Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 11-10-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 11-10-12 #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

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes on 1240 Declares Victory

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes on 1240 Declares Victory: Yes on 1240 Declares Victory by Melissa Westbrook *Update at 4:40 pm: * I still think the trend is not enough to say No to 1240 but it will end up being as close as it can be. At this time the Yes has dropped to 50.78% and No is at 49.22%, a difference of 1.56% and less than 42K. From their press release: *After comprehensively reviewing ballot returns to date, The YES on 1240 Coalition announced today that Initiative 1240, the Washington Public Charter Schools Initiative, will be approved by a majority of Washingto... more »

High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago

High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools | toteachornototeach: High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools by aristotlethewise *High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools* By Francesca Duffy Thirty-six percent of teachers nationwide missed more than 10 days of school during the 2009-10 year, according to an analysis of federal data by the Washington-based Center for American Progress. Rhode Island had the highest percentage of teachers missing more than 10 days with 50.2, while Utah had the lowest with 20.2. The analysis, based on data collected by the U.S. Department of Education’s Offic... more »

Are EDU conferences meeting our needs? « My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Are EDU conferences meeting our needs? « My Island View: Are EDU conferences meeting our needs? by tomwhitby Today I attended the 39th Annual Conference for the Association of Middle Level Education in Portland, Oregon. I actually presented for this group for a couple of times about 25 years ago when it was The National Middle Schools Association. That was back in the day when we had far fewer middle schools. The model most often employed back then was the Junior High School. Junior high schools were 7-9 mini high schools. Little kids, little problems (what were we thinking?). Th... more »

Schools Matter: Schools As Ecosystems Lessons from Sandy

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Schools Matter: Schools As Ecosystems Lessons from Sandy: Schools As Ecosystems Lessons from Sandy by Judy Rabin Teachers, who are the first responders when it comes to children, are doing their job here in New York. Despite no help from the Department of Education and the aftermath of the most devastating storm since Katrina, teachers are now free to bring the joy, caring and love to learning essential for success in nurturing the "whole child". Education reform is happening where it matters, on the ground in real classrooms, with or without lights, electricity, heat or building... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Ronnie Greco of Jersey City: A Real Union Leader

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Ronnie Greco of Jersey City: A Real Union Leader: Ronnie Greco of Jersey City: A Real Union Leader by Duke Teachers union leaders across America, pay heed to Ronnie Greco, President of the Jersey City Education Association. This is what a real fighter for students, parents, and teachers looks like: Dear colleagues, I need to bring you up to date on a recent development. Several weeks ago, the administration contacted the JCEA and asked us to review an application that the district was planning to submit for a grant under the Race to the Top program. As you may know... more »

Washington charter initiative STILL undecided — update

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Washington charter initiative STILL undecided — update: Washington charter initiative STILL undecided — update Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 8, 2012 at 4:40 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » We STILL don’t know the outcome of Washington’s initiative to allow charter schools to open in the state. Pro charter forces spent more than $10 million to win approval from voters, who had rejected approving charter schools three times before. Bill Gates alone donated more than $3 million, Alice ... more »

Daily Kos: Saturday Morning reflection on reflection and living

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Daily Kos: Saturday Morning reflection on reflection and living: Saturday Morning reflection on reflection and living by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I have always been a reflective person. Starting in pre-adolescence I used to carry notebooks around and jot down observations, thoughts, perceptions. I would "think aloud' on paper. I would step back from what i was doing and try to understand it, and would apply the same technique to things around me as well. For almost a decade, blogging in various forms has taken the place of those notebooks, although a few months ago, as the... more »

Must Teachers Shut Down Our Compassion to Survive Education Reform? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Must Teachers Shut Down Our Compassion to Survive Education Reform? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Must Teachers Shut Down Our Compassion to Survive Education Reform? by Anthony Cody Yesterday I received a message from a reader. She wrote: I am convinced that educators in this country have lost their senses. At least, they seem to have lost their consciences. I sent your blog - What Hurricane Sandy is Teaching Us About Students Under Stress - to my fellow teachers this week. No one responded to the post via e-mail. I can understand that, since our school e-mails ... more »

Fiscal Accountability? Oh you meant Fiscal Accountability… - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Fiscal Accountability? Oh you meant Fiscal Accountability… - Wait, What?: Fiscal Accountability? Oh you meant Fiscal Accountability… by jonpelto Back around 2009, Governor Jodi Rell and her Office of Policy and Management had a tendency to misrepresent the state’s revenue and expenditure data in order to make it appear that the state budget was more balanced than it actually was. Some recall this was the time period when Rell allowed the Democratic Legislature’s budget to become state law without her signature, while claiming that she opposed the budget. Rell even went so far as... more »

$tudent$ for Education Reform | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

$tudent$ for Education Reform | EduShyster: $tudent$ for Education Reform by edushyster2012 Members of Connecticut chapters of Students for Education Reform. $FER spent more than $15,000 to bus 60 members to a rally in support of CT Governor Malloy’s education reform bill. Reader, today we revisit what has become perhaps my very phavorite rephorm group: Students for Education Reform. As you are no doubt aware, students are on the march from Chile, where they are demanding equal access to higher education, to Quebec, where striking students recently brought down the government for ... more »

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: Return on our investment. by Fred Klonsky Illinois’ public employee unions spent a huge amount of member dollars in the last campaign. - *American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees: $645,787* - *Illinois Federation of Teachers: $1,098,219* - *Illinois Education Association: $1,080,700* - *Service Employees International Union: $919,598* What will we get in return? Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky Funny thing about elections. Except in the case of a rare tie, there are no do-overs. Sure. You can try to steal it like when... more »

Teachers Unions: Scourge of the Nation? « School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Teachers Unions: Scourge of the Nation? « School Finance 101: Teachers Unions: Scourge of the Nation? by schoolfinance101 Let me start by stating that I, myself am somewhat agnostic when it comes to the questions around whether I believe teachers unions are generally good or bad for the overall quality of our education system and for educational equity. In my personal experiences as a young teacher in the early 1990s, I had my issues with my local teachers unions (in New York State in particular), resulting in some pretty heated battles with local and regional union officials [an... more »

The Illinois teacher strike wave continues. Geneva teachers may walk on a cold Tuesday morning. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

The Illinois teacher strike wave continues. Geneva teachers may walk on a cold Tuesday morning. « Fred Klonsky: The Illinois teacher strike wave continues. Geneva teachers may walk on a cold Tuesday morning. by Fred Klonsky PopoutThe wave of teacher strikes in Illinois appears to continue as negotiators for the Geneva Education Association and Geneva board members meet one last time tomorrow, Sunday. Picketing is planned for Tuesday, when the temperatures in the Chicago area will drop into the 30s. Sitting on a $30 million budget surplus, the board demanded a one year hard salary f...more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-10-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] What Grades Do You Give to a First Grader? by dianerav This rural teacher says his head is about to explode. The state says he has to give test after test after test to his first graders. Then he has to convert those scores into a letter grade. This doesn’t make any sense to him. The children are just beginning to make sense of letters and words. Rhee’s Organization Vindicates Rhee’s Reforms by dianerav Michelle Rhee founded The New Teacher Project. Rhee, of course, was then chancellor of the DC school sys... more »

Louisiana Educator: More Jindal Coersion

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Louisiana Educator: More Jindal Coersion: More Jindal Coersion by Michael Deshotels Governor Jindal intimidated his way to another win over the Legislature and the voters by turning over the administration of group benefits health insurance to Blue Cross Blue Shield. See the excellent post on this travesty in the Louisiana Voice blog. All employee groups participating in OGB programs spoke against the privatization move. The groups opposing included the Retired Teachers' Association, the LAE, LFT, AFSME, and the School Boards Association. These groups remained in opposition even ... more »

School Lunches From Around The World | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

School Lunches From Around The World | toteachornototeach: School Lunches From Around The World by aristotlethewise School Lunches From Around The World School lunch has been a contentious issue this year, ever since First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack rolled out their new school lunch initiative last spring. But the attention on what schools are serving isn’t unique to the States. Scotland’s 9-year-old Martha Payne garnered international headlines for her school lunch blog that chronicled dismal school meals. The blog drew so much attention that local of... more »

Daily Kos: Lincoln

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Daily Kos: Lincoln: Lincoln by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) we have just returned from seeing the new Steven Spielberg film, "Lincoln." It has a superb cast - Daniel-Day Lewis, David Straithaim, Sally Field, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, Tommy Lee Jones. It is based to a large degree on the book *Team of Rivals* by Doris Kearns Goodwin, with the script written by playwright Tony Kushner. It is about politics, about character, about history, focusing on the first few months of 1865 and the attempt to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery through the House of Representativ... more »

Ann Coulter vs. the Jesuits: A college invite is rescinded | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Ann Coulter vs. the Jesuits: A college invite is rescinded | Get Schooled: Ann Coulter vs. the Jesuits: A college invite is rescinded by Maureen Downey [image: Pundit Ann Coulter]Pundit Ann Coulter I have written this blog now for several years, and only mentioned acidic pundit Ann Coulter once. Three weeks later, I am bringing her up again because this incident demonstrates a sensible way to handle controversies over college speakers. Coulter was invited to Fordham University in New York to speak on Nov. 29 by the College Republicans. The planned appearance triggered protests and a... more »

An easy trick to reduce cheating

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

An easy trick to reduce cheating: An easy trick to reduce cheating Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 10, 2012 at 6:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » (University of Nebraska-Lincoln website) What can teachers do to help stem pervasive cheating among students? Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham has a suggestion. Willingham is a professor and director of graduate studies in psychology at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” His newly publishe... more »

Schools Matter: D. Ravitch: the President sends out mixed messages about education.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Schools Matter: D. Ravitch: the President sends out mixed messages about education.: D. Ravitch: the President sends out mixed messages about education. by skrashen Quoted in the Huffington Post, Diane Ravitch commented on President Obama’s future education policies (http://tinyurl.com/amyjkne). "My worst fear is it'll continue to be the same. His education policy is indistinguishable from Mitt Romney's, aside from vouchers. It's based on test test test test." She also noted that "The president sends out mixed messages. He says he doesn't want teachers teaching to the test, and... more »

Scandalous Payoff to Failed Florida Charter School Principal Shocks….SHOCKS Legislators | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Scandalous Payoff to Failed Florida Charter School Principal Shocks….SHOCKS Legislators | Scathing Purple Musings: Scandalous Payoff to Failed Florida Charter School Principal Shocks….SHOCKS Legislators by Bob Sikes [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] While Rick Scott is telling Floridians he wants even more charter school expansion, another scandal erupts when it was learned a failed charter school principal received a $519,000 payoff. Writes Lauren Roth in the*Orlando Sentinel*: An Orange County charter school that gave its principal a $519,000 departure... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Teacher Versus Student; All's Well That Ends Well

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Teacher Versus Student; All's Well That Ends Well: Teacher Versus Student; All's Well That Ends Well by Melissa Westbrook Very interesting story from our friends at The Stranger Slog: *According to the police report, a female student at Nathan Hale High School walked into the classroom "asking for some note cards" when she was allegedly struck with a 500-page copy of Homer's The Odyssey around 9:00 a.m. on November 1. By way of explanation, the teacher reportedly told police, "I was in a dramatic moment of teaching and when I was interrupt[ed], I... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Our New National Anthem? Teach THIS Song to Students.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Our New National Anthem? Teach THIS Song to Students.: Our New National Anthem? Teach THIS Song to Students. by stlgretchen Instead of the soaring *Star Spangled Banner* as America's national anthem, I suggest the sad and poignant song *Our Town* better reflects our country and its slide from exceptionalism to a European model of government. Popout How sad Americans now want more federal government intrusion in their lives while losing their

Persistent Dilemmas That Cling to Teaching | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Persistent Dilemmas That Cling to Teaching | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Persistent Dilemmas That Cling to Teaching by larrycuban *Nearly three years ago I wrote a post on a new teacher’s dilemma. In that post I defined what a dilemma was and distinguished it from a problem. Then I presented an instance of a dilemma in a novice’s classroom and asked readers what they thought.* *Since then, I have written about dilemmas often in this blog (see here, here, and here). Because “dilemma” is so often used as a synonym for “problem” and because these tensions ove... more »

An Urban Teacher's Education: CES Fall Forum: Day One

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

An Urban Teacher's Education: CES Fall Forum: Day One: CES Fall Forum: Day One by James Boutin [image: Coalition of Essential Schools] Today I worked in an all-day session on creating student-led classrooms at the CES Fall Forum in Providence, Rhode Island. The presenters asked us to think about traditional models of schooling and scrutinize their rationales. As you would expect, they went on to argue that learning should be in service of exploring student wonderings and in places students learn best. While I felt the session was mostly just a rehashing of CES principles in the c... more »

Teaching Career Pathways: Curriculum Design and School Partnerships « InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Teaching Career Pathways: Curriculum Design and School Partnerships « InterACT: Teaching Career Pathways: Curriculum Design and School Partnerships by David B. Cohen [image: numbers]*Note: in November 2012, Accomplished California Teachers (ACT) released the policy report “Promoting Quality Teaching: New Approaches to Compensation and Career Pathways.” The following post is the second in a series of profiles showing how California teacher leaders are beginning to develop and follow diversified career pathways. California teachers, and our peers around the nation, are looking for ... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 11-10-12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* 6 stories: WITH PASSAGE OF PROP 30 DEASY TO ASK LAUSD BOARD TO RESTORE SCHOOL YEAR/RESCIND FURLOUGH DAYS smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 7 minutes ago "There is absolutely zero risk," Deasy said in an interview. - Be afraid. Be very afraid. LAUSD chief seeks to rescind furloughs, restore 180-day calendar By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer LA Newspaper Group/Daily News | http://bit.ly/Qwdm5l 11/09/2012 07:44:53 PM PST :: Just a week after voters approved a package of tax h... more »

Untitled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

This Week's Education Research Report 11-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * Link Found Between Child Prodigies and Autism Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 17 hours ago A new study of eight child prodigies suggests a possible link between these children’s special skills and autism. Of the eight prodigies studied, three had a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. As a group, the prodigies also tended to have slightly elevated scores on a test of autistic traits, when compared to a control group. In addit... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 11-10-12 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL *LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY* [image: Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Problems.] “If we don’t take time to listen and get to know them, who will?” Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 10 hours ago The headline of this post comes from a nice piece by Jimmy Casas on home visits called My First Home Visit With Larry Leonard. It’s worth a read…. Molly Munger’s (& PTA’s) Initiative Gets 28% Of CA Vote Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 2 days ago I’... more »

Curriculum Frameworks - English Language Arts (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Curriculum Frameworks - English Language Arts (CA Dept of Education): Curriculum FrameworksGuidelines for implementing the content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education that are developed by the Instructional Quality Commission. ------------------------------ English Language Arts2014 Revision of the English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework Assembly Bill 250 (Chapter 608, Statutes of 2011) calls for the revision of the *English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework* to align with the Common Core State Standards for English ... more »

NEA - American Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NEA - American Education Week: American Education Week Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility American Education Week—November 11-17, 2012—presents all Americans with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education. The weeklong celebration features a special observance each day of the week. They include: *Monday, November 12: Veterans Day* Schools nationwide are closed in observance of the armed service veterans who have served this country, includi... more »

Presidential Proclamation -- American Education Week, 2012 | The White House

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Presidential Proclamation -- American Education Week, 2012 | The White House: Presidential Proclamation -- American Education Week, 2012 AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK, 2012 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION All children deserve access to a world-class education and the chance to pursue their dreams. Our schools are a gateway to those opportunities and the key to our Nation's economic prosperity and civic life. This week, we reaffirm our national mission of educating our students and training our workers better than any other country on earth. My Administratio... more »

Insights About Teacher Evaluation — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Insights About Teacher Evaluation — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Insights About Teacher Evaluation November 9, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers [image: Teacher Evaluation - ASCD Educational Leadership] The role of teacher evaluation is among the most contentious issues in education today. Even when there is general agreement that teachers' performance should be assessed in some way, there is vigorous disagreement about how those assessments should be conducted and how the results should be used. If the ultimate goal of teacher evaluat... more »

Value-added teacher assessment hit by Council for Exceptional Children

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Value-added teacher assessment hit by Council for Exceptional Children: Value-added teacher assessment hit by Council for Exceptional Children Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 9, 2012 at 4:22 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » The Council for Exceptional Children has issued a new position paper that rejects the use of “value-added” systems that link evaluations of teachers — especially those in the field of special education — to student standardized test scores and says they are cause “fo... more »