Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, November 16, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 11-16-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS


Mayor Bloomberg's relentless rush to shutter some neighborhood schools has parents baffled, upset - NY Daily News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
Mayor Bloomberg's relentless rush to shutter some neighborhood schools has parents baffled, upset - NY Daily News: Mayor Bloomberg's relentless rush to shutter some neighborhood schools has parents baffled, upsetA recent Daily News investigation found that of the 154 schools opened under Bloomberg, nearly 60% had passing rates on reading tests that were lower than those at older schools of similar poverty level.NEW YORK DAILY NEWSUPDATED: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012, 9:44 PM [image: Young Leaders Elementary School in South Bronx is on closing list. Photo by Ken Goldfield] KEN GOLDF...more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Educational and Racial Equity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Educational and Racial Equity: Educational and Racial Equity by Charlie Mas When the Board adopted policy 0030, Ensuring Educational and Racial Equity, there was a bit of a stir because, at one point, the word "Racial" had been removed from the policy title. I guess some folks were concerned that if there was no reference to race in the title of the policy, there would be no focus on race in the implementation of the policy. The content of the policy was not in question, just the title. The policy language does not put special emphasis on race. It... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-16-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Nebraska Joins the Honor Roll by dianerav This just in from a teacher in Nebraska. The state did not get any Race to the Top funding, and therefore didn’t “win” money that would cost them more to implement than they “won.” It is taking a “wait and see” approach to Common Core standards. It doesn’t want the U.S. Department of Education to tell Nebraskans what to do. It doesn’t have any charters. The state is trying to do what is best for children. Imagine that! The public schools are supported by the public... more »

Alice Waters Discusses Food, Community, and GMOs « MomsRising Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Alice Waters Discusses Food, Community, and GMOs « MomsRising Blog: Alice Waters Discusses Food, Community, and GMOs by Yoli Ouiya Let me introduce (or reintroduce) you to Alice Waters, renowned chef, food activist, and author. As one of the most influential people in the food, we have her to thank for her activism to highlight the slow food movement and a public advocate for a return to access to fresh, sustainable food. Noted as the “mother of American cooking,” her restaurant Chez Panisse has been ranked as one of the “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” over the last four decades. I... more »

Classic Educational TV Programs that Still Rock Today | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Classic Educational TV Programs that Still Rock Today | toteachornototeach: Classic Educational TV Programs that Still Rock Today by aristotlethewise Classic Educational TV Programs that Still Rock Today *Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders* Want to school your kids in some science and sociology? Why not go old school? Some of the educational shows that you grew up on are still just as excellent — and relevant — as they were back in the day. Here are 10 educational programs from decades past, that are still totally worth watching today. [image: Classic Educational TV Programs that... more »

Modern School: Idaho Voters Reject Merit Pay, Super Intends to Bring it Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Modern School: Idaho Voters Reject Merit Pay, Super Intends to Bring it Back: Idaho Voters Reject Merit Pay, Super Intends to Bring it Back by Michael Dunn *Forget Democracy Tom Luna Knows Best * On November 5, voters rejected free market education initiatives in several states in what many have called a referendum on corporate education reform. These “reforms” are not going away any time soon, however. Their backers are plowing ahead with plans to expand the reforms or reinstate them in places where they lost ground. In Idaho, for example, voters overturned their “Students Come ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Study: Why do so many kids drop out?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Study: Why do so many kids drop out?: Study: Why do so many kids drop out? by Mike Klonsky The 2012 High School Dropouts in America survey finds that the great majority of kids who leave school early, do so because of out-of-school conditions such as family problems or economic necessity. The survey findings cut against the current mythology that bad teachers, failing schools and unions are the source of the dropout problem. *Nearly one-quarter — 23 percent — of Americans attribute their failure to complete high school to a lack of parental support ... more »

New Assembly Education chair skeptical of plan for weighted funding | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
New Assembly Education chair skeptical of plan for weighted funding | EdSource Today: New Assembly Education chair skeptical of plan for weighted funding ** November 15th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services [image: Buchanan is worried that funding for some districts would stagnate while funding for other districts would increase at a much higher rate under a weighted student formula.]Any bill to change the way that California funds its public schools will have to go through Joan Buch... more »

Ed Notes Online: UFT RTTT Agreement A Terrible Mistake

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Ed Notes Online: UFT RTTT Agreement A Terrible Mistake: UFT RTTT Agreement A Terrible Mistake by ed notes online For Immediate Release Thursday, November 15, 2012 Contact: Julie Cavanagh -917-836-6465 UFT RTTT Agreement A Terrible Mistake The UFT has agreed to sign onto NYC's RTTT application, adding as many as 100 schools to the city’s three-year-old "Innovation Zone" and expanding online learning and instruction among other technology-based techniques. This agreement is a terrible mistake, selling out teachers and kids. This agreement was made despite the fact that there i... more »

Homework: Doesn’t improve grades but boosts test scores | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Homework: Doesn’t improve grades but boosts test scores | Get Schooled: Homework: Doesn’t improve grades but boosts test scores by Maureen Downey *Better Test Takers, Reform is Working* Since my twins often have an hour or more of homework each night, I found this study out of Indiana University interesting. This piece comes from IU. A study led by an Indiana University School of Education faculty member finds little correlation between time spent on homework and better course grades for math and science students, but a positive relationship between homework time and performanc... more »

What the ‘fiscal cliff’ means for public schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
What the ‘fiscal cliff’ means for public schools: What the fiscal cliff' means for public schools by Valerie Strauss Here are some facts about how public schools across the country could be affected if President Obama and Congress don't reach some agreement on solving the nation's debt problem by Jan. 1 and the country goes over "the fiscal cliff" and "sequestration" takes effect. What, exactly, does that mean? It means that in the absence of a timely compromise, automatic federal budget cuts totaling $1.2 trillion will start on Jan. 2, 2013, and end seven years later. The cuts w... more »

Schools Matter | Taking Note

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter | Taking Note: Schools Matter by John Merrow Often, it takes a crisis to remind us of what should be obvious. Maybe it takes a crisis to remind us of what should be obvious — and certainly that was my own take-away from the PBS *NewsHour* report about the elementary school in Belmar, New Jersey, that my colleagues John Tulenko and David Wald produced. In that short and powerful segment, you saw (and felt) just how important schools are to their communities. You can watch the segment here: Watching those teachers and the assistant principal delivering food and bla... more »

Gates Report on Student Surveys Oversells Strengths, Ignores WeaknessesSave Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Gates Report on Student Surveys Oversells Strengths, Ignores WeaknessesSave Our Schools: Gates Report on Student Surveys Oversells Strengths, Ignores Weaknesses by Server Gates Report on Student Surveys Oversells Strengths, Ignores Weaknesses *Reference Publication: * Review of Asking Students About Teaching | National Education Policy Center *Contact:* William J. Mathis, (802) 383-0058, wmathis@sover.net Eric M. Camburn, (608) 263-3697, camburn@wisc.edu URL for this press release: http://tinyurl.com/ayexemg BOULDER, CO (November 15, 2012) – A recent report from the Bill & Melinda Ga... more »

Spotlight Research: NJ Teacher-Evaluation Reform Compared to Other States - NJ Spotlight

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Spotlight Research: NJ Teacher-Evaluation Reform Compared to Other States - NJ Spotlight: Spotlight Research: NJ Teacher-Evaluation Reform Compared to Other States Drew professor looks at progress in implementing systems required by Race to the Top. By John Mooney, November 16, 2012 in Education |Post a Comment *What it is:* The Center for American Progress, a liberal public policy think-tank, this week released a report titled “The State of Teacher Evaluation Reform,” which looks at new teacher-evaluation systems in New Jersey and five other states as they continue to evolve unde... more »

The in box. Chicago Newsroom summary. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The in box. Chicago Newsroom summary. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Chicago Newsroom summary. by Fred Klonsky *Public pensions take the spotlight in today’s discussion, featuringMayoral tutorial’s Don Washington and education blogger Fred Klonsky.* *At the urging of many activists and civic groups, the referendum issue on the state ballot last week that would have restricted the ability of legislative and policy bodies to increase public pensions and benefits – was defeated. Both our guests agree that the defeat was a good thing. But they emphasize that the battle over how to fu... more »

Wisconsin education action: urge your legislators to support “Fair Funding for Our Future" and “A Penny for Kids” : blue cheddar

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Wisconsin education action: urge your legislators to support “Fair Funding for Our Future" and “A Penny for Kids” : blue cheddar: Wisconsin education action: urge your legislators to support “Fair Funding for Our Future” and “A Penny for Kids” by Featured Wisconsin Blogger The following comes to us from Heather DuBois Bourenane and the blog Monologues of Dissent: In recent weeks, Scott Walker has been bragging left and right that education will be his “laser focus” for the next biennial budget (having stripped his promise of creating 500,000 jobs from his website and moved on to n... more »

The Educated Reporter: Word on the Beat No. 1: Sequestration

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Word on the Beat No. 1: Sequestration: Word on the Beat No. 1: Sequestration by Emily Richmond One of the best things about getting to write *The Educated Reporter* blog is that it helps me keep up to date on the latest issues and concerns for public education. At the same time, I’m continually amazed at how quickly the jargon and buzzwords seem to multiply on the education beat. Starting today, I’m going to do my part to help add some clarity to the conversation. On a regular basis, I’ll tackle an Education Buzzword You Need To Know. (I say this with the f... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 11-15-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* Eli Broad Bad-Mouths NJ's Students & Teachers by Duke Eli Broad is a California billionaire who has decided to spend a considerable amount of his fortune wresting control of New Jersey's urban public schools from the citizens they serve. NJDOE insiders have detailed how state-level personnel, funded by Broad, have put together plans to cede local control over urban schools to the state through Regional Achievement Centers. Broad paid for the original plan to convert many of Newark's public schools into charters, against the will of the... more »

Nate Silver Got Nothin’ On Me [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Nate Silver Got Nothin’ On Me [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: Nate Silver Got Nothin’ On Me [Future of Teaching] by Jose An excerpt from my latest post at Future of Teaching: As a data specialist, I often find myself thinking of how hard we work to find abstractions of things we can’t quantify. We try to equate learning into achievement, because points matter so much more than the amorphous shifting of ideas into and through our minds. We put things in spreadsheets, click a bunch of buttons, and make predictions based on pieces that don’t always fit together. Read the re... more »

WaPo Repost: #TooManyTests | The Classroom Sooth

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
WaPo Repost: #TooManyTests | The Classroom Sooth: WaPo Repost: #TooManyTests by classroomsooth http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/11/time-on-testing-738-minutes-in-3-weeks/?wprss=rss_answer-sheet * Time on testing: 738 minutes in 3 weeks* *Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 11, 2012 at 11:30 am* How much time do teachers and students spend on standardized tests? That’s one of the big questions in public education today, which Adam Heenan, a Chicago school teacher and member of the Chicago Teachers Union addresses here. By Adam Heenan A few days ago, a colle... more »

NYC Educator: Three Weeks

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
NYC Educator: Three Weeks: Three Weeks by NYC Educator That's how long it will be before my little family can go home. We need a new boiler, water heater, washer/ dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher and stove. Problem is, we also need new floors and walls, and apparently we need to dry out and clean up the mess that is our crawl space. For one thing, right now, when we turn the electricity on, it seems to catch fire. They tell me that it's a real disadvantage to have your house catch fire on a regular basis. Also, it appears before they can put in new walls and floors they have to rem... more »

Edu4 New Working Group: Critical Issues of Standardized Testing (Initiated by Arlo Kempf and Peter McLaren)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Edu4: Edu4 Update: Building Momentum 11.13.2012 in Uncategorized - *N**ew Working Group: Critical Issues of Standardized Testing (Initiated by Arlo Kempf and Peter McLaren)*** - *Edu4 Scholars in action!* - *Edu4 @ AERA, 2013*** *1. * *New Working Group: Critical Issues of Standardized Testing **(Initiated by Arlo Kempf and Peter McLaren)**. *Read the *description*.** This group has emerged out of *2012 Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practice*, where some of us came together to create *NYC Field Test Boycott Letter of Endorsement* with an a... more »

FAILING CHARTER SCHOOLS AND PATHETIC TEACHERS « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
FAILING CHARTER SCHOOLS AND PATHETIC TEACHERS « Teachers Fight Back: FAILING CHARTER SCHOOLS AND PATHETIC TEACHERS by alkleen [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Chicago Public school officials have reported that 7 of their 32 privately run charter schools are rated by the district at “Level 3,” the lowest standard for academic performance. In the 2011 -12 school year, more than two dozen charter schools in Chicago scored below district averages on key state assessment tests. Wow! The non-union teachers in those charter schools must really be pathetic. Chart... more »

Promoting Quality Teaching: New Policy Report from Accomplished California Teachers « InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Promoting Quality Teaching: New Policy Report from Accomplished California Teachers « InterACT: Promoting Quality Teaching: New Policy Report from Accomplished California Teachers by David B. Cohen Following is the press release formally announcing the new publication from Accomplished California Teachers. Inquiries may be sent via comments below or via the ACT website contact form. *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 11/15/12* STANFORD, CA — Approximately one-third of all new teachers in the United States leave the profession within five years, and veteran teachers are leaving at ever highe... more »

Chicago Newsroom. Don Washington and I discuss pensions and elected school board with Ken Davis. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Chicago Newsroom. Don Washington and I discuss pensions and elected school board with Ken Davis. « Fred Klonsky: Chicago Newsroom. Don Washington and I discuss pensions and elected school board with Ken Davis. by Fred Klonsky

Learning from an Experiment in Year-Round Schooling: The Importance of Context in School Reform | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Learning from an Experiment in Year-Round Schooling: The Importance of Context in School Reform | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Learning from an Experiment in Year-Round Schooling: The Importance of Context in School Reform by obriena We’ve all heard about summer learning loss. Students lose between one and two months' worth of academic knowledge each summer. Low-income students are particularly sensitive to this phenomenon – some research suggests that more than half of the achievement gap seen in reading between these students and their wealthier peers can... more »

Student Survey System Going Big - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Student Survey System Going Big - LA School Report: Student Survey System Going Big by LA School Report Inspired by innovations in sports statistics, the *New York Times*‘ statistics guru Nate Silver, and all the Gates Foundation talk about the value of school climate surveys, a group of Yale seniors led by North Hollywood High School alumn Aaron Feuer (son of Mike) has developed a relatively cheap, cloud-based software platform called Panorama that can help schools conduct nearly-instant surveys of

What's Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Osmosis — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
What's Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Osmosis — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: James H. Stronge]What’s Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Osmosis November 15, 2012 by James H. Stronge Unfortunately, and despite what appears to be a concerted effort across the last several decades, the assumption that a picture of educator skill and practice can be gained through observation, alone, simply doesn't work. In the final analysis, this simplistic approach to teacher evaluation most certainly results in neither teacher improvement nor i... more »

Tony Bennett’s Defeat’s Impact on the Common Core | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Tony Bennett’s Defeat’s Impact on the Common Core | Truth in American Education: Tony Bennett’s Defeat’s Impact on the Common Core by Shane Vander Hart [image: Bennett1]The education consulting group Whiteboard Advisors recently conducted surveys of 50-75 anonymous political and policy “insiders” before and after the election asking them to weigh in on a variety of issues. One of the items that caught my eye they asked “How will Tony Bennett’s (the incumbent Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction) defeat impact the Common Core?” They asked the question of Indiana and then w... more »

SignOn.org - Do not throw our kids over the fiscal cliff; raise taxes on wealthy & cut Race to the Top instead!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
SignOn.org - Do not throw our kids over the fiscal cliff; raise taxes on wealthy & cut Race to the Top instead!: Do not throw our kids over the fiscal cliff; raise taxes on wealthy & cut Race to the Top instead! *By Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters* (Contact) To be delivered to: The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama PETITION STATEMENT We urge you to prevent our children being thrown off the fiscal cliff by 1) ensuring that the wealthiest Americans making over $250,000 pay their fair share and 2) cutting inessential & even... more »

Hundreds of Students Attempting to Shut Down UC Regents Meeting Over Tuition Hikes | The Dissenter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Hundreds of Students Attempting to Shut Down UC Regents Meeting Over Tuition Hikes | The Dissenter: Hundreds of Students Attempting to Shut Down UC Regents Meeting Over Tuition Hikes from Firedoglake by Leighton Woodhouse *UPDATE* *(11:19 AM PT):* *After issuing a dispersal order to remove all students from the room, the Regents are voting on the budget now.* About 500 students are currently blockading entrances to the University of California Board of Regents meeting at UC San Francisco this morning, where the Regents are scheduled to vote on a budget that presumes a 24 percent a... more »

Budget approved by UC Regents Wednesday unrealistic, governor says - The Daily Californian

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Budget approved by UC Regents Wednesday unrealistic, governor says - The Daily Californian: Budget approved by UC Regents Wednesday unrealistic, governor says BY D.J. SELLAROLE | STAFF [image: Protesters, numbering in the thousands, gather in front of the Capitol building in Sacramento in a rally earlier this year to advocate for higher education.] At its meeting Wednesday, the UC Board of Regents approved the UC’s 2013-2014 budget — despite objections from Gov. Jerry Brown and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom that the plan is unrealistic. The plan calls for state funding to the Univers... more »

UPDATE: Parents – Here’s how to resist the attack of too much testing! Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Parents – Here’s how to resist the attack of too much testing!: Parents – Here’s how to resist the attack of too much testing! by admin Alderman Matthew O'Shea introduces Monty Neill at St. Xavier forum November 2, 2012. Parents in Chicago and around the nation are sick of all the tests that our children face in school these days. Teachers are fed up, too. They tell us that there are so many tests now that they just don’t have enough time to teach. Anti-testing fever heated up even more during the CTU strike, when the issue ... more »

Date with the Lunch Lady: New School Food Rules « MomsRising Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Date with the Lunch Lady: New School Food Rules « MomsRising Blog: Date with the Lunch Lady: New School Food Rules by Beth Bader *This story originally appeared in the (ex)Expatriate’s Kitchen blog.* I pack my child’s lunch every day. When it comes to food, yes, I am a helicopter mom. Not that I don’t havegood reason to worry. Even with the improved school meals, I am still concerned about the meat sourcing and continued use of heavily processed foods. So, each day I still pack my kiddo a nice little lunch box with each item all segregated just the way she likes it. This works, exc... more »

PFT Results - Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
PFT Results - Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) (CA Dept of Education): PFT ResultsPFT results for 2011-12 and prior years are now available. The 2012 PFT summary results are posted to DataQuest. ------------------------------ DataQuest PFT Summary Results PFT 2012 DataQuest Reports View schools, districts, counties, and state results. Results are available by gender and ethnic groups. PFT Research Files and File Layouts View statewide PFT data with file layout. PFT 2011-12 News Release (November 15, 2012) San Joaquin County Office of Education PFT Results District Reports [image: Exter... more »

UFT lawsuit pushes back on education department redactions | GothamSchools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
UFT lawsuit pushes back on education department redactions | GothamSchools: UFT lawsuit pushes back on education department redactionsby Philissa Cramer, at 2:00 pm A page from a batch of Department of Education emails released in June was almost completely redacted when it was released in response to a Freedom of Information Law request. The UFT is suing over the scope of the department's redactions. The city teachers union wants the Department of Education to justify withholding large swaths of information in emails it released to the union earlier this year. The UFT announced to... more »

USDA Announces First-Ever Round of Farm to School Grants – NSAC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
For Immediate Release: USDA Announces First-Ever Round of Farm to School Grants – NSAC: *USDA Announces First-Ever Round of Farm to School Grants* * * * * *Washington, DC November 14, 2012* – Today USDA announced the recipients of the first-ever round of Farm to School Grants. The awards span 68 projects in 37 States and the District of Columbia and total $4.5 million in funding. “By increasing purchases of local farm products, schools provide lucrative market opportunities for farmers and ranchers, expand access to fresh foods for schoolchildren, and stimulate community economic d... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Reason No. 54 why we need an elected school board

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Reason No. 54 why we need an elected school board: Reason No. 54 why we need an elected school board by Mike Klonsky If you're looking for another reason to replace the mayor's hand-picked school board with an elected one, look no further than yesterday's school board meeting. CPS board meetings continue to be a place where citizens come for their monthly share of abuse. Yesterday it was CTU Recording Secretary *Michael Brunson* being insulted and yelled at by a vitriolic board president, *David Vitale.* As Brunson got up to speak, Vitale, had the ne... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – Teacher effectiveness study aims to help LAUSD close achievement gaps

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *Teacher effectiveness study aims to help LAUSD close achievement gaps* *By Kimberly Beltran* Thursday, November 15, 2012 Even small variations in teacher effectiveness can have great impact on student learning, equating to months-long differences in the amount of instruction pupils receive according to a new study released Wednesday. Researchers from Harvard University identified teacher effectiveness patterns in the Los Angeles Unified School District in an effort to quantify some of those impacts and provide insight for improving academic ... more »

Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables | Seattle Education: Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables by seattleducation2011 *The Variables* High stakes testing has ramifications including ending careers and affecting communities by closing schools. Hence, we need to look carefully at the variables that might affect a student’s performance on a test. Teachers and principals do not work in a vacuum. They have students with lives outside school. Students live in a real world. The real world affects how they behave and their ability to focus in class... more »

John Thompson: Baseball Analogies Prone to Errors - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
John Thompson: Baseball Analogies Prone to Errors - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Baseball Analogies Prone to Errors by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Thompson.* Chad Alderman's "If the Yankees Used 'First-In, Last-Out'..." is much too typical of the contemporary school "reform" movement. Like so many accountability hawks, Alderman loves to expound on topics that he knows well, but he reveals very little understanding of real life conditions in schools. This sincere advocate for students writes at length about what would happen to the Yankees if th... more »

More than 500 Colleges Agree to Adopt Financial Aid Shopping Sheet | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
More than 500 Colleges Agree to Adopt Financial Aid Shopping Sheet | ED.gov Blog: More than 500 Colleges Agree to Adopt Financial Aid Shopping Sheet Posted on November 15, 2012 by Arne Duncan I am pleased to announce that more than 500 colleges and universities (.xls), enrolling more than 2.5 million undergraduate students (thirteen percent of all undergrads), have committed to adopting the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet during the 2013-2014 school year. [image: Shopping Sheet Example] An example of the information on the Shopping Sheet The adoption of the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet ... more »

North Carolina Makes it a Crime for Students to “Torment” School Employees By Putting Their Photos Online « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
North Carolina Makes it a Crime for Students to “Torment” School Employees By Putting Their Photos Online « Student Activism: North Carolina Makes it a Crime for Students to “Torment” School Employees By Putting Their Photos Online by Angus Johnston *Superintendent Heath Morrison (still legal in CA)* A new North Carolina law makes it a crime for any student to, “with the intent to intimidate or torment a school employee,” a. Build a fake profile or Web site. b. Post or encourage others to post on the Internet private, personal, or sexual information pertaining to a school employee.... more »

Shanker Blog » Are Stereotypes About Career And Technical Education Crumbling?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Shanker Blog » Are Stereotypes About Career And Technical Education Crumbling?: Are Stereotypes About Career And Technical Education Crumbling? by Randall Garton The stereotypes, bias, and misunderstanding that have for many decades surrounded and isolated Career and Technical Education (CTE) may slowly be crumbling. A recent report by the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) argues that traditional CTE typology — the way in which CTE students are identified and classified — is obsolete. The distinctions between “CTE” students and “academic” stud... more »

It’s McTeachers night!!! Want fries with that other thankless job? Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » It’s McTeachers night!!! Want fries with that other thankless job?: It’s McTeachers night!!! Want fries with that other thankless job? by admin McDonald’s chairman Andrew J McKenna, why not just DO YOUR FAIR SHARE and fund schools adequately so that teachers don’t have to pay for school supplies out of their own pockets? Do you really expect teachers to appreciate this latest effort to pretend that you support public schools, while you sit on the board of New Schools for Chicago, which promotes school closings and replacemen... more »

Preschool aggression: Tips for helping the bullies and the bullied | OregonLive.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Preschool aggression: Tips for helping the bullies and the bullied | OregonLive.com: Preschool aggression: Tips for helping the bullies and the bullied by Helen Jung, The Oregonian A child who is aggressive and a child who is submissive both need to build the emotional muscle that helps them navigate the snake pit that is preschool. [image: meangirls.JPG]View full sizeParamount PicturesFrom left, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried portrayed three high school friends in the "Plastics" clique in the 2004 movie, "Mean Girls." Remember the movie, Mean Girls? Back before ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, November 15, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Chair Wins Big In California! * Education Headlines *Thursday, November 15, 2012* Lodi Unified parents, students propose PE waiver programLodi Unified is the only large school district in San Joaquin County that does not allow student athletes to waive a second year, or 10 credits, of PE if they have extensive participation in athletics. San Dieguito bond measure within a hair of passingThe latest round of ballots counted by the Registrar of Voters show a bond proposition in the San Dieguito Union High School District close to p... more »









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