Daily Kos: Krugman deconstructs and detroys Ryan

Daily Kos: Krugman deconstructs and detroys Ryan:

Krugman deconstructs and detroys Ryan

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

in a column for Monday's New York Times titled An Unserious Man.
Krugman begins by noting that it is the "commentariat" which

years ago decided that he was the Honest, Serious Conservative, whose proposals deserve respect even if you don’t like him.

  To which our Nobel Laureate responds simply

But he isn’t and they don’t. Ryanomics is and always has been a con game, although to be fair, it has become even more of a con since Mr. Ryan joined the ticket.

Award-winning economist that he is, Krugman then totally takes apart Ryan's plan by the numbers.  You need to 

School Tech Connect: Come Out To The Heartland!

School Tech Connect: Come Out To The Heartland!:

Come Out To The Heartland!

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

On my calendar for August 28, at Heartland Cafe:

Dangerously informed, ordinary citizen Don Washington is hosting a Tutorial Fund Raiser for Raise Your Hand on education. On the eve of a possible strike in a city that can find $5.3 million to finance a billionaire member of the unelected school board’s latest hotel and millions for turnaround and charters while disinvesting in neighborhood schools surely there is a logical explanation. Such are the ironies and absurdities under the rule of our new Mayor/Overlord Rahm Emanuel. Did teacher’s pensions and lavish pay cause the city all this financial trouble? Aren’t Charter Schools far and away the best schools in Chicago? Isn’t an elected school board the worst idea in a democratic state? We'll be playing games, learning things, taunting the powerful and answering all of these questions and more!

Raise Your Hand For Illinois Public Education is worth $25, and so is an evening with Don Washington. In the time since I transformed this space from a tech blog to a war blog, what I've learned is that the good guys are already organized and that the people fighting for the great American public school system are already going door-to-door with clipboards. Come out and meet them! 

I have a crazy little prediction, by the way. I was thinking about how Rahm has been governing, and it occurs to me that he thinks that the 23% of registered voters that he won last time comprised some kind of mandate to act like Napoleon. Well, I'm just here to say that I think that the elected, representative school board question is going to get at least that. And then what? Will the people be wrong? 

Oh, and by the way, follow @MSGunderson. She rocks.

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Obama Says Class Size Matters; Bill G, Are You Listening?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Obama Says Class Size Matters; Bill G, Are You Listening?:

Obama Says Class Size Matters; Bill G, Are You Listening?

by Melissa Westbrook

Via NYC Parents blog:

Parent leaders throughout the nation thank President Obama for recognizing the importance of class size in his weekly address, and for releasing a report that shows how the elimination of 60,000 teaching positions since 2009 is not only unprecedented in US postwar history, but has led to class size increases that are severely damaging the quality of our public schools.

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters, said: “The President’s speech yesterday and the new White House report, Investing in our Future, make it crystal clear that the class size increases across the nation represent a crisis that is severely undermining our children’s opportunity 

To Survive, Some Catholic Schools Rebrand to Lure Wealthier Families - NYTimes.com

To Survive, Some Catholic Schools Rebrand to Lure Wealthier Families - NYTimes.com:

To Survive, a Catholic School Retools for a Wealthier Market

By JENNY ANDERSON

Published: August 19, 2012

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Catholic schools have been bleeding enrollment and money for years, and many have been forced to close. But some, like St. Stephen of Hungary, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, have found a way to thrive — attracting a more affluent clientele by offering services and classes more commonly found in expensive private schools.

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Librado Romero/The New York Times

The Rev. Angelo Gambatese, the pastor of St. Stephen of Hungary church, speaking to students of the St. Stephen school. The school, he said, expected to "achieve the same level of performance" as highly-rated private schools.

Selling points include small class sizes and extracurricular activities beginning in the youngest grades. And by often charging far less, these schools have been able to stabilize themselves and even grow.

“Our competition or our standard isn’t another good Catholic school,” said the Rev. Angelo Gambatese, the pastor at St. Stephen of Hungary church, which shares a 

Jersey Jazzman: Policy Based on FICTIONAL Movies

Jersey Jazzman: Policy Based on FICTIONAL Movies:

Policy Based on FICTIONAL Movies

by Duke

This is so ridiculous, I had to post from the road. Frank Bruni of the NY Times apparently thinks we should make education policy based on fictional movies:

“Our very best teachers ought to be treated much, much better than they are today,” said Joe Williams, the executive director of Democrats for Education Reform. “But in order to get there, we need to be able to say out loud that some teachers are better than others.”

That’s precisely what “Won’t Back Down” says. Although the movie is bound, in this politically charged climate, to be analyzed solely in terms of the position it seems to take on parent trigger or its qualms with union behavior, it’s ultimately about the impact of superior teaching, the need to foster more of it and the importance of school accountability. Who 

Sharing Sundays: A Renee Moore and Jesse Turner Sighting | The Jose Vilson

Sharing Sundays: A Renee Moore and Jesse Turner Sighting | The Jose Vilson:

Sharing Sundays: A Renee Moore and Jesse Turner Sighting

by Jose

Last week, I wrote a post about students in Mississippi getting arrested for things as trivial as dress code.Renee Moore responded:

Thank you so much for giving this sad story the attention and the angle it deserves. This is not just another excuse for people to point their fingers here at MS, but really to point a finger at our collective selves for becoming so callous.

This was worth saying because it’s not just about Mississippi. Too many people equate “backwards” with the South. The next day, I found out that some New Jersey kids won a $500,000 settlement after the assistant principal made them eat off the floor of the gym in front of other kids. The AP was moved to another school, but 

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher who knows what Common Core Means to the Teaching Profession

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher who knows what Common Core Means to the Teaching Profession:

A Teacher who knows what Common Core Means to the Teaching Profession

by stlgretchen

There is an interesting discussion on Hotair.com regarding teacher tenure.  There are some interesting comments specifically about tenure but the conversation expanded on how the real problems in education are much deeper and wider than just teacher tenure.  Read the full article and thread here.

*********************************************************

All I want to do is teach. And I wish people would just let me teach the kids who want to 

View from the Inside: an endorsement of voice and vision for teachers « InterACT

View from the Inside: an endorsement of voice and vision for teachers « InterACT:

View from the Inside: an endorsement of voice and vision for teachers

by Lisa Alva Wood

 

On August 8, I finished a four-week Fellowship at LAUSD Central Offices.The program is sponsored by Education Pioneers, a national foundation that takes MBA candidates and Teach for America teachers and puts them into policy-level offices in school districts and connected organizations for a time. This is the first summer that Ed Pioneers and LAUSD included school-based people. There were five of us – four classroom teachers and a principal. Here’s what I learned:
Lesson One: You’re not alone. Yes you are. But you’re not! But you are.
Lesson Two: What a great idea! We’ve thought of that.
Lesson Three: We want to get out of the box, but the (red) tape is

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-19-12 #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

Diane in the Afternoon 8-19-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Ms. Katie Asks: What If Charters Served the Neediest Students? by dianerav Katie Osgood has a terrific blog. She works with children with high needs. I learn a lot from Ms. Katie whenever I read her writings: *Ms. Katie’s Ramblings* * **Saturday, April 21, 2012* ***What If Charter Schools Did What They Were Intended to Do?* * * *As I continue to meet dozens and dozens of charter school students from across Chicago, I am continually reminded how different the charter schools are from their nearby public neighborhood schools. Working in a psychiatric facility me... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Parent leaders hail the President’s focus on the need for smaller classes

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago

NYC Public School Parents: Parent leaders hail the President’s focus on the need for smaller classes: Parent leaders hail the President’s focus on the need for smaller classes For Immediate Release: August 19, 2012 For more information: Leonie Haimson (NY): 917-435-9329; leonie@classsizematters.org Pamela Grundy (NC): 407-375-4222; shamrockparent@earthlink.net . Robin Hiller (AZ): 520-668-4634; rhiller@voicesforeducation.org Wendy Lecker (CT): 203-536-7567; paaconnecticut@gmail.com Becky Malone (IL); 773- 793-0355; wats7573@aol.com Karen Miller (TX): 281-893-8877; 832-372-4742; km... more »

Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s Parent/Teacher Chat On Twitter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago

Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s Parent/Teacher Chat On Twitter: This Week’s Parent/Teacher Chat On Twitter by Larry Ferlazzo Guest Post By Joe Mazza This week’s chat brings the most important lens to the table – our students. Students from StuVoice.org will join us as “experts” to talk about the ways family engagement impacted their own education growing up. Student Voice is a grassroots effort that is comprised of caring students and individuals that believe that the students should feel empowered and have a stronger voice. You can find

All Education Matters: More Thoughts About Recent Claims That Student Lending Crisis Does Not Exist

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago

All Education Matters: More Thoughts About Recent Claims That Student Lending Crisis Does Not Exist: More Thoughts About Recent Claims That Student Lending Crisis Does Not Exist by Cryn Johannsen A few days ago, I wrote a piece in response to a discussion by higher education experts who are now claiming that, while student debt is growing, there is not a full blown crisis. Some of the panelists even went so far as to argue that stories about student loan debt are being "overblown" and "sensationalized." There are a number of reasons why this group of experts - who do not really e... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Answering the "For-Profit" Charter Question

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 minutes ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Answering the "For-Profit" Charter Question: Answering the "For-Profit" Charter Question by Melissa Westbrook I always get this question (and seemingly by people who are smart and savvy): *How could anyone make money off charter schools? * * * Below is just one explanation of the tip of this iceberg but it's a good one. This column from the Washington Post's Valerie Strauss and her blog, The Answer Sheet, really says it all. She posts an interview with the head of Entertainment Properties Trust which is: *“a specialty real estate investment t... more »

Schools Matter: No More Facebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago

Schools Matter: No More Facebook: No More Facebook by Jim Horn I am just back from holiday, and one of the first things I noticed is the intrusive, controlling Facebook team has crossed the line with their new tracking and Timeline imposition. This comes atop their financing of segregated neo-eugenics camps like KIPP. I have deactivated my account before, but this one is permanent. If you are sending me stuff through Facebook, which is destined to be the next AOL, don't bother. My Email: ontogenyx@gmail.com Jim Horn

Requesting Letters: Action for the Week of 8/19/2012 | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago

Requesting Letters: Action for the Week of 8/19/2012 | United Opt Out National: Requesting Letters: Action for the Week of 8/19/2012 by admin Good afternoon Liberators. The school year has started. United Opt Out National *weekly actions* are resuming and we need your help! We are asking everyone to write a letter to the citizens of our country explaining how you are opting out of corporate education reform. Parents, we’d love a letter explaining how and why you are opting out of the state test. Teachers, we’d love a letter detailing the many creative ways you are able to o... more »

Wait, What? A little help would mean a lot... - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Wait, What? A little help would mean a lot... - Wait, What?: Wait, What? A little help would mean a lot… by jonpelto *A little help would mean a lot…* *Wait, What? - **Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through “perceptive and acerbic” observations about Connecticut Government and Politics* Dear Friends, A little help would mean a lot… For 18 months, Wait, What? has been digging into the stories that aren’t being covered by the media, but should be. Through the blog I’ve been working to educate, persuade and mobilize our fellow citizens through “perceptive and acerbic” obs... more »

(Past) Time for education profiteers to take a walk: Blast from the past #1 | AMPS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

(Past) Time for education profiteers to take a walk: Blast from the past #1 | AMPS: (Past) Time for education profiteers to take a walk: Blast from the past #1 by Thomas J. Mertz “JUST ABOUT TIME HE TOOK A WALK!.,” original caption, *The American School Board Journal*, July 1921. The O’ Jays – “For The Love Of Money” (click to listen or download) This is the first in a new series on AMPS: Blasts from the Past. It will be devoted to historical materials that comment on or illuminate contemporary issues in education. I’ll usually also post some links to recent, related things and o... more »

Help Your Kids with Their Homework With These Tips - Hispanically Speaking News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Help Your Kids with Their Homework With These Tips - Hispanically Speaking News: [image: Help Your Kids with Their Homework With These Tips] Help Your Kids with Their Homework With These Tips There are many things you can do to help your kids start the school year on the right track, like replacing an old backpack or getting them the school supplies they need. But there’s something more meaningful you can do that may not cost money: help them with their homework. Students who do their homework consistently tend to have better grades. It’s not always easy to get them to do their ho... more »

Charter school group's chief blamed for 2010 cheating scandal | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Charter school group's chief blamed for 2010 cheating scandal | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: [image: Home] Charter school group's chief blamed for 2010 cheating scandal by admin [image: John Allen] Two separate investigations into the cheating scandal blamed Crescendo's founder and chief executive, John Allen, who was driven, as one official said, by a desire to be “better, better, better, best." (Brian van der Brug, Los Angeles Times /March 4, 2011) By HOWARD BLUME - Los Angeles Times - Published: Friday, Aug. 17, 2012 From: SacBee.com LOS ANGELES -- The ... more »

Solution-Driven Unionism - Randi's NY Times Column

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

AFT - A Union of Professionals - Randi's NY Times Column: - Print Email ShareThis Download the column - Solution-Driven Unionism Solution-Driven Unionism by Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers ------------------------------ [image: Randi Weingarten] Weingarten visits Madeleine V. Leckie Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Photo by Michael Campbell. Education wars—two words that should never be strung together—are far too common in the United States. The primary casualties of such conflicts, as well as of mounting education cuts and misguid... more »

“Bullying Is Student Voice” (Guest Post by Adam Fletcher) « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

“Bullying Is Student Voice” (Guest Post by Adam Fletcher) « Cooperative Catalyst: “Bullying Is Student Voice” (Guest Post by Adam Fletcher) by dloitz In a lot of educators’ minds, “student voice” only happens when adults direct learners to share their thoughts in ways that are acceptable in schools. Whether embedded in the curriculum, listened to through adult-led student forums, or guided in carefully moderated websites, student voice is often painted as the cuddly, friendly, and convenient precursor to “student engagement.” However, after more than a decade of working with schoo... more »

OH, THE UNBELIEVABLE HORROR « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

OH, THE UNBELIEVABLE HORROR « Teachers Fight Back: OH, THE UNBELIEVABLE HORROR by alkleen Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, you are more hilarious than Governor Quinn. The lead editorial in today’s Chicago Tribune implies that a strike by Chicago teachers would do irreparable harm to the school children of Chicago. It would ruin the ENTIRE YEAR for those poor victimized little children. Oh the horror, oh the humanity if the school year were delayed a few days by a strike. Among an entire page of nonsense is a quote by some unnamed middle school math teacher as saying, “To not have... more »

Holy cow! A newspaper tells the truth about state pensions. Stop the presses! « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Holy cow! A newspaper tells the truth about state pensions. Stop the presses! « Fred Klonsky: Illinois taxes a housekeeper at the Hyatt Hotel at the same rate it taxes Penny Pritzker who owns the hotel. Want to know why the state can’t fund its pensions? by Fred Klonsky Holy cow! A newspaper tells the truth about state pensions. Stop the presses! by Fred Klonsky Most robbery victims would sympathize with other people about to be held up, but right-wing media and wrong-headed legislators have created scapegoats to cover their own failures. Bill Fletcher, Jr., author of “They... more »

Charter-school issue a drain on public education | Jay Bookman

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Charter-school issue a drain on public education | Jay Bookman: Charter-school issue a drain on public education 1:38 pm August 19, 2012, by Jay [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] *Note: This post contains material published here earlier. It is posted here as the electronic version of my Sunday AJC column.* *“The provision of an adequate public education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia. Public education for the citizens prior to the college or post-secondary level shall be free and shall be provided for by taxation.”* —... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed Reform Talk

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed Reform Talk: Ed Reform Talk by Melissa Westbrook This summer, Rep. Eric Pettigrew went to a talk by Jeb Bush, a champion of the worst of ed reform (just look at Florida). Now, in yet another disturbing trend, Pettigrew (who says he's a Dem), is going to accept an award from the Washington Policy Center for his "courage" in standing up for charters. If I were in the 37th, I'd be suspicious of someone who is so cozy with partisans from the other party. The WPC, which calls itself non-partisan, is nothing of the sort. Here's WPC's idea for what... more »

Why Are Our Public Schools Up For Sale? | Alternet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Why Are Our Public Schools Up For Sale? | Alternet: Why Are Our Public Schools Up For Sale? While charter proponents claim that their schools are less bureaucratic, more efficient, and more effective, the evidence fails to back those claims. *August 13, 2012* | Photo Credit: Margie Hurwich via Shutterstock.com "Back-to-school" sales seem to start earlier every year. These days, more than binders and backpacks are on offer. Now, public schools themselves are for sale. In July, Muskegon Heights, Michigan became the first American city to hand its entire school district over to... more »

EDUCATION, humor, satire, vouchers, charter schools, cyberschools, | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

EDUCATION, humor, satire, vouchers, charter schools, cyberschools, | Dailycensored.com: EDUCATION, humor, satire, vouchers, charter schools, cyberschools by Danny Weil Vouchering an Educational Adventure *by WALTER BRASCH* I hadn’t talked with Marshbaum for a couple of years, ever since he left newspaper journalism for more lucrative work in the fast food industry. But here he was in my office to ask if I would publicize his new educational adventure. “That’s great!” I said. “You’re finishing the last three years of college.” “I own the school. CEO of Little Minds Charter and Vouc... more »

Where Borrowing $105 Million Will Cost $1 Billion: Poway Schools - Voice of San Diego: Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Where Borrowing $105 Million Will Cost $1 Billion: Poway Schools - Voice of San Diego: Education: Where Borrowing $105 Million Will Cost $1 Billion: Poway Schools - By *WILL CARLESS* Last year the Poway Unified School District made a deal: It borrowed $105 million from investors to fund a final push in its decade-long effort to revamp aging schools. In many ways, the deal was unspectacular. Some of the money was used to pay off previous debts from delayed and over-budget construction projects. The rest went towards finishing upgrades that Poway taxpayers had been promi... more »

Yes, you heard right...CT taxpayers give $115 million to Bridgewater, world's biggest hedge fund - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Yes, you heard right...CT taxpayers give $115 million to Bridgewater, world's biggest hedge fund - Wait, What?: Yes, you heard right…CT taxpayers give $115 million to Bridgewater, world’s biggest hedge fund by jonpelto Connecticut taxpayers are providing $115 million in aid to the world’s largest hedge fund. Ray Dalio, the company’s founder and CEO is the highest paid person in the country. (He made $3.9 billion in 2011 alone.) The package is, “an incentive to stay and expand in the state.” They build a $750 million headquarters in Stamford (they are now based in Westport) They inc... more »

The Sunday mail. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

The Sunday mail. « Fred Klonsky: The Sunday mail. by Fred Klonsky *This week’s message from the Pension Educator, John Dillon.* Keeping Teachers in the Box (or “love you just the way you are”). *We need Woody more than ever.* Thank God for Ry Cooder. *America’s public schools* are for sale. *Okay. I admit it.* I have a thing for Byonce. *Microsoft sucks*. So let’s hand our schools over to Bill Gates? *Rahm* and his charter school secret. *And welcome to Rahm’s Chicago.* If you’re poo

School Tech Connect: More Gates-Funded Nonsense Becomes Official

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

School Tech Connect: More Gates-Funded Nonsense Becomes Official: More Gates-Funded Nonsense Becomes Official by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) I was going to try to write something about how the testing/industrial complex has created a bizarre, incestuous, many-headed Hydra, and how the market is responding favorably, but I see that Susan Ohanian has already covered this particular development in spectacular detail. In short, the Gates-funded National Governors' Association just determined through Gates-funded analysis at the Gates + GE-funded Student Achievement Partners, th... more »

Obama urges Congress to approve funds to boost teacher hiring - The Hill's Video

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Obama urges Congress to approve funds to boost teacher hiring - The Hill's Video: Obama urges Congress to approve funds to boost teacher hiring By Meghashyam Mali - 08/18/12 06:00 AM ET President Obama on Saturday called on lawmakers to pass legislation to help cash-strapped state and local governments hire teachers and said Republican budget cuts would set back America’s education system. In his weekly address, Obama noted the coming start of the school year in much of the country and warned that scaled-back education budgets had left fewer teachers on the job. “This year, sever... more »

IIn “Denial” About Florida’s Test-Based Accountability System and “Acting As If” Nothing’s Wrong | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

IIn “Denial” About Florida’s Test-Based Accountability System and “Acting As If” Nothing’s Wrong | Scathing Purple Musings: IIn “Denial” About Florida’s Test-Based Accountability System and “Acting As If” Nothing’s Wrong by Bob Sikes From the editors of *Bradenton Herald*: The state’s top education officials are in deep denial about the flaws in the system, with one suggesting the discovery of the school grading errors is proof the accountability system works. That sort of spin boggles the mind. The state should have reviewed the scores for errors before releasing them to the publ... more »

“You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!” - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

“You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!” - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators: “You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat!” “You're gonna need a bigger boat!” -Police Chief Brody, *Jaws* Three able men are shoveling chum out into the water to attract the menace terrorizing their beaches. Suddenly an image begins to take form beneath the water, circling the small fishing vessel. They assess they are looking at a 25-foot, three ton tiger shark. Police Chief Martin Brody exclaims, “You're gonna need a bigger boat!” A patently ... more »

The Future of Public Schools in Arizona? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

The Future of Public Schools in Arizona? « Diane Ravitch's blog: The Future of Public Schools in Arizona? by dianerav Robin Hiller of Tucson’s Voices for Education writes that while it is true that charters in Arizona represent 25% of all schools in the state, they enroll only 9% of the state’s children. The 25% number is misleading, because we have charters that have 17 students and public high schools that have 3,000. In 2008, Arizona had 1,480 ‘traditional’ K-12 and 477 charter schools. But according to the Arizona Dept of Ed and reports from each county’s superintendent’s off... more »

AJC investigation: Dropouts in Georgia far higher than reported. Can we fix it? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

AJC investigation: Dropouts in Georgia far higher than reported. Can we fix it? | Get Schooled: AJC investigation: Dropouts in Georgia far higher than reported. Can we fix it? by Maureen Downey In a front page Sunday investigation, *the AJC shares its discovery *– learned through open records requests — that 30,751 students in the Class of 2011 left high school without a diploma, nearly double the 15,590 initially reported. The jarring difference owes to new federal requirements for counting dropouts, requirements that now put the onus on systems to track students who disappear.... more »

UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-19-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] A Word to Fellow Teachers by dianerav From a teacher, who read this advice and added more: *Dear teacher sister/brother, as I read and absorb your advice, and wish you well for all of it, may I respectfully add one more idea for your consideration? It’s a big part of my school year:* *“I will be mindful that next door, down the street, and across the country thousands and thousands of teachers like me are trying to do the same thing, for the same reason. Because children are our focus. Because we love and c... more »

Daily Kos: State of the Unions (and Professional Organizations): On Equity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Daily Kos: State of the Unions (and Professional Organizations): On Equity: State of the Unions (and Professional Organizations): On Equity byplthomasEdDFollow 3 PERMALINK1 COMMENT [image: Parents Stand With CTU (CLICK ON PICTURE)] Union bashing is nothing new, but in the past decade, that union bashing has bled over into political, public, and media demonizing teachers through a nearly compulsive focus on themythological "bad" teacher. This mantra of "bad" teacher, and the concurrent claim that we must immediately identify the best teachers, poses a significant contradiction in ... more »

Study: Students from middle-income families incur higher student loan debt | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Study: Students from middle-income families incur higher student loan debt | Get Schooled: Study: Students from middle-income families incur higher student loan debt by Maureen Downey One of the working research papers being presented at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in Denver this weekend deals with the disproportionate share of student debt that falls on students from families earning between $40,000 and $59,000. Here is the official release on the paper by Jason N. Houle of the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Young adults from middle incom... more »

Daily Kos: A personal reflection

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Daily Kos: A personal reflection: A personal reflection by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) When I was still in the classroom I would often offer my Saturday morning reflections, in part fueled by stepping back from another week with adolescents and how that shaped my view on things in the world, political and personal. Tomorrow my former co-workers report back to school, something last done in that school without me a decade past. My reflections tend to be shaped by other things nowadays. They are also far more frequent, and perhaps in greater depth - in part because I have more ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Will Home Schooled and Private Schooled Students Have to Take Common Core Assessments?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Will Home Schooled and Private Schooled Students Have to Take Common Core Assessments?: Will Home Schooled and Private Schooled Students Have to Take Common Core Assessments? by stlgretchen What happens when "choice" schools can't choose their own assessments due to legislative action? What kind of choice is that for students and parents? They will have the same education from either traditional public or "choice" schools. There is some concerning news coming from Florida regarding private school testing requirements that

“Spend nothing unless absolutely necessary” | The G Bitch Spot

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

“Spend nothing unless absolutely necessary” | The G Bitch Spot: “Spend nothing unless absolutely necessary” by G Bitch So familiar, it sends a chill: “Spend nothing unless absolutely necessary,” Gov. George F. Drew advised the Florida legislature in 1877, and lawmakers took his advice to heart, abolishing the penitentiary, thus saving $25,000, and abandoning a nearly completed Agricultural College, *leaving the state without any institution of higher learning, public or private*. Alabama’s Redeemers *closed public hospitals* at Montgomery and Talladega and Louisiana’s were “so eco... more »

Why Billionaires And Hedge Funders Are Setting Up Education Non-Profits | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Why Billionaires And Hedge Funders Are Setting Up Education Non-Profits | Scathing Purple Musings: Why Billionaires And Hedge Funders Are Setting Up Education Non-Profits by Bob Sikes

6 Reasons Teachers Unions Are Good for Kids | Alternet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

6 Reasons Teachers Unions Are Good for Kids | Alternet: 6 Reasons Teachers Unions Are Good for Kids Our schools need teachers unions as much today as they ever have. *August 17, 2012* | Photo Credit: Matt Gibson / Shutterstock.com Once upon a time, labor unions enjoyed a fair amount of political legitimacy among both the public and political elites. While it is true that unions were always a source of concern for capitalist elites and union-busting was always with us, the public generally considered unions mainstream. They had a political voice because regular working- and ... more »

Special needs kids staying in traditional schools - SFGate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Special needs kids staying in traditional schools - SFGate: Special needs kids staying in traditional schoolsCHRISTINA HOAG, Associated PressUpdated 2:21 p.m., Saturday, August 18, 2012 - [image: In this photo taken Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, Matthew Asner walks his son Will, 9, who is autistic, to the Nestle Avenue Elementary School in the Tarzana district of Los Angeles. Public school districts are seeing higher proportions of children with special needs due to declining enrollment and charter schools that do not accept as many kids with disabilities, especially mo... more »

Two important Chicago area meetings this week. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Two important Chicago area meetings this week. « Fred Klonsky: Two important Chicago area meetings this week. by Fred Klonsky *Glen Brown, PREA President Erin Breen and John Dillon at the Springfield Capitol on Friday.* *Glen Brown, who publishes the blog, Teacher/Poet/Musician, and I will be speaking*at the special meeting of the North Suburban chapter of Illinois Retired Teachers Association ((IRTA) on Thursday, August 23rd beginning at 7PM. The meeting will take place at the Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Avenue in Wilmette. All who concerned with the pension issue and... more »

Schools Matter: Six Degrees of Insanity: Education "Reform"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Schools Matter: Six Degrees of Insanity: Education "Reform": Six Degrees of Insanity: Education "Reform" by P. L. Thomas Popular culture's six degrees of separation (a claim that each person is separated from any other person by six connections) spawned a film of that name and a trivia game, six degrees of Kevin Bacon. The current education reform movement, hell-bent on accountability, has recently moved into a phase that has not been recognized nearly as well as its pop-culture cousins: Six Degrees of Insanity. Starting in the early 1980s, this accountability movement began by f... more »

Truth about Policymakers? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Truth about Policymakers? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Truth about Policymakers? by larrycuban *I read Rick Hess’s books and blog. He is clear, crisp, and provocative in his positions. A former social studies teacher and professor, he is Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. He frequently comments on parental choice, educational philanthropy, accountability, teacher unions, and scads of other hot topics in the federal, state, and district policy arena.* *Recently, he wrote two posts on his Educa... more »

EDMC's 'Art Institute' For-Profit College Forces Out Arts Professor for Refusing to Adopt E-Textbook | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

EDMC's 'Art Institute' For-Profit College Forces Out Arts Professor for Refusing to Adopt E-Textbook | Dailycensored.com: EDMC’s ‘Art Institute’ For-Profit College Forces Out Arts Professor for Refusing to Adopt E-Textbook by Danny Weil Forget about academic freedom or even democratic decision making if you work for one of the for-profit gulags they call ‘universities’, or ‘institutes’ or ‘academies’. They are little more than low paid sweat shops where what gets produced are useless diplomas, not education, and the diplomas come at an exorbitant price. It should be noted that E... more »

Going To California

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Christine Rubino Gets The Shaft.southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

http://www.southbronxschool.com: Christine Rubino Gets The Shaft by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) This will be the first of hopefully many documents from the files of the Christine Rubino case. Tonight's inanity is how mediator Randi Lowitt and DOE "attorney" Jeffrey Gamils team up on Christine for not having an attorney at the opening of her hearing. Long story short, Christine changed attorneys, as is her right, at the last minute. The arbitrator had no problem having a hearing without an attorney representing Christine, and the DOE "attorney" seemed to have

An Urban Teacher's Education: Two Items for Those of Us Living in the Pacific Northwest

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

An Urban Teacher's Education: Two Items for Those of Us Living in the Pacific Northwest: Two Items for Those of Us Living in the Pacific Northwest by James Boutin There are two things I've been trying to promote recently for concerned citizens in the Pacific Northwest. So please, if you agree that either of these are worth promoting, share on Facebook, Twitter, and everything else. 1) At the SOS Conference in DC a few weeks ago, the Washington State delegation decided it would be a good idea to generate a listserv focusing on education related news items from around the Pacific N... more »

Cultural Miseducation: Knowledge, Power and Ethnic Studies | MyFDL

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Cultural Miseducation: Knowledge, Power and Ethnic Studies | MyFDL: [image: User Picture]Cultural Miseducation: Knowledge, Power and Ethnic StudiesBy: Michelle Chen Friday August 17, 2012 8:36 pm [image: Tweet]Tweet [image: digg] [image: stumbleupon] Julio Salgado *Originally posted at CultureStrike* This summer, Tucson students, educators, and activist did something rebellious: they celebrated books. These weren’t just any books, of course. They were the books that had been deemed contraband by school authorities, vilified as tools of a curriculum that promotes ethnic hatred. I... more »

Educator Musing: Parent Revolution Robbing School District

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Educator Musing: Parent Revolution Robbing School District: Parent Revolution Robbing School District by Educator Musing 'Trigger' parents sue Adelanto School District http://www.vvdailypress.com/articles/adelanto-33801-sue-trigger.html Parent Revolution backed an expensive lawsuit against the Adelanto School District to impose a charter the parents claim to not want. Now Gabe Rose of Parent Revolution is consulting with attorneys to do it again. This small school district may not be able to stand against the big league juggernaut funded by wealthy foundations. This is so wrong... more »

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