School Tech Connect: Will You Help Me Test?

School Tech Connect: Will You Help Me Test?:

Will You Help Me Test?

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

I've learned more about Google Sites and Google Forms and scripting in the last three hours than I ever imagined.

I'm creating a database where pro-public education people living in the same state senate and representative districts can find each other easily. The hope is that all of us, representing the various groups that are fighting the good fight against corporate reform and the raiding of the pensions, can start to unite and share resources. And most of all, build relationships with our own legislators-- the ones who depend on our votes.

We're all over the state, all over the city of Chicago. Imagine how we could impact elections if we were actually working together.

I'm also creating an online community that does the same thing differently. It's actually easier to set up an online community than it is to set up a working, automated database, I find.

I need more beta testers. If you're in Illinois, and you want to help get this project off the ground, please consider filling out this form. It's just a way for me to send you an invitation to beta test.  I need about twenty people in order to test the scripts.

Thanks a lot.  Tell your friends.  When you fill out this form, you may have to scroll down to find the Submitbutton.

Jersey Jazzman: How Conservatives Co-Opt Racial Justice

Jersey Jazzman: How Conservatives Co-Opt Racial Justice:

How Conservatives Co-Opt Racial Justice

by Duke

Yeah, it's a provocative title for a post, I'll admit; but what happened yesterday in New Jersey was awfully provocative.

As Blue Jersey reported, Chris Christie's nominee to the state Supreme Court, Phillip Kwon, was voted down by the Senate Judiciary Committee along party lines. This is a very big deal in the NJ education debate, because Christie has made it clear he wants to overturn the court's ruling that mandated adequate funding for the poorest districts in the state. These are the famous "Abbott Districts," named for the landmark case brought by theEducation Law Center. The original ruling has since been superceeded by the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA).


Christie has made no secret that he wants to stack the court with nominees that will overturn SFRA; that would 

Educating Trayvon Martin « Cooperative Catalyst #trayvonmartin

Educating Trayvon Martin « Cooperative Catalyst:

Educating Trayvon Martin

POSTED BY TINASHE BLANCHET ⋅ MARCH 23, 2012 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENT

FILED UNDER  TRAYVON MARTIN

As an educator, I feel that I must speak out on the outrageous injustice regarding the Trayvon Martin case. As you probably already know, Trayvon Martin is a 17-year-old African-American high school student who was accosted and shot dead by a self-appointed “neighborhood watchman” while walking home in his neighborhood. This happened a month ago, and to date, the killer has not been charged with any crime, as he claimed he was acting in “self-defense”, although there is no evidence to support this claim. Thinking about this situation has brought up many feelings for me not only as a teacher, but also as a mother, wife, sister, niece and daughter. I am confused, angry, disappointed, outraged, discouraged, and hurt to think that someone can kill a child on the street, not go to jail, and then “pundits” can try to justify the killing for reasons like “he was wearing a hoodie” (in the rain).

I stand for justice for Trayvon, not because he was a “good kid”, as has been brought up many times in the media. In my opinion, that’s neither here nor there. Even if Trayvon had just been released from jail, he still has a right to live! There is NO evidence that he posed a threat to anyone, so why is no one being held accountable for his murder? I think this is a very relevant issue for educators, because we 

Is the Killer of Trayvon Martin a Police Informant? Feds Must Investigate Sanford Police #trayvonmartin

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Is the Killer of Trayvon Martin a Police Informant? Feds Must Investigate Sanford Police:

IS THE KILLER OF TRAYVON MARTIN A POLICE INFORMANT? FEDS MUST INVESTIGATE SANFORD POLICE

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012 AT 1:37PM

Is George Zimmerman, the killer of Trayvon Martin, a police informant?

According to Professor Vincent Intondi at Seminole State College,

“there’s no proof of that, but it’s the question a lot of us are asking. When the police arrived on the scene they asked him (zimmerman) about his background and he said he was ‘squeaky clean.’ They took him at his word. The reality is he had priors which included battery of a police officer. However, nothing ever came of these. Did he become an informant in exchange for dropping these charges? We don't know. We do know how badly he wanted to be a cop and normal people don't get away with attacking a police officer so it is certainly suspicious, which is why we want the feds to investigate the whole Sanford PD. One of the reasons this police chief was brought in (the one who just stepped down) was because a 

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 3-23 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform

John A. Payton, of NAACP Legal Defense Fund dies - The Root DC Live - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 31 minutes ago

John A. Payton, of NAACP Legal Defense Fund dies - The Root DC Live - The Washington Post: John A. Payton, of NAACP Legal Defense Fund diesByLynette Holloway | The RootJohn A. Payton, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, has died, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous has confirmed forThe Root.He was 65.NAACP Legal Defense Fund President and Director John Payton. (Alex Brandon - ASSOCIATED PRESS)Payton passed away suddenly on Thursday afternoon at Johns Hopkins ... more »

Frerichs to speak at DDBA brown-bag lunch | Davis Enterprise

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 31 minutes ago

Frerichs to speak at DDBA brown-bag lunch | Davis Enterprise: Frerichs to speak at DDBA brown-bag lunchbySpecial to The EnterpriseThe Davis Downtown Business Association will host a brown-bag lunch discussion on Wednesday with special guest Lucas Frerichs, candidate for the Davis City Council.This lunchtime forum will give downtown business owners and community members an opportunity to meet and talk with Frerichsabout his many years of civic volunteerism in Davis, his accomplishments in supporting the community and his vision for the ... more »

“Minorities who wear hoodies just asking to be shot,” says Geraldo Rivera. #trayvonmartin« Fred Klonsky

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“Minorities who wear hoodies just asking to be shot,” says Geraldo Rivera. « Fred Klonsky: “Minorities who wear hoodies just asking to be shot,” says Geraldo Rivera.byFred Klonsky“The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali.Minorities Who Wear Hoodies Just Asking to be Shot, Says Geraldo Rivera.This morning onFox and Friends, an unusually stupid walrus named Geraldo Riveraoffered”a different take” on the case of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager gunned down in the

Support PURE! » Will Illinois outlaw Noble’s “secret sauce??

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 31 minutes ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Will Illinois outlaw Noble’s “secret sauce??: Will Illinois outlaw Noble’s “secret sauce??byadminFeb. 13, 2012 press conference on Noble finesAccording to thisarticle by Jim Broadway in today’s Catalyst, Senator Willie Delgado passed anamendmentout of the Senate Education Committee last Wednesday which would essentially outlaw the fines Noble Street Charter Network charges its students for disciplinary infractions. Here’s what the amendment says:"Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section527A-5.5 as follows:(105 ... more »

A World-Class Education — Whole Child Education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 31 minutes ago

A World-Class Education — Whole Child Education: A World-Class EducationMarch 23, 2012 byKlea ScharbergIn the 20th century, the United States was the world leader in education—the first country to achieve universal secondary education and the first to expand higher education beyond the elite class. Now other countries are catching up and leaping ahead—in high school graduation rates, in the quality and equity of their K–12 education systems, and in the proportion of students graduating from college. It is not that ... more »

Occupy the Department of Education | Dailycensored.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 31 minutes ago

Occupy the Department of Education | Dailycensored.com: Occupy the Department of EducationbyDanny WeilPicture of Ceresta SmithAt the Education Week, Teacher — a blog, Ceresta Smith and Tim Slekar are interviewed by Oakland teacher,Anthony Cody. the blog can be found at:http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/03/teachers_and_parents_prepare_t.html?utm_source=twitterfeedutm_medium=twitterThe interview:Last summer many of us marched to protest the US Department of Education’s policies at theSave Our Schools march in Washington, DC.While there, I met two activists, Penns... more »

Students and Teachers: Cartoons | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 31 minutes ago

Students and Teachers: Cartoons | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Students and Teachers: CartoonsbylarrycubanFor this month, I have chosen cartoons fromBill Watterson‘s Calvin and Hobbes and two of Matt Groening’s categorizations of teachers that a reader of an earlier post put me onto. These cartoons are caricatures, exaggerations of positive and negative traits that we see daily in schools and classrooms. They get me to laugh, see humor where I had not seen it before, and, yes, ... more »

Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon" #trayvonmartin

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 31 minutes ago

Obama urges serious investigation of Florida teen killing - Reuters -: "You know, if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon"Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon"ByStephanie CondonTopicsIn The News,Obama AdministrationUpdated at 11:05 a.m. ET(CBS News) President Obama spoke out for the first time on Friday about the fatal shooting of an unarmed 17-year-old African-American boy in Florida named Trayvon Martin, calling it a "tragedy.""I can only imagine what these parents are going through," Mr. Obama ... more »

Can a National Student-Led Movement Catalyze Education Reform? - Education - GOOD

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Can a National Student-Led Movement Catalyze Education Reform? - Education - GOOD: Can a National Student-Led Movement Catalyze Education Reform?byLiz DwyerCan a student-led movement get young people to become vocal agitators for education reform? That’s the goal ofEdMonth, a national student-led movement and discussion that seeks to catalyze college-age students and get them to drive the discussion on improving both K-12 schools and higher education in America."We are trying to bring as much national attention to education, making it the ... more »

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post: Teacher: One (maddening) day working with the Common CoreValerie StraussatThe Answer Sheet-3 hours agoThis *was written by Jeremiah Chaffee, a high school English teacher in upstate New York for the last 13 years. It’s long but worth reading*. By Jeremiah Chaffee The high school English department in which I work recently spent a day looking at what is called an “exemplar” from the ... more »

Arne Duncan: Newspapers Shouldn't Publish Teacher Ratings - Teacher Beat - Education Week

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Arne Duncan: Newspapers Shouldn't Publish Teacher Ratings - Teacher Beat - Education Week: Arne Duncan: Newspapers Shouldn't Publish Teacher RatingsbyStephen SawchukPublishing teachers' ratings in the newspaper in the wayThe New York Timesand other outlets have done recently is not a good use of performance data, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in an interview yesterday."Do you need to publish every single teacher's rating in the paper? I don't think you do," he said. "There's not much of an upside ... more »

NYC Educator: A Message from Condi

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

NYC Educator: A Message from Condi: A Message from CondibyNYC EducatorHi everyone. It's me, your old pal Condoleezza Rice. You remember me. I'm the one who brought you the Iraq War. You know, I was the one who kept saying we didn't want the smoking gun to become a mushroom cloud, that Sadaam had WMDs, and all that. That's why we went to Iraq. Oh, popcorn balls,wedidn't actually go, but we sent an awful lot of soldiers there and spent ... more »

Data Center: School District Grades - Low-Income Students - ContraCostaTimes.com

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Data Center: School District Grades - Low-Income Students - ContraCostaTimes.com: Data Center: School District Grades - Low-Income StudentsByDaniel WillisBay Area News GroupPosted: 03/22/2012 05:06:18 PM PDTUpdated: 03/22/2012 06:24:44 PM PDTCounty:AllAlamedaButteContra CostaFresnoImperialLos AngelesMaderaMarinMercedMontereyNapaOrangePlacerRiversideSacramentoSan BernardinoSan DiegoSan FranciscoSan JoaquinSan Luis ObispoSan MateoSanta BarbaraSanta ClaraSanta CruzSolanoSonomaStanislausSutterTulareVenturaYoloYubaDistrict:AllABC UnifiedAlameda City UnifiedAlhambra UnifiedAlvord Unified... more »

California state report makes recommendations on teacher layoff process | 89.3 KPCC

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California state report makes recommendations on teacher layoff process | 89.3 KPCC: California state report makes recommendations on teacher layoff processMarch 22, 2012 | ByAdolfo Guzman-Lopez0Damian Dovarganes/APTeachers, parents and supporters rally as the Los Angeles Unified School District board meets to consider budget cuts and layoffs.DownloadAnew report saysCalifornia school districts need to change the way they lay off teachers.The state’s Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) says the system now in place carries a high cost — in dollars, morale and teacher ... more »

California state report makes recommendations on teacher layoff process | 89.3 KPCC

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

California state report makes recommendations on teacher layoff process | 89.3 KPCC: California state report makes recommendations on teacher layoff processMarch 22, 2012 | ByAdolfo Guzman-Lopez0Damian Dovarganes/APTeachers, parents and supporters rally as the Los Angeles Unified School District board meets to consider budget cuts and layoffs.DownloadAnew report saysCalifornia school districts need to change the way they lay off teachers.The state’s Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) says the system now in place carries a high cost — in dollars, morale and teacher ... more »

Losing experience in teacher layoffs | Thoughts on Public Education

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Losing experience in teacher layoffs | Thoughts on Public Education: Losing experience in teacher layoffs - by Kathryn BaronbyKathryn BaronCalifornia school districts should not be bound by seniority when budget cuts force them to lay off teachers, according to far-reaching report released yesterday by the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. A Review of the Teacher Layoff Process in California also recommends changing the deadline for notifying teachers they may be laid off from March 15 to [...]Weighted student formula is already ... more »

THE MEDIA AND EMBARRASSED AUTHORITY FIGURES « Teachers Fight Back

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THE MEDIA AND EMBARRASSED AUTHORITY FIGURES « Teachers Fight Back: THE MEDIA AND EMBARRASSED AUTHORITY FIGURESbyalkleenWatch out if you do something wrong and your actions are picked up by the news media and or the social media. If your actions caused your superiors to become embarrassed because millions of people saw the wrongdoing, your punishment is likely to be way more severe than it normally would be.Take the case of the five members of the Southern Mississippi pep band who ... more »

California State University Leaders Modeling The “People’s University” After The “For-Profit Education Sector” | California Progress Report

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

California State University Leaders Modeling The “People’s University” After The “For-Profit Education Sector” | California Progress Report: California State University Leaders Modeling The “People’s University” After The “For-Profit Education Sector”bymeganBy Lillian TaizCalifornia Faculty AssociationWithout a public mandate and without open discussion within democratic processes, the administration of the California State University is transforming California’s great public university—“The People’s University”—into the image of a For-Profit higher education enterprise.This is the ... more »

Report: Pink-slipping costs $706 per teacher | teachers, report, districts - News - The Orange County Register

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

Report: Pink-slipping costs $706 per teacher | teachers, report, districts - News - The Orange County Register: Report: Pink-slipping costs $706 per teacherThree in four California teachers who get an initial layoff warning are rehired, the Legislative Analyst’s Office saysToo many teachers in California receive preliminary layoff notices each spring as school districts plan for worst-case budget-cutting scenarios, a time-intensive process that carries a hefty $706 price tag per notified educator, according to an independent review from the state's Legislative ...more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-22 #soschat #EDReform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 10 hours ago

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Cheating Scandal: A Conspiracy of SilenceBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-27 minutes agoArticles: D.C. Cheating Scandal: A Conspiracy of Silence: D.C. Cheating Scandal: A Conspiracy of SilenceByM. Catharine Evans and Ann KaneIt took nine years for rumors of cheating on test scores by school personnel in Atlanta to percolate and trigger a devastating nine-month investigation by their governor. Will it take nine or more years for D.C. schoolchildren to get the same kind of ...more »

Report gives C's, D's to schools in educating poor, minority students - San Jose Mercury News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 10 hours ago

Report gives C's, D's to schools in educating poor, minority students - San Jose Mercury News: Report gives C's, D's to schools in educating poor, minority studentsBy Sharon Noguchisnoguchi@mercurynews.comPosted: 03/22/2012 04:18:15 PM PDTUpdated: 03/22/2012 06:33:06 PM PDTRelated StoriesMar 22:Data Center: School District Grades - Low-Income StudentsData Center: School District Grades - Minority StudentsBay Area school districts not only poorly serve their minority and low-income students, they also do worse in general than their Southern California counterparts, according to a rep... more »

School Tech Connect: Open Rebellion Almost

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 10 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Open Rebellion Almost: Open Rebellion Almostbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim)Did you see this?Sir: The exchange between Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott and myself dealt with the heavy burden state mandated testing has on effective teaching and learning in Texas classrooms.Because of the vigorous punitive measures taken against districts, schools and teachers when scores are below minimum expectations, most districts have created a test based local curriculum. In many school districts, mandated common assessments directly linked to the state exam are ... more »

State report recommends changes to school districts' pink slip process, timing - LA Daily News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 10 hours ago

State report recommends changes to school districts' pink slip process, timing - LA Daily News: State report recommends changes to school districts' pink slip process, timingByBarbara Jones, Staff WriterPosted: 03/22/2012 05:36:44 PM PDTUpdated: 03/22/2012 05:52:56 PM PDTA REVIEW OF THE TEACHER LAYOFF PROCESS IN CALIFORNIATo read the report, clickhere.California's system for laying off public school teachers is costly and overly restrictive and could be improved by changing state law to give school districts more leeway in making personnel decisions, a ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Teachers on the Edge of Poverty

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 10 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Teachers on the Edge of Poverty: Teachers on the Edge of PovertybyDukeBruce Bakerhas an important post up about the Opportunity Scholarship Act - New Jersey's voucher bill. Basically, the way the bill is now written, it would be little more than a massive giveaway of tax funds to yeshivas in Lakewood and, to a lesser degree, Passaic; somewhere on the order of $67 million. All voucher supporters should have to answer to Bruce's arguments here.But his post also ...more »

We No Speak Americano [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 10 hours ago

We No Speak Americano [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: We No Speak Americano [Future of Teaching]byJoseExcerpt:While we should always have a skeptical eye towards new research, here’s hoping this movement towards bilingual education doesn’t die the way the movement towards the metric system. (As a math teacher, I’m still annoyed at having to use inches instead of centimeters.) At this point in education, we’ve only had a passing fancy with other languages. Spanish, French, German, and Italian seem ... more »