Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 10-20-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-20-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Students Say: Vote NO on Charter Amendment in Georgia by dianerav Listen to the students. On this link there is a terrific video by two Georgia students who explain why voters should turn down a constitutional amendment on charter schools. Georgia has over 130 charter schools. The charter schools do not outperform the public schools. Some local school boards have turned down new charters. So the Governor has put an amendment to the Constitution on the ballot allowing him to create a commission to Irony in Oh... more »

Microsoft gives $50,000 more to Washington charter school initiative

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago
Microsoft gives $50,000 more to Washington charter school initiative: Microsoft gives $50,000 more to Washington charter school initiative Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 20, 2012 at 10:38 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » (Jeffrey MacMillan/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST) Microsoft founder Bill Gates has personally forked over several million dollars to support a charter school referendum on the Washington state ballot in November – and now, Microsoft Corp. just upped its donation. The company ... more »

Mitt Romney’s No Excuses School | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago
Mitt Romney’s No Excuses School | EduShyster: Mitt Romney’s No Excuses School by edushyster2012 Cranbrook, the private boarding school attended by Mitt Romney, is a ‘No Excuses’ school, which is why Mr. Romney has such remarkable posture. Haters are constantly dawging on Mitt Romney for being quite possibly the whitest person who has ever lived. But it might surprise you to know that despite his mom jeans and the robotic arm movements, Willard Mitt Romney actually has a lot of *flava*. You see, Mr. Romney attended a No Excuses school very similar to the ones that are popping up in A... more »

Ed Notes Online: Today: Julie Cavanagh (MORE) and Xian Barrett (CORE) Lessons of the Chicago Teachers’ Strike

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
Ed Notes Online: Today: Julie Cavanagh (MORE) and Xian Barrett (CORE) Lessons of the Chicago Teachers’ Strike: Today: Julie Cavanagh (MORE) and Xian Barrett (CORE) Lessons of the Chicago Teachers’ Strike by ed notes online Don't miss the chance to see Julie and Xian today. I met both of them in the summer of 2009, Xian in Los Angeles at a 5-city gathering of union activists where Xian and 5 others came from Chicago's CORE and Julie here at the first meeting of GEM and CAPE. I don't have to tell ed notes readers about Julie. Even if you can't make it, check out these 2 videos I shot... more »

Are America’s Schools Breeding Grounds for Compliant Citizens? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 minutes ago
Are America’s Schools Breeding Grounds for Compliant Citizens? | toteachornototeach: Are America’s Schools Breeding Grounds for Compliant Citizens? by aristotlethewise *Are America’s Schools Breeding Grounds for Compliant Citizens? * by John W. Whitehead “*[P]ublic school reform is now justified in the dehumanizing language of national security, which increasingly legitimates the transformation of schools into adjuncts of the surveillance and police state… students are increasingly subjected to disciplinary apparatuses which limit their capacity for critical thinking, mold them into... more »

Daily Kos: an oddity noted at Nate Silver's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago
Daily Kos: an oddity noted at Nate Silver's blog: an oddity noted at Nate Silver's blog by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) and you can see it without having to use up any of your 10/mo quota on the Times website simply go to his site If you scroll down, looking on the right, besides his projections of EVs national, and percentages nationally and before you get to probabiities by state you will arrve at a chart called Electoral Vote Distribution which shows the most frequently occurring totals of electoral votes when he runs his simulations.. IF I am reading it correctly, it seems the... more »

Reframing Shame: How and When Blame for Student Low Achievement Shifted | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 minutes ago
Reframing Shame: How and When Blame for Student Low Achievement Shifted | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Reframing Shame: How and When Blame for Student Low Achievement Shifted by larrycuban The shame that many teachers and principals feel at being made responsible for a school’s low academic performance is a recent phenomenon. Historically, policy elites and educators explained poor academic performance of groups and individual students by pointing to ethnic and racial discrimination, poverty, immigrants’ cultures, family deficits, and students’ lack of effo... more »

Jersey Jazzman: It's NOT Just Newark's Contract

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 minutes ago
Jersey Jazzman: It's NOT Just Newark's Contract: It's NOT Just Newark's Contract by Duke *Merit Pay Fairy?* Newark's teachers union has come to an agreement with the district on a contract. The contract still needs to be ratified by the members in a meeting on Monday, 10/29/12. The contract includes a merit pay program, funded by a combination of private and public monies. Let's lay out a few facts: - New Jersey has one of the highest-performing statewide school systems in the country. I would argue that we could make a good case for being the best performing state in the nation... more »

DeKalb’s Eugene Walker: Keep schools in local hands. “No” on charter schools amendment | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
DeKalb’s Eugene Walker: Keep schools in local hands. “No” on charter schools amendment | Get Schooled: DeKalb’s Nancy Jester: Parents deserve more choices. “Yes” on charter schools amendment. Maureen Downey at Get Schooled - 1 hour ago DeKalb school board member Nancy Jester supports the charter schools amendment. Here is why: *For an opposing view, read DeKalb board member Eugene Walker’s piece.* By Nancy Jester Let’s set the record straight about who controls education in Georgia. Superintendents and their administrators do. Local boards of education do hire the Superintendent b... more »

Pass / Fail : Parent Trigger group votes on new group for charter take over | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 28 minutes ago
Pass / Fail : Parent Trigger group votes on new group for charter take over | 89.3 KPCC: Parent Trigger group votes on new group for charter take over by By Vanessa Romo [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] The first group of parents in the nation to successfully invoke California’s Parent Trigger law has voted on a new operator to take over a failing school: LaVerne Elementary Preparatory Academy, a non-profit charter organization based in nearby Hesperia, will run the new school starting next August. After 18 months and two court victories, members of the D... more »

School lunch news: California poll, Kansas high school video, and praise for OUSD - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 30 minutes ago
School lunch news: California poll, Kansas high school video, and praise for OUSD - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: School lunch news: California poll, Kansas high school video, and praise for OUSD Friday, October 19th, 2012 at 3:37 pm in No Comments *Photo by Jane Tyska/Staff* A recent statewide poll released by The California Endowment, a health foundation that promotes nutritious school lunches, found that 82 percent of students and 91 percent of parents surveyed support the latest changes in school lunch nutrition standards, overall. The changes in... more »

One Teacher's Perspective: Soul-Friendly Capitalism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 34 minutes ago
One Teacher's Perspective: Soul-Friendly Capitalism: Soul-Friendly Capitalism by Imagine Wisconsin *This past week, an old friend and one of my former professors celebrated his 50th Jubilee as a Franciscan priest. Much of my recent critique on Paul Ryan's economic philosophy derives from Fr. Joe Zimmerman's compassionate reasoning. Zimmerman agreed to let me repost his fine essay on soul-friendly capitalism, which is also published in Zimmerman's blog, Ivy Rosary.* Soul is story. My soul is my story, with its sorrows and its joys. Soul-less capitalism has no concern for the stori... more »

Gov. Jerry Brown to Join Educators to Kick Off Final Push This Weekend to Pass Prop. 30, Defeat Prop. 32 - California Teachers Association

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago
Gov. Jerry Brown to Join Educators to Kick Off Final Push This Weekend to Pass Prop. 30, Defeat Prop. 32 - California Teachers Association: Gov. Jerry Brown to Join Educators to Kick Off Final Push This Weekend to Pass Prop. 30, Defeat Prop. 32 *Contacts: Bay Area: Mike Myslinski, 408-921-5769; Los Angeles Area: Frank Wells, 562-708-5425; San Diego, Orange County Areas: Bill Guy, 619-709-0028; Sacramento Area: Claudia Briggs, 916-296-4087; Central Valley: Dina Martin, 415-710-6794* Governor to Join Teachers at 11 a.m. San Francisco Event Saturday ** *BURLINGAME –* Gov. Jerry Brown ... more »

Mt. Diablo district Superintendent Steven Lawrence disbands Parent Advisory Council - ContraCostaTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago
Mt. Diablo district Superintendent Steven Lawrence disbands Parent Advisory Council - ContraCostaTimes.com: Mt. Diablo district Superintendent Steven Lawrence disbands Parent Advisory Council By Theresa Harrington Contra Costa Times Posted: 10/19/2012 07:08:56 PM PDT Updated: 10/19/2012 09:53:57 PM PDT This is an excerpt of On Assignment, education writer Theresa Harrington's blog on Contra Costa County schools. Read more and post comments at IBABuzz.com/onassignment. Follow her atTwitter.com/tunedtotheresa. Oct. 12 After widespread confusion related to Mt. Diablo Superintendent... more »

Struggling with educators’ lack of technology fluency | Dangerously Irrelevant

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 52 minutes ago
Struggling with educators’ lack of technology fluency | Dangerously Irrelevant: Struggling with educators’ lack of technology fluency by dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod) [image: Confused] It’s 2012. Technology suffuses everything around us. The Internet and Internet browsers have been pretty mainstream for at least a decade. And yet, I continually run into significant numbers of educators who still don’t know how to work their Internet browser. They struggle with copying and pasting. They get confused just clicking between 2 or 3 different browser tabs. They don’t conceptual... more »

Big Education Ape: Growing Healthy Schools — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago
Big Education Ape: Growing Healthy Schools — Whole Child Education: Growing Healthy Schools — Whole Child Education Growing Healthy Schools — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Growing Healthy Schools October 19, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers [image: Growing Healthy Schools Week 2012] In addition to National Health Education Week, it is also the first annual Growing Healthy Schools Week in the District of Columbia. Growing Healthy Schools Week is organized by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Wellness & Nutrition ... more »

Top Content this Week - 10-20-12 The Educator's PLN

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: How has technology in your classroom impact student learning and achievement?]How has technology in your classroom impact student learning and achievement? Posted by David Petrick on October 3, 2012 2[image: Digital Disconnect: The Gap Between Students and Their Schools]Digital Disconnect: The Gap Between Students and Their Schools Posted by Sasha Reese on October 11, 2012 3[image: Technology educational affordance: Bridging the gap between patterns of interaction and technology usage]Technology educational affordance: Bridging t...more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 10-20-12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit* TAILORING THE TESTS TO SPECIAL NEEDS: QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT ADAPTIVE ASSESSMENTS …and feedback from an LAUSD special needs parent smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 day ago By Michelle R. Davis, EdWeek Vol. 06, Issue 01, Pages 14-15 | http://bit.ly/TyZS44 October 17, 2012 :: Computer-adaptive testing, in theory, should allow educators to pinpoint more accurately the achievement levels of students with disabilities, to focus on areas where those students need help. De... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 10-20-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * “Dual enrollment” students more likely to attend, graduate from college Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 21 hours ago High school students who take college courses are significantly more likely to attend and graduate from college than peers who do not, according to a study of more than 30,000 Texas high school graduates by Boston-based education nonprofit Jobs for the Future (JFF). JFF’s study, Taking College Courses in High School: A Strategy for College Readiness, tracked 32,908 students who g... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 10-20-12 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL *Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day* [image: Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Problems.] “Small Minority of Parents at “Trigger” School Choose Charter Operator” Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 6 hours ago Small Minority of Parents at “Trigger” School Choose Charter Operator is a post at Diane Ravitch’s blog. It describes the latest sad development in parent trigger efforts in California. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning Why The Paren... more »

Nikhil Goyal, 17: the future education secretary? - Virginia Schools Insider - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Nikhil Goyal, 17: the future education secretary? - Virginia Schools Insider - The Washington Post: Nikhil Goyal, 17: the future education secretary? By T. Rees Shapiro The other morning I had coffee with Fairfax County School Board member Elizabeth Schultz, who represents the Springfield district. Shultz said she wants to address some of the school system’s biggest problems head on, even if it means having to turn the system upside down. When I sat down with her she was reading a book with an intriguing title:“One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School,” by Nikh... more »

L.A. Times Wants To Publicly Rank 14,000 More Teachers | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
L.A. Times Wants To Publicly Rank 14,000 More Teachers | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: L.A. Times Wants To Publicly Rank 14,000 More Teachers by Larry Ferlazzo Editors at The Los Angeles Times probably need to read The Best Posts, Articles & Videos About Learning From Mistakes & Failures, since they don’t appear to be very good at it. Despite having their methodology and their actions roundly criticized by….well, just about everybody you can think of….after publishing teacher ranking previously (see The Best Posts About The LA Times Article On “Value-Added” Teacher Ratin... more »

A child with autism shines with Katy Perry’s help | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
A child with autism shines with Katy Perry’s help | Get Schooled: A child with autism shines with Katy Perry’s help 7:05 pm October 19, 2012, by Maureen Downey My AJC colleague Jay Bookman ends the week with a music video. I want to follow his example today as I think this music video also delivers a message about the power of education to improve kids’ lives. (And it also speaks to the character of singer Katy Perry.) - ShareThis - Print

What Government Does for You | Alternet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
What Government Does for You | Alternet: What Government Does for You When government works effectively, it becomes an invisible part of everyday life and people start to take it for granted. *October 17, 2012* | “Government, keep your hands off my Medicare!” Commentators and comedians alike had fun with the cognitive dissonance represented by the statement above, found on more than one hand-scrawled sign at Tea Party rallies. But while opposition to government is more at home on the political right, ignorance about the role of government is a bipartisan malady. [Video drawn fro... more »

Bear Valley Superintendent Named All-Star - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Bear Valley Superintendent Named All-Star - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Congratulates Bear Valley Superintendent and District for Promoting Good Health and NutritionState Schools Chief Tom Torlakson *Supt. Kurt Madden to Run 100-Mile Endurance Challenge in South State*** SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today recognized Bear Valley Unified School District Superintendent Kurt Madden for his commitment to promoting student health and fitness, calling him a "Team California for Healthy Kids All-Star." Madden w... more »

Remarks of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the TIME Higher Education Summit | U.S. Department of Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Remarks of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the TIME Higher Education Summit | U.S. Department of Education: Remarks of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the TIME Higher Education Summit OCTOBER 18, 2012 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov It's great to be at the TIME Summit on Higher Education with such a distinguished group of leaders. All of you have thought long and hard about the future of higher education. And I'll try to be brief before we turn to the panel discussion. I know we would all agree that the future of higher education i... more »

Agenda October 30 and 31, 2012 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Agenda October 30 and 31, 2012 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education): Agenda October 30 and 31, 2012Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) meeting agenda. ------------------------------ Advisory Commission on Special Education Members Kristin Wright, Chair Diane Fazzi, Vice Chair Feda Almaliti Janice Brown Maureen Burness Kenneth Denman Morena de Grimaldi Betty Karnette Susan Martinez Tomislav Peraic Gina Plate Naomi Rainey Mariano Sanz Barbara Schulman Jaclyn Vincent Student Members Matthew Stacy Timothy Higgins Legislative Members Carol Liu, Senate Joan Buchanan...more »

Schools Matter: The College Caste System and Crushing Student Debt

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Schools Matter: The College Caste System and Crushing Student Debt: The College Caste System and Crushing Student Debt by Jim Horn It is not at all surprising that many well-intentioned folks concerned with the costs of higher education today have turned to technology in hopes of reducing costs and limiting tuition increases. After all, when students are at home in their pajamas and the professor (maybe in his pajamas, too) is connected via the web (in real time or asynchronously) from anywhere in the world, and no one is using physical classroom space with maintenance costs, ut... more »

Tom Latham: Bring Back Control and Power of Education to State and School Districts | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Tom Latham: Bring Back Control and Power of Education to State and School Districts | Truth in American Education: Tom Latham: Bring Back Control and Power of Education to State and School Districts by Shane Vander Hart [image: latham-interview]I had the opportunity to recently interview Congressman Tom Latham (R-IA) for Caffeinated Thoughts. He is running against Congressman Leonard Boswell (D-IA) in Iowa’s newly drawn 3rd Congressional District. We had a chance to discuss Federal involvement in education. “No Child Left Behind was an experiment with great intentions that hasn’t... more »

New York Teacher | Edwize

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
New York Teacher | Edwize: New York Teacher by W.J. Levay [image: New York Teacher, Oct. 18, 2012]Highlights from the October 18 issue of *New York Teacher*: Union in high gear for Nov. 6 elections In addition to its push to help re-elect President Barack Obama, the UFT is working to elect a number of state lawmakers on Nov. 6 who will support public schools, unions and the needs of teachers, parents and children. Addabbo wins UFT’s backing With many important state Senate races in November, the UFT on Sept. 24 enthusiastically endorsed Joseph Addabbo Jr. for re-election for a third ... more »

UPDATE: NYC Public School Parents: Warning to district 6 and others considering de-zoning

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Warning to district 6 and others considering de-zoning: Comments on the proposed New American Academy Charter School by Molly *Here are comments submitted today to the State Education Department on the proposed New American Academy charter, opposing the granting of this charter. The school is based on the model of an existing public school in Brooklyn, that places 60 small children in a room with four teachers, instead of providing them with a class size of 15. * *Click here to download as a pdf.* New American Academy Charter Comments Final Comments op... more »

UPDATE: (KNOW THY ED REFORMER) Attorney for secretive pro-school reform group maintains it doesn't have to disclose donors - Eye On Boise - Spokesman.com - Oct. 19, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Attorney for secretive pro-school reform group maintains it doesn't have to disclose donors - Eye On Boise - Spokesman.com - Oct. 19, 2012: Group backing Idaho education changes wants to take back money to avoid disclosure by The Associated Press Education Voters of Idaho says it doesn't have to name its donors and criticizes Secretary of State Ben Ysursa. Original enclosure (tom-luna-idahojpg-2467bf32708715ec.jpg) *WANTS TO TAKE BACK MONEY TO **AVOID DISCLOSURE* A group promoting Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna's education overhaul refused Friday to disclose its dono... more »

Community Outraged by ICE Agents Targeting Families Outside School - Hispanically Speaking News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Community Outraged by ICE Agents Targeting Families Outside School - Hispanically Speaking News: Community Again Outraged by Immigration Agents Targeting Families Outside Detroit Schools [image: Community Again Outraged by Immigration Agents Targeting Families Outside Detroit Schools] *As a community member I am outraged, and as a mother, I am heartbroken.* Those were the words of State Representative Rashida Tlaib after parents called for her to do something about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents targeting parents outside Detroit schools in Michigan. Earlie... more »

NEA Honored For Minority Student Advocacy | NEA Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
NEA Honored For Minority Student Advocacy | NEA Today: NEA Honored For Minority Student Advocacy October 19, 2012 by twalker Filed under Featured News, Minority Community Outreach, Top Stories Leave a Comment [image: Email][image: Share] *By Emma Chadband* The *Asian American Justice Center *presented the National Education Association with its “Bridge Builder Award” on Thursday in recognition of the NEA’s outstanding efforts to empower Asian American and Pacific Islander students. NEA has brought national attention to achievement gaps Asian American students suffer from socioecono... more »

UPDATE: Diane in the Evening 10-19-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: The Catholic Version of TFA by dianerav Samuel Freedman has a lovely article in the New York Times about young Catholic teachers working together in Tucson. They are part of a program called the Alliance for Catholic Education, which was created at Notre Dame. They spend a summer at Notre Dame preparing to teach and another summer reviewing what they have learned and sharpening their skills. Notre Dame teaching coaches are available to them during their time on the job. When I visited Notre Dame last spring, I met Father Tim Scully, the founder of ACE, who ... more »

Daily Kos: "Shoulders" - new ad for Christie Vilsack in IA-04 - u will want to watch

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Daily Kos: "Shoulders" - new ad for Christie Vilsack in IA-04 - u will want to watch: "Shoulders" - new ad for Christie Vilsack in IA-04 - u will want to watch by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Popout Yes the Big Dog, Elvis, went to Iowa for Christie. There are long-time connections between the families. Christie's brother shared a cubicle at the House Judiciary Committee with Hillary Rodham during the impeachment hearing on Richard Nixon Hillary came out to campaign for Tom when in his first run for governor he was double digits down. When Tom dropped out of the 2008 presidential race... more »

Growing Healthy Schools — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Growing Healthy Schools — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Growing Healthy Schools October 19, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers [image: Growing Healthy Schools Week 2012] In addition to National Health Education Week, it is also the first annual Growing Healthy Schools Week in the District of Columbia. Growing Healthy Schools Week is organized by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Wellness & Nutrition Services in conjunction with the D.C. Farm to School Network at D.C. Greens and the D.C. Schoolyard Greening Commi... more »

Ten minute drawing. Pearson’s Art History has no Art. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Ten minute drawing. Pearson’s Art History has no Art. « Fred Klonsky: Ten minute drawing. Pearson’s Art History has no Art. by Fred Klonsky Click on drawing to enlarge. Story is here. The people know who is to blame for the pension mess. by Fred Klonsky

Parents, teachers can now sample Common Core test questions | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Parents, teachers can now sample Common Core test questions | EdSource Today: Parents, teachers can now sample Common Core test questions ** October 19th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services Smarter Balanced, the organization that is designing the Common Core assessments for California and two dozen other member states, released sample test items for parents and teachers last week. As expected, they’re anything but your father’s multiple choice. If all goes on schedule, beginning in... more »

My letter to Obama. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
My letter to Obama. « Fred Klonsky: My letter to Obama. by Fred Klonsky The educational historian Diane Ravitch asked us all to send a letter to President Obama on October 17th. *Dear President Obama,* *I retired from teaching on June 8, 2012.* *I started my teaching career at the age of 38 in 1984.* *My teaching career took me from A Nation at Risk to the Race to the Top.* *You are a person who works in what I know to be an atmosphere of constant crises. And so I wonder how do you think that feels when it is children and teachers working in that kind of atmosphere? Not a world lea... more »

Report Card: Sac City school trustee Ellyne Bell will resign

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Report Card: Sac City school trustee Ellyne Bell will resign: Sac City school trustee Ellyne Bell will resign [image: AOC_SchoolConference_105w.JPG]Sacramento City Unified School District trustee Ellyne Bell announced Thursday night that she will be stepping down from the school board at the end of the year. Bell gave a 60-day deferred resignation after completing two years of her four year term. After taking a job in San Francisco six months ago, Bell said she plans to relocate there at the beginning of the year. "The work is increasing all the time and to run an organization and do... more »

Vote yes on Michigan’s Prop 2. Beware of goblins, ghosts and groups with “taxpayer” in their name. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Vote yes on Michigan’s Prop 2. Beware of goblins, ghosts and groups with “taxpayer” in their name. « Fred Klonsky: Vote yes on Michigan’s Prop 2. Beware of goblins, ghosts and groups with “taxpayer” in their name. by Fred Klonsky Let’s pull the mask of those groups with the word *taxpayer* in their name. It’s code. It’s no different than Romney’s rant against the 47%. *Losers. Takers*. If pressed, these *taxpayer* groups would more than likely argue that unless you’re a taxpayer you shouldn’t even have the right to vote. Of course, it once was like that in parts of the United States.... more »

Playing hardball over a Tennessee charter school

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Playing hardball over a Tennessee charter school: Playing hardball over a Tennessee charter school Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 19, 2012 at 12:26 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Kevin Huffman (Erik Schelzig/AP) Well, they went ahead and did it. Tennessee education officials actually lived up to their petulant threat to withhold $3.4 million from Nashville public schools as punishment for refusing to allow a controversial charter school to open. The state money that should have gone t... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: View from right field: Smarick wants an end to urban school systems

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: View from right field: Smarick wants an end to urban school systems: View from right field: Smarick wants an end to urban school systems by Mike Klonsky I don't agree.Is there any real difference between calling for an end to "urban school systems" and calling for an end to urban public schools? I don't think so. *Andy Smarick*, who works for right-wing think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute and the Fordham Institute, tweeted me yesterday, saying that I was being unfair to him for equating his call for the destruction of

John Thompson: Gates Foundation's MET Project Has Leaped Before Looking - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
John Thompson: Gates Foundation's MET Project Has Leaped Before Looking - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Gates Foundation's MET Project Has Leaped Before Looking by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Thompson.* * * * * The Measures of Effective Teaching Project (MET) is the Gates Foundation's flagship effort to fill what they believe is a huge void in the teaching profession. According to them, up until this project, there was no way to know how effective any given teacher is. Their goal has been to develop scientifically accurate means to accomplish this.... more »

Daily Kos: POSITIVE statistics on early voting in Ohio

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: POSITIVE statistics on early voting in Ohio: POSITIVE statistics on early voting in Ohio by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) as appearing in a memo from Jeremy Bird, National Field Director for the Obama campaign, that is being widely distributed via a tweet from Ben LaBolt All national polling organizations who have surveyed preference of early voters - including Rasmussen - find a significant lead for Obama, ranging from +19 in SurveyUSa to +52 for PPP Data on new registrants in 2012 include that 81% of those registering this yea are "either female, younger than 30, or Af... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: From The Trenches

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: From The Trenches: From The Trenches by Anngie Diane Ravitch and Anthony Cody teamed up and had a call to action for parents, teachers, administrators and anyone interested in education to write a letter to the President by October 17th. The letters were a way to push back on the “education reform” changes that are being pushed at the national level and in states across the nation. The letters were written, most of them gut wrenching accounts of what it is like in today's classrooms. By far the issue of greatest concern is standardized testing and its ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, October 19, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Communities for Teaching Excellence, Los Angeles-based education organization, closing Education Headlines *Friday, October 19, 2012* Big money in play in Oakland school board campaignsLocal school board races are often low-budget, low-profile affairs, and until now, Oakland has been no exception. But this year, two new political action committees have thrown themselves into the election, infusing once-lethargic races with energy -- and cash. Most students give more healthful state school menus thumbs upFor every three Californ... more »









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