Friday, October 5, 2012

Instructions for the October 17 Campaign for Our Public Schools « Diane Ravitch's blog

Instructions for the October 17 Campaign for Our Public Schools « Diane Ravitch's blog:


Instructions for the October 17 Campaign for Our Public Schools

by dianerav


Great news!
Anthony Cody, experienced middle school science teacher and fabulous blogger, has offered to coordinate our campaign to write President Obama on October 17.
We call it the Campaign for Our Public Schools.
Anthony previously ran his own campaign called “Teachers’ Letters to Obama.” He is a champion for teachers, kids, and public education.
Our campaign is meant to include everyone who cares about public education: students, parents, teachers, principals, school board members, and concerned citizens. We want everyone to write the President and tell him 
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Helping Students Motivate Themselves | MiddleWeb

Helping Students Motivate Themselves | MiddleWeb:


HelpingStudentsGetMotivated

AMiddleWebBookReview

Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges
by Larry Ferlazzo
(Eye On Education, 2011 – Learn more)
Reviewed by Becky Bair
I was very excited to have the opportunity to read Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges by Larry Ferlazzo, a California teacher who writes the blog Classroom Q&A for Education Week. The book confirmed many of the strategies and tools I use in my classroom and emphasized the important roles that relationships and metacognition play in motivation and successful classrooms.
From the beginning Ferlazzo is clear that “This book is not designed as a road map; rather, it should serve as a compass to point us and our students in the right direction.” To point readers in the right direction, the book is set up in a format that is very easy to follow. Each section begins with a hypothetical question or statement you might typically hear from a teacher. For example:
I work so hard at trying to get these kids motivated. Some are, but so many aren’t. They just seem to want to get by—if that. I try to encourage them—I’m their biggest cheerleader! But it can get so tiring. I feel like I’m pushing a rope with some of my students. Why can’t they just want to achieve instead of having to be pushed into it?
Ferlazzo then offers background information and perspective that teachers can use to develop a better 
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Mexican Students Protest Labor Law, Seize 33 Vehicles Including Coca-Cola Truck - Hispanically Speaking News

Mexican Students Protest Labor Law, Seize 33 Vehicles Including Coca-Cola Truck - Hispanically Speaking News:


Mexican Students Protest Labor Law, Seize 33 Vehicles Including Coca-Cola Truck

Published at 6:07 pm EST, October 5, 2012
Mexican Students Protest Labor Law, Seize 33 Vehicles Including Coca-Cola Truck
Photo: Coca-Cola truck
Click Here to Enlarge Photo
Students in the western state of Michoacan seized 15 buses and 18 delivery trucks belonging to firms such as Coca-Cola and baking giant Bimbo as part of protests against a proposed overhaul of Mexican labor law.
The bill, which would facilitate outsourcing and make it easier for firms to hire and fire workers, was approved last weekend by the lower house and is now before the Senate
Sources in the state government said the delivery trucks were commandeered by students at the Rural Normal School in Cheran, a settlement of Purepecha Indians.
Besides the labor overhaul, the students were protesting changes to the curriculum at Mexico’s 
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Pass / Fail : Arts education — or the lack thereof — at LA Unified by the numbers | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : Arts education — or the lack thereof — at LA Unified by the numbers | 89.3 KPCC:


Arts education — or the lack thereof — at LA Unified by the numbers

by By Tami Abdollah
Graffiti ArtistL.A. plans to unveil a major initiative to save public arts education. Meanwhile, L.A. Unified's school board is looking at a measure that would make arts a "core subject." Credit: Grant Slater/KPCC
In the last three years, Los Angeles Unified has had to cut nearly $1.5 billion from its annual operating budget, which is now roughly $6 billion. "Arts education is one of the most impacted components of LAUSD instruction as a result," according to the district.
I'm still working on getting specific breakdowns on arts education funding from L.A. Unified, but in the meantime, here are some numbers the district had handy.
In 2008, L.A. Unified employed 345 art specialist teachers — the district called that year its "peak." Now there 
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A NEW MERIT PAY PROPOSAL « Teachers Fight Back

A NEW MERIT PAY PROPOSAL « Teachers Fight Back:


A NEW MERIT PAY PROPOSAL

by alkleen


I have a group of workers that should be considered right along with teachers for merit pay. These workers are like teachers in so many ways. They care deeply about the people they cater to.  They only have a limited time to work with the people they are responsible for. (Yikes two sentences in a row that end in prepositions). They aren’t in their profession for the money. The people they are helping come with many different types of problems and come from a variety of backgrounds. They are well-respected, but not nearly as much as in the past. They rely on local people for their salary. They do not work for a business. They put in many hours of work that the average person is unaware of. They tend to be more efficient at their jobs as their tenure grows.
I am writing about merit pay for priests, rabbis, ministers, imams  and all other religious leaders. The pay for 
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Big Education Ape Nite Cap 10-5-12 #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





Sacramento Press / Local Organization hosts Bullying Awareness Conference

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago
Sacramento Press / Local Organization hosts Bullying Awareness Conference: *Image by: B.R.A.V.E. SocietyBe B.R.A.V.E. – Say Something-Do Something* For many students in the fourteen school districts within Sacramento County and dozens more in outlying areas, attending to school should be, for the most part, happy and memorable. However for thousands of students who fall under an at-risk category for bullying and peer-abuse, attending school can be extremely stressful, mentally and physically abusive, and at times, simply unbearable. There is a difference between peer-conflict and ou... more »

Schools Matter: Who's Afraid of Nell Scharff?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 46 minutes ago
Schools Matter: Who's Afraid of Nell Scharff?: Who's Afraid of Nell Scharff? by Storm Now, if you've read *The Atlantic*'s piece on the "writing revolution" (I'll review this in another post) you may have picked up on the name Nell Scharff, but you may also have just paid her no attention. She is introduced in the piece and identified in this way. Her [New Dorp principal] decision in 2008 to focus on how teachers supported writing inside each classroom was not popular. “Most teachers,” said Nell Scharff, an instructional expert DeAngelis hired, “entered into the process with a s... more »

LAUSD'S BLACK AND LATINO FAMILIES: DOES ENDLESS STRUGGLE WORK FOR YOU? - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
LAUSD'S BLACK AND LATINO FAMILIES: DOES ENDLESS STRUGGLE WORK FOR YOU? - Perdaily.com: LAUSD'S BLACK AND LATINO FAMILIES: DOES ENDLESS STRUGGLE WORK FOR YOU? by Leonard Isenberg [image: Maynard Brown.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)** "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana* *This evening I attended a meeting of predominantly African American parents, students, and Black politicos at the African American Cultural Center. The tone of the evening was set by *

A new blend of public and private | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
A new blend of public and private | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: A new blend of public and privateDistricts are looking to an array of providers to create high-performing schools. The approach has raised concerns about the future of public education.by Connie Langland Photo: Courtesy of Mother Bethel AME (left), Courtesy of Montclair State University (right) *The Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler (left), Katrina Bulkley (right)* - COMMENTS (0)PRINT - EMAIL[image: ""] Tags: - charter schools - funding - Renaissance Schools - School Reform Commission - sc... more »

High Schools at Work: Creating Student-Centered Learning — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
High Schools at Work: Creating Student-Centered Learning — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]High Schools at Work: Creating Student-Centered Learning October 5, 2012 by Klea Scharberg With a good education comes the responsibility of teachers to show students how to become responsible and active citizens. Through various activities, such as mock trials and lessons on democracy, students can learn valuable lessons that help shape who they become in life. In this video, see how one high school collaborates with different organizations in its community... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Now is the Time to Stand Up and Be Counted

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Now is the Time to Stand Up and Be Counted: Now is the Time to Stand Up and Be Counted by Melissa Westbrook [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] Remember my thread about the list of who does and does not support I-1240? Remember how the No On 1240 group list dwarfed the Yes list AND had the biggest diversity of educators, parents and community groups? Well, consider the list of individuals, particularly elected officials who are, as private citizens, taking a stand against 1240. I have written to many elected officials to not stand by and be... more »

Diane in the Afternoon 10-5-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: This Teacher’s Letter for October 17 by dianerav A teacher from New Hampshire wrote his own letter, which he will send to President Obama on October 17. Please tell your friends and colleagues to join in our mass action. You can write a long letter or a short one. It’s up to you. The important thing is to let the President know that friends and supporters of public education are very unhappy with the policies of his administration. We are trying to help the President find the words to give us hope and real change. Note: I usually don’t include names in letters... more »

RheeFirst! » Meet the rogues gallery behind Rhee’s CT front group

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
RheeFirst! » Meet the rogues gallery behind Rhee’s CT front group: Meet the rogues gallery behind Rhee’s CT front group by admin As blogger Jonathan Pelto pointed out yesterday, there is quite a cast of characters funding Rhee’s CT frontgroup. GNEPSA’s top five contributors include Nick Biem (venture capitalist behind the $100k+ job site TheLadders), ConnAD (a project of ConnCAN), and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. So, while Bloomberg cuts checks to her CT front group, Rhee works to preserve Bloomberg’s much-criticized legacy in New York.

School Tech Connect: I'm Certain You Agree

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
School Tech Connect: I'm Certain You Agree: I'm Certain You Agree by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) [image: DFER Fake Democrats for Education Privatization (click on Picture)] IT IS A RULE: YOU CAN'T BE AGAINST PEOPLE AND FOR CORPORATIONS AND CALL YOURSELF A DEMOCRAT...EVER! There's an interesting* little dialogue going on over at Catalyst *between Rececca Nieves Huffman of DFER and Wendy Katten, of Raise Your Hand. It is what it is, so go read the whole thing to make up your own mind, but there are a couple things that stand out to me. One is that there's a basic assumption in... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Board Retreat - Board Priorities

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Board Retreat - Board Priorities: Board Retreat - Board Priorities by Charlie Mas The Board held their fall retreat on September 22. Here are the minutes. It includes both the worst and the best thing I think I have ever read about Seattle Schools leadership. The minutes are a bit hard to follow because they make reference to documents, such as a survey and a gantt chart, which are not included in the minutes. Even without the complete set of reference materials, the meanings come through very clearly. The meeting started with some chat about how t... more »

Schools Matter: Deasy the Dauphine of LAUSD returns to his "let them eat ebooks" theme

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Schools Matter: Deasy the Dauphine of LAUSD returns to his "let them eat ebooks" theme: Deasy the Dauphine of LAUSD returns to his "let them eat ebooks" theme by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene *"These "data-driven" investors are not so much interested in students' scores, as in the opportunities to cut costs by using online technology... The central question, says education entrepreneur John Katzman is "How do we use technology so that we require fewer qualified teachers?"" — Jeff Faux * [image: Plutocratic priest of privatization LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy]A "RIFed" (laid off) L... more »

Commentary: Charter school lobby seeks to restrict democratic control of schools | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Commentary: Charter school lobby seeks to restrict democratic control of schools | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Commentary: Charter school lobby seeks to restrict democratic control of schoolsby Ron Whitehorne on Oct 05 2012[image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] - COMMENTS (0)PRINT - EMAIL[image: ""] Gov. Corbett's administration, supported by the charter school lobby, is seeking to pass a change in the charter school law that would effectively remove control of charter schools from local communities in favor of a statewide commission of poli... more »

Ex-Teach For America member changes his mind

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Ex-Teach For America member changes his mind: Ex-Teach For America member changes his mind Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 5, 2012 at 2:59 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » I sometimes hear from Teach For America corps members who have lost their early infatuation with the organization but are hesitant to speak out publicly. Here’s the story about one who did from Alexander Russo’s This Week in Educationblog. By Alexander Russo One of the most interesting characters in the LA education sce... more »

Texas test scandal ex-school chief gets 3.5 years Former EPISD Superintendent Lorenzo García sentencing today - El Paso Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Former EPISD Superintendent Lorenzo García sentencing today - El Paso Times: Former EPISD Superintendent Lorenzo García sentencing today By Hayley Kappes \ El Paso Times Posted: 10/05/2012 12:00:00 AM MDT Former El Paso Independent School District Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia (Times file photo) - - Former El Paso Independent School District Superintendent Lorenzo García is expected to be sentenced today in federal court for his participation in a cheating scheme that is still the object of an FBI investigation. García is to be sentenced on two counts of conspira... more »

 Louisiana’s bold bid to privatize schools « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
 Louisiana’s bold bid to privatize schools « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Louisiana’s bold bid to privatize schools by millerlf Fri, Jun 1 2012, Reuters By Stephanie Simon June 1 (Reuters) – Louisiana is embarking on the nation’s boldest experiment in privatizing public education, with the state preparing to shift tens of millions in tax dollars out of the public schools to pay private industry, businesses owners and church pastors to educate children. Starting this fall, thousands of poor and middle-class kids will get vouchers covering the full cost of tuition at... more »

Whose money paid for the “Education Reformer’s” effort to influence the outcome of Connecticut 5th Legislative District? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Whose money paid for the “Education Reformer’s” effort to influence the outcome of Connecticut 5th Legislative District? - Wait, What?: Whose money paid for the “Education Reformer’s” effort to influence the outcome of Connecticut 5th Legislative District? by jonpelto Last week, the Greater New England Public Schools Alliance engaged in an unprecedented effort to influence the outcome of an election in Connecticut. GNEPSA, Michelle Rhee’s front group used a loophole in Connecticut campaign finance law to dumps tens of thousands of dollars in support of Democrat Brandon McGee and ... more »

How the AP and Politifact Bungled the Young Graduate Unemployment Story « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
How the AP and Politifact Bungled the Young Graduate Unemployment Story « Student Activism: How the AP and Politifact Bungled the Young Graduate Unemployment Story by Angus Johnston In April the Associated Press published a story that’s gotten a lot of attention from education activists. According to the AP, a quarter of all recent college graduates are unemployed, and another quarter are “underemployed” — working part-time jobs, or jobs that don’t require a college degree. Mitt Romney has incorporated this report into his campaign speeches, in a highly distorted version that clai... more »

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Going after the “Greed Agenda”

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Going after the “Greed Agenda”: Bus tour with teacherken: Going after the “Greed Agenda” by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *I am currently in Columbus OH, where I am participating in Patriot Majority's Bus trip to Stop the Greed Agenda against the Koch Brothers. I was hired to do this by the National Education Association, and will be posting at least once a day at their Education Votes website. I will crosspost PART of those posts here, as I am doing this morning, and provide a link back to their site, since they are paying for my blogging. ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Who Knew? Free Birth Control = Fewer Teen Moms

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Who Knew? Free Birth Control = Fewer Teen Moms: Who Knew? Free Birth Control = Fewer Teen Moms by Melissa Westbrook From the AP: *Free birth control led to substantially lower rates of abortions and teen births, a large study concluded Thursday, offering strong evidence for how a contested Obama administration policy could benefit women's health.* *The project tracked more than 9,000 women in St. Louis, many of them poor or uninsured. They were given their choice of a range of contraceptive methods at no cost — from birth-control pills to goofpro... more »

“LAUSD State of the District Address."

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Los Angeles Unified School District: District News LAUSD State of the District Seating is limited for this event; therefore, stakeholders interested in attending this event, must RSVP to reserve a seat. September 13, 2012 Dear LAUSD Stakeholders: On Monday, October 8, 2012, LAUSD Employees, Elected Officials, Board Members, Community Partners, Student Leaders, Parent Representatives, and other stakeholders are invited to attend the “LAUSD State of the District Address." Superintendent John Deasy will use this forum to share the District’s steady progress toward making certain th... more »

This is What Great Teaching (& Teachers) Looks Like

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
This is What Great Teaching (& Teachers) Looks Like: This is What Great Teaching (& Teachers) Looks Like by Sam There’s a lot of talk nationally about the importance of teachers, and the need to identify what great teaching actually *looks like* — and requires. Our search should start and end with people like Kathy Clunis D’Andrea. A veteran educator at the Mission Hill School in Boston, Kathy epitomizes everything that’s good about the profession — and everything the rest of us need to pay closer attention to if we want to support a better, more holistic vision of American public ed... more »

OK Dead White Guys, You Can Come Out Now « The Core Knowledge Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
OK Dead White Guys, You Can Come Out Now « The Core Knowledge Blog: OK Dead White Guys, You Can Come Out Nowby Robert Pondiscio *October 5th, 2012* * * * * Tags: Common Core State Standards, literature, Mark Bauerlein Posted in Core Knowledge, Curriculum, Education Practice | No Comments » With the advent of Common Core State Standards, English class may be safe once more for Dead White Males. In an op-ed in the New York Daily News, Mark Bauerlein points out CCSS’s requirement that students should be able to “demonstrate knowledge of 18th-, 19th- and early-20th-century foundational... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, October 5, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *A week before space shuttle Endeavour begins its 12-mile crawl through Los Angeles, officials said the public will have limited access during the two-day trek to the California Science Center in Exposition Park.* Education Headlines *Friday, October 5, 2012* Burbank High School's new field a symbol of pride for south Sacramento studentsThis isn't Granite Bay or Elk Grove or some other suburban campus. It isn't even one of Sacramento's wealthier schools. It's Luther Burbank High School – "Blood Bank," they used to call it – where ... more »

Seven Ideas for Meaningful Parent-Teacher Conferences - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Seven Ideas for Meaningful Parent-Teacher Conferences - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Seven Ideas for Meaningful Parent-Teacher Conferences by Nancy Flanagan Let me describe the worst parent-teacher conferences I ever attended. Picture a large, echoing gymnasium, with teachers seated behind tables set nearly edge-to-edge around the perimeter; two molded-plastic chairs face each table. In the center of the gym, a roiling mass of hundreds of parents, trying to locate their daughter's teachers, assessing the length of lines. Facing each table, a line of parents... more »

World Teachers'Day | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
World Teachers'Day | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: World Teachers' Day 2012: Take a stand for teachers! “Take a stand for teachers!” is the slogan of World Teachers’ Day 2012 (5 October) which UNESCO is celebrating along with its partners, the International Labour Organization, UNDP, UNICEF and Education International (EI). Taking a stand for the teaching profession means providing adequate training, ongoing professional development, and protection for teachers’ rights. All over the world, a quality education offers hope and the promise of a ... more »

Value-Added? | The G Bitch Spot

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Value-Added? | The G Bitch Spot: Value-Added? by G Bitch Go read Michael Deshotels’ Serious Flaws in VAM and Mr. Free’s analysis of value-added [the link in the quote below]. Yet despite all the evidence I am about to present here, all of these actions that are so destructive to the teaching profession and to the education of our children will soon start happening. Pleaseclick on this link to the LAE website for Mr Free’s analysis. For this post I will just summarize one of the most critical findings in his study. The value-added “model” has been criticized before, and only makes... more »

Modern School: Cut Class, Lose Welfare—MI’s Latest Attempt to Bail Itself Out on the Backs of the Poor

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Modern School: Cut Class, Lose Welfare—MI’s Latest Attempt to Bail Itself Out on the Backs of the Poor: Cut Class, Lose Welfare—MI’s Latest Attempt to Bail Itself Out on the Backs of the Poor by Michael Dunn Get to Class, Punk (Image from Flickr, by DonkeyHotey) A new Michigan law (effective October 1) requires all children to be in school full time or the entire family will become ineligible to receive welfare benefits, the Detroit News reports. Furthermore, all new cash-assistance applicants will now be required to prove school enrollment for their children and good attendance in... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Numbers Game In Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: The Numbers Game In Education: The Numbers Game In Education by Anngie Thomas Friedman, author of *The World is Flat *and most recently *That Used To Be Us, *was interviewed by Jim Fleming on NPR's All Things Considered recently and had this to say about American education, *"Well, if you take the PISA test, which is the best kind of international comparative test on writing, math and science for 15-year-olds, we're right there in the middle of the pack with Slovenia. We are not leaders in these math and science competitions or in the writing competiti... more »

Race to the Top Frozen Out in Fresno - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Race to the Top Frozen Out in Fresno - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Race to the Top Frozen Out in Fresno by Anthony Cody Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody Both President Obama and his debate challenger Mitt Romney took time Wednesday night to praise the controversial Race to the Top program, but down where the rubber meets the road, the program is hitting some obstacles. The Department of Education now requires school districts to get formal buy-in from teachers when they apply for Race to the Top funds. This is proving to be a problem as some teachers have bec... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Testing madness, stress driving good teachers out of public schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Testing madness, stress driving good teachers out of public schools: Testing madness, stress driving good teachers out of public schools by Mike Klonsky There's an excellent piece in yesterday's Texas Trib (NYT), "Strain for Teachers Runs Deeper Than Budget Cuts," which gets to the heart of the matter for my pre-service, college of ed students. It's not just massive ed budget cuts, nor the inequities in funding that are driving the best and the brightest away from teaching in urban public schools -- although that helps. *Ms. Peterson taught for 10 y... more »

Ratification of Chicago teachers contract sets stage for assault on public education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Ratification of Chicago teachers contract sets stage for assault on public education: Ratification of Chicago teachers contract sets stage for assault on public education By Joseph Kishore 5 October 2012 Chicago teachers have voted to accept a contract supported by both the administration of Democratic Party Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Teachers Union. The vote on the contract came two weeks after a CTU delegates meeting ended the seven-day-long strike of 26,000 teachers. The new contract includes all the essential demands of Emanuel, including the expansion of the school d... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-5-12 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] Remember When Teachers Crashed the Economy? by dianerav Do you remember when teachers and principals brought the economy down in the fall of 2008? Remember how they caused the stock market to collapse? You don’t? Neither do I. No matter. States are busily figuring out how to take away teachers’ pensions to right the economy, and reformers are blaming “bad” teachers for the outsourcing of jobs to China and India. The reformers say that the jobs are being outsourced because Americans aren’t skilled enough to d... more »

Two important points about test-based accountability

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Two important points about test-based accountability: The new Answer Sheet by Valerie Strauss If The Answer Sheet looks different than it did yesterday, you are right. We’ve moved to a new publishing platform, which, hopefully, will make it easier for you to read and see more written and multimedia material. Engaging in an online discussion should be simpler too. At least that’s the hope. Read full article >> Two important points about test-based accountability Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 5, 2012 at 6:30 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size -... more »

Modern School: Let Them Eat Bed Pans! Jerry Brown Vetoes Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Modern School: Let Them Eat Bed Pans! Jerry Brown Vetoes Domestic Workers Bill of Rights: ' Let Them Eat Bed Pans! Jerry Brown Vetoes Domestic Workers Bill of Rights by Michael Dunn Jerry Brown's Buffet for Domestic Workers (Image from Flickr, by dirty black chucks) California’s “pro-labor” governor Jerry Brown has vetoed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (AB 889), authored by Tom Ammiano (San Francisco) and Fiona Ma (Oakland). The law would have allowed nannies, maids, home health care workers and other full-time domestic workers to cook their own meals in their employers’ kitche... more »

Students Last: Invisibility Cloak For All Your Testing Needs

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Students Last: Invisibility Cloak For All Your Testing Needs: Invisibility Cloak For All Your Testing Needs by Students Last Need to hide a few students for upcoming exams? Afraid your school's test scores will be dragged down by low-performing special education students? Certain the English Language Learners will fail to make annual yearly progress? Will students with poor attendance impact your whole school with their lousy test performance? Invisibility Cloak (IC) can help. IC uses a two-prong approach to optimize your student testing population. With our first approach, unde... more »

Must See TV « PWC Education Reform Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Must See TV « PWC Education Reform Blog: Must See TV by pwceducationreform School Board Report for October 3, 2012 Meeting In case you were otherwise occupied, last night the PWC School Board had a meeting and it was rather interesting. If you only want to watch the exciting parts, you can fast forward to the last 15 minutes for the board member comments. As an administrative note, we are scrambling to catch up on our work and will be issuing reports on the school board meetings on September 5 and 19 as soon as possible. We understand those meetings were long, but highly ente... more »

Louisiana Educator: Serious Flaws in VAM

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: Serious Flaws in VAM: Serious Flaws in VAM by Michael Deshotels I really hate to post this story because it is so negative. What we need most of all in Louisiana education today is some good news for a change. But it seems like our education hierarchy at the state level comprised as it is of rank amateurs, is destined to make one blunder after another. For now we will just need to keep exposing the truth and keep insisting on accountability at the top so the experienced and qualified professionals in the trenches can do their jobs of educating children withou... more »

Do Schools Reform Society? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Do Schools Reform Society? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Do Schools Reform Society? by larrycuban In an article on Joe Giradi (nyer-jgirardi), manager of the New York Yankees baseball team, Gay Talese said: “Like religion, the game of baseball is founded on aspirations rarely met. It generates far more failure than fulfillment” (p.41). Insert “public schools” in place of “the game of baseball” and you have concisely summarized the history of school reform in the U.S. The similarity between religion, baseball, and public schooling of “aspirations rarely me... more »

UPDATE: IEA rewards pension killers with massive campaign contributions. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
IEA rewards pension killers with massive campaign contributions. « Fred Klonsky: If TRS Director Ingram went rogue on COLAs, why has their been silence from the TRS board? by Fred Klonsky Several days ago I reported on the interview that TRS Director Richard Ingram gave to Crain’s. He called for an end or reduction to retiree cost of living adjustments. This is the second time Ingram seems to have gone rogue in his role as an employee of the Teacher Retirement System. He is work for the TRS Board of Trustees. It is not Ingram’s job to involve himself in specific solutions to a cr... more »

Oakland, Alameda teachers named Alameda County Teacher of the Year - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Oakland, Alameda teachers named Alameda County Teacher of the Year - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Oakland, Alameda teachers named Alameda County Teacher of the Year Friday, October 5th, 2012 at 12:02 am in No Comments Congratulations to the two Alameda County teachers of the year: *I’Asha Warfield*, from Oakland’s Frick Middle School, and *Chris Hansen*, from Alameda’s Lincoln Middle School. They learned of the distinction last night, at an awards night organized by the Alameda County Office of Education. Now, they go on to compete for California Te... more »

NYC Educator: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
NYC Educator: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. by NYC Educator Actually, in the case of unions, it probably doesn't matter whether the deed was good, bad or otherwise. The editorial pages made up their minds long ago. UFT President Michael Mulgrew wrote an opinion piecein the Daily News, explaining that it is, in fact, Bloomberg who's blocking the much-vaunted evaluation system that we've all been reading about. Mulgrew correctly points out that there is a framework, and that he was instrumental in establishing it. UFT sources have told me that Bloombe... more »

All Things Education: In Virginia, the Bigotry of Crude Expectations

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
All Things Education: In Virginia, the Bigotry of Crude Expectations: The Bigotry of Crude Expectations by Rachel Levy Recently (or not so recently by the time I'm posting this), the state of Virginia was granted a waiver from NCLB requirements. This has been a relief for many, but it's also caused further stress, in that it exchanges one yoke for another. Fairfax County, for example, had no plans to evaluate their teachers according to the standardized test scores of their students, but now is being required to due to conditions of the waiver. However, because the goals in the ... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 10-4-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* LAUSD & NO ON PROPOSITION 32 - CONNECTING THE DOTS by Leonard Isenberg [image: Crosby, Stills, Nash.jpg] *(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)There was a No On Proposition 32concert by Tom Morello and The Nightwatchmen opening forCrosby, Stills, & Nash last night at Nokia Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. On its face Proposition 32 purports to change state * Romney Tax Cut: What's The Point?! by Duke This is out of my usual wheelhouse, but... Romney says he will close a bunch of "loopholes" (mos... more »

Diane in the Evening 10-4-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Ideas for an archive? by dianerav Looks like we will get a sizable number of people to write letters to President Obama on October 17. Tim Furman suggests we set up a place to collect copies and share them. I don’t know how to do this. Anyone have an idea? The Invisible Children, Left Out of the Obama-Romney Debate by dianerav Jersey Jazzman wonders how our two candidates for President spent two hours discussing domestic issues without noticing our nation’s greatest scandal: the nearly one in four children who live in poverty. “High-Stakes Testing is Out ... more »

Team Vallas: Saving money by giving the same standardized test to 9th, 10th and 11th graders? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Team Vallas: Saving money by giving the same standardized test to 9th, 10th and 11th graders? - Wait, What?: Team Vallas: Saving money by giving the same standardized test to 9th, 10th and 11th graders? by jonpelto In order to understand things correctly, we have a question for Team Vallas. As we have come to learn, you all, as the experienced “education reformers” among us, believe that more standardized testing leads to an environment in which students will learn more. With that as one of your guiding principles, Team Vallas determined that Bridgeport students would be better off... more »

students of color "bleach bombed" at university of texas

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
students of color "bleach bombed" at university of texas: *students of color "bleach bombed" at university of texas* At the University of Texas in Austin, police are investigating multiple reports that black and Asian students have been targeted and hit with "bleach bombs":*Bleach Balloons Launched at Students of Color at University of Texas*. Four people -- all students of color -- filed reports with the UT police department saying they had been attacked by bleach-filled balloons dropped toward them from high-rise buildings near West Campus. The incidents occurred from June thr... more »

Schools Matter: Schools (Don't?) Matter, Nor Does Creativity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Schools Matter: Schools (Don't?) Matter, Nor Does Creativity: Schools (Don't?) Matter, Nor Does Creativity by Storm Okay, I'll confess to being less than tactful most of the time. But I gotta tell you, I'm pretty sick of one particular complaint that I hear (rather, read) again and again on education sites and FB pages dedicated to parent organizations against testing regimes in public education: "Your stealing my child's creativity!" First, there's no such thing. ...since the criterion of creativity cannot distinguish between the artist and the nonartist, anyone who calls himse... more »

It is what it is. But what if it’s WRONG? « @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
It is what it is. But what if it’s WRONG? « @ the chalk face: It is what it is. But what if it’s WRONG?2 October 4, 2012 by slekar Last night I attended my local school board meeting to use my three minutes of public comment time to address the board. I was there to continue my comments from last school year on teacher evaluations and why the board should at least think about the consequences when our teachers and principals will be forced to have 50% of their evaluation determined by the invalid high stakes test scores of the children taking these invalid measurements. Here’s wh... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Quotables from last night's Republican primary debate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Quotables from last night's Republican primary debate: Quotables from last night's Republican primary debate by Mike Klonsky Debate? What debate?With snarky comments by me Romney: *"High-income people are doing just fine in this economy. They'll do fine whether you're president or I am."* Me: You bet they will. Obama: *"You know, I suspect that, on Social Security, we've got a somewhat similar position*." Me: Did you really say that? Obama: *"For -- so if you're -- if you're 54 or 55, you might want to * * * * *

Shanker Blog » Assessing Ourselves To Death

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Shanker Blog » Assessing Ourselves To Death: Assessing Ourselves To Death by Matthew Di Carlo I have two points to make. The first is something that I think everyone knows: *Educational outcomes, such as graduation and test scores, are signals of or proxies for the traits that lead to success in life, not the cause of that success*. For example, it is well-documented that high school graduates earn more, on average, than non-graduates. Thus, one often hears arguments that increasing graduation rates will drastically improve students’ future prospects, and the performance of the ec... more »

Choice?? When and why? « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Choice?? When and why? « Deborah Meier on Education: Choice?? When and why? by debmeier Re Choice. I just got an e-mail from someone who expresses surprise that anyone would not want choices between schools. Interesting. We’re led to believe that everyone wants school choice. But it’s more complex than that. Some surely do–for whatever reasons–and what should we do then? We have to balance lots of “goods” vs “bads” and figure out what we’re willing to trade off for what we value even more? Or how we can minimize the bad and maximize the good!!! When we pretended that all schools... more »

Diane R. goes to Texas | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Diane R. goes to Texas | Parents Across America: Diane R. goes to Texas by pureparents From PAA founding member Karen Miller: When I found out Diane was speaking at the school board/administrators convention, I asked her if she’d extend her stay and she agreed to remain an extra day. Lorie (Barzano, of PAA affiliate Coalition-SAUS) did a fantastic job with local arrangements, including a parent/teacher/community meeting at a high school in a low income area subject to takeover. I’ll let her describe that wonderful event (see below). We worked closely with the school board/admin... more »

What Obama’s debate performance says about his education policy - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
What Obama’s debate performance says about his education policy - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: What Obama’s debate performance says about his education policy By Valerie Strauss In the wake of President Obama’s lackluster performance in his first debate with Mitt Romney, commentators have suggested that part of the president’s problem was that during his time in the White House, he (like (Craig F. Walker/AP)other presidents before him) has rarely been challenged. People don’t interrupt him, tell him he is being obtuse and that he is dead wrong. So what does this have to d... more »

Strong Schools for a Strong Economy Tour - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Strong Schools for a Strong Economy Tour - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Leads 'Strong Schools for a Strong Economy' Tour SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson launched a month-long statewide tour today highlighting innovative career technical programs that help prepare students for jobs in the 21st-century economy. Partnering with California School Boards Association (CSBA) President Jill Wynns along with teachers, parents, administrators, and school employees, Torlakson said the "Strong Schools for a Strong Economy" ef... more »

Giving Teachers Tools to Stop Bullying: Free Training Toolkit Now Available | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Giving Teachers Tools to Stop Bullying: Free Training Toolkit Now Available | ED.gov Blog: Giving Teachers Tools to Stop Bullying: Free Training Toolkit Now Available Posted on October 4, 2012 by Deborah Temkin Over the past three years, at our annual Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summits, we have heard the same call by educators-– teachers want to help stop bullying, but they don’t know how. Most try to help, but few receive training on how to do so. There are bullying prevention trainings available for teachers, but many are very expensive or not based on the best avail... more »

News Flash: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee had co-conspirators in the attempt to buy this week’s Democratic Primary. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
News Flash: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee had co-conspirators in the attempt to buy this week’s Democratic Primary. - Wait, What?: News Flash: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee had co-conspirators in the attempt to buy this week’s Democratic Primary. by jonpelto Official reports indicate that Connecticut’s primary “education reform” group was part of Rhee’s attempt to influence the outcome of this week’s Democratic Primary It turns out that when Michelle Rhee dumped tens of thousands into this week’s re-vote to select the Democratic nominee in the General Assembly’s 5th Hou... more »

Missing the Real Story on Student Attrition at Charters | Edwize

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Missing the Real Story on Student Attrition at Charters | Edwize: Missing the Real Story on Student Attrition at Charters by Christina Collins At a time when the question of how to best serve our neediest students at all schools is a key focus at the local and national levels, media analyses of the impact of student attrition at charters and district schools can be a useful contribution to the discussion. Unfortunately, an article recently published by SchoolBook misses the key point of this question in its failure to acknowledge that charter attrition’s effects come not from the ... more »








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