Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, July 16, 2012

Jersey Jazzman: Fully Virtual Charters Halted in NJ - For Now

Jersey Jazzman: Fully Virtual Charters Halted in NJ - For Now:


Fully Virtual Charters Halted in NJ - For Now

Well, well, well...
The state’s first proposed full-time virtual charter school will have to wait at least year to begin educating students.
The state Department of Education today announced approval of nine new charter schools for September, but said the New Jersey Virtual Academy Charter School, a full-time online charter school, would instead be given a "planning" year to further develop "academic and operational components."
However, two offering a mix of online and traditional learning did receive approval. 

Chicago Teachers Union | Save Our Schools Webinar: Building a United Teachers Union with Local Support

Chicago Teachers Union | Save Our Schools Webinar: Building a United Teachers Union with Local Support:



Save Our Schools Webinar: Building a United Teachers Union with Local Support

07/13/2012
Click here to register for this event.
 
 
On the March to Save and Transform Public Schools  
 
 
Yes; We Can! Build a United Teachers Union with Local Support 
To Hear How Join Us!

SOSBdg Save Our Schools Webinar
Build a United Teachers Union with Local Support
with Karen Lewis, Jitu Brown
and Narrator Dr Michael Klonsky
Tuesday, July 17, 2012  
9 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT] 

Fighting Teachers Unions With Local Parent Community Support 
It is not a dream.
ctu march 
Here's how we do it in Chicago.
A conversation with Karen Lewis, CTU president and Jitu Brown, education organizer for the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO), narrated by SOS National Steering Committee member Dr. Michael Klonsky. 

We Come Together in the Fight for Education Rights
In May 2012, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's teacher contract offer was denounced as an "insult."  

"On every issue, they offered counters to his "reform" agenda of privatization, charter schools, longer school day,and test-based teacher evaluation....After more than 4,000 CTU members poured out of the Congress Theater, they were joined by rallying supporters across the street in Grant Park, with the groups merging into a sea of red-shirted marchers. As they proceeded up Michigan Ave. and then west on Adams, they were greeted with signs of support from onlookers -- a group of custodians, some medical techs, hard-hatted construction workers and retail clerks. Even the mayor's bike cops, many of whom had been used against the anti-NATO demonstrators on Saturday, now were wearing CTU buttons and posing for pictures hugging union marchers.  

As the current negotiations move into high gear, Rahm would do well not to underestimate the level of solidarity and commitment on the part of the teachers. I didn't find any who wanted a strike. But neither did I find any who weren't ready to walk if pushed to the wall."  ~ Mike Klonsky
 
We Can Fight Together for Education Rights Nationwide!
Let Us Save Our Schools
In Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Denver. In Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin too, in cities and the countywide, we can build a fighting teachers union with parent and community support.  We will discuss how. When?
 
SOSBdg Save Our Schools Webinar
Build a United Teachers Union with Local Support
with Karen Lewis, Jitu Brown
and Narrator Dr Michael Klonsky
Tuesday, July 17, 2012  
9 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT] 

Of course to get the fullest measure of unity you can join us in D.C. Write the People's Education Platform. Speak with Civil and Human Rights Advocates as well as Education experts. Shanta DriverNancy Carlsson-PaigeDeborah Meier and Rose Sanders, will speak and share at the SOS People's Education Convention this coming August 3-5 at the beautiful Marriot-Wardman Hotel in Washington, DC. Click here to registerfor the SOS Convention - and we'll see you online this Tuesday the 17th at the SOS Webinar!

Please Contribute what you choose to the cause. We request $25...$250 would be nice. Any amount will do.  http://saveourschoolsmarch.com/donations/
 

Beaten Down But Don’t Quit « Diane Ravitch's blog

Beaten Down But Don’t Quit « Diane Ravitch's blog:


Beaten Down But Don’t Quit

The combined pressures of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have been very demoralizing for teachers across the nation.
These misguided federal policies have encouraged the most rightwing forces at the state level, and in state after state, Tea Party governors and legislatures are slashing the education budget, attacking teachers’ tenure and seniority, and devising ways to outsource public dollars to private hands.
Almost everyone feels it except the politicians, who don’t seem to care.
This reader is responding to an earlier post. 
There’s plenty of demoralization out there. I hate to call attention to it because I don’t want to encourage anyone 

Jersey Jazzman: This Is What "Democracy" Looks Like?

Jersey Jazzman: This Is What "Democracy" Looks Like?:


This Is What "Democracy" Looks Like?

Back to today's truly awful op-ed by ACTING NJ Education Commissioner Chris Cerf:

I already explained how Cerf twists facts to make charters look like they serve many poor and minority children when, in fact, compared to their neighboring public schools, they do no such thing.

Diane Ravitch gave Cerf a history lesson and explained to him that Albert Shanker, contrary to Cerf's assertions, would never have supported the NJDOE's charter school plans.

I'll go back a few months and link to Bruce Baker, here and here, who already explained how wrong Cerf is to 

Finding Hope in a Dark Time « Diane Ravitch's blog

Finding Hope in a Dark Time « Diane Ravitch's blog:


Finding Hope in a Dark Time

A reader sent this comment in response to the moving post by another teacher:
Thank you Diane. Your blog gives me hope.
As a student, I often had to read books I was assigned. Most of them I disliked but one high school English teacher require my class to read Viktor Frankl’s, “Man’s Search For Meaning”. This book moved me greatly. The author, a survivor of four concentration camps, describes his experiences in honest detail.
Whenever I have experienced the effects of oppressive authority, I find a connection to the contents of this book.
Here’s is a compelling excerpt:
“One evening, when we were already resting on the floor of our hut, dead tired, soup bowls in hand, a fellow prisoner rushed in and asked us to run out to the assembly grounds and see the wonderful sunset. Standing 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-16-12 #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

Seattle Schools Community Forum: UW's CRPE Dumbfounds with Lessons on Charter Law

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: UW's CRPE Dumbfounds with Lessons on Charter Law: UW's CRPE Dumbfounds with Lessons on Charter Law by Melissa Westbrook Over at UW's Center for Reinventing Public Education, they wrote a one pager about "lessons for Washington State" on getting high-quality charter schools. I have to laugh as I wonder if they even read I-1240. Highlights: *• Strong authorizing is key to quality o Districts cannot be only authorizer, but authorizers need to build competency* *o Weak or negligent authorizing leads to many low-performing schools* *- Promote authoriz... more »

The Dragas-Sullivan statement: Who’s kidding whom at U-Va.? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 48 minutes ago
The Dragas-Sullivan statement: Who’s kidding whom at U-Va.? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: The Dragas-Sullivan statement: Who’s kidding whom at U-Va.? by Valerie Strauss Today we were treated to a joint statement (see below) by University President Teresa Sullivan and Helen Dragas, rector of the school’s governing board, which talks about their renewed commitment to work together as if the recent drama in which Dragas fired Sullivan never happened. Well, actually, there was *this* reference: “Recent events have caused the respect that U.Va. generates to acquire a new l... more »

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Stereotypes Stifle Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Stereotypes Stifle Students!: Stereotypes Stifle Students! by Lisa M We all do it. We might not be conscious of it all the time, but we do it. Whether it is race, gender, nationality, religion, etc..., we stereotype. Stereotyping in general is a bad thing, but when it is done in our classrooms, we are committing a grave disservice to our students. The Spanish kid, or his parents, are not going to have a handle on the English language, when in actuality he is a bright student who speaks English fluently. The African American male from an "inner... more »

uThe Search is On | AMPS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
uThe Search is On | AMPS: uThe Search is On by Thomas J. Mertz The Coasters, “Searchin’” (click to listen or download). At open and closed meetings this evening (7/16/2012. starting at 5:00 PM, no public testimony, so write them at board@madison.k12.wi.us if you have thoughts), the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education will take the next step in finding a new, permanent Superintendent by considering and maybe hiring a search firm. The two firms under consideration are ProAct (Madison materials here) and Ray & Associates (Madison materials here). I did some digg... more »

If Only Christine Rubino Were Either Michelle Rhee, Mychael Willon, Derrick Townsend, John Chase JR, or Jose Maldanado-Rivera

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: If Only Christine Rubino Were Either Michelle Rhee, Mychael Willon, Derrick Townsend, John Chase JR, or Jose Maldanado-Rivera by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) I feel sorry for Christine Rubino. Not only has she been suspended without pay for two years, financially hanging on by the thinnest of threads, but worse, if she had only been an administrator her mistake of posting a message out of frustration on Facebook concerning her students would have been at best ignored, at worst, a slap on the wrist. If Christine was a hot shot former superinte... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Privatizing Public Education - There is Money to be Made

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Privatizing Public Education - There is Money to be Made: Privatizing Public Education - There is Money to be Made by Melissa Westbrook *If you read nothing else about the takeover of our public schools by people who want to control the system (and some who want to make a buck), please read this article from The Nation Institute. * It is probably one of the best written and in-depth articles around. Highlights: - *If the national movement to "reform" public education through vouchers, charters and privatization has a laboratory, it is Flor... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Talking Education in Ballard

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Talking Education in Ballard: Talking Education in Ballard by Melissa Westbrook [image: Ballard Library] This from reader CT. I would go but it's only an hour and I'm sure it will be tightly controlled. But if you go, let us know what is said. *Oh look! Here's a chance to ask the creators of the "model" charter legislation directly. http://www.myballard.com/2012/07/16/community-discussion-about-education-this-week/ This week, there will be an opportunity to join a community discussion about local education. Two groups, the Excellent Schools Now... more »

CNN’s David Gergen’s defends Romney. He’s on Bain’s payroll. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
CNN’s David Gergen’s defends Romney. He’s on Bain’s payroll. « Fred Klonsky: CNN’s David Gergen’s defends Romney. He’s on Bain’s payroll. To call David Gergen a media whore is to give insult to whoring. Gergen is presently a CNN pundit. He started out as a speech writer in the Nixon White House on a team that included the far right-wing anti-Semite, Pat Buchanan. He then went on to work in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. This past weekend he defended Mitt Romney’s *retroactive retirement* at Bain Capital. *“Facts don’t support Obama’s charges against Romney... more »

Someone Who Could See the Future « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Someone Who Could See the Future « Diane Ravitch's blog: Someone Who Could See the Future by dianerav A reader sent this comment in response to an earlier post. I jumped when I read it because he was absolutely prescient. Consider this: We hear on all sides that the public schools are failing, declining, etc., that test scores are falling, etc., but NONE OF IT IS TRUE. Test scores on NAEP, the only no-stakes national test with forty years of data, are at their highest point in history. And yet, the spin masters keep spinning their tales of failure. It’s time to ask why. I have of... more »

The “what if” habit of mind for all. « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
The “what if” habit of mind for all. « Deborah Meier on Education: The “what if” habit of mind for all. by debmeier I just had a fun conversation based on one of the old CPESS/Mission Hill “habits of mind”. We began by arguing about whether it’s really possible or useful to teach a “subject” called World History. How demanding can one be in such a course in honoring our First Habit: “What’s the evidence? And how credible is it?” Or, for the one I like best: “What if? supposing that?” I like that one because it forces us to at least pretend that things could have been different, t... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Despite total focus on testing, CPS scores stay flat

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Despite total focus on testing, CPS scores stay flat: Despite total focus on testing, CPS scores stay flat by Mike Klonsky Despite Rahm/Brizard making a total fetish of testing while diverting thousands of hours of classroom time and millions of badly-needed dollars towards test-prep, scores remain flat in CPS elementary schools. In fact during the first year of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s watch scores rose by the smallest margin — only 0.9 of a percentage point (statistically insignificant) — since 2005. Charter schools — whose $76 million planned expansio... more »

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE MIRACLE WORKERS ? « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE MIRACLE WORKERS ? « Teachers Fight Back: CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE MIRACLE WORKERS ? by alkleen Preliminary results on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test show that 74.2 percent of Chicago Public School students met or exceeded state standards. WOW ! Are you kidding me ? That’s amazing ! Either CPS teachers are miracle workers or these tests are extremely easy. I would like to think it’s that the teachers are very good at what they do. There are thousands of students in the Chicago Public Schools who are either chronically truant, ...more »

Private vs Public Greed: two different standards « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Private vs Public Greed: two different standards « Deborah Meier on Education: Private vs Public Greed: two different standards by debmeier Greedy for hearing “the other side” I read the NY Times Business section daily, e.g. Saturday July 14th has a story on rate-rigging, Barclays (too big to indict), JP Morgan pay givebacks, and the ethics of advice when “genetic counselors work for test companies”. I also browse through the weekly Bloomberg Business Week, e.g. cover on May 13th, screams “Lies, Lies Lies” while the inside stories reveal the non-secrets of capitalism including “... more »

Pinellas Superintendent Recommends Closure of Charter School Belonging to Rick Scott Crony | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Pinellas Superintendent Recommends Closure of Charter School Belonging to Rick Scott Crony | Scathing Purple Musings: Pinellas Superintendent Recommends Closure of Charter School Belonging to Rick Scott Crony by Bob Sikes [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Embattled Imagine Schools CEO Dennis Bakke got more bad news today as Pinellas Superintendent John Stewart recommended closure of his charter school in St. Petersburg. Writes *Tampa Bay Times *reporter Rebecca Catalenello in* The Gradebook*: Pinellas Superintendent John Stewart this morning told board me... more »

Special education in California needs more flexibility | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Special education in California needs more flexibility | EdSource Today: Special education in California needs more flexibility ** July 16th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Miriam Kurtzig Freedman Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services [image: Miriam Kurtzig Freedman] Miriam Kurtzig Freedman “Flexibility” is education’s new buzzword. Check out all those No Child Left Behind Act waivers, providing flexibility to states, while we await Congress’s NCLB reauthorization. Twenty-six states already have those waivers. More are expected. In app... more »

John Thompson: Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious Response - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
John Thompson: Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious Response - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious Response by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Thompson.* Bill Gates made two valid, though somewhat contradictory points, in his address to the Education Commission of the States. Both of Gates' differing pieces of advice deserve a serious response. The text of Gates' speech gives no hint of irony as he proclaims, "The first and most important feature of a strong evaluation and development system is heavy teacher involvement thr... more »

What REALLY Determines Student Performance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
What REALLY Determines Student Performance: What REALLY Determines Student PerformanceMonday, 16 July 2012 10:47By P.L. Thomas, The Daily Censored | News Analysis - 3 - font size [image: decrease font size] [image: increase font size] - Print - Email "After several decades of rigorous effort, it is fair to say that the majority of our attention in political science has been given to interstate war and civil war," explains Christian Davenport, adding: "I would say that it would be interesting to count the number of articles over the last five years on terrorism a... more »

HechingerEd Blog | Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
HechingerEd Blog | Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind?: Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind? by Sarah Garland Within three years, most states will start doing standardized testing online. *The Hechinger Report* has been examining potential benefits and problemsthat may arise when schools shift to testing on computers. One of the biggest concerns—even among advocates for online exams—is that the new tests could further disadvantage poor children who already struggle to keep up with their more affluent peers in sc... more »

Integration: The Passing of a Great Idea « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Integration: The Passing of a Great Idea « Deborah Meier on Education: Integration: The Passing of a Great Idea by debmeier At some point in the last 50 years we gave up on the idea of school integration even as we annually celebrate the importance of the Brown vs Board of Education decision. I remember, a mere ten or so years after the Supreme Court’s decision, telling students in the Central Harlem school that I was teaching in about this great decision. As they listened attentively I also realized that there was something odd about telling this 100% African American classroom ... more »

What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker « Diane Ravitch's blog: What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker by dianerav Chris Cerf, the acting commissioner of education in New Jersey, published an article today defending charter schools, which have become very controversial in his state. They have become controversial because the state is trying to push them into suburbs that have great public schools and don’t want them, and they have become controversial because the public is beginning to revolt against for-profit charters, especially for-profit online charters... more »

Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth | Scathing Purple Musings: Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth by Bob Sikes Full disclosure: During the years of the hyperpartisan Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, I’d grown to loathe Democrats, their operatives and media cheerleaders. My turn the channel dismissiveness ended with SB736. Perhaps if the Florida gubernatorial campaign of Democrat Alex Sink hadn’t been so feckless and wishy-washy on education policy, my timeline would be a little different. But no matter. Withi... more »

NYC Educator: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
NYC Educator: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets by NYC Educator Mayor Bloomberg, in what may be his last term in office, is determined to leave his imprint upon the city school system. It's certainly true that his endless decade of "reform" has not brought about improvements in test scores, the only thing he actually cares about. And with hundreds of closed schools and the decimated neighborhoods in their wake, we know the quality of life is not anything to jump up and down about either. But it's important that his good buddy, Eva Moskowitz, gets as much of... more »

How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network: How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell By Nicole Clark During my self-esteem and body image workshops, I’ve had girls tell me they want to look like the size zero models in the magazines. They truly believed it was their ‘want’ and their desire, until I explained how media can manipulate their thoughts the same way the “Imperius Curse” can make a person believe and do certain things. What is the “Imperius Curse” you ask? It’s one of the Unforgivable Curses from the Harry Potter books... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, July 16, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Koreatown in Los Angeles Fabled as one of LA's only 24-hour districts* Education Headlines *Monday, July 16, 2012* Frey: Program that helps young students adjust to school is in jeopardyGov. Jerry Brown’s line-item veto last month of $15 million for a two-decade-old program addressing mental health needs among elementary school children has left districts that relied on the funds with hard choices about whether to keep the program going. Tustin school district, city ready to battle in court over constructionLand on the former Tus... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards by stlgretchen Arne Duncan as DOEd Secretary & Common Core Standards: Man-Made Catastrophes Unlike hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes, the educational reforms and the current Secretary of Education supporting the reforms are not natural catastrophes. The standards and Arne Duncan in his

Jersey Jazzman: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?!: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?! by Duke Even after all we've been through on this blog, I am still amazed that NJ's ACTING Commissioner of Education in NJ, given everything we know about charters, would write something like this: In New Jersey, *charter schools serve less than two percent of students, but they disproportionately serve our highest-need students*. More than 61 percent of charter school students are African American, compared to the state average of 16 percent, and more than 70 percent of charter school stu... more »

Shanker Blog » Examining Principal Turnover

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Shanker Blog » Examining Principal Turnover: Examining Principal Turnover by Ed Fuller *Our guest author today is Ed Fuller, Associate Professor in the Education Leadership Department at Penn State University. He is also the Director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis as well as the Associate Director for Policy of the University Council for Educational Administration.* “No one knows who I am,” exclaimed a senior in a high-poverty, predominantly minority and low-performing high school in the Austin area. She explained, “I have been at this school four years... more »

Cyber charter is a magnet for money

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Cyber charter is a magnet for money: Cyber charter is a magnet for moneyState's largest online public school pays millions to companies run by its former executives. Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... By Rich Lord and Eleanor Chute Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Post a comment PHILLY.COM's TOP FIVE PICKS Penn State's legal cost could be $100M-plus Questions over Olney priest's removal Stalking Cooper River for thousands of fake nickels 4 caught stealing from donations jar Armed robbers hit Main Line deli The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Sc... more »

Education reform's dilemma: Improving creative thinking or improving test scores - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Education reform's dilemma: Improving creative thinking or improving test scores - latimes.com: Education's pendulum: Thinkers or test takers?Rote learning can take a toll on building creativity in schools. The nations that can strike the right balance will gain a competitive edge. - [image: print] - Comments 18 - Email Share - - - [image: Johnny Cochran Middle School] Aiming higher on academics shouldn't have to mean leaving deeper or more open-ended thinking skills behind. Above: A pre-algebra Math 7 class at Johnny Cochran Middle School in... more »

EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools: EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools 1 Print Email - [image: REGION Funding can vary wildly among local schools] - [image: CHART Spending per student] [image: REGION Funding can vary wildly among local schools] Buy Now Students at Buena Vista Elementary School in Carlsbad Albert Azpeitia, left, and Matthew Penman learn about Disneyland from Michaelann Montoya during a "living library" at the school on April 23. The Carlsbad district has one of the lowest rates of per-pupil spending in North County. BILL ... more »

TO LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
New Jersey: The Cesspool of School Reform « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] New Jersey: The Cesspool of School Reform by dianerav Jersey Jazzman describes the web of political and financial connections that are working together to bring for-profit virtual charter schools to the Garden State. This is a must-read. The more I learn about the profits and the political shenanigans that facility profiteering, the more it astonishes me. If the American people ever figure out that their elected officials are giving away the authority to make money... more »

solidaridad: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
solidaridad: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene First Published on *Schools Matter**Although the bungalows are used for after school programs, art classes, festivals and special education speech therapy space, according to the number of enrolled students at Micheltorena, the bungalows have been deemed empty and available for tenancy by any charter that requests them. — Lulu Wilson*... more »

A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. - Wait, What?: A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. by jonpelto Fellow Connecticut blogger and public education advocate Wendy Lecker had a “Must Read” piece in the Stamford Advocate last week that was then picked up by Valarie Strauss in the Washington Post. Wendy is heading up Connecticut’s new Parents Across America Chapter, is a former president of the Stamford Parent Teacher Council and previously worked as an attorney in a major school funding lawsuit in New York. You can find this full p... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Romney's version of corporate socialism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Romney's version of corporate socialism: Romney's version of corporate socialism by Mike Klonsky Anthony Gardner, writing for Bloomberg, reports that Mitt Romney's specialty during his years at Bain Capital, was privatizing gains and socializing investment losses. *What’s clear from a review of the public record during his management of the private-equity firm Bain Capital from 1985 to 1999 is that Romney was fabulously successful in generating high returns for its investors. He did so, in large part, through heavy use of tax-deductible debt, u... more »

Geaux Teacher!: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Geaux Teacher!: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY?: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY? by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) Governor Jindal and his superintendent John White say that parents know best what is right for their children. This blog was written by a parent who has decided to compare what JINDAL and WHITE say is right for his child and his own research so that he can make the right CHOICE! Background - The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Louisiana Association of Educators and 30 Louisiana School Boards have sued the State of Louisiana regarding the consti... more »

Stocks and jocks. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Stocks and jocks. « Fred Klonsky: Stocks and jocks. by Fred Klonsky I was invited on a local Chicago radio show to talk about teacher pensions. The morning show is called *Stocks and Jocks.* Luckily they didn’t ask me any jock questions. Or any stock questions, for that matter. *Stocks and Jocks* is a radio show that is aimed at the small investor. The host, Tom “The Chief” Haugh, has a certain populist approach to investment issues. At one point he even offered to join me in hanging some of the Mediator’s report due out. CPS and CTU still need to bargain it. by Fred Klonsky The re... more »

Schools Matter: The New Totalitarianism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Schools Matter: The New Totalitarianism: The New Totalitarianism by Judy Rabin *Sara Robinson at AlterNet offers a sobering assessment of our new reality under corporate domination and why public education is intentionally being destroyed along with academic freedom and critical thinking. Have a good day.* *Education: Testing, Not Teaching* My eighth-grade civics teacher used to terrify our class with grim stories about the education endured by our unlucky peers in the USSR. Communist education, she said, was nothing but rote learning -- no discussion, no critical thinking skills,... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Jesse Sharkey, CTU vice-president *"We've said to our teachers that we want fair compensation. We've also said we want a better (school) day and we want to make sure class sizes don't spike. (Our members) know that we simply don't have a wage demand." * -- Chicago Tribune Jacky Grimshaw *“If he [Rahm] ignores the community, if he ignores the aldermen, if he continues to be driven by what comes out of his brain and those of his advisors to the exclusion of the community, that’s a problem for him. Th... more »

Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues - High School Notes (usnews.com)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues - High School Notes (usnews.com): Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues By KELSEY SHEEHY July 16, 2012 RSS Feed Print [image: Inclusion and positive reinforcement can help high school teachers curb students’ disruptive behavior.] Inclusion, positive reinforcement, and individual attention can prevent disruptive behavior in students. Physical restraint and seclusion are ineffective tools for managing students with developmental and behavioral disorders, experts say. But both approaches a... more »

Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education - Education - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education - Education - GOOD: Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education by Gene Carter [image: congress] Congress has concocted a ticking time bomb that is set to go off on the nation's K-12 schools, colleges, and universities in January 2013. "Sequestration," a term you will be hearing more about in the coming months, is a fancy legislative word for cutting funding after it has already been budgeted. In practice, what this means is that Congress takes back federal funds after they've been dis­... more »

Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice | California Progress Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice | California Progress Report: Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice by megan *By Jeff Bryant* Campaign for America's Future Left-leaning people everywhere recently got a hoot when the Texas Republican Party declared its opposition to the teaching of "Higher Order Thinking Skills," including "critical thinking skills," in public schools. Although a party spokesperson later back-peddled from that statement -- saying that including "critical thinking skills" in their declaration was a "mistake" -- there's li... more »

Selling Schools Out | Corporate Accountability | The Investigative Fund

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Selling Schools Out | Corporate Accountability | The Investigative Fund: Selling Schools Out Under the banner of high-tech progress, corporate lobbyists have rammed through legislation privatizing K-12 education across the country. If the national movement to "reform" public education through vouchers, charters and privatization has a laboratory, it is Florida. It was one of the first states to undertake a program of "virtual schools" — charters operated online, with teachers instructing students over the Internet — as well as one of the first to use vouchers to channel taxpayer... more »

4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: 4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall?: 4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall? *MICROSOFT’S DOWNFALL: INSIDE THE EXECUTIVE E-MAILS AND CANNIBALISTIC CULTURE THAT FELLED A TECH GIANT*[image: clip_image002] BY VANITY FAIR FROM VF DAILY | HTTP://VNTY.FR/PCV0OA12:00 AM, July 3 2012 [image: clip_image004] Microsoft C.E.O. Steve Ballmer delivers the keynote address at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, on January 9. Analyzing one of American corporate history’s greatest mysteries... more »

Mittens. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Mittens. « Fred Klonsky: Mittens. by Fred Klonsky

Louisiana Turnaround: Year One - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Louisiana Turnaround: Year One - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Louisiana Turnaround: Year One by Nancy Flanagan If you're a regular reader of *Teacher in a Strange Land*, you know I've been closely following a turnaround school in Louisiana this year. I had the rich experience of doing professional development work with the staff--at the very beginning, when a potent stew of wariness and possibility filled the room, and a midpoint workshop where trust had taken root and teachers were sharing their beliefs about good teaching, even if it wasn't the party line... more »



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