Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 11-27-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, November 27, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *LAUSD NOT A RACE TO THE TOP 2012 FINALIST, JOHN DEASY REACTS* Education Headlines *Tuesday, November 27, 2012* District uses test scores to spotlight students, teachersWithout apologies or much controversy, the Chula Vista Elementary School District has been crunching test-score data to identify and honor its most effective teachers for the past six years. Freedom High School rumors offer a cautionary note on social mediaLike many powerful tools, social media can be used for good -- or can wreak havoc. The unrest that struck Free... more »

Teacher in China slaps girl, 5, repeatedly for getting math wrong

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago

Teacher in China slaps girl, 5, repeatedly for getting math wrong: Teacher in China slaps girl, 5, repeatedly for getting math wrong Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 27, 2012 at 9:34 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » In the you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff category, a kindergarten teacher in China slaps a 5-year-old girl over and over when the child gets a math problem wrong, according to a Chinese news program. Here’s part of the video that was on the Chinese station showing the girl get slap...more »

Pass / Fail : Steve Barr leaves Green Dot board of directors, organization he founded | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 minutes ago

Pass / Fail : Steve Barr leaves Green Dot board of directors, organization he founded | 89.3 KPCC: Steve Barr leaves Green Dot board of directors, organization he founded by By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez It’s the end of an era. Steve Barr, the founder of the 10,000 student Green Dot charter schools organization, resigned last week from the group’s board of directors, the company announced Monday. Barr, who stepped down from day-to-day operations in 2009, said other school improvement projects are eating up his time. “I’m the chair of a board for our school in New York," said Barr. "I’m th... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: BBB's School-Closing Chicanery

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: BBB's School-Closing Chicanery: BBB's School-Closing Chicanery by Mike Klonsky So this is why *Byrd-Bennett* was brought in to replace the bumbling * Brizzard.* Where he played the Rahm's fool, she's the sleight-of-hand magician -- now you see it now you don't. She tells Rahm: You want 200 school closed without a community rebellion? Keeping the aldermen in line? Watch this! Let us close 100-200 schools in the next year, she tells the City Club:, and then we'll give them a five-year moratorium on closing schools. That's the "deal" she's now offering... more »

Modern School: America’s Class War Against Youth

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago

Modern School: America’s Class War Against Youth: America’s Class War Against Youth by Michael Dunn Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons If the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement accomplished anything it was to focus public anger on America’s extreme and growing wealth gap, portraying it as the product of the greed and selfishness of the richest 1%. This overly simplistic view obscures the actual socioeconomic relationships that are responsible for the transfer of wealth from the majority to the few, as well as who comprises this “few.” The wealth gap is actually the by-product and goal of... more »

Moving Beyond the Polarized Debate - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Moving Beyond the Polarized Debate - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Moving Beyond the Polarized Debate by Pedro Noguera Dear Deborah, While the debate over the direction of education policy continues at national and local levels and the new administration begins to consider what, if any, new initiatives it might take to promote school reform, we know there are educators across the country who are thinking about what schools can do right now to meet the needs of the students they serve. I think it is important for us to weigh in on these matters for the sake of the educato... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: On Data Driven Pronouncements: "They Were Wrong, it was Possible".

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: On Data Driven Pronouncements: "They Were Wrong, it was Possible".: On Data Driven Pronouncements: "They Were Wrong, it was Possible". by stlgretchen Data is King...or is it? Watch the video below about a physically challenged Vietnam vet and his quest to remake his life despite doctors' findings based on his medical data. Frame the video in terms of educational data driven sets determining a student's place in society. Imagine a student struggling educationally in the place of the vet as you watch what he goes through to improve his situation. The ... more »

Schools Matter: Jim McIntyre Tries Pushing Knoxville Onto Dollar Guzzling Charter Reform School Bus

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Schools Matter: Jim McIntyre Tries Pushing Knoxville Onto Dollar Guzzling Charter Reform School Bus: Jim McIntyre Tries Pushing Knoxville Onto Dollar Guzzling Charter Reform School Bus by Jim Horn *Oh What to Buy? It's Black Friday in Education!* If there is another thing that Knoxville does not need and can't afford (besides Lane Kiffin) is a string of corporate welfare charter reform schools that will benefit Wall Street hedge fund investors and philanthrocapitalists like Eli Broad, while draining millions from public schools. This was issued this morning: *KCS issues char... more »

Louisiana Educator: SPS Scoring Bias

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Louisiana Educator: SPS Scoring Bias: SPS Scoring Bias by Michael Deshotels Dear Readers: I am very pleased to publish a guest post this week by Dr Mercedes Schneider, a Louisiana educator who has a doctoral degree in statistics. It is an excellent analysis of a major flaw in our Louisiana school grading system. The grades that our schools in Louisiana have been assigned by our LDOE have almost no relation to the actual quality of education offered by each school. By far the dominant factor measured by the SPS scores and the resultant grade of “A” through “F” is the level of po... more »

UPDATE: PSAT for 11-27-12: Push back on closing extension this morning! Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 11-27-12: Push back on closing extension this morning!: PSAT for 11-27-12: Push back on closing extension this morning! by admin Pressure is mounting on the Illinois General Assembly not to go along with Mayor Emanuel’s ill-conceived request to push back the school closing announcement until March 31 and allow CPS to close up to 120 schools with little time for families, communities, and school staff to prepare for the massive upheaval this will cause. Right now, this morning, you need to contact your state senator a... more »

Jeb Bush, with cash and clout, pushes contentious school reforms | Reuters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Jeb Bush, with cash and clout, pushes contentious school reforms | Reuters: Jeb Bush, with cash and clout, pushes contentious school reforms Nov 27 (Reuters) - Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush soared to rock star status in the education world on the strength of a chart. A simple graph, it tracked fourth-grade reading scores. In 1998, when Bush was elected governor, Florida kids scored far below the national average. By the end of his second term, in 2007, they were far ahead, with especially impressive gains for low-income and minority students. Those results earned Bush bipartisan ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-27-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Ms. Katie Looks into the Heart of the Elites by dianerav Katie Osgood reviews Chris Hayes’ new book “Twilight of the Elites” and ponders how the elites–the so-called best and the brightest–are now running education policy. Their ideas fail and fail but they boldly push ahead, utterly unfixed by the damage they inflict on others. They enjoy money, power, prestige, unlike those poor teachers and children whose lives they mess up with their hapless schemes. The New Yorker Profile by dianerav In its issue of... more »

Boston Tea Party Was Act Of Terrorism? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Boston Tea Party Was Act Of Terrorism? | toteachornototeach: Boston Tea Party Was Act Of Terrorism? by aristotlethewise *Boston Tea Party Was Act Of Terrorism? * *Texas Public Schools Teaching New History Lesson* Some Texas parents are upset over a history lesson that depicts the Boston Tea Party as an act of terrorism. The historical protest against taxation without representation will mark its 239th anniversary next month. But a report by The Blaze, a right-wing site started by Glenn Beck, reveals that as recently as this January, the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Coll... more »

School Tech Connect: Fake Offer In A Zero-Trust Climate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Fake Offer In A Zero-Trust Climate: Fake Offer In A Zero-Trust Climate by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) I suppose I should chime in on BBB's faux-ratorium proposal, which sounds to me like something an abusive spouse might say to a cop who's been called to a domestic. However, Julie Woestehoff has already said what needs to be said. For my part I'll just add that BBB very likely won't be around in five years; certainly the fresh-to-town folks compiling the hit lists won't be, and that any five-year ceasefires need to start today and include the expansion... more »

The Innovative Educator: The Plight of the Parent Education Advocate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

The Innovative Educator: The Plight of the Parent Education Advocate: The Plight of the Parent Education Advocate by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen) Guest post by David Bernstein I’m relatively new to the battle for wholesale educational change, but have fast learned that fighting for a different school model while parenting kids who go to fairly traditional schools requires a tortuous mental balancing act. On the one hand, I’m agitating for change to a badly broken education system, and on the other, I’ve got to make sure that my own alternative-learning-style kids come out of... more »

NYC Educator: Suddenly ATR Drops ATRhood and Supports Economy

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

NYC Educator: Suddenly ATR Drops ATRhood and Supports Economy: Suddenly ATR Drops ATRhood and Supports Economy by NYC Educator * by Formerly Suddenly ATR* I haven't blogged in two weeks, and I wanted to give all the readers of this great blog an update as to why. About two weeks ago I was contacted by a school out of my district for an interview. I went to the interview and was explained the situation -- the "regular" teacher had suddenly retired in September. The school went through a series of day-to-day subs, but the situation was spiraling as it was nearly December, and the stu... more »

Four CA districts make Race to the Top finals | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Four CA districts make Race to the Top finals | EdSource Today: Four CA districts make Race to the Top finals ** November 27th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Kathryn Baron and John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services The U.S. Department of Education passed over California’s largest school districts in selecting finalists for the Race to the Top district competition. Out of 17 districts that applied for a share of the nearly $400 million in federal grant money, only four made the cut to the finals: Galt Joint Union E... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – SBE waivers provide LEAs relief from class size restrictions

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *SBE waivers provide LEAs relief from class size restrictions* *By Kimberly Beltran* Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Requests to exceed class size limits continue to dominate the State Board of Education’s waiver calendar, with 10 districts this month seeking relief from various provisions of the laws aimed at maintaining low student-teacher ratios. In all, SBE members approved 35 of 39 waiver requests, including those on class size but also others ranging from community day school locations to removal of a school from the open enrollment list fo... more »

Mother Crusader: Smarick Says It Simply; Chartering Can Replace The District. But Can It?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Mother Crusader: Smarick Says It Simply; Chartering Can Replace The District. But Can It?: Smarick Says It Simply; Chartering Can Replace The District. But Can It? by darciecima My blogging buddy Jersey Jazzman has already done a fantastic job skewering Andy Smarick's Ouija Board fantasy of a chartery future for Newark. Said simply, chartering can replace the district. And it can happen in Newark. Well, can't get much more blunt than that. Kudos to Smarick for just coming right on out and saying what it seems like the NJDOE really wants. Urban districts overrun with charters, wi... more »

The Macroeconomics of Raising Robots (or Children) - NYTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

The Macroeconomics of Raising Robots (or Children) - NYTimes.com: The Macroeconomics of Raising Robots (or Children)By KJ DELL'ANTONIA Jonathan McIntosh On the Economix blog, Nancy Folbre has another take on our cost-benefit analysis of child-rearing, one that the parents among us, and their supporters, will love. In “Of Parents, Puppies and Robots,” she writes: Capitalism, that masterful force, would have to pay much more for workers if families weren’t willing to pony up most of the time, money and effort necessary to raise them, train them and educate them. Imagine a world in whi... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 11-26-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* There's Gold In Them There Schools! by Walt S. Public education is being bought and paid for, all under the guise of helping children. If my suspicions are correct, the welfare of children is being used to camouflage the takeover of the public schools by private interests. Access to the vast sums of money spent each year on educating our children is the golden goose they seek. This article was published in Salon on November 17th. It makes clear much of the tactics and ploys that will be and are being used to ultimately transfe... more »

The Washington Teacher: Here We Go Again: More DC Public School Closures!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

The Washington Teacher: Here We Go Again: More DC Public School Closures!: Here We Go Again: More DC Public School Closures! by noreply@blogger.com (Candi Peterson) Written by Candi Peterson Let's take a trip down memory lane back to 2008 when Michelle Rhee was the Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Rhee rolled out a plan to abruptly close 23 public schools. Her premise was that the closing of under enrolled public schools would save the taxpayers $23 million dollars and that these cost savings could be used to hire additional teachers and create new programs. S... more »

Enslaved to the Enslaved by the Enslaving. « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Enslaved to the Enslaved by the Enslaving. « Cooperative Catalyst: Enslaved to the Enslaved by the Enslaving. by Jabreel Chisley *Is the school the source of the feeling of perpetual entrapment that the youth claim to fill? Is the number 2 pencil the slave master for the children, the ones doped up on Adderall and Ritalin, and removed from society so that they can tend to the slave masters distant cousin, the standardized assessment? Are the children the sheep in a corporatist panacea of reform? Are the teachers the herders, unknowingly herding the children of tomorrow into a fie... more »

Schools Matter: Louisiana Constitution on Trial and Schools on the Chopping Block

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Schools Matter: Louisiana Constitution on Trial and Schools on the Chopping Block: Louisiana Constitution on Trial and Schools on the Chopping Block by Jim Horn *RIGHT Again Sec. Duncan* Louisiana has the highest number of black student retentions in the nation to go along with the highest black incarceration rate in the U. S. The private prison industry is worth $182 million a year when beds are full, and "Louisiana's incarceration rate is nearly five times Iran's, 13 times China's and 20 times Germany's." To say that it is a police state is hardly an exaggeration, and the cha... more »

KIPP DC a finalist in Race to the Top competition - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

KIPP DC a finalist in Race to the Top competition - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post: KIPP DC a finalist in Race to the Top competition by Emma Brown Charter school operator KIPP DC is one of 61 finalists in the federal government’s $400 million Race to the Top-District grant competition, U.S. Department of Education officials announced Monday. “We’re very excited,” said Susan Schaeffler, KIPP DC’s chief executive. “This was a heavy lift for all of us to get this application done, make it meaningful — and at this point we’re really excited to be in the top 61.” The final... more »

Charter group, but not L.A. Unified, finalist for Race to the Top - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Charter group, but not L.A. Unified, finalist for Race to the Top - latimes.com: Charter group, but not L.A. Unified, finalist for Race to the Top A local charter school organization is a finalist for a high-profile federal grant, but the Los Angeles Unifed School District failed to qualify in the same competition. Green Dot Public Schools, which operates 18 charter schools, remains in the running for a “Race to the Top” grant, the U.S. Department of Education announced Monday. If successful, Green Dot could receive $30 million over a four-year period. In the application process,... more »

Ed Notes Online: What Happened to Public Education on Election Night?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: What Happened to Public Education on Election Night?: What Happened to Public Education on Election Night? by ed notes online The Always Amazing Joanne Barkan Does it AgainDissent: http://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/what-happened-to-public-education-on-election-night By Joanne Barkan - November 26, 2012 Barack Obama’s K-12 “reform” policies have brought misery to public schools across the country: more standardized testing, faulty evaluations for teachers based on student test scores, more public schools shut down rather than improved, more privately... more »

Wyoming Proves that Common Core is a Federal-Led Initiative | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Wyoming Proves that Common Core is a Federal-Led Initiative | Truth in American Education: Wyoming Proves that Common Core is a Federal-Led Initiative by Shane Vander Hart Common Core State Standards advocates typically make an argument that the development of the Common Core was state-led since it came out of the National Governors Association and Council for Chief State School Officers. They seem to neglect the fact that these are trade organizations not states and that state legislatures were bypassed as different state departments of education or state school boards said yes ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed News Roundup

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed News Roundup: Ed News Roundup by Melissa Westbrook First up, this is not directly ed related (although peripherally), a letter from a whiter-than-white (his term) Republican who was mightily unhappy with his party this election. (Caution: he minces no words so if you are a delicate reader, do not read this section.) He does speak to some of what ed reformers on the Dem side like to do; namely, name-call and harangue which to my mind, never works. *One of the reasons my family is affluent is that my wife and I have a collective fifteen year... more »

New Federal Report Shows Florida Near Bottom in HS Graduation Rates | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

New Federal Report Shows Florida Near Bottom in HS Graduation Rates | Scathing Purple Musings: New Federal Report Shows Florida Near Bottom in HS Graduation Rates by Bob Sikes From Jeff Solocheck in *Gradebook*: The U.S. Department of Education on Monday released its first report on high school graduation rates using common, nationally accepted standards. In past years, states used different formulas for calculating graduation rates, making comparisons difficult. The new federal comparison, from 2010-11, doesn’t paint a pretty picture for Florida. For all students, Florida’s grad... more »

Baltimore Education Buffs, Mark Your Calendars | Re:education in Baltimore

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Baltimore Education Buffs, Mark Your Calendars | Re:education in Baltimore: Baltimore Education Buffs, Mark Your Calendars by Edit Barry Tuesday, November 27, will be a big night for Baltimore City education buffs. *Baltimor**e City Board of School Commissioners – Special Meeting* *6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. 200 E. North Ave., 21202* The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners will hold a special meeting at district headquarters to unveil the details of its 10-year plan to improve Baltimore City public school buildings. *Author Paul Tough* *7:00 p.m. 212 W. Cold Spring Lane, 21210*Bo... more »

Schools Matter: Ohanian: I wonder why The New York Times gives so much space to the opinion of amateurs without even a nod to professionals in the field.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Schools Matter: Ohanian: I wonder why The New York Times gives so much space to the opinion of amateurs without even a nod to professionals in the field.: Ohanian: I wonder why The New York Times gives so much space to the opinion of amateurs without even a nod to professionals in the field. by skrashen Susan Ohanian responds to Sara Mosle’s What Should Children Read” (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/22/what-should-children-read/) “I wonder why The New York Times gives so much space to the opinion of amateurs without even a nod to professionals in the field.” Dear ... more »

Schools Matter: A very short open letter to President Obama

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Schools Matter: A very short open letter to President Obama: A very short open letter to President Obama by skrashen A very short open letter to President Obama There is enormous frustration and dissatisfaction among professional educators about current educational policy. Many, especially those in the classroom and closest to the children, feel that current policy, one of closing public schools, encouraging privatization, and imposing more testing than has ever been seen on this planet, is badly misguided and will lead to tragic consequences for our children, damage that will t... more »

College Administrators Remove Crusading Student Government President « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

College Administrators Remove Crusading Student Government President « Student Activism: California Community College Admins Jettison Crusading Student Govt President by Angus Johnston Administrators at a California community college removed the elected student body president from office earlier this year over charges that students and faculty claim were concocted in an effort to silence his criticisms of college fiscal policy. Officials at Moorpark College say that campus cops caught 33-year-old Jon Foote drunk on campus on one occasion and “inciting [his] fellow students into ... more »

Mayor wants to stop the school closing beatings – after this year Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Mayor wants to stop the school closing beatings – after this year: Mayor wants to stop the school closing beatings – after this year by admin At a City Club luncheon today, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett announced that Mayor Emanuel wants a 5-year school closing moratorium, but only after a massive closing program this year. The Sun-Times reports: Byrd-Bennett said Mayor Rahm Emanuel recognizes that Chicago Public Schools has made “too many piecemeal decisions’’ over the years concerning its school buildings. The result, Byrd-... more »

U.S. Department of Education Announces 61 Applications as Finalists for $400 Million Race to the Top - District Competition | U.S. Department of Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

U.S. Department of Education Announces 61 Applications as Finalists for $400 Million Race to the Top - District Competition | U.S. Department of Education: U.S. Department of Education Announces 61 Applications as Finalists for $400 Million Race to the Top - District Competition NOVEMBER 26, 2012 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced that 61 applications have been selected as finalists for the Race to the Top-District (RTTT-D) competition. The 2012 RTTT-D program will provide close to $400 million to suppor... more »

Jersey Jazzman: An Open Letter To Randi Weingarten

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: An Open Letter To Randi Weingarten: An Open Letter To Randi Weingarten by Duke Monday, November 26, 2012 Ms. Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO Washington, D.C. Dear Ms. Weingarten: Allow me to start by saying that I am an admirer of your work as an advocate for both public education and America's teachers. While I, like the majority of New Jersey's teachers, am represented by the New Jersey Education Association (a state affiliate of the National Education Association, and, therefore, not affiliated with AFT), I have great r... more »

Leading, led or standing still? Time is running short if we’re going to stop the pension deal. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Leading, led or standing still? Time is running short if we’re going to stop the pension deal. « Fred Klonsky: Leading, led or standing still? Time is running short if we’re going to stop the pension deal. by Fred Klonsky Take out your calendars. Or open it on your iPad. Here is the schedule: The House and Senate are to convene Tuesday through Thursday of this week, and again December 4-6. This is the veto session. But that doesn’t mean they only meet to override Quinn’s veto of passed bills. They might legalize marijuana for medical purposes. More casino gambling. Marriage equality... more »

Diane in the Evening 11-26-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Students Organize to Support Public Education by dianerav Attention!! A group of college students has organized a new organization to support public schools, teachers and unions, to oppose privatization and to demand elimination of high stakes testing. They will work together to strengthen free,open, democratic and equitable public schools. I have signed as a supporter. Please join them. Show your support. Sad News from Louisiana by dianerav On Thanksgiving Day, I posted a tribute to the teachers of the year in Acadia Parish in Louisiana. With Governor Bobby... more »

Drowning as an Educator or Finding the Surface « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Drowning as an Educator or Finding the Surface « Cooperative Catalyst: Drowning as an Educator or Finding the Surface by educatedtodeath Originally and reluctantly posted at educatedtodeath.com Over the past few weeks I’ve struggled with my problem with top down models of education. I attempted to allow the thought “this is for the greater good” into my mind. I tried to hold it in my mind and make it fit. It only made me sick the way the body rejects foreign objects. I’ve labored over the necessity of my concern. Will contemplation of this directly benefit my students? Will it ben... more »

Smarter Balanced TRT Fall 2012 - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Smarter Balanced TRT Fall 2012 - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education): Smarter Balanced TRT Fall 2012Technology Readiness Tool (TRT) information for the fall 2012 data collection window. ------------------------------ Several changes have been made to Smarter Balanced Technology Readiness Tool for the fall 2012 data collection. Further details on the new questions and options can be found in the TRT File Import Layouts. The fall 2012 data collection period ends on December 14, 2012. Devices Section - *Operating System* new options: Windows XP SP2, Windows XP SP3, ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Philly schools have to go begging to Wall Street

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Philly schools have to go begging to Wall Street: Philly schools have to go begging to Wall Street by Mike Klonsky Chief Recovery Officer Thomas Knudsen is resigning. He ran the show in Philly. Former head of former head of Philadelphia Gas Works, his loot-and-burn job was to cut $100 million or more from the school budget while protecting high-paid consultants and execs.According to the Daily News, Philly's school district is "broke" and forced to go begging to Wall Street for a $300 million loan to pay its bills. But this hasn't stopped them fr... more »

Great WBEZ story on parents resisting testing in Chicago Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Great WBEZ story on parents resisting testing in Chicago: Great WBEZ story on parents resisting testing in Chicago by admin Reporter Becky Vevea put together a great story about Chicago parents anger over the excessive testing that’s going on in our schools these days. The written report is here but please take the time to listen to the audio, which is longer but less than 5 minutes total and includes yours truly’s dulcet tones. The parent pressure isn’t letting up, either. Raise Your Hand is holding a testing forum this Thu... more »

NYC Educator: Say It Ain't So, Miss Oh

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

NYC Educator: Say It Ain't So, Miss Oh: Say It Ain't So, Miss Oh by NYC Educator Miss Oh was getting ready to teach her English class when a monitor came to her door with the daily attendance. Included in her little folder. as is often the case, was a stack of papers. Miss Oh dutifully passed out the papers and proceeded to try and figure who was here and who was not. She had learned the hard way, as a new teacher, that administrators take attendance very seriously and was not about to have the same problem twice. "What's this?" she heard, from her generally well-behaved class. "Y... more »

Shanker Blog » A Case Against Assigning Single Ratings To Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Shanker Blog » A Case Against Assigning Single Ratings To Schools: A Case Against Assigning Single Ratings To Schools by Matthew Di Carlo The new breed of school rating systems, some of which are still getting off the ground, will co-exist with federal proficiency targets in many states, and they are (or will be) used for a variety of purposes, including closure, resource allocation and informing parents and the public (see our posts on the systems in IN, FL, OH, CO, NYC).* The approach that most states are using, in part due to the “ESEA flexibility” guidelines set by the U.S. De... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, November 26, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Monday, November 26, 2012* School books give way to tabletsAll over the country, and here in Kern County, thick, heavy textbooks are going by the wayside, replaced by electronic tablets such as iPads. Lodi Unified administrator set to step downArt Hand said he felt like Don Quixote chasing a windmill when he was hired to be Lodi Unified's assistant superintendent of facilities and planning in summer 2006. It was a job he never thought would be there for him, his dream job since he first started as a Tokay Hi... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm stalls on revealing his school kill list (minus drones, we hope)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm stalls on revealing his school kill list (minus drones, we hope): Rahm stalls on revealing his school kill list (minus drones, we hope) by Mike Klonsky Rahm and his hand-picked school board can't afford drone warfare. But they have a *kill list* just the same, when it comes to schools in the city's most under-served neighborhoods. They just aren't showing it. In the face of growing community anger and protests, they've switched to stalling tactics and other tricks to get around Public Act 096-0803 which was supposed to “ensure that school facilit... more »

Charter schools withdraw applications from Portland Public Schools | OregonLive.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Charter schools withdraw applications from Portland Public Schools | OregonLive.com: Charter schools withdraw applications from Portland Public Schools by Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Organizers from two charter schools that had hoped to open their doors this fall in Portland Public Schools have withdrawn their applications. Representatives of READY Public Charter School and RISE Academy pulled their respective proposals after hearing concerns from the school board and district. Organizers from both schools said they woul... more »

Update: Who does Jeb Bush think he’s kidding?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Who does Jeb Bush think he’s kidding?: Who does Jeb Bush think he's kidding? by Valerie Strauss Anybody who follows education policy knows how influential Jeb Bush has been in states well beyond Florida, where, as governor from 1999-2007, he launched school reforms – Former Florida governor Jeb Bush. (By Sue Ogrocki – AP) including standardized test-based accountability for students and schools, the expansion of charter schools and vouchers, and a letter-grade (A-F) rating system for schools that has served as a model around the country. Nowhere has the Bush influence been as str... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Primer on Standards Based Grading

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Primer on Standards Based Grading: A Primer on Standards Based Grading by Anngie Want to watch a teacher's blood pressure rise right before your eyes? Ask them what they think of Standards Based Grading. This is one of the zombies of education reform. It never really seems to die and keeps coming back to eat your brain. Some schools are trying to adopt it now as it is expected to be used in Common Core Assessments. For those who are unfamiliar with SBG, here are the basics. Numerical ratings are used rather than letter grades/percents. There are fou... more »

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