Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 12-17-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

NEA, AFT Teachers To Build Common-Core Tools - Teacher Beat - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago

NEA, AFT Teachers To Build Common-Core Tools - Teacher Beat - Education Week: NEA, AFT Teachers To Build Common-Core Tools by Catherine Gewertz *Guest post by Catherine Gewertz* The two national teachers' unions have won $11 million to build an online warehouse of instructional tools for the Common Core State Standards. Student Achievement Partners, whose founders led the writing of the standards, is also a grantee. It will work with the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Associationand their teachers to build the tools and post them on Student Achievement... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, December 17, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com]Schools prepare for shootings, other emergencies Education Headlines *Monday, December 17, 2012* School shooting victim came from San DiegoOne of the young victims of the Connecticut school shooting is apparently a former San Diego resident, whose new life on the East Coast was chronicled in a colorful blog. Schools prepare for shootings, other emergenciesInland school officials say they try to prevent campus violence with strong security, disciplin... more »

Conservative Joe Scarborough Breaks with the NRA « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago

Conservative Joe Scarborough Breaks with the NRA « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Conservative Joe Scarborough Breaks with the NRA by millerlf By MACKENZIE WEINGER | *12/17/12 Politico* MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough launched today’s “Morning Joe” with a ten-minute address in response to the shooting in Newtown, Conn., last Friday. “Today as a nation we grieve and today we as a people feel helpless,” he said. “Helpless to stop these random acts of violence that seem to be getting less random by the day. You know it may be the geographic proximity of Newtown to my hometown, o... more »

John Thompson: Diane Ravitch and the Long View of School Reform - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 31 minutes ago

John Thompson: Diane Ravitch and the Long View of School Reform - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Diane Ravitch and the Long View of School Reform by Anthony Cody [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] *Guest post by John Thompson.* Near the end of David Denby's New Yorker profile of Diane Ravitch (Public Defender), Denby quotes Ravitch saying, "If the testing vampire is slain, the whole facade of faux reform collapses. No test scores, no merit pay, no closing of schools by test scores." Shouldn't people who cannot agree with Ravitch on any... more »

Eighty-Six Things I Learned at P.S. 86 (Hallie Fox) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 35 minutes ago

Eighty-Six Things I Learned at P.S. 86 (Hallie Fox) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Eighty-Six Things I Learned at P.S. 86 (Hallie Fox) by larrycuban *This guest post is written by Hallie Fox, who taught in a Bronx (New York City) elementary school–P.S. 86. She was a student in my Fall quarter seminar on “Good School and Districts.” For a final reflective paper, she attached a list of what she learned while teaching at P.S. 86. **I was struck by three things in reading the list. First, how complex and totally absorbing is the daily life of an elementary s... more »

Throughout December and January: Whole Child and Common Core — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Throughout December and January: Whole Child and Common Core — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]Throughout December and January: Whole Child and Common Core December 13, 2012 by Klea Scharberg Educators have a unique opportunity to reset the playing field and make the Common Core State Standards work for them. We can implement the standards, align them to a whole child approach to education, and ensure that both support and enhance each other. The Common Core standards and a whole child approach are not opposites, and they do not and should not hav... more »

Modern School: Explicable School Massacres—Violence is American as Apple Pie

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Modern School: Explicable School Massacres—Violence is American as Apple Pie: Explicable School Massacres—Violence is American as Apple Pie by Michael Dunn The tragedy at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School last week was particularly appalling, as most of its victims were between the ages of 5 and 10. AFL-CIO Boss Richard Trumka lamented the “inexplicable horror” of the massacre, while President Obama called for “meaningful action” to stop the seemingly endless wave of violence (e.g., Milwaukee Sihk temple and California’s Oikos University massacres earlier this year). Ev... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Is it Now Time to Tackle the Issue of Mental Illness?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Is it Now Time to Tackle the Issue of Mental Illness?: Is it Now Time to Tackle the Issue of Mental Illness? by stlgretchen *What does mental illness look like and what can we do as a society to address the issue?* Here is a parent's heartbreaking account of living with a mentally ill child and navigating the educational and mental health system. From The Anarchist Soccer Mom and *Thinking the Unthinkable.* *The Blue Review had the article entitled, "I am Adam Lanza's Mother". * *************************************************************************... more »

Ed Notes Online: Robert Rendo Blog: All Images Free

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Robert Rendo Blog: All Images Free: Robert Rendo Blog: All Images Free by ed notes online *A colleague of mine, Robert Rendo, is a teacher and illustrator and is now offering free license to use images from his blog, which you can now access at http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/?view=snapshot The name of the blog is "The Truth About Education Reform: a Blog of Cartoons . . . Images with a Voice!" Users can literally enlarge and grab the image to incorporate into their own literature. All they have to do is click on the image, and it enlarges to be gr... more »

Teachers are True First Responders… (While State’s fiscal problems remain all too real) - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Teachers are True First Responders… (While State’s fiscal problems remain all too real) - Wait, What?: Teachers are True First Responders… (While State’s fiscal problems remain all too real) by jonpelto As our state and nation work to process the incomprehensible, the first thing that stands out when we look back on the Newtown tragedy, and the many other school shootings that have plagued our nation over the fourteen years since Columbine, is that time after time, faced with unimaginable horror and fear, teachers and other school personnel have inevitably stepped forward to p... more »

UPDATE: From the former IEA President who gave us Senate Bill 7 come words of advice: “Shared sacrifice.” Is he working for the Civic Committee now? « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

From the former IEA President who gave us Senate Bill 7 come words of advice: “Shared sacrifice.” Is he working for the Civic Committee now? « Fred Klonsky: From the former IEA President who gave us Senate Bill 7 come words of advice: “Shared sacrifice.” Is he working for the Civic Committee now? by Fred Klonsky [image: 0] *Retired IEA President Ken Swanson. The guy who, with Jonah Edelman, gave us SB7, now has words of advice on pensions. Did we ask him?* Ken Swanson was the IEA President who worked with Jonah Edelman and Stand for Children to bring the state Senate Bill 7. Senate... more »

The Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary | Lily's Blackboard

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

The Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary | Lily's Blackboard: Our Babies…The Tragedy at Sandy Hook by Lily [image: Lily's Blackboard Rotating Header Image] I have been busy. I like writing this blog, but when I get busy with meetings and reports and such, I put off writing. Today I have been busy not watching the news. I have been very busy finding anything, any little thing to keep me too busy to watch the news coming out of Newtown, Connecticut and hearing the voices of screaming parents and frightened little ones. I am so busy not wanting to think, that I will not put off writing ... more »

TO LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-17-12 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] Dawn Hochsprung: A Hero of Public Education by dianerav Dawn Hochsprung was beloved by her family, her staff and her students. Now she is beloved by the nation and beyond. Here is an interview with her husband and five of her six daughters. She gave her life to save others. She loved teaching and learning and wanted her students to love learning. She kept abreast of current national issues. We know that from her Twitter feed. She retweeted articles about Joshua Starr, the Montgomery County (Md.) superintende... more »

Daily Kos: Failing Children: "They're All Our Children"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Daily Kos: Failing Children: "They're All Our Children": Failing Children: "They're All Our Children" byplthomasEdDFollow It should not have taken the killing of 20 innocent children and 6 dedicated educators in a school, but I will not belabor that point. At a prayer vigil in Newtown, CT, on the evening of December 16, 2012, President Barack Obama asked and answered his own question about America's children: "And in that way, we come to realize that we bear a responsibility for every child because we're counting on everybody else to help look after ours; that we're all parent... more »

ED Ranks 18th... on the Wrong Question :: Frederick M. Hess

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

ED Ranks 18th... on the Wrong Question :: Frederick M. Hess: ED Ranks 18th... on the Wrong Question *by Frederick M. Hess • Dec 17, 2012 at 6:40 am Cross-posted from Education Week* U.S. Department of Education Last week, the Partnership for Public Service released its annual *Best Places to Work* in the federal government rankings. The survey polled nearly 700,000 civil servants in 10 workplace categories including leadership, teamwork, and work/life balance. The U.S. Department of Education ranked 18th out of 22 mid-side agencies. ED fared similarly last year, ranking 29th ou... more »

Fiscal Cliff May Force Some High Schools to Close - High School Notes (usnews.com)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Fiscal Cliff May Force Some High Schools to Close - High School Notes (usnews.com): Fiscal Cliff May Force Some High Schools to Close By KELSEY SHEEHY December 17, 2012 RSS Feed Print [image: Rural, low-income school districts would be hardest hit by automatic spending cuts.] Rural, low-income districts would be hardest hit by automatic spending cuts. If Congress goes off the so-called fiscal cliff, federal funding for K-12 education programs will go along with it—buthigh schools in some districts will see their budgets fall further than others. Technically called sequestration, the ... more »

Back to class: the tightrope teachers must walk

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Back to class: the tightrope teachers must walk: Back to class: the tightrope teachers must walk Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 17, 2012 at 5:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Flag flies at half staff in Newtown. (AP Photo/David Goldman) From the Exasperated Teacher blog is a post about returning to class on Monday, the first day back to school after the killings of 20 children and six adults at a Newtown, Connecticut school on Friday. Exasperated Teachers writes anonymously and offer... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky A man plays violin along Church Rd. in Newton. Stephen Landman (Global Research) *US civilian gun ownership is the highest worldwide. Yemen ranks second. America doubles the Yemeni level. Gun related violence follows. In America it’s endemic. In Chicago alone, gun-related deaths exceed one a day. More Chicagoans are shot and killed than US forces in Afghanistan by any means.* -- Gun violence in America Rev. Jesse Jackson *What more "do we require?" before something is done to stop such events fr...more »

State Chiefs to Examine Teacher Prep, Licensing | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

State Chiefs to Examine Teacher Prep, Licensing | toteachornototeach: State Chiefs to Examine Teacher Prep, Licensing by aristotlethewise *State Chiefs to Examine Teacher Prep, Licensing* [image: Teachprep] By Stephen Sawchuk Twenty-five state schools chiefs are vowing to take action to update their systems of teacher preparation and licensing, with an eye to ensuring teachers are ready the minute they take charge of their own classrooms. The announcement Friday morning from the Council of Chief State School Officers is probably state officials’ most explicit promise to engage in cha... more »

The Nation’s Most Powerful Pro-Voucher, Pro-Charter School Group Applauds Tony Bennett’s Florida Appointment | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

The Nation’s Most Powerful Pro-Voucher, Pro-Charter School Group Applauds Tony Bennett’s Florida Appointment | Scathing Purple Musings: The Nation’s Most Powerful Pro-Voucher, Pro-Charter School Group Applauds Tony Bennett’s Florida Appointment by Bob Sikes From* MELODIKA.net:* The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for educational choice—today praised the appointment of outgoing Indiana state superintendent Tony Bennett as Florida’s next education commissioner. Bennett, who is serving in his last month as state superintendent of public instruction in Indiana, sp... more »

Jersey Jazzman: What Has StudentsFirst Ever Done To Improve School Safety?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: What Has StudentsFirst Ever Done To Improve School Safety?: What Has StudentsFirst Ever Done To Improve School Safety? by Duke South Bronx School is a blogger who never minces his words. We could use that right now: So I decided to check out MichelleRheeFirst Facebook page and came across this little ditty; *Following today's tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the entire StudentsFirst family is mourning with the victims, their families, and the entire community of Newtown, Connecticut. We have offered our colleagues in the state any assistance they may nee... more »

LAUSD, Superintedent John Deasy, Conan Nolan, Philip Healy, KNBC - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

LAUSD, Superintedent John Deasy, Conan Nolan, Philip Healy, KNBC - Perdaily.com: LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT DEASY CONTINUES TO LIE WHILE KNBC LETS HIM GET AWAY WITH IT by Leonard Isenberg [image: Smiling John Deasy.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español)* * * *The following is a crystal clear example of how a mainstream local news media is able to document LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy in an outright lie then do nothing to confront Deasy or anybody else at LAUSD with the lie(s). The first video below is of an interview that KNBC Conan Nolan did with Superintendent John Deasy on February 1... more »

Tucson, Aurora, and Newtown Compared: Is President Obama Finally Ready to Act? « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Tucson, Aurora, and Newtown Compared: Is President Obama Finally Ready to Act? « Student Activism: Obama’s Speeches in Tucson, Aurora, and Newtown by Angus Johnston Here’s the entirety of the only passage in President Obama’s speech in Tucson after the Gabrielle Giffords shooting in 2011 that even implied advocacy for governmental action against gun violence: “We cannot and will not be passive in the face of such violence. We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of such violence in the future.” Here’s the analogous passage from his speech... more »

The Educated Reporter: Update: Sandy Hook Tragedy, and Trying to Explain the Unimaginable

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

The Educated Reporter: Update: Sandy Hook Tragedy, and Trying to Explain the Unimaginable: Update: Sandy Hook Tragedy, and Trying to Explain the Unimaginable by Emily Richmond [image: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com] *Update: At a webinar for journalists on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 1 p.m. Eastern time, EWA will share information from a forthcoming guide to interviewing children. Click here for more information and to register. I also spoke with Huffington Post senior media reporter Michael Calderone about the controversy over how the media h... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – With NCLB waiver all but dead, state officials look to soften federal sanctions

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: With NCLB waiver all but dead, state officials look to soften federal sanctions In a largely overlooked action last month, the California State Board of Education formally designated another 56 local educational agencies as failing as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The move came even as California’s long-shot waiver request seeking relief from federal performance mandates sat unresolved before U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan – now nearly six months since the application was made. If hope has long since faded that th... more »

Responding to, and Recovering from, School Violence | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Responding to, and Recovering from, School Violence | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Responding to, and Recovering from, School Violence by obriena All children deserve to be safe at school. But sometimes, as on December 14, 2012, the unthinkable happens. The deepest sympathies of the entire education community go out to those in Newtown, Connecticut, as they deal with a horrendous tragedy. As American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said on the day of the incident, "The entire AFT community is shaken to its core by this massacre of young ... more »

LAUSD board seeks control over grant applications - LA Daily News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

LAUSD board seeks control over grant applications - LA Daily News: LAUSD board seeks control over grant applications By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer Posted: 12/16/2012 06:21:58 PM PST Updated: 12/16/2012 06:22:43 PM PST In a move that could stem the flow of tens of millions of dollars to cash-strapped Los Angeles Unified, the school board has empowered itself to endorse -- or veto -- applications for grants topping $1 million.Members voted 4-3 last Tuesday to require the board to approve every major grant proposal before it can be submitted. The move was prompted by concerns th... more »

The Heroes at Sandy Hook | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

The Heroes at Sandy Hook | Seattle Education: The Heroes at Sandy Hook by seattleducation2011 *I am reposting this article in full because it deserves it.* *Kudos to the author Dave Lindorff.* *America’s Teachers: Heroes or Greedy Moochers at the Public Trough?* I’ll be brief here. Let’s just note that the heroic teachers who died while courageously trying to protect their kids at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, and the others who survived but stayed to protect the kids, were all part of a school system where the employees are members of the American Federation of T... more »

President Obama speaks at interfaith vigil for Connecticut shooting victims

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

*Published on Dec 16, 2012* Connecticut School Shooting: Obama Offers Newtown 'Love and Prayers of a Nation' President Obama told the grieving community of Newtown, Conn., that the nation has wept with them for the loss of 20 children and six teachers and school staff members killed in a senseless massacre. WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will attend a memorial service Sunday, December 16th in Newtown, Conn., the site of Friday's deadly elementary school shooting. Twenty-six people, including 20 children, were killed when a man opened fire inside the school. Hours after ... more »

Our Responsibility « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Our Responsibility « Cooperative Catalyst: Our Responsibility by peterberg7468 In the wake of the horrible tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, it may be time to reflect on our responsibilities as a society. No matter our role, we all have an individual and collective responsibility in how we respond to tragedies of this magnitude. Certainly our hearts, thoughts, prayers and support go out to all those who were involved. Our responsibility extends beyond this, to respond in a way that doesn’t muddle this tragedy with irrelevant statist... more »

Diane in the Evening 12-16-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Districts: Send Teachers to the Funerals in Newtown by dianerav When a police officer or firefighter dies in the line of duty, colleagues turn out in the hundreds or thousands to attend their funeral or present an honor guard. Could every school district within 250 miles of Newtown do the same for the fallen teachers and principal and staff? Could teachers fly in from Chicago and Los Angeles and Boston and everywhere else? AOL has a story that the loathsome Westboro Church plans to send a delegation to the Sandy Hook Elementary School to “celebrate” the kil... more »

Resistance to Education Attacks in Mexico: Lessons for Oakland « Classroom Struggle

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Resistance to Education Attacks in Mexico: Lessons for Oakland « Classroom Struggle: Resistance to Education Attacks in Mexico: Lessons for Oakland by ClassroomStruggle Here we take a look at a fraction of the Mexican teachers’ union called the CNTE. La CNTE works within the larger union (the SNTE)–and outside the SNTE in larger social movements–in a variety of ways. This snapshot of their work focuses particularly on Escuelas Integrales (holistic schools). These are schools run by parents and teachers with locally developed and relevant curriculum that stands against the push... more »

This Moment of Clarity [On Sandy Hook and Telling Adults To Shut Up Already] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

This Moment of Clarity [On Sandy Hook and Telling Adults To Shut Up Already] | The Jose Vilson: This Moment of Clarity [On Sandy Hook and Telling Adults To Shut Up Already] by JOSE on DECEMBER 16, 2012 This post was supposed to be about me. The myriad of questions I’ve faced, the situations I’ve encountered, the tribulations of a Black-Latino NYC educator looking for reasons why our system continues to work against the interests of children, and the constant shaking of my head, not to the beat of whatever my iPod’s playing, but of the things I would deem adult problems. My mood has ... more »

Education in the Age of Globalization » TIMSS/PIRLS: Reactions from Asia’s Top Performers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » TIMSS/PIRLS: Reactions from Asia’s Top Performers: TIMSS/PIRLS: Reactions from Asia’s Top Performers by YongZhao 16 DECEMBER 2012 158 NO COMMENT Handwringing and head scratching around the 2011 TIMSS and PIRLS results released yesterday continue around the globe. While Western countries show great admiration of the outstanding scores of East Asia and lament on their own abysmal performance, the East Asian education systems, while celebrating their achievement, are worried about something that the media in Western countries ... more »

Supporting Newtown/Sandy Hook Community | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Supporting Newtown/Sandy Hook Community | United Opt Out National: Post navigation← Previous SUPPORTING NEWTOWN/SANDY HOOK COMMUNITY Posted on December 16, 2012 Many of us are trying to find a way to express our love and condolences to the families and the community affected by the events in Newtown/Sandy Hook, Connecticut. You may donate to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund as well as send a note to Sandy Hook Elementary School at the following address: Sandy Hook Elementary School 12 Dickenson Drive Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Also, please take a moment of silence and send love to the fam... more »

Over $1B and counting for TFA, Inc., de facto discrimination in charter schools, the failed Microsoft model hoisted onto our educational system and Maryland superintendent says “Stop the insanity” | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Over $1B and counting for TFA, Inc., de facto discrimination in charter schools, the failed Microsoft model hoisted onto our educational system and Maryland superintendent says “Stop the insanity” | Parents Across America: Over $1B and counting for TFA, Inc., de facto discrimination in charter schools, the failed Microsoft model hoisted onto our educational system and Maryland superintendent says “Stop the insanity” by DoraTaylor *The Weekly Update for the news and views you might have missed.* *“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure o... more »

NYC Public School Parents: How to talk to your kids about the school shootings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: How to talk to your kids about the school shootings: How to talk to your kids about the school shootings by Leonie Haimson *Two days later and there is still no word from NYC Department of Education about the school shootings in nearby Connecticut. The below is from Noah Gotbaum, parent leader, passing on some links on how to help our kids (and ourselves) deal with this tragic event.*** The first link from the National Association of School Psychologistsis particularly good. These were passed on to me by a friend whose children attend a private school h... more »

'I Am Adam Lanza's Mother': A Mom's Perspective On The Mental Illness Conversation In America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

'I Am Adam Lanza's Mother': A Mom's Perspective On The Mental Illness Conversation In America: 'I Am Adam Lanza's Mother': A Mom's Perspective On The Mental Illness Conversation In America **Posted: 12/16/2012 9:15 am EST | Updated: 12/16/2012 2:34 pm EST [image: Share on Google+] [image: Lizalongnotforreuse] 67,086 6,298 - 4,889 3624 *GET PARENTS ALERTS:* SIGN UP REACT: AmazingInspiringFunnyScaryHotCrazyImportantWeird FOLLOW: Autism, Asperger's, Newtown Elementary School Shooting, Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, Blue Review, Connecticut Shooting, Liza Long, Mental Illness, ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools for the Week of Dec. 17-23

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools for the Week of Dec. 17-23: Seattle Schools for the Week of Dec. 17-23 by Melissa Westbrook *Monday, December 17th* Capacity Management meeting for the NE area from 6:30-8 p.m. at Olympic Hills cafeteria, 13018 20th Avenue *Tuesday, December 18th* Audit&Finance Quarterly Audit Meeting from 4-7 p.m. Agenda. Much of this is the higher-level work of this committee - internal audit, external audit, risk management. The last hour of this committee is just for committee members to discuss labor negotiations. Superintendent Meeting wi... more »

Newtown Shooting Sparks Interest In Gun Buyback Programs Across U.S.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Newtown Shooting Sparks Interest In Gun Buyback Programs Across U.S.: Newtown Shooting Sparks Interest In Gun Buyback Programs Across U.S. by Joy Resmovits As the pastor of a church in East New York, a rough neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., David Benke has had an up-close view of the suffering that gun violence can inflict on a community. “We’ve had parishioners who have been killed, we’ve had parishioners who have been held up at gunpoint, I’ve had guns pulled on me and we’ve had to do funerals of kids who have been shot and killed,” said Benke, who presides over St. Peter's Luthe... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Bill Bennett's $100 Billion School Safety Plan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Bill Bennett's $100 Billion School Safety Plan: Bill Bennett's $100 Billion School Safety Plan by Duke Former SecEd Bill Bennett floated a school safety plan today: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Find me the back of an envelope, will you? There are nearly 100,000 schools in the United States. I think you're going to need way more than 100,000 armed public safety officers to cover all those schools, but let's be conservative and keep the number for our purposes. You need to pay these people, give them benefits (heaven fo... more »

Why is a 43% Failure Rate in College Considered College-Prep? « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Why is a 43% Failure Rate in College Considered College-Prep? « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues: Why is a 43% Failure Rate in College Considered College-Prep? by Dr. Ed Fuller [image: IDEA college enrollment 2008 2011] IDEA Charter School markets itself as a college preparatory education organization with goals of enrolling 100% of graduates in four-year universities and have 100% persistence and graduation rates in college.[1] Indeed, in the introduction of the most recent annual report, Dr. Tom Torkelson, CEO of IDEA Public Schools, makes the following statement: IDEA puts s... more »

Jeb Bush, Gary Chartrand Among Past Campaign Contributors to Tony Bennett | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Jeb Bush, Gary Chartrand Among Past Campaign Contributors to Tony Bennett | Scathing Purple Musings: Jeb Bush, Gary Chartrand Among Past Campaign Contributors to Tony Bennett by Bob Sikes The Florida media has thus far been disinterested in Tony Bennett’s political contributors to his Indiana campaign. Perhaps these will raise some eyebrows. Former governor Jeb Bush founded a consulting firm, Jeb Bush and Associates, LLC after leaving the governor’s mansion. Bush’s consulting firm has made only one political contribution – to Bennett on March 28 of this year. Bennett was recogn... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: What a Suprise!!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Teachers Don't Suck !: What a Suprise!!: What a Suprise!! by Walt S. *Budget task force sees major fiscal challenges ahead for N.J.*Thursday, December 13, 2012 Last updated: Thursday December 13, 2012, 1:56 PM BY JOHN REITMEYER STATE HOUSE BUREAU The Record From The Political State blog on NorthJersey.com:\ No matter who wins the 2013 gubernatorial election, New Jersey will continue to face some steep fiscal challenges unless major budget reforms are enacted. A new report on New Jersey’s finances released Thursday by

The Fiscal Cliff: What All Parents Should Know « MomsRising Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

The Fiscal Cliff: What All Parents Should Know « MomsRising Blog: The Fiscal Cliff: What All Parents Should Know by Ann O'Leary By now, most people who pay attention to the news have heard about the “fiscal cliff.” The problem: Most people don’t know what the fiscal cliff actually is, or how it will impact their families. The term “fiscal cliff” is shorthand for a series of events that will occur at the end of 2012 that will impact how the federal government operates. These include automatic, across-the-board cuts to funds for schools with low-income and special needs students; incr... more »

Students Last: The Four R's

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Students Last: The Four R's: The Four R's by Students Last *Fairfax, Virginia* - Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Rifle Association has devised a plan to prevent further gun violence at our nation's schools. At a press conference at the NRA's headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, LaPierre urged arming students. "More guns equals less crime," began LaPierre, echoing the headline of his November 27th commentary. "Therefore, it just seems logical that this tragedy could have been prevented if the students had been armed. Our schools need to become a c... more »

'SNL' Opens With 'Silent Night' in Honor of Shooting Victims

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

*SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com* coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 30 minutes ago SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com: PETITION: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card December 15 · Started by David Paine · Invite Friends · Reposts 41 To: Community of Newtown, Connecticut, including the families of the victims and the survivors and their families. Our Sincere Condolences. We wish to express our deepest sympathies to all of the families of those lost, to the survivors and their fami... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What would you have to say to the superintendent?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What would you have to say to the superintendent?: What would you have to say to the superintendent? by Charlie Mas I don't make a habit of asking the staff to do things so much as asking them for information. That's because they don't work for me and they aren't accountable to me. I don't hesitate to offer suggestions for action to the Board because they are accountable to the public and they are supposed to represent the public. So if I had the opportunity to speak with the superintendent, I wouldn't so much have suggestions for him as question... more »

George Will: ‘Unparented’ boys from single-parent homes causing ‘epidemic of violence’ | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

George Will: ‘Unparented’ boys from single-parent homes causing ‘epidemic of violence’ | The Raw Story: George Will: ‘Unparented’ boys from single-parent homes causing ‘epidemic of violence’ By David Edwards Sunday, December 16, 2012 13:38 EST [image: Print Friendly] Share on facebookShare on redditShare on diggShare on twitterShare on farkShare on stumbleupon1 [image: George Will speaks to ABC News] Topics: George Will ♦ Jason Chaffetz Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and conservative columnist George Will told a Sunday panel on ABC News that gun violence in the United States was caus... more »

SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com: PETITION: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card December 15 · Started by David Paine · Invite Friends · Reposts 41 To: Community of Newtown, Connecticut, including the families of the victims and the survivors and their families. Our Sincere Condolences. We wish to express our deepest sympathies to all of the families of those lost, to the survivors and their families, and to the others impacted by the senseless and unthinkable tragedy that unfolded at Sandy Hook Elementary School. We c... more »

On the Teacher Evaluation Resolution from the December 2012 Delegate Assembly « JD2718

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

On the Teacher Evaluation Resolution from the December 2012 Delegate Assembly « JD2718: On the Teacher Evaluation Resolution from the December 2012 Delegate Assembly by jd2718 MORE brought a resolution to last week’s UFT delegate assembly, calling for discussion of any teacher evaluation agreement to occur in the schools, and calling for a referendum to be taken among the membership in the event a proposed agreement is reached. The reason they offered for sending an evaluation deal to the membership is both technical, and political. In the technical sense, they argued that this ... more »

Monday morning I will return to my classroom. I teach ... it is what I do. Continuing Change

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Continuing Change: The Things I Have Seen by gatorbonbc Reblogged from An Antique Teacher: I have spent more than half my life teaching Primary grades. In those years, I have seen more school shootings than I care to remember, two Space Shuttles explode killing everyone, the attacks on 9-11, and local events that didn’t make national news, but affected me as a teacher just the same. There are no words that I have to comfort anyone, because I can’t comfort myself over yesterday’s mass shooting of small children in Newtown, CT. Read more… 321 more words My sentiments exactly. Somet... more »

Minority-Rule America - Mass Destruction - Ohio

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Minority-Rule America - Mass Destruction - Ohio: Blog of Mass Destruction Minority-Rule America By THE REVEREND Published: December 12, 2012 By our readiness to allow arms to be purchased at will and fired at whim… we have created an atmosphere in which violence and hatred have become popular pastimes. *Martin Luther King, Jr. * In a legitimate democracy, the majority rules. But not in America. Blame the Framers, blame whoever you want to blame....but the majority in the U.S. do not have final say. In fact, truth be told, the minority....if they have a mind to....can almost always ... more »

NYC Educator: I’m Not a Hero.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

NYC Educator: I’m Not a Hero.: I’m Not a Hero. by NYC Educator Like most people, I don’t particularly want to be one, either. I can’t express my awe and admiration the teachers who protected their students in Newtown, and like anyone, I have no idea what I would do in their circumstances. The closest I ever came to having students in danger was about 25 years ago. I was a very green teacher, teaching English in summer school. I had already angered administration by demanding use of the sole and sacred school copying machine after they informed me there would be no books for my re... more »

Newtown, CT Patch - Police: Misinformation About Sandy Hook Elementary Shootings on Social Media

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Newtown, CT Patch - News, Sports, Events, Businesses & Deals: Police: Misinformation About Sandy Hook Elementary Shootings on Social Media Connecticut State Police Lt. Vance said there have been instances of people posing as the shooter on Facebook pages, with "threatening and inaccurate" information. - By Michael Dinan, Davis Dunavin, Gary Jeanfaivre, Chandra Johnson Greene, and William Demarest - Email the authors - 5:50 am Email Print 34 Comments PHOTOS (5) [image: Police at Sunday morning press conference.] [image: Jack Hornak, a Newtown resident for 35 years... more »

The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky: The Sunday Mail. by Fred Klonsky [image: 64067_10151218029988558_851683370_n] *Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie await arrest for performing before an integrated audience in Houston, Texas. 1955.* *Jersey Jazz Man* on heroes. *The Anarchist Soccer Mom* asks for a national conversation about mental health. *Arming teachers in the classroom?* No thanks. I knew this teacher who couldn’t figure out how to use the walkie-talkie we used for fire drills. I can’t imagine her handling a 38. *ALEC.* The folks who brought you guns and school reform. *David Sir... more »

Daily Kos: Life among the Ruins

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Daily Kos: Life among the Ruins: Life among the Ruins byplthomasEdD Adrienne Rich's *The School Among the Ruins* [1] confronts the intersection of school and violence, poems written in the time designated as the turn of a century: "Rich cited another catalyst for 'The School Among the Ruins' in an e-mail interview from her Santa Cruz home -- the school, in Brooklyn, where her son teaches. "'I knew his love for the school, for those children,' she said. [The volume is s]et during a nonspecific wartime in which children and their teachers are hostages to horror." We are now faced a... more »

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Remember the noble fallen, teacher: 4 ways to take action in their honor #newtown

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Remember the noble fallen, teacher: 4 ways to take action in their honor #newtown: Remember the noble fallen, teacher: 4 ways to take action in their honor #newtown by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher) Angela Maiers is right, there is no lesson plan for this. There are children who will not open presents under the tree for them this year because of the senseless tragedy of the lone gunman in Connecticut at Sandy Hook Elementary school. This earth is neither heaven nor hell - but sometimes the face of both show up here. Friday, hell... more »

Staffers hailed as heroes after Conn. school shooting - NorthJersey.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Staffers hailed as heroes after Conn. school shooting - NorthJersey.com: Staffers hailed as heroes after Conn. school shooting SUNDAY DECEMBER 16, 2012, 11:17 AM ASSOCIATED PRESS PAGES: 1 2 3 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAIL NEWTOWN, Conn. — A worker who turned on the intercom, alerting others in the building that something was very wrong. A custodian who risked his life by running through the halls warning of danger. A clerk who led 18 children on their hands and knees to safety, then gave them paper and crayons to keep them calm and quiet. Out of the ruins of families t... more »

Diane in the Afternoon 12-16-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Reflections from Readers, 40 by dianerav Aside from an overly permissive gun culture and underfunded mental healthcare system, I can’t help but wonder if this climate of teacher-bashing and public school bashing in which many of our political leaders partake regularly, is to some degree a variable in the aggression, hatred and violence that have been directed at our schools’ students and staff. Can we get a moratorium from our politicians to stop bashing public schools and teachers? (Amen to that! Diane) Reflections from Readers, 39 by dianerav Diane, I d... more »

Ed Notes Online: Rhee Uses Tregedy to Take a Shot

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Rhee Uses Tregedy to Take a Shot: Rhee Uses Tregedy to Take a Shot by ed notes online *Our children are our most valuable assets ---- **Michelle Rhee* *For Rhee and her sycophants to call these teachers in Newtown colleagues is not only laughable.... It is vulgar. One of the worst vulgarities I have ever seen. These teachers are career teachers, went into teaching to have a career, a lifetime of education children. Rhee and her ilk stand for everything that is opposite of these.. teachers' belief systems. --- South Bronx School* * What can you say about a person ... more »

How to Make Sure That Massacres Never Happen Again « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

How to Make Sure That Massacres Never Happen Again « Diane Ravitch's blog: How to Make Sure That Massacres Never Happen Again by dianerav Yes, there is an answer, an almost fool-proof way to make sure that mentally ill people never again have the means to slaughter other people. Yes, there is a way to end gun violence. Here it is. Frankly I am sick of hearing about how much people love their weapons. Adam Lanza’s mother loved her gun collection. Now she’s dead, killed by one of them. Twenty babies in Connecticut lost their lives. They were ruthlessly destroyed by a man with weapons... more »

Louisiana Educator: VAM and School Ratings Clash

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Louisiana Educator: VAM and School Ratings Clash: VAM and School Ratings Clash by Michael Deshotels *On the* *Sandy Hook Tragedy*: I would like to refer my readers to the recent posts by Diane Ravitch concerning the horrible shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Dr Ravitch provides us with an excellent perspective from an educator's point of view on this senseless tragedy. Most educators I know are not surprised by the spontaneous acts of heroism by the principal and faculty of this typically good public school. *On the Issues of School and Teacher Performance:* Barbara Lea... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Do We Remember Heroes For Their Test Scores?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Jersey Jazzman: Do We Remember Heroes For Their Test Scores?: Do We Remember Heroes For Their Test Scores? by Duke Vicki Leigh Soto was a true hero: First-grade teacher Vicki Leigh Soto, 27 years old, died trying to protect the children she loved, her cousin Jim Wiltsie said. When the gunfire started on Friday morning, she gathered her students and tried to hide them in a classroom closet, officials told her family. “In doing so, she put herself between the kids and the gunman’s bullets,” said Mr. Wiltsie, who is a police officer. “That is how she was found. Huddled with her ch... more »

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