Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Bill Gates Says…. « Diane Ravitch's blog

Bill Gates Says…. « Diane Ravitch's blog:


Bill Gates Says….

Are you ready? Bill Gates says that game-based learning is the future of education.
He has a dream. A dream of children sitting around and playing games on their computers or their iPads or their Whatevers.
They will be wearing galvanic skin response monitor bracelets, or they will have a little chip in their heads to measure their level of excitement, and they will be excited all the time.
Every classroom–if there are classrooms–will buzz with their excitement. Little and big squeals of sheer joy as 

Geaux Teacher!: PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST #1 ROUND ONE

Geaux Teacher!: PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST #1 ROUND ONE:


PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST #1 ROUND ONE

Sunday night I sent a Public Record Request to Supt. White regarding Jeff. Parish School Supt. Meza's claim that White had promised him $200,000 a year for three years for every new charter he opens in Jefferson Parish.

From: lpbharley
To: john.white
Sent: Sun, Jul 15, 2012 11:46 pm
Subject: Public Information Request

Dear Superintendent White:

Pursuant to the Public Records Act of Louisiana, R.S. 44:1 et seq., I respectfully request the following information:

1. All correspondence, contractual agreements, cooperative agreements or commitments between you and/or the Department of Education and Superintendent Meza and/or the Jefferson Parish School Board agreeing to 

Getting the Results You Want — Whole Child Education

Getting the Results You Want — Whole Child Education:


ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

Getting the Results You Want

Post submitted by Whole Child Blogger Matt Swift
During Baruti Kafele's ASCD Summer Conference session,"Motivating Black Males to Succeed in school and in Life," the former principal grabbed the audience's attention with his commanding presence and no-nonsense discussions about how to help struggling black students. He started the session by asking members of the audience to share their classroom stories to create a conversation and point out common themes the educators shared.
"You guys selected this session because you are having trouble with black male students," Kafele stated. "So, tell me some of these problems."
The audience members talked about how many students had given up on college, so they didn't feel school was important; how many students get suspended or sent home; and how many students had reading issues as challenges they faced. Kafele acknowledged that he had many of the same issues, but he overcame them 

Chicago teachers respond to fact-finder: Not just fair compensation. Reduce class size. Not just a longer day. A better day with art, music, foreign language and physical education. « Fred Klonsky

Chicago teachers respond to fact-finder: Not just fair compensation. Reduce class size. Not just a longer day. A better day with art, music, foreign language and physical education. « Fred Klonsky:


Chicago teachers respond to fact-finder: Not just fair compensation. Reduce class size. Not just a longer day. A better day with art, music, foreign language and physical education.

Here is the response from CTU President Karen Lewis following the vote of the House of Delegates which unanimously rejected the fact-finder’s report:

Thank you. I’d like to introduce Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey, Recording Secretary Michael Brunson, Financial Secretary Kristine Mayle, and CTU Attorney Robert Bloch.Today the Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates reviewed the details of a contract negotiations fact finding 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-18-12 #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



“…where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” | Teaching Between the Lines

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago
“…where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” | Teaching Between the Lines: “…where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” by Laura I’m feeling like Marty McFly this summer, jumping from the futuristic world of 24/7 technology at the ISTEconference, to the distinctly old-school peace and quiet of our total no-tech Sierra summer cabin… and then back to the future again at the Google Apps for Education Summit. I kicked off my summer by co-teaching a flipped-class workshop, then flew down to San Diego for ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). I spent four days lugging my... more »

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Unions and Professional Development

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Unions and Professional Development: Unions and Professional Development by alicemercer One of the perks of getting a press pass to ISTE was that I was sent press releases from vendor. One of the more interesting ones was about a venture, Share My Lesson being supported by AFT, the American Federation of Teachers. I wanted to find out more about this, so I chatted with the folks at the booth to find out why AFT decided to do this: Popout Here is one of the teachers who was involved in reviewing materials on Share My Lesson on what he gets f...more »

A Dialogue about Teaching « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
A Dialogue about Teaching « Diane Ravitch's blog: A Dialogue about Teaching by dianerav This is a site to discuss better education for all, so here is a discussion about teaching. As faithful readers know, we have had a discussion here about the Relay Graduate School of Education and its methods. It trains teachers for charter schools. See here and here and here and here. Carol Corbett Burris objected to its narrow pedagogy. I objected to the very fact that it is a “graduate school of education” since its faculty includes no scholars, it teaches nothing other than classroom manage... more »

Virtual Schools, Real Profits, Troubling Results - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Virtual Schools, Real Profits, Troubling Results - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Virtual Schools, Real Profits, Troubling Results by Anthony Cody Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody Private enterprise is often portrayed as a mighty engine of innovation. If we break the "government monopoly" on education, entrepreneurial opportunities will inspire new solutions to problems that have not been licked by the public schools. But corporations are funny people. They do not actually care so much about how they make money - just so long as they do. Innovation is not their ... more »

A shout-out from the great Diane Ravitch! | The Bleader

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
A shout-out from the great Diane Ravitch! | The Bleader: A shout-out from the great Diane Ravitch!Posted by Ben Joravsky today at 02.57 PM [image: Diane Ravitch has gone to Ben Joravskys head.] - - Diane Ravitch has gone to Ben Joravsky's head. You may not know this, but I'm a big-time fan of Diane Ravitch. She’s the supersmart historian and former White House policy maker who's been blowing the bugle for years about the bullshit coming out of the so-called school-reform movement. You know the refrain—charter schools are great, unionized teachers are awful, what we need t... more »

Someone Else's Child | OurFuture.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Someone Else's Child | OurFuture.org: Someone Else's Child by Terrance Heath Before Andrew Leonard's paean to paying taxes (inspired by his house catching fire) sparked me to write a different post on Friday, I'd intended to write a wrap-up post, comparing Mitt Romney's NAACP speech to Joe Biden's speech. Something Vice President Biden said in his speech reminded me of something else I heard from a speaker at the closing plenary of the Take Back the American Dream conference this year; something brings into focus the stark choice facing voters in November, and why the NAACP audien...more »

Will parents speak up in time to end the standardized testing madness? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Will parents speak up in time to end the standardized testing madness? - Wait, What?: Will parents speak up in time to end the standardized testing madness? by jonpelto Yesterday’s New York Times included a letter to the editor from Stephen Krashen, a retired professor from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. Professor Krashen wr0te… “The common core standards movement seems to be common sense: Our schools should have similar standards, what students should know at each grade. The movement, however, is based on the false assumption that our schools ... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: A Preview of Privatized Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Teachers Don't Suck !: A Preview of Privatized Education: A Preview of Privatized Education by Walt S. This article was brought to my attention by Frank Vespa on FB. I had already read the previous NYT article *"An investigation into New Jersey’s halfway houses.* *Unlocked, Part 1* *As Escapees Stream Out, a Penal Business Thrives* *(June 17, 2012)"* and this adds more fuel to the fire. It surely demonstrates the direction privatized education will take once it is firmly established New Jersey. ****************** Finances Plague Company Running Halfway Houses By SAM DOLNICK Publ... more »

Why the Demand for Virtual Charter Schools? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Why the Demand for Virtual Charter Schools? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Why the Demand for Virtual Charter Schools? by dianerav Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... We know from studies and reports that online charter schools provide inferior education. We know that they have lower graduation rates and lower test scores than brick-and-mortar schools. We know that they have high attrition rates, as students enroll and leave within a year or two. We know that children enrolled in virtual charter schools do not have the opportunity to interact on ... more »

Not Such Good News from Florida « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Not Such Good News from Florida « Diane Ravitch's blog: Not Such Good News from Florida by dianerav I said in a post this morning that there was “a glimmer of hope” in Florida because the state board had upheld Miami-Dade’s decision to turn down three virtual charter schools. But Florida parent leader Rita Solnet wrote to correct me. She attended the state board meeting, and she says the state board offered no glimmer of hope, as I thought, because the Puppetmaster was behind the curtain, pulling the strings. The state board overturned the decision of the Palm Beach County school... more »

The State Worker: More about why teachers' unions don't like Prop. 32 supporter Gloria Romero

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
The State Worker: More about why teachers' unions don't like Prop. 32 supporter Gloria Romero: More about why teachers' unions don't like Prop. 32 supporter Gloria Romero Following our report on her support of a controversial ballot measure, Los Angeles Democrat *Gloria Romero* asked The State Worker to expand on why she drew fire from teachers' unions when she served in the state Assembly and Senate. The former Senate majority leader's request came after we reported that Romero supports *Proposition 32*, the campaign contributions reform initiative on the November ballot. Our Mo... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Grants for Youth Problem-Solving

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Grants for Youth Problem-Solving: Grants for Youth Problem-Solving by Melissa Westbrook From Youth Changing the World (via the Mayor's office): Want to make a difference? Take action? Solve a tough community problem? YSA can help! Each year, YSA supports youth-led service with over $1 million in YSA Grants. Deadlines for many of our programs for the 12-13 school and program year are fast approaching! YSA Grants with application deadlines this month include: *YSA Grants & Awards for K-12 Schools* - State Farm Good Neighbor Student Achievement... more »

First Lady Michelle Obama Joins Local Elected Officials From Across the Country to Announce Public and Private Sector Commitments to Getting Our Kids Healthier | The White House

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
First Lady Michelle Obama Joins Local Elected Officials From Across the Country to Announce Public and Private Sector Commitments to Getting Our Kids Healthier | The White House: First Lady Michelle Obama Joins Local Elected Officials From Across the Country to Announce Public and Private Sector Commitments to Getting Our Kids Healthier PHILADELPHIA – First Lady Michelle Obama joined Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and local elected officials from across the country today to announce public and private sector commitments to support the goals of *Let’s Move!*... more »

Tony at the Red Line Tap. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Tony at the Red Line Tap. « Fred Klonsky: Tony at the Red Line Tap. by Fred Klonsky “What’s up, Klonsky?” “Give me a bottle of whatsever cold,” I mumbled to Marty behind the bar. We’ve had thirty-one days of 90 degrees and above in Chicago so far this summer. “It’s so hot, the sun makes me woozy,” I told Tony. “The beer will help. Just pour it over your head,” said Tony. “I think I’ll just drink it.” “Your blog’s been kind of quiet about the union bosses lately. Nothing to complain about?” “Nothing’s happening with our pensions. At least that I’ve heard.” I said. “It’s all behind clos... more »

Gerard Robinson, BOE Member Offer Self-Contradictory Defense of FCAT and the State’s Accountabilty System | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Gerard Robinson, BOE Member Offer Self-Contradictory Defense of FCAT and the State’s Accountabilty System | Scathing Purple Musings: Gerard Robinson, BOE Member Offer Self-Contradictory Defense of FCAT and the State’s Accountabilty System by Bob Sikes Gerard Robinson’s FCAT Apology Tour So Gerard Robinson’s FCAT Apology Tour continued yesterday in Fort Lauderdale. This time, he brought back-up in the form of Board of Education member Barbara Feingold. Different town, same show. From the *Sun Sentinel’s *Scott Travis: Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson remained upbeat about w... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, July 18, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Morro Bay* Education Headlines *Wednesday, July 18, 2012* Valley schools tap state repair fund for $36 million, hope for moreCentral San Joaquin Valley school districts have received nearly $36 million in state Emergency Repair Program money and are waiting for more than $12.8 million that the state has approved but not yet paid. Tustin school district, city heading to court over landLand on the former Tustin Marine base is at the center of multiple lawsuits between the city and Tustin Unified that have dragged on for two years ... more »

Education Research Report: Students Attending K12 Inc. Cyber Schools Fall Behind

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Education Research Report: Students Attending K12 Inc. Cyber Schools Fall Behind: Students Attending K12 Inc. Cyber Schools Fall Behind by Jonathan Kantrowitz A new report released today by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) at the University of Colorado shows that students at K12 Inc., the nation’s largest virtual school company, are falling further behind in reading and math scores than students in brick-and-mortar schools. These virtual schools students are also less likely to remain at their schools for the full year, and the schools have low graduation rates. “Our i... more »

Modern School: Welfare By The Elite, For the Elite at CSU

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Modern School: Welfare By The Elite, For the Elite at CSU: Welfare By The Elite, For the Elite at CSU by Michael Dunn The California State University (CSU) trustees decided to offer three of its presidents nearly $85,000 in raises on Tuesday, despite its ongoing budget shortfalls that have led to layoffs, slashing of course offerings, wage freezes and double digit tuition hikes (including a 12% tuition increase last year). The university faces another midyear tuition increase, pay cuts for teachers and hundreds more layoffs if the November tax measure fails. The trustees have ju... more »

Geaux Teacher!: I TOLD YOU SO MOMENT #3 VIRTUAL SCHOOLS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Geaux Teacher!: I TOLD YOU SO MOMENT #3 VIRTUAL SCHOOLS: I TOLD YOU SO MOMENT #3 VIRTUAL SCHOOLS by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) I am posting a press release that I received today regarding on-going research into the viability of virtual charter schools. Much has been said by many, including me, about the limitations, pitfalls and opportunities for abuse with the current reform supported proliferation of on-line learning for K-12 students. Bottom line - in too many cases virtual charters feed the corporate bank accounts and political aspirations of one "He-Who-C... more »

Endangered Languages Project

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Endangered Languages Project: Korothreatened Koro is a language previously unknown to science that was documented in the mountains of northeast India. It is spoken by no more than 4000 people. Photograph of Abamu Degio singing in Koro. Provided by Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages, filmed by Jeremy Fahringer. Navajo Southwestern Ojibwa Aragonese Nyagrong Minyag About endangered languages - Experts estimate that only 50% of the languages that are alive today will be spoken by the year 2100. Learn more - The disappearance of a language means the loss of v... more »

How America Pays for College 2012: A national study by Sallie Mae and Ipsos

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
How America Pays 2012: How America Pays for College 2012: A national study by Sallie Mae and Ipsos [image: Report: How America Pays for College 2012] Sallie Mae's "How America Pays for College 2012" (PDF, 1.3MB) study, conducted by Ipsos, finds that: - 83% of college students and parents strongly agreed that higher education is an investment in the future, college is needed now more than ever (70%), and the path to earning more money (69%). - Drawing from savings, income and loans, students paid 30% of the total bill, up from 24% four years ago, while parents covered ... more »

REPORTAGE. Vivre l'austérité, épisode 3 : les écoles à New York

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
REPORTAGE. Vivre l'austĂ©ritĂ©, Ă©pisode 3 : les Ă©coles Ă  New York: REPORTAGE. Vivre l'austĂ©ritĂ©, Ă©pisode 3 : les Ă©coles Ă  New York by Joy Resmovits [image: Class Size] Alors qu'en France les dĂ©putĂ©s commencent l'examen de la loi de finance rectificative et alors que l'on ne sait toujours pas si il faut parler d'austĂ©ritĂ©, de rigueur ou d'"effort juste", ce reportage est le premier Ă©pisode d'une sĂ©rie des Ă©ditions internationales du Huffington Post sur les gens qui vivent au quotidien les mesures d'Ă©conomie en temps de crise. NEW YORK – Shania avait pourtant dĂ©butĂ© sa troisième ann... more »

Michigan Plan to Defund Public Education « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Michigan Plan to Defund Public Education « Diane Ravitch's blog: Michigan Plan to Defund Public Education by dianerav Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has his own plan to hack away at the foundations of universal, free public education. He is vying to be one of the national leaders of the education reform movement. Like Bobby Jindal, his Southern counterpart in the far-right of the Republican Party, Snyder would love to offer vouchers but the Michigan state constitution doesn’t permit it (neither does the Louisiana state constitution, but who cares when you are a reformer?). Leaving... more »

Education Policy is Politics; Politics is Education Policy - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Education Policy is Politics; Politics is Education Policy - Wait, What?: Education Policy is Politics; Politics is Education Policy by jonpelto *Today’s Courant headline reads – “State Keeps Lid On Mastery Test Scores.”* Wait, What? Does that mean the State of Connecticut won’t release the results of this year’s Master Test results? No, instead watch for a Friday press conference where Governor Dan Malloy and Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor can attempt to take credit for what appear to be the higher test scores that students got on this year’s Connecticut’s Mastery Tests. For... more »

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Teachers take Rahm to school. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Teachers take Rahm to school. « Fred Klonsky: Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Teachers take Rahm to school. by Fred Klonsky Even the Chicago Sun-Times, which was recently bought by close pals of the Mayor, have pointed out the obvious. Chicago teachers have taken Rahm to school. For a political chess player who never makes a move without thinking three moves ahead, Mayor Rahm Emanuel looks more like a high school clubber than a grand master when it comes to the teachers contract. One year into his first term as mayor, the guy who came swaggering into town with a re... more »

Parental Authority: Do You Have It?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Parental Authority: Do You Have It?: Parental Authority: Do You Have It? by Rick Talk So Your Kids Will Listen “I listen to my father because I have found that he tells me things that turn out to be true,” said Allison (18 year old high school senior) as I drove her home from the basketball game the Wednesday after the Saturday night party where some of her classmates got into trouble, getting drunk and trashing the house of a classmate. “Like ‘Never go out without money,’ he says.” I felt like saying: “That’s interesting. Your parents think you never listen. It drives them crazy... more »

The “Frantic Class,” Time, and another plea for Slow Schooling « engaged intellectuals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
The “Frantic Class,” Time, and another plea for Slow Schooling « engaged intellectuals: The “Frantic Class,” Time, and another plea for Slow SchoolingIn creativity , democracy, anti-bias teaching, Standing up for Kids, Education Policy, class-sensitive teaching on *July 17, 2012*at *8:06 pm** * I love the way Paul Thomas thinks and writes, and he has another great post at the Daily Kos called “Time as Capital: The Rise of the Frantic Class” that is worth the read, and it has inspired me to watch the film *In Time. *Paul’s right about a lot of things in the post, but one issue rises ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Economist Fails On Charter Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: The Economist Fails On Charter Schools: The Economist Fails On Charter Schools by Duke Last week, *The Economist* decided it wanted to try to do charters, giving us yet another opportunity to see how the press so often gets education wrong. As is apparently taught at all journalism schools, the story starts with an example of chartery success: “EVERYONE’S pencil should be on the apple in the tally-mark chart!” shouts a teacher to a class of pupils at *Harvest Preparatory School in Minneapolis *. Papers and feet are shuffled; a test is coming. Each class is examined... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-18 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Why Weren’t These Students Taking Tests? by dianerav Last night, I watched the PBS Frontline program and saw “Fast Times at West Philly High.” It is a wonderful documentary about the teachers and students at this inner-city high school who entered an international competition to create a hybrid car. It follows them as they build their models, then take them to the competition. Theirs is the only team of high school students. All the others in the competition are adults, and many are professionals. This is re... more »

A Two Tiered Educational System : Does the American Elite Want Real Public Education? | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
A Two Tiered Educational System : Does the American Elite Want Real Public Education? | Seattle Education: A Two Tiered Educational System : Does the American Elite Want Real Public Education? by seattleducation2011 Common Core Standards, drill and kill, no art, music, recess, physical education, critical thinking, creative writing or support of independent questioning and learning. A developing two tiered educational system between the have’s and the have not’s.

Key questions for Democrats on ‘school choice’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Key questions for Democrats on ‘school choice’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] Key questions for Democrats on ‘school choice’ by Valerie Strauss This* was written by Jeff Bryant, a marketing and communications consultant for nonprofits. He is a marketing and creative strategist with nearly 30 years of experience – the past 20 on his own – as a freelance writer, consultant, and search engine marketing provider. He’s written extensively about public education policy. This appeared on the Campaign for America’s Future website.* Read full article >> ... more »

State Board urged to reject waivers from Transitional Kindergarten | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
State Board urged to reject waivers from Transitional Kindergarten | EdSource Today: State Board urged to reject waivers from Transitional Kindergarten ** July 18th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Kathryn Baron Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services [image: Photo by Kevin Jarrett] Photo by Kevin Jarrett Gov. Jerry Brown’s attempt to eliminate funding for Transitional Kindergarten created so much confusion that a handful of school districts sought waivers from it out of fear they would have to bear the cost of the program. The State Bo... more »

Daily Kos: Do you REALLY think online charter schools are the answer?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Daily Kos: Do you REALLY think online charter schools are the answer?: Do you REALLY think online charter schools are the answer? by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Many of the so-called "reformers" and many of their allies among Republican governors and legislators seem to - after all, that is why they have been pushing this particular approach for a number years. If you have any interest in this topic, I am going to strongly urge you to read a just-released policy brief from theNational Education Policy Center. Titled Und... more »

School Tech Connect: Much Ado...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Much Ado...: Much Ado... ...Over nothing. Compare and contrast. We are governed by dishonest people with battalions of public relations staffers. And we don't get to vote for or against a single one of them. All of this knife-fighting over these ridiculous test scores, it's exactly what the Koch brothers want us to be distracted by. In *Night, *Elie Wiesel recalls a Parisian woman throwing coins to starving children and watching them struggle practically to death over them. He asks her to stop, remembering a similar scene from his own time on the Nazi transpo... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Last night's SOS Webinar was great

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Last night's SOS Webinar was great: Last night's SOS Webinar was great by Mike Klonsky CTU Pres. Karen Lewis, flanked by Jitu Brown, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Dyett High School student Diamond McCullough at Operation Push Thanks to all who attended our SOS Webinar last night with *Karen Lewis* and *Jitu Brown*. Biggest crowd ever for one of our webinars and the capacity crowd stayed til the very end. Lewis and Brown were over the top. For those who missed it, I'm told you will be able to see it in full on the SOS website in a few days. My next stop is th... more »

Child abuse reporting failures in schools: a matter of policy? - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Child abuse reporting failures in schools: a matter of policy? - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Child abuse reporting failures in schools: a matter of policy? Tuesday, July 17th, 2012 at 4:19 pm in No Comments In a recent story, Mercury News reporters Julia Prodis Sulek and Sharon Noguchi asked why some school personnel don’t report complaints of child abuse, especially when they involve a colleague. Here’s the crux of their report: From Moraga to Palo Alto to San Jose, child sex abuse cases in schools and day care centers have surfaced alleging that... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Cyber schooling could be one the great scams of our time

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Cyber schooling could be one the great scams of our time: Cyber schooling could be one the great scams of our time by Mike Klonsky Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... New study shows cyber kids falling behind *"Children who enroll in a K12 Inc.cyberschool, who receive full-time instruction in front of a computer instead of in a classroom with a live teacher and other students, are more likely to fall behind in reading and math." *-- Gary Miron, NEPC fellow Two stories on cyber-learning caught my eye thi... more »

NYC Educator: All Teachers Are Old, Miss

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
NYC Educator: All Teachers Are Old, Miss: All Teachers Are Old, Miss by Miss Eyre "So how are the ninth graders?" my principal asked me a few days ago. I'm teaching in the summer bridge program for our incoming freshmen, so I'm in a position to know. "They seem nice," I said. "Haven't had any issues. I mean, the ones who are here voluntarily over the summer probably aren't the tough cases, but the kids who are here are all right." "Can you figure out who the class clowns are yet?" he asked with a laugh. "Oh, definitely," I assured him, laughing back. I enter this real conversa... more »

Modern School: What was Behind the UESF Strike Vote

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Modern School: What was Behind the UESF Strike Vote: What was Behind the UESF Strike Vote by Michael Dunn Guest blogger Andy Libson, from SFUSD (Teacher at Mission High School in San Francisco and Vice-Presidential candidate for EDU slate), talks about the recent strike vote by San Francisco teachers: On May 10th, 1880UESF teachers, counselors and paraprofessionals voted overwhelmingly (97%) to authorize a strike vote. The UESF strike vote was the first step of a two-step process for strike authorization. The vote was a big step forward for United Educators of San Francisco and sh... more »

GOOD Ideas for Cities: Increasing Parental Involvement - Cities - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
GOOD Ideas for Cities: Increasing Parental Involvement - Cities - GOOD: GOOD Ideas for Cities: Increasing Parental Involvement 00:00/00:00 Conversations around improving education largely focus on ideas for improving schools and teachers. But it has been proven that dedicated parental involvement is just as important for students. How could a city implement a stronger connection between parents and schools? As part of GOOD Ideas for Cities Cincinnati, the Cincinatives team tackled a challenge to increase parental interaction during one of the most important periods of a student... more »

The in box. Legislators as Willie Sutton. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
The in box. Legislators as Willie Sutton. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Legislators as Willie Sutton. by Fred Klonsky *Since Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan prefers to see the cost of the pension benefits as the cause of our state’s pension problem, it came as no surprise this past spring that he proposed a solution that called for reducing the cost of the COLA for active teachers and other current public employees. What did come as a surprise is that the proposed legislation also included the possibility of retirees’ COLA benefits being diminished. Actually for me the word “... more »

DECONSTRUCTING THE NEWS AT LAUSD BY SOCIAL MEDIA MANIPULATION - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
DECONSTRUCTING THE NEWS AT LAUSD BY SOCIAL MEDIA MANIPULATION - Perdaily.com: DECONSTRUCTING THE NEWS AT LAUSD BY SOCIAL MEDIA MANIPULATION by Leonard Isenberg [image: Stephanie Abrams.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)* Last week defense attorney Brian Claypool, called a press conference of all the major news media outlets in Los Angeles on behalf of his 11 Miramonte student clients and their families. The question he initially posed was, "Why 6 months after this alleged child molestation scandal, the... more »

Obama Proposes Elite Corps Of Teachers : NPR

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Obama Proposes Elite Corps Of Teachers : NPR: President Obama Announces Plans for a New, National Corps to Recognize and Reward Leading Educators in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math by The White House *Administration will also immediately dedicate $100 million to supporting STEM teachers* WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Obama Administration will announce the President’s plan for the creation of a new, national Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Master Teacher Corps comprised of some of the nation’s finest educators in STEM subjects. The STEM Master Teacher Cor... more »

Schools Matter: McIntyre's Plan to Charterize Knoxville Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Schools Matter: McIntyre's Plan to Charterize Knoxville Schools: McIntyre's Plan to Charterize Knoxville Schools by Jim Horn It was 2008 when Pilot Oil magnate Bill Haslam and the Chamber of Commerce boys in Knoxville put their school board posse onto a jet to head up to Boston to fetch down a fresh Broad-trained graduate to begin Knox County's transition to corporatized schools. The latest stealth attack by corporate stooge, Supt. Jim McIntyre, comes in the form a brazen attempt to put himself in charge of deciding which public schools in Knoxville will be converted into corporat... more »

Standardized Tests Of Tomorrow Behind Schedule, According To Insider Survey

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Standardized Tests Of Tomorrow Behind Schedule, According To Insider Survey: Standardized Tests Of Tomorrow Behind Schedule, According To Insider Survey by Joy Resmovits When asked about the problems associated with standardized testing -- cheating, overtesting, blunt measures of student achievement -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan often points to a duo of "next-generation assessments" funded by federal money. But a new survey, which consulting group Whiteboard Advisors plans to publish this week, suggests that "education insiders" aren't so sure that the one of the ne... more »

Hidden Anti-Teacher Agenda: Former DC Schools Chancellor Rhee Still Scamming and Posing as Education “Reformer” | Dissident Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Hidden Anti-Teacher Agenda: Former Failed DC Schools Chancellor Rhee Still Scamming and Posing as Education “Reformer” | Dissident Voice: Hidden Anti-Teacher Agenda: Former Failed DC Schools Chancellor Rhee Still Scamming and Posing as Education “Reformer” by Dave Lindorff Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of Washington, DC’s public schools, has made a career for herself by inflating her resume, dodging responsibility, and trashing teachers. Now, two years after leaving her DC post under a cloud after the mayor who appointed her, Adrian Fenty, was defeated in a re-election bid ... more »

Invitation to a Dialogue - An Excess of Testing - NYTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Invitation to a Dialogue - An Excess of Testing - NYTimes.com: Invitation to a Dialogue: An Excess of TestingPublished: July 17, 2012 - FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - E-MAIL - SHARE - PRINT - REPRINTS - *To the Editor:* Enlarge This Image Nick Iluzada [image: Opinion Twitter Logo.] Connect With Us on Twitter For Op-Ed, follow@nytopinion and to hear from the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, follow@andyrNYT. The common core standards movement seems to be common sense: Our schools should have similar standards, what students should know at each grade. Th... more »

Kimble's Corner: My Time at Bain

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Kimble's Corner: My Time at Bain: My Time at Bain by Representative Kimble I was not one of the original investors of Bain Financial when it was founded in 1984. In fact, that year I was still an undergrad at Notre Dame. However, I did well enough for myself and the company that when Mitt Romney left the company in 2002, he retroactively made me CEO beginning in 1999. What people forget is just what a different time those heady days were. America was attacked. At that time, we were worried that al-Qaeda could attack anywhere at anytime. In fact, one of our greatest fears was that ... more »

Introducing EdSource Today!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
EdSource Today: [image: EdSource logo]Dear Friends of EdSource: I want to tell you about some exciting changes at EdSource: *Introducing EdSource Today!* [image: John Fensterwald Photo]John Fensterwald I am pleased to let you know that *John Fensterwald*, founder of the highly regarded online education site, "Thoughts on Public Education (TOP-Ed)," has joined EdSource. John's arrival will strengthen EdSource's efforts to promote sound education policies, enhance public engagement, and highlight successful practices and strategies that will result in improved learning outcomes. A... more »



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