Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 12-16-12 #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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 44 minutes ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

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

Students Last: The Four R's

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

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

Minority-Rule America - Mass Destruction - Ohio

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

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

NYC Educator: I’m Not a Hero.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

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

The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

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

Daily Kos: Life among the Ruins

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

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

Ed Notes Online: Rhee Uses Tregedy to Take a Shot

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

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

Louisiana Educator: VAM and School Ratings Clash

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

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

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-16-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] A Heroic Educator at Sandy Hook by dianerav According to the Facebook entry at the end of this post, 27-year-old teacher Victoria Soto hid her students in closets and cabinets; she told the killer the children were in the gym. Her first thought was to protect her children. He killed her. The Wall Street Journal said this about her on a blog: *First-grade teacher Vicki Leigh Soto, 27 years old, died trying to protect the children she loved, her cousin Jim Wiltsie said.* *When the gunfire started on Friday ... more »

James Causey Gets It Right On Residency « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

James Causey Gets It Right On Residency « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: James Causey Gets It Right On Residency by millerlf *Repeal would weaken city when middle-class residents move* James Causey MJS 12/15/12 Ending Milwaukee’s residency law may not turn the city into Wisconsin’s Detroit, but it won’t help a city that is already ranked as one of the poorest and most segregated in the nation. The middle class provides the backbone that keeps cities such as ours strong. But some Republicans don’t see that. And since they will control both houses of the Legislature com... more »

Sun Sentinel to Tony Bennett: Don’t Position Yourself As An Ideologue | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Sun Sentinel to Tony Bennett: Don’t Position Yourself As An Ideologue | Scathing Purple Musings: Sun Sentinel to Tony Bennett: Don’t Position Yourself As An Ideologue by Bob Sikes The editors of the *Sun Sentinel *have a bullet list of suggestions for incoming education commissioner Tony Bennett: *Seek* to end the polarization. Listen hard to local school administrators, teachers and parents. Where it makes sense, be their champion. Solve problems. Don’t position yourself as an ideologue. Find common ground where we can all agree that change makes sense. Start there. *Don’t* ma... more »

Daily Kos: When will we ever learn . . . .

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Daily Kos: When will we ever learn . . . .: When will we ever learn . . . . by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) credit where it is due - A Timeline of mass shootings in the US since Columbine, a Thing Progress piece by Aviva Shen. That piece is worth saving. Most of my information is from that article. Here are the basics. 4/20/99 was Columbine, where the shooters killed 13 and wounded 21 before taking their own lives Here are the rest. I refuse to dignify the shooters by mentioning their names. 7/29/99 Atlanta. Shooter killed 12 including his family, injured 13, then committe... more »

Speaking about the Unspeakable | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Speaking about the Unspeakable | Connected Principals: Speaking about the Unspeakable by sleibowitz There was a time, before Columbine, when school shootings were unimaginable; the very definition of an evil so unspeakable as to be in our minds essentially impossible. I have never forgotten the seriousness with which my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Jackson, defined “evil”. An educator nearing the end of her career, Mrs. Jackson captivated my imagination with the detail, nuance, and emotion with which she conveyed tales of how her family survived the Great Depression. She often had s... more »

Massive new surveillance program uncovered by Wall Street Journal - San Jose Mercury News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Massive new surveillance program uncovered by Wall Street Journal - San Jose Mercury News: Massive new surveillance program uncovered by Wall Street Journal By Ryan Gallagher, Slate Posted: 12/13/2012 02:53:25 PM PST Updated: 12/13/2012 04:18:31 PM PST When a former senior White House official describes a nationwide surveillance effort as “breathtaking,” you know civil liberties activists are preparing for a fight. The *Wall Street Journal* reported today that the little-known National Counterterrorism Center, based in an unmarked building in McLean, Va., has been granted sweepi... more »

Ed Notes Online: Chicago Teachers Say: Tell the Fat Cats: Get Your Paws Off Our Public Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Chicago Teachers Say: Tell the Fat Cats: Get Your Paws Off Our Public Schools: Chicago Teachers Say: Tell the Fat Cats: Get Your Paws Off Our Public Schools by ed notes online Could you see the UFT putting on an event like this when they themselves are fat cats? [image: Chicago Teachers Union] Defending Our Schools Click here to RSVPTell the Fat Cats: Get Your Paws Off Our Public Schools [image: Rowdy Rauner and the Litterbox Crew caricatures from the Stand Up to the Fat Cats video. Names: Rowdy Rauner, the Rahminator, Bill the Fence, Penny Pincher, Kochta Brothe... more »

Michelle Rhee Never Misses an Opportunity To Exploit a Tragedy southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

http://www.southbronxschool.com: Michelle Rhee Never Misses an Opportunity To Exploit a Tragedy by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) The news trickled throughout my school yesterday at the horrors that had befallen the students, the teachers, the parents, and the community in Newtown CT. As a father I cannot imagine what the parents of the children who perished are going through. When I got home I immediately went online to scour the news sites to catch myself up on information that had been lagging. Then the cynical side of me took over. I wondered to myself which educational d... more »

Oh no, we don’t talk about that! now shhh…. « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Oh no, we don’t talk about that! now shhh…. « Cooperative Catalyst: Oh no, we don’t talk about that! now shhh…. by Jabreel Chisley Over the past few years, public discussion, and outrage over the blatant patterns of ethical and immoral misconduct in our nation’s schools have seemingly went untouched by some of the blogospheres most relevant education bloggers. From teenage girls being forced out of school because of unwed pregnancies, to Gay, Trans, and Lesbian students being openly humiliated, to schools (charter, public, and voucher) using evasive tactics to control populations... more »

Daily Kos: Because we are teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Daily Kos: Because we are teachers: Because we are teachers by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) we take seriously that the first charge we have is to keep our students safe. At Columbine a coach, William David Sanders, was shot when he went out into the dangerous area probably to try to warn more students. At Virginia Tech Prof. G. V. Loganathan was shot before his students were, and Professor Liviu Librescu, an Israeli Holocaust survivor, forcibly held the door to keep Cho out so his students could escape from the danger, himself dying for his troubles with shots through the door. A... more »

Is the Love Affair With Data Driven Public Policy Cooling Off? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Is the Love Affair With Data Driven Public Policy Cooling Off? | toteachornototeach: Is the Love Affair With Data Driven Public Policy Cooling Off? by aristotlethewise *Is the Love Affair With Data Driven Public Policy Cooling Off?* [image: 06hargreaves] by Marc Epstein The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) When historians and political scientists look back on the first decade of this century I suspect they’ll spend a fair amount of time explaining why politicians, enamored of data driven “reforms,” bypassed the democra... more »

Leader’s Response to School Tragedy – A Sample Family Letter | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Leader’s Response to School Tragedy – A Sample Family Letter | Connected Principals: Leader’s Response to School Tragedy – A Sample Family Letter by Joe Mazza Without a doubt, students, staff & families are going to come in Monday morning talking about the events that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut. Feel free to use this letter with your own school and perspective in mind to identify what steps you might take in proactive school safety initiatives. Embedded within the letter are efforts of one of my favorite parenting experts Dr. @MicheleBorba, as she provided some great 140 ch... more »

“Teach for America” aimed at San Diego Page 1 of 2 | UTSanDiego.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

“Teach for America” aimed at San Diego Page 1 of 2 | UTSanDiego.com: “Teach for America” aimed at San DiegoPeace Corps approach targets needy schools, but some are wary SAN DIEGO — Teach for America, the nonprofit that trains and deploys college graduates to hard-to-staff schools, has set its sights on San Diego. The organization hopes to send up to 50 new teachers to high-need schools throughout San Diego County starting in the fall. The San Diego city school board approved the first local partnership with Teach for America last week. The arrangement allows the San Diego Unified S... more »

A Time to Reflect | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

A Time to Reflect | Seattle Education: A Time to Reflect by seattleducation2011 “Violence is a disease, a disease that corrupts all who use it regardless of the cause.” Chris Hedges After going through the emotions that a parent goes through hearing about a child being hurt or killed, I began to think that the children in Newton, CT should not die in vain. It was ironic that after the first few reports about the shootings at the elementary school in this small, quiet town came out, the next news story would be about the Pentagon and their next warring tactics or how we were armi... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oddities in BEX IV

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oddities in BEX IV: Oddities in BEX IV by Melissa Westbrook Perusing the BEX IV presentation and then what was presented to the Mayor's Educational Leadership Team yesterday, I see some things that I don't understand. - BTA has been about major maintenance like roofs and yet there are five roofs to be replaced under BEX IV. That is troubling because BEX is about renovations and yet there are roofs and other "major preventative maintenance" under BEX IV. What is really troubling is the "major preventative maintenance" at $18M has... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Heros in Sandy Hook Elementary

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Heros in Sandy Hook Elementary: The Heros in Sandy Hook Elementary by Melissa Westbrook There has been a lot of name-calling and demonizing of teachers over the last few years. The teachers and those who represent them in the workplace - the teachers' union. *The teachers (and staff) at Sandy Hook saved lives. * Gave their own lives - standing between the shooter and the children - and died for those children. Young teachers, new teachers - all of them, right down the custodian. The Stranger Slog has this devastating interview with a firs... more »

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