James Baldwin said it best:
"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."
A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst Has Made Campaign Contributions to 12 Florida Legislators and One Curious 527 | Scathing Purple Musings
Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst Has Made Campaign Contributions to 12 Florida Legislators and One Curious 527 | Scathing Purple Musings: Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst Has Made Campaign Contributions to 12 Florida Legislators and One Curious 527 by Bob Sikes The kerfuffle caused by Michelle Rhee’s Florida reps call for Astroturf commenting in blogs isn’t the only activity by her empire. Rhee’s StudentsFirst made 12 different $500 contributions to Florida legislators during a period which began 11/18/2011 an ended on 1/12/2012 before the last legislative session. Save democrat senato... more »
Schools Matter: Taxpayer money to be paid to College Board
Schools Matter: Taxpayer money to be paid to College Board: Taxpayer money to be paid to College Board Arne Duncan has announced that the US Department of Education will provide $21.5 million to high poverty students to pay fees for taking AP tests. In other words, $21.5 million of taxpayer money will be handed over to the College Board (new president, David Coleman, a major architect of the Common Core, a huge boondoggle for testing and computer companies). Duncan clearly thinks this is a better investment than expanding free/reduced meal programs, improved health care for childr... more »
LAUSD to begin phasing in Common Core curriculum standards - LA Daily News
LAUSD to begin phasing in Common Core curriculum standards - LA Daily News: LAUSD to begin phasing in Common Core curriculum standards By Barbara Jones Staff Writer Posted: 08/04/2012 01:44:53 PM PDT Updated: 08/04/2012 02:37:42 PM PDT If you are having trouble, download the Flash® player. The way that teachers teach and students learn is about to undergo a radical transformation at school districts nationwide. Students will start learning basic algebra and geometry skills in kindergarten. Multiple-choice tests will be replaced with complex essays, taken and scored by computer. A... more »
At the SOS conference: Talking about reform. « Fred Klonsky
At the SOS conference: Talking about reform. « Fred Klonsky: At the SOS conference: Talking about reform. by Fred Klonsky *The following is part of my presentation on the panel on union voice at the Save Our School conference this weekend in DC:* In 2009, to qualify for Race to the Top, Illinois Governor Quinn established a committee to create the state’s application. In charge of that committee was the newly hired Executive Director of the IEA, Audrey Soglin. Soglin had been hired as IEA Executive Director to replace her mentor Jo Anderson, who had gone to Washington as Arne Dunca... more »
Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky
Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky I’m in DC this Saturday morning. Coffee at the Wardman Park Hotel. A plaque by my hotel elevator says that one day in 1925 the poet Vachel Lindsay was dining in the hotel restaurant. A African American working as a bus boy handed him some copies of his poems. Lindsay, impressed with the quality of the work, passed the work on. The African American working as a bus boy was Langston Hughes. I’m attending and speaking on a panel for Save Our Schools, an organization of teachers, educators, parents and education activists.... more »
Law schools revenues soar as they take in millions from tuition and fees, as supply exceeds demand | OregonLive.com
Law schools revenues soar as they take in millions from tuition and fees, as supply exceeds demand | OregonLive.com: Law schools revenues soar as they take in millions from tuition and fees, as supply exceeds demand by Jeff Manning, The Oregonian [image: tom9.JPG]View full sizeTom Borton followed his father into the law. His dad came out with little if any debt. Borton owes $136,000. He feels lucky to be practicing law. The Metropolitan Public Defender's Office attorney intends to stay in public service, despite the modest salary, in order to get some of his debt forgiven. America... more »
Chilean students have taken over schools and city streets in the largest protests the country has seen in decades for free education | Dailycensored.com
Chilean students have taken over schools and city streets in the largest protests the country has seen in decades for free education | Dailycensored.com: Chilean students have taken over schools and city streets in the largest protests the country has seen in decades for free education by Danny Weil In a lesson that should be learned here in the US, Chilean students have taken over schools and city streets in the largest protests the country has seen in decades. Chile suffered under the neo-liberal economics of Milton Friedman carried out by the brutal Chilean dictator Augustus ... more »
Right-Wing Alert: “American Federation for Children” Funding Democrats for Education Privatization « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
Right-Wing Alert: “American Federation for Children” Funding Democrats for Education Privatization « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Right-Wing Alert: “American Federation for Children” Funding Democrats for Education Privatization by millerlf The American Federation for Children (AFC), led by Betty DeVos, is spending money on Milwaukee’s present legislative races. The American Federation for Children spent $1.5 million helping Republicans during this year’s recall elections. That includes some $900,000 that it spent to help Scott Walker fend off Tom Barrett’s challenge... more »
Happy original long form American birthday President Obama! : blue cheddar
Happy original long form American birthday President Obama! : blue cheddar: Happy original long form American birthday President Obama! August 4, 2012 By bluecheddar [image: Share] Upon the anniversary of the President’s birth, I would like to share an archived video of that occasion: Whenever I see the latest outrageous birther claim I feel glee because 1) those morons ain’t on my side and 2) I feel not one pang of guilt in calling them morons. So it is that today I wish President Barack Obama a
Application for Deferred Action for DREAM-Eligible Immigrants Will Cost $465 | FDL News Desk
Application for Deferred Action for DREAM-Eligible Immigrants Will Cost $465 | FDL News Desk: Application for Deferred Action for DREAM-Eligible Immigrants Will Cost $465 by David Dayen (photo: xomiele / flickr) Despite all the fanfare over the Obama Administration’s announcement of deferred action status for DREAM-eligible youth, it hasn’t actually begun. Eligible applicants must fill out a form to get the deferred action status for themselves, and that process will commence on August 15. And US Citizenship and Immigration Servicesannounced yesterday that the immigrants will have ... more »
The Weekly Update: So much money, so little time, creationism in voucher schools and who’s holding Arne Duncan accountable? | Seattle Education
The Weekly Update: So much money, so little time, creationism in voucher schools and who’s holding Arne Duncan accountable? | Seattle Education: The Weekly Update: So much money, so little time, creationism in voucher schools and who’s holding Arne Duncan accountable? by seattleducation2011 *The Weekly Update for the news you might have missed* President Obama and his Secretary of Education Arne Race-to-the-Top Duncan. Obama has become the darling of a whole new world of financiers and entrepreneurs in education who are making riches off of our educational system with his Secretary o... more »
Under new law, state will send 3.3 times more funds per child to state charter schools than local systems | Get Schooled
Under new law, state will send 3.3 times more funds per child to state charter schools than local systems | Get Schooled: Under new law, state will send 3.3 times more funds per child to state charter schools than local systems by Maureen Downey A rural school chief sent me this note late Friday: I am forwarding to you an email from Herb Garrett at the Georgia School Superintendent’s Association that was sent out today to all Georgia superintendents. Herb explains the financial impact of laws already passed regarding charter schools and the differences in funding between those stu... more »
Jersey Jazzman: NJDOE Is Run Like the CIA
Jersey Jazzman: NJDOE Is Run Like the CIA: NJDOE Is Run Like the CIA by Duke Remember when the NJDOE got caught making secret plans to overturn local control throughout the state? They must be nervous about getting found out again, because they are shutting down access to information any way they can : The plan was for the city’s [Camden's] board of education to begin weighing three proposals for Hope Act schools Wednesday night. But the process was halted when legal and procedural questions were raised. Meeting without their lawyer present, the board balked at going into the f... more »
Bobby Jindal as Director of National Science Foundation? « Diane Ravitch's blog
Bobby Jindal as Director of National Science Foundation? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Bobby Jindal as Director of National Science Foundation? by dianerav A science teacher read the post about the textbooks used in some of Louisiana’s voucher schools. As we know, Governor Jindal is eager to pay public money to send children in Louisiana to religious schools that teach creationism as fact. So is Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who looks to Jindal as an education expert and who praises vouchers for religious schools. The teacher writes: *Hopeful Monster Theory!!!!! Since when is there... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Charters: No Consequences For Failure
Jersey Jazzman: Charters: No Consequences For Failure: Charters: No Consequences For Failure by Duke The justification for closing down public schools and replacing them with charters is that the public schools have tried and failed to serve poor, urban kids, and we have a moral imperative to try something different. The publics had their chance, and they blew it; let's try something new. But what if what we're really doing is trying something old? Three proposals for a Hope Act charter school here were submitted on time Friday. The applications came from KIPP Norcross Cooper Ac... more »
An Urban Teacher's Education: SOS Conference 2012, Day Two Morning
An Urban Teacher's Education: SOS Conference 2012, Day Two Morning: SOS Conference 2012, Day Two Morning by James Boutin Driver takes a question during the opening sessionThis morning began with an address by Shanta Driver, the national director for the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equity *B*y *A*ny *M*eans *N*ecessary - more commonly known as BAMN. Driver talked a lot about her experiences as an attorney and organizer in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. She said that only one-third schools seven years ago are still opera... more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-4-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Another Strong Contender in Teacher Survivor by dianerav Who do you think should be required to teach? We are watching the entries in the teacher survivor contest, and here is another strong contender: *Im a fourth grade teacher in Texas.**My contestants would be George W. Bush, Rick Perry, my micro managing principal, Bill Gates, President Obama, M. Rhee, and Duncan. They would be assigned a fourth grade class in a so called low performing school. Living in the community on a teacher salary would be a must.... more »
This Week's Answer Sheet 8-4-1212 - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post
The Answer Sheet - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] More education jargon and what it really means Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 22 hours ago Here are 10 education terms with definitions that tell you what they really mean to people who use them in our national education conversation. Yesterday I published the first installment of education jargon, written by Joanne Yatvin, a veteran public school educator, author and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. She is now teaching part-t... more »
This Week's Education Research Report 8-4-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Education Research Report: This Week's Education Research Report Students: strong hearts and lungs = better grades Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 20 hours ago *Physically fit boys and girls scored higher on reading and math, research reveals* Having a healthy heart and lungs may be one of the most important factors for middle school students to make good grades in math and reading, according to findings presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention. "Cardiorespiratory fitness was the only factor that we consistently found to have... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Campbell Brown's World Explodes
Jersey Jazzman: Campbell Brown's World Explodes: Campbell Brown's World Explodes by Duke Remember when professional blind squirrel Campbell Brown blamed sexual perversion on unions? By resisting almost any change aimed at improving our public schools, teachers unions have become a ripe target for reformers across the ideological spectrum. Even Hollywood, famously sympathetic to organized labor, has turned on unions with the documentary "Waiting for 'Superman'" (2010) and a feature film, "Won't Back Down," to be released later this year. But perhaps *most damaging to the unions' ... more »
Top Content this Week - 8-4-12 The Educator's PLN
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: What does inclusion look like in your school for the student, the special educator and gen ed teacher?]What does inclusion look like in your school for the student, the special educator and gen ed teacher? Posted by Marcy J. Perry on July 19, 2012 2[image: Engage Me!]Engage Me! Added by Thomas Whitby on August 12, 2011 3[image: #140edu - Alan Weinkrantz talks with #140edu speakers Eric Sheninger and Tom Whitby]#140edu - Alan Weinkrantz talks with #140edu speakers Eric Sheninger and Tom Whitby Added by Thomas Whitby on July 31, 2... more »
BCG report on Philadelphia schools draws mixed reaction - Philly.com
BCG report on Philadelphia schools draws mixed reaction - Philly.com: BCG report on Philadelphia schools draws mixed reaction August 03, 2012|By Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff Writer On the day that the Boston Consulting Group's exhaustive analysis of and recommendations for the troubled Philadelphia School District was made public, reaction was swift, decisive, and divided. "Where do I begin? This is not a love story," teachers union president Jerry Jordan said Thursday. "I think the report shows that BCG has provided some valuable assistance," said Mark Gleason, executive direct... more »
L.A. Community High School Closing: USC Students Launch Indiegogo Campaign To Keep It Open
L.A. Community High School Closing: USC Students Launch Indiegogo Campaign To Keep It Open: L.A. Community High School Closing: USC Students Launch Indiegogo Campaign To Keep It Open **Posted: 08/03/2012 3:31 pm Updated: 08/03/2012 3:31 pm [image: Share on Google+]
Florida’s School Grading System is the Emperor With No Clothes | Scathing Purple Musings
Florida’s School Grading System is the Emperor With No Clothes | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida’s School Grading System is the Emperor With No Clothes by Bob Sikes My Facebook friend and teaching colleague Catherine Martinez tactfully helps me out with editing my blog on occasion. She’s taken up her own pen this morning in a letter to the editor of the *Palm Beach Post*: Let me get this straight: same students, same tests, same scores, different grades (“Recalculation restores school district’s ‘A’ status”). The Palm Beach County School District went from a B to an A without any... more »
Schools Matter: What can we do about the common core?
Schools Matter: What can we do about the common core?: What can we do about the common core? by skrashen Here is the big question: We are forced to teach under the standards. What should we do? We have the responsibility to do our best for our current students, and this takes all our time. Also, many teachers are afraid they will be fired if they ignore the standards in class, and if they speak out against the standards movement. My response; There are two ways we can try to help students survive under the common core, and I am in favor of doing both of them: IMPROVE the curricu... more »
H.R.6230: Grow Your Own Teacher Act - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress
H.R.6230: Grow Your Own Teacher Act - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: H.R.6230 Grow Your Own Teacher Act To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a Federal "Grow Your Own Teacher" program, and for other purposes. H.R.6230 - Grow Your Own Teacher Act To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a Federal "Grow Your Own Teacher" program, and for other purposes. view all titles (2) - Overview - Actions & Votes - News (0) & Blogs (0) - Comments (0) Bill's Views - Today:... more »
School Tech Connect: Save Our Schools
School Tech Connect: Save Our Schools: Save Our Schools by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Here's to a successful People's Education Conference in Our Nation's Capital this weekend. I wanted to attend this event but my body sent me a one-word memo: rest. This SOS group represents in my mind the last bastion of educators willing to speak truth to power. Saying things that are unpopular to say but that are true, calling out lies and distortion, proposing reality-based plans to move forward in our public school systems--- that's what*solution-driven* means to me. Tip o' the hat to... more »
Teachers Don't Suck !: An Interesting Article Referenced on FB
Teachers Don't Suck !: An Interesting Article Referenced on FB: An Interesting Article Referenced on FB by Walt S. *I wonder if the "assignee" will be related* *to politically connected parties?** * *I wonder if Booker, Joe D, Cerf or our Governor fit anywhere into this picture?? * *Just asking !** * *Op-Ed: A Call for Fairness in School Options* *All our children deserve quality schools, and quality education within them * * print | email | share* *By Junius Williams, Esq., August 1, 2012 in Opinion |4 Comments* *In law school, we were taught to evaluate contracts, including leases,... more »
Urban Ed: My Kid; the Born Teacher
Urban Ed: My Kid; the Born Teacher: [image: Urban Ed] My Kid; the Born Teacher *I just wanted to share this completely true story. * So I'm sitting in the theater with my four year old 15 minutes before the movie -Ice Age 4- is about to start I'm eating popcorn, drinking soda and watching my daughter look around the theater. Suddenly, and almost out of nowhere, she proclaims a new rule. "Dad. No more popcorn until the movie starts, ok?" Huh? I didn't want to hear to that. There was nothing else to do until the movie started and the popcorn was all nice and warm and buttery. Bes... more »
Food for thought: This summer, Oakland libraries are serving free lunches to children, five days a week - ContraCostaTimes.com
Food for thought: This summer, Oakland libraries are serving free lunches to children, five days a week - ContraCostaTimes.com: Food for thought: This summer, Oakland libraries are serving free lunches to children, five days a week By Katy Murphy Oakland Tribune Posted: 08/03/2012 12:05:53 PM PDT Updated: 08/03/2012 02:05:44 PM PDT [image: Oakland Public Libraries free lunch program] 1 of 14 Oakland Public Libraries free lunch program Erika Ozuna, right, and her brother Hector, 1, receive a free lunch from volunteers Adrienne Carter, her mom Diane Carter, both of Oakland, and C... more »
Oakland school closure savings estimate is missing something - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools
Oakland school closure savings estimate is missing something - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Oakland school closure savings estimate is missing somethingFriday, August 3rd, 2012 at 10:39 am in 1 Comment *photo by Jane Tyska/Oakland Tribune* In June and again in July, I asked the Oakland school district for a breakdown of the net savings from the five elementary school closures, taking into account the conversion of one of those schools — Lazear Elementary — into an independently run charter school. Unlike the other two charter conversions, Lazear bec... more »
An Urban Teacher's Education: SOS Conference 2012 Day 1
An Urban Teacher's Education: SOS Conference 2012 Day 1: SOS Conference 2012 Day 1 by James Boutin I am back this year for the Save Our School Conference at the Marriott Wardman hotel in Washington, DC. I found last year's conference very inspiring, and wrote about it here, here, and here. The format was a little different this year. Starting on a Friday afternoon, and jumping straight into sessions, I first attended a session about confronting the issue of race with students in the classroom. There, having been presented with a number of scenarios in which race might come up in ... more »
Whole Child Network Schools Embark on a New Adventure — Whole Child Education
Home Page — Whole Child Education: [image: The Whole Child Approach] *THE WHOLE CHILD APPROACH* Each child, in each school, in each of our communities deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. That's what a whole child approach to learning, teaching, and community engagement really is. LEARN MORE » THE WHOLE CHILD *BLOG*[image: Whole Child Blog RSS Feed] [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Whole Child Network Schools Embark on a New Adventure July 24, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers The 10 schools from across the continental United States and Guam chosen to... more »
Breaking News: Utah State Board of Education Votes to Pull Out of SBAC | Truth in American Education
Breaking News: Utah State Board of Education Votes to Pull Out of SBAC | Truth in American Education: Breaking News: Utah State Board of Education Votes to Pull Out of SBAC Posted on August 3, 2012 by Shane Vander Hart The Utah State Board of Education’s meeting today had common core testing on the agenda. Sources tell me that the Board has voted to pull out of their testing consortium – the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). SBAC had received Race to the Top funding in order to provide assessments based on the Common Core State Standards. Their governance document... more »
Back to School: Learn to Say Thank You in Ten Languages #30DaysofGOOD - GOOD Projects - GOOD
Back to School: Learn to Say Thank You in Ten Languages #30DaysofGOOD - GOOD Projects - GOOD: Back to School: Learn to Say Thank You in Ten Languages #30DaysofGOOD [image: Read more] *Things are easier said than done, or so the old adage goes, and we couldn't agree more. That's why we do 30 Days of GOOD(#30DaysofGOOD), a monthly attempt to live better. This month we're going "Back to School" and committing to learn something new every day.* All of my friends have at some point mentioned wanting to learn another language. They usually have the same excuses as I do for not pursuing... more »
Schools Matter: Christie Bows to the Billionaires: Public Schools to Go the Highest Bidder
Schools Matter: Christie Bows to the Billionaires: Public Schools to Go the Highest Bidder: Christie Bows to the Billionaires: Public Schools to Go the Highest Bidder by Jim Horn Through filing of a FOIA request, the Education Law Center in Newark has obtained the Broad Plan for privatizing schools in New Jersey where least resistance will be offered--poor schools. The plan is being passed around by Cerf's henchmen in the Ed Department, as they try to stay ahead of legislation that could put restrictions on this planned economic bonanza for Wall Street aspirants who are not sm... more »
HechingerEd Blog | Round-up of leading thinkers on parent-trigger laws
HechingerEd Blog | Round-up of leading thinkers on parent-trigger laws: Round-up of leading thinkers on parent-trigger laws Parents in Adelanto, Calif., scored a victory for advocates of the “parent-trigger” law last week. The law allows public-school parents who gather signatures from a majority of their peers to transform a school into a charter. They can also opt to remove a consistently failing school’s staff or close the school entirely. (To read more about the development, see these stories from the *Los Angeles Times *and Colorlines.) A judge deemed that organizers in Adelant... more »
What’s the big deal about Blogging? « My Island View
What’s the big deal about Blogging? « My Island View: What’s the big deal about Blogging? by tomwhitby A short time ago I attended a meeting where members of a college English department were doing a presentation to the faculty about their writing program. As I listened to about a 30-minute presentation of the types of writing required by this program, it became obvious to me that two words in this presentation of a college writing program were never uttered. They were two words that as an educator I come in contact with almost every day. Two words that have changed the way info... more »
Daily Kos: Whose Justice?: The Other and the Middle-Class Cocoon
Daily Kos: Whose Justice?: The Other and the Middle-Class Cocoon: Whose Justice?: The Other and the Middle-Class Cocoonby plthomasEdDFollow On August 2, 2012, I wore my James Baldwin t-shirt to celebrate his birthday. The back of this black shirt is emblazoned with Baldwin's face in gold print and this saying: "The law is meant to be my servant and not my master, still less my torturer and my murderer." -- James Baldwin. The Nation. July 11, 1966. This small act on my part to recognize a brilliant and marginalized radical intersected with two other coincidences of my life—comple... more »
All Education Matters: Mark Kantrowitz Argues That Six-Figure Debt Is Uncommon
All Education Matters: Mark Kantrowitz Argues That Six-Figure Debt Is Uncommon: Mark Kantrowitz Argues That Six-Figure Debt Is Uncommon by Cryn Johannsen Mark Kantrowitz claims that six-figure debt is a rarity, and says that journalists are sensationalizing the problem. While it might be true, based upon his findings, that there is not a huge percentage of people with that sort of student loan debt, the fact remains that we are in a full-blown crisis. Journalists and activists are not the only ones who acknowledge the crisis. Higher education policy analysts, politicians, and ot... more »
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 7-21-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 7-14-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 7-7-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-30-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig 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
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-2-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-31-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
