BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-21-12 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] In Which I Agree with Andy Smarick by dianerav Andy Smarick believes that public schools can’t be fixed or turned around. He thinks that the only way to solve their problems is to close them down and replace them with privately managed charters. Andy served on the board of a KIPP school, so he is confident that KIPP can do what no public school can do. In a previous post, I called on Andy to join me in “the KIPP Challenge.” This is the challenge for KIPP to take over an entire low-performing district and sh... more »
Education’s coconut cake problem - Opinion - The Boston Globe
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 minutes ago
Education’s coconut cake problem - Opinion - The Boston Globe: Education’s coconut cake problem By Gareth Cook | GLOBE COLUMNIST DECEMBER 18, 2011 HARVARD PROFESSOR Roland Fryer has made a discovery with the potential to transform public education. To understand it, though, it helps to first hear a story about the conundrum of the coconut cake. Fryer’s grandmother makes an astounding coconut cake, a magical confection of sweetness and air he’s loved since he was a kid growing up in Florida. Fryer wanted to learn to make the cake himself, but every time he pressed for a re... more »
Creative Noncompliance « Deborah Meier on Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 minutes ago
Creative Noncompliance « Deborah Meier on Education: Creative Noncompliance by debmeier Every time we got a new chancellor of education in New York City we’d lament that he didn’t start out by acknowledging what’s gone before him (or her). I suppose it’s part of the “politics” of the situation. In order to look good, he paints as bad a picture as possible–one that allows him to go up with just a little PR. But there was one who invited a group of principals whose reputations rested on successful innovations. His name was Frank Macchiarola. I recall our amusement–as he called on us... more »
Education Commission Publishes Report Condemning Privatisation and Immigration Controls in UK UniversitiesCoalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago
Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: Education Commission Publishes Report Condemning Privatisation and Immigration Controls in UK Universities 21 November, 2012 London, UK – On the day of the first major NUS demonstration in nearly two years, the Education Commission published a report into the effects of increased tuition fees and privatisation in the higher education sector. Education Commission spokesperson Lou Shelley said: "Our research clearly shows that the rise in tuition fees and the Con-Dem's program of privatisation has sent out a clear si... more »
The Educated Reporter: Common Core State Standards: What's Ahead for English-Language Learners, Teachers and Tests?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 minutes ago
The Educated Reporter: Common Core State Standards: What's Ahead for English-Language Learners, Teachers and Tests?: Common Core State Standards: What's Ahead for English-Language Learners, Teachers and Tests? by Emily Richmond Earlier this fall in Los Angeles, EWA -- along with the University of California-Berkeley, the Understanding Language Initiative at Stanford University, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), and the California Community Foundation -- held a seminar on how the new Common Core State Standards will impact English-language learners. We focused on le... more »
How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers | toteachornototeach
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers | toteachornototeach: How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers by aristotlethewise *How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers* by Timothy Noah In government, if I help myself to taxpayer dollars, we call that embezzlement and I go to jail. In the private sector, if I help myself to taxpayer dollars, we call that innovation and I get hailed as a visionary exponent of public-private partnership. That’s the lesson of a Nov. 17 investigation by Anne Ryman of the Arizona Republic into the state’s charter schools. In her examination of Arizona’s 50 largest no... more »
Winning paths to success in Pasadena, Santa Barbara | EdSource Today
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago
Winning paths to success in Pasadena, Santa Barbara | EdSource Today: Winning paths to success in Pasadena, Santa Barbara ** November 20th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Kathryn Baron Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services Pasadena and Santa Barbara City Colleges are recipients of the 2012 Chancellor’s Student Success Award for their programs to support first-year and underserved students in community college. “These are the types of initiatives our Student Success Task Force determined were extremely important in achieving equity and... more »
Daily Kos: some observations from a classroom
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago
Daily Kos: some observations from a classroom: some observations from a classroom by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) If you were to start on Independence Avenue from where it splits off from Pennsylvania Avenue NE at Third Street and head east, as you get to RFK Stadium you loop around the circle and then cross the Anacostia River on East Capitol Street. A few miles later on your left is an aging junior high school building that houses a non-profit charter Middle School and companion High School. I teach in the former. Knowing several of the staff, and having visited the school p... more »
Georgia: Putting all our eggs and hopes in charter school basket | Get Schooled
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago
Georgia: Putting all our eggs and hopes in charter school basket | Get Schooled: Georgia: Putting all our eggs and hopes in charter school basket by Maureen Downey The battle in Georgia to win passage of a controversial charter school amendment turned out to be costly, divisive and polarizing. Many might also argue it was unnecessary, given that charter schools were never in jeopardy and more continue to open every year in Georgia. The state Board of Education already had the ability to approve them, and local school boards, despite the characterization that most were hostile towa... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In Pearson we trust. Really? But our blood is never blue.
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 31 minutes ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In Pearson we trust. Really? But our blood is never blue.: In Pearson we trust. Really? But our blood is never blue. by Mike Klonsky Remember back in April, when a single insipid test question sparked the*pineapple rebellion* and shone a light, not only on current standardized testing practices, but on the whole testing industry and its leading profiteer, Pearson Publishing? With lives, careers and the very existence of schools hanging in the balance, we have become totally reliant on Pearson and the testing companies to measure and arbitrate truth an... more »
Could Connecticut's state deficit really jump from $60m to $365m in a month? That would be a No - Wait, What?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 32 minutes ago
Could Connecticut's state deficit really jump from $60m to $365m in a month? That would be a No - Wait, What?: Could Connecticut’s state deficit really jump from $60m to $365m in a month? That would be a No by jonpelto According to Connecticut law, by the twentieth day of each month, the Governor’s Office of Policy and Management must provide the Office of the State Comptroller with a statement of “revenues and expenditures for the General Fund.” Using this information, and his own budget experts, the State Comptroller then produces the state’s official financial statement that i... more »
Mother Crusader: Have You Heard The One About The Kid From Camden, The Tea Partier And The Rabbi?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago
Mother Crusader: Have You Heard The One About The Kid From Camden, The Tea Partier And The Rabbi?: Have You Heard The One About The Kid From Camden, The Tea Partier And The Rabbi? by darciecima A Trenton Times guest opinion column was brought to my attention this morning by a sister Save Our Schools NJ Organizer, and from all of my research on issues related to Tikun Olam and Hatikvah I had some knowledge of the author of the piece. His byline says "Israel Teitelbaum serves as secretary of Alliance for Free Choice in Education" Check out the link. Thin on content, heavy on rh... more »
Data-driven to distraction in school reform
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago
Data-driven to distraction in school reform: Data-driven to distraction in school reform Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 21, 2012 at 4:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » “Data-driven reform” is one of the mantras of the school reform movement. Just howannoying has it become? Esther Quintero, research associate at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute, located in Washington, D.C., tells us. A version of this post originally appeared on the institute’s blog.** By Esther Quintero In the ... more »
karen lewis lashes out against corporate leaders - chicagotribune.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago
karen lewis lashes out against corporate leaders - chicagotribune.com: Teachers union chief slams 'top-down' reformSays deadline for school-closing announcements shouldn't be extended By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune reporter 10:19 p.m. CST, November 20, 2012 Showing the same combativeness that was on display during the recent strike, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said Tuesday that the wealthy backers of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's efforts to overhaul the city's troubled schools should donate money to support public education but otherwise butt out. "I think they... more »
Schools Matter: Rhee Announces Teachers Should Suffer During Holidays, Too
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago
Schools Matter: Rhee Announces Teachers Should Suffer During Holidays, Too: Rhee Announces Teachers Should Suffer During Holidays, Too by Jim Horn Exclusive: Michelle Rhee Takes Aim at Teachers During Holidays [image: Michelle Rhee] The former D.C. chancellor, leader of Michelle First, believes that if we’re going to use tenure to retain teachers, we must do it 'based on measures that matter' to Eli Broad and Bill Gates Read More >> When you get on the *Waiting for Superman* email list like I did, you get an uninterrupted supply of propaganda, with headlines, stories, and pics like... more »
NYC Educator: The Law Is the Law, Says UFT Leadership
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 53 minutes ago
NYC Educator: The Law Is the Law, Says UFT Leadership: The Law Is the Law, Says UFT Leadership by NYC Educator That's what I keep hearing. Don't you know about the law? Do you want us to break the law? We all have to respect the law and never, ever question it, no matter what, because it's the law. That's why, apparently, it was vital that we agree to give up February break immediately, with no consultation whatsoever with rank and file. It appears that the State Education Department has the power to waive the 180-day requirement, but can only do so when all vacation days are exha... more »
Modern School: Unions Collaborate With Obama to Squeeze American Workers
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago
Modern School: Unions Collaborate With Obama to Squeeze American Workers: Unions Collaborate With Obama to Squeeze American Workers by Michael Dunn Image from Flickr, by DonkeyHotey With the country moving ever closer to the “fiscal cliff,” the Obama Administration is doing everything it can to strike a “grand bargain” that appeases the ruling elite. The grand bargain is a euphemism for an austerity package that will maintain low taxes for the wealthy and subsidies for their business by slashing social spending and services that help keep the rest of the country from sinking further... more »
MOOCs and Hype Again | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago
MOOCs and Hype Again | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: MOOCs and Hype Again by larrycuban I have a confession to make. I dropped out of a Massive Open Online course (MOOC) on Artificial Intelligence at Stanford university in the Fall of 2011. There were over 160,000 other students in the class from all over the world. I listened to the two professors on my laptop give mini-lectures, watched fast hands scrawl quickly and cleverly over whiteboards to graphically display the concepts they were teaching. I found the information fascinating. I took a few quizzes. T... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Newark vs. Chicago
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Jersey Jazzman: Newark vs. Chicago: Newark vs. Chicago by Duke No, this is not a post about hockey. Earlier today, I posted the latest statement about the Newark teachers contract from a group of rebels within the union, the NEWCaucus. They are not happy: *After listening to and talking to fellow education workers, we have come to the conclusion that this contract was passed NOT because we believed that this contract is in the best interest of teachers and students, but because the membership did not have confidence that the NTU leadership has a plan, a will, or the ability to... more »
A Rigorous Thanksgiving « InterACT
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
A Rigorous Thanksgiving « InterACT: [image: grade 3]A Rigorous Thanksgiving by David B. Cohen *This blog post is re-posted for your reading pleasure, after originally appearing a few years ago at the CTQ Teacher Leaders Network.* With Thanksgiving arriving, we begin to hear and read commentaries about all that we are thankful for. As a teacher, I am mindful of the role teachers have played in my own life. Of course, the climate and values in education have changed somewhat since the 1970s, and what I once may have believed about schools and teachers when I was a naïve child must be ... more »
Seeking Common Ground, for Schools & Walmarts - Bridging Differences - Education Week
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Seeking Common Ground, for Schools & Walmarts - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Seeking Common Ground, for Schools & Walmarts by Deborah Meier *Editor's note: Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, Deborah Meier's post for this week is being published one day early. Happy Thanksgiving all!* Dear Pedro, Strategy has to follow from where adults and young people are—that's the big lesson I learned from being a classroom teacher, especially of 4- and 5-year-olds. Kindergarten, I'm reminded, would be like trying to keep 30 corks simultaneously under water at one time. (Mark Twain?)... more »
Quinn goes after collective bargaining again. Terminates AFSCME contract. Most anti-labor governor ever. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Quinn goes after collective bargaining again. Terminates AFSCME contract. Most anti-labor governor ever. « Fred Klonsky: Quinn goes after collective bargaining again. Terminates AFSCME contract. Most anti-labor governor ever. by Fred Klonsky Rich Miller’s Capitolfax broke the story this evening. But is just supports what I have been saying for months: Pat Quinn is the most anti-labor governor in the history of Illinois. While the Republican Scott Walkers of this world have their own ways of going after union collective bargaining Black Friday. Boycott Walmart. Support the workers.... more »
Schools Matter: Health hazard: Drs. Schack & Mehra: Teens not getting enough sleep because of school schedule & pressure
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Schools Matter: Health hazard: Drs. Schack & Mehra: Teens not getting enough sleep because of school schedule & pressure: Health hazard: Drs. Schack & Mehra: Teens not getting enough sleep because of school schedule & pressure by skrashen Mira Costa will look into zero-period, start time to address teen sleep issues The Beach Reporter, November 14, 20 http://tinyurl.com/b4f7bvu by Carley Dryden Local doctor Linda Schack, an adolescent medicine specialist, had grown concerned. High school students flooded her practice complaining of headaches, abdominal pain and fatigue. When she ...more »
School Tech Connect: Best Practice
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Best Practice: Best Practice by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) I saw these two remarks on the Twitter tonight, and I thought, "Good questions." Notice I didn't say, "and I thought to myself." That's one of my pet peeves, when people write that. Who else are you going to think to? Anyway, what indeed are these "best practices?" If the charters are supposed to "transmit" (I think that's the
St. Louis Fed Adds Free Educational Materials for Economics and Personal Finance
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Personal Finance Education Resources | Economic Education Resources: *St. Louis Fed Adds Free Educational Materials for Economics and Personal Finance * Economics and Personal Finance Education Resources - - - - - [image: Online Learning Courses Econ Ed] We have award-winning, FREE classroom resources for K-16 educators to use to teach about money and banking, economics, personal finance and the Federal Reserve. We also have FREE resources for consumers and others who want to learn about economics, personal finance and the Federal Reserve. Feature ST. LOUIS ―... more »
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CLASS « Teachers Fight Back
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CLASS « Teachers Fight Back: THE TWELVE DAYS OF CLASS by alkleen What next ? Now high school health centers are all the rage. More high schools are installing full-time health centers to make sure all the wonderful boys and girls have all their possible needs met. You know, needs like birth control pills, abortion advice and all manner of healthful tips. I can’t believe some community leaders and parents are worried about this new trend. What’s not to like ? Now that our students have every possible advantage in their school life, let’s review all the services ... more »
A distorted reality | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
A distorted reality | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: A distorted realityAn ex-principal says inflated test scores skewed decision-making and hurt students. The problem isn’t fixed.by Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news Partner ="" title="Facebook_like" href="http://thenotebook.org/december-2012/125350/distorted-reality#" style="text-decoration: initial; color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on email COMMENTS (2)EMAILPRINT Photo: Kimberly Paynter for NewsWorks In 2010, math scores at Communications Technology High in Southwes... more »
NYC Public School Parents: Sandra Stotsky critiques the Common Core in NYC on Monday night
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Sandra Stotsky critiques the Common Core in NYC on Monday night: Sandra Stotsky critiques the Common Core in NYC on Monday night by Leonie Haimson *Professor Sandra Stotsky, an eminent critic of the Common Core standards being implemented in 46 states including New York, will be speaking in NYC on Monday night, November 26, from 5-7 PM at Azure, 333 E. 91 St., along with Shael Suransky of DOE, who is a strong defender of the standards. It should be an interesting evening. For more information seeGothamSchools .* *Stotsky is the main author of the Massa... more »
NYC Educator: Daily News Inspired by the Merit Pay Fairy
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
NYC Educator: Daily News Inspired by the Merit Pay Fairy: Daily News Inspired by the Merit Pay Fairy by NYC Educator Since Newark teachers ratified a contract full of unspecified bonuses for evaluations that don't exist, the Daily News editorial board thinks we ought to do the same thing. You know, we should be paid like professional athletes. This is not a new argument. I've been hearing it for years. Except, of course, that no one, ever, has remotely suggested we be paid on any such scale. Blogger Jersey Jazzman has been consistently brilliant on this issue, and wrote a fairly d... more »
PSAT for 11-20-12: Tell your state reps to vote NO on waiving the Dec. 1 school closure announcement deadline
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 11-20-12: Tell your state reps to vote NO on waiving the Dec. 1 school closure announcement deadline: PSAT for 11-20-12: Tell your state reps to vote NO on waiving the Dec. 1 school closure announcement deadline by admin For Public Schools Action Tuesday today, send a strong message to your state legislators. Contact for Illinois state senators here, and state representatives here. Most are in their home offices this week. The fall veto session, when action on the Chicago school closing deadline waiver will most li... more »
An Open Letter to Boaz Kantor « Student Activism
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
An Open Letter to Boaz Kantor « Student Activism: An Open Letter to Boaz Kantor by Angus Johnston [image: n7772graysmall] Earlier today I read your “Open Letter to Khalil from Gaza,” the one in which you imagined a Palestinian like yourself — a loving husband and father, trying to do right by his family — and informed him that tonight his seven-year-old daughter would die. “You’ll wake up in the middle of the night,” you wrote, “to a deafening explosion. Your whole house will tremble. Parts of the ceiling will fall on you. You’ll run to your daughter’s bedroom, and find the norther... more »
Des Moines Education Association: Measure What Matters
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Des Moines Education Association: Measure What Matters: Measure What Matters by Andrew Rasmussen I frequently speak out against the overuse and abuse of standardized testing in our schools. In fact, our local union recently signed on to the National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing to express our concern about the proliferation of standardized tests and how they are narrowing the educational experiences our students get in school. Almost every time I speak up against this testing I get a response from someone asking, “Well how else are you going to tell that your kids are learnin... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Statement of Newark Teachers Against the New Contract
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Statement of Newark Teachers Against the New Contract: Statement of Newark Teachers Against the New Contract by Duke I'm reposting the entire statement of the NEWCaucus - a group of teachers who were against the Newark teachers contract - here, mostly because I don't think they've been treated fairly in the press and they deserve to have their voices heard. (It's also probably easier to read it here, as they put out their statement in a GoogleDoc.) I will save my comments for another post. *Now that we have a contract, do you have questions like:* *What do I do if... more »
In Greenwich, Malloy throws “heavy support behind the charter school movement” - Wait, What?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
In Greenwich, Malloy throws “heavy support behind the charter school movement” - Wait, What?: In Greenwich, Malloy throws “heavy support behind the charter school movement” by jonpelto [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] At last week’s ConnCAN Block Party (it took place in Greenwich – go figure), Governor Malloy “spoke about the dismal graduation rate in urban districts. He told the crowd that on average, four in 10 students never receive a diploma. ”We cannot compete as a state with the other 49 states, or the rest of the world, when we’re willing to thr... more »
The Tony Bennett Ouster Debate Continues | Truth in American Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
The Tony Bennett Ouster Debate Continues | Truth in American Education: The Tony Bennett Ouster Debate Continues by Shane Vander Hart The debate continues. You may remember Matthew Laudner called anti-common core activists in Indiana a bunch of yahoos since they helped defeat incumbent Republican Tony Bennett in the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction race. Erin Tuttle, who for a “yahoo” writes quite well [image: :)] , wrote in the* Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette*: The Bennett fiasco brought an exceptionally nasty rebuke from Matthew Ladner, policy adviser to Jeb Bush’s Fou... more »
High-quality Preschool Ed a Research-Based Policy Winner | The Forum for Education and Democracy
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
High-quality Preschool Ed a Research-Based Policy Winner | The Forum for Education and Democracy: High-quality Preschool Ed a Research-Based Policy Winner by William J. Mathis, National Education Policy Center, University of Colorado Boulder, November 2012 Publicly supported, high-quality preschool education is among the most successful and well-documented of education reforms. Four out of every five states provide preschool in some format or for some students, and nearly 75% of four-year-olds and just over half of three-year-olds have some form of preschool experience, ranging... more »
PS 90. Coney Island. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
PS 90. Coney Island. « Fred Klonsky: PS 90. Coney Island. by Fred Klonsky *Dear Sue,* *I just got back from delivering the 7 boxes of school supplies that the teachers at Carpenter School donated to PS 90, Edna Cohen School, in Coney Island.* *Everyone was very appreciative. Please extend thanks to all the Carpenter Staff.* *Here’s a first: The principal, Greta Hawkins, gave me a big kiss on the cheek. As you might guess, I have never been kissed by a principal before. Not in thirty years!* *After spending the last week following Sandy in another school doubled up in classroom, t... more »
A Common Core legal mess in — where else? — Florida
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
A Common Core legal mess in — where else? — Florida: A Common Core legal mess in — where else? — Florida Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 20, 2012 at 1:30 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » This isn’t the way it was supposed to work, but…. there’s a legal battle in the state of Florida over part of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Education Week chronicles in this article why Tallahassee-based Infinity Software Development filed a lawsuit against the Florida Departmen... more »
Between the Rap Sheets | Edwize
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Between the Rap Sheets | Edwize: Between the Rap Sheets by Ron Isaac The best thing to happen to democracy in recent years may be the popularity of blogs. They’re especially influential in politics and education. Anyone can access everyone these days. The marketplace of ideas is wide open. Edwize is, of course, the UFT’s blog. But the views contained in the following piece are solely those of the author and are independent of the UFT’s positions and policies. Remember Rick Perry, the governor of Texas and unflappable former front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination ... more »
How do You Defeat an Army of Determined Educators? You Don't! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
How do You Defeat an Army of Determined Educators? You Don't! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: How do You Defeat an Army of Determined Educators? You Don't! by Anthony Cody The election of 2012 was a tough one for some who consider themselves "reformers" of education. Michael Petrilli, of the Hoover and Fordham Institutes wrote yesterday, in an op-ed that appeared in the Charlotte Observer, that "Teachers unions remain the Goliath to the school reformers' David." This framing is, in itself, remarkable. That a "movement" generously financed from the deep pockets of o... more »
What is ED’s Stance on Using Testing Data in Teacher Evaluation? | ED.gov Blog
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
What is ED’s Stance on Using Testing Data in Teacher Evaluation? | ED.gov Blog: What is ED’s Stance on Using Testing Data in Teacher Evaluation? Posted on November 20, 2012 by Guest Blogger A recent letter to the Department of Education from a teacher in Cincinnati contained a quote that really struck me: “It is not at all that I am afraid of what my test scores might reveal. I am more concerned about what my student’s test scores will not reveal.” The quote rings true of so many classrooms across the country, including my own. I teach students who have been removed from other inst... more »
Diane in the Evening 11-20-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: More Charters Headed for Washington, D.C. by dianerav Washington, D.C. Is about to get a bunch of additional charters. Nexus Academy, part of Pearson’s Connections Academy, wants to open a school. So does K12, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its stock price dropped this week after news Expose of Charter Corruption in The New Republic by dianerav Timothy Noah, a senior editor of *The New Republic*, has written a stunning expose of charter school corruption. He begins with Arizona, where the laws are so lax that self-dealing by charter executi... more »
What’s the Matter With Kids Today? | toteachornototeach
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
What’s the Matter With Kids Today? | toteachornototeach: What’s the Matter With Kids Today? by aristotlethewise What’s the Matter With Kids Today? by Evan Shapiro There is a perception among many in my cohort and among my elders that the generation currently coming of age — aka Millennials — are an entitled bunch of slacker know-it-alls who expect to get medals for just showing up. For numerous GenXers and Boomers, this disdain goes beyond stereotype and into specific, vehement bias against the entire generation. Many of my friends in the media industry, whose staff and customer base... more »
Needed: STEM education for Marco Rubio
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Needed: STEM education for Marco Rubio: Needed: STEM education for Marco Rubio Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 20, 2012 at 11:36 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » A few years ago Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, put out a 12-point plan that he posited would improve public education. (One item, to give you a sense of the list, was a federal corporate income tax credit to boost “school choice.”) This was Idea No. 7: *Overcome The Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathemati... more »
Academic Performance Not Top Reason for High Dropout Rates | NewsTaco
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Academic Performance Not Top Reason for High Dropout Rates | NewsTaco: ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE NOT TOP REASON FOR HIGH DROPOUT RATES By Hope Gillette, Voxxi Poor academic performance ranked fourth on decisive reasons for high school student drop out , states the *2012 High School Drop Outs in America* study. The data indicates the number one reason (23 percent) for high school student drop out rates is lack of parental encouragement, followed closely by teenage pregnancy (21 percent) and poor attendance (17 percent). Tied for fourth place at 15 percent were reasons relating to academic... more »
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: New policy allows dagger-like objects on campusThe Jurupa Unified School District board of education on Nov. 19 approved a new district policy that will allow Sikh students to wear a kirpan to school but with strict restrictions. Under the new policy, parents agree to sign a statement that requires the kirpan — a daggerlike object that is a sacred article of faith — to be worn under clothing, to have the blade dulled, to be soldered or sewn into its sheath so it cannot be removed and to have a blade that is 2 1/2 inches or less.... more »
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAO Report: The 2013-14 Budget - CALIFORNIA’S FISCAL OUTLOOK
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAO Report: The 2013-14 Budget - CALIFORNIA’S FISCAL OUTLOOK: LAO Report: The 2013-14 Budget - CALIFORNIA’S FISCAL OUTLOOK ** *…your rose-colored-glasses are located in a compartment under the center armrest.* *FROM THE 11/20 CCSA EMAIL TO THEIR MEMBERS:*** * ***The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released its annual Fiscal Outlook last week, updating its projections on the state’s fiscal situation. With the passage of Propositions 30 and 39, the LAO reports that *“the budget situation has improved sharply” and that we can expect ... more »
ALEC Votes Down Anti-Common-Core Resolution - State EdWatch - Education Week
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
ALEC Votes Down Anti-Common-Core Resolution - State EdWatch - Education Week: ALEC Votes Down Anti-Common-Core Resolution by Andrew Ujifusa The way the American Legislative Exchange Council, the controversial conservative think tank in Washington, has handled the Common Core State Standards has generated an interesting conflict in the education community. Some who have dealings with ALEC believe the common standards could mean progress for K-12 schools, but others involved in the group believe the standards represent the camel's nose in the tent and a prelude to greater federal ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Gov. "Squeezy" and autocrat Rahm
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Gov. "Squeezy" and autocrat Rahm: Gov. "Squeezy" and autocrat Rahm by Mike Klonsky It would be hilarious if it wasn't so tragic. It's not only the low point of this once-progressive governor's career, it is characteristic of the buffoonery that marks state Democrats' attack on public employees' pensions and on their own political base. Of course I'm referring to Gov. "Squeezy's" pet python and his "grass-roots" campaign to "reform" the pension fund. It all makes me wonder, first why are we taxpayers footing the bill for this crap? And second, what i... more »
UPDATE: Students Clash at UC Davis Gaza Protest « Student Activism
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Students Clash at UC Davis Gaza Protest « Student Activism: Gaza Demonstrations at More Than a Dozen US Campuses by Angus Johnston Students have held demonstrations in connection with the Israeli assault on Gaza at more than a dozen campuses — some in support of the Palestinians, some in support of Israel. What follows is a list of the demonstrations I’ve been able to learn of through the media. Presumably many more have occurred that haven’t received press coverage. *Monday* - Cornell - Florida State - Purdue - University of California Davis - University of Massachus... more »
Modern School: Charter School Enrollment Rising Rapidly
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Modern School: Charter School Enrollment Rising Rapidly: Charter School Enrollment Rising Rapidly by Michael Dunn Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons Between the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years, the number of students enrolled in charter schools rose by nearly 13%, to just over two million students nationwide, according to a new report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. 110 school districts across the nation have at least 10% of their students enrolled in charter schools, 16 more than last year. New Orleans leads the nation with 70% of its students enrolled in charte... more »
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: The privatization of the University of California: THE FIGHT TO SAVE EDUCATION MUST CONTINUE
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: The privatization of the University of California: THE FIGHT TO SAVE EDUCATION MUST CONTINUE: The privatization of the University of California: THE FIGHT TO SAVE EDUCATION MUST CONTINUE OP-ED BY ELANA EDEN AND MARGARET HARDY IN THE DAILY CALIFORNIAN - THE STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER OF U.C. BERKELEY |HTTP://BIT.LY/S8BYEMTuesday, November 20, 2012 :: Lately, my friends have been asking me: “Proposition 30 just passed… so why mobilize?” In the relief following a narrow escape from a 20.3 percent fee hike, it seems like a reasonable question... more »
Teacher evaluation architect warns of lawsuits against Louisiana’s new system | Hechinger Report
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Teacher evaluation architect warns of lawsuits against Louisiana’s new system | Hechinger Report: Teacher evaluation architect warns of lawsuits against Louisiana’s new system by Sarah Garland The new teacher evaluation system Louisiana launched this fall may be too simplistic, according to the architect of one of the most widely used evaluation systems in the country – and the one on which Louisiana’s new system is based. 4th grader Noah Nafziger finds a quiet place to read during breakout groups in Lora Johnson’s class at George Cox Elementary School in Gretna, La. Thursday, Oct... more »
President Obama, Congress face ticking education time bombs: Fiscal cliff, college costs and student loan deadline | Get Schooled
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
President Obama, Congress face ticking education time bombs: Fiscal cliff, college costs and student loan deadline | Get Schooled: President Obama, Congress face ticking education time bombs: Fiscal cliff, college costs and student loan deadline by Maureen Downey John Konop steered me to this *article from MSN.com on the compelling education policy challenges facing President Obama and Congress.* Seems like a lot to get done, some of which has to be done in a matter of weeks. Here is an excerpt but try to read the full piece before commenting:** …First up is sequestration, the auto... more »
Racing, Striving, Accelerating, Winning, Yada, Yada. And Reading. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Racing, Striving, Accelerating, Winning, Yada, Yada. And Reading. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Racing, Striving, Accelerating, Winning, Yada, Yada. And Reading. by Nancy Flanagan When my kids--now young adults--were in elementary grades, their school participated in Pizza Hut's *Book It*program. The idea was to promote reading by giving kids coupons for free individual pizzas if they read a specific number of books, or were the "top" readers in their classes. Whole classes got pizza parties for reading the greatest number of books. Teachers and principal ... more »
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