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

James Baldwin said it best:

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

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

“UNCLE AL’S CABIN” « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 minutes ago

“UNCLE AL’S CABIN” « Teachers Fight Back: “UNCLE AL’S CABIN” by alkleen Illinois retired teachers need to continue to fight the media and powerful interest groups that are trying to convince the public that the average retired teacher’s pension is quite lucrative. We need to have a blockbuster public relations campaign and or some extremely influential periodical. A best-selling book that shows a retired teacher in financial difficulty would be ideal. We need to get everyone in Illinois feeling sorry for Illinois retired teachers. What better way than to produce a best-selling ... more »

Florida Parent Groups United in Urging Scott to Reject “Political Applicants” for Ed Commissioner | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 30 minutes ago

Florida Parent Groups United in Urging Scott to Reject “Political Applicants” for Ed Commissioner | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida Parent Groups United in Urging Scott to Reject “Political Applicants” for Ed Commissioner by Bob Sikes *et al.* Jeff Solochek has this in *Gradebook*: Nine parent leaders representing advocacy organizations across Florida sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott today urging him to reject all three of the finalists for the education commissioner job. The group appeals to the governor’s recent attempts to build relationships with parents and other educatio... more »

The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time? | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 48 minutes ago

The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time? | EduShyster: The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time? by edushyster2012 Today’s topic is civil rights. As in those things that you are not supposed to violate. Unless, of course, you are part of an effort to *crush* the achievement gap—otherwise known as the civil rights issue of our time—in which case you may apparently violate civil rights with impunity. The first stop on our tour is Fall River, Massachusetts, where the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has just announced an investigation into allegations that the city’s schools ... more »

Charter networks win Race to the Top-District

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 51 minutes ago

Charter networks win Race to the Top-District: Charter networks win Race to the Top-District Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 11, 2012 at 2:26 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Charter school networks are now official “districts,” at least by the rules of the Department of Education’s Race to the Top-District competition, which just announced that 16 applicants had each won a share of nearly $400 million in the latest sweepstake... more »

Giving teachers more power helps in turnaround of Boston schools | HechingerEd Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago

Giving teachers more power helps in turnaround of Boston schools | HechingerEd Blog: Giving teachers more power helps in turnaround of Boston schools by Jackie Mader Six low-performing Boston schools participating in a pilot program that gives teachers more training, support, and leadership roles are showing higher growth on state tests than other low-performing city schools according to a report released Monday by the non-profit Teach Plus. The T3 Initiative program, a collaboration between Boston Public Schools and Teach Plus, began training and placing groups of experienced tea... more »

Pension Call Tuesday. Send your legislator a holiday card with a pension message. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Pension Call Tuesday. Send your legislator a holiday card with a pension message. « Fred Klonsky: Pension Call Tuesday. Send your legislator a holiday card with a pension message. by Fred Klonsky [image: 1353358186-wacky_photobooth] So you’ve called your IEA Regional office and made a reservation on the bus to Springfield, January 3rd. Or, you just can’t make it to Springfield (you better have a real good excuse), but you want to do something. Here’s the plan. Send the sponsors of of the Nekritz bill a holiday card. Rep. Elaine Nekritz - Daniel Biss - David Harris - Chris Nybo, Kell... more »

CDE Responds to Auditor's Report - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

CDE Responds to Auditor's Report - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): California Department of Education Responds to California State Auditor Report SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education responded today to the report issued by the California State Auditor. "The Department has taken a number of steps that address issues raised in today's report by the State Auditor," said Communications Director Paul Hefner. "Prior to the report's release, the Department installed upgraded software that restricts employees from posting content to social media Web sites without authoriza... more »

Sandra Stotsky: Why Did Colorado Trade in a Silk Purse for a Sow’s Ear? | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Sandra Stotsky: Why Did Colorado Trade in a Silk Purse for a Sow’s Ear? | Truth in American Education: Sandra Stotsky: Why Did Colorado Trade in a Silk Purse for a Sow’s Ear? by Shane Vander Hart The Heartland Institute has a news article on their site that highlighted meetings related to the Common Core State Standards that took place in Colorado on December 6th – one with the Colorado State Board of Education and the other with a panel discussion convened by the Pioneer Institute. The money quote belongs to Sandra Stotsky, professor of education reform at the University of Ark... more »

Schools Matter: Open letter to David Welch, Eli Broad, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and their Students Matter Astroturf

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Schools Matter: Open letter to David Welch, Eli Broad, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and their Students Matter Astroturf: Open letter to David Welch, Eli Broad, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and their Students Matter Astroturf by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene *"And not merely pride of intellect, but dulness of intellect. And most of all, the deceitfulness; yes, the deceitfulness of intellect" — Leo Tolstoy* [image: David Welch, Eli Broad, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher propagate lies]David Welch, Eli Broad, Theodore J. Boutrous, Theane Evangelis Kapur, Theodore B. Olson, Enrique A. Monagas, and Joshu... more »

An independent look at the Common Core State Standards Initiative CCSSI Mathematics

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

CCSSI Mathematics: CCSSI Mathematics An independent look at the Common Core State Standards Initiative 2012-12-10 Mathematical tools – Part 3 On the morning of June 20, 1944, two weeks after D-Day, New York high school students sitting for the Plane Geometry Regents exam were asked to do the following construction:The task posed almost 70 years ago was not difficult, but it also wasn’t rote. It required the test-taker to make connections and to solve a problem: to apply basic construction techniques to notions of similarity and its theorems. Additionally, it required visualizatio... more »

Activists aim to overrule Sac City school board on Bell’s replacement | Sacramento Current

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Activists aim to overrule Sac City school board on Bell’s replacement | Sacramento Current: Activists aim to overrule Sac City school board on Bell’s replacement Posted on December 6, 2012 by cosmog When *Ellyn Bell* made public her intention to leave the Sacramento City Unified School District board of trustees–so she could live closer to her new job in San Francisco–her colleagues on the school board decided it was *too late and too expensive* to call an election to fill her seat. So they plan to pick their own replacement to represent Area 1 (Land Park, Curtis Park, the Grid), an... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Karen Lewis: Where Corporate Reform Is Going by dianerav A Comment from Karen Lewis about the simultaneous deluge of “reforms,” none of which is grounded in research or experience: “Any decent researcher knows that when you change more than one variable in an experiment, you have to do some pretty heavy lifting in order to determine which one had more effect than another. So in Chicago we have a new evaluation, Common Core, a longer day and year, a new contract, school closings and the usual suspects Teacher: Please Hear Me, Mayor Bloomberg by dianerav ... more »

PSAT for 12-11-12: Make merry! Watch and share new CTU cartoon satire of corporate reformers Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 12-11-12: Make merry! Watch and share new CTU cartoon satire of corporate reformers: PSAT for 12-11-12: Make merry! Watch and share new CTU cartoon satire of corporate reformers by admin The Chicago Teachers’ Union has done it again! They have gifted us yet another sharp tool for our public school support kit. This time it’s a spot-on satirical cartoonskewering on Chicago’s corporate reformers. Dangling at the end of the lampoon are some of PURE’s favorite goofballs: Penny Pritzker , Bruce Rauner, Robin Steans, Sta... more »

NYC Educator: Recovering ATR and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Difficult School

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

NYC Educator: Recovering ATR and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Difficult School: Recovering ATR and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Difficult School by NYC Educator *by Recovering ATR * For the first few months of a year I traveled to several different schools as an ATR. Then I got hired for the year in a school. It's large, it's far from where I live, and the students I have are repeaters. Last Friday report cards were given out and the predictable whining about grades ensued. The AP's office had a line of students complaining about their grades. This understandably... more »

Ed Notes Online: Chicago Teachers Stand Up to Fat Cat Ed Deformers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Chicago Teachers Stand Up to Fat Cat Ed Deformers: Chicago Teachers Stand Up to Fat Cat Ed Deformers by ed notes online I know, I know. You wish the UFT, with 10 times the resources of the CTU would do this, but when you yourself are a fat cat..........But this is why the CTU is so much more dangerous to the powers that be than the pussy cat (I'm being nice) UFT/AFT bar exam promoters. When we were in Chicago in July 2011-- Julie, Gloria, Angel, Lisa and a slew of others --- at meetings with CORE and others from around the nation -- CORE led us all on a march thro...more »

Ankur Singh – YO GEORGE LUCAS, IF YOU’RE OUT THERE, I HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR YOU! | Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Ankur Singh – YO GEORGE LUCAS, IF YOU’RE OUT THERE, I HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR YOU! | Student Voice: Ankur Singh – YO GEORGE LUCAS, IF YOU’RE OUT THERE, I HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR YOU! by admin [image: 261_16653803289_7471_n-300x225] Listen by Ankur Singh - Kickstarter Yo, George Lucas, ‘Sup. I love you. You are an incredibly inspirational man to all filmmakers out there. Whenever I’m feeling down and depressed about how crappy my films are going I always watch the behind the scenes features on Star Wars to pump me up. *“If George Lucas can overcome all those obstacles I can too!”** * I ha...more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – Ed Trust-West criticizes state for snail’s pace on common core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *Ed Trust-West criticizes state for snail’s pace on common core* *By Tom Chorneau* Tuesday, December 11, 2012 *Thought Tank* The state’s much-delayed implementation of common core curriculum standards puts thousands of minority and English learner students at risk of falling further behind, a new report released Monday concludes. The analysis, developed by researchers from Education Trust-West – a nonprofit think tank based in Oakland – criticizes state officials for failing to provide school districts the broad-based professional development, ... more »

BIG CHANGES IMMINENT FOR HEAD START - Report Explains Reforms to Federal Pre-K Program for Children in Poverty

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Reforming Head Start | NewAmerica.net: Reforming Head Start What ‘Re-competition’ Means for the Federal Government’s Pre-K Program * - By - Maggie Severns, - New America Foundation* December 11, 2012 | [image: HSPaper.jpg] As research continues to highlight the benefits of early childhood education, the Obama administration’s reforms to Head Start are shaking up the 45-year-old preschool program for children in poverty. This issue brief explains why some Head Start programs are competing for funding for the first time, how quality teaching is emphasized in future grant ... more »

Is the US education system failing children? Blame poor thieving parents | Kristin Rawls | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Is the US education system failing children? Blame poor thieving parents | Kristin Rawls | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk: Is the US education system failing children? Blame poor thieving parents Nicholas Kristof is wrong. To help students with disabilities by taking benefits away from their parents will not solve poverty - Share****21 - - - inShare0 - Email - [image: Kristin Rawls] - - Kristin Rawls - guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 11 December 2012 08.51 EST - Jump to comments (8) [image: Yellow school buses in New York City, USA] It's not j... more »

UPDATE: Michigan. Illinois. Injustice doesn’t take a winter break and neither can we. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Michigan. Illinois. Injustice doesn’t take a winter break and neither can we. « Fred Klonsky: Michigan. Illinois. Injustice doesn’t take a winter break and neither can we. by Fred Klonsky [image: Debbie Nault] *Debbie Nault from the Michigan Nurses Association stands with other members of the association on the state Capitol steps in Lansing, Mich., Monday, Dec. 10, 2012, protesting right-to-work legislation. Organizers say the gathering was meant to symbolize the silencing of unions that nurses say will happen should the legislation become law.(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)* Thousands... more »

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991]Charter schools continue to grow Education Headlines *Tuesday, December 11, 2012* Charter schools continue to growOnce a novelty on the landscape of public education, independent public charter schools have become the choice for more families locally and nationwide. For the first time, more than 100 school districts nationwide have at least 10 percent of all students enrolled in charter schools, according to a study by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. LAUS... more »

'De facto' discrimination in Connecticut: Where is the outrage? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

'De facto' discrimination in Connecticut: Where is the outrage? - Wait, What? ‘De facto’ discrimination in Connecticut: Where is the outrage? by jonpelto [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] What if it became clear that a public school in Connecticut wouldn’t accept many African American children or children from single parent households or children who come from households with same sex parents? There would be outrage, demonstrations would be held and politicians would act to put an end to the “de facto” discrimination that was taking place in our state. “De f... more »

A Sociological Eye on Education | It’s the curriculum, stupid

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

A Sociological Eye on Education | It’s the curriculum, stupid It’s the curriculum, stupid by Aaron Pallas A thought-experiment: Ms. Wong is a fourth-grade teacher in Shanghai, and Ms. Stilton is a fourth-grade teacher in Ames, Iowa. Each has a class of 25 students, who on average score at the same level on international assessments of mathematics and proficiency in their native language. In both classrooms, the prescribed curriculum involves study of the history of the local community. At the end of the school year, both Ms. Wong’s students and Ms. Stilton’s students are administered... more »

Dormitories Burn, Activists Killed In Sudan Crackdown on Student Protest « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Dormitories Burn, Activists Killed In Sudan Crackdown on Student Protest « Student Activism Dormitories Burn, Activists Killed In Sudan Crackdown on Student Protest by Angus Johnston Student protest has been swelling in Sudan since the Friday discovery of the bodies of four student activists from Darfur, with reports now saying that one university’s dorms have been burned to the ground today. The four students were reportedly found dead in a canal after their participation in a sit-in protesting Al-Gazira University’s refusal to waive their tuition fees as mandated by peace agreeme... more »

Students Evaluating Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Students Evaluating Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice Students Evaluating Teachers by larrycuban Should K-12 student surveys of their teachers be used to determine whether they get a boost in salary or be judged effective or ineffective? [image: cartoon243] The emerging answer, according to Amanda Ripley’s recent article, is yes. Based on surveys given to students about their teachers over the past decade, student judgments about their teachers are highly correlated with test scores. In particular, researchers have found these questions on a 36-item surv... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Transition To Local Control Likely To Be Painful

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Transition To Local Control Likely To Be Painful: Transition To Local Control Likely To Be Painful by Anngie If those opposed to Common Core are to be successful, local school districts may have more control than they've had in years. Are they prepared for it? Kirkwood school district, one which could be locally controlled today since so very little of their operating budget comes from the state, has taken what has come from the state as a matter of course. Like many school districts they have enjoyed modest increases in their budget for a number of... more »

WELCOME TO THE TIMSS AND PIRLS 2011 DATA RELEASE TIMSS and PIRLS Home

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

TIMSS and PIRLS Home: WELCOME TO THE TIMSS AND PIRLS 2011 DATA RELEASE [image: TIMSS and PIRLS 2011 Data - New Landmark Release] Latest Publications from TIMSS and PIRLS ------------------------------ TIMSS 2011 International Results in Mathematics Analysis of data collected for mathematics achievement in 63 countries… TIMSS 2011 International Results in Science Analysis of data collected for science achievement in 63 countries… TIMSS 2011 Encyclopedia Education, policy, and curriculum in mathematics and science… PIRLS 2011 International Results in Reading Analysis of data collect... more »

Creating Safe Havens for the Neediest Students - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Creating Safe Havens for the Neediest Students - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Creating Safe Havens for the Neediest Students by Pedro Noguera Dear Deborah, I want to continue on the theme of how schools can work under the constraints they face to make a difference for the students they serve. Some of the educators I work with dismiss the success of schools like Brockton High School and Mission Hill because they claim such schools don't serve the neediest students; those that sociologist William Julius Wilson described as the "truly disadvantaged." I know there is some t... more »

Commentary: Charter schools winning at the expense of public schools | The Town Talk | thetowntalk.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Commentary: Charter schools winning at the expense of public schools | The Town Talk | thetowntalk.com: [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Commentary: *Charter schools*winning at the expense of public*...* - The Town Talk Alexandria Town Talk - ‎4 hours ago‎ Suzanne McCommon is a former teacher in the Helena-West Helena School District, located just across the Mississippi River in Arkansas and home to much talked-about KIPP *charter schools*. McCommon is quite complimentary of the KIPP *charter schools* *...* * * Con: *Charter schools* mean well, but good i... more »

The Budget Thugs: What Do They Know About the Economy?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

The Budget Thugs: What Do They Know About the Economy?: The Budget Thugs: What Do They Know About the Economy?Monday, 10 December 2012 11:06By Dean Baker, Truthout | News Analysis - 83 - font size [image: decrease font size] [image: increase font size] - Print - Email [image: Rhee]What would Michelle Rhee (pictured center), the hero of the "school reform" movement, do to a public school teacher if all of that teacher's students had huge drops in scores from the prior year? The economic experts among the Debt Fixers all fit this failed-teacher description, says De... more »

AZ Schools in Danger of Closing Due to Budget Cuts | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

AZ Schools in Danger of Closing Due to Budget Cuts | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: AZ Schools in Danger of Closing Due to Budget Cuts [image: AZ Schools in Danger of Closing Due to Budget Cuts] The Tucson Unified School District, the largest in southern Arizona, is thinking about closing 14 schools because of budget cuts. The TUSD faces a deficit of $17 million, largely due to cuts approved by the state legislature and a considerable drop in the number of students. “This is a very tough decision we have to take, but unfortunately we have no choice,” school board member Adelita G... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Randi Weingarten: VAM Is Junk Science by dianerav The United Teachers of Los Angeles reached an evaluation agreement that minimizes the use of test scores. Perhaps they were burned by the inappropriate public release of teacher ratings devised by the Los Angeles Times. I don’t understand how their evaluation system will work, but this is the key takeaway: AFT President Randi Weingarten called value-added modeling (VAM) by this term: “junk science.” You read it What’s With Edweek? by dianerav Over the past y... more »

International Tests Show East Asian Students Outperform World As U.S. Holds Steady

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

International Tests Show East Asian Students Outperform World As U.S. Holds Steady: International Tests Show East Asian Students Outperform World As U.S. Holds Steady by Joy Resmovits The U.S. performed above average on international standardized tests in elementary and middle school math, science and reading, according to reports released Tuesday. But experts said the rankings, along with similar exams that test students at later ages, show a fundamental problem in America's education system: students tend to perform worse as they age. "When we start looking at our older student... more »

Ed Notes Online: Change the Stakes Statement at Monday's Forum

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Change the Stakes Statement at Monday's Forum: Change the Stakes Statement at Monday's Forum by ed notes online Fred Smith with input from the amazing Change the Stake crew, led by Andrea Mata who put on a wonderful event tonight, wrote the statement below. Brian Jones, wearing his MORE shirt, rocks. So did MORE/Change the Stakes' Diane Zavala (below). Pedro Noguera was almost inconsequential and Shael had an answer for everything as he came off looking like a dissident inside Tweed, the role he is assigned to play -- and also maybe part of the underground campai... more »

New Common Core Reading Standards Mark The End Of Literature | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

New Common Core Reading Standards Mark The End Of Literature | toteachornototeach: New Common Core Reading Standards Mark The End Of Literature by aristotlethewise *Common Core Nonfiction Reading Standards* *Mark The End Of Literature, English Teachers Say* [image: BookBurn] Concern is growing among teachers and parents that literary classics will go the way of the dinosaurs under a set of new national curricular standards. The Common Core State Standards, academic benchmarks that have been adopted by 46 states, call for 12th grade reading to be 70 percent nonfiction, or “informat...more »

How Chicago Teachers Got Organized to Strike « Classroom Struggle

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

How Chicago Teachers Got Organized to Strike « Classroom Struggle: How Chicago Teachers Got Organized to Strike by ClassroomStruggle *This article was submitted to us by a teacher friend. She writes, “The article illustrates in a very simple way what needs to be done to have and be a union that is truly on the side of the working class. Two friends of mine that are teachers, and in the past had made a conscious decision to not be organizers, were pretty inspired by this article. I think the simpleness of the article is a big plus for people that don’t have politics in their heads... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: 'Rowdy' Rauner and the 'Rahminator' are steamin' mad

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: 'Rowdy' Rauner and the 'Rahminator' are steamin' mad: 'Rowdy' Rauner and the 'Rahminator' are steamin' mad by Mike Klonsky The nerve! Doesn't the CTU know that you never mock the rich and powerful? Billionaire fat cats like *Bruce "Rowdy" Rauner*, *Robin "Robbing" Stains* and *Penny "Pincher" Pritzker*, just don't like it. And even *"Rahminator" Rahm*, who is already the target of so much public abuse by his own patrons, is so mad, he's spitting milk all over his whiskers. Yes, the union's gone and done it. They've posted a 5-minute video of a sca... more »

Are expelled students more likely to drop out? | Local News | The Seattle Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Are expelled students more likely to drop out? | Local News | The Seattle Times: Are expelled students more likely to drop out? After two years of research, two Washington social-justice groups failed to determine just how many students are expelled from school or suspended for more than 10 days. The lack of data, however, underscored their concern that there are tens of thousands of students who end up in educational limbo, with no clear path to finish their schooling. By Linda Shaw Seattle Times education reporter [image: Enlarge this photo] Information *The full report, "Reclaim... more »

UPDATE: Who Gates is funding — the latest education grants

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Who Gates is funding — the latest education grants: Who Gates is funding — the latest education grants Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 11, 2012 at 5:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle What/who in education has captured the interest of the powerful Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation these days? The following list of education-related grants — all awarded in November 2012 — show that MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are big w... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle 1240 Stats (and no big surprises)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle 1240 Stats (and no big surprises): Seattle 1240 Stats (and no big surprises) by Melissa Westbrook I spent time today crunching vote totals for Seattle for 1240. (And no thanks to King County Elections where apparently they can't even give you total votes for the city of Seattle for any race. I couldn't believe it.) Thank you to my husband for his help (and the Excel tutorial). Here are the numbers (and could you please, after all that work, give me credit if you quote them somewhere else): Total registered voters - 411,607 Total voting ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Tall Tales of Wendy Kopp

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: The Tall Tales of Wendy Kopp: The Tall Tales of Wendy Kopp by Duke Yesterday, Anthony Cody had a question for Teach For America's founder, Wendy Kopp: he wanted proof that her teachers really do stay in teaching for an average of eight years. I looked at the facts for a bit and came to the conclusion that it's very unlikely Kopp's claim is accurate. Cody asked his question because he is a thinking person with an actual, working brain in his head. When he hears a claim like Kopp's - a claim that stands in contradiction to all of the evidence we have about TFA - he'... more »

Schools Matter: Evidence-Driven versus Evidence-Influenced Education Policy

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Schools Matter: Evidence-Driven versus Evidence-Influenced Education Policy: Evidence-Driven versus Evidence-Influenced Education Policy by John Thompson Conservative "reformer" Rick Hess demonstrated the best short-term tactic for dealing with amateurs who feel free to editorialize about public schools without having a clue about what they are pontificating about. Yes, the *New York Times' *Tom Friedman's "man crush" on Arne Duncan is illustrative of way Op Ed writers feel free to pass on educational policy analyses that are the equivalent of cocktail party talk. On the other h... more »

This Is Not Wisconsin. It's Worse.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

This Is Not Wisconsin. It's Worse.: *This Is Not Wisconsin. It's Worse.* RICH YESELSON DECEMBER 10, 2012 If union adversaries can pass a right-to-work law in the home of the once-powerful United Auto Workers, they can pretty much do it anywhere. 97InstapaperShare on readitlaterPocketShare on emailEmailShare on printPrint Sheldon Dick/Farm Security Administration Strikers guarding window entrance to Fisher body plant number three in Flint, Michigan (1937) Let’s clear one thing up. “Right to work” laws, which permit employees working at a unionized workplace to refuse to join the union ... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 12-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* Hard to Dispel Myths by debmeier The latest, but “well-established” myth is that more time spent in school equals better test scores. The Center for Public Education checks the aim out and discovers: “The data clearly shows that most U.S. schools require at least as much or more instructional time as other countries, even high-performing countries like Finland, Japan, and Korea….. the U.S. does not require schools to provide less instructional time than other countries.” In fact, in Finland the hours spent in school is considerab... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Most Obvious Thing In The World

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: The Most Obvious Thing In The World: The Most Obvious Thing In The World by Duke Camden is the poorest city in America and probably the most violent. The child poverty rate is 57%. Median income is $21,191. The murder rate is twenty times higher than the national average. Golly, do you think maybe this could affect student learning? Camden’s school district was the outlier during three presentations to the state board of education last week. Across New Jersey, high school graduation rates improved by 3 percent in a year. But in Camden, the rate plummeted by 7 perc... more »

Retired teachers need to get to Springfield on January 3rd. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Retired teachers need to get to Springfield on January 3rd. « Fred Klonsky: Retired teachers need to get to Springfield on January 3rd. by Fred Klonsky [image: IMG_3380] When I retired in June I joined IEA Retired. The folks in Springfield assigned me to the Skokie chapter of IEA Retired. The catch is that *there is no Skokie chapter of IEA Retired.* But there ARE 400 members of IEA Retired in the Skokie area who COULD be members if… Well, anyway. Today we all got postcards with info on the January 3 rally. That’s good.

NYC Educator: What's With Mayor Mike?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NYC Educator: What's With Mayor Mike?: What's With Mayor Mike? by NYC Educator Mayor4Life is shooting his mouth off again, saying he won't accept any evaluation system that doesn't hold teachers' feet to the fire. He also says he wants all teacher evaluation reports released to the public. This is ironic, because Mayor Mike is currently applying to the Supreme Court to make sure his correspondence with failed Chancellor Cathie Black is not made public. After all, accountability is for the little people. The interesting point, though, is that his combativeness does not actually ind... more »

Sen Durbin to hold hearing on school-to-prison pipeline Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Sen Durbin to hold hearing on school-to-prison pipeline: Sen Durbin to hold hearing on school-to-prison pipeline by admin Testimony is due today for Wednesday hearing. From Dignity in Schools: *Ending the School to Prison Pipeline* *Hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights* For the first time ever, Congress is holding a hearing on the School to Prison Pipeline (12/12/12, 2pm et at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC). If you are anywhere near DC, p... more »

Thirteen Things Nick Kristof Should Know About American Families “Profiting From Iliteracy” « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Thirteen Things Nick Kristof Should Know About American Families “Profiting From Iliteracy” « Student Activism: Thirteen Things Nick Kristof Should Know About American Families “Profiting From Iliteracy” by Angus Johnston This weekend Nick Kristof wrote a column called “Profiting from a Child’s Illiteracy” in which he suggested — without evidence — that a significant portion of American children who are receiving Social Security disability are doing so because their parents find it “easier” to collect government checks than to find and keep gainful employment. Describing their di... more »

The Ghettoization of Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The Ghettoization of Public Education: The Ghettoization of Public EducationMonday, 10 December 2012 15:09By Thom Hartmann and Sam Sacks, The Daily Take | Op-Ed [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Quick - when you hear "public housing," what picture jumps into your mind? Or "public hospital"? All around us, our public institutions are disintegrating, and the most important public institution of all – our public education system – is the next to be ghettoized. Despite several progressive victories this Election Day, there was one significant defeat in Georg... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Put Up The Proof, TFA

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Jersey Jazzman: Put Up The Proof, TFA: Put Up The Proof, TFA by Duke Anthony Cody points us to a remarkable claim from Teach For America's Wendy Kopp: In this interview, Wendy Kopp states: *"On average, our corps members stay in the classroom for eight years." Honestly, I find this claim incredible.* I have firsthand experience with Teach For America. I worked in high poverty schools in Oakland, California, for 24 years. In my last four years (2007 to 2011) I led a mentoring program that was developed to provide support to the many new science teachers we had in the District. Th... more »

Student Loan Asset Backed Securities and the $1 trillion dollar student loan debt

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Student Loan Asset Backed Securities and the $1 trillion dollar student loan debt: Student Loan Asset Backed Securities and the $1 trillion dollar student loan debt by Danny Weil *“In times of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”* *George Orwell* I was fortunate enough to be a guest on the radio show Clearing the FOG – Speaking truth to expose the forces of greed. http://www.facebook.com/ClearingtheFogRadioShow. The show originates from Washington DC on 1480 AM. The issue that was addressed was the spiraling student loan debt, now over $1 trillion and rising... more »

Daily Kos: Clones, Assembly-line Capitalism, and Wage-Slaves

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Daily Kos: Clones, Assembly-line Capitalism, and Wage-Slaves: Clones, Assembly-line Capitalism, and Wage-Slaves by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) Beyond its flair for the fantastic, science fiction (SF) almost always offers the allegorical. In SF, humankind literally masters cloning and produces not quite human slaves, facilitating some sort of truce between the long history of human conquering human to enslave and the contemporary illusion that eradicating institutional slavery absolves us of culpability in the de facto wage-slavery of assembly-line capitalism. David Mitchell's o... more »

Transitioning to Standards-Based Learning — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Transitioning to Standards-Based Learning — Whole Child Education: [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers] Transitioning to Standards-Based Learning December 10, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers Cathy Vatterott began her ASCD Conference on Teaching and Learning session, "Not Your Mother's Gradebook: Transitioning to Standards-Based Learning," by asking participants to think about the reasons that conventional tests may not be the best method to assess student learning. Participants shared that - Tests can be rigid, covering only specific goals and objectives as taught in a particu... more »

UPDATE: Connecticut’s Holiday “Budget Deficit Roadmap” uses state credit card for (again) - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Connecticut’s Holiday “Budget Deficit Roadmap” uses state credit card for (again) - Wait, What?: Connecticut’s Holiday “Budget Deficit Roadmap” uses state credit card for (again) by jonpelto On December 19, 2012, the 2011-2012 Connecticut General Assembly will meet one more time, this time for a special session to deal with Connecticut’s growing budget deficit. Call it the Holiday Special Session, or perhaps more aptly, it should be called the, “let’s cut vital human services the week before Christmas” Special Session. In addition to the $123 million the Governor already cut fro... more »

Can This Claim Be True? TFAers in the Classroom for 8 Years? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Can This Claim Be True? TFAers in the Classroom for 8 Years? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Can This Claim Be True? TFAers in the Classroom for 8 Years? by Anthony Cody The Huffington Post this morning features an interview with Teach For America founder Wendy Kopp, focused on how much TFA has to offer the poor of the world. Five years ago, Kopp founded Teach For All, in order to export the TFA model to other countries around the world. In this interview, Wendy Kopp states: "On average, our corps members stay in the classroom for eight years." Honestly, I find this... more »

Schools Matter: The Eternal Failure of a NAEP Mind

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Schools Matter: The Eternal Failure of a NAEP Mind: The Eternal Failure of a NAEP Mind by P. L. Thomas After Sandy Banks in the *Los Angeles Times* stated, "We see what we are looking for—and that sends a message to students at schools like Jordan. They know we don't expect much of them," David B. Cohen replied: "Do you think that the same lesson applies to the public, or journalists, or legislators, and the messages they send to the faculty and staff at struggling schools? I don’t mean to make excuses for anyone, but is it possible that an honest assessment of the challenges the... more »

Gov. Brown’s top education advisor to retire | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Gov. Brown’s top education advisor to retire | EdSource Today: Gov. Brown’s top education advisor to retire ** December 10th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Kathryn Baron Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services Sue Burr Sue Burr, executive director of California’s State board of Education and a key force at local and state levels in guiding California through decades of education reform, is stepping down at the end of this year. Burr, who in her current position also serves as Gov. Jerry Brown’s top advisor on education policy, announce... more »

Shanker Blog » Cheating, Honestly

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Shanker Blog » Cheating, Honestly: Cheating, Honestly by Matthew Di Carlo Whatever one thinks of the heavy reliance on standardized tests in U.S. public education, one of the things on which there is wide agreement is that cheating must be prevented, and investigated when there’s evidence it might have occurred. For anyone familiar with test-based accountability, recent cheating scandals in Atlanta, Washington, D.C.,Philadelphia and elsewhere are unlikely to have been surprising. There has always been cheating, and it can take many forms, ranging from explicit answer-changing to ... more »

solidaridad: Open letter to Los Angeles County Federation of Labor on School Privatization and Ms. Mónica García

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

solidaridad: Open letter to Los Angeles County Federation of Labor on School Privatization and Ms. Mónica García: Open letter to Los Angeles County Federation of Labor on School Privatization and Ms. Mónica García by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene [image: Robert D. Skeels, a Social Justice Schoolboard Candidate] *"I can't wait until all contracts are thin contracts." — LAUSD President Mónica García on Unions* School Privatization Hurts EveryonePrivatization via charter schools removes agency from communities and encourages the lowest wages possible. Aside from eschewing organized l... more »

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