Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 8-15 AM Posts #soschat #edreform



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

Happy Birthday Woodstock

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago
*The Woodstock Festival of 1969* *Historical Importance of the Woodstock Festival of 1969:* The Woodstock Festival was a three-day concert (which rolled into a fourth day) that involved lots of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll - plus a lot of mud. The Woodstock Music Festival of 1969 has become an icon of the 1960s hippie counterculture. *Dates:* August 15-18, 1969 *Location:* Max Yasgur's dairy farm in the town of Bethel (outside of White Lake, New York) *Also Known As:* Woodstock Music Festival; An Aquarian Exposition: Three Days of Peace and Music *Overview of the Woodstock Festival... more »

Shanker Blog » Common Core Opens The Second Front In The Reading Wars

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago
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 »

Privatization of Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 minutes ago
Privatization of Public Education: Privatization of Public Education In the United States, we have prided ourselves for generations on a system of public education that has been envied by nations all over the world. Public schools are publicly funded, universally available, and accountable to the public. Today there are myriad attacks on the public in public education. *NEW IN AUGUST 2012:* As the school year begins, Justice & Witness Ministries creates a resource to comment from the point of view of the church on the conditions in public schools and public school reform. In y... more »

NYC Educator: The TCRWP; Or, How Bad Ideas Survive Even When You Try to Squash Them

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
NYC Educator: The TCRWP; Or, How Bad Ideas Survive Even When You Try to Squash Them: The TCRWP; Or, How Bad Ideas Survive Even When You Try to Squash Them by Miss Eyre As some of my regular readers may know, I have no great love for the Teachers' College Reading and Writing Project; or, more accurately, how the TCRWP tends to get implemented in the city schools. It has some fine ideas in theory, and it may be appropriate in some settings, but with the populations that most of us tend to teach, it's like giving a violin player a tuba. So I read, with something like horror, that th... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Ryan & Rhee: Phonies Only a Pundit Could Love

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago
Jersey Jazzman: Ryan & Rhee: Phonies Only a Pundit Could Love: Ryan & Rhee: Phonies Only a Pundit Could Love by Duke Whatever your feelings about Paul Ryan, I'm going to ask you to read what Paul Krugman says here with some detachment. Because he's making a brilliant point about our nation's current education debate - without even mentioning it: So, let me clarify what I believe is really going on in the choice of Paul Ryan as VP nominee. It is not about satisfying the conservative base, which was motivated anyway by Obama-hatred; it is not about refocusing on the issues, because... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Unpacking the Standards

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 51 minutes ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Unpacking the Standards: Unpacking the Standards by Anngie Many teachers across the state have just spent hours "unpacking" new standards for their classes this year. This is the process where they take the language in the standard and try, as a coordinated group, to decide what specific skill set it it meant to refer to and how, using the resources they have, they will teach it to their classes. Teachers are used to doing this. Unless a district has adopted a new textbook method, like Everyday Math, unpacking the standards is usually not difficult an... more »

Gerald Coles: KIPP Schools: Power over Evidence - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 51 minutes ago
Gerald Coles: KIPP Schools: Power over Evidence - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Gerald Coles: KIPP Schools: Power over Evidence by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Gerald Coles.* In the debate over charter schools, KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools are hailed by charter advocates as illustrative of what these alternatives to public schools can produce. With KIPP, poverty need not impede academic success. Enroll students from economically impoverished backgrounds in a "no excuses" school like KIPP and their chances of attaining academic success would soar marked... more »

Duncan Announces 2012 Cross-Country Back-to-School Bus Tour | U.S. Department of Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Duncan Announces 2012 Cross-Country Back-to-School Bus Tour | U.S. Department of Education: Duncan Announces 2012 Cross-Country Back-to-School Bus Tour *“Education Drives America” to Spotlight Classroom Success, Link Education and the Economy* AUGUST 15, 2012 *Contact: * (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and senior leaders from the U.S. Department of Education will push the message that “*Education Drives America*” in its third annual back-to-school bus tour this fall. In a series of events from coast-to-coast, Department officials will highlight... more »

UPDATE: Chilean Students Occupy High Schools « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Chilean Students Occupy High Schools « Student Activism: Eight Things I Remembered At #HereUsNow by Angus Johnston 1. Trust is a risk worth taking. 2. A rough beginning can be a reason for optimism. 3. The people you are in awe of are often in awe of you. 4. Sleeping on a church floor is a beautiful thing. 5. The road is long because it’s supposed to be long. 6. Sharing stories is life-altering. 7. The beloved community exists in a state of constant reinvention. 8. Where the movement is now … is thrilling. Chilean Students Occupy High Schools by Angus Johnston Chilean student activi... more »

Activists Warn of Possible Dangers of Deferred Action in Video - Hispanically Speaking News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
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 »

Because A Few Parents Beat Their Kids, None Should Have Choice? - Caffeinated Thoughts

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Because A Few Parents Beat Their Kids, None Should Have Choice? - Caffeinated Thoughts: Because A Few Parents Beat Their Kids, None Should Have Choice? Shane Vander Hart | August 14, 2012 | 1 Comment [image: john-white1] John White Louisiana State Superintendent of Education I wrote about this earlier today on another blog, but wanted to expand my comments here. Over the weekend Diane Ravitch, defender of public teachers and public education everywhere, responded to the statement that the Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, John White, made defending that state’s voucher p... more »

UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-15-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
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 »

UPDATE: Who us? Vallas and illegal Bridgeport Board of Education trumpet their commitment to “process.” - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Who us? Vallas and illegal Bridgeport Board of Education trumpet their commitment to “process.” - Wait, What?: The Bizarre and Upside Down World of Education Reform by jonpelto When it comes to Connecticut government and politics, the term “Local Control” is the closest we come to the notion that some concepts are so sacred that it would be more accurate if we simply referred to them as “the word of God,” and called it a day. While reasonable people might *secretly* discuss the negative impact Connecticut’s absurdly small geo-political units (read cities and towns) have on racia... more »

An Ominous Political Trend for Common Core'ites :: Frederick M. Hess

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
An Ominous Political Trend for Common Core'ites :: Frederick M. Hess: An Ominous Political Trend for Common Core'ites *by Frederick M. Hess • Aug 15, 2012 at 7:24 am Cross-posted from Education Week* Print Send RSS [image: Share] Share When it comes to the Common Core, I see great potential value in states choosing to embrace common, high-caliber reading and math standards, if these are implemented with conviction and attention to how they will interact with current reforms. That said, seems to me there's a huge chance that the whole exercise will go south, with many states imple... more »

A new way to evaluate teachers — by teachers - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
A new way to evaluate teachers — by teachers - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: A new way to evaluate teachers — by teachers By Valerie Strauss This *was written by Stanford University Education Profession Linda Darling-Hammond, who directs the Stanford University Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and was founding director of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. A former president of the American Educational Research Association, Darling-Hammond focuses her research, teaching, and policy work on issues of school restructuring, teacher quality... more »

Tamien residents object to plans for Rocketship school; county school board puts off decision on zoning exemption - Inside Bay Area

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Tamien residents object to plans for Rocketship school; county school board puts off decision on zoning exemption - Inside Bay Area: Tamien residents object to plans for Rocketship school; county school board puts off decision on zoning exemption By Sharon Noguchi snoguchi@mercurynews.com Posted: 08/14/2012 05:39:03 PM PDT [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Rocketship, the darling of the national charter movement, hit a speed bump Tuesday in its quest to open more schools that serve low-income, disadvantaged children. The Santa Clara County Board of Educa... more »

Give parents and students a voice in teacher evaluations | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Give parents and students a voice in teacher evaluations | EdSource Today: Give parents and students a voice in teacher evaluations ** August 15th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Liz Guillen and Rev. Dr. H. James Hopkins Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services [image: Liz Guillen] Liz Guillen On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee will decide the fate of AB 5, a long overdue legislative proposal to reform California’s dysfunctional teacher evaluation system. Unless significant amendments are added to include the voices of stud... more »

The Future of Parent Trigger in the Florida Senate | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The Future of Parent Trigger in the Florida Senate | Scathing Purple Musings: The Future of Parent Trigger in the Florida Senate by Bob Sikes In short, the cash and electioneering from Michelle Rhee, for-profit charter schools, ed privatization PACs and the RPOF didn’t help Parent Trigger in Democrat state senate races, but may have in Republican ones. For the opponents of parent trigger who helped defeat it last March, the expected victory’s by former representatives to the senate, John Legg and Kelli Stargel, will be grudgingly recognized as unwavering votes for the charter sch... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: A great Parent-Trigger Fact Sheet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: A great Parent-Trigger Fact Sheet: A great Parent-Trigger Fact Sheet by Mike Klonsky Re-posted from Parents Across America's Blog Researched by Caroline Grannan, San Francisco Parents Across America founding member 1. There have been no successful parent triggers anywhere. Only two parent triggers have been attempted, both in Southern California. [i] 2. The organization that created the parent trigger, Parent Revolution, organized both of those campaigns.[ii] 3. Parent Revolution has been inaccurately described as “grassroots” and as founded ... more »

The Civic Committee’s Ty Fahner: “It would border on the criminal if they did this in the private sector.” « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The Civic Committee’s Ty Fahner: “It would border on the criminal if they did this in the private sector.” « Fred Klonsky: The Civic Committee’s Ty Fahner: “It would border on the criminal if they did this in the private sector.” by Fred Klonsky A reminder from Tim Furman: Popout The in box. “Governor Quinn. Leave the fictional 87-year old retirees alone.” by Fred Klonsky *Leave the fictional 87-year old retirees alone.* *Dear Governor Quinn,* *I just saw you on the news using that word “reform” again. But what really got my attention was I heard you make the claim that a person w... more »

UPDATE: Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: IN THE MAILBOX

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: IN THE MAILBOX: How about a hand for Ga. schools chief Barge -- a Republican by Mike Klonsky BargeGeorgia's school chief *John Barge* has been a loyal Republican -- up 'til now. But Barge is breaking with his own party and with Gov. Deal over the issue of charter schools. AJC reports that Barge will announce his opposition to the proposed charter school amendment to the constitution today, becoming the highest profile Republican to break with his party on the issue. *"I cannot support the creation of a new and costly state bureaucracy that takes away... more »

The Connected Conundrum for Education « My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The Connected Conundrum for Education « My Island View: The Connected Conundrum for Education by tomwhitby Education Secretary Arne Duncan declared August Connected Educator Month. To the delight of many connected educators, this was a validation for much of their time spent and their many accomplishments achieved through the use of technology in general, and using the Internet specifically. Many connected educators have gathered virtually to assemble panels, webinars, podcasts and blog posts about all of the advantages of being a “connected educator” and its possibility of trans... more »

Chile student protesters occupy high schools | World news | guardian.co.uk

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Chile student protesters occupy high schools | World news | guardian.co.uk: Chile student protesters occupy high schools Students want education system taken back from private sector and made affordable to poorer families - Share****104 - - - Email - Associated Press in Santiago - guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 August 2012 23.15 EDT Chilean students set buses on fire in education protest. Link to this video Hundreds of students have occupied high schools and blocked traffic inChile's capital to demand education reform. Police in riot gear evicted students from seve... more »

Chicago Teacher's Union under attack by right wing blitz and astro-turf organizations | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Chicago Teacher's Union under attack by right wing blitz and astro-turf organizations | Dailycensored.com: Chicago Teacher’s Union under attack by right wing blitz and astro-turf organizations by Danny Weil From a Chicago teacher- The profession that I – and thousands of my colleagues and friends have chosen – is being vilified in Chicago, as well as throughout the nation. Well-funded “astroturf” groups have taken out attack ads vs. teachers in Chicago on the radio, and our union is looking for ways to defend us. Please check out the link, distribute to friends and family, and i... more »

Pass / Fail : Public school students enter classrooms with unequal instructional calendars | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Pass / Fail : Public school students enter classrooms with unequal instructional calendars | 89.3 KPCC: Public school students enter classrooms with unequal instructional calendars by By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez [image: President Obama Delivers Commencement Address At Joplin High School] *As the academic year begins, students in the Southland will attend public schools with significantly unequal instructional calendars. Credit: Pool/Getty Images* Students in the Southland may have a hard time lining up summers with their friends, as schools begin the 2012 academic year with extremely lop-... more »

Mind Your Manners and Your Language « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Mind Your Manners and Your Language « Diane Ravitch's blog: Mind Your Manners and Your Language by dianerav This is a site for discussing better education for all. You know that. And you know that I won’t permit comments that are blatantly offensive. I am the judge of what is offensive. It seems that one of my posts, in which a teacher asked whether parents were *always* the best judge of what is best for their children, got published on a home-schooling website. I don’t know which site it was, but for hours I have been receiving offensive comments. Some describe teachers as perve... more »

School Tech Connect: On The Taking of A Mile

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
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 »

Our Children: Arrested Developments | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Our Children: Arrested Developments | The Jose Vilson: Our Children: Arrested Developments by Jose Yesterday, Think Progress reported that administration in Meridian, MS sent children (predominantly special needs and / or Black) to prison for infractions as small as dress code violations. Read: After months of investigation into claims of such a pipeline, the Justice Department released Friday a definitive letter revealing that the Meridian Police Department “automatically arrests all students referred to MPD by the District. The children arrested by MPD are then sent to the Coun... more »

Who Makes the Rules in a Classroom? Seven Ideas about Rule-making. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Who Makes the Rules in a Classroom? Seven Ideas about Rule-making. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Who Makes the Rules in a Classroom? Seven Ideas about Rule-making. by Nancy Flanagan A couple of years ago, I was working as lead facilitator in an e-mentoring program for new teachers. Several recognized teachers from around the nation were contributing their very best "first days" advice for novice teachers--how to set up a classroom for success, selecting activities for the first week of school, common crises, etc. I asked the teachers about classroom rules... more »

GOP House leader to state school chief on charter stand: “Were you lying then or are you lying now?” | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
GOP House leader to state school chief on charter stand: “Were you lying then or are you lying now?” | Get Schooled: GOP House leader to state school chief on charter stand: “Were you lying then or are you lying now?” 8:46 pm August 14, 2012, by Maureen Downey [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] In talking today to my colleagues who cover politics, several felt State Schools Superintendent John Barge would pay a steep political price for *his decision to oppose the Nov. 6th amendment that* would recreate a state commission to approve charter schools. One no... more »

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Is this pimping, or pandering? You decide…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Is this pimping, or pandering? You decide…: Is this pimping, or pandering? You decide… by alicemercer There has been an outbreak of “concern” about the safety of ”children” from adult predators, and those who “turn a blind eye” to such goings on. This comes naturally on the heels of the Penn State atrocities, and those at Miramonte Elementary, but I think there is more at work and this is part of a campaign to undermine teacher dismissal rights and due process. The summer started with an attempt to strip due process rights for teachers to ... more »

L.A. teachers union urges members to ignore performance program - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
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 »

Modern School: Rocketship’s National Plan to Jettison Teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Modern School: Rocketship’s National Plan to Jettison Teachers: Rocketship’s National Plan to Jettison Teachers by Michael Dunn If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true. This common sense adage ought to prevent intelligent people from falling for costly scams. Yet otherwise smart people continue to get suckered at an alarming rate. This is particularly true in politics and education “reform,” where people seem to prefer the fantasy of a quick, magic bullet “fix” to social problems, than having to do a little research or critical analysis to determine if the propos... more »

Modern School: Lower Wages, Less Experience—Charter Schools' Recipe for Success

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
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 »

Present at SXSWedu | SXSWedu.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Present at SXSWedu | SXSWedu.com: Present at SXSWedu Creativity and innovation are driving significant growth in SXSWedu’s passionate audience of education stakeholders and practitioners. We look forward to seeing you at SXSWedu 2013, March 4-7 in Austin, Texas. With the help of the SXSWedu community and the SXSWedu Advisory Board curating programming for 2013, the excitement has just begun. Make plans to join us today! Present at SXSWedu Sessions for SXSWedu 2013 are submitted for consideration via PanelPicker, a robust online submission form for SXSWedu programming suggest... more »

Deferred Action Request Forms Now Available Online - Hispanically Speaking News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
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 »

4th Feminist General Assembly | OccupyWallSt.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
4th Feminist General Assembly | OccupyWallSt.org: 4th Feminist General Assembly by OccupyWallSt *When:* Saturday, August 18, 2012, 2pm - 4pm *(Rain date: Sunday, August 19th, 4 to 6 pm)* *Where:* Harlem Meer, Central Park - 110th St. RSVP on Facebook Women Occupying Wall Street (WOWs) invites you to the 4th Feminist General Assembly (FemGA) on Saturday, August 18th at Harlem Meer from 2 - 4 pm. This month our conversation will focus on the struggles particularly important to people of color. We hope to begin the work of planning actions focused on racial, gender, and economic justi...more »

The in box. “A horrible mistake is being made.” « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
The in box. “A horrible mistake is being made.” « Fred Klonsky: The in box. “A horrible mistake is being made.” by Fred Klonsky *Fred,* *A horrible mistake is being made by We Are One, IEA, IFT, etc.* *Everyone wants to seem reasonable and present a reasonable public image. The danger is in offering what seems reasonable while the offer itself has unintended disastrous consequences.* *4. With a guarantee that the state would pay its portion, the members who are reliant on the pension systems for their retirement security, would offer to help the state by paying more even though the... more »

Louisiana Educator: A Great Monroe News Star Editorial

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: A Great Monroe News Star Editorial: A Great Monroe News Star Editorial *Voucher Program: * * * *“Details to come”* *11:59 PM, Aug. 13, 2012 |* *3 Comments* · Email · Print · Share While no one is certain — because *the state Department of Education will not release its records* — it would appear to the most casual observer that *the state's voucher program was approved "DTC."* That's "*Details To Come."* And those details are so vague that even some members the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, who have rubber stamped approval... more »

A word on behalf of our Public School Instructional Assistants - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
A word on behalf of our Public School Instructional Assistants - Wait, What?: A word on behalf of our Public School Instructional Assistants by jonpelto Every school day, the responsibility for making our schools healthier, safer and better places to learn falls just as heavily on public school instructional assistants as it does on public school teachers and public school administrators. Regardless of whether they are Special Education IAs (providing vital services to one, two, three, four or more special education students) or Traditional IAs (helping teachers prepare and run c... more »

Article Shows Ryan Money Connection to Koch Brothers, Tea Party and Right-Wing « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
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 »

Responding to the Gates Foundation: How Do We Consider Evidence of Learning in Teacher Evaluations? | Impatient Optimists

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Responding to the Gates Foundation: How Do We Consider Evidence of Learning in Teacher Evaluations? | Impatient Optimists: Responding to the Gates Foundation: How Do We Consider Evidence of Learning in Teacher Evaluations? ANTHONY CODY August 08, 2012 *This post originally appears on **Anthony Cody's blog, Living in Dialogue. It is the second post in a weekly series of posts, over five consecutive weeks, between teacherAnthony Cody, and various members of the US education team at the foundation. The first dialogue, between Cody and Irvin Scott, Deputy Director of the College Ready... more »

LET THE CONCESSIONS BEGIN « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
LET THE CONCESSIONS BEGIN « Teachers Fight Back: LET THE CONCESSIONS BEGIN by alkleen The teacher unions and public employee unions in Illinois have started to present retirement concessions to the governor and the General Assembly. A coalition of unions said that workers would consider paying one percent more out of their paycheck towards the retirement fund. Governor Quinn immediately rejected the suggestion and said that it wouldn’t come close to solving the pension problem. What a brilliant move by our pathetic unions. They just sent a message loud and clear to legislators a... more »

Check Out ED’s New Parents & Families Page | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Check Out ED’s New Parents & Families Page | ED.gov Blog: Check Out ED’s New Parents & Families Page Posted on August 14, 2012 by Guest Blogger The Department of Education is proud to announce the launch of a new parent web page that provides resources aimed at parent and family engagement. This new addition to ED’s site is an excellent resource for those interested in learning more and getting involved in their child’s education. To make it even simpler, here’s a list of some of the great things this new page has to offer: *[image: School Crosswalk Sign]1. **On the Blog* **Find... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A strike is avoidable if Rahm "finds" the money

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A strike is avoidable if Rahm "finds" the money: A strike is avoidable if Rahm "finds" the money by Mike Klonsky Google hosted this "fireside chat" with Rahm when he was running for mayor. He easily finds it for corporate cronies Rahm/Brizard have already folded in their attempt to force CPS teachers to work a longer day and year without additional pay. But a settlement in contract negotiations is still problematic and a teachers strike is still possible, especially if Rahm keeps claiming that there's no money for teacher pay increases, as recommende... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, August 14, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *CA STILL HOT* Education Headlines *Tuesday, August 14, 2012* Five school districts place bonds on November ballotFour Kern County school districts have placed general obligation bonds on the Nov. 6 ballot, and one other has placed a parcel tax bond, Kern County Elections Division records show. Fensterwald: Thursday deadline for resolving teacher evaluation billThe Senate Appropriations Committee has given Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes three days to figure out how to pay for and, if possible, mollify critics of his bill to rede... more »

Meet the Dictionary's New Words: F-Bomb, Sexting, Bucket List - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Meet the Dictionary's New Words: F-Bomb, Sexting, Bucket List - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire: Meet the Dictionary's New Words: F-Bomb, Sexting, Bucket List by Jen Doll It's the time of year in which we get new words in the dictionary! Not in our "despicable words" dictionary, to which of course you're welcome to contribute, but in the actual *Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary*. The 2012 update includes a range of new words that you can judge as delightful or reprehensible, including *bucket list*,*mash-up, craft beer, sexting*, and *f-bomb*. (Hm, does this change anythin... more »

Shanker Blog » School Ratings For School Ratings' Sake

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Shanker Blog » School Ratings For School Ratings' Sake: School Grades For School Grades’ Sake by Matthew Di Carlo I have reviewed, albeit superficially, the test-based components of several states’ school rating systems (e.g.,OH, FL, NYC, LA, CO), with a particular focus on the degree to which they are actually measuring student performance (how highly students score), rather than school effectiveness *per se* (whether students are making progress). Both types of measures have a role to play in accountability systems, even if they are often confused or conflated, resulting in wid... more »

I’m wearing black to Springfield as union leadership waves white flag. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
I’m wearing black to Springfield as union leadership waves white flag. « Fred Klonsky: I’m wearing black to Springfield as union leadership waves white flag. by Fred Klonsky “See you in Springfield on Friday. Wearing black?,” asked a retired friend. Yes. Black in mourning at the unions representing state employees and retirees who are waving the white flag of surrender. With lawmakers about to return to Springfield for a one-day session on government employee pension reform, a coalition of unions on Monday for the first time publicly said workers would consider paying more toward ... more »

Before Dropping Algebra, Fix Math Education – SchoolBook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Before Dropping Algebra, Fix Math Education – SchoolBook: *Before Dropping Algebra, Fix Math Education* [image: DESCRIPTION] *A recent opinion essay in The New York Times by Andrew Hacker, asking the question “Is Algebra Necessary?”, drew hundreds of comments. Some of SchoolBook’s contributors went further and have written their own essays in response. What’s your opinion? Respond to our query below. (We would especially love to hear from students or recent graduates.)* As a parent with three children rising through New York City public schools, I’m sympathetic to the argument by ... more »

The Death of the Urban Comprehensive High School? - Dana Goldstein

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Death of the Urban Comprehensive High School? - Dana Goldstein: The Death of the Urban Comprehensive High School? by Dana Goldstein Head to The Daily Beast to read my review of Michael Brook's new book, *Saving the School*, which does important work capturing this particular moment in national education reform, when so many urban neighborhood high schools are at risk of closure: Brick, who worked for *The* *New York Times*, spent a year embedded at John H. Reagan High School in “the Two-Three,” a poor neighborhood on the eastside of Austin, Texas, known for tensions between bl... more »





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