BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A great night with Kozol in Chicago
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A great night with Kozol in Chicago: A great night with Kozol in Chicago by Mike Klonsky Kozol & Lewis (M.Klonsky pic) *Jonathan Kozol* brought the packed house of mostly teachers, to its feet last night when he talked about the inspiring effect the Chicago teachers strike was having on teachers and supporters across the country. Kozol said he first heard news of the strike at a book tour event in Los Angeles. When a teacher in the audience announced that teachers in Chicago had walked out, "the roar of the crowd delayed the program for several minute... more »
L.A. Unified and charter groups win teacher evaluation grants - latimes.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
L.A. Unified and charter groups win teacher evaluation grants - latimes.com: L.A. Unified and charter groups win teacher evaluation grants The Los Angeles Unified School District and three local charter-school groups have won federal grants to develop their teacher and principal evaluation systems, the U.S. Department of Education has announced. L.A. Unified, California’s largest school system, will receive $16 million, one of the largest grants. But the top prize in dollars, more than $23 million, went to the District of Columbia Public Schools, a system less than one-eighth the... more »
Test’ m till they learn, dammit! - Wait, What?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Test’ m till they learn, dammit! - Wait, What?: Test’ m till they learn, dammit! by jonpelto Today’s homework assignment: Call your local school district and ask them for the entire list of standardized tests that they give to students in your community. In Bridgeport, for example, rather than waste time learning, students will spend next week taking the new round of standardized “bench-mark” tests that “education reformer” and Superintendent of Schools, Paul Vallas, has ordered. But Bridgeport is not alone; Cities and towns all across Connecticut have dramatically expanded the n... more »
Schools Matter: Camden Says No to KIPP Correctional Complex
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: Camden Says No to KIPP Correctional Complex: Camden Says No to KIPP Correctional Complex by Jim Horn On August 6 we posted on a corporate sweetheart deal to bilk the city of Camden, NJ out of untold millions to create a total compliance corporate school site in Camden. The plan included no analysis of how much money the local public schools would lose to KIPP and the hooligan charter operators from Philadelphia, but on Wednesday of this week, the local board said NO to the plan. . . . . The effect of the new schools on the existing district factored into some... more »
Elections Have Consequences « Student Activism
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Elections Have Consequences « Student Activism: Elections Have Consequences by Angus Johnston *I’m going back to writing about student stuff after this, I promise. Thanks for your patience.* • • • On Twitter last night, my buddy Malcolm Harris declared that The abortion rights argument for Obama is such a big red herring. — Malcolm Harris (@BigMeanInternet) September 28, 2012 He went on to say that Roe v. Wade is showing no signs of getting overturned in the Supreme Court, and that Obama isn’t doing anything to expand on-the-ground access to abortion in states wh... more »
Mother Crusader: We're The Real Parents And We Won't Back Down
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Mother Crusader: We're The Real Parents And We Won't Back Down: We're The Real Parents And We Won't Back Down by darciecima *Cross posted from WHYY's NewsWorks* Yesterday marked the kick off of NBC’s third Education Nation, which is billed as a “year-round initiative to engage the country in a solutions-focused conversation about the state of education in America.” The day’s events included both a student and teacher Town Hall, and a panel discussion on “Parent Engagement & Advocacy.” My ticket to the event came through the hard work of Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters and P... more »
Modern School: Rich Getting Richer, Still—Forbes 400’s Wealth Rose 13% in 2012
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Modern School: Rich Getting Richer, Still—Forbes 400’s Wealth Rose 13% in 2012: Rich Getting Richer, Still—Forbes 400’s Wealth Rose 13% in 2012 by Michael Dunn The majority of Americans may still be suffering from declining wages, unemployment, speedups, downsizing, foreclosures and a drop in personal wealth, but the richest Americans had another banner year in 2012, with their net worth rising 13%. The richest 400 had an average net worth of $4.2 billion, according to Reuters. Together they had a cumulative net worth of $1.7 trillion. In stark contrast, the median net worth of the... more »
Reflections on NBC’s Education Nation Summit | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Reflections on NBC’s Education Nation Summit | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Reflections on NBC’s Education Nation Summit by Cheryl S. Williams NBC is to be commended for its support of the third annualEducation Nation Summit, a gathering of leaders from government, education and business in New York City this week to consider the challenges and future outlook for America’s public education system. And, to be sure, included in this year’s event were a handful of case studies of real schools and districts that are successfully addressing challenging problems ... more »
Conrextual Accountablity
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Conrextual Accountablity: Contextual Accountability September 26, 2012 By John Kuhn Comments (21) Every school is a microcosm of the community it serves—that is, every school that serves any and all students in the neighborhood. Peaceful schools are nestled in peaceful environs. If there are drugs or violence in the streets, educators will contend with drugs and violence working their way into the school like crickets through unseen cracks. If there are racist or misogynistic attitudes in the homes, they will manifest themselves on campus. And so it goes. If there is materialism, s... more »
Park Ridge’s Anthony Borelli and school finance. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Park Ridge’s Anthony Borelli and school finance. « Fred Klonsky: Park Ridge’s Anthony Borelli and school finance. by Fred Klonsky *Park Ridge school board. Anthony Borelli, upper left.* Some of my old colleagues in Park Ridge sent me a copy of The Park Ridge Patch. Good. ‘Cause I don’t normally subscribe. Yesterday *The Patch* ran a story on the school board vote to approve the collective bargaining agreement between the board and the Park Ridge Education Association. As I reported earlier, the vote was 5 to 2. Park Ridge podiatrist Anthony Borelli was one of the two no votes. Boar... more »
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee: Chicago teachers strike underscores shift among Democrats - The Washington Post
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Michelle Rhee: Chicago teachers strike underscores shift among Democrats - The Washington Post: Chicago teachers strike underscores shift among Democrats - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - E-mail - Reprints By Michelle Rhee, Published: September 27 *IT IS A RULE: YOU CAN'T BE AGAINST PEOPLE AND FOR CORPORATIONS AND CALL YOURSELF A DEMOCRAT...EVER!* *Michelle Rhee was chancellor of the D.C. public schools from 2007 to 2010. She is founder and chief executive of StudentsFirst, a national nonprofit education advocacy group based in Sacrament... more »
What was Obama talking about on Education Nation? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
What was Obama talking about on Education Nation? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: What was Obama talking about on Education Nation? By Valerie Strauss President Obama gave an interview to NBC News that was aired on Tuesday during the network’s Education Nation Summit in New York City. He said some things that raised eyebrows in certain circles. You can read the complete transcript of the Obama interview here, and (Steve Helber/AP)then the following critique by education historian Diane Ravitch which appeared on her blog: By Diane Ravitch First, the president acknowledged th... more »
‘Won’t Back Down’: What actual film critics think - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
‘Won’t Back Down’: What actual film critics think - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: ‘Won’t Back Down’: What actual film critics think By Valerie Strauss It’s no surprise that critics of modern education reform — including the so-called “parent trigger” laws — would give bad reviews to “Won’t Back Down,” a Hollywood treatment of parents taking over a failed school starring Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The movie, which tells the story of two mothers who work together to transform their children’s failing urban school, is a production of Walden Media, which is owned by ... more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-28-12 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] Bugs in Tech Heaven by dianerav The Broad-trained superintendent decided to go all-digital in Huntsville, Alabama. So he purchased 22,000 laptops and a Pearson online curriculum. The going has been rough. Students, teachers and parents are complaining about glitches. A student says that it takes her longer to do her The Absurdity of the “Parent Trigger” Idea by dianerav The movie “Won’t Back Down” is being heavily promoted by its backers. But there is lots of pushback from parents and teachers. And the revie... more »
Once castigated, Commission on Teacher Credentialing is praised | EdSource Today
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Once castigated, Commission on Teacher Credentialing is praised | EdSource Today: Once castigated, Commission on Teacher Credentialing is praised ** September 28th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services Eighteen months ago, State Auditor Elaine Howle called the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing one of the “worst-run” agencies she had investigated in a comment to the*Sacramento Bee.* Howle had conducted a review at the Legislature’s request after reports surfaced that the Co... more »
Common Core Standards Are a 'Heavy Lift' for Districts, Educators - US News and World Report
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Common Core Standards Are a 'Heavy Lift' for Districts, Educators - US News and World Report: Common Core Standards Are a 'Heavy Lift' for Districts, EducatorsThe new standards will change high school requirements, but turn out stronger graduates, advocates say. By KELSEY SHEEHY September 28, 2012 RSS Feed Print [image: New Common Core standards aim at helping high school students develop a deeper understanding of math and English.] New Common Core standards aim to help high school students develop a deeper understanding of math and English. Implementing theCommon Core State Standar... more »
One Teacher's Perspective: One Cent Makes $ense
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
One Teacher's Perspective: One Cent Makes $ense: One Cent Makes $ense by Imagine Wisconsin Now that Paul Thomas, Anthony Cody, Diane Ravitch, and the others havereframed my thinking about school reform, it is time to begin practicing what these Social Context Reformers preach. Consequently, I am excited to support A Penny For Kids legislation proposed by the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES). A one-cent sales tax for Wisconsin kids is vital and sensible. If passed, the sales tax will raise about $850 million annually to addressing the growing needs of Wisconsin’s chi... more »
State reported inflated rate of teachers lacking credentials | California Watch
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
State reported inflated rate of teachers lacking credentials | California Watch: State reported inflated rate of teachers lacking credentials Joanna Lin U.S. Census Bureau The rate was startling: Nearly six in 10 teachers at California's lowest-performing schools were not properly credentialed for the classes they led. It's a rate California has worked to shrink for the past six years. It's also a rate that was wrong. The percentage of teachers and other certificated staff lacking proper credentials was actually 29 percent, not the 58 percent the state reported for the 2005-06 scho... more »
What is the SAT Good For? Absolutely Nothing | Alternet
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
What is the SAT Good For? Absolutely Nothing | Alternet: What is the SAT Good For? Absolutely Nothing The SAT is a metric that confirms privilege -- not academic achievement or academic readiness for college. So why do we insist on using it? *September 28, 2012* | Photo Credit: Laurence Gough | Shutterstock.com LIKE THIS ARTICLE? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. A certain *Groundhog Day *quality accompanies fall with the opening of schools and the inevitable release of SAT scores. While the Bill Murray comedy made light of the existe... more »
Broadie Tata Fired by Wake County School Board | Parents Across America
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Broadie Tata Fired by Wake County School Board | Parents Across America: Broadie Tata Fired by Wake County School Board by pagrundy On Tuesday, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) Board of Education (BOE) firedSuperintendent Anthony Tata, a Broad Superintendents Academy graduate. The firing of a local school superintendent wouldn’t usually be major national news, but in this instance, it is. It proves that at least some school systems will still resist significant influence by big money and market-based deformers when it is in the best interests of families, teachers a... more »
NYC Educator: No Teaching for You!
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
NYC Educator: No Teaching for You!: No Teaching for You! by NYC Educator * by special guest blogger Suddenly ATR* The principal told me that she wanted me to cover a teacher's classes for two days. I was almost giddy with excitement, strange as that sounds, at the idea of being in a classroom again. "You teach in the same subject area! It will be perfect!" she said. Today I approached the teacher for whom I'd be covering and asked her (I thought in a friendly manner) if she had any materials or instructions for the class. "What is it you want?" she asked. "Well, you know, since I... more »
COMMUNITY TO RESIST LAUSD MOVE TO RECONSTITUTE INNER CITY SCHOOLS - Perdaily.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
COMMUNITY TO RESIST LAUSD MOVE TO RECONSTITUTE INNER CITY SCHOOLS - Perdaily.com: COMMUNITY TO RESIST LAUSD MOVE TO RECONSTITUTE INNER CITY SCHOOLS by Leonard Isenberg [image: Dorsey High.jpeg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)* *Last night community members from Dorsey and Crenshaw High Schools got together in the Dorsey gymnasium to organize resistance to the planned imminent reconstitution of their schools by Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent John Deasy. Deasy plans to reconst... more »
Louisiana Educator: Harmful Salary Schedule Mandate
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: Harmful Salary Schedule Mandate: Harmful Salary Schedule Mandate by Michael Deshotels Just as teachers and principals begin grappling with the new Value Added Model of teacher evaluation, school boards will be forced by law to develop possibly radical new salary schedules for teachers in all our public school systems. This is another classic case of an effort by those outside the education business to force the practitioners to adopt a solution to a problem that does not exist! School boards according to a provision in Jindal's and ALEC's Act 1 must revise their... more »
Pass / Fail : Large federal grants push use of student test scores to grade teachers | 89.3 KPCC
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Pass / Fail : Large federal grants push use of student test scores to grade teachers | 89.3 KPCC: Large federal grants push use of student test scores to grade teachers by By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez The move to factor student test scores into teacher job evaluations in L.A. Unified got a big push Thursday. It came in the form of multi-million dollar grants from the US Department of Education. The federal agency will give L.A. Unified $16 million to start new teacher and principal training, identify and promote expert educators, and create teacher and principal evaluationa that include m... more »
How The NYC DOE and The NFL Are The Same, and Yet Different.southbronxschool.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: How The NYC DOE and The NFL Are The Same, and Yet Different by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) Wow, what a week. We here at SBSB wish to welcome yet another guest blogger and honorary member of The Crack Team to these pages. This guest has guest blogged in the past, here and here. I must say this guest blogger is very insightful and intelligent. Qualities in which the DOE sorely lacks. Anyway, sit back and enjoy the wise words of tonight's guest blogger. *I think there is much to be learned from the NFL Referee fiasco, and that it is quite co... more »
Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson: Republicans deluded by ‘skewed’ polls
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson: Republicans deluded by ‘skewed’ polls: Eugene Robinson: Republicans deluded by ‘skewed’ polls byteacherkenFollow 3 PERMALINK2 COMMENTS Conservative activist circles are abuzz with a new conspiracy theory: Polls showing President Obama with a growing lead over Mitt Romney are deliberately being skewed by the Liberal Mainstream Media so Republicans will be disheartened and stay home on Election Day. This is denial and self-delusion but not of the harmless kind. It’s a false narrative that encourages the Republican Party to take the wrong lessons from th... more »
The Examiner Examines … Me (On Writing about Education) [Why We Write] | The Jose Vilson
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
The Examiner Examines … Me (On Writing about Education) [Why We Write] | The Jose Vilson: The Examiner Examines … Me (On Writing about Education) [Why We Write] by Jose Calvin and Hobbes, On Writing Recently, Wendy Coakley-Thompson interviewed me for the Washington, DC Publishing Industry Examinerabout education, writing, and how my passions intersect: *2. In what ways do both poetry and education writings satisfy your need for creative self-expression?* Poetry satisfies my more creative urges, where I get to play with the more ethereal, the emotional,
I SEE PROGRESS « Teachers Fight Back
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
I SEE PROGRESS « Teachers Fight Back: I SEE PROGRESS by alkleen Wow! More teachers strikes are popping up, more public workers are protesting, more unions in sports and entertainment areas are taking action. Even the Chicago Symphony musicians went on a brief strike. Workers everywhere are starting to fight back and demanding respect. It feels like the start of a new era for the working man. I didn’t see this coming, but I guess you can only push people so far before they start to fight back. I’m proud of all the Chicago suburban teachers who seem to be using the Chicago teacher... more »
Washington officials release first report for new school progress system | OregonLive.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Washington officials release first report for new school progress system | OregonLive.com: Washington officials release first report for new school progress systemPublished: Thursday, September 27, 2012, 5:32 PM Updated: Thursday, September 27, 2012, 5:40 PM [image: The Associated Press] By The Associated Press Follow SEATTLE -- State education officials on Thursday released their first report for a new way in looking at how Washington public schools are doing at teaching kids reading and math. The new school accountability system is designed to help local officials fo... more »
School Tech Connect: In Fact, I Asked...
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
School Tech Connect: In Fact, I Asked...: In Fact, I Asked... by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) What the heck-- I thought I'd ask Kelly Cassidy a question. And I'm referring to this. Seriously, the legislature doesn't have the grapes to tell the voters what it costs to run the state, year after year, and they run up a credit card bill disguised as a pension system, and then they turn around and blame it on out-of-control local boards? *All* of which have been paying their share *and *facing voters in a state where the schools lean on the property tax? *Shame* on the legislatur... more »
Rahm’s attempt to split teachers from our union fails. But not all union leaders are the same. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Rahm’s attempt to split teachers from our union fails. But not all union leaders are the same. « Fred Klonsky: Rahm’s attempt to split teachers from our union fails. But not all union leaders are the same. by Fred Klonsky Educator and EdWeek blogger Anthony Cody writes about Rahm’s billionaire buddy Bruce Rauner’s attempt to split teachers from their unions. Cody quotes Rauner, The critical issue is to separate the union from the teachers. They’re not the same thing. … The union basically is a bunch of politicians elected to do certain things–get more pay, get more benefits, less w... more »
New Insights on the Effects of Migration on Child Well-Being - Hispanically Speaking News
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
New Insights on the Effects of Migration on Child Well-Being - Hispanically Speaking News: Princeton Study: New Insights on the Effects of Migration on Child Well-Being [image: Princeton Study: New Insights on the Effects of Migration on Child Well-Being] *World Leaders Are Called on to Connect These Dots* As world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, women and children are certainly part of the discussions. *Leaders routinely fail, however, to address how changing migration patterns have a profound effect on children.* New research sheds light on ... more »
NYC Public School Parents: Attention Parents - Get Ready for Another Surprise: More Field Tests in October
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Attention Parents - Get Ready for Another Surprise: More Field Tests in October: Attention Parents - Get Ready for Another Surprise: More Field Tests in October by Leonie Haimson ***The following was written by Fred Smith, former testing expert for the NYC Board of Education. The list of 169 NYC schools in which another round of field tests will be imposed raises more questions, such as how were these schools chosen? And why do certain districts, like District 1, have nearly twice as many schools required to give them than other districts such as Dis... more »
Reaction to "Won't Back Down" Shows Critics Have Learned Something - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Reaction to "Won't Back Down" Shows Critics Have Learned Something - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Reaction to "Won't Back Down" Shows Critics Have Learned Something by Anthony Cody Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody It is hard sometimes for advocates of public education to see our own movement, when we are active participants in it. But the critical and public reaction to the movie "Won't Back Down" is providing us with some evidence of how far we have come in the past two years. It was two years ago that documentarian Davis Guggenheim released "Waiting For Super... more »
Common Core Standards for Learning Supports: Looking for Feedback from All Concerned about Equity of Opportunity — Whole Child Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Common Core Standards for Learning Supports: Looking for Feedback from All Concerned about Equity of Opportunity — Whole Child Education: [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Common Core Standards for Learning Supports: Looking for Feedback from All Concerned about Equity of Opportunity September 27, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers *Post written by Howard Adelman, PhD, and Linda Taylor, PhD, codirectors of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School Mental Health Project/Center for Mental Health in Schools. This post was originally featured on the James B. Hunt Jr. Insti... more »
Education leaders - chicagotribune.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Education leaders - chicagotribune.com: Education leaders - [image: Email] - [image: print] - 2 - - - September 27, 2012 [image: Global.png] The strike may be over, but the fight for public education is not. As a Chicago Public School teacher, I am elated to be back at work educating my students. I thank all the parents, community members and friends who supported us in our fight for a fair contract. By coming together, we were able to negotiate a contract that values arts schools, acknowledges the effects classroom size and conditions have on teaching, ... more »
Zimbio Review - 'Won't Back Down' Has an Agenda, and It's Not to Make a Quality Film - Maggie Gyllenhaal - Zimbio
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Zimbio Review - 'Won't Back Down' Has an Agenda, and It's Not to Make a Quality Film - Maggie Gyllenhaal - Zimbio: Zimbio Review - 'Won't Back Down' Has an Agenda, and It's Not to Make a Quality Film By Joe Robberson on September 26, 2012 (20th Century Fox | Getty Images) The Bottom Line *Should you see it?* No. *Why?* Naive and predictable, the film takes a simplistic view of a hugely convoluted issue and makes mince meat of it for its own agenda. If the point of *Won't Back Down* was to take a polarizing, immensely complicated issue and make it black and white, bravo! Success! Bi... more »
NAACP claims discriminatory admission practices at city's elite high schools - NY Daily News
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
NAACP claims discriminatory admission practices at city's elite high schools - NY Daily News: NAACP claims discriminatory admission practices at city's elite high schoolsGroup accuses city of barring black and Latino students from 'best public schools'Comments (37)BY BEN CHAPMAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012, 11:45 PM Facebook 210 Twitter 28 StumbleUpon Tumblr Email Print [image: Scene at Stuyvesant High School where another arson fire occurred this morning.There have been 11 other arson fires in the School..An note was left by the arsonist toiday.students retu... more »
My View: The curious paradox of 'Won't Back Down' – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
My View: The curious paradox of 'Won't Back Down' – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs: My View: The curious paradox of 'Won't Back Down' [image: Courtesy Becky Hale]By *Sam Chaltain*, Special to CNN *Editor's Note: Sam Chaltain **is a Washington-based writer and education advocate. He can be found on Twitter at@samchaltain.* *(CNN)* - "Won’t Back Down," the new Hollywood film about two mothers determined to take over their children's failing inner city school, represents everything that’s wrong with the present way we talk about school reform – and everything we need to talk about ... more »
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: PTA SUES FOR-PROFIT RIVAL PTO TODAY
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: PTA SUES FOR-PROFIT RIVAL PTO TODAY: PTA SUES FOR-PROFIT RIVAL PTO TODAY BY MICHAEL TARM – ASSOCIATED PRESS FROM THE HUFFINGTON POST | HTTP://HUFF.TO/OS0J4B[image: Parent Teachers Association Sues]09/26/12 07:21 PM ET EDT [image: AP]CHICAGO — The nonprofit PTA sued a for-profit rival on Wednesday, accusing it of denigrating the established group in a bid to siphon off members – a dispute that highlights underlying tensions as parents consider changes in how they interact with their children's schools. The National Parent Teacher Associa... more »
Yes, hello? I’m calling to report what I think is a crime in progress… - Wait, What?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Yes, hello? I’m calling to report what I think is a crime in progress… - Wait, What?: Yes, hello? I’m calling to report what I think is a crime in progress… by jonpelto The activity of the “Special Master” who was appointed to oversee the schools in Windham is quickly becoming one of the most controversial developments in Connecticut’s education system. Connecticut State Statute, Section 10-223e, was intended to allow Governor Malloy’s State Board of Education and his Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, to, “assign a special master to administer the Windham school district’s ... more »
The United States of ALEC: Bill Moyers on the Secretive Corporate-Legislative Body Writing Our Laws
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The United States of ALEC: Bill Moyers on the Secretive Corporate-Legislative Body Writing Our Laws: The United States of ALEC: Bill Moyers on the Secretive Corporate-Legislative Body Writing Our Laws Democracy Now! premieres "The United States of ALEC," a special report by legendary journalist Bill Moyers on how the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council has helped corporate America propose and even draft legislation for states across the country. ALEC brings together major U.S. corporations and right-wing legislators to craft and vote on "model" bills behind closed d... more »
Hollywood and the Politics of School Reform - Dana Goldstein
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Hollywood and the Politics of School Reform - Dana Goldstein: Hollywood and the Politics of School Reform by Dana Goldstein [image: Won-t-back-down-movie-poster]Over at *The Nation* I've written an essay about "Won't Back Down," the latest feel-good school reform movie financed by conservative entrepreneur and *Weekly Standard* publisher Phil Anschutz. The film, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis, has been a centerpiece of NBC's "Education Nation" conference this week, in which both presidential candidates participated. Michelle Rhee also hosted a screening of "Won't Back D... more »
Dear Anonymous. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Dear Anonymous. « Fred Klonsky: Dear Anonymous. by Fred Klonsky *Dear Mr. Klonsky:* *Reading your post reveals the dishonesty of the teachers’ union mantra that “we’re doing it for the kids.” Instead you just want better compensation and working conditions. Why not admit it?* *Moreover, you don’t seem to realize that taxpayers are over-taxed. Your friends in the Illinois legislature increased our income taxes 66%. Federal income taxes are going up. And in “progressive Park Ridge” (whatever that means) property taxes go up by healthy margins every year.* *Those of us who balk at a +... more »
The November 2012 Save California Public Schools Toolkit | K-12 News Network
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The November 2012 Save California Public Schools Toolkit | K-12 News Network: The November 2012 Save California Public Schools Toolkit by admin Step 1: Get informed. California Budget Project, “School Finance Facts, 2011.” Click for full report pdf. We’re on the verge of either saving our public schools from an annual cycle of disinvestment caused by budget cuts, or setting off harmful triggers if the November 2012 ballot initiatives to fund K-12 (or K-14) don’t pass.
Schools Matter: A Little Too Ironic
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Schools Matter: A Little Too Ironic: A Little Too Ironic by Storm Maybe you're not 44 and so are not conversant with the movie *Reality Bites* (its genesis and presentation 20 years past), but I am. The down-and-out 20-something "losers" (heed my punctuation, please) in that film did not exemplify me. I had a job as an English teacher in a parochial high school in St. Louis, MO and was raking in a massive 18k. The mise-en-scene of this movie with which I did not identify was the marketing juggernaut called "Seattle Grunge." In any event the protagonists have relationship issue... more »
MA Third Grade Reading Bill Becomes Law «
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
MA Third Grade Reading Bill Becomes Law «: MA Third Grade Reading Bill Becomes Law September 27, 2012 by Irene Sege Governor Patrick signs An Act Relative to Third Grade Reading Proficiency at Robin Hood Elementary School in Stoneham. Pictured in back row, left to right, Strategies for Children President Carolyn Lyons, Nonie Lesaux of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Representative Jason Lewis, Early Education for All Campaign Director Amy O’Leary, Representative Alice Peisch, Early Education and Care Commissioner Sherri Killins, Representative Marty Walz and Senator Kathe... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, September 27, 2012
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *What Really Happens When Parents Pull the "Parent Trigger?" | Center for Media and Democracy* Education Headlines *Thursday, September 27, 2012* Mesa Union names new superintendentThree weeks after students got back from summer break, Michael Babb, 52, started his first week of school Monday as the superintendent of the Mesa Union School District. Jittery board cancels arts center plansThe 500-seat performing arts center long promised for the Calaveras High School campus in San Andreas isn't dead - exactly. But following a decisi... more »
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