Big Education Ape: Aug 3, 2012

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

Teachers Don't Suck !: An Interesting Article Referenced on FB

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

Teachers Don't Suck !: An Interesting Article Referenced on FB: An Interesting Article Referenced on FB by Walt S. *I wonder if the "assignee" will be related* *to politically connected parties?** * *I wonder if Booker, Joe D, Cerf or our Governor fit anywhere into this picture?? * *Just asking !** * *Op-Ed: A Call for Fairness in School Options* *All our children deserve quality schools, and quality education within them * * print | email | share* *By Junius Williams, Esq., August 1, 2012 in Opinion |4 Comments* *In law school, we were taught to evaluate contracts, including leases,... more »

Urban Ed: My Kid; the Born Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 32 minutes ago

Urban Ed: My Kid; the Born Teacher: [image: Urban Ed] My Kid; the Born Teacher *I just wanted to share this completely true story. * So I'm sitting in the theater with my four year old 15 minutes before the movie -Ice Age 4- is about to start I'm eating popcorn, drinking soda and watching my daughter look around the theater. Suddenly, and almost out of nowhere, she proclaims a new rule. "Dad. No more popcorn until the movie starts, ok?" Huh? I didn't want to hear to that. There was nothing else to do until the movie started and the popcorn was all nice and warm and buttery. Bes... more »

Food for thought: This summer, Oakland libraries are serving free lunches to children, five days a week - ContraCostaTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago

Food for thought: This summer, Oakland libraries are serving free lunches to children, five days a week - ContraCostaTimes.com: Food for thought: This summer, Oakland libraries are serving free lunches to children, five days a week By Katy Murphy Oakland Tribune Posted: 08/03/2012 12:05:53 PM PDT Updated: 08/03/2012 02:05:44 PM PDT [image: Oakland Public Libraries free lunch program] 1 of 14 Oakland Public Libraries free lunch program Erika Ozuna, right, and her brother Hector, 1, receive a free lunch from volunteers Adrienne Carter, her mom Diane Carter, both of Oakland, and C... more »

Oakland school closure savings estimate is missing something - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago

Oakland school closure savings estimate is missing something - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Oakland school closure savings estimate is missing somethingFriday, August 3rd, 2012 at 10:39 am in 1 Comment *photo by Jane Tyska/Oakland Tribune* In June and again in July, I asked the Oakland school district for a breakdown of the net savings from the five elementary school closures, taking into account the conversion of one of those schools — Lazear Elementary — into an independently run charter school. Unlike the other two charter conversions, Lazear bec... more »

An Urban Teacher's Education: SOS Conference 2012 Day 1

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago

An Urban Teacher's Education: SOS Conference 2012 Day 1: SOS Conference 2012 Day 1 by James Boutin I am back this year for the Save Our School Conference at the Marriott Wardman hotel in Washington, DC. I found last year's conference very inspiring, and wrote about it here, here, and here. The format was a little different this year. Starting on a Friday afternoon, and jumping straight into sessions, I first attended a session about confronting the issue of race with students in the classroom. There, having been presented with a number of scenarios in which race might come up in ... more »

Whole Child Network Schools Embark on a New Adventure — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Home Page — Whole Child Education: [image: The Whole Child Approach] *THE WHOLE CHILD APPROACH* Each child, in each school, in each of our communities deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. That's what a whole child approach to learning, teaching, and community engagement really is. LEARN MORE » THE WHOLE CHILD *BLOG*[image: Whole Child Blog RSS Feed] [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Whole Child Network Schools Embark on a New Adventure July 24, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers The 10 schools from across the continental United States and Guam chosen to... more »

Breaking News: Utah State Board of Education Votes to Pull Out of SBAC | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Breaking News: Utah State Board of Education Votes to Pull Out of SBAC | Truth in American Education: Breaking News: Utah State Board of Education Votes to Pull Out of SBAC Posted on August 3, 2012 by Shane Vander Hart The Utah State Board of Education’s meeting today had common core testing on the agenda. Sources tell me that the Board has voted to pull out of their testing consortium – the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). SBAC had received Race to the Top funding in order to provide assessments based on the Common Core State Standards. Their governance document... more »

Back to School: Learn to Say Thank You in Ten Languages #30DaysofGOOD - GOOD Projects - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Back to School: Learn to Say Thank You in Ten Languages #30DaysofGOOD - GOOD Projects - GOOD: Back to School: Learn to Say Thank You in Ten Languages #30DaysofGOOD [image: Read more] *Things are easier said than done, or so the old adage goes, and we couldn't agree more. That's why we do 30 Days of GOOD(#30DaysofGOOD), a monthly attempt to live better. This month we're going "Back to School" and committing to learn something new every day.* All of my friends have at some point mentioned wanting to learn another language. They usually have the same excuses as I do for not pursuing... more »

Schools Matter: Christie Bows to the Billionaires: Public Schools to Go the Highest Bidder

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Schools Matter: Christie Bows to the Billionaires: Public Schools to Go the Highest Bidder: Christie Bows to the Billionaires: Public Schools to Go the Highest Bidder by Jim Horn Through filing of a FOIA request, the Education Law Center in Newark has obtained the Broad Plan for privatizing schools in New Jersey where least resistance will be offered--poor schools. The plan is being passed around by Cerf's henchmen in the Ed Department, as they try to stay ahead of legislation that could put restrictions on this planned economic bonanza for Wall Street aspirants who are not sm... more »

HechingerEd Blog | Round-up of leading thinkers on parent-trigger laws

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

HechingerEd Blog | Round-up of leading thinkers on parent-trigger laws: Round-up of leading thinkers on parent-trigger laws Parents in Adelanto, Calif., scored a victory for advocates of the “parent-trigger” law last week. The law allows public-school parents who gather signatures from a majority of their peers to transform a school into a charter. They can also opt to remove a consistently failing school’s staff or close the school entirely. (To read more about the development, see these stories from the *Los Angeles Times *and Colorlines.) A judge deemed that organizers in Adelant... more »

What’s the big deal about Blogging? « My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

What’s the big deal about Blogging? « My Island View: What’s the big deal about Blogging? by tomwhitby A short time ago I attended a meeting where members of a college English department were doing a presentation to the faculty about their writing program. As I listened to about a 30-minute presentation of the types of writing required by this program, it became obvious to me that two words in this presentation of a college writing program were never uttered. They were two words that as an educator I come in contact with almost every day. Two words that have changed the way info... more »

Daily Kos: Whose Justice?: The Other and the Middle-Class Cocoon

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Daily Kos: Whose Justice?: The Other and the Middle-Class Cocoon: Whose Justice?: The Other and the Middle-Class Cocoonby plthomasEdDFollow On August 2, 2012, I wore my James Baldwin t-shirt to celebrate his birthday. The back of this black shirt is emblazoned with Baldwin's face in gold print and this saying: "The law is meant to be my servant and not my master, still less my torturer and my murderer." -- James Baldwin. The Nation. July 11, 1966. This small act on my part to recognize a brilliant and marginalized radical intersected with two other coincidences of my life—comple... more »

All Education Matters: Mark Kantrowitz Argues That Six-Figure Debt Is Uncommon

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

All Education Matters: Mark Kantrowitz Argues That Six-Figure Debt Is Uncommon: Mark Kantrowitz Argues That Six-Figure Debt Is Uncommon by Cryn Johannsen Mark Kantrowitz claims that six-figure debt is a rarity, and says that journalists are sensationalizing the problem. While it might be true, based upon his findings, that there is not a huge percentage of people with that sort of student loan debt, the fact remains that we are in a full-blown crisis. Journalists and activists are not the only ones who acknowledge the crisis. Higher education policy analysts, politicians, and ot... more »

Florida’s For-Profit Charter Schools and Pro-Voucher Groups Have Merged | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Florida’s For-Profit Charter Schools and Pro-Voucher Groups Have Merged | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida’s For-Profit Charter Schools and Pro-Voucher Groups Have Merged by Bob Sikes [image: Shark animated clip art from www.walkaboutcrafts.com] Coming off last weekends story by Mary Ellen Klas which showed how the RPOF allocates campaign cash to the chosen ones, is an* Orlando Sentinel *story by Aaron Deslatte detailing how pro-voucher school privatization groups are taking donations from for-profit charter school operators to bankroll state candidates. TALLAHASSEE – The Florid... more »

Schools Matter: Why e-learning industry is enthusiastic about the standards. & other comments

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Schools Matter: Why e-learning industry is enthusiastic about the standards. & other comments: Why e-learning industry is enthusiastic about the standards. & other comments by skrashen Standards lead to more creativity? Standards are popular with educators? Why e-learning industry is enthusiastic about the standards. Comments on a NY Times article: Common Core Standards Boon to E-Learning Industry, by Hiten Samtani. Published in the NY Times, available at http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/08/03/common-core-standards-boon-to-e-learning-industry/ Here are my comments, which I at... more »

USSA’s Student Power Turn « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

USSA’s Student Power Turn « Student Activism: USSA’s Student Power Turn by Angus Johnston Every year the United States Student Association’s National Student Congress delegates must approve the Association’s campaigns for the year — establishing priorities for what the group will work on between then and the next Congress. Voter work and federal higher ed policy are locked in as perennials by USSA’s governing documents, but everything else is up for grabs. This year seven of thirteen proposed campaigns made it through the delegates’ first round of vetting, but in the second round ... more »

Arne Duncan: Will the Secretary of Education Stay or Go If Obama Is Reelected? - Yahoo! News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Arne Duncan: Will the Secretary of Education Stay or Go If Obama Is Reelected? - Yahoo! News: Arne Duncan: Will the Secretary of Education Stay or Go If Obama Is Reelected?Takepart.com – Wed, Aug 1, 2012 - - - - - Email - Print Education secretaries are seldom household names. Arne Duncan, the current secretary, is no different. While the man on the street in Peoria may not know Duncan, plenty of opinions exist about the man, known as a policy pragmatist, in the education world. Some critics want Obama to ditch Duncan if he is re-elected in November. Others ... more »

Campbell Brown and Michelle Rhee: Another Odd Couple « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Campbell Brown and Michelle Rhee: Another Odd Couple « Diane Ravitch's blog: Campbell Brown and Michelle Rhee: Another Odd Couple by dianerav Leonie Haimson is a leading parent activist in New York City and a co-founder of Parents Across America, which keeps tabs on the depredations of the corporate reformers. Here is Leonie’s take on* l’affaire Campbell Brown.* One would think that Michelle Rhee and her organization StudentsFirst would be wary of getting too deep in the weeds with the issue of sexual misconduct. Yet they seem to want to exploit it to the full in a fact-free fashi... more »

Common Core: A Bonanza for E-Corps « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Common Core: A Bonanza for E-Corps « Diane Ravitch's blog: Common Core: A Bonanza for E-Corps by dianerav A story in the New York Times says that the e-corporations are salivating over the Common Core State Standards. They foresee the opening up of a multi-billion industry, with more tests, more online resources, more stuff to sell to schools complying with the Common Core. The standards are indeed a boon for the edu-biz entrepreneurs. It turns out that Joanne Weiss, chief of staff to Secretary Arne Duncan, was right when she predicted that the standards would open up vast new mar... more »

Coming to you Live from Washington, D.C…the Bullying Prevention Summit

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Home | StopBullying.gov: [image: Summit Livestream Video] Coming to you Live from Washington, D.C…the Bullying Prevention Summit! by Guest Blogger Cross Next week, leaders of non-profit and corporate organizations engaged in anti-bullying work will join researchers, parents and students to participate in the third Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit on August 6th and 7th in Washington, D.C. The Summit is hosted by the Department of Education and will bring these groups and individuals together to discuss the successes and challenges of addressing bullying, and what nee... more »

More education jargon and what it really means - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

More education jargon and what it really means - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: More education jargon and what it really means By Valerie Strauss Here are 10 education terms with definitions that tell you what they really mean to people who use them in our national education conversation. Yesterday I published the first installment of education jargon, written by Joanne Yatvin, a veteran public school educator, author and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. She is now teaching part-time at Portland State University. Here’s more jargon: **School... more »

California Legislature to Honor Sikh Americans - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

California Legislature to Honor Sikh Americans - Letters (CA Dept of Education): August 3, 2012 Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators: *CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE RECOMMENDS HONORING SIKH AMERICANS* * * * * This letter is to notify you of recent action by the Legislature calling attention to the important contributions made by Sikh Americans to the history of California. The Legislature has declared November 2012 to be California Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. I encourage local educational agencies to observe California Sikh American... more »

Chicago Trib’s sneaky push for Hollywood version of parent empowerment Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Chicago Trib’s sneaky push for Hollywood version of parent empowerment: Chicago Trib’s sneaky push for Hollywood version of parent empowerment wisting the truth. Today’s Chicago Tribune editorial loudly quotes an Adelanto, California parent saying “We can’t back down,” in the fight to pull a “parent trigger” to close their school and bring in a charter operator to run it. The movement in question has been embroiled in a legal fight, where a judge recently ruled that the parent trigger petitions should stand. Amazingly, th... more »

Chicago and the convention - Substance News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Chicago and the convention - Substance News: AFT REPORTS: Chicago played major role in convention in 2012 George N. Schmidt - August 01, 2012 Although every seat inside the convention hall had an "Obama-Biden 2012" sign for the delegates and visitors and every delegate could have gone home with two "Obama Biden 2012" tee shirts as one souvenir of the 2012 AFT convention, a large number of delegates were less than enthusiastic for the Obama-Biden ticket. Only the Chicago delegation actively (but silently) protested, wearing Chicago Teachers Union red shirts and holding up "Stop Race... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Unions Need To Claim Their Victories!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Unions Need To Claim Their Victories!: Unions Need To Claim Their Victories! More like this, please: Gov. Chris Christie has yet to sign the hard-fought teacher tenure reform bill that sits on his desk, but the state's largest teachers union says he's already claiming all the credit for historic change. "*He's taking full credit for it when in fact this bill doesn't reflect what he wanted to do,*" said Steve Wollmer, spokesman for the New Jersey Teachers Association. "He wanted to basically eliminate all due process laws for teachers. What's the old saying? When ... more »

Why Stability Matters to My Students « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Why Stability Matters to My Students « Diane Ravitch's blog: This Teacher Did Not Remain Silent by dianerav Thanks to a reader who sent this story in his comment about an earlier post. When students falsely accused a teacher in Portland, Oregon, of inappropriately touching them, the teacher decided not to remain silent. That was in 2000. He sued the students and their families. He won a $70,000 judgment and apologies. Of course, his reputation was dragged through the mud. And his life appeared to be ruined. But he didn’t take it. He didn’t keep his mouth shut. He fought back and won.... more »

Heaping Insults on America’s Teachers | Dissident Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Heaping Insults on America’s Teachers | Dissident Voice: Heaping Insults on America’s Teachers by David Macaray When Joe Torre left as manager of the New York Yankees following the 2007 season, it was not without rancor. According to reports, Torre felt that, after years of faithful and productive service, he had been grossly disrespected by Yankee management. Torre turned down a one-year $5 million salary offer, which, while a large chunk of change in the real world, was a hefty $2.5 million less than he’d made the previous season. But it wasn’t simply the cut in pay that rankle... more »

The in box. “One retired teacher even stood up saying that he will not stop interrupting until he heard truthful information coming from the panel.” « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

The in box. “One retired teacher even stood up saying that he will not stop interrupting until he heard truthful information coming from the panel.” « Fred Klonsky: The in box. “One retired teacher even stood up saying that he will not stop interrupting until he heard truthful information coming from the panel.” by Fred Klonsky *Fred,* *I was also at last night’s meeting in Lemont. And, yes, Sig makes some accurate observations. However, I think that the teachers at the meeting, largely dominated the forum and were successful at controlling the tone despite the IPI’s agenda to com... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, August 3, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve * Education Headlines *Friday, August 3, 2012* West Contra Costa school district finalizes terms of parcel tax, bond measuresThe West Contra Costa school district Wednesday settled on the terms of parcel tax and bond measures that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. The proposed parcel tax will be a five-year extension of a tax passed in 2008 providing $9.6 million annually for five years beginning July 1, 2014. Clayton Valley Charter High School launches transition program for incoming freshm...more »

Sleeping With the Enemy - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Sleeping With the Enemy - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Sleeping With the Enemy by Nancy Flanagan Like most political-junkie Americans, I sometimes wonder how James Carville and Mary Matalin stay marriedand--presumably--live together harmoniously. Carville says the secret is surrender, capitulation and retreat. His wife replies that this is a typical liberal response--she credits "faith, family and good wine" for their happily functional home. This actually might be the bifurcated model of school reform today: The reformy crowd has faith that their policies ... more »

Gainesville Sun: “Collaboration. Not Confrontation.” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Gainesville Sun: “Collaboration. Not Confrontation.” | Scathing Purple Musings: Gainesville Sun: “Collaboration. Not Confrontation.” by Bob Sikes Referring to outgoing education commissioner, Gerard Robinson as a “lightening rod” in their headline, the*Gainesville Sun *makes some observations: Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson is headed for the exit. Whatever else he may have accomplished, Robinson’s combative leadership style made him a lightning rod; seemingly forever at odds with the state’s school superintendents and school boards. It has been suggested that R... more »

Oh look, Malloy and Christie still hand in hand on “Education Reform.” - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Oh look, Malloy and Christie still hand in hand on “Education Reform.” - Wait, What?: Oh look, Malloy and Christie still hand in hand on “Education Reform.” by jonpelto Wait, What? readers will recall Governor Malloy’s original “Education Reform” proposal which created the “Commissioner’s Network,” a system in which Stefan Pryor, Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, would be given the authority to take over a series of local schools, remove the existing staff, ban collective bargaining and turn the schools over to some third-party who would then be exempt from the state’s laws re... more »

What Tabloids Know about Education « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

What Tabloids Know about Education « Diane Ravitch's blog: What Tabloids Know about Education by dianerav This story proves that it is dangerous to get your information about American education from New York City’s tabloids. Campbell Brown, journalist extraordinaire. has now apparently become an education expert, based on her close reading of New York City’s tabloids. To be precise, the story says she read “the headlines.” If you are a regular reader of Rupert Murdoch’s *New York Post*, you would be convinced that all charters are miracle schools and all public schools are disaste... more »

Privatization, Profits, and Politicians « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Privatization, Profits, and Politicians « Diane Ravitch's blog: Privatization, Profits, and Politicians by dianerav A reader noted the similarity between Governor Chris Christie’s plan to privatize low-performing public schools, and Governor Rick Snyder’s reform plan in Michigan. Other readers have commented on the irony of conservative Republican governors–allegedly committed to small government–aggressively using the powers of government to undermine local control and privatize schools. The similarity goes beyond Christie and Snyder. The same ideas–privatize low-performng school... more »

Tampa Bay Times: “Time For Leaders Who Want to Improve Schools. Not Privatize Them” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Tampa Bay Times: “Time For Leaders Who Want to Improve Schools. Not Privatize Them” | Scathing Purple Musings: Tampa Bay Times: “Time For Leaders Who Want to Improve Schools. Not Privatize Them” by Bob Sikes The *Tampa Bay Times *gives Gerard Robinson a big “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Robinson is a slick salesman with no Florida roots or love for public education, and he won’t be missed. On his rocky one-year watch, the credibility of standardized testing collapsed completely, marred by ever-changing standards and ridiculous mistakes in assigning school grades. ... more »

A not so modest proposal: My new fully research based school! « School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

A not so modest proposal: My new fully research based school! « School Finance 101: A not so modest proposal: My new fully research based school! by schoolfinance101 It’s about time we all suck it up and realize that the best of economic research on factors associated with test score gains not only can, but must absolutely drive the redesign of our obviously dreadful American public education system! [despite substantial evidence to the contrary!] With that in mind, I have selectively mined some of my own favorite studies and summaries of studies in order to develop a framework fo... more »

Orlando Sentinel: “Embrace Robinson’s Exit As A Soul-Searching Moment” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Orlando Sentinel: “Embrace Robinson’s Exit As A Soul-Searching Moment” | Scathing Purple Musings: Orlando Sentinel: “Embrace Robinson’s Exit As A Soul-Searching Moment” by Bob Sikes The editorial pages of the big state newspapers are weighing in the morning on what Gerard Robinson’s departure means – on in the case of the *Orlando Sentinel*, what it should mean: With some districts’ new school years less than two weeks off, putting a decision-maker in place quickly makes sense. What also makes sense is to embrace Robinson’s exit as a soul-searching moment — and take a hard look ... more »

Photos of Voucher School Buildings and Playgrounds: Are They Safe for Children? « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Photos of Voucher School Buildings and Playgrounds: Are They Safe for Children? « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Photos of Voucher School Buildings and Playgrounds: Are They Safe for Children? by millerlf *Do children deserve playgrounds? “Maybe,” says Milwaukee’s Common Council* *(See Photos Below)* By Barbara Miner Aug. 2, 2012 (Barbara Miner’s blog is part of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Purple Wisconsin project. Miner is an award-winning journalist and photographer.) I thought that asking whether the children of Milwaukee deserve school playgrounds would be a s... more »

NYC Educator: Due Process or Dictatorship?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

NYC Educator: Due Process or Dictatorship?: Due Process or Dictatorship? by NYC Educator There's a war on Twitter, stoked by Campbell Brown's recycled mish-mosh of NYC tabloid articles in the Wall Street Journal. The new manufactured crisis is that of so-called perv teachers. The only remedy, according to Campbell and the tabloid editorials, is to give Michael Bloomberg's mouthpiece, Dennis Walcott, absolute power to fire teachers who independent arbitrators have sent back to the classroom. Some state senator has proposed a law to enable this. Walcott now reviews U-ratings, and re... more »

Florida Amendment 8 Could Pay Way For Vouchers | TPMMuckraker

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Florida Amendment 8 Could Pay Way For Vouchers | TPMMuckraker: Florida Amendment Could Remove Restrictions On Funding Religious Schools[image: Florida Amendment Could Remove Restrictions On Funding Religious Schools] *CASEY MICHEL* AUGUST 3, 2012, 6:22 AM 1007 Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) has not shied from introducing religion into the public sphere, most recently implementing a state law that would allow students to offer “inspirational messages” during all nonmandatory school events. Now, however, his state may go further — by excising any restrictions on financing churche... more »

GoLocalProv | News | Aaron Regunberg: A Rhode Island Teaching Fellow Speaks Out

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

GoLocalProv | News | Aaron Regunberg: A Rhode Island Teaching Fellow Speaks Out: Aaron Regunberg: A Rhode Island Teaching Fellow Speaks Out [image: Twitter Favicon] [image: Facebook Favicon] [image: Digg Favicon] [image: Reddit Favicon] [image: StumbleUpon Favicon] [image: del.icio.us Favicon] Email to a friend Permalink Friday, August 03, 2012 *Aaron Regunberg, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™* This week Rhode Island got a bit of attention when education historian Diane Ravitch posted an email on her blog that she’d received from Theresa Laperche, a former participant in the Rhode Island ... more »

Comedy Club presents Ethics in Education | William S. Richardson School of Law

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

A Will Weinstein Conversation Series 2012: Ethics in Education | William S. Richardson School of Law: A WILL WEINSTEIN CONVERSATION SERIES 2012: ETHICS IN EDUCATION August 7, 2012 The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law and Shidler College of Business present A Will Weinstein Conversation Series 2012 Tuesday, August 7, 2012 • 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. School of Architecture, Rm. 205 Free Admission • $6 parking after 4 p.m. on the UH Mānoa campus Friends of Law, contact (808) 956-8478 or register at www.law.hawaii.edu/weinstein Friends of Business, contact (808) ...more »

Exclusive: McGraw takes bids for education unit: sources | Reuters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Exclusive: McGraw takes bids for education unit: sources | Reuters: Exclusive: McGraw takes bids for education unit: sources By Greg Roumeliotis and Nadia Damouni NEW YORK | Thu Aug 2, 2012 7:39pm EDT (Reuters) - Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP are among several parties that have put in initial bids for McGraw-Hill Companies Inc's (MHP.N) education business, which could value the world's second-largest education company by sales at around $3 billion, several sources familiar with the matter said. Other bidders for the business include Apollo Global Management LLC (AP... more »

Education system needs to rethink school testing - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Education system needs to rethink school testing - latimes.com: Better schools through smarter testingWe need to redesign testing so that it becomes integral to the subjects students are studying, rather than an add-on afterward. By Arthur Levine August 3, 2012 [image: Students are seen at John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles.]Despite the barrage of criticism that schools are spending increasing amounts of time testing our children and teachers are being forced to teach to the test, the reality is that testing is no fad. Initiatives like California's STAR test, the high schoo... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-3-12 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] A Debate about U.K. Education by dianerav A reader in the U.K. Offers a dissent to a previous post: I think that the current British Government are seeking to emulate the worst travesties present in the US system. This is largely because emulating the best practice in more successful education systems will cost money and as such is the last thing they are likely to do. I disagree the free schools and academies freedom from following the National Curriculum is not a move towards standardised testing. What it ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: SOS pre-convention chatter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: SOS pre-convention chatter: SOS pre-convention chatter by Mike Klonsky The SOS National Steering Committee begins meetings this morning to work on the organization's internal structure, decision-making process and other matters of internal life. Interestingly, this will be the first face-to-face meeting of the NSC since it was elected after last year's march. Hopefully that will change in the coming year. Last year's march and rally drew very little media coverage and the little it did draw focused entirely on superstar*Matt Damon* who gave a great ... more »

Is Six-Figure Student Loan Debt the Norm? - Education - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Is Six-Figure Student Loan Debt the Norm? - Education - GOOD: Is Six-Figure Student Loan Debt the Norm? by Liz Dwyer [image: benjamins] With total student loan debt topping $1 trillion, extreme stories of students being crushed under the weight of six-figure debt can start to seem like the norm. But how common is it to come out of college owing over $100,000? According to some data crunching (PDF) from Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and Fastweb.com, only 0.2 percent of undergraduate students leave school owing that much or more. Who are these 0.2 percenters? Last fall th... more »

Off to DC for SOS. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Off to DC for SOS. « Fred Klonsky: Off to DC for SOS. by Fred Klonsky I’m flying off to DC this morning to attend the Save Our Schools conference. Washington DC twice in one summer? Crazy. I hearing that it’s hot and humid. But that’s no different than Chicago has been all summer long. Anyway, if you’re around, come join the discussion on teacher unions. I’m on the panel. *TEACHERS’ UNIONS, TEACHERS’ RIGHTS, TEACHERS’ VOICE**Session Presenters:* Mike Klonsky and Lee Barrios *Panelists:* Fred Klonsky, Dr. Michael A. Walker Jones, and a [soon-to-be-announced] Representative from the ... more »

LAUSD AND THE INSTITUTIONAL BULLYING OF TEACHERS - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

LAUSD AND THE INSTITUTIONAL BULLYING OF TEACHERS - Perdaily.com: LAUSD AND THE INSTITUTIONAL BULLYING OF TEACHERS by Leonard Isenberg [image: Bullying.jpg] (Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post) *Over the last 3 years I have received hundreds of calls from teachers targeted for removal from their tenured teaching jobs on bogus charges by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), a reality that the majority of people both in and outside of public education remain completely ignorant of because of the syste... more »

The Educated Reporter: Is State Of U.S. Public Schools A Threat To National Security?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

The Educated Reporter: Is State Of U.S. Public Schools A Threat To National Security?: Is State Of U.S. Public Schools A Threat To National Security? by Emily Richmond *The Educated Reporter is taking a brief summer hiatus, and will return Wednesday, Aug. 8. For the next few days you'll have a chance to catch up on some past posts. * A Council on Foreign Relations task force, led by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, claims that the poor quality of America’s public education system represents a threat to national security. But the group's recommendations for fixing scho... more »

Kenzo Shibata: Teach for America: What's the Purpose?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Kenzo Shibata: Teach for America: What's the Purpose?: Teach for America: What's the Purpose? Posted: 08/02/2012 3:29 pm React AmazingInspiringFunnyScaryHotCrazyImportantWeird Follow Twitter , Chicago Public Schools , Teach For America , Chicago , Educucation , Tfa ,Chicago News SHARE THIS STORY 6 24 1 Submit this story Before you read on, I have to warn you. This piece is not a critique of Teach for America. It's merely a question. The two-year program that places recent college graduates into teaching positions at urban schools was initially started to fix a teaching shortage. Tea... more »

It’s Just Different [The Three Vilsons] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

It’s Just Different [The Three Vilsons] | The Jose Vilson: It’s Just Different [The Three Vilsons] by Jose I have another confession: I’m still working with a few different Vilsons here. People assume that by now I’ve closed the gap between the Vilson that works for school and the one that writes in this blog. I wouldn’t say I’m suffering from multiple personality disorder, but let me expound a bit. Recently, someone asked me, in essence, to merge these entities I have into one image I can use at school. I stared blankly at first, but then I gave it about a split-second of a though... more »

The Best Wanted Poster Ever | Re:education in Baltimore

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

The Best Wanted Poster Ever | Re:education in Baltimore: The Best Wanted Poster Ever

Jersey Jazzman: Gabby Douglas: No Virtual Charter Needed

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Gabby Douglas: No Virtual Charter Needed: Gabby Douglas: No Virtual Charter Needed by Duke Big, big props to Gabby Douglas for bringing back the gold to the US of A! I'd like to point out that Gabby is home schooled by a different family than her own. Such is the way of the olympian, a life few families will ever understand. Chris Cerf says we need virtual charter schools to serve kids like Gabby. Well, she seems to have done just fine without K12 Inc's help, thank you. The fact is that kids like Gabby are very, very rare - that's why they get gold medals. We a... more »

Sunnyvale university CEO indicted on visa fraud charges - Inside Bay Area

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Sunnyvale university CEO indicted on visa fraud charges - Inside Bay Area: Sunnyvale university CEO indicted on visa fraud charges By Lisa M. Krieger and Molly Vorwerck Staff writers Posted: 08/02/2012 05:12:15 PM PDT Updated: 08/02/2012 07:03:20 PM PDT Striking a blow at a Silicon Valley school that attracted foreigners with student visas, federal agents on Thursday raided Sunnyvale's Herguan University and charged its CEO with visa fraud. The indictment marks the second time federal officials have ensnared a Bay Area university in a growing effort to catch up with schools that ... more »

The death of Delfino Mora. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

The death of Delfino Mora. « Fred Klonsky: The death of Delfino Mora. by Fred Klonsky Many of us know Matt Farmer at the guy who gave that great speech at the CTU rally on May 23 at the Auditorium. Or from his pieces in the Huffington Post. Matt and his pal Steve Doyle provided the music for my retirement bash at the Red Line Tap last Memorial Day. Matt heard the story of Delfino Mora and decided to do something. Drop by McKellin’s Pub on August 12 if you can. Or send a check. The Chicago Sun-Times: He was a renowned musician in his Mexican homeland. Now musicians from Facebook murd...more »

Schools Matter: Will the Harry Potter online book club encourage reading?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Schools Matter: Will the Harry Potter online book club encourage reading?: Will the Harry Potter online book club encourage reading? by skrashen Sent to the Harford Courant, August 2 I loved the Harry Potter series and I’m sure many people, young and old, will appreciate the planned webcast with J.K. Rowling and the online book club (“J.K. Rowling launches Harry Potter book club online,” July 31). But the book club will not make a significant difference in “introducing children to the joys of reading.” A great deal of research confirms that the single greatest barrier keeping you... more »

Student Slams Ex-CNN Anchor, Union President, and Students First « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Student Slams Ex-CNN Anchor, Union President, and Students First « Cooperative Catalyst: Student Slams Ex-CNN Anchor, Union President, and Students First by zakmal *This piece was originally published on StuVoice.org.* *Are you a supporter of sexual predators?* We can all agree that that is a ridiculous question to ask, yet, former journalist Campbell Brown did just that in her Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled, “Teachers Unions Go to Bat for Sexual Predators.” It gets worse. A Twitter argument began. Brown and UFT President Randi Weingarten fought over Brown’s failure to dis... more »

School Tech Connect: The King of Rogers Park

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

School Tech Connect: The King of Rogers Park: The King of Rogers Park by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) I'm sure others have already noted the awkward irony of Joe Moore's photo in the *Trib *today. Moore appears here with Friend-of-Rahm charter magnate Juan Rangel, who is expanding into Rogers Park. And yes, I could have phrased the previous sentence more elegantly, but c'mon, it's true either way. Moore recently found himself in the position of having to kibosh a resolution calling for an elected, representative school boardwhen he awoke to a horse's head, or something. Rang... more »

Sacramento Press / Mayor Kevin Johnson's use of private/public partnerships raises questions about transparency

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Sacramento Press / Mayor Kevin Johnson's use of private/public partnerships raises questions about transparency: Mayor Kevin Johnson's use of private/public partnerships raises questions about transparency by Jared Goyette I'm just taking out the trash Sacramento Democratic party chairwoman Kerri Asbury's call for city probe into use of office space in City Hall by nonprofits run by Mayor Kevin Johnson started a predictable row between the two, but it also raised important questions about the role these nonprofits play in public policy and the degree to which they are subject to t... more »