Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 11-15-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 11-15-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best:

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

FAILING CHARTER SCHOOLS AND PATHETIC TEACHERS « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes 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 - 59 minutes 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 - 1 hour 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 - 1 hour 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 - 2 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 - 2 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 - 3 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 - 3 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 - 3 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 - 3 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 - 4 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 - 4 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 - 4 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 - 5 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 - 5 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 - 5 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 »

CIRCLE » Education Gap Persists: 66% of youth with any college experience turned out to vote, 35% of youth with no college experience

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

CIRCLE » Education Gap Persists: 66% of youth with any college experience turned out to vote, 35% of youth with no college experience: Education Gap Persists: 66% of youth with any college experience turned out to vote, 35% of youth with no college experience Previous research has shown a strong correlation between college experience and political engagement. About40 percent of young eligible voters between the age of 18 to 29 have not attended college. Our recent report,That’s Not Democracy: How Out-of-School Youth Engage in Civic Life and What Stands In Their Way, shows they are ... more »

i was a new school parent - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

i was a new school parent - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help: i was a new school parent by joyce I mentioned that I had some experience in a new school in the last blog and I thought it might be interesting for you to know a little more about that experience, lest you think I am just making all this "positive change" stuff up. I am sending this out as a love letter to the families considering the*"new program" in Park Slope, PS 705 and New American Academy *in District 17, *PS 414* in Williamsburg and the myriad of new charter programs that are popping up in many districts,... more »

Fair and Effective Teacher Evaluation — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Fair and Effective Teacher Evaluation — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Podcast][image: Whole Child Podcast]Fair and Effective Teacher Evaluation November 15, 2012 by Whole Child Podcast Download Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save] Teacher quality is the most important in-school factor influencing student learning and achievement. Research shows that students with high-performing teachers can progress three times as fast as students with low-performing teachers and each student deserves access to highly effective teachers in every subject. In turn, all teachers des... more »

National Parental Involvement Day - Project Appleseed

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Project Appleseed began National Parental Involvement Day in 1994 and Public School Volunteer Week in 1997, to provide opportunities in which parents can volunteer in their local public schools. Seven million parents and family members, in 10,000 schools and districts, are involved in this effort.

UPDATE: Is another Connecticut State Employee Early Retirement Incentive coming? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Is another Connecticut State Employee Early Retirement Incentive coming? - Wait, What?: Is another Connecticut State Employee Early Retirement Incentive coming? by jonpelto Crew Member: Captain, we’re taking on water. A number of the compartments on the right are filling up and we’re quickly listing to the starboard side. Captain: Tell the crew to go down and punch holes in the left side of the ship! Crew member: But Captain, that means we’ll sink for sure. Captain: True but at least we won’t be listing to the Starboard side when we do. And thus we have the problem facing Gove... more »

Modern School: Downsizing For-Profit Colleges

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Modern School: Downsizing For-Profit Colleges: Downsizing For-Profit Colleges by Michael Dunn For-profit college giant Career Education Corporation (CEC) recently announced that it will close 23 of its 90 campuses, according to the Bay Citizen. The move comes in response to a $33 million decline in revenue and 23% drop in new student enrollment this quarter and will result in the loss of 900 jobs. Other for-profit colleges have also announced downsizing in response to declining revenues, including University of Phoenix and Corinthian. CEC has not yet stated which of its 6 Califor... more »

Chartering a new future for schools through a local focus | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Chartering a new future for schools through a local focus | Get Schooled: Chartering a new future for schools through a local focus by Maureen Downey Adam Emerson is the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s school choice czar, directing the Institute’s policy program on parental choice and editing the Choice Words blog. This piece ran on the AJC print education page Monday. It originally appeared in slightly longer form on the Choice Words blog, which you can check out here. By Adam Emerson Charter school supporters can claim victory in two high-profile ballot initiatives, Georgia and W... more »

School Tech Connect: Illinois Has A Huge Problem...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Illinois Has A Huge Problem...: " Civic Committee " Illinois Has A Huge Problem... by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) ...which is that the truth is drowned out almost all the time. I think I should just redirect my feed over to Glen's place, where there has been such lucid writing of late regarding Illinois' fiscal situation. Bob Lyons' piece is a must-read. He says a lot more than what I've clipped below, but it's is important to keep these things in mind because you never hear the Civic Committee people admit to these facts, except when they blurt them out ... more »

We're Ready for the Battle - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

We're Ready for the Battle - Bridging Differences - Education Week: We're Ready for the Battle by Deborah Meier Deborah Meier—visionary teacher and founder of successful small schools in New York City and Boston—and Pedro Noguera—author and director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education—debate issues relevant to schools, teachers, and students. Dear Pedro, I quote from a wise old villain: "You can only win at the negotiating table what you have won on the battlefield." Or something like that. We need first and foremost to pick our battleground—with sufficient troops—even ... more »

Fiscal Cliff: Are We Really Going to Do Surgery With An Ax? Really? | Lily's Blackboard

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Fiscal Cliff: Are We Really Going to Do Surgery With An Ax? Really? | Lily's Blackboard: Are We Really Going to Do Surgery With An Ax? Really? by Lily We’re all in trouble when I start a sentence with, “… and reasonable people in Congress will find a way get this done…” and the room explodes with laughter. Because *we’re in this mess for lack of a sufficient number of reasonable people*. When this soap opera began, there was a standoff between Democrats and Republicans in Congress over how to balance the budget, and with the clock ticking, if they didn’t get agreement it would ... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-15-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Children in Mississippi Are Helping Children in Long Island by dianerav This makes my day. Michael Vanveckhoven, a reader of this blog sent me a photo of children in Meridian, Mississippi, collecting warm hats and gloves for children in Rockville Center on Long Island in New York. Michael read here a note from high school principal Carol Burris about students whose homes were severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The south shore of Long Island took the full force of the hurricane and How Did David Beat Gol... more »

High Schools Teaching The War On Terror | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

High Schools Teaching The War On Terror | toteachornototeach: High Schools Teaching The War On Terror by aristotlethewise *High Schools Teaching The War On Terror: * *The Atlantic Looks At A History Textbook * What kids learn in school tends to change with the times, and some curricular regulations that are either antiquated or simply embedded in beliefs have raised eyebrows across the country as of late. Yet regulation aside, in a layer of education that reaches students firsthand, is the textbook: the student’s omniscient manual in any given subject. Because these books dictate st... more »

Jeb Bush’s reform summit: Democratic-GOP ‘mind meld?’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Jeb Bush’s reform summit: Democratic-GOP ‘mind meld?’: Jeb Bush’s reform summit: Democratic-GOP ‘mind meld?’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 15, 2012 at 7:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » A Vulcan mind meld If you watched Star Trek, you will remember the Vulcan ‘mind meld,’ which was just what it sounds like: a technique that allows two people to share thoughts, experiences, and everything else one finds in a mind. While this doesn’t qualify for a complete mind meld (some differences ... more »

Analysis shows differences in teacher effectiveness in LAUSD | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Analysis shows differences in teacher effectiveness in LAUSD | EdSource Today: Analysis shows differences in teacher effectiveness in LAUSD ** November 15th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services In Los Angeles Unified, novice teachers tend to be assigned students who are academically farther behind those assigned to experienced teachers. Before they depart, usually after only two years, Teach for America teachers have a bigger impact on students than that of other new teachers. And ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Teaching Democracy

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Teaching Democracy: Teaching Democracy by Mike Klonsky There was a good turnout of students and faculty Monday night at Lake Forest College, to hear *Deborah Meier*speak on the topic of "Democracy is more complicated than rocket science: So why don't we teach about it?" Wow! That's a brainfull. Here's my headline of the week. It says a lot. The growth of charter schools NYT reports that between 2010-11 and 2011-12, the number of students in charter schools increased close to 13 percent, to just over two million. *New Orleans, where the city’s schoo... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The End of Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: The End of Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium?: The End of Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium? by stlgretchen Color me shocked. A consortia pushing unproven, untested, unfunded, unconstitutional standards doomed to fail? The elite speak. From The Huffington Post and "50 to 75 education insiders" interviewed by Education Whiteboard: *About 44 percent of respondents believe there is a high likelihood of states exiting the consortia (SBAC) and designing their own custom Common Core-aligned tests with the help of third-party vendors, asUtah did ... more »

UPDATE: Ty Fahner. The Paul Ryan of Illinois pension reform. No time for details. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Ty Fahner. The Paul Ryan of Illinois pension reform. No time for details. « Fred Klonsky: Ty Fahner. The Paul Ryan of Illinois pension reform. No time for details. by Fred Klonsky *The Civic Committee’s Ty Fahner.* Remember the election of of 2012. It was all the talk before the General Petraeus thing. Remember we had this VP candidate who was famous for his bogus budget plan that was so lacking in details that it became a running joke on late night TV. The proposal was big on cuts to the poor and Social Security. But when Congressman Ryan was asked for supporting data or details, ... more »

Schools Matter: Distractions Are Us, Progress Tells Us So!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Schools Matter: Distractions Are Us, Progress Tells Us So!: Distractions Are Us, Progress Tells Us So! by Storm A friend posted this article from the Nov. 1, NYT to his Facebook page the other day: "Technology Is Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say." I'll note that "a version" of this was published as "For Better and for Worse, Technology Use Alters Learning Styles, Teachers Say" in the print edition. You decide if the web gurus who apply an "SEO" praxis to headlines worked some sticky magic. Of course, both headlines are full of ambiguities and assumptions. Just look at... more »

Kimble's Corner: Courageous GOP Leadership Battles Presidential Overreach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Kimble's Corner: Courageous GOP Leadership Battles Presidential Overreach: Courageous GOP Leadership Battles Presidential Overreach by Representative Kimble Following last week's squeaker of an election night win for President Obama last week, The President has claimed that his victory has given him the right to unprecedented powers to make sweeping changes to this country. Fortunately, the Republican leadership is standing tough fighting President Obama every step of the way. Before, turning this country into a socialist Heaven, it makes more sense for him to clean up the proble... more »

11% of children in California are uninsured, study says - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

11% of children in California are uninsured, study says - latimes.com: 11% of children in California are uninsured, study says Children in California are more likely to be uninsured than children nationwide, with 1.1 million lacking health coverage in 2011, according to a new study by the Keck School of Medicine of USC. About 11% of children lacked insurance last year -- and they were less likely to seek medical care than those with coverage, the authors reported. The study, released Wednesday by the California HealthCare Foundation, detailed children's insurance trends over a 10-y... more »

Diane in the Evening 11-14-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Two Big Legislative Victories in Florida by dianerav Kathleen Oropeza of Fund Education Now is one of the state’s leading education activists. She reports here on two crucial races for the State Legislature. In one contest, public education advocate Mike Clelland narrowly beat the future leader of the House, even though the Republican incumbent had a 12-1 funding advantage. In the other race, elementary school teacher Karen Castor Dentel handily beat her opponent, who ran a disgusting ad comparing her to convicted sexual predator Jerry Sandusky. Kath... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Merit Pay Fairy Lands in Newark

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: The Merit Pay Fairy Lands in Newark: The Merit Pay Fairy Lands in Newark by Duke *Hey, doofus: my name ain't Sue!* The Merit Pay Fairy has landed in Newark: The 4,700-member Newark Teachers Union approved the state’s first teacher contract that offers bonuses based on classroom performance. The three-year pact, which will award merit pay to teachers who earn ratings of "highly effective," was approved by a vote of 1767 to 1088 after a day in which educators lined up at union headquarters to cast ballots. The contract would be the first in the state, and one of the f... more »

Fiscal Showdown & Reduced Federal Spending on Education? We Say Kids, Not Cuts | K-12 News Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Fiscal Showdown & Reduced Federal Spending on Education? We Say Kids, Not Cuts | K-12 News Network: Fiscal Showdown & Reduced Federal Spending on Education? We Say Kids, Not Cuts from K-12 News Network by cynthia My home state is California, and we just successfully survived our own state version of the “fiscal cliff” when it comes to education. Here, they were called the “trigger cuts.” If Proposition 30 — essentially part of the June 30, 2012 budget passed by the legislature that needed the people’s thumbs up at the ballot box — hadn’t gotten that thumb’s up, K-14 education w... more »

Part 1 : High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: A Short History

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

high stakes testing: Part 1 : High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: A Short History by DoraTaylor *High Stakes Testing: A Short History* *“…I discovered then, in my early teaching career, that learning is best driven by ideas, challenges, experiences, and activities that engage students. My experience over the past 45 years has confirmed this.* *We have come far from that time in the ’60s. Now the mantra is high expectations and high standards. Yet, with all that zeal to produce measurable learning outcomes we have lost sight of the essential motivations to learn that moved my stude... more »

Ohio’s latest education bill eliminates teacher expertise & bipartisanship

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Ohio’s latest education bill eliminates teacher expertise & bipartisanship: *Ohio’s latest education bill eliminates teacher expertise & bipartisanship* *screw bipartisanship* *by Greg on November 14, 2012 · 1 Comment* The Ohio House Education Committee reconvened last evening with the introduction of the latest version (sub bill) of an education reform bill from Governor Kasich’s office, House Bill 555. The bill was introduced by Committee Chair, Gerald Stebelton who, as sponsor and chair, had to step down to the podium and turn his seat over to Mike Dovilla. Sub House Bill 555 ... more »

Fiscal Cliff Ignites Education Activism As Poorest School Districts Stand To Lose The Most

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Fiscal Cliff Ignites Education Activism As Poorest School Districts Stand To Lose The Most: Fiscal Cliff Ignites Education Activism As Poorest School Districts Stand To Lose The Most by Joy Resmovits Juandiego Wade is worried. As vice chair of the Charlottesville City School Board in Virginia, he's responsible for the well-being of its 4,000 students. And if Congress doesn't come up with a solution to upcoming automatic budget cuts soon, his students may feel the loss. "We've already been cut to the bone," Wade said. So with the estimated reduction of $350,000 to his district'... more »

Georgia Cyber Academy responds to state board concerns: DOE not providing assistance or clarity | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Georgia Cyber Academy responds to state board concerns: DOE not providing assistance or clarity | Get Schooled: Georgia Cyber Academy responds to state board concerns: DOE not providing assistance or clarity by Maureen Downey Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... *In light of the state board of education concerns about Georgia Cyber Academy*, I asked the director of the online charter school to make a statement. Here is a response from head of school Matt Arkin: GCA has been committed to working collaboratively with the Department of Educa... more »

NYC Educator: Where Is This Man?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NYC Educator: Where Is This Man?: Where Is This Man? by NYC Educator Popout This is the President I voted for in 2008, speaking for the power of people to organize. This is the President I've missed for four long years, as he failed to find those comfortable shoes and materialize in Wisconsin, as he failed to support, let alone pass, the Employee Free Choice Act, as he failed to stop the ruinous Bush tax cuts. Now he has another term, and teachers are saying it's time to dump Arne Duncan, who lacks the sensitivity of a number two pencil, who publicly declared that Katrina was th... more »

Millions in CA Prop 30 Tax Revenues Will Be Diverted from Higher Ed to Wall Street, Thanks to UC Board of Regents | The Dissenter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Millions in CA Prop 30 Tax Revenues Will Be Diverted from Higher Ed to Wall Street, Thanks to UC Board of Regents | The Dissenter: Millions in Prop 30 Tax Revenues Will Be Diverted from Higher Ed to Wall Street, Thanks to UC Board of Regents by Leighton Woodhouse [image: UC regents protest]UC regents have cut programs & hiked tuition for years Millions of dollars in new tax revenue earmarked for the University of California system as part of the state’s recently passed Proposition 30 will instead be routed to major financial firms, because of bad bets made by a Wall Street-influenc... more »

Analysis Examines L.A. Teacher Characteristics - Teacher Beat - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Analysis Examines L.A. Teacher Characteristics - Teacher Beat - Education Week: Analysis Examines L.A. Teacher Characteristics by Stephen Sawchuk Los Angeles has an unusually wide spread in the relative effectiveness of its teachers, according to an analysis released today by the Strategic Data Project, an initiative housed at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. The study looks primarily at math teachers in the district who were teaching in grades 3-8 from the 2004-05 to 2010-11 school year, and uses a growth measure to arrive at the calculations. Amon... more »

Engineering School Cultures for Successful Teacher Evaluation — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Engineering School Cultures for Successful Teacher Evaluation — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Engineering School Cultures for Successful Teacher Evaluation November 14, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers *Post written by Elle Allison, cofounder and president of Wisdom Out in Danville, Calif. Wisdom Out is a leadership and organizational development company that helps people sustain transformational change and bring their best initiatives to deep implementation. Connect with Allison by e-mail at elle@wisdomout.com. This post was origina... more »

Among biggest cities, Philadelphia has most charter students | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Among biggest cities, Philadelphia has most charter students | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Among biggest cities, Philadelphia has most charter studentsby David Limm on Nov 14 2012 Posted in Latest news ="" title="Facebook_like" href="http://thenotebook.org/blog/125329/among-biggest-cities-philadelphia-most-charters#" style="text-decoration: initial; color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on email COMMENTS (0)EMAILPRINT With nearly one in four city students in publicly-funded schools attending a charter, Philadelphia is among the top... more »

Several NYC teachers on state’s new Teacher Advisory Council | GothamSchools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Several NYC teachers on state’s new Teacher Advisory Council | GothamSchools: Several NYC teachers on state’s new Teacher Advisory Council by Philissa Cramer Jeff Li, who stepped down at Teach for America to return to the classroom this year, is one of seven city educators on the state's new Teacher Advisory Council. Among the 23 teachers from across the state that Education Commissioner John King has tapped to give him feedback about how policy is playing out in the classroom, seven work in New York City schools. The commissioner’s Teacher Advisory Council, announced today, will me... more »

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Mayor Daley’s brother not in favor of New Orleans-style school privatization

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Mayor Daley’s brother not in favor of New Orleans-style school privatization: Mayor Daley’s brother not in favor of New Orleans-style school privatization by admin The latest “our schools suck” report from Advance Illinois would seem to suggest that the testing and privatization policies this group has been successfully promoting in the state legislature for the past 4-5 years are not helping much. But instead, AI CEO Robin Steans wants to double down on failure: “We’re going to have to hit this with a 2-by-4,” Robin told the... more »

Superman has left the house. Even Idaho. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Superman has left the house. Even Idaho. « Fred Klonsky: Superman has left the house. Even Idaho. by Fred Klonsky I received an email from my friend Bill Ayers directed me to an article by David Sirota in Salon. Sirota continues to report on last Tuesday’s good news. Phony ed reform got a push back in three states. Colorado: In Colorado, the out-of-state, corporate-funded group Stand for Children, which previously made national headlines bragging about its corrupt legislative deal making, backed a campaign to hand the state Legislature to pro-privatization Republicans, specifically... more »