and Teachers - Alec Exposed: Privatizing Public Education, Higher Ed Policy, and Teachers Increasing Profits for School Companies, Undermining Teachers, and Promoting "Conservatives" on Campus [image: Privatizing Public Education, Higher Ed Policy, and Teachers] *This page reveals how ALEC bills would privatize public education, crush teacher's unions, and push American universities to the right.* Among other things, these bills make education a private commodity rather than a public good, and reverse America’s modern innovation of p... more »
Jack Hassard: The National Science Teachers Association Takes on the NextGen Science Standards - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Jack Hassard: The National Science Teachers Association Takes on the NextGen Science Standards - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: [image: Living in Dialogue] Anthony Cody Anthony Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high needs middle school. He is National Board certified, and now leads workshops with teachers focused on Project Based Learning. With education at a crossroads, he invites you to join him in a dialogue on education reform and teaching for change and deep learning. For additional information on Cody's work, vi... more »
School Tech Connect: In Case You Missed The Veteran
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
School Tech Connect: In Case You Missed The Veteran: In Case You Missed The Veteran by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) I hate to be Mr. LazyBlogger just posting videos, but here's a veteran who I guess got an answer from Mitt Romney. Popout I'm so with the veteran on this one. Bittersweet Jubilation by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Really? I once added my name to United Opt Out's mailing list--- does that make me a member? I don't know. Am I a party to the eradication threat now? Will I have to do the bittersweet jubilation dance when it's all over? I see Fred's already cove... more »
Big Education Ape - YouTube
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Big Education Ape - YouTube: - 1. [image: Thumbnail] StudentsFirst.org - Michelle Rhee Answers Your Questions: Teaching to the Test, Value-Addedstudentsfirst 992 views Jersey Jazzman: Rhee Gets Drill & Kill Wrong Jersey Jazzman: Rhee Gets Drill & Kill Wrong: Rhee Gets Drill & Kill Wrongby DukeI wrote earlier this week about the drubbing Michelle Rhee got on the BBC from the British teachers union leader, Mary Bousted.One of the difficulties in debating Rhee is that when she opens her mouth and the spin co... posted on June 2... more »
Want to Teach Kids to Code? Send 'Em to a 'Hack Jam' - Education - GOOD
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Want to Teach Kids to Code? Send 'Em to a 'Hack Jam' - Education - GOOD: Want to Teach Kids to Code? Send 'Em to a 'Hack Jam' by Liz Dwyer Popout We know that if we want kids to be more than consumers of technology, we have to give them the tools they need to build things themselves—and that means teaching them coding. But if most schools aren't actually teaching coding to kids, how are they supposed to learn it? Enter the Hack Jam, a fun way to make digital literacy and hacking accessible, social, and fun. What's it like to be at a Hack Jam? Last Saturday, three members of GOOD's p...more »
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-23-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-16-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-9-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-2-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Axelrod's old firm behind 'Infrastructure Trust', Citibank, and attacks on CTU
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Axelrod's old firm behind 'Infrastructure Trust', Citibank, and attacks on CTU: Axelrod's old firm behind 'Infrastructure Trust', Citibank, and attacks on CTU by Mike Klonsky Obama, Emanuel & AxelrodWell, mercy me! Look who's behind those ads blasting the CTU. Why, it's ASGK Public Strategies and AKPD, David Axelrod's old firms. An embarrassed Axelrod is claiming that he no longer has any connection to the firms since he sold them in 2009, when he became Obama's Senior White House Advisor. But he's still very much connected (the A stands for Axelrod)... more »
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight | Scathing Purple Musings
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight | Scathing Purple Musings: Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight by Bob Sikes From Rhee’s controversial *StudentsFirst *web site: (For background information, please read this recent Tampa Bay Times opinion editorial by speaker-designate Will Weatherford of the Florida House of Representatives where he discusses the importance of accountability and testing.) Florida has led the nation in its efforts to establish strong systems of accountabilit... more »
NEA - Let’s Use Our Power to Make Public Education Stronger, Van Roekel Tells Delegates
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
NEA - Let’s Use Our Power to Make Public Education Stronger, Van Roekel Tells Delegates: Let’s Use Our Power to Make Public Education Stronger, Van Roekel Tells Delegates NEA President Dennis Van Roekel opened the 2012 NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly (RA) by challenging members to stand up for their profession and come together in a united mission to transform America’s public schools into world class institutions of learning. Van Roekel said NEA members realize they can’t set education policy by themselves, but they do have the power to influence it. “You do i... more »
It's Time for an Elected School Board in Chicago
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ-Chicago)—a member of CODE (Communities Organized for Democracy in Education)—put together this radio commercial in response to misinformation being spread by some big money astroturf groups. CODE is a coalition of over a dozen parent, teacher and community groups that seeks to bring an ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE School Board to Chicago. Chicago is the only school in the state of IL which by law cannot elect its own school board. The board is currently made up of appointed elite millionaire bankers and financiers who have not been responsive to the need... more »
From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA. « Fred Klonsky: From Dennis Van Roekel’s speech at the opening session of the NEA RA. JULY 2, 2012 We all know there are plenty of people who are eager to offer advice — or worse, try to impose their ideas on our profession. Bloggers, columnists, elected officials, and self‑proclaimed reformers, they are constantly weighing in about public education. I mean, they have an opinion on everything — the who, the what, the when, the where, and the how — all of that about public education. Always opinions. The “who” th... more »
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Don't Get Caught?: What Message Are We Sending Our Kids?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Don't Get Caught?: What Message Are We Sending Our Kids?: Don't Get Caught?: What Message Are We Sending Our Kids? by Lisa M Every Tuesday I read to 3 and 4 year olds at the day care center across the street from my school. As I picked up one of my enthusiastic charges I noticed the phrase on his t-shirt, "Don't Get Caught!" "Don't Get Caught?" I realized he had no idea what it said, so I left it alone. However, as we sat down to read, the phrase on his shirt picked at me. Negative connotations were the only meaning I could derive from that s... more »
Schools Matter: Democrats for Neoliberal Education Reform's Gloria J. Romero's Parent Tricker days are numbered
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 38 minutes ago
Schools Matter: Democrats for Neoliberal Education Reform's Gloria J. Romero's Parent Tricker days are numbered: Democrats for Neoliberal Education Reform's Gloria J. Romero's Parent Tricker days are numbered *I think about former Senator Gloria Romero comparing Compton educators to "batterers" and wondered whether the writers of those words ever stop to think about the consequences of their prose. — Martha Infante* [image: Gloria J. Romero, Queen of California School Privatization, head of reactionary DFER, darling of the CCSA.] Photo by Mark Warner (CC BY-SA 2.0) As the DFER vene... more »
The Failed Microsoft Corporate Origins of "Value-Added" Teacher Rankings | K-12 News Network
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The Failed Microsoft Corporate Origins of "Value-Added" Teacher Rankings | K-12 News Network: The Failed Microsoft Corporate Origins of “Value-Added” Teacher Rankings by admin Readers of the Vanity Fair piece highlighting Microsoft’s decade of failure to innovate and resulting loss of market share can’t help but notice the close parallels between that company’s decline and their corporate practice of “stack ranking.” “Stack ranking,” as described in “Microsoft’s Downfall: Inside the Executive E-mails and Cannibalistic Culture That Felled a Software Giant,” is the practice of impo... more »
JFK...the ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of ...
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
[image: abstract blue] *"But the educated citizen knows how much more there is to know. He knows that "knowledge is power," more so today than ever before. He knows that only an educated and informed people will be a free people, that the ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all, and that if we can, as Jefferson put it, "enlighten the people generally ... tyranny and the oppressions of mind and body will vanish, like evil spirits at the dawn of day." And, therefore, the educated citizen has a special obligation to encourage the pursuit of learning, to pro... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State gets NCLB Waiver
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State gets NCLB Waiver: Washington State gets NCLB Waiver by Melissa Westbrook From Ed Week and the NY Times comes word that Washington State, along with Wisconsin, have been granted waivers from some of the most "onerous conditions" of NCLB. That brings the total number of states with waivers up to 26. That's more than half the states and Andy Porter, the dean of U of Penn Graduate School of Education asks, "*The more waivers there are, the less there really is a law, right?"* From the Times: *In exchange for the education waivers... more »
Should schools still be teaching cursive? - California Teachers Association
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Should schools still be teaching cursive? - California Teachers Association: Should schools still be teaching cursive? By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin [image: image] Eldra Avery & Dustin Ellis: contrasting views on cursive Should fancy loops and flowing letters of cursive still be taught to students? Is cursive writing an obsolete skill no longer relevant in today’s technological society? The new Common Core State Standards for English do not require cursive. However, under the new standards, states are allowed to teach cursive if they choose, and California still does. Some states, like ... more »
NEA - NEA executive director calls members ‘social justice patriots’
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
NEA - NEA executive director calls members ‘social justice patriots’: NEA executive director calls members ‘social justice patriots’ Stocks tells educators that organized labor is ‘only effective answer’ to corporate greed WASHINGTON - July 04, 2012 - National Education Association Executive Director John Stocks delivered his first address as executive director of the nation’s largest professional organization. Speaking to the nearly 9,000 delegates at NEA’s annual Representative Assembly, Stocks challenged the educators to become “social justice patriots.” Following are S... more »
Video: Arts Education is essential and builds 21st century skills « Parents Across America
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Video: Arts Education is essential and builds 21st century skills « Parents Across America: Video: Arts Education is essential and builds 21st century skills by leoniehaimson *Hilary Frambes, a PAA member from Ohio, made this video about the importance of arts education, which is being cut from many schools. Please watch and visit her website for more videos and information.*
A MODEST PROPOSAL TO REPLACE LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY - Perdaily.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
A MODEST PROPOSAL TO REPLACE LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY - Perdaily.com: A MODEST PROPOSAL TO REPLACE LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY by Leonard Isenberg [image: Evelyn O' Connor.jpg] *For those of you who haven't as yet realized the national and international character of the well coordinated attack on public education and more specifically teachers, I would suggest you take 14 minutes and watch Evelyn O' Connor's acceptance speech, when she was recently chosen as teacher of the year in Ireland. What you will find is a highly intelligent and courageous teacher putting it a...more »
Biden Calls for an End to the Assault on Educators | NEA Today
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Biden Calls for an End to the Assault on Educators | NEA Today: Biden Calls
for an End to the Assault on Educators July 4, 2012 by twalker Filed under Featured News, Top Stories Leave a Comment [image: Email][image: Share] *By Will Potter* [image: Biden: Romney's assault on teachers] Vice President Joe Biden addressed thousands of educators at the National Education Association’s 150th Annual Meeting on Tuesday, and said that the “full-blown assault” they are experiencing would get much worse under the leadership of Governor Mitt Romney. “My Dad used to say ‘Don’t tell me what you ... more »
Background on Military Naturalization Ceremony at the White House | The White House
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Background on Military Naturalization Ceremony at the White House | The White House: Background on Military Naturalization Ceremony at the White House by The White House WASHINGTON, DC - On July 4, 2012, President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members in the East Room of the White House. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas will present the countries of the candidates for naturalization and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will deliver the oath of allegiance. The audience will be com... more »
Sacramento Press / Organization Wants Schools to take Notice - Seth's Law is in Effect
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Sacramento Press / Organization Wants Schools to take Notice - Seth's Law is in Effect: Organization Wants Schools to take Notice - Seth's Law is in Effect by Ken Pierce Peer-abuse and biased harassment is a problem in the best of schools. Last Sunday, “Seth’s Law” which forces public schools to better enforce existing anti-bullying policies took effect. To those parents whose children were victims of peer abuse-driven bullycide, based on biased harassment, this California law comes too late. However, for those students returning to school in the fall, it will offer them, as well a... more »
More on Memphis: Jim Horn Responds « Diane Ravitch's blog
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
More on Memphis: Jim Horn Responds « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] More on Memphis: Jim Horn Responds by dianerav In my post about the Memphis-Shelby County schools yesterday, I quoted Jim Horn of Schools Matter. Horn was extremely critical of the plan to increase the proportion of students in charters from 4% to 19%, resulting in a $212 transfer of public school funding from the Memphis public schools to private hands. A comment on the web site was highly critical of Horn and said he knew nothing about the plan or its supporters. *As a... more »
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Anniversary of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 | U.S. Department of Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Anniversary of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 | U.S. Department of Education: Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the Anniversary of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 JULY 2, 2012 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov "Forty-eight years ago today, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act states, 'No person in the United States shall, on the basis of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the... more »
Diane Ravitch Gets A Corporate Spin From the Charter Queen | redefinED
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch, please stop distorting the origins of the parent trigger | redefinED: Diane Ravitch, please stop distorting the origins of the parent trigger (THE PARENT TRIGGER IS DISTORTED ENOUGH) By GLORIA ROMERO On JULY 2, 2012 In* EDUCATION REPORTING, GENERAL, CHARTER EMPOWERMENT,PARENTAL DECepTION, FAKE PROGRESSIVES AND ED DEFORM, SCHOOL JACK, UNIONISM* Diane Ravitch, are you listening? This is former state Sen. Gloria Romero calling. I am the author of California’s first Parent Trigger law, the first parent trigger law in the nation. Since I first wrote that law, some 15 other ... more »
RheeFirst! » StudentsFirstNY board members and funders attend Mitt Romney fundraiser at a StudentsFirstNY director’s mansion
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
RheeFirst! » StudentsFirstNY board members and funders attend Mitt Romney fundraiser at a StudentsFirstNY director’s mansion: StudentsFirstNY board members and funders attend Mitt Romney fundraiser at a StudentsFirstNY director’s mansion by admin StudentsFirstNY board member Joel Klein accompanied StudentsFirst funder Rupert Murdoch to a Mitt Romney fundraiser at the home of Ken Langone, a confirmed funder of StudentsFirst and member of the StudentsFirstNY board. StudentsFirst funder Julian Robertson was also in attendance. Written by Maggie Haberman for Politico.com. Read the ... more »
A hollow experience: Computer based learning | Seattle Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
A hollow experience: Computer based learning | Seattle Education: A hollow experience: Computer based learning by seattleducation2011 This article was recently sent to me and provides an excellent description of how much richer the experience is when we interact with other human beings rather than computers. Online learning will be the next big push in our state and there are privatizers waiting in the wings to make their next big fortune off of our children. Dora *Social Networking and Electronic Games – Hollow Victories*by Ted TwietmeyerMost everywhere you go today, you see youn... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July)
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July): Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July) by Melissa Westbrook This is last week of any public meeting for SPS until August. *There are two events this week, both on Tuesday. * First there is a required *public hearing from 4-4:30 p.m.* to hear testimony from the public about raising the amount the district will pay for the Associated Student Body fund. This was previously discussed at Board meetings. I *still* have not heard the explanation as t... more »
Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock | NEA Today
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock | NEA Today: Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock July 2, 2012 by twalker Filed under Must Reads Leave a Comment “It’s clear that Romney is out of touch with the concerns of middle-class families — his education plan ignores what they want and need for their children, and demonstrates total disdain for public schools and educators,” NEA President Dennis Van Roekel writes in Education Week. “When he made a speech about education, Romney blamed teachers but said nothing about any meaningful plan f... more »
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP [image: Convention] *FORWARDED IN AN EMAIL DIRECTED TO THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS CONVENTION 2012 (7/27) - THANK YOU MELODY**Inspired by New Mexico State Audit of Testing**WHEREAS*, the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 increased accountability requirements necessitating an increase in assessments and requirements for disaggregated data; and *WHEREAS*, for nearly a decade, imple... more »
Happy Birthday Diane Ravitch! What A Present You ARE!!!
When Education Reform Gets Personal:Confessions of a Policy-wonk Father (Scott Joftus) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
When Education Reform Gets Personal:Confessions of a Policy-wonk Father (Scott Joftus) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: When Education Reform Gets Personal:Confessions of a Policy-wonk Father (Scott Joftus) by larrycuban *Scott Joftus is the president of the education-consulting firm Cross & Joftus. This article appeared inEducation Next, Summer 2012, Vol. 12(3).* Over more than 20 years in the field of education—including two with Teach For America—I have helped promote state standards, the Common Core, the hiring of teachers with strong content knowledge, lo... more »
Robert Reich (Mitt Romney and the New Gilded Age)
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Robert Reich (Mitt Romney and the New Gilded Age): Mitt Romney and the New Gilded Age SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2012 The election of 2012 raises two perplexing questions. The first is how the GOP could put up someone for president who so brazenly epitomizes the excesses of casino capitalism that have nearly destroyed the economy and overwhelmed our democracy. The second is why the Democrats have failed to point this out. The White House has criticized Mitt Romney for his years at the helm of Bain Capital, pointing to a deal that led to the bankruptcy of GS Technologies, a Bain investment... more »
Privatizing Public Education, Higher Ed Policy, and Teachers - Alec Exposed
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Privatizing Public Education, Higher Ed Policy, and Teachers - Alec Exposed: Privatizing Public Education, Higher Ed Policy, and Teachers Increasing Profits for School Companies, Undermining Teachers, and Promoting "Conservatives" on Campus [image: Privatizing Public Education, Higher Ed Policy, and Teachers] *This page reveals how ALEC bills would privatize public education, crush teacher's unions, and push American universities to the right.* Among other things, these bills make education a private commodity rather than a public good, and reverse America’s modern innovation of p... more »
Jack Hassard: The National Science Teachers Association Takes on the NextGen Science Standards - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Jack Hassard: The National Science Teachers Association Takes on the NextGen Science Standards - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: [image: Living in Dialogue] Anthony Cody Anthony Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high needs middle school. He is National Board certified, and now leads workshops with teachers focused on Project Based Learning. With education at a crossroads, he invites you to join him in a dialogue on education reform and teaching for change and deep learning. For additional information on Cody's work, vi... more »
School Tech Connect: In Case You Missed The Veteran
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
School Tech Connect: In Case You Missed The Veteran: In Case You Missed The Veteran by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) I hate to be Mr. LazyBlogger just posting videos, but here's a veteran who I guess got an answer from Mitt Romney. Popout I'm so with the veteran on this one. Bittersweet Jubilation by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Really? I once added my name to United Opt Out's mailing list--- does that make me a member? I don't know. Am I a party to the eradication threat now? Will I have to do the bittersweet jubilation dance when it's all over? I see Fred's already cove... more »
Big Education Ape - YouTube
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Big Education Ape - YouTube: - 1. [image: Thumbnail] StudentsFirst.org - Michelle Rhee Answers Your Questions: Teaching to the Test, Value-Addedstudentsfirst 992 views Jersey Jazzman: Rhee Gets Drill & Kill Wrong Jersey Jazzman: Rhee Gets Drill & Kill Wrong: Rhee Gets Drill & Kill Wrongby DukeI wrote earlier this week about the drubbing Michelle Rhee got on the BBC from the British teachers union leader, Mary Bousted.One of the difficulties in debating Rhee is that when she opens her mouth and the spin co... posted on June 2... more »
Want to Teach Kids to Code? Send 'Em to a 'Hack Jam' - Education - GOOD
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Want to Teach Kids to Code? Send 'Em to a 'Hack Jam' - Education - GOOD: Want to Teach Kids to Code? Send 'Em to a 'Hack Jam' by Liz Dwyer Popout We know that if we want kids to be more than consumers of technology, we have to give them the tools they need to build things themselves—and that means teaching them coding. But if most schools aren't actually teaching coding to kids, how are they supposed to learn it? Enter the Hack Jam, a fun way to make digital literacy and hacking accessible, social, and fun. What's it like to be at a Hack Jam? Last Saturday, three members of GOOD's p...more »
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-23-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-16-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-9-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-2-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post