Monday, October 15, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 10-15-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS


FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, October 15, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 minutes ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Monday, October 15, 2012* Boy in school flap over cystic fibrosisBy all accounts, Colman Chadam is a healthy, active 11-year-old boy who fit right in at Palo Alto's Jordan Middle School as a new kid in town. Except now, school officials believe his genetic makeup means he is a health risk to some of its other students and ordered that he be moved to another district middle school 3 miles away. Adelanto parents can open charter campus, judge rulesMojave Desert parents struggling to transform their failing sch... more »

Amendment would let religious groups get public funds | www.palmbeachpost.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 minutes ago
Amendment would let religious groups get public funds | www.palmbeachpost.com: Amendment would let religious groups get public fundsSome say its passage may bring a revival of school vouchers. - COMMENT (11) - SHARE - FAVORITE - VOTE (0) By John Kennedy Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] TALLAHASSEE — Florida voters must weigh far-ranging claims from both sides in deciding a proposed constitutional amendment lifting a 127-year-old ban on public money going to religious institutions. Opponents say Amendmen... more »

C. M. Rubin: The Global Search for Education: The Education Debate 2012 -- Diane Ravitch

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago
C. M. Rubin: The Global Search for Education: The Education Debate 2012 -- Diane Ravitch: The Global Search for Education: The Education Debate 2012 -- Diane Ravitch [image: 2012-10-14-cmrubinworlddianeravitchnationaleducation500.jpg]*"I believe that it is a public duty to provide a good public school with adequate resources and a rich curriculum in every neighborhood." -- Diane Ravitch* Making education a focus during the 2012 election debates is our ongoing goal in The Global Search for Education series. Today I am honored to share the perspectives of Diane Ravitch as we contin... more »

Rating teachers: Ruining the profession and running off good people | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 24 minutes ago
Rating teachers: Ruining the profession and running off good people | Get Schooled: Rating teachers: Ruining the profession and running off good people by Maureen Downey With teacher ratings becoming a reality, many people are expressing concerns about the impact on the profession. I read two great pieces this weekend that I want to share here. (Also, please read the column I ran Friday from *a charter school principal in Atlanta about his concerns over the low value-added score given his school.)* In an op-ed in The New York Times, Deborah Kenny, chief executive and founding pri... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What They Say vs What They Do

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 34 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What They Say vs What They Do: What They Say vs What They Do by Charlie Mas Tell me that I'm not the only one troubled by the wide gap between what the District leadership says - mostly the Board, but senior staff as well - and what they do. They say that they are committed to transparency, but they never offer any. We went through this long process for the BEX IV plan with all kinds of community meetings and you would think that every idea was aired and discussed, but then, at the 11th hour, they interject this weird Jane Addams to Pinehurst ide... more »

My Letter for the Campaign for Our Public Schools « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
My Letter for the Campaign for Our Public Schools « Cooperative Catalyst: My Letter for the Campaign for Our Public Schools by Kristan Morrison Dear President Obama and Senators Webb and Warner, I am a professor of education who helps prepare individuals to be licensed VA school teachers, and who also provides professional development to in-service teachers. I myself have 5 years of public school (and one year of private) middle school teaching experience in NC schools starting in 1996. I write to you today as part of a letter writing campaign (Campaign for Our Public Schools) to... more »

Modern School: Doctor Visits Drop 20%—Life Expectancy for the Poor Drops 5%

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago
Modern School: Doctor Visits Drop 20%—Life Expectancy for the Poor Drops 5%: Doctor Visits Drop 20%—Life Expectancy for the Poor Drops 5% by Michael Dunn Image from Flickr, by Metro Centric Pretty much everyone I talk to at work or in my neighborhood has been raving about how wonderful Obamacare is going to be. Granted, most of these people are liberals (I do live in San Francisco, after all). And they are correct that Obamacare will offer some advantages over the status quo, particularly for women’s reproductive health, as I described in a recent post*. *It will also no doubt prov... more »

Fisher v Texas, The Oral Argument « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Fisher v Texas, The Oral Argument « Student Activism: Fisher v Texas, The Oral Argument by Angus Johnston The typical Supreme Court oral argument lasts an hour, with the lawyer for the petitioner (whoever brought the suit) taking the first thirty minutes, and the lawyer for the respondent (the other party) taking the second. Each attorney stands at a podium when it’s his or her turn, and gives a presentation on their case to the nine justices. Or tries to. That half hour isn’t just their time for making arguments, it’s also the justices’ time for questioning, and they can — and do ... more »

Teachers United, and Apart, in Washington State - State EdWatch - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Teachers United, and Apart, in Washington State - State EdWatch - Education Week: Teachers United, and Apart, in Washington State by Andrew Ujifusa [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] When I visited the offices of the Kent Education Association south of Seattle, where teachers were manning a phone bank to support Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee, there was a white board on one of the walls with a schedule of campaign events for the next few days. But there was also something more lively: a collection of their favorite quotations from Washington residents in respon... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-15-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] A Model Letter for October 17 by dianerav The deadline to send emails to the President to support the Campaign for Our Public Schools is October 17. Here are instructions about where to send them. Send them either to this blog or to Anthony Cody at Anthony_Cody@hotmail.com. Below is a model letter for teachers. It can be revised to make it appropriate for parents or anyone else. Write your own letter, in your own words. The Latest Charter Scam by dianerav An earlier post described how Chinese investors can ... more »

Daily Kos: my totally useless sense of what will happen in the election

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Daily Kos: my totally useless sense of what will happen in the election: my totally useless sense of what will happen in the election by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Let's start with the presidential. I am not yet ready to lock down percentages or electoral votes, but I have not swayed from this - Obama will win by at least 4% in the popular vote and at least 303 electoral votes. On EV calculation - the states he won last time now have 359 EV, from which I subtract IN and 2nd CD of NE for a starting baseline of 347. He will at worst lose FL and NC, which is how I get to 303. I ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: It's Time To Get Real About Charter Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: It's Time To Get Real About Charter Schools: It's Time To Get Real About Charter Schools by Duke [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Paul Thomas tweeted a funny: If u posted a blog about the need 4 more giraffes in elementary school lunch rooms, 57 charter advocates would post comments about charters All too true: check out the discussion here, for example. Charter cheerleaders are relentless; evangelical soldiers in the reform wars, they are absolutely convinced that charters are laboratories full of innovation and creativity. And it matte... more »

NYC Educator: ATR-Clear and Present Danger

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
NYC Educator: ATR-Clear and Present Danger: ATR-Clear and Present Danger by NYC Educator *by special guest blogger Suddenly ATR * It was rainy, 5:30 in the morning, cold, and I was headed for my new weekly assignment. I don't have a car so the commute to this new school is over an hour and a half and they start soon after 7 in the morning. Two subway and bus transfers later, I finally arrived at the school. I was immediately given my coverage assignments and then sent to talk to the AP. Her first question shocked me: "Have you ever been brought up on disciplinary

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Byrd-BennettBarbara Byrd-Bennett (for future reference) *“I’m here for the long haul. I don’t know what to do other than sign in blood. . . . I’m here. I’m not gonna say ‘I’m outta here.’ That’s not who I am.”* -- Chicago's 4th CEO in last 2 years. Michelle Gunderson ‏ *It takes a Chia Pet longer to grow than the 6 weekends a person spends at the Broad Academy training to be a superintendent.* -- Tweeting @MSGunderson Dan Quinn, Texas Freedom Network * "That's where all these culture war battles w... more »

The poster child for Education Reform’s fraudulent performance evaluation movement - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
The poster child for Education Reform’s fraudulent performance evaluation movement - Wait, What?: The poster child for Education Reform’s fraudulent performance evaluation movement by jonpelto The story of how Hartford’s Superintendent of Schools Christina Kishimoto got a poor performance evaluation, yet got her raise AND still wanted her performance bonus. Teacher Evaluations are the key to “Education Reform, at least according to Governor Malloy, Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor and the “education reformers.” Last February, Governor Malloy defined the issue when ... more »

Rich siblings spend big bucks to affect California education funding

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Rich siblings spend big bucks to affect California education funding: Rich siblings spend big bucks to affect California education funding Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 14, 2012 at 11:08 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Molly Munger ( Rich Pedroncelli/AP) *The Munger siblings vs. California Gov. Jerry Brown*: Here is this week’s case study in our continuing look at how billionaires (and millionaires) are throwing around their money to drive education reform. Last week I wrote about a... more »

Schools Matter: Progressive Eugenics and Liberal Institutions

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Schools Matter: Progressive Eugenics and Liberal Institutions: Progressive Eugenics and Liberal Institutions by Storm For a time I was a fan of Jane's Addiction (everyone was doing it), but that "Been Caught Stealin'" song was really one of their least interesting off of their break-out album *Ritual de lo Habitual*. I was partial though to the prior album *Nothing's Shocking *and particularly amazed at the song "Pigs in Zen." Now I won't share those lyrics here, but I will tell you that I think they're very appropriate to our national (and by that I mean everyone) somnolence. ... more »

Schools Confront Scandal; Students Who ‘Disappeared’ at Test TimeSave Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Schools Confront Scandal; Students Who ‘Disappeared’ at Test TimeSave Our Schools: Schools Confront Scandal; Students Who ‘Disappeared’ at Test Time by Server El Paso Schools Scandal; Students Who ‘Disappeared’ at Test TimeBy MANNY FERNANDEZ *Originally Published October 12, 2012.* *The New York Times* EL PASO — It sounded at first like a familiar story: school administrators, seeking to meet state and federal standards, fraudulently raised students’ scores on crucial exams. . But in the cheating scandal that has shaken the 64,000-student school district in this border city, admini... more »

Support Anti-Bullying Day, Oppose Right Wing Christian Group’s Homophobia « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Support Anti-Bullying Day, Oppose Right Wing Christian Group’s Homophobia « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Support Anti-Bullying Day, Oppose Right Wing Christian Group’s Homophobia by millerlf *Christian Group Finds Gay Agenda in an Anti-Bullying Day* *By KIM SEVERSON October 14,2012 NY Times* On Mix It Up at Lunch Day, schoolchildren around the country are encouraged to hang out with someone they normally might not speak to. The program, started 11 years ago by the Southern Poverty Law Center and now in more than 2,500 schools, was intended as a way to break up cliques... more »

Expeditionary Learning Charter for Toki? | AMPS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Expeditionary Learning Charter for Toki? | AMPS: Expeditionary Learning Charter for Toki? by Thomas J. Mertz The Replacements – “I Don’t Know” (click to listen or download). The biggest item on the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education committee agendas this weekis the “Expeditionary Learning Model at Toki Middle School and Timeline” before the Planning and Development Committee (Monday, October 15, 2012, 6:30 p.m. Doyle Administration Building, Room 103, there are Public Appearances on the agenda). The proposal is to convert Toki Middle School from a district ... more »

Student success, Georgia economy threatened by state’s declining support | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Student success, Georgia economy threatened by state’s declining support | Get Schooled: Student success, Georgia economy threatened by state’s declining support by Maureen Downey Taifa S. Butler is the deputy director of *Georgia Budget & Policy Institute,* which will release a survey today of Georgia’s 180 school districts on the impact of state funding cuts. The 150 districts that responded too the survey educate more than 92 percent of the students in public schools. The survey found that the state’s lack of support for education diminishes learning opportunities for students ... more »

New CPS CEO Byrd-Bennett does well by the CEO circuit. A revolving door of payouts. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
New CPS CEO Byrd-Bennett does well by the CEO circuit. A revolving door of payouts. « Fred Klonsky: New CPS CEO Byrd-Bennett does well by the CEO circuit. A revolving door of payouts. by Fred Klonsky Chicago teachers, who lost some ground on the issue of sick and personal days in the last contract, might find an ally in the new CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. Byrd Bennett has done rather well on the CEO circuit – New York, Cleveland, Detroit. Among the rewards she was given when she left her Cleveland job was a payout of 140 sick days for the seven years she was there. When she left Cl... more »

How Did the Quebec Student Movement Win? | Dissident Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
How Did the Quebec Student Movement Win? | Dissident Voice: How Did the Quebec Student Movement Win? by subMedia For over 4 months, students and their allies, took over the streets of Montreal every day, to protest a tuition hike imposed by the liberal party in Quebec. On September 21st, the newly elected Premier of Quebec scrapped the tuition hike and repealed a controversial law, that effectively banned public demonstrations. While this is being touted as a victory by many in the student movement, one element that made this success possible is already being overshadowed. How the ...more »

LAUSD: WHERE SOCIAL PROMOTION REMAINS UNADDRESSED - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
LAUSD: WHERE SOCIAL PROMOTION REMAINS UNADDRESSED - Perdaily.com: LAUSD: WHERE SOCIAL PROMOTION REMAINS UNADDRESSED by Leonard Isenberg [image: Heist.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post) Probably the greatest antidote for too much government is a well educated and self-sufficient citizenry. Clearly, the way this self-sufficiency has been achieved in the past is through excellent public education. For conservatives who now decry the intrusion of too much government, one must wonder why public education i... more »

Study reveals ADHD children’s views on drugs, doctors | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Study reveals ADHD children’s views on drugs, doctors | The Raw Story: Study reveals ADHD children’s views on drugs, doctors by Sarah Boseley, The Guardian [image: Boy smells something bad via Shutterstock] Topics: ADHD ♦ ADHD children ♦ Dr Ilina Singh *New research finds that children with disorder are concerned that doctors do not understand the condition* Children with hyperactivity problems do not feel that Ritalin and other drugs they are given turn them into zombies or robots, but say they feel the medication helps them control their behaviour, according to a study that has ... more »

Short Notes: Comments On Suicide From Bill, Heather, And … Anonymous | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Short Notes: Comments On Suicide From Bill, Heather, And … Anonymous | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: Comments On Suicide From Bill, Heather, And … Anonymous by Jose Unbeknownst to me, October 10th was World Mental Heath Day, a day after I wrote my post on students and suicide. Rather than reflecting in meta, I’ll share some of my colleagues’ comments to the post, all of which moved me in a profound way. First, Bill Ivey: One of my former students, then a Senior at another local school, killed herself two weeks ago. Though she only passed through my classroom for a few weeks bef... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – Disproportionality in special ed poses new federal hazard to districts

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Disproportionality in special ed poses new federal hazard to districts Print this articleDisproportionality in special ed poses new federal hazard to districts *By Tom Chorneau* Monday, October 15, 2012 More aggressive federal attention to schools potentially mislabeling minority children as disabled has created an operational headache this fall for nearly 50 California districts, with another big cohort targeted for sanctioning next year. In fact, the push from the U.S. Department of Education’s special education unit to seek out and remedy... more »

Students Last: Who Should Be More Insulted? Let the Courts Decide

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Students Last: Who Should Be More Insulted? Let the Courts Decide: Who Should Be More Insulted? Let the Courts Decide by Students Last *Los Angeles -* Ann Coulter has filed a lawsuit against writer Jeff Bryant alleging defamation of character. The offending comment by Bryant appeared in a recently authored piece for "Campaign for America's Future" in which he referred to Founder and CEO of Students First Michelle Rhee as "a sort of - 'education Ann Coulter.'" At a press conference Coulter's attorney, Max Dewey explained his client's lawsuit as follows, "Throughout her career, Ms.... more »

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken - the Greed Agenda and education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken - the Greed Agenda and education: Bus tour with teacherken - the Greed Agenda and education by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *Crossposted from Education Votes of the National Education Association for whom I was an embedded blogger aboard the Stop the Greed Agenda Bus Tour of Patriot Majority* Now that the Stop the Greed Agenda Bus Tour is complete, I want to take this occasion to try to reflect upon the Greed Agenda in the context of public education, and to explore in a bit of depth the issue of cyber charter schools, a key component of that A... more »

Peg with Pen: Teaching President Obama the Conditions for Learning

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Peg with Pen: Teaching President Obama the Conditions for Learning: Teaching President Obama the Conditions for Learning by Peggy Dear President Obama, I am done pleading with you. I am writing due to my great respect for Diane Ravitch, who has requested that everyone write to you by October 17th. I am going to use this opportunity to teach you something, as it appears your administration is very uneducated regarding real teaching and real learning. I want to share the Conditions for Learning by Brian Cambourne. Teachers know and implement CFL in their classrooms on a daily bas... more »

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week Four – Six 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week Four – Six 2012: Week Four – Six 2012 by alicemercer I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, and for that I apologize. My extra-curricular calendar has grown during election season. In addition I’m on a district committee of site leaders related to Common Core (more on that in another post). We’re wrapping up our first unit of language arts and other subjects this week and next. Math ExchangeThis class is my biggest challenge. I keep my most challenging students, and add a batch of talkative/attention-challenged kids from the oth... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Hot Week for Seattle Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Hot Week for Seattle Schools: Hot Week for Seattle Schools by Melissa Westbrook *Monday, October 15th* Superintendent Banda will be busy as he bounces from the Seattle Special Education PTA meeting and theSeattle Council PTA meeting. Both are from 7-9 p.m. The Seattle Council meeting is in the auditorium but it is unclear where the Special Ed PTA is meeting. I'll find out and post it. The Seattle Council PTA meeting includes Q&A on I -1240. It also includes a presentation of the BEX IV levy. *Tuesday, October 16th* Operation Committee Meeting ... more »

Florida and Affirmative Action: State To Apply Different Standards

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Florida and Affirmative Action: State To Apply Different Standards: Florida to Use Different Academic Standards for Students by Race Another city, another affirmative action type argument by Gene Demby Posted: October 14, 2012 Share on pinterest_shareShare on tumblrMore Sharing ServicesShare on bloggerShare on print A- A A+ From *The Huffington Post* Florida is putting in place academic standards based on the race of students in the state’s schools. Approved this week by the Florida Board of Education, the new race-based standards affect all 2.6 million students that attend the... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Prop 39 Co-location Ruling by Court of Appeals: CHARTER SCHOOL NOT ENTITLED TO CHOOOSE ITS LOCATION + smf’s 2¢

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Prop 39 Co-location Ruling by Court of Appeals: CHARTER SCHOOL NOT ENTITLED TO CHOOOSE ITS LOCATION + smf’s 2¢: Prop 39 Co-location Ruling by Court of Appeals: CHARTER SCHOOL NOT ENTITLED TO CHOOOSE ITS LOCATION + smf’s 2¢ *Court Says LAUSD Offer of Facilities at Belmont H.S. Was Adequate* BY A METNEWS STAFF WRITER, METROPOLITAN NEWS-ENTERPRISE | HTTP://BIT.LY/RQDM8CFriday, October 12, 2012 :: The Los Angeles Unified School District did not violate the charter schools initiative by offering to locate a charter school in adjoining cl... more »

NYC Public School Parents: WABC News on our press conference today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: WABC News on our press conference today: WABC News on our press conference today Newsclips so far today of our press conference today about the violation of student privacy undertaken by the NYS Education Department, which is going to provide confidential student data to a Limited Corporation, run by the Gates Foundation and Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.. See video from ABC news below; also AP/Wall St. Journal and CBS radio, where you can comment on how you feel about this proposal. Posted by Leonie Haimson at 10/14/2012 06:41:00 PM

Diane in the Evening 10-14-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: JOIN THE CAMPAIGN FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS by dianerav Whether you are a teacher, a parent, a student, a principal, a school board member, or a concerned citizen, please join the Campaign for Our Public Schools. Speak out against high-stakes testing and privatization. Write a letter to President Obama and other elected officials. Here are instructions. El Paso Cheating Scandal: who Is Next? by dianerav http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/education/el-paso-rattled-by-scandal-of-disappeared-students.html?hpw THIS is what Bush/Spellings/Obama/Duncan/Bloomberg/Kle... more »

Why Does the U.S. Department of Education Support Privatization? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Why Does the U.S. Department of Education Support Privatization? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Why Does the U.S. Department of Education Support Privatization? by dianerav A reader points out that the U.S. Department of Education has the following program information on its website: “The U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP) has invested more than $255 million in charter schools this year. The purpose of the program is to increase financial support for the startup and expansion of these public schools, build a better national understanding of the public charter s... more »

Is Michelle Rhee the Ann Coulter of Education? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Is Michelle Rhee the Ann Coulter of Education? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Is Michelle Rhee the Ann Coulter of Education? by dianerav Jeff Bryant asks whether Michelle Rhee is the Ann Coulter of education. Rhee expends great energy insisting that Democrats support the hard-right agenda of ALEC. She tries to sell the idea of a bipartisan consensus to eliminate collective bargaining rights, teacher tenure, test-based evaluation, and privatization via charters and vouchers. Democrats would be wise to stick to their historic agenda of equality of educational opportunity and public educati... more »

Taking the Election to School; You Are InvitedSave Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Taking the Election to School; You Are InvitedSave Our Schools: Taking the Election to School; You Are Invited by Server Taking the Election to School:*Exclusive Webcast on edweek.org* *Register Now!* Taking the Election to School: Making Education a Focus of the 2012 Election Education Advisers to Obama and Romney to Debate at Teachers College, Columbia University To Register… http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/election2012/debate_on_education.html *The Debaters:* *Jon Schnur*, co-founder of America Achieves. Previously, Mr. Schnur co-founded and served as CEO of New Leaders for N... more »

Ed Notes Online: Would you hand your child's private information over to Murdoch Owned and Klein Run Wireless Generation?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Would you hand your child's private information over to Murdoch Owned and Klein Run Wireless Generation?: Would you hand your child's private information over to Murdoch Owned and Klein Run Wireless Generation? by ed notes online Jack Cavanagh's first press conferenceJulie Cavanagh, a special education teacher in Brooklyn, explained: “As a public school teacher I am concerned not only for the privacy of my students, and the way this data will be provided to for-profit enterprises, but I am also worried that this national database may be used to blacklist members o... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Attorney and Parents Send Letter to NYS Attorney General & Education Officials Questioning Legality of Providing Confidential Student Data to Limited Corporation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Attorney and Parents Send Letter to NYS Attorney General & Education Officials Questioning Legality of Providing Confidential Student Data to Limited Corporation: Attorney and Parents Send Letter to NYS Attorney General & Education Officials Questioning Legality of Providing Confidential Student Data to Limited Corporation by Leonie Haimson We had a press conference at noon at Norman Siegel’s law offices today; lots of TV cameras were there and WNYC radio so watch/listen for the story tonight and tomorrow. The letter Norman sent Friday to the Attorney ... more »

Dear Teacher, Johnny Is Skipping the Test Save Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Dear Teacher, Johnny Is Skipping the Test Save Our Schools: Dear Teacher, Johnny Is Skipping the Test by Server Dear Teacher, Johnny Is Skipping the TestBy SONI SANGHA *Originally Published October 12, 2012.* *The New York Times* LATER this month, children at 169 New York City elementary and middle schools will, for the second time in a calendar year, take a 40-minute “field test” in math and English language arts to determine which questions will go on future state standardized exams. Lori Chajet’s daughter will not be among them, though the tests are scheduled to be given at her ... more »

Citywide testing resistance strategy session Nov 2 Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Citywide testing resistance strategy session Nov 2: Citywide testing resistance strategy session Nov 2 by admin When FairTest’s Monty Neill comes to town on Friday, Nov 2, for a public forum on testing issues at 7 pm at St Xavier University, he has also agreed to help lead an afternoon citywide strategy session on anti-testing resistance – how we can work across groups, unite behind some common messages, share resources and otherwise build a strong testing resistance in Chicago. The session will be from 2 to 4 pm on Friday No... more »

Traumatic lives of students affect teacher’s evaluation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Traumatic lives of students affect teacher’s evaluation: Traumatic lives of students affect teacher’s evaluation Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 14, 2012 at 12:30 pm Here is the story of Rebecca Cusick, a fourth-grade teacher in Fall River, Massachusetts, and her “value-added” evaluation score. This assessment method uses students’ standardized test scores to determine a teacher’s effectiveness. Assessment experts say the method is unreliable, but reformers still insist on using it. In state after state, teacher evaluations derived through this method are sometimes labeling ... more »

Will Vouchers, Charters and Virtual Schools Turn Out the Friday Night Lights? | Firedoglake

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Will Vouchers, Charters and Virtual Schools Turn Out the Friday Night Lights? | Firedoglake: Will Vouchers, Charters and Virtual Schools Turn Out the Friday Night Lights? by Glenn W. Smith Popout With a disgraceful and relentless disregard for America’s social fabric, Republicans around the country are doing what they can to destroy public education. Based on model legislation written by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the GOP is pushing vouchers, corporate virtual schools and charter schools. Meanwhile, they’ve rigged policy against public schools, draining the... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: From Concerned Eckstein Parents

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: From Concerned Eckstein Parents: From Concerned Eckstein Parents by Melissa Westbrook Sent to us: *Urgent Call To Action:* We are writing to urge, implore, BEG you to write to all members of the School Board *THIS WEEKEND!* The Superintendent and District Staff put their BEX levy proposal before the school board on Wednesday. The proposal includes a new middle school at Wilson-Pacific and repurposing the Jane Addams building for a 1000 seat comprehensive, attendance area middle school. The Board has *NOT* reached consensus on this topic, and... more »

Blue Jersey:: Another Blue Jersey Thank You

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Blue Jersey:: Another Blue Jersey Thank You: Another Blue Jersey Thank You by Marie Corfield *ICYMI, Here's the story of how the national Democrats recognized Marie Corfield's LD-16 special election as the top grassroots-powered race in the country, in their yearly Essential Races List. Below, her thanks for the small role Blue Jersey played. Promoted by Rosi* As someone who is rarely at a loss for words, I’m struggling to find some that can express how I feel about all that has transpired this week. For those of you who missed it, Corfield for Assembly was voted the *number one*... more »

The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky: The Sunday Mail. by Fred Klonsky *Diane Ravitch posts Glen Brown’s* explanation of why breaking a contract with teachers doesn’t count as reform. *Barbara Byrd Bennett.* *The right stuff* or just the next through the CPS revolving door? She’s already done New York, Cleveland and Detroit. *Life in Rahm’s Chicago.* Another deadly weekend. *Students “disappeared” at test time in El Paso.* But if they jailed every administrator who cheated or juiced

Radical Scholarship: October 18, 2012: Poverty Is Destiny: Ignoring the MLK Imperative in Corporate Education Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Radical Scholarship: October 18, 2012: Poverty Is Destiny: Ignoring the MLK Imperative in Corporate Education Reform: October 18, 2012: Poverty Is Destiny: Ignoring the MLK Imperative in Corporate Education Reform by P. L. Thomas *Poverty Is Destiny: Ignoring the MLK Imperative in Corporate Education Reform* *• Introduction/Context* Working class background Father, junior college, paternal grandfather owned town gas station, Upstate SC Mother, dropped out of junior college, maternal grandfather died yarn, mill worker, hills of NC Home town, rural poverty Came to recognize priv... more »

Jennifer Garner: C- Is Just Not Good Enough for Our Kids

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jennifer Garner: C- Is Just Not Good Enough for Our Kids: C- Is Just Not Good Enough for Our Kids [image: Jennifer Garner] [image: Mark Shriver] Jennifer Garner and Mark Shriver * * * * * * * * * * *‘America’s Report Card 2012′ Gives U.S. A C-Minus On* *Ensuring Educational Opportunities, Providing For Children* A report card marked with too many C's and D's is not something to boast about. Unfortunately, those are just the kinds of grades America brought home yesterday, earning an overall C- in *America's Report Card 2012: Children in the U.S.*, released by Save the Children and F... more »

Federal investigators looking into Jefferson Parish public schools' treatment of Latino students | NOLA.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Federal investigators looking into Jefferson Parish public schools' treatment of Latino students | NOLA.com: Federal investigators looking into Jefferson Parish public schools' treatment of Latino students Federal authorities have decided to investigate claims that the Jefferson Parish schoolsystem discriminates against Latino students. The Southern Poverty Law Center lodged the complaint in August and now the civil rights divisions of the Justice Department and Education Department say they will take up the matter. "The complaint we received raises concerns about the district's c... more »

Caring - Walter_McKenzie , ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Caring - Woodbridge, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators: Looking Ahead Caring Caring makes all the difference in the world. Not a mood or an attitude…caring is a way of being. You either care or you don’t. It’s easy to care when something is important to you. But how about caring when it’s important to someone else? How about caring when there’s nothing in it for you, because it makes the world a better place? Caring does not turn on and off. It doesn’t only count when it grabs your attention. It doesn’t matter just when you ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Pearson profits while parents protest N.Y. test madness

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Pearson profits while parents protest N.Y. test madness: Pearson profits while parents protest N.Y. test madness by Mike Klonsky PARENTS UNITED From left, Lori Chajet, Abby Subak and Martha Foote outside Public School 321 in Brooklyn. The New York Times reports today that many N.Y. parents are opting out of field testing the state's new round of standardized tests related to the Common Core standards. Brooklyn parent Lori Chajet says: *“I want my school to use tests to help instruction, to help find out if kids don’t know fractions. I don’t wa... more »

Daily Kos: Save Unsuccessful Charter Schools (SUCS), Now!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: Save Unsuccessful Charter Schools (SUCS), Now!: Save Unsuccessful Charter Schools (SUCS), Now! byplthomasEdDFollow [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Increasingly over the past decade, children and their parents all across the U.S. are choosing to enroll in or are being chosen to attend charter schools that are average or failing. Since these children are our future, we must organize now and help reform the struggling charter school movement; thus, I am forming Save Unsuccessful Charter Schools (SUCS). The facts about charter schools in the U.S.... more »

PAC Uses Football to Target Voucher Proposals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
PAC Uses Football to Target Voucher Proposals: PAC Uses Football to Target Voucher Proposals photo by: Justin Dehn October 14, 2012 by: Maurice Chammah, The Texas Tribune In a video that ponders potential threats to the viability of high school football, Progress Texas PAC urges Texans to fight plans to institute school voucher programs. As they prepare for a battle over school vouchers during the next legislative session, a liberal advocacy group is calling attention to a program that few thought was under immediate threat in Texas: high school football. In a video called “Will Our... more »

 
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