Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 12-19-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, December 19, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Wednesday, December 19, 2012* Modesto City Schools to dismiss three principals, other administratorsModesto City Schools has told three high school principals and a number of other administrators they will lose their jobs June 30. The district would not say how many employees or who was notified Thursday. Although Superintendent Pam Able on Friday characterized the notices as standard practice, Associate Superintendent Ginger Johnson said Tuesday that it was the most administrative dismissals in one year in ... more »

Quick, If you see Diane Ravitch tell her someone let the Right Wing Attack Dogs out!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago

*Right Wing Attack Dogs *

Modern School: Union Bosses, Which Side Are You On? . . . Capital, Of Course

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 28 minutes ago

Modern School: Union Bosses, Which Side Are You On? . . . Capital, Of Course: Union Bosses, Which Side Are You On? . . . Capital, Of Course by Michael Dunn Oliver Burkhard, head of Germany’s IG Metall (IGM) trade union, will soon be taking over as head of personnel at the multination Thyssen Krupp. His annual income will rise to €2 million, or more than €160,000 a month, according to the World Socialist Website. Many have accused Burkhard of being a turncoat. However, his new job is really only a change in title. Union bosses maintain a unique and opaque position in the economy, ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Help Class Size Matters continue our work helping kids in 2013!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 33 minutes ago

NYC Public School Parents: Help Class Size Matters continue our work helping kids in 2013!: Help Class Size Matters continue our work helping kids in 2013! by Leonie Haimson Last spring, I heard about a girl named Megan who had been prevented from graduating with the rest of her 8th grade class because DOE believed she’d failed the state exam. Over the summer, it turned out that she had passed the exam after all. I contacted a reporter, Yoav Gonen of the NY Post, who wrote about her story, as well as the experiences of *seven thousand other New York City children*who had been pr... more »

Secretary Duncan Hails Sandy Hook Elementary Educators – and Thanks the Nation’s Teachers, School Leaders, and School Staff | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 40 minutes ago

Secretary Duncan Hails Sandy Hook Elementary Educators – and Thanks the Nation’s Teachers, School Leaders, and School Staff | ED.gov Blog: VIDEO: Secretary Duncan Hails Sandy Hook Elementary Educators by Cameron Brenchley We ask a lot of our nation’s teachers, Secretary Duncan said in a video message to the educators of Sandy Hook Elementary School. “But no one could possibly ask for this kind of sacrifice,” he said of the courage shown by educators during last week’s tragedy in Newtown, Conn. In his video message, Secretary Duncan expressed his deep gratitude to teachers, school le... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The view from Right Field

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 46 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The view from Right Field: The view from Right Field by Mike Klonsky *Rick Hess of the far-right American Enterprise Institute (AEI)* Rick Hess of the far-right American Enterprise Institute (AEI) claims to be "horrified by advocates and education pundits who seize upon Newtown as a "hook" to place an op-ed or push their favorite talking points and agenda items." He's not mentioning any names, but it's clear that he's talking about *Diane Ravitch* who posted a thoughtful and powerful tribute to the heroism of teachers (union members at that) on her ... more »

Edward Fiske: Can Public Education as We Know it Survive?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Edward Fiske: Can Public Education as We Know it Survive?: Can Public Education as We Know it Survive? Posted: 12/18/2012 6:40 pm Americans are now confronted with two radically different visions of public education. Which vision ultimately prevails will go a long way toward determining the quality of the education available to future generations of children. The first -- call it the "private" -- vision can be seen in the well-funded efforts in states and localities across the country to dismantle many of the fundamental structures of public education that have evolved since the... more »

The Unequal State of America: An interview with U.S. education chief Arne Duncan | Reuters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

The Unequal State of America: An interview with U.S. education chief Arne Duncan | Reuters: The Unequal State of America: An interview with U.S. education chief Arne Duncan By David Rohde and Kristina Cooke Wed Dec 19, 2012 7:03am EST (Reuters) - Arne Duncan, the U.S. secretary of secretary, spoke with Reuters about education's role in income inequality. The questions and answers have been edited for length. Q: In a commencement speech in December 2011, you said education is still the "great equalizer." Is that true? A: It must be the great equalizer. And in some places, educatio... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-19-12 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] Tasteless: StudentsFirst Ad Attacks Teachers in NYC by dianerav While I was watching the television coverage of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, an ad came on that was very upsetting. Sponsored by StudentsFirst ad, it was a typically deceptive TV ad depicting teachers and parents who demand that teachers be evaluated by test scores. It implies that teachers are slackers and need a swift kick to get to work. If they are evaluated, they claim, this will have a revolutionary effect on the schools. Showing... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Look what's In Byrd-Bennet's 'hidden drawer' -- The real school-closing plan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Look what's In Byrd-Bennet's 'hidden drawer' -- The real school-closing plan: Look what's In Byrd-Bennet's 'hidden drawer' -- The real school-closing plan by Mike Klonsky Angelique Harris, a member of the Bronzeville Community Action Council, attends a hearing on school closings Monday at the Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church in Chicago. Harris has a child enrolled at Wells Preparatory Elementary Academy. (Warren Skalski, Photo for the Tribune /December 17, 2012) *"Unless my staff has a hidden drawer somewhere where they've got numbers in there... more »

UPDATE: Life in Rahm’s Chicago. He had the school closing plans in his drawers all along. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. He had the school closing plans in his drawers all along. « Fred Klonsky: Life in Rahm’s Chicago. He had the school closing plans in his drawers all along. by Fred Klonsky [image: rahm_2011_boxer_shorts] “Unless my staff has a hidden drawer somewhere where they’ve got numbers in there, we don’t have a number,” schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said in November. Apparently somebody took them out of Rahm’s drawers and leaked them to the Chicago Tribune. Rahm is such a liar. The internal document, prepared at a time when school leaders faced a December deadli... more »

Arming Teachers, School Cops Could Cause More Harm Than Good | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Arming Teachers, School Cops Could Cause More Harm Than Good | toteachornototeach: Arming Teachers, School Cops Could Cause More Harm Than Good by aristotlethewise *Arming Teachers, School Cops Could Cause More Harm Than Good, Experts Say* [image: multiplefeat_hm_01] by Matt Sledge A nation shaken by Friday’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn., is wondering what to do to prevent future tragedies. Some gun rights advocates have suggested returning to a time-worn strategy in lieu of gun control: keeping up with the proliferation of arms outside the schoolhouse doors by arming those ins... more »

California teachers retirement fund threat triggers sale of gun company | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

California teachers retirement fund threat triggers sale of gun company | EdSource Today: California teachers retirement fund threat triggers sale of gun company ** December 19th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Louis Freedberg Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services Less than a day after the California teachers pension fund threatened to withdraw its investment, a major private equity firm has announced that it will sell Freedom Group, a company it formed that includes the manufacturer of the rifle used by Adam Lanza to massacre 26 p...more »

Ed Notes Online: Karen Lewis Kicks TFA Veep the Creep David Rosenberg's Ass Down the Road

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Karen Lewis Kicks TFA Veep the Creep David Rosenberg's Ass Down the Road: Karen Lewis Kicks TFA Veep the Creep David Rosenberg's Ass Down the Road by ed notes online *To David Rosenberg, Shanda! Shame on you for such a paranoid rant. If you had nothing of which to be guilty, those words would have rolled off your back.... Karen Lewis* *a town like Sandy Hook would laugh at the very idea of a TFA 6 week wonder teaching their kids.* I kvell at the growing relationship between Karen Lewis and Diane Ravitch. Today Karen, who let me remind everyone, came straight out... more »

How My Son Really Started Walking | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

How My Son Really Started Walking | The Jose Vilson: How My Son Really Started Walking by Jose It’s obvious he does things his way. When he first came out of the womb, he yelled at the nurses in the hospital for making reference to Lady Gaga’s version of his name. When in the nursing station, he slept on his side whereas everyone else slept on their back. During my first few hours with him, he pooped, peed, and spit up on me, the holy daddy trifecta. He didn’t care much for my swaddles, no matter how tight I wrapped him. So it should come at no surprise that he didn’t want to fol... more »

Thinking of Newtown « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Thinking of Newtown « Deborah Meier on Education: Thinking of Newtown by debmeier Dear friends, If we extended the logic of the NRA one could say, “atomic weapons don’t kill, people do”. So why are most people, including almost all NRA supporters, so worried about Iran developing a bomb? Because countries (like people) can’t kill without the weapons to do so, and they can’t kill a lot of people in one stroke without weapons of mass destruction. That’s why we rightly fear the spread of such weapons. That should go for guns of mass destruction too. I find it incredulous that abou... more »

UPDATE: Friend, parent activist and fellow pro-public education blogger Wendy Lecker's letter to President Obama. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Friend, parent activist and fellow pro-public education blogger Wendy Lecker's letter to President Obama. - Wait, What?: TFA Leaders and Education Reform commentators make Diane Ravitch even more relevant by jonpelto Teach for America (TFA) provides some outstanding young people with a unique, short-term opportunity to teach in some of America’s poorest schools. Some of these dedicated individuals even use that opportunity as an alternative route to a longer-term career in the teaching profession. But the founders and leaders of TFA have a very different agenda. First and foremo... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee: ‘Guns have no place in schools’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee: ‘Guns have no place in schools’: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee: ‘Guns have no place in schools’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 19, 2012 at 4:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Here is a memo that national education reformer Michelle Rhee wrote to the staff of her advocacy organization, StudentsFirst, in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. In the memo she refers to Senate Bill 59 in Michigan, which would ha... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Capacity Management Work Sesson Recs

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Capacity Management Work Sesson Recs: Seattle Schools Capacity Management Work Sesson Recs by Melissa Westbrook The presentation for this Board Work Session tomorrow has been posted. It's quite interesting. I note at last night's Capacity meeting for the NE, it was stated that FACMAC would have their recs tomorrow. It's odd because one page is labeled "Development of Recommended Options" and lists input from FACMAC but clearly FACMAC's recommendations are not part of this presentation because they aren't even out yet. Okay, wait... more »

Louisiana Educator: Act 1 Ruling Helpful in Restoring Teacher and School Board Rights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Louisiana Educator: Act 1 Ruling Helpful in Restoring Teacher and School Board Rights: Act 1 Ruling Helpful in Restoring Teacher and School Board Rights by Michael Deshotels Congratulations to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers for winning a partial victory against some of the anti-teacher legislation passed by the Jindal administration. The ruling by Judge Caldwell removes the provision of Act 1 that would have denied teacher seniority rights based upon a negative rating on the new Act 54 evaluation system. Another part of this court ruling also returns the right of school boa... more »

Kimble's Corner: President Lightning

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Kimble's Corner: President Lightning: President Lightning by Representative Kimble The success of Profiles in Courageousness has made many readers ask me what my next project will be. I am actually currently working on a screenplay for a movie that I am tentatively calling President Lighting. It takes place during the 1936 Berlin Olympics and it's a piece of historical fiction. Or is it? In 1935, the Nazis worried about being embarrassed at the Berlin Olympics the next year kidnap Jesse Owens. It looks like they will be unstoppable in track and field until a crippled Preside... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Bushmaster Charter School

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Bushmaster Charter School: Bushmaster Charter School by Duke Another awesome and reformy portrait in courage: Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a bill this afternoon that would have allowed gun owners with extra training to carry their concealed weapons in schools, day care centers, churches and stadiums. In his veto letter sent to the Legislature shortly before 4 p.m.,*Snyder said the bill had a fatal loophole that didn’t allow for those institutions to opt out of the new legislation and prohibit weapons from their buildings* . “I believe that it is important that these p... more »

Keeping My Students Safe Isn’t Easy « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Keeping My Students Safe Isn’t Easy « Cooperative Catalyst: Keeping My Students Safe Isn’t Easy by Deven Black [image: Gun Library] I want to keep my students safe, I really do, but it really is impossible. When it comes to student and staff safety, there are so many things wrong with the way my school is built and run that I don’t know where to begin. Our principal reminded the staff again this week that only the front door should be used for entrance and exit, so let’s start there. It is unlocked. Anyone can walk up the three steps, open the door, and be in the building. Anyone. Del... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Why Do Teachers Hate America?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Why Do Teachers Hate America?: Why Do Teachers Hate America? by Duke *Our American Education Conversation* *A Play in One Act* by Jersey Jazzman (*curtain opens*) TEACHER: "I'm tired of being blamed for so many of our society's problems! I'm tired of my union being called "thugs!" We teachers are doing a good job! Why does everyone think our unions and tenure are so bad? Those teachers who died in Newtown are heroes, and they belonged to unions, and the senior ones had tenure! They were career teachers who dedicated their lives to education; they *literally* gave t... more »

TEACHERS ORGANIZE TO CONFRONT LAUSD WITCH HUNT - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

TEACHERS ORGANIZE TO CONFRONT LAUSD WITCH HUNT - Perdaily.com: TEACHERS ORGANIZE TO CONFRONT LAUSD WITCH HUNT by Leonard Isenberg [image: Let's Get Together.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español)* *There is an awareness that the war against teachers at the top of the salary scale, about to vest in lifetime health benefits, or who just stand up for high academic standards for all is not going to stop unless teachers and those who support them do something about it.* * * *Since Miramonte, LAUSD has used this regrettable and avoidable event to defame teachers, while giving a pass to the ... more »

School Tech Connect: Reading Between The Gun Control Lines

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Reading Between The Gun Control Lines: Reading Between The Gun Control Lines When I was a young pup, I used to go to the NEA Representative Assemblies and wonder at why on earth the delegates would be arguing over positions related to all of these "outside" issues--- it frustrated me as a young person. I used to think that education was this thing that you could isolate, and that there was no need to vote about statements regarding poverty, women's rights, gun control, criminal justice, or whatever. Whatever the issue was, it seemed to me, sooner or later the ... more »

Bigger, Better and Beyond the Book? | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Bigger, Better and Beyond the Book? | Truth in American Education: Bigger, Better and Beyond the Book? by Shane Vander Hart I was introduced to Dr. Rozlyn Linder’s blog today by a friend. She the K-12 District Literacy Specialist in Douglasville, GA and an avid advocate of the Common Core State Standards. Today she opined that those of us who are critics of the Common Core, in particular, the ELA standards are uninformed and we need to read the standards. She wrote: As a proponent of the critical analysis shift demanded by Common Core I regularly speak out about the divergence ... more »

Fight for the Soul of the Common Core Standards | The IDEA Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Fight for the Soul of the Common Core Standards | The IDEA Blog: Fight for the Soul of the Common Core Standards Posted by Dana Bennis on Dec 18, 2012 - 06:15 AM ** * * * * *This is a guest blog post by Susan Sandler, who works at the Sandler Foundation and leads funding related to education policy as well as other areas. Previously, Susan spent 17 years working for racial justice in education as an organizational leader, policy advocate, researcher, professional development provider, school therapist, teacher, and activist. Susan is a member of the boards of directors for the Cen... more »

January 15, 2013 Screening Committee Notice - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

January 15, 2013 Screening Committee Notice - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education): CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION1430 N Street, Suite 5111 Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-319-0827 Fax: 916-319-0175 SBE Screening Committee Members Ilene Straus, Chair Carl Cohn, Member Bruce Holaday, Member Aida Molina, Member December 17, 2012 Meeting Notice: Screening Committee of the State Board of Education *Tuesday, January 15, 2013, commencing at 1:00 p.m.* State Board of Education Conference Room California State Board of Education Office 1430 “N” Street, Room 5111 Sacramento, C... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Asperger's Syndrome

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Asperger's Syndrome: Asperger's Syndrome by Melissa Westbrook The Newtown shooter was said to have Asperger's Syndrome which is on the spectrum of autism. These people are considered the high-functioning end of that spectrum (even as they face very real and distinct challenges.) One thing to make clear - Asperger's is NOT mental illness. It is a neurobiological condition. While some mental illness, like schziophrenia, does have a biological basis, Asperger's is not defined in that category. After saying that, based on my own personal experience... more »

Schools Matter: Education Reform, 1844

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Schools Matter: Education Reform, 1844: Education Reform, 1844 by Storm An audio recording of this excerpt from "New England Reformers" by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1844) read by Douglas Storm. The same insatiable criticism may be traced in the efforts for the reform of Education. The popular education has been taxed with a want of truth and nature. It was complained that an education to things was not given. We are students of words: we are shut up in schools, and colleges, and recitation-rooms, for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bag of wind, a memory of words, an... more »

Making Schools Safer in the Wake of Sandy Hook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Making Schools Safer in the Wake of Sandy Hook: Making Schools Safer in the Wake of Sandy Hook by Sam ** As policymakers prepare to find the best way to respond to the tragedy in Newtown, educators and parents across the country are left to wonder – what can *we* do to make our schools safe? The lessons of Sandy Hook Elementary School can help us answer that question in two ways – one that is uncomfortable, and one that is essential. The uncomfortable truth of Sandy Hook is that there is nothing we can do to guarantee that our children are safe. Short of placing an iron dome over ou... more »

NEA and AFT: Let's Apply the Lessons of NCLB to the Common Core - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

NEA and AFT: Let's Apply the Lessons of NCLB to the Common Core - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: NEA and AFT: Let's Apply the Lessons of NCLB to the Common Core by Anthony Cody We learned this morning that: 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 Association and their teachers to build t... more »

Schools Matter: With Common Core, "You start to see entire ecosystems of investment opportunity lining up…It could get really, really big."

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Schools Matter: With Common Core, "You start to see entire ecosystems of investment opportunity lining up…It could get really, really big." With Common Core, "You start to see entire ecosystems of investment opportunity lining up…It could get really, really big." by Jim Horn *How does the growth of charter schools depend upon the Rotten Common Core? See below.* *Thanks to Stan Karp:* * * *Latest Newark ‘performance report:’ blueprint for more closures/charters?* *A new report & presentation from Newark State District Supt. Cami Anderson may lay the groundwork for more school closi... more »

Daily Kos: Your rights end at the point of my nose

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Daily Kos: Your rights end at the point of my nose: Your rights end at the point of my nose by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) no rights are absolute. At some points the Constitution makes that clear - in the 5th (and 14th) Amendment you can be denied the most basic rights of life and liberty via due process of law. Rights are often in conflict. And because an assertion of an unlimited and unrestricted right on behalf of one party inevitably means the diminishment of the rights and liberty of another, all rights are restricted in some circumstances. The right to keep and bear arms... more »

Sorry Todd. Did I say “worst?” I meant “wurst.” « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Sorry Todd. Did I say “worst?” I meant “wurst.” « Fred Klonsky: Sorry Todd. Did I say “worst?” I meant “wurst.” by Fred Klonsky [image: Wurst] *Fred,* *How in the world is this “one of the worst” pension bills? Bills in the past completely eliminate the COLA, transition the whole system to 401k’s, eliminate all health insurance, and ravage the system as a whole. This is the FIRST bill to take a progressive approach (in that people with smaller pensions face less of an impact), the first bill to place responsible limits on maximum pensions, and the first one to fully maintain heal... more »

No More Petitions! | Taking Note

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

No More Petitions! | Taking Note: No More Petitions! by JOHN MERROW on 18. DEC, 2012 in 2012 BLOGS *John is currently attempting to raise money to complete a documentary film about the rise of the charter school in New Orleans. If you’d like to help him with this goal, please visit this site.* ------------------------------ Like December 7, 1941 or September 11, Friday, December 14, 2012 is a day that will now live in infamy. The awful images are seared into our brains: A young man in combat fatigues approaching Sandy Hook Elementary School carrying an assault weapon, breaking in an... more »

Diane in the Afternoon 12-18-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Karen Lewis Reacts to the Kerfuffle by dianerav As readers of the blog know, I posted a tribute yesterday to “The Hero Teachers of Newtown.” Soon after, the vice-president of Teach for America responded with outrage on Twitter and said that the post was “reprehensible” and should be retracted. I had no idea what he was offended by, but not long after I received many Tweets and comments on the blog from his followers, chastising me for daring to….well, I am not sure why they were upset. Some thought I slandered TFA, though the post didn’t mention TFA. Some ... more »

Twisted Truths & Dubious Policies: Comments on the NJDOE/Cerf School Funding Report « School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Twisted Truths & Dubious Policies: Comments on the NJDOE/Cerf School Funding Report « School Finance 101: Twisted Truths & Dubious Policies: Comments on the NJDOE/Cerf School Funding Report by schoolfinance101 [image: Slide1] Yesterday, we were blessed with the release of yet another manifesto (as reported here on NJ Spotlight) from what has become the New Jersey Department of Reformy Propaganda. To be fair, it has become increasingly clear of late, that this is simply the new model for State Education Agencies (see NYSED Propaganda Here), with the current US Dept of Education ... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: RTTT fund, I3 grants among those targeted for federal audits Federal auditors will focus attention in 2013 on selected recipients of grants issued under the Race to the Top competition, Vocational Rehabilitation State Grant Program and the Investing in Innovation fund. Federal auditors will focus attention in 2013 on selected recipients of grants issued under the Race to the Top competition, Vocational Rehabilitation State Grant Program and the Investing in Innovation fund. In its semiannual report to Congress, the Office of the Inspector G... more »

Schools Matter: The Mental Health Issue Not Being Discussed: Doping of Children and Young Adults

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Schools Matter: The Mental Health Issue Not Being Discussed: Doping of Children and Young Adults: The Mental Health Issue Not Being Discussed: Doping of Children and Young Adults by Jim Horn With Fox News now fronting for the NRA's misleaders on the horrific child killing in CT, we can expect to see a new push to identify any child that may be suspected as problematic and to "treat" them with prescription drugs. In fact, Dr. Nancy was on NBC News last evening talking about the lack of mental health care. Indeed. What Dr. Nancy did not mention is that most of the young shooter... more »

Part 4: High Stakes Testing: The Consequences | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Part 4: High Stakes Testing: The Consequences | Seattle Education: Part 4: High Stakes Testing: The Consequences by seattleducation2011 [image: testing3] There is the narrowing of focus to math and reading and less focus on history, social studies, the arts, foreign languages, writing, physical education, or developing research and critical thinking skills. The emphasis on test scores precludes looking more carefully at the cause of low test scores which include poverty, health and family issues as well as the effect of the economic downturn on children and their families. Teachers ... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: End of the Honeymoon, Start of the Plan?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: End of the Honeymoon, Start of the Plan?: District Focus for Next Year by Melissa Westbrook From Superintendent Banda's Office: *As we head into the winter break, I want to take a moment to thank you all for your hard work and dedication. In the six months since I’ve been here, I’ve been proud to work alongside you. We have much to be thankful for at Seattle Public Schools – our enrollment is growing, our graduation rate has increased and our students are showing improved academic achievement.* *I’m grateful for the time staff has spent helping me ... more »

Shanker Blog » The Sensitive Task Of Sorting Value-Added Scores

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Shanker Blog » The Sensitive Task Of Sorting Value-Added Scores: The Sensitive Task Of Sorting Value-Added Scores by Matthew Di Carlo The New Teacher Project’s (TNTP) recent report on teacher retention, called “The Irreplaceables,” garnered quite a bit of media attention. In a discussion of this report, I argued, among other things, that the label “irreplaceable” is a highly exaggerated way of describing their definitions, which, by the way, varied between the five districts included in the analysis. In general, TNTP’s definitions are better-described as “probably above average i... more »

Teachers are heroes; politicians have blood-drenched hands - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Teachers are heroes; politicians have blood-drenched hands - Opinion - Al Jazeera English: Teachers are heroes; politicians have blood-drenched hands The heroism of teachers sacrificing themselves to save young lives contrasts dramatically with the political system. Last Modified: 17 Dec 2012 14:26 inShare1 [image: Email Article] Email [image: Print Article] Print [image: Share article] Share [image: Send Feedback] Feedback [image: Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker] On Dec 14, 27 people - including 20 children - were killed when Adam Lanza opened fire at an elementary school [EPA] ... more »

Another faux pro-public education group targets Connecticut - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Another faux pro-public education group targets Connecticut - Wait, What?: Another faux pro-public education group targets Connecticut by jonpelto It started with Achievement First, Inc., the charter school management company co-founded by Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor. Then came the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN), the Connecticut Coalition for Advocacy Now, (ConnAD), Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst (calling itself the Great New England Public School Alliance, GNEPSA) and Students for Education Reform (SFER, an off-shoot of 50-CAN, which, in turn, grew ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, December 18, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: 12/16 49ers 41 - 34 Patriots ‎-Recap‎-Box Score Education Headlines *Tuesday, December 18, 2012* San Diego police to get extra eye on schoolsSan Diego police will soon be able to monitor live streaming video from 70 of the city’s roughly 200 campuses, an added measure of security in the wake of Friday’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Sacramento's two Aspire charter schools to stay open with San Juan Unified's blessingThe Aspire Alexander Twilight College Preparatory Academy and Aspire Alexander Twilight Secondary Academy will... more »

Singing Songs of Joy and Peace - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Singing Songs of Joy and Peace - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Singing Songs of Joy and Peace by Nancy Flanagan *This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.* Leonard Bernstein I woke up this morning to the sound of gunshots. Not the terrible gunshots haunting my nightmares lately--the actual resonant booms of hunting rifles, nearby. Firearms deer season--when we heard continuous shooting, dawn to dusk--is over. It's ruffled grouse season, and anyone with a valid MI license can hunt rabb... more »

Living Through Loss | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Living Through Loss | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network: Living Through Loss By Maria Shriver I appeared on the TODAY Show this morning to talk about loss and grief in the wake of the Newtown tragedy. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy There are millions of people who woke up today with their own private grief and who are living through some kind of painful and personal loss -- whether it's the loss of a loved one, the loss of a livelihood or the loss of an entire way of life. Isn't it true that we're *all* grieving in some way or anothe... more »

A Connecticut parent’s letter to President Obama | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

A Connecticut parent’s letter to President Obama | Parents Across America: A Connecticut parent’s letter to President Obama by pureparents Parents Across America grieves with the community of Newtown, Connecticut over the loss of their precious children and educators. The following letter, sent yesterday to President Obama from the founder of Parents Across America-CT, expresses some aspects of what many of our members are feeling at this difficult time. Hon. President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Obama: As a public ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Juan Pagan: Warning to NYC mayoral candidates about the personal damage done by closing schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Juan Pagan: Warning to NYC mayoral candidates about the personal damage done by closing schools: Juan Pagan: Warning to NYC mayoral candidates about the personal damage done by closing schools by Leonie Haimson *A few weeks ago, there was an education rally at Harlem’s First Corinthian Baptist Church, in whichspeaker after speaker explained why the next mayor MUST take a different direction and stop the juggernaut of school closings, co-locations, and budget cuts that are laying waste to the education of our 1.1 million public schoolchildren. But the mos... more »

New Political Terrain Holds Promise for California Schools | California Progress Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

New Political Terrain Holds Promise for California Schools | California Progress Report: New Political Terrain Holds Promise for California Schools Posted on 18 December 2012 [image: Printer-friendly version]Printer-friendly version[image: Send by email]Send by email *By Lisa Schiff* My daughter came home from school the other day frustrated and angry. She had been excited the evening before because she'd learned that having finished *The Odyssey* her ninth-grade English class was now going to tackle *Beowolf*. We discussed the different translations and decided to compare the vers... more »

What's Wrong With Standardized Tests? Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: What's Wrong With Standardized Tests?: What's Wrong With Standardized Tests? by Black Educator Common Core Assessments: More Tests, But Not Much Better Submitted by fairtest on September 10, 2012 *Under No Child Left Behind, states set standards and developed assessments. NCLB’s failure to spur achievement or close achievement gaps led to unproven claims that national or “common” standards were the missing piece of the education puzzle. With millions in federal Race to the Top money and NCLB “waivers” as incentives, ... more »

Modern School: Green Cards For Sale For Union-Busters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Modern School: Green Cards For Sale For Union-Busters: Green Cards For Sale For Union-Busters by Michael Dunn Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons While non-profits and student fundraising groups help build schools in poor communities in Africa and Latin America, wealthy investors from China, Nigeria and other nations are spending tens of millions of dollars to build superfluous school classrooms, libraries and gyms for U.S. charter schools. Under the federal EB-5 program, wealthy foreigners can effectively purchase U.S. immigration visas for themselves and their families if they invest at... more »

What to Do About School Shootings - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

What to Do About School Shootings - Bridging Differences - Education Week: What To Do About School Shootings by Pedro Noguera Dear Deborah, Like you and most people throughout the country, I am overwhelmed with sorrow over the shootings that occurred in Newtown, Conn., last Friday. Given the enormity of what has occurred I can't think of anything more important to write about now. After a tragedy of this magnitude the questions we are all now pondering are: Why did this happen, and what can be done to prevent something like this from occurring again? Our deep fear of course is tha... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-18-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Privatizing of San Antonio Schools by dianerav A big foundation in Texas is creating a $50 million fund to open 145 new charters for 80,000 children in San Antonio. The city already has one-quarter of its students in charters. One of the chains likeliest to grow there are Great Hearts, BASIS, KIPP, AND IDEA. It seems that the goal is to create a privatized system of schools in San Antonio, with whatever public schools remain enrolling the kids the charters don’t want. Teachers Are First Responders by ... more »

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