Big Education Ape 2nd Banana
Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Breaking: Students occupying Social Justice High School. « Fred Klonsky: Breaking: Students occupying Social Justice Hight School. by Fred Klonsky Breaking: *On the morning of Wed. Aug. 15th 2012, students began occupying the hallways of Social Justice HS in protest of the firing of a popular interim principal and other staff including a clerk who is a military veteran and a new mother. More to come soon.* *-Adam Heenan* Popout
Modern School: Lower Wages, Less Experience—Charter Schools' Recipe for Success: Lower Wages, Less Experience—Charter Schools' Recipe for Success by Michael Dunn By now most of the public ought to be aware that charter schools receive public money, like traditional public schools, but are freed from many of the rules that traditional schools must follow, including the hiring of unionized teachers and paying union wages. Many charter schools also ignore seniority and hire predominantly young, malleable and lower waged novices. These are just some of the labor cost cutting strategie... more »
Teachers unions blast Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan, calling it 'the most out-of-touch ticket in decades' | MLive.com: Teachers unions blast Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan, calling it 'the most out-of-touch ticket in decades' [image: Aft support.jpg]Dave Murray | MLive.comAmerican Federation of Teachers members loudly supported the Obama-Biden ticket during the vice president's appearance at the AFT convention in Detroit last month. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Teachers union leaders blasted Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate, saying that tapping the Wisc... more »
Popular Khan Academy draws criticism for first time - San Jose Mercury News: Popular Khan Academy draws criticism for first time By Sharon Noguchi snoguchi@mercurynews.com Posted: 08/10/2012 07:23:36 PM PDT Updated: 08/10/2012 07:23:37 PM PDT In the past year, education-reform icon Sal Khan has been lauded by Bill Gates as the "teacher to the world" and has been listed among Time magazine's 100 most influential people. His Silicon Valley-based Khan Academy posts free videos -- most of which star Khan himself -- and offers accompanying questions on everything from addition to c... more »
When the Common Core=Teaching Reading Strategies 2.0 « The Core Knowledge Blog: When the Common Core=Teaching Reading Strategies 2.0by Rachel Levy *August 17th, 2012* Tags: Common Core State Standards, Literacy, reading strategies, Teaching Posted in Education Practice | No Comments » According to its advocates, the Common Core Standards will usher in an era of equal opportunity to higher quality education via better, richer, and more career and college relevant standards. But if the account presented in this post on Education Sector’s *The Quick & The Ed* is any indication, I fear ... more »
Vouchering an Educational Adventure | Dissident Voice: Vouchering an Educational Adventure by Walter Brasch I hadn’t talked with Marshbaum for a couple of years, ever since he left newspaper journalism for more lucrative work in the fast food industry. But here he was in my office to ask if I would publicize his new educational adventure. “That’s great!” I said. “You’re finishing the last three years of college.” “I own the school. CEO of Little Minds Charter and Voucher Corp. We’re on the leading edge of the trend to privatize schools.” “How does mumbling into a broken speaker box m... more »
Troubled Oakland school padded enrollment, district finds | California Watch: Troubled Oakland school padded enrollment, district finds Will Evans Michael Short/California Watch St. Andrew pastor Robert Lacy and son Robert Lacy Jr. declined to speak with reporters outside a June school board meeting A controversial West Oakland private school, now reportedly drawing FBI scrutiny, has padded its roster sheets with public school students, according to an Oakland Unified School District investigation. The district's inquiry aims to determine whether leaders at St. Andrew Missionary B... more »
Ed Tech Task Force Recommendations - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): Modern Technology a Major Tool in Preparing Students for the Future, Educators and Other Experts Say *"Education Technology Task Force" Submits Recommendations to State Schools Chief* **SACRAMENTO—Rather than seeing smart phones and other electronic devices as barriers to learning, educators should be using them as central tools in preparing students for the careers of the 21st century economy, according to a new report that teachers and other education experts prepared for State Superintendent of Public Instru... more »
ALEC's Annual Conference and OccupySLC's ALEC Welcoming Committee - Days 2 and 3 | MyFDL: ALEC’s Annual Conference and OccupySLC’s ALEC Welcoming Committee – Days 2 and 3By: pastfedup Wednesday August 15, 2012 1:31 pm [image: Tweet]Tweet [image: digg] [image: stumbleupon] [image: alec poster.1]Picking up where I left off last post, Day 2 of protesting ALEC in Salt Lake City was a bit quieter than Monday, primarily because July 24th is a very important holiday in Utah. That day, called Pioneer Day, commemorates Brigham Young’s arrival into the Salt Lake valley in 1847; and as ... more »
Healthy Steps for Healthy Lives Offers Free Instructional Materials for Nutrition Education — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Healthy Steps for Healthy Lives Offers Free Instructional Materials for Nutrition Education August 15, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents between the ages of 2–19 are obese in the U.S., and the global prevalence of obesity related diseases among adolescents continues to be a growing concern amongst healthcare professio... more »
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Which Public Services Should Have a “Trigger”? by dianerav What other public services might be subject to a “trigger” law? Should 51% of the tenants of a public housing project have the authority to seize control and hand the property over to a private management company? Should 51% of the patrons of a public library have the authority to seize control and privatize it if they don’t like the staff’s efficiency? Should 51% of the riders on a public bus have the power to seize control of the bus and privatize it... more »
Shanker Blog » Common Core Opens The Second Front In The Reading Wars: Common Core Opens The Second Front In The Reading Wars by Kathleen Porter-Magee *Our guest author today is Kathleen Porter-Magee, Bernard Lee Schwartz policy fellow and editor of the Common Core Watch blog at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Previously, Ms. Porter-Magee served as both a middle and high school teacher, as well as the curriculum and professional development director for a network of public charter schools.* Up until now, the Common Core ELA standards were considered path-breaking mostly because o... more »
Activists Warn of Possible Dangers of Deferred Action in Video - Hispanically Speaking News: Activists Warn of Possible Dangers of Deferred Action in Video Published at 7:08 am EST, August 15, 2012 [image: Activists Warn of Possible Dangers of Deferred Action in Video] Photo: Still from the video Click Here to Enlarge Photo A group of pro-immigrant activists in Chicago on Tuesday released an informational video warning about the possible dangers of deferred action, which on Wednesday will begin to register undocumented young people who want to try and postpone deportation. The video,... more »
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] RTTT: More Lipstick on a Pig? by dianerav Larry Ferlazzo notes that the latest requirements for Race to the Top is just more lipstick on a pig. By which, he means that when RTTT refers to “personalized learning,” what it really means is using online learning for adaptive testing. That’s pretty much what the hawkers of technology mean too. But teachers had something else in mind, something that would encourage students to explore and think and make their own decisions, not just answer test questions. Is This... more »
School Tech Connect: On The Taking of A Mile: On The Taking of A Mile *What..... .....Really?* I'm supposed to be getting ready for bed.... but after reading this letter by the great Ken Previti over at the Mothership, I'm too agitated. Ken makes the point that the history of pension systems is full of examples of miles being taken after inches were conceded. In fact, it's the conceding of the inches that appears to green light court rulings in favor of pension-raids that should have been plainly illegal. He's recommending a terrific book called *Retirement Heist* by Ellen E. Shul... more »
L.A. teachers union urges members to ignore performance program - latimes.com: L.A. teachers union urges members to ignore performance program As L.A. Unified reopened for the new school year Tuesday, the teachers' union is urging its members not to participate in a voluntary performance review program that ties student test scores to teacher evaluations. In a recorded back-to-school message sent Monday evening to 38,000 teachers and healthcare service professionals, Warren Fletcher, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, told members he "strongly advises" them to reject distri... more »
Deferred Action Request Forms Now Available Online - Hispanically Speaking News: Deferred Action Request Forms Now Available Online [image: Deferred Action Request Forms Now Available Online]Earlier this afternoon, the Department of Homeland Security officially released the forms to request deferred action that may be filed by undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as children and meet various other requirements. Beginning tomorrow, August 15, applicants may mail their requests to specified facilities maintained by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an ... more »
Article Shows Ryan Money Connection to Koch Brothers, Tea Party and Right-Wing « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Article Shows Ryan Money Connection to Koch Brothers, Tea Party and Right-Wing by millerlf *Ryan Has Kept Close Ties to Donors on the Right* *By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE* August 13, 2012 NY Times This month, as a handful of Republicans auditioned at town halls and on bus tours to be Mitt Romney’s running mate, Representative Paul D. Ryan joined a private conference call. For 20 minutes, he walked through his plan to cut government spending and bashed President Ob... more »
Schools Matter: The Walmart Model for Education: The Walmart Model for Education by Judy Rabin *In These Times* Wamart, Right-Wing Media Company Hold Star-Studded Benefit Promoting Education Reform Film by Josh Eidelson (My bolds) Asked over e-mail how AFG expected *Won't Back Down* to influence education policy debates, Weil said the movie "explores many different approaches to issues that parents face every day as they selflessly advocate for their children to receive the promise of a great education." Weil adds that the film does not "advocate any specific approach," and that... more »
California's Prop. 32 would be Citizens United on steroids - The Hill's Congress Blog: California's Prop. 32 would be Citizens United on steroids By John Logan, professor, San Francisco State University - 08/14/12 07:57 AM ET Conservative activists in California are promoting a deceptive ballot proposition that would increase the ability of business groups and billionaires to dominate state elections. The measure, Proposition 32, claims to be an even-handed effort at campaign finance reform – but nothing could be further from the truth. Prop. 32 (or “Stop Special Interest Money... more »
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] For-Profit Charter Chains Pour Money into Florida State Senate Races by dianerav Coach Sikes, our reliable Florida informant, describes how that state’s for-profit charter chains are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into four key races for the state senate. This past spring, the state senate deadlocked on a 20-20 vote and did not pass a parent trigger law supported by Why Is K12 Online Corp. Advertising on Kansas TV? by dianerav David Reber is a teacher in Kansas who happens to be a terrific writer.... more »
Time to Speak Out and Act Up for Teachers and Public Schools « Diane Ravitch's blog: Time to Speak Out and Act Up for Teachers and Public Schools by dianerav [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Teachers and parents often ask me: What can I do? How can I stop the attacks on teachers, on their unions, on public schools? Here is one way: Tomorrow night there will be an event called “Teachers Rock” to promote a film that is anti-teacher, anti-union and anti-public schools. Let the stars involved in “Teachers Rock” know that the film they are promoting is NOT pro-teach... more »
Jersey Jazzman: "Teachers Rock 2012": An Insult To Teachers: "Teachers Rock 2012": An Insult To Teachers by Duke Tomorrow there will be a concert in Los Angeles called "Teachers Rock 2012." Portions will be broadcast on CBS this Friday. *The entire thing is an insult to teachers.* No one who cares at all about teachers should watch, and *we should all be demanding that the stars who have aligned themselves with this thing immediately pull out and disavow any connection to it.* Here's why: - "Teachers Rock 2012" is a promotional scheme for the upcoming anti-teacher movie, *Won't... more »
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Its Hot in California* Education Headlines *Monday, August 13, 2012* East Bay school bans social media in student campaignsAlthough technology is king on campuses these days, student government campaigns at Heritage High are strictly old-school. Leading up to this week's election of freshman class officers, candidates put up all the usual posters and handed out fliers around the Brentwood campus, but one communications tool was missing: social media. No Twitter. No Facebook. No Instagram. Baldwin Park Unified celebrates completi... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Befuddled Thinking On Teachers Unions: Befuddled Thinking On Teachers Unions by Duke Usually, I like Bob Braun of the *Star-Ledger*. He did some stellar work on Education Commissioner Chris Cerf'ssecret deals and shifting stories right after Cerf took office. He's called Governor Chris Christie out on much of his teacher-bashing nonsense. Braun also got Chris Cerf to admit that student characteristics were an important part of "successful" charter schools' achievements (an inconvenient truth Cerf tries to ignore whenever he can). So it's a shame to see Braun take... more
Jay Matthews Slams D.C. Cheating Investigation « Diane Ravitch's blog: Jay Matthews Slams D.C. Cheating Investigation by dianerav [image: Class Struggle] Jay Matthews does not believe the investigation of the DC cheating scandal is credible. The DC Inspector General concluded that nothing much happened. He confined his investigation to one school only. He didn’t investigate any other schools. Matthews writes: *Now we know who did it. D.C. Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby has concluded his 16-month probe of cheating on the D.C. schools’ annual tests by saying that kids, no... more »
Dear Carmelo Anthony, Because It’s That Necessary [From a Knicks Fan] | The Jose Vilson: Dear Carmelo Anthony, Because It’s That Necessary [From a Knicks Fan] by Jose Dear Carmelo Anthony, Let’s start out with the easy stuff. Congratulations on another gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. You impressed us with your usual array of offensive weapons, specifically the hot 3-point shooting. At some points, it really seemed like you flicked the ball off your fingers and it would still go in. You seem to thrive in international play, impressing the world in the 2006 World Champio... more »
Student Power Convergence 2012: *EMAIL: **info@studentpower2012.org* *WHAT: Press Conference to Reclaim Voice* *WHEN: Monday, August 13th at 1:00PM EST* *WHERE: 1570 N. High St., Suite C10 Columbus, OH* ** *STUDENTS CONVERGE AT OBAMA OFFICE TO RECLAIM VOICE* * * * * ** COLUMBUS, Ohio – Students from across the United States are gathering this week at Ohio State University for the National Student Power Convergence 2012, mobilizing for a new wave of student organizing and action. Against the backdrop of the upcoming elections, discontent among students is rising. We are aware that ne... more »
Comics Journalism Takes on Education Reform | Graphic Novel Reporter: Comics Journalism Takes on Education Reform *This interview was conducted by Doré Ripley, a lecturer at Cal State East Bay and an adjunct professor at Diablo Valley College. She specializes in intensive writing. You can visit her on the web at* www.RipleyOnline.com. ------------------------------ We hear it on the television news, radio talk shows, and the internet: America’s public education system is failing. At least that’s what the media wants you to believe. In fact, American school children are doing better... more »
Ms. Rhee never built a consensus - The Washington Post: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s missing consensus - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - E-mail - Reprints Published: August 8 Richard Whitmire’s Aug. 5 Local Opinions piece expressing nostalgia for former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee [“What if Rhee had stayed?”] missed the point, which should be a lesson for all school leaders. Whatever opinions one might have about Ms. Rhee’s impact, she unnecessarily created the dynamics of her own demise. Mr. Whitmire suggested that “kind... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup: Education News Roundup by Melissa Westbrook I bookmark many education stories but wait until I have a mass and/or time to post them. First, up worry over teachers labeled "*highly qualified"* teaching Special Ed students. This story comes from the Special Ed section at Ed Week. *Earlier this year, the Senate merely left the door open to extending a provision that allows teachers still working on their certification to be considered "highly qualified"—a designation created by 2001's No Child Left Behind law. The law says t... more »
Founding Mothers!~ « Deborah Meier on Education: Founding Mothers!~ by debmeier …and others. It’s the title of an old book edited by Alan Sadovnik and Susan Semel on the women who came before us in education (Palgrave, 2002. What a crew! Each chapter is written by a different author, and between them they cover Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Marietta Johnson, Caroline Pratt, Margaret Willis, Margaret Haley, Elsa Flagg Young and many more. Willis was a name I didn’t remember and ended up feeling the closest to. She saw the Ohio University lab school as a place to explore “democracy as a... more »
Teachers unions blast Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan, calling it 'the most out-of-touch ticket in decades' | MLive.com: Teachers unions blast Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan, calling it 'the most out-of-touch ticket in decades' [image: Aft support.jpg]Dave Murray | MLive.comAmerican Federation of Teachers members loudly supported the Obama-Biden ticket during the vice president's appearance at the AFT convention in Detroit last month. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Teachers union leaders blasted Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate, saying that tapping the Wisc... more »
House Budget Forces Deeper Cuts to Child Tax Credit, Child Care, and Child Welfare | First Focus: [image: First Focus - Making Childen and Families the Priority] House Budget Forces Deeper Cuts to Child Tax Credit, Child Care, and Child Welfare FACT SHEETS Search resources April 20, 2012 By Megan Curran Download this Resource The House federal fiscal year 2013 budget resolutions requires congressional committees with jurisdiction over critical investments in children to make deep budget cuts. The House Ways and Means Committee passed the required budget "reconciliation" legislation ... more »
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-11-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-4-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post