Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:Saturday coffee.by Fred KlonskyNo time to sit and savor the coffee this morning. Ulysses had a grooming appointment at 11:00.I don’t want to say what it costs us to get our dog’s hair cut. But Joe charges me $20 for clippers and a straight razor shave with hot towels. Ulysses costs way more.Thursday I had my yearly physical, so I took the day off.I stopped by the Logan Square library on my way home to early ...more »
Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part III:The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part IIIby DukeWhen we last left the very reformy Dr. Steve Perry, he was in the throes of a Twitter spasm, denigrating teachers while extolling his own moral superiority. In Part I and Part II of this series, I took a look at the student population of his school; turns out he has far fewer students in poverty at his magnet school than ...more »
Why school should be funnier - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Why school should be funnierBy Valerie Strauss This was written by Mark Phillips, professor emeritus of secondary education at San Francisco State University. This was written for his blog on Edutopia, and he also publishes a monthly column on education for the Marin Independent Journal.By Mark PhillipsWhen I first began teaching high school I had two students who sat near the front of the room and quietly laughed ...more »
Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kids | Lefty Parent:Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kidsby Cooper ZaleThe opinion piece, “Liberals, Don’t Homeschool Your Kids: Why teaching children at home violates progressive values”, by Slate magazine contributor Dana Goldstein, touched a nerve with political progressives on Daily KOS who strongly second Goldstein’s call and also others who as strongly disagree. Whatever you think about homeschooling, the piece touches on some fundamental issues about how those of us who believe in ...more »
We Know How to End Bullying in Schools—So Why Don't We Do It? - Education - GOOD:We Know How to End Bullying in Schools—So Why Don't We Do It?by Liz DwyerIn the aftermath of Monday's school shooting, students at Ohio's Chardon High School headed back to classyesterday. With three students dead, allegedly at the hands of a troubled classmate, the community is grasping for answers about how such a tragedy could have happened, while parents and teachers nationwide have renewed ...more »
All Education Matters: Addendum: Ben Bernanke's Son Owes $400k In Student Loans:Addendum: Ben Bernanke's Son Owes $400k In Student Loansby Cryn JohannsenYesterday, I wrote a short blog post about Bernanke's indebted son. It was too newsworthy to ignore, so I published a piece over at Loop21 about it, too. Here's a snippet:Even Federal Reserve Chairman son will graduate with student loan debtEven though it is likely that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s son will not have trouble paying off his ...more »
Crisis of Democracy: Virginia Hunger Strike | Dissident Voice:Crisis of Democracy: Virginia Hunger Strikeby Ravi KatariOn March 1, 2012, a hunger strike consisting of 26 students at the University of Virginia came to a close. TheLiving Wage Campaign made an unprecedented decision to initiate a hunger strike to achieve its goals of raising worker wages from the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr to to $13/hr. Though the University has a minimum rate of $10.65, this official rate does not apply ...more »
Why Common Core Standards Will Fail (Jay Mathews and Chester Finn) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:Why Common Core Standards Will Fail (Jay Mathews and Chester Finn)by larrycubanJay Mathews is the Washington Post senior journalist on education. He writes frequently about school reforms. This article appeared February 23, 2012; Chester Finn writes often for Education Gadfly. He wrote about Common Core on March 1, 2012.Jay Mathews:Virginia, take a bow.While Maryland, 44 other states and the District are ...more »
A KEEN SENSE FOR THE OBVIOUS « Teachers Fight Back:A KEEN SENSE FOR THE OBVIOUSby alkleenOh no! Not another useless university study. We must convince Congress to pass the “Useless University Research Bill”. This bill would ban all university research that is deemed useless because the result is so obvious.Now comes a study from the University of California at Berkeley, that tells us that rich people are less generous and more likely to be unethical when it comes to money ...more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Michelle Rhee - Will She Get Investigated?:Michelle Rhee - Will She Get Investigated?by Melissa WestbrookAccording to the NY Times, it seems that there is an investigation about the cheating in D.C. schools and guess who it may reach? Yes, that would be Michelle Rhee.Apparently, Arne Duncan enjoys spending stage time with Rhee but others are questioning why he is being seen with her at all.From the article;If there is any hope of getting to the bottom ...more »
Mother Crusader: NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-4 minutes agoMother Crusader: NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!:NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!by darciecimaI had a bit of an outburst when I read this in today's NJDOE press release:Under the Christie Administration, the Department has strengthened charter operations by:Following a careful and stringent three-stage review and approval ...more »
Beaverton School District is holding 100 meetings to help people understand its budget | OregonLive.com:Beaverton School District is holding 100 meetings to help people understand its budgetby Wendy Owen, The OregonianBeaverton School District is offering a more intimate look at its pending budget woes by opening its school doors to parents, students and community members for budget teaching sessions. Folks will have their choice of 100 meetings at a variety of schools to attend between March 6 and March 22. ...more »
School Tech Connect: Nobody's Going To Wait Years For Anything:Nobody's Going To Wait Years For Anythingby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)I've been warning about this phenomenon for centuries. Heverly is pointing to something important but unmentioned in the Common Core debates that I have read. These new tests in nearly every state will delay, if not stop altogether, the national move towardrating teachers by student score improvements. School districts can’t do that when the tests change so radically. They might have to wait ...more »
Jeb Bush’s Desperate Attempt to Save Florida’s Parent Trigger Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings:Jeb Bush’s Desperate Attempt to Save Florida’s Parent Trigger Legislationby Bob SikesApparently, its not such a sure thing to advocates of Florida’s parent trigger legislation. After Bush ally John Thrasher’s attempt to circumvent the committee process failed this afternoon, Bush sent the following email to followers: Dear Friend,Florida’s parents and students need your help. Tomorrow, the Senate Budget Committee is holding a special meeting on a bill ...more »
Modern School: San Francisco School Board Waives Seniority:San Francisco School Board Waives Seniorityby Michael DunnThe San Francisco School Board voted 5-1 this week to do away with seniority protections in order to save the jobs of 70 low-seniority teachers in 14 low-performing schools in the “Superintendent’s Zone.” They also voted 5-1 to issue 485 layoff notices, including 210 teacher and counselor layoffs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.An editorial in the Chron lamented that “low-performing schools won't improve if their ...more »
Parent Opt Out Letter from Colorado | United Opt Out National:Parent Opt Out Letter from Coloradoby adminDear —————:The response I received from you via e-mail dated March 1, 2012 is a clear violation of my rights as a parent. It is also a clear indication that ——- is being denied a free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive environment unless he participates in the TCAP.I am aware that parental rights are broadly protected by Supreme Court decisions (Meyer and ...more »
Schools Matter: The Gates Solution to Political Deadlock: More Technocrats in Charge from ALEC:The Gates Solution to Political Deadlock: More Technocrats in Charge from ALECby Jim HornAt the heart of this generation's retread argument for post-partisanship in all things political, there is another, though more dangerous, version of rule by the experts lurking there. Society engineered by scientific managers or "experts" was tried a hundred years ago, but since Bill Gates doesn't read history, apparently we must go down that ...more »
Tweak. « Fred Klonsky:Tweak.by Fred KlonskyFredWhen I was starting out, it seemed like all the principals were wizened career veterans. Now that I’m a wizened career veteran, it seems like there’s a whole generation of 5-year teachers running schools.I was telling one of our local activists that last year, at a local principal candidate forum, one of the candidates said in response to a question, “Well, we’ll have to tweak the metrics around that and see what we come up ...more »
School Tech Connect: Can I Get A Witness?:Can I Get A Witness?by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)What is this?Jim Broadway has evidently been telling people about Illinois' new Virtual Witness Slip program, but I've only just opened my eyes to it.As you review the list of bills in the House committee, you may find some that you have an opinion about - but you are busy with your job and your family responsibilities and your life. How can you express your opinions without ...more »
Help! My principal (new to the school) wants us to give the students a mock test to prepare for the CST. It’s supposed to show us which standards students are struggling with. The tests are the released test questions. The 6th grade Language Arts mock test has 114 questions and is 26 pages, front to back. The 6th grade math mock test has 96 questions and is 12 pages, front to back. The 3rd grade tests each have 96 questions with 13 reading passages on the Language Arts test. I was literally speechless when I saw the tests, though choice words quickly followed. If I found out that my own children were forced to take a mock test like this, I would be furious. I opt my oldest out of the CSTs every year (youngest is only in 1st grade) but I wouldn’t know about something
I gave away my Kindle tonight. It's a neat tool, but it was actually slowing me down, what with having to make investment decisions on so many books.
Within ten minutes, I found these at the big government socialized reading center. It's amazing how certain titles get by you. Life of Pi, for example. How have I not read that one yet? Another one of these titles, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was an Oprah Book Club title, so naturally I avoided it. Oprah's a huge ed reformer of the Michelle Rhee variety, so that tells me all I need to know about her judgement.
We sat in the gymtorium watching the presentation about the Negro Baseball League, and he wouldn’t stop. He sat a few feet away from me and he wouldn’t stop talking, wouldn’t stop leaning on other people, and he wouldn’t stop putting his hands on others. His teacher was absent, and the substitute, well, I guess he felt as long as he was there…
The student teacher pointed him out to me, and my mind raced to a time when I had tried to discipline this little boy in the hallway. He said something to me that almost made me forget
gothamschools.org - Big-city mayors and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan during a panel discussion today in Washington, D.C. Last week, Chancellor Dennis Walcott spent Friday morning cautioning reporters not to ta...
opposingviews.com - During an interview with Time‘s Mark Halperin, Mitt Romney was asked if he thought controversial radio host and former drug addict Rush Limbaugh had too much influence on the Republican Party. “You...
seattleducation2010.wordpress.com - Dr. Wayne Au is an Assistant Professor in the Education Program at the University of Washington in Bothell. Dr. Au is also editor of Rethinking Schools. Dr. Au was a panelist at the PTA forum on c...
southbronxschool.com - I originally wrote this for the Huffington Post on February 5. I have slightly rewritten it. This is a big step for me. My name is Peter Zucker. I am a teacher at PS 154 in District 7 in The Bronx...
pasisahlberg.com - In FINNISH LESSONS: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland? I conclude that rather than introducing sequential educational revolutions, Finnish education policy has been built ...
huffingtonpost.com - Opening a new phase for the Obama administration's role in education reform, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signaled interest in applying for the revamped, di...
journalgazette.net - Northeast Indiana residents who support public education should mark their calendars for two upcoming events: On Sunday and Monday, Cinema Center in Fort Wayne will host a free showing of "The Inco...
preaprez.wordpress.com - Back on February 24th we reported on the Governor’s plan to cut state funding for TRIP, the retiree health insurance program. From our IEA leaders there has been no word. Today, two weeks later, IE...
therightscoop.com - I’m so glad Santorum didn’t throw Rush under the bus like some Republicans have today, pandering to Democrats. Instead he defended Rush, noting that basically he was pointing out the absurd with th...
thinkprogress.org - Yesterday, he unleashed a hateful tirade against 30-year-old Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke, who became a birth control activist after her friend developed ovarian cysts and found that the ora...
preaprez.wordpress.com - No time to sit and savor the coffee this morning. Ulysses had a grooming appointment at 11:00. I don’t want to say what it costs us to get our dog’s hair cut. But Joe charges me $20 for clippers an...
democraticunderground.com - Source: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/03/03/a_staRush Limbaugh Apologizes To Sandra Fluke After days of criticism from the left and Democrats -- and the loss of several advertisers -- Rush...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Limbaugh Apology Makes It Obvious He Has No Idea What Sandra Fluke Said « Student Activism:Limbaugh Apology Makes It Obvious He Has No Idea What Sandra Fluke Saidby Angus JohnstonThree days after c...
michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Rahm Emanuel is mayor of Chicago for two reasons. One -- he was given a multi-million-dollar campaign war chest by a handful of billionaire Koch Bros. types. Two -- he rode back into town on the go...
thinkprogress.org - Last week, a video of a school bus beating showing two African American children assaulting a white student began circulating the internet. Despite claims by authorities that the attack was not nec...
defendwisconsin.org - – March 3, 2012Posted in: Mass Media, Press Billionaire David Koch recently funded Gov. Walker’s PR misinformation campaign to the tune of $700,000, through Americans for Prosperity, to present the...
millermps.wordpress.com - Right Wing Heartland Institute Moves to Exclusive New OfficesOne South Wacker #2740 Chicago, Illinois 60606 See map: Google Maps After 15 years in offices on South LaSalle Street, Heartland Institu...
whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release March 03, 2012 WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama told the American people that three years after helping the...
denverpost.com - Three Colorado bird researchers announced today that they have discovered the answer to a longstanding mystery about black swifts.These birds have been the objects of focused research in Colorado ...
mediamatters.org - The Muppets. SpongeBob SquarePants. Dr. Seuss.Beloved icons of childhood entertainment in America, or subtle forms of anti-business indoctrination that brainwash your kids into hating capitalism?Th...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part III:The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part IIIby DukeWhen we last left the very reformy Dr. Steve Perry, he was in the throes of a Twitter s...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Tweak. « Fred Klonsky:Tweak.by Fred KlonskyFredWhen I was starting out, it seemed like all the principals were wizened career veterans. Now that I’m a wizened career veteran, it seems like there’s ...
schooltechconnect.com - The more I read about the Common Core Standards--- in fact, the more I read the actual standards--- the more worried I get about what the near term future is going to hold for our nation. The so-ca...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Last Week's Best Posts on Big Education Ape » PostRank Hide7.9 Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-1 #soschat #EDReform 2012-Mar-2...
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Digital Natives, Or Digital Citizens? | Taking Note Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 minutes ago Digital Natives, Or Digital Citizens? | Taking Note:Digital Natives, Or Digital ...
journalgazette.net - Northeast Indiana residents who support public education should mark their calendars for two upcoming events: On Sunday and Monday, Cinema Center in Fort Wayne will host a free showing of "The Inco...