BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS
Union president Weingarten likens teachers' work to heroism of first responders / Photos | Breaking News | providencejournal.com | The Providence Journal
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 minutes ago
Union president Weingarten likens teachers' work to heroism of first responders / Photos | Breaking News | providencejournal.com | The Providence Journal: Union president Weingarten likens teachers' work to heroism of first responders / Photos Comments 207 | Recommend 0 November 30, 2012 3:37 pm By Linda Borg [image: randi-weingarten.JPG] PROVIDENCE JOURNAL PHOTOS / BOB BREIDENBACH PROVIDENCE, R. I. -- Randy Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told 200 teachers gathered in Providence Friday that the work done by teachers is as heroic as as the efforts of f... more »
The in box. Our pensions assumptions are fine. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago
The in box. Our pensions assumptions are fine. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Our pensions assumptions are fine. by Fred Klonsky From Glen Brown’s blog. Our Pension Assumptions Are Fine by Dick Ingram, Executive Director of the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System *To the Wall Street Journal:* Your Nov. 23 editorial “Illinois the ‘Unfixable’” doesn’t provide your readers with an accurate view of investments made by the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System. You note that the TRS investment return in fiscal year 2012, 0.76%, failed to reach our assumed return rate of 8% in that year. ... more »
Daily Kos: The Ignored Lessons of Education Reform
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago
Daily Kos: The Ignored Lessons of Education Reform: The Ignored Lessons of Education Reform byplthomasEdDFollow Michael Petrilli’s charge that the recent elections confirm “[t]eachers unions remain the Goliath to the school reformers’ David” is neither a brave claim to make in a paper serving a right-to-work area of the U.S., nor an accurate portrayal of the lessons of the elections or the balance of power in education reform. [1] Let’s begin with a question that challenges Petrilli’s initial claim: If teachers unions are the primary or one of the primary forces at the root of the... more »
Schools Matter: Jeb Bush and Randy Best Team to Promote College Caste System
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago
Schools Matter: Jeb Bush and Randy Best Team to Promote College Caste System: Jeb Bush and Randy Best Team to Promote College Caste System by Jim Horn Randy Best and the Bush Family have a long and profitable history to celebrate during this Holiday Season. Best has been a longtime supporter of the Bush political dynasty in Texas, and the Bushes have been generous in sharing insider knowledge with Randy on education initiatives that Best then exploited to get fabulously wealthy. In turn, Best became a Bush Pioneer (the $100,000 Club), connections became even more solidified, an... more »
Modern School: Another UTLA Sell-Out on VAM
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 33 minutes ago
Modern School: Another UTLA Sell-Out on VAM: Another UTLA Sell-Out on VAM by Michael Dunn Most people would argue that teachers should be evaluated based on how well they teach and help their students to grow academically. The problem is that there is no accurate or consistent method of measuring the teacher impact on student academic growth. High stakes state and NCLB tests are particularly ill-suited for this. Nevertheless, a growing number of school districts across the nation are either imposing Value-Added Measures (VAM) of teacher “effectiveness” on their teaching staffs, o... more »
Cooper Union Day of Action Today « Student Activism
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago
Cooper Union Day of Action Today « Student Activism: Cooper Union Day of Action Today by Angus Johnston New York City’s Cooper Union is one of the nation’s great private universities. Founded in 1859, it was from the start an experiment in radical accessibility — open to women and people of color and students of any religion, free to the working class. And since 1902 it has accepted students on a need-blind basis, charging none of them a penny in tuition. Today the college is among the most selective in the country, and though more than two thirds of its students come from public ... more »
When Dummy Variables aren’t Smart Enough: More Comments on the NJ CREDO Study « School Finance 101
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 39 minutes ago
When Dummy Variables aren’t Smart Enough: More Comments on the NJ CREDO Study « School Finance 101: When Dummy Variables aren’t Smart Enough: More Comments on the NJ CREDO Study by schoolfinance101 [image: Slide4] This is a brief follow up on the NJ CREDO study, which I wrote about last week when it was released. The major issues with that study were addressed in my previous post, but here, I raise an additional non-trivial issue that plagues much of our education policy research. The problems I raise today not only plague the CREDO study (largely through no real fault of their ... more »
UPDATE: More on Commissioner Pryor’s new communications person…only making $82k - Wait, What?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
More on Commissioner Pryor’s new communications person…only making $82k - Wait, What?: More on Commissioner Pryor’s new communications person…only making $82k by jonpelto Last Wednesday, a Wait, What? blog post began with the reminder that, “Today’s double barreled lesson; (1) There is always room for one more Director of Communications on the ship of state, even in the face of a billion dollar deficit, and (2) there are simply no qualified PR people in Connecticut.” The piece reported that Stefan Pryor, Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, was bringing in yet another o... more »
Common Core Could Improve Quality of High School Assessments - High School Notes (usnews.com)
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Common Core Could Improve Quality of High School Assessments - High School Notes (usnews.com): Common Core Could Improve Quality of High School Assessments By KELSEY SHEEHY December 3, 2012 RSS Feed Print [image: Short multiple choice exams are ineffective and won’t work for the new Common Core standards, experts say.] Short multiple choice exams are ineffective and won’t work for the new Common Core standards, experts say. The phrase "Common Core" is on the minds ofhigh school teachers across the country as schools in 45 states and the District of Columbiabegin implementing the new...more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-3-12 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] Pedro Noguera Explains the Demise of Newark’s Global Village by dianerav Pedro Noguera, an urban sociologist at New York University, took the lead in crafting a comprehensive plan for education reform in a group of public schools in Newark’s central ward. Modeled on the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Global Village Zone was heralded as thoughtful and bold when it was introduced in 2010. But things went wrong, and Global Village did not survive. I invited Pedro Noguera to describe what happened. He generously ... more »
SI&A Cabinet Report – State considers charging universities for teacher prep accreditation
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *State considers charging universities for teacher prep accreditation * *By Tom Chorneau* Monday, December 03, 2012 Under pressure to streamline operations and recover service costs, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing is expected this week to consider a proposal for charging universities and other institutions to perform accreditation review of preparation programs. The agency, which serves as the state’s standards board for educator training and professional conduct, has an extensive program for evaluation of the state’s 260 teacher t... more »
Turkish Delight? | EduShyster
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Turkish Delight? | EduShyster: Turkish Delight? by edushyster2012 *Two Massachusetts charter schools import virtually all of their their teachers from Turkey using H1-B visas. Should this matter?* **Did you know that the Turkish language has no word for “tenure”? Actually I have absolutely no idea whether that’s the case, but what is true is that so called “Turkish” schools, math and science charters dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and innovation, are sprouting faster than cells in a petri dish. Massachusetts is already home to two such charters: the Hampden Charter School o... more »
SIDEBAR: Accrediting agency can impose a range of sanctions | EdSource Today
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
SIDEBAR: Accrediting agency can impose a range of sanctions | EdSource Today: Accrediting agency under federal pressure to be tougher on community colleges - by Louis Freedberg by Louis Freedberg The commission that accredits California’s community colleges, and has ordered City College of San Francisco to prepare for possible closure, has come under pressure from the federal government to make sure that the colleges under its jurisdiction comply in a timely way with the deficiencies it identifies. If it does not, the commission risks losing its federal “recognition” as a legit... more »
NYC Public School Parents: DeWitt Clinton HS: another victim of the Bloomberg preference to close schools rather than allow them to improve
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: DeWitt Clinton HS: another victim of the Bloomberg preference to close schools rather than allow them to improve: DeWitt Clinton HS: another victim of the Bloomberg preference to close schools rather than allow them to improve by Leonie Haimson DeWitt Clinton High School The Bloomberg administration has been defined by its determination to close as many schools as possible, and has shut more than a hundred so far, rather than make attempts to improve them. It is now threatening to close down DeWitt Clinton High School, one of the last remaining large sch... more »
Spelling and student writing: Does it matter much? Should it matter more? | Get Schooled
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Spelling and student writing: Does it matter much? Should it matter more? | Get Schooled: Spelling and student writing: Does it matter much? Should it matter more? by Maureen Downey [image: testing (Medium)]With the exception of top brass, very few reporters and editors in newsrooms have offices. Our desks are so close that if I stretch too far, I could knock my colleague Kyle Wingfield in the head. (Not that he couldn’t use a friendly thump to the head now and then.) So both praise and proscription are often overheard by all in newsrooms. I find it more painful to be a bystander to... more »
School Tech Connect: I'm Sold
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
School Tech Connect: I'm Sold: I'm Sold by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) This is a monster research project that CTU just released.. I'm going to be going through it for weeks and weeks. I don't want to minimize any one part of it in favor of another, but this chart on page 25 is an eye opener. It may come as a surprise to some of my readers, but I've decided to start a charter school. It's the civil rights issue of our time, and I intend to cash in on it. Note: I realize I just announced my new school like four seconds ago, but already there's a waiting list of thousands. App... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Rahm responds to another weekend of gun violence by offering $1 milllion in funding for youth programs. The money comes from private funds raised for the NATO summit that were never spent.Rahm Emanuel *"This [left over NATO money] is what it takes to make sure a community is safe and secure for our children and our families."* -- Chicago Tribune Indiana's Tea Party Gov. Mitch Daniels *“Despite all of the progress that has been in states like ours, the forces of [resistance] never quit.”*-- Washingt... more »
Florida DOE Spikes the Football on Grad Rates While College Remediation Rates Soar | Scathing Purple Musings
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Florida DOE Spikes the Football on Grad Rates While College Remediation Rates Soar | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida DOE Spikes the Football on Grad Rates While College Remediation Rates Soar by Bob Sikes The Florida Department of Education patted itself on the back late last week on improving graduation rates all the while hoping nobody calls them on the number of those graduates need remediation when they get to college. But *StateImpact* reporters McNelly Torres and Lynn Waddel have a timely piece which does just that. Florida’s K-12 public education system has graduated hun... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Resist Invasion of Privacy at Schools. Hillary Clinton Will be Proud.
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Resist Invasion of Privacy at Schools. Hillary Clinton Will be Proud.: Resist Invasion of Privacy at Schools. Hillary Clinton Will be Proud. by stlgretchen Scientific experiment = Creative Dissent. Become a STEM ready student and constitutional scholar. Ed Morrissey at HotAir writes about the "Nanny of the Month" and *the winner is Northside School District’s requirement for students to wear RFID tags to attend class. *Morrissey links Reason's TV information on the tracking chip program which is not designed so much for educational and alleged safety... more »
Tom Friedman's Embarrassing Man-Crush on Sec. Duncan :: Frederick M. Hess
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Tom Friedman's Embarrassing Man-Crush on Sec. Duncan :: Frederick M. Hess: Tom Friedman's Embarrassing Man-Crush on Sec. Duncan *by Frederick M. Hess • Dec 3, 2012 at 7:04 am Cross-posted from Education Week* *Secretary Of Education Forced To Take Up Stripping To Put Nation Through School | The Onion - America's Finest News Source* Many people say nice things about our earnest Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. It's easy to see why, even if one thinks the Obama administration has made its share of mistakes on education. He's a pleasant, even-tempered guy; has comported himself... more »
The Educated Reporter: Word on the Beat No. 2: DACA
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Word on the Beat No. 2: DACA: Word on the Beat No. 2: DACA by Emily Richmond *Each week, The Educated Reporter will feature a buzzword or phrase that You Need To Know (yes, this designation is highly subjective but we're giving it a shot). Send your Word on the Beat suggestions to erichmond@ewa.org.* *Word on the Beat No. 2:* Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). *What it means: *DACA represents the Obama administration’s aggressive attempt to overhaul the nation’s policies toward undocumented immigrants. For an estimated 1.7 million teens and you... more »
A Shoddy Study On Teacher Retention | toteachornototeach
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
A Shoddy Study On Teacher Retention | toteachornototeach: A Shoddy Study On Teacher Retention by aristotlethewise *Thompson: A Shoddy Study On Teacher Retention* by Alexander Russo The Washington Post’s Emma Brown, in Study Chides D.C. Teacher Turnover, reports that the TNTP, which was founded by Michelle Rhee, asserts that the D.C. schools do not retain enough “irreplacable” teachers but they are doing a better job of removing ineffective ones. The TNTP report, titled Keeping the Irreplaceables in D.C Public Schools, acknowledges one problem – that Rhee’s IMPACT evaluation system ... more »
Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble Takes on Kelly Carlin's Podcast.
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble Takes on Kelly Carlin's Podcast.: Jack Kimble Takes on Kelly Carlin's Podcast. by Representative Kimble On Thursday, November 29th, California 54th District Congressman Jack Kimble took on George Carlin's daughter Kelly on her weekly podcast. You can follow this link to the show. Congressman Kimble's interview starts at the 53:45 mark, but the entire show is worth a listen to. Though Kelly has something of a reputation as a liberal storm trooper, the remainder of the show was mostly apolitical. Kelly was a very gracious hostess and the pair had a ... more »
DeWitt Clinton? « JD2718
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
DeWitt Clinton? « JD2718: DeWitt Clinton? by jd2718 I became a substitute teacher in February 1997. The first school I worked in? DeWitt Clinton High School, in the Bronx. And now the DoE is planning to close it. There is a story here – a story I want to tell. But that will come in the next few days. For now: Public Hearing. DeWitt Clinton HS 100 W Mosholu Parkway, South Thursday, December 6. 6PM – 8PM I’ll be there – to support the teachers and the students… and to support all of us. This is the last regular Bronx high school standing. I hope to see you.
Jersey Jazzman: George Carlin on Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: George Carlin on Education: George Carlin on Education by Duke Every once in a while, I put up this clip of George Carlin, because it remains the best critique of the American education debate I think we have. Popout *They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying -- lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want -- they want MORE for themselves and less for everybody else. But I'll tell you what they don't want. They DON'T want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They *
E4E's Eric Cartman Goes Silent on The Crack Team of SBSB.southbronxschool.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: E4E's Eric Cartman Goes Silent on The Crack Team of SBSB by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) The Crack Team at SBSB would like to thank the gracious hosts of Educators4Excellence for the comedy and the coffee and Dunkin' Munchkins that were generously given at today's youth rally at City Hall park in support of the new evaluation system that is being advocated. As we know, 40% of a teacher's evaluation will be based on tests. Twenty percent on normal standardized tests and the other 20% on God knows what. Sadly, that first 20% will be using the c... more »
Introduction to Students United for Public EducationSave Our Schools
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Introduction to Students United for Public EducationSave Our Schools: Introduction to Students United for Public Education by Server Students United for Public Education*Originally posted November 26, 2012* It’s finally here. It’s time we share this initiative widely. Students United for Public Education Ever since the fantastic work students at University of Wisconsin-Madison did a few months back, I was fortunately connected to so many like-minded students. Since then, an initiative has been under construction. There has been a significant amount of criticizing, discussing, and de... more »
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Nowack departure from Penn Fund raises deeper question
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Nowack departure from Penn Fund raises deeper question: Nowack departure from Penn Fund raises deeper question by Mike Klonsky Helen GymAs I reported last week, *Jeremy Nowak *is out as president of the William Penn Foundation. But *Helen Gym*, from the ed activist group Parents United for Public Education in Philadelphia, writes that in light of his abrupt departure, deeper questions emerge about the role the foundation played under his tenure. *On a national level, a number of public education observers and public interest advocates have raise... more »
Ed Notes Online: Change the Stakes Invites You to a Conversation with Bill Ayers, Tues. Dec. 4, 5:30
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Change the Stakes Invites You to a Conversation with Bill Ayers, Tues. Dec. 4, 5:30: Change the Stakes Invites You to a Conversation with Bill Ayers, Tues. Dec. 4, 5:30 by ed notes online I love pal'n around with Bill Ayers. Over the past few years seeing him at NYCORE events has impressed me. There was a time when I was not a fan not because of his politics but because I heard from George Schmidt he supported some of the early tenets of ed deform (who knows, maybe because of his politics). But so did Ravitch, et al and we don't hold political grudges. You know ... more »
The Shocking Details of a Mississippi School-to-Prison Pipeline Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: *The Shocking Details of a Mississippi School-to-Prison Pipeline* ** *by Julianne Hing* Monday, November 26 2012 *NOTE:* *This is about Mississippi's role in the school-to-prison pipeline economic and social policy. We know that in New York City, there are tens of thousands of young Black, Latino along with increasing numbers of young Asian men and women that are being driven out of school and into prison because of the racist public education system's structural criminalization of youth of color.* Cedrico Green ca... more »
Algebra For All Yields Failure for Many - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Algebra For All Yields Failure for Many - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Algebra For All Yields Failure for Many by Anthony Cody The San Francisco Chronicle shared news Friday from a new report from the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning that raises questions about the wisdom of placing all students in Algebra in the 8th grade: California students who fail algebra and repeat the course are pretty much doomed to fail again, a vicious cycle that wastes limited resources and precious learning time, according to a report released Friday. Just over a third... more »
The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky: The Sunday Mail. by Fred Klonsky [image: 222465_10151469787544129_1630384099_n] After two weeks on the road, I’m back to my normal blogging schedule. Anne and I drove to Brooklyn to spend Thanksgiving with our New York family. We dropped off some school supplies at PS 90 in Coney Island. It was hit hard by Hurrican Sandy. The supplies were donated by my old colleagues at Carpenter Elementary School in Park Ridge Illinois. Then this past week was spent on the beach and by the pool in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The life of a retired school teacher can get c... more »
LAUSD: YOU CAN'T LEGISLATE MORALITY- BUT YOU CAN TEACH IT - Perdaily.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
LAUSD: YOU CAN'T LEGISLATE MORALITY- BUT YOU CAN TEACH IT - Perdaily.com: LAUSD: YOU CAN'T LEGISLATE MORALITY- BUT YOU CAN TEACH IT by Leonard Isenberg [image: ethics law morality.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) * * * *(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)* * * *A rigorous public education is not a luxury. Rather it is an absolute necessity for any society that has pretensions of being a democracy in something more than just rhetoric. With the more affluent and predominantly White population having escaped to the suburbs or private school... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What Do You Think of This?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What Do You Think of This?: What Do You Think of This? by Melissa Westbrook *WASHINGTON STATE PTA PARTNERS WITH MCDONALDS TO PROMOTE HEALTHY EATING FOR KIDS* I just don't get it but apparently, the Washington State PTA has entered into a partnership with....McDonalds. *WASHINGTON STATE PTA PARTNERS WITH MCDONALDS TO PROMOTE HEALTHY EATING FOR KIDS* * Washington State PTA and the Washington-based owner/operators of McDonald’s franchises have entered into a partnership agreement for the purpose of promoting healthy eating by kids. There are approxi... more »
High School Progress Reports Weigh In — At 305 Excel Columns! | Edwize
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
High School Progress Reports Weigh In — At 305 Excel Columns! | Edwize: High School Progress Reports Weigh In — At 305 Excel Columns! by Maisie McAdoo High School Progress Reports, which the Department of Education released on Nov. 26, have yet another new way to measure schools: the college and career readiness index, which now counts for 10 percent of a school’s grade. As if the 2011 reports, at 205 columns of Excel data per school was not enough, the 2012 reports arrived on a 305-column spreadsheet, boasting 39 new columns of college and career readiness data points. That doesn’t... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week: How State and Local Government Subsidies Hurt Public Education by Melissa Westbrook Thanks to Goldy over at The Stranger Slog for the alert to the three-part series at the NY Times about the $80B a year in subsidies states give to businesses. From his piece: *The Times has also included a handy little interactive database that allows you to explore these incentive programs state by state. For example, Washington State taxpayers spend $2.35 billion a year on incentive programs. That's roughly 15 cents per state budget dol... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: How Valuable/Viable Are SBAC's Recent Testing Decisions?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: How Valuable/Viable Are SBAC's Recent Testing Decisions?: How Valuable/Viable Are SBAC's Recent Testing Decisions? by stlgretchen Clueless on the true purpose of education and testing. SBAC at work? An educator recently sent me an email reacting to a recent Ed Week article about Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia's test development quandaries. She has given me permission to reprint her remarks and the highlighted statements are from the Ed Week article. ************************************************************************* * Attached is an a... more »
NYC Educator: I Do Not Like this V A M, I Do Not Like it, Sam I Am
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
NYC Educator: I Do Not Like this V A M, I Do Not Like it, Sam I Am: I Do Not Like this V A M, I Do Not Like it, Sam I Am by NYC Educator I'm not much for conspiracy theories. Yet I read that the new Common Coremay lower test scores, and see the mad rush for the UFT to adopt a junk science evaluation system, and I wonder whether or not it's sheer coincidence. It's pretty clear to me, when corporate astroturf groups like Students First NY and E4E (and whatever else they're calling themselves this week) push the new system, that it won't benefit anyone but those looking to privatize e... more »
Please Write to Your Delgates and School Board Members « PWC Education Reform Blog
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Please Write to Your Delgates and School Board Members « PWC Education Reform Blog: Please Write to Your Delgates and School Board Members by pwceducationreform Tell them that students should be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide without calculators BEFORE they’re forced into Algebra or higher level courses. Heck, tell them to order the VA DOE to stop pushing calculators in our elementary school children. Tell your Delegates that you support HB 469. Tell your school board members not to oppose it. Delegate Dave Albo proposed HB 469 last year. The bill would prohibi... more »
How education data gets spun
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
How education data gets spun: How education data gets spun Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 2, 2012 at 1:15 pm As Mark Twain noted “Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.” In this piece we learn how two different narratives have been spun from statistics on high school graduation rates and charter schools. It was written by Bob Sikes, author of the Scathing Purple Musings blog. A former New York Mets assistant athletic director — including for the fabled 1986 World Series champions — he now teaches high school in Florida. By Bob Sikes It should come as no surp... more »
My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Four | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Four | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Four by Larry Ferlazzo I'm Larry Ferlazzo and here you will catch me talking about websites that will help you teach ELL, ESL and EFL! I’ve been writing this blog for six or seven years. I thought readers might find it useful for me to dig back in the “archives” and highlight my choices for some of the best posts that appeared during that time. The first list in this series, My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume One, focused on the year 2007 and included a f... more »
Short Notes: Hip-Hop Didn’t Fail America | The Jose Vilson
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Short Notes: Hip-Hop Didn’t Fail America | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: Hip-Hop Didn’t Fail America by JOSE on DECEMBER 2, 2012 Jon Stewart Keeping It Real *Before I proceed, dozens of people from various school districts have told me that my site is blocked on their school computers. In the event that it is, you can always get my articles via e-mail by signing up on the right-hand side of this blog or by subscribing via RSS for my savvy readers, also on the right-hand side. They can block my site’s URL, but they can’t block your e-mails or your RSS reader.* ** *About Me* *My name... more »
One Size Fits All? | Connected Principals
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
One Size Fits All? | Connected Principals: One Size Fits All? by Sean Grainger flickr image via cameronparkins *Cross posted from KARE Givers @* seangrainger.com My school (formerly a sixth to eighth grade middle school,) is now an inquiry-focused, sciences and technology kindergarten to eighth grade school… elements that when put together can also be called my dream job. The school is in its third year of this paradigm shift toward a custom-built K-8 inquiry, sciences and technology context. We believe that our new school context creates an optimal environment to perpetuate the le... more »
Daily Kos: The CCSS Stampede: Trampling Why, What, How We Teach
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Daily Kos: The CCSS Stampede: Trampling Why, What, How We Teach: The CCSS Stampede: Trampling Why, What, How We Teach byplthomasEdDFollow Officially yesterday, everyone I know even casually has now shared with me a video of Sir Ken Robinson or some very similar TED video. The sharing always includes, either directly or implicitly, the suggestion that the ideas in these videos have sprung fully formed from Robinson or others as if *no one in education has ever uttered them* (or even thought about them for more than a second). Concurrent with those experiences, I have found that expr... more »
Gov. Mitch Daniels claims teachers used illegal tactics to defeat GOP state education chief Tony Bennett | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Gov. Mitch Daniels claims teachers used illegal tactics to defeat GOP state education chief Tony Bennett | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com: Gov. Mitch Daniels claims teachers used illegal tactics to defeat GOP state education chief Tony Bennett WASHINGTON -- Republican frustration over the election defeat of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett boiled over into the public this week with Gov. Mitch Daniels claiming at an education reform conference here that teachers used illegal and improper methods to oust Bennett. "If you're a fan of anything-goes politics, it was... more »
Tom Friedman’s Misguided Man Crush on Arne Duncan | Scathing Purple Musings
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Tom Friedman’s Misguided Man Crush on Arne Duncan | Scathing Purple Musings: Tom Friedman’s Misguided Man Crush on Arne Duncan by Bob Sikes *Secretary Of Education Forced To Take Up Stripping To Put Nation Through School | The Onion - America's Finest News Source* Educator and writer John Thompson proved to be prophetic in a* Huffington Post* piece last month when he wrote this: Education beat writers demonstrate the same excellence as other journalists. The problem is Op Ed columnists and other writers who seem to know no more about schools than what they hear at cocktail parti... more »
Henry A. Giroux: War On Youth | Seattle Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Henry A. Giroux: War On Youth | Seattle Education: Henry A. Giroux: War On Youth by seattleducation2011 Something to think about this wintry day. *The critically acclaimed public intellectual Henry A. Giroux discusses the state sponsored assault being waged against young people across the globe, especially in the United States. For Giroux, what is no longer a hidden order of politics is that American society is at war with its children, and that the use of such violence against young people is a disturbing index of a society in the midst of a deep moral and political crisis. Only a... more »
Ed Notes Online: E4E Astroturf Rally Today to Pressure UFT to Cave on Ed Evaluation and Not Go Over the Ed Deform Cliff
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: E4E Astroturf Rally Today to Pressure UFT to Cave on Ed Evaluation and Not Go Over the Ed Deform Cliff: E4E Astroturf Rally Today to Pressure UFT to Cave on Ed Evaluation and Not Go Over the Ed Deform Cliff by ed notes online *I just got a call from E4E begging me to come…they said it’s their first rally." * I got this yesterday as one of those "thousands" of supporters E4E claims. Let's see how many come today. They only got 150 to come see Walcott the other day even with the offer of free drinks and snacks. And those included some of our pals who are being caref... more »
The Dilemma of Higher Education Facing Latinos | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Dilemma of Higher Education Facing Latinos | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: The Dilemma of Higher Education Facing Latinos [image: The Dilemma of Higher Education Facing Latinos]By Victor Escalante, NewsTaco One of the questions Latinos face in our time is the pursuit of higher education. The only reason this is an issue is due to the high cost of obtaining a degree and the prospects of finding employment with it. The high unemployment and underemployment scale has many re-evaluating conventional wisdom. The definitive answer on this one is, “it depends.” Recently on a long and ... more »
Psychiatrists drop Asperger’s syndrome and gender identity disorder from new diagnosis manual | The Raw Story
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Psychiatrists drop Asperger’s syndrome and gender identity disorder from new diagnosis manual | The Raw Story: Psychiatrists drop Asperger’s syndrome and gender identity disorder from new diagnosis manual [image: Human brain image via Shutterstock] Asperger’s syndrome is to be dropped from the psychiatrists’ Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders, the American publication that is one of the most influential references for the profession around the world. The term “Asperger’s disorder” will not appear in the DSM-5, the latest revision of the manual, and instea... more »
Action for the Week of December 2, 2012: Give the Gift of Opt Out | United Opt Out National
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Action for the Week of December 2, 2012: Give the Gift of Opt Out | United Opt Out National: Action for the Week of December 2, 2012: Give the Gift of Opt Out by admin *Have you begun your holiday shopping? Start by sharing the Opt Out Toolkit. It’s free and it’s the gift that just keeps giving as we take back our public school system. It is also a great way to get prepared for National Opt Out Day on January 7th, 2013. Begin to think about how you plan to organize in your community on January 7th as we launch a new year, more determined than ever to take back our teaching profess... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools: Normalizing Segregation?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools: Normalizing Segregation?: Charter Schools: Normalizing Segregation? by Duke The debate about charter schools really boils down to one question: *can "successful" charters be replicated?* * *If a "successful" charter is "successful" because it spends more money, or offers extensive tutoring and personalized learning, or incorporates wrap-around services, then it's replicable. If, however, the charter is "successful" because of peer effect - *because it serves fewer kids in deep poverty, or fewer kids who don't speak English at home, or fewer kids with... more »
Charter Schools USA Lands Third Multi-Million Dollar Loan Since 2010 | Scathing Purple Musings
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Charter Schools USA Lands Third Multi-Million Dollar Loan Since 2010 | Scathing Purple Musings: Charter Schools USA Lands Third Multi-Million Dollar Loan Since 2010 by Bob Sikes From *MELODIKA.net:* Ziegler, a specialty investment banking firm, is pleased to announce the successful closing of a $59,320,000 Series 2012 Bond issue for Renaissance Charter School, Inc. (Renaissance). This 2012 financing is the third for the borrower which includes a Series 2011 $89,235,000 issue and a Series 2010 $68,200,000 issue. Renaissance) is a Florida 501(c)(3) that holds charters for 20 operat... more »
Peg with Pen: Jefferson City Public Schools and the RTTT Grant
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Peg with Pen: Jefferson City Public Schools and the RTTT Grant: Jefferson City Public Schools and the RTTT Grant by Peggy My response to Jefferson City Public School's status as a finalist in the RTTT district grant competition. As a graduate of Jefferson City High School and an education activist who has been following the destruction of Race to the Top policies, I can tell you right now that accepting this Race to the Top money is the death of real learning and real teaching for the children of Jefferson City. All of the Race to the Top policies are tied to high stakes testin... more »
Public education’s new quick fix - Salon.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Public education’s new quick fix - Salon.com: Public education’s new quick fixStarry-eyed reformers have found yet another panacea for saving our school system: parent-trigger lawsBY ABBY RAPOPORT, THE AMERICAN PROSPECT This article originally appeared on The American Prospect. [image: The American Prospect]When her dyslexic second-grader landed in a failing public elementary school in Pittsburgh, single mother Jamie Fitzpatrick spotted trouble right away. Her daughter’s teacher spent class time shopping online for clothes while the kids bullied one another. Though other teache... more »
A dagger aimed at the heart of public education | Commentary | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
A dagger aimed at the heart of public education | Commentary | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: A dagger aimed at the heart of public education [image: Rob Glass] ( *Editor's note: * *The following is excerpted from "an urgent call to action" the superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools dispatched to parents and residents in his public school district this week.*) A package of bills designed to corporatize and dismantle public education is being hastily pushed through this current lame-duck legislative session. If we do not take immediate action, I believe great damage will be do... more »
Public education creates a public | Charter schools drain public resources | greatfallstribune.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Public education creates a public | Great Falls Tribune | greatfallstribune.com: Public education creates a publicCharter schools drain public resources with no benefit [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] - FILED UNDER - Opinion - Great Falls This week my husband and some two dozen other men will observe a tradition they inaugurated decades ago. They’ll gather at a local watering hole to break in the holiday season. Their professions range from medicine, education, the law and the arts to retail, finance, railroading, and beer distribution. The... more »
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