Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, September 28, 2012

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-28-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



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



Schooling in the Ownership Society: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee writes about Chicago? Really?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee writes about Chicago? Really?: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee writes about Chicago? Really? by Mike Klonsky I guess with all eyes on Chicago, Broom Lady Rhee just couldn't resist. But her Washington Post piece, "Chicago teachers strike underscores shift among Democrats" is so full of lies and misinformation that Rhee simply fulfills her own caricature. You don't have to read very far to find the first lie. Rhee's piece begins: "I am a democrat because I believe in the party's principles..." OK, that's not e... more »

Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break 9-28-12 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago
*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* U.S. grant funds $20,000 teacher bonuses at 'high-need' L.A. schools by By Tami Abdollah [image: Deasy walks campus]*LAUSD plans to give $20,000 bonuses to up to 80 "effective" science, technology, math, engineering and special ed teachers who agree to teach at 40 high-need schools under a new federal grant. Credit: Tami Abdollah/KPCC* Los Angeles Unified Schools Superintendent John Deasy said that a $49 million federal grant awarded to the district this week to improve teacher effectiveness will help pay for a new multiple-measure teache... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Obama's Teacher Enthusiasm Gap Is HIS Fault!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 24 minutes ago
Jersey Jazzman: Obama's Teacher Enthusiasm Gap Is HIS Fault!: Obama's Teacher Enthusiasm Gap Is HIS Fault! by Duke So the latest, greatest viral video is apparently Samuel Jackson's profane tirade at apathetic Obama supporters. Popout Forgive me, Sam, but you're really rubbing me the wrong way. Yeah, I'll vote for Obama; Supreme Court nominees are reason enough. But don't expect me to go into the voting booth when any sort of enthusiasm: I'm a public school teacher. And I know that *no one has done more to fortify the regime of standardized testing, expand charter schools, or thr... more »

Director of "Won't Back Down" Tries to Explain, but Questions Remain - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago
Director of "Won't Back Down" Tries to Explain, but Questions Remain - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Director of "Won't Back Down" Tries to Explain, but Questions Remain by Anthony Cody Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody "Won't Back Down" has presented education activists with something teachers long for: a teachable moment. The movie's director, Daniel Barnz, has his homework assignment - begin to understand the mess you have landed in. A little less than two years ago Davis Guggenheim, director of Waiting For Superman, asked teachers to send him feedback on his ... more »

Friends Don't Let Friends Get Fooled by "Won't Back Down": 5 Reasons Why | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Friends Don't Let Friends Get Fooled by "Won't Back Down": 5 Reasons Why | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: Friends Don't Let Friends Get Fooled by "Won't Back Down": 5 Reasons Why *Posted on: Friday September 28th, 2012* *5 Things You Should Know About the Pro-Parent Trigger Film and the Real Parents Who Won't Back Down* [image: Won't Back Down]Guess what the OTL Campaign won't be doing this weekend? That's right, we will not be taking our friends to see the premiere of *Won't Back Down*. The new film, which chronicles the fiction... more »

The State of Public Education in New Orleans: 2012 Report » Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The State of Public Education in New Orleans: 2012 Report » Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives: The State of Public Education in New Orleans: 2012 Report The 2011-12 school year was, in many ways, the beginning of a new era in New Orleans’ public education landscape. The year was marked by momentous changes in leadership and strategy at both the state and local levels. Nonetheless, state and district leaders remain committed to a school reform model that espouses the central principles of school autonomy, choice, and accountability. At the same time, school and distri... more »

Radical Scholarship: Poverty Is Destiny: Talk at University of Arkansas, October 18, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Radical Scholarship: Poverty Is Destiny: Talk at University of Arkansas, October 18, 2012: Poverty Is Destiny: Talk at University of Arkansas, October 18, 2012 by P. L. Thomas

Wesleyan Students Facing Judicial Charges After Trustee Meeting Occupation « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Wesleyan Students Facing Judicial Charges After Trustee Meeting Occupation « Student Activism: Wesleyan Students Facing Judicial Charges After Trustee Meeting Occupation by Angus Johnston Last weekend some forty Wesleyan students entered a closed meeting of the university’s Board of Trustees, looking to give input on a matter of university governance. The students were advocates of need-blind admissions, a policy under which students are accepted for admission without consideration of their ability to pay. (Admissions have traditionally been need-blind at Wesleyan, but at the sta... more »

Highlights from the September 27 issue of New York Teacher: | Edwize

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
New York Teacher | Edwize: New York Teacher by W.J. Levay [image: New York Teacher, Sept. 27, 2012]Highlights from the September 27 issue of *New York Teacher*: Three teachers, one opening day How they welcomed the city’s littlest, biggest and in-between as another school year begins: There were tears, fears and fun as kindergarteners experienced their first day of school at PS 315 in Manhattan, awesome rules at MS 244 in the Bronx, and smooth sailing for high schoolers at Cardozo HS in Queens. Strokes of geniusAs the sun sets through the trees of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the ... more »

First Official Three-Year Student Loan Default Rates Published | U.S. Department of Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
First Official Three-Year Student Loan Default Rates Published | U.S. Department of Education: First Official Three-Year Student Loan Default Rates Published *Department continues efforts to help students better manage their debt.* SEPTEMBER 28, 2012 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov The U.S. Department of Education today released official FY 2010 two-year and official FY 2009 three-year federal student loan cohort default rates. This is the first time the Department has issued an official three-year rate, which was 13.4 percent nationally for the FY 2009 co... more »

EXCLUSIVE -- Arne Duncan Would Stay for 2nd Obama Term - NationalJournal.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE -- Arne Duncan Would Stay for 2nd Obama Term - NationalJournal.com: EXCLUSIVE -- Arne Duncan Would Stay for 2nd Obama Term Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailMore Sharing Services By Fawn Johnson Updated: September 27, 2012 | 6:49 p.m. September 27, 2012 | 3:01 p.m. If President Obama wins a second term, Education Secretary Arne Duncan will stay in his job, he told*National Journal* on Thursday. Duncan is likely to spend much of his time in a second term focusing on ways to rein in spiraling college tuition costs—a significant barrier toward the president’s go... more »

Common Core Bill Signed - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Common Core Bill Signed - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Issues Statement on AB 1246 Signing SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today issued the following statement upon Governor Jerry Brown's signing of Assembly Bill 1246, by Julia Brownley* *(D-Santa Monica), that authorizes the adoption of Common Core instructional materials for mathematics by 2014 and provides districts flexibility in the selection of instructional materials: "AB 1246 means we are one step closer to implementing Common Core standards in Cali... more »

Oakland schools enter agreement with feds to reduce suspensions of black students - ContraCostaTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Oakland schools enter agreement with feds to reduce suspensions of black students - ContraCostaTimes.com: Oakland schools enter agreement with feds to reduce suspensions of black students By Katy Murphy Oakland Tribune Posted: 09/27/2012 10:29:41 PM PDT Updated: 09/27/2012 10:29:41 PM PDT OAKLAND -- The Oakland school board on Thursday night unanimously approved an agreement with the Office for Civil Rights to reduce the number of out-of-school suspensions of its African-American students. Parents, community organizers, district staff members and other leaders spoke passionately... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Effective Political Action

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Effective Political Action: Effective Political Action by Charlie Mas *Warning: This is a rant.* The one-year anniversary of the Occupy movement recently passed. I think about Occupy quite a bit because it was really a discussion and demonstration about the factors of political efficacy. There are still, remarkably, a lot of people who claim that they don't know what the Occupy protests were about - if anything. These folks, disingenuously I presume, ask "What was their message anyway?" For me, the message of the Occupy protests was loud and cl... more »

Mother Crusader: Hey Daniel Barnz, I Know EXACTLY Why I'm Protesting Your Movie!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Mother Crusader: Hey Daniel Barnz, I Know EXACTLY Why I'm Protesting Your Movie!: Hey Daniel Barnz, I Know EXACTLY Why I'm Protesting Your Movie! by darciecima I just cross posted a piece I wrote for WHYY's NewsWorks about last Sunday's less than empowering Parent Advocacy panel at Education Nation, which was followed by the NYC premiere of the film Won't Back Down, which was met with a protest across the street. Since then I have read countless scathing reviews of the film (see them aggregated at Rotten Tomatoes) as well as amazing accounts of the day from others I shared the ex... more »

Michael Feinberg of KIPP in New Zealand: FAIL | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Michael Feinberg of KIPP in New Zealand: FAIL | Seattle Education: Michael Feinberg of KIPP in New Zealand: FAIL by seattleducation2011 As I mentioned in a previous post, *A look at KIPP, Michael Feinberg, NCTQ and Bill Gates,* Michael Feinberg is in New Zealand trying to sell his wares. Fortunately, folks in New Zealand are not buying this snake oil. Check out what New Zealand thinks of KIPP: What this portrays is a hideous caricature of education which would be anathema to most New Zealand parents. KIPP has overall dropout rates of 30% before Year 9 – which rises to 40% (sic) fo... more »

Schools Matter: Twenty-Two Pages of Corporate Education Advertising, Or, The Atlantic Monthly's "Special Report"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Schools Matter: Twenty-Two Pages of Corporate Education Advertising, Or, The Atlantic Monthly's "Special Report": Twenty-Two Pages of Corporate Education Advertising, Or, The Atlantic Monthly's "Special Report" by Storm *This begins a series of readings of articles and images promoting the "Reform Agenda" in the October Atlantic Monthly. I will primarily be concerned with the conveyance of ideology. However, I have asked my Errant collaborator Doug Martin to offer investigative analysis of the interconnectedness among the authors and the groups highlighted in the issue for cult... more »

RheeFirst! » StudentsFirst staff spam comments to promote tanking propaganda film

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
RheeFirst! » StudentsFirst staff spam comments to promote tanking propaganda film: StudentsFirst staff spam comments to promote tanking propaganda film by admin Michelle Rhee, frantic that “Won’t Back Down” opened to overwhelmingly negative reviews, has been desperately trying to inflate the movie’s scores on movie rating sites. As Progressive Change Campaign Committee originally reported, StudentsFirst staffer Matt David (a former Republican spin doctor) got caught spamming positive reviews for “Won’t Back Down.” StudentsFirst regional director Catherine “Cheesecake Factory Gif... more »

Planes de trabajo de padres españoles a las artes básicas de lenguaje común en estándares ingleses Parent Roadmaps to Common Core Standards / Spanish Parent Roadmaps- English language arts

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Parent Roadmaps to Common Core Standards / Spanish Parent Roadmaps- English language arts: Spanish Parent Roadmaps to the Common Core Standards- English language artsThe Council of the Great City Schools' parent roadmaps in English language arts/literacy provide guidance to parents about what their children will be learning and how they can support that learning in grades K-8. These parent roadmaps for each grade level also provide three-year snapshots showing how selected standards progress from year to year so that students will be college and career ready upon their graduation... more »

Diane in the Afternoon 9-28-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: More Bad Reviews for Anti-Union Movie by dianerav I will see “Won’t Back Down” soon, I promise. I don’t want to, but I will do it because I have to. Meanwhile, movie reviewers are rendering their judgment. They say it is a lousy movie. The best lines so far are in the review in the *Los Angeles Times*: *That’s because unions turn out to be the most pernicious of all the obstacles to healthy schools, worse even than the stick-in-the-mud school board. While no one, not even unions themselves these days, denies that there are things that must be changed about how t... more »

The IEA and the fight against Constitutional Amendment 49. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
The IEA and the fight against Constitutional Amendment 49. « Fred Klonsky: The IEA and the fight against Constitutional Amendment 49. by Fred Klonsky The General Assembly voted to put House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 49 (HJRCA49) on the November ballot. If approved by 60% of those voting it will be part of the Illinois Constitution. *This is not advisory. It will be law.* It is a sloppy piece of work pushed through by Michael Madigan. There are different legal views on what the impact of HJRCA49 will be. Every House member voted for it.* Every single one.* It require... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Cracking the Code of Inner City School Troubles

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Cracking the Code of Inner City School Troubles: Cracking the Code of Inner City School Troubles by Anngie Did you know that ninety three percent of Missouri schools are performing adequately or above expectations? It may be surprising to some that that number is so high. You would think, with all we are changing in our public education, that the number would be much lower, say around twenty five percent. But the fact is, we have been trying to "fix" the seven percent that aren't doing so well, and those seven percent are, by and large, in our urban... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – CTC’s audit nightmare ends, attention turns to implementing quality plan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: CTC’s audit nightmare ends, attention turns to implementing quality plan The Commission on Teacher Credentialing closed the book Thursday on one of its most troubling episodes and then quickly pivoted to consideration of a plan for improving teacher quality decades into the future. The CTC, mandated under state law to serve as the arbiter of professional integrity and quality for California’s teachers, was the subject of a critical audit released in early 2011 that found a backlog of thousands of unprocessed teacher misconduct complaints... more »

Education Research Report: Learning from the Successes and Failures of Charter Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Education Research Report: Learning from the Successes and Failures of Charter Schools: Learning from the Successes and Failures of Charter Schools by Jonathan Kantrowitz [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] The authors of these reports examined charter schools across the quality spectrum in order to learn which practices separate high-achieving from low-achieving schools. An expansive data collection and analysis project in New York City charter schools yielded an index of five educational practices that explains nearly half of the difference between high- an... more »

Union teachers play ukuleles too. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Union teachers play ukuleles too. « Fred Klonsky: Union teachers play ukuleles too. by Fred Klonsky *Union teachers play the ukulele. The Carpenter Ukulele Society in concert.* That movie is opening this weekend. If you follow progressive education bloggers or teachers on Facebook, you know which one I’m talking about. It was produced by the same union haters that paid for last year’s box office dud, *Waiting for Superman. * Listen. Never underestimate the common sense of the movie going public. Imagine this couple has one night when they have a baby sitter. What’s the going rate now?... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: Cerf Says "Notion of School Privatization is Ridiculous" - Really??

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Teachers Don't Suck !: Cerf Says "Notion of School Privatization is Ridiculous" - Really??: Cerf Says "Notion of School Privatization is Ridiculous" - Really?? by Walt S. Popout A comment from a viewer: "I do not know if he actually can tell the difference between a lie and a truth. Remember, it was at this meeting that he said that it is a lie that he wants to privatize public education, and called the notion ridiculous - while just months before approving a K12Inc managed school?!" ****** Cerf's statement about no interest in school privatization brought to mind an

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, September 28, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: View of Mount Diablo and CA Highway 24 from Lafayette Heights.jpg]*Mount Diablo State Park* Education Headlines *Friday, September 28, 2012* New superintendent wants to make a differencePat Kelley admits he's not an exciting guy. There's no heavy metal music on the radio in his car or real housewives of anywhere on his DVR. Coach vulgarity complaint shines light on sports cultureSixteen-year-old Grant Sims says he's never been one to complain about expletives and vulgar language he hears daily at baseball practice. It's to ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A great night with Kozol in Chicago

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 11 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 - 11 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 - 11 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 - 11 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 »

Morning UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-28-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] A Hero Principal: Every Principal Should Be This Honest by dianerav Several readers, including parents in this district, have sent me a copy of this letter written by Don Sternberg of Wantagh Elementary School in Long Island, New York. Sternberg wrote a letter to the school’s parents at the start of the school year telling them about how the politicians and bureaucrats at Albany were messing up their child’s education. He wrote: *What we will be teaching students is to be effective test takers; a skill that... more »

Once castigated, Commission on Teacher Credentialing is praised | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 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 - 12 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 - 12 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 - 12 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 - 12 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 - 12 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 - 12 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 - 12 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 - 12 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 - 12 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 - 22 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 - 22 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 - 22 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 - 23 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 - 23 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 - 23 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 - 1 day 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 - 1 day 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 »




Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-22-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-15-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-1-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-25-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-18-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-11-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-4-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post





Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-22-12 #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-21-12 #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-20-12 #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-19-12 #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Ed Ape Nite Cap Chicago Delegates Vote to Suspend Strike DAY #9 9-18-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Ed Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION DAY #8 9-17-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Ed Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION DAY #7 9-16-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Ed Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION DAY #6 9-15-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Ed Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION DAY #3 9-12-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION 9-11-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-10-12 #faircontractnow #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-9-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-7-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-6-12 #DNC2012 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-5-12 #DNC2012 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-4-12 #DNC2012 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-2-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-31-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-30-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-29-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-28-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-27-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-26-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-25-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-24-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-23-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-22-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2