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Friday, January 13, 2012

#edreform - Cream - White Room


Cream - White Room
---
In the white room with black curtains near the station.
Blackroof country, no gold pavements, tired starlings.
Silver horses ran down moonbeams in your dark eyes.
Dawnlight smiles on you leaving, my contentment.

Ill wait in this place where the sun never shines;
Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves.

You said no strings could secure you at the station.
Platform ticket, restless diesels, goodbye windows.
I walked into such a sad time at the station.
As I walked out, felt my own need just beginning.

Ill wait in the queue when the trains come back;
Lie with you where the shadows run from themselves.

At the party she was kindness in the hard crowd.
Consolation for the old wound now forgotten.
Yellow tigers crouched in jungles in her dark eyes.
Shes just dressing, goodbye windows, tired starlings.

Ill sleep in this place with the lonely crowd;
Lie in the dark where the shadows run from themselves.


Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform 1-13


GOP House Leader Tom Cross: Give tax money to Sears and CME. Freeze employee wages. « Fred Klonsky

GOP House Leader Tom Cross: Give tax money to Sears and CME. Freeze employee wages. « Fred Klonsky:GOP House Leader Tom Cross: Give tax money to Sears and CME. Freeze employee wages.by Fred KlonskyGOP House Leader Tom Cross, who along with Mike Madigan, Governor Quinn and Rahm Emanuel got the massive tax breaks for Sears and the CME, demanded wage freezes for state employees.The State Journal Register:Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration should push for a wage freeze in upcoming

RheeFirst! » The art of talking simplistically: Rhee talks ed reform and poverty

RheeFirst! » The art of talking simplistically: Rhee talks ed reform and poverty:The art of talking simplistically: Rhee talks ed reform and povertyby adminNote: Rhee has perfected the art of simplistic thinking, shorn of nuances and packaged in bumper sticker prose. See below, for example.And watch this video by D.C. parents and teachers that contradict her simplisms.From this interview by Ida Lieszkovszky for State Impact Ohio.“Q: One of our listeners wants to know what impact on a student’s success or ... more »

DIVERSE Education Headlines

Higher Education Headlines:Policy Study Touts the Expertise, Experience of Minority-Serving SchoolsLatest articles - 3 minutes agoA new policy brief issued this week by the Institute for Higher Education Policy says Minority Serving Institutions should be seen as “experts in the education of low-income, first generation and under-represented students.” in NewsCommentary: CollegeFish.org Helps Net Students for Senior CollegeLatest articles - 3 minutes agoPhi Theta Kappa Honor Society has for the past three years spent over $2 million to design an interactive ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: "Pay Teachers More, But Until We Do..."

Jersey Jazzman: "Pay Teachers More, But Until We Do...":"Pay Teachers More, But Until We Do..."by DukeWe need a name for a certain species of education "reformer." The characteristics of this particular animal are:He believes we really need to pay teachers more.He has no plan for how to raise the revenues to pay teachers more.Until he figures out how to pay teachers more, he thinks we need to fire bad teachers immediately. And replace them with good teachers, who will be ... more »

Money From Donors, iPads for Free: How Is it That Teach For America's Struggling Corps Are Broke? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Money From Donors, iPads for Free: How Is it That Teach For America's Struggling Corps Are Broke? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Money From Donors, iPads for Free: How Is it That Teach For America's Struggling Corps Are Broke?By Anthony Cody on January 13, 2012 11:18 AMGuest post by Barbara Torre Veltri, Ed. D.The season of giving might be behind us, but non-profits continue to target donors. Teach For America, Inc., attracts major contributions, but TFA teachers (often ... more »

Schools As Collateral Damage: The Price We Pay For A Decade Of Tweed’s Failed Policies | Edwize

Schools As Collateral Damage: The Price We Pay For A Decade Of Tweed’s Failed Policies | Edwize:Schools As Collateral Damage: The Price We Pay For A Decade Of Tweed’s Failed Policiesby Leo CaseyMuch like the brief torrential rain which drenched New Yorkers on Thursday morning, Mayor Bloomberg’s Thursday afternoon State of the City Address received a deluge of media attention. Today, the print and electronic media feature talk of his jeremiad against the UFT, of his attempted resurrection of ‘market ... more »

Seeking the Essence of Unitarian-Universalism | Lefty Parent

Seeking the Essence of Unitarian-Universalism | Lefty Parent:Seeking the Essence of Unitarian-Universalismby Cooper ZaleIn her blog piece “Love is More Important than Freedom”, Unitarian-Universalist minister Victoria Weinstein writes…It has come time for Unitarian Universalists to admit that we have honored free thought over love as an institutional commitment, and to consider the possibility that our obsession with personal freedom of belief has caused our organizations spiritual harm. We have developed a congregational culture that honors intellectual dominance over love and ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts 1-13 #ows #edreform #edchat

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 1-12 #edreform #owsBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-3 minutes agoNYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Address « EdVoxBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-42 minutes agoNYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Address « EdVox:NYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Addressby edvoxnyPopout(New York, NY – January 12, 2012) – Mayor Bloomberg delivered his State of ... more »

NH Legislation Votes to Give Parents Control Over their Child’s Education « PWC Education Reform Blog

NH Legislation Votes to Give Parents Control Over their Child’s Education « PWC Education Reform Blog:NH Legislation Votes to Give Parents Control Over their Child’s Educationby pwceducationreformIn overriding the Governor’s veto, Legislators in New Hampshire voted to give parents control over what their children are taught.The bill, HB 542, says “Require school districts to adopt a policy allowing an exception to specific course material based on a parent’s or legal guardian’s determination that the material is objectionable. Such policy shall ... more »

Mother Crusader: Pants on Fire

Mother Crusader: Pants on Fire:Pants on Fireby darciecimaTikun Olam lead applicant Sharon Akman responded to a reporter yesterday for the first time in months. Walt Kane from News Channel 12 did a Kane in Your Corner segment last night as a follow up to Michael Winerip's NY Times Column which detailed the misrepresentations in the application. I guess a guy at your door with a camera and a microphone is more intimidating than a disembodied print journalist sending emails or ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 1-12 #edreform #ows

NYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Address « EdVoxBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-42 minutes agoNYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Address « EdVox:NYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Addressby edvoxnyPopout(New York, NY – January 12, 2012) – Mayor Bloomberg delivered his State of the City address at Morris High School in the Bronx today, including several thousand words on education. Parent leader Zakiyah ...more »

Des Moines Education Association: Summary of Governor's Education Reform Proposals

Des Moines Education Association: Summary of Governor's Education Reform Proposals:Summary of Governor's Education Reform Proposalsby Mr. RThis summary of the education reform proposals was written by DMEA Executive Board member, Andrew Rasmussen:- The governor has now released his final proposals for education reform to the state legislature who will now craft the legislation to put the reforms into effect. You can read the full proposal at the following link…http://www.desmoinesregister.com/assets/pdf/D218358416.PDF- Among the proposals there are several that will have a major ... more »

School Tech Connect: You Could Do So Much Better With A 401 (k)

School Tech Connect: You Could Do So Much Better With A 401 (k):You Could Do So Much Better With A 401 (k)by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Pensions are a ripoff for teachers!I almost lost track of this "Guide For Legislators" that Ed Sector put online. It's written by this guy, who sounds charming and knowledgeable, and whose involvement in actual teaching rivals Arne Duncan's. Anyway, I mention it because it's really quite a piece of work. Here in Illinois, I'm used to being ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Massive Charter Malfeasance, Jersey Style

Jersey Jazzman: Massive Charter Malfeasance, Jersey Style:Massive Charter Malfeasance, Jersey Styleby DukeIn case you still wonder why so many people in New Jersey have so many doubts about charter schools, here's one more reason, courtesy of the Star-Ledger:Nearly 200 school board members must "immediately vacate their position" after failing to complete a background check mandated under a new state law, a state Department of Education spokesman said today .Under the state law enacted last year, the only one of its ... more »

Kimble's Corner: Congressman Kimble Investigates Islamic Caliphate in South Carolina

Kimble's Corner: Congressman Kimble Investigates Islamic Caliphate in South Carolina:Congressman Kimble Investigates Islamic Caliphate in South Carolinaby Representative KimbleI've been campaigning hard in South Carolina and I have definitely enjoyed the challenge of campaigning to African-Americans for the first time in my career. The number of black Republicans is small, but substantial and I've relied on everything that I learned from Michael Steele to reach out to them with an urban suburban vibe and good conservative values yo digity.I had ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg's State of the City address: an administration that has run out of education ideas -- even bad ones

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg's State of the City address: an administration that has run out of education ideas -- even bad ones:Bloomberg's State of the City address: an administration that has run out of education ideas -- even bad onesby Leonie HaimsonThe education proposals in Bloomberg’s State of the City address are being described as “ambitious” in the New York Times and GothamSchools. Not surprisingly, I see it differently. First he claimed that “By almost any measure, students are ... more »

ACLU warns Dallas ISD to "tread cautiously" on loosening restrictions to allow graduations in religious facilities | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com

ACLU warns Dallas ISD to "tread cautiously" on loosening restrictions to allow graduations in religious facilities | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com:ACLU warns Dallas ISD to "tread cautiously" on loosening restrictions to allow graduations in religious facilitiesby Tawnell Hobbs/ReporterThe American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is demanding that Dallas ISD reconsider a proposal that would no longer restrict graduations at churches and other religious buildings. Dallas school trustees are likely to discuss the proposal at Thursday's board briefing. It is ... more »

Modern School: Gates Right For Once? Of Course Not! #edreform

Modern School: Gates Right For Once? Of Course Not!:Gates Right For Once? Of Course Not!by Michael DunnA new study released last week by the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation found that rating teachers by watching them teach is possibly the best way to help them improve, the Los Angeles Times reported this week. It also found that observing teachers infrequently (once a year or less) is insufficient, and that the observers, generally school administrators, often don't know what to look for.Huck/Konopacki ... more »

Bush Foundation, Florida Chamber of Commerce Release Simultaneous Spin on State Ranking Drop | Scathing Purple Musings

Bush Foundation, Florida Chamber of Commerce Release Simultaneous Spin on State Ranking Drop | Scathing Purple Musings:Bush Foundation, Florida Chamber of Commerce Release Simultaneous Spin on State Ranking Dropby Bob SikesIf there was any real doubt that Jeb Bush’s faux education foundation and the Florida Chamber of Commerce weren’t in cahoots should be dispelled today by the groups choreographed release of statements in regards toFlorida’s slide in education rankings. The Tampa Bay Times actually found the Chamber to be “cheering.” ... more »

Schools Matter: Nine Years Before Ten Years After

Schools Matter: Nine Years Before Ten Years After:Nine Years Before Ten Years Afterby Jim HornI have been deliberately ignoring the 10th painful anniversary of NCLB-S. I appreciate the grisly work of Lisa Guisbond and Monty Neill in unearthing all those dead bodies and in reminding us that those who don't recall the past. . . .I know. I was looking for something else and came across a Bracey's (may he rest in peace) prophetic pieceposted on the Web on January ... more »

Sac City Unified Faces Dire 2012-13 Budget - Rosemont, CA Patch

Sac City Unified Faces Dire 2012-13 Budget - Rosemont, CA Patch:

Sac City Unified Faces Dire 2012-13 Budget

School district officials discussed next year's budget this week.

California's mid-year budget cuts weren't as bad for K-12 education as many expected, but the Sacramento City Unified School District is again facing a grim outlook for the next school year.

At Thursday's board meeting, district officials discussed laying off all middle and high school counselors and librarians, as well as cutting half of all custodians and shuttering adult education–just some of the possible cuts that could be required next year to close a budget gap of more than $28 million.

A decision on the cuts will be made at the board's Jan. 19 meeting, but Superintendent Jonathan Raymond said that won't be the last word on the subject.

"These are ugly cuts," Raymond wrote in a letter to staff. "But I want to caution against panic. This is just the start of our budget process. While we