Monday, October 8, 2012

Zimmer Unveils Softer Charter Plan - LA School Report

Zimmer Unveils Softer Charter Plan - LA School Report:

Zimmer Unveils Softer Charter Plan

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Hillel Aron

Late Monday afternoon, LAUSD board member Steve Zimmer announced an updated, much-softened charter school oversight proposal.

It replaces the previous moratorium on new charter schools with a request for charters to “voluntarily delay requesting action on new charter applications” until a new oversight scheme can be developed.

The new version also asks the

CODE Chicago - Communities Organized for Democracy in Education

CODE Chicago - Communities Organized for Democracy in Education:

How can you help win an Elected Representative School Board?

The CPS Board—appointed by the mayor— is not accountable to the people it is supposed to serve. The Board is failing our children.

Vote YES on the advisory referendum for an Elected Representative School Board for CPS on November 6th. The Illinois legislature must change to law to allow Chicagoans the same right the residents of every other city and town in the state enjoy... the right to elect the people who run Chicago's public schools. This referendum will make our voices heard and a resounding "YES" will begin to push the process in the right direction.

What you can do.

The advisory referendum calling for an Elected Representative School Board will be on the ballot in hundreds of precincts around the city. To find out if it will be on the ballot in your precinct go to http://chicagoelections.com/ and click on the "Nov. 6th" button to get a sample ballot for your address. Look for the referendum near the bottom of the ballot.

It is critical that you vote YES and you get your friends and neighbors to vote. Spread the word through social media and word of mouth.

Contact your elected officials. Ask them to support a Representative Elected School Board. If it is not on the ballot in your precinct, call your alderman and let them know you support an Elected Representative School Board.

Download a flyer/window sign here and print out several to give to your friends and neighbors. They may not even know this important referendum is on the ballot.

Visit this site regularly or get on our mailing list through the "contact" page so you can learn about opportunities to volunteer on and before November 6th.

Follow CODE @CODE4Democracy on Twitter for updates.

Why we need an Elected Representative School Board

CPS’s privatization policies—school closings, turnarounds and charters—do NOT improve education. They have been devastating to all children, especially those in African American and Latino communities.

Class size has increased. Art, music, recess, PE & after school activities have been cut, while high-stakes testing eats up more classroom and learning time.

CPS has expanded an unequal system: A top tier of selective schools for a few students and a bottom tier of resource-starved neighborhood schools for everyone else.

CPS makes decisions, like the ones that forced the teachers' strike without any pubic input.

CPS blames teachers, parents, and students for the problems THEY have created.

The teachers were able to fight back against the board on some issues by striking, but the union is legally prohibited to strike over many issues that affect students, parents and communities in CPS. School closures, class size, expansion of charters, uneven distribution of resources and the expansion of more and more standardized testing are all CPS board policies that are imposed with no input from students, parents or communities.

An Elected Representative Board is a Necessary FIRST STEP to Improve Our Schools.

An Elected Representative Board would be accountable to the citizens of Chicago as well as CPS teachers, parents and students and would be more diverse, reflecting the people it serves.

By state law, Chicago is the only city in Illinois with an appointed school board. The Illinois Legislature must pass a law to enact an elected school board. Our advisory referendum will make our voices heard in Springfield and let our legislators know that they have our support for an Elected Representative Board.

Election requirements could mandate specific qualifications and cap campaign expenditures, thus reducing the influence of money and politics on education.

Subpages (1): Chicago Necesita una sistema de educación demócrata.

LAUSD AND THE EXPLOSION OF GANGS - Perdaily.com

LAUSD AND THE EXPLOSION OF GANGS - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD AND THE EXPLOSION OF GANGS

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)
Real power in people comes from education that must exist to insure every student reaches their subjective potential. In the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where there has not even been a good faith attempt to educate poor and minority students for generations - if ever - most administrators, teachers, students, and parents have long ago lost even the expectation that poor and minority students can learn at the same

Engaging Parents In School… » This Weeks PTchat – The Connected Parent: What does it mean for kids?

Engaging Parents In School… » This Weeks PTchat – The Connected Parent: What does it mean for kids?:

This Weeks PTchat – The Connected Parent: What does it mean for kids?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Larry Ferlazzo

Guest post by Joe Mazza

Image credit: http://www.thegraceplace.com

As social media continues to expand its global reach at an astronomical pace (460,000 new registrations per day on Twitter), parents are taking note. 80% of those 460K sign-ups are between the ages of 18-35 – the age of many of our elementary school parents here in 2012.

Hashtags (i.e. #London2012) can be found on many commercials, billboards and are now being used by schools around the country. Given the time, training and exposur

Engaging Parents In School… » This Weeks PTchat – The Connected Parent: What does it mean for kids?

AP: Jay-Z Signs Math Educator Jovan Miles to Roc Nation | The Jose Vilson

AP: Jay-Z Signs Math Educator Jovan Miles to Roc Nation | The Jose Vilson:

AP: Jay-Z Signs Math Educator Jovan Miles to Roc Nation

by Jose

Math Educator Jovan Miles

Somewhere in the future …
For the casual music fans, it’s easy to see why one might get confused looking at the initial Roc Nation artists. Jay-Z. J-Cole. Jay Electronica. The trifecta of J’s (and Willow Smith) have had their share of success either from the underground circuit to the international stage (in varying degrees). Yet, none of them have what the latest “J” has: the attention of classrooms for a whole city.
Enter Jovan Miles.
After another successful Roc Nation concert, the head honcho held a press conference at Phillips Arena to announce the formal signing of hometown hero Jovan Miles: a math academic coach and educator working out of Atlanta, GA. The signing marks the first time a record label has signed an educator to a major rap label of Roc

WHAT STATE IS THE NEXT RHODE ISLAND ? « Teachers Fight Back

WHAT STATE IS THE NEXT RHODE ISLAND ? « Teachers Fight Back:

WHAT STATE IS THE NEXT RHODE ISLAND ?

Des Moines Education Association: DMEA Statement on the Use of Student Growth Data for Teacher Evaluation

Des Moines Education Association: DMEA Statement on the Use of Student Growth Data for Teacher Evaluation:

DMEA Statement on the Use of Student Growth Data for Teacher Evaluation

by Andrew Rasmussen

The DMEA believes that the appropriate place for use of student growth data is in the formative evaluation stage. During the formative stage, teachers can utilize student growth data that they find most relevant to their curriculum to give them feedback on what might be working and areas in need of improvement. This places the focus on using student growth data to strengthen a teacher’s practice rather than using the date for punitive sanctions against the teacher. Any evaluation system we would be willing to accept must, at the least, place the use of student growth data in its appropriate place, which is the formative evaluation.

The DMEA will not support the use of student growth data to rate a teacher’s effectiveness during

NYC Public School Parents: A mother's lament after learning the grades of her sons' schools

NYC Public School Parents: A mother's lament after learning the grades of her sons' schools:

A mother's lament after learning the grades of her sons' schools

by Leonie Haimson

Lots more commentary and criticism of the latest school grades. Gary Rubinstein explained how the DOE's claims of stability are an example of "how to lie with statistics" here. The NY Post pointed out that the Ella Baker school which got a "C" had just been singled out as one of the best schools in the city by the State Education Department. An editorial in the same paper criticized the grades as being entirely untrustworthy. Eagle Academy, which last spring was praised by Bloomberg at a ceremony at

School takeover by Steve Barr and the Future Is Now charter school causes student walkout in New Orleans: Is this what we want Seattle? | Seattle Education

School takeover by Steve Barr and the Future Is Now charter school causes student walkout in New Orleans: Is this what we want Seattle? | Seattle Education:

School takeover by Steve Barr and the Future Is Now charter school causes student walkout in New Orleans: Is this what we want Seattle?

by seattleducation2011

This is the article and press release from the Louisiana Justice Institute:

Students at Walter L. Cohen in New Orleans began a walk out/protest on October 4th, 2012 when their teachers and administrators were dismissed and the announcement was made that Future Is Now Charter (Steven Barr, formerly of Green Dot in California, and Gideon Stein) would be taking over the governance of the school. A press conference is to be held today, Monday, October 8, at 3:00pm.
This is against the firing of Cohen teachers and administration and the take-over by Future is Now (FIN) charter. Decisions about the governance of the school, including New Orleans College Prep being housed in Cohen’s building, must be reversed and remade to include students and parents of Cohen. Cohen students and parents

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 10-8-12 #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

LAUSD to promote arts education on city buses, billboards - LA Daily News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago

LAUSD to promote arts education on city buses, billboards - LA Daily News: LAUSD to promote arts education on city buses, billboards By Barbara Jones Staff Writer Posted: 10/08/2012 09:49:23 AM PDT Updated: 10/08/2012 09:52:14 AM PDT Photo Credit: © Steve Cohn Photography © 2012 Steve Cohn Photography www.stevecohnphotography.com (Steve Cohn) Original works by renowned Los Angeles artists will be posted on billboards and city buses as part of the "Arts Matter" exhibition and fund-raising campaign designed to revitalize arts education in LAUSD. The campaign was announced Monday by... more »

Keeping Washington State charter free: Contact Mayor McGinn about Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 minutes ago

Keeping Washington State charter free: Contact Mayor McGinn about Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education: Keeping Washington State charter free: Contact Mayor McGinn about Initiative 1240 by seattleducation2011 This just in. Right now on the NO on 1240 Facebook page, there is a campaign for all Seattle residents to contact Mayor McGinn and ask him to stand up for our existing public schools and oppose Initiative 1240. Here is the Facebook post: *Mayor McGinn is ducking this issue and hasn’t heard from anyone about it. * *Let’s get him on record and let him and ALL elected officials kn... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Teacher Disrespect, Kansas Style

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 28 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: Teacher Disrespect, Kansas Style: Teacher Disrespect, Kansas Style by Duke Teacher disrespect has become a national epidemic: Kansas school superintendents will tell you that years of tight budgets have provided plenty of incentives to run their districts efficiently. But Gov. Sam Brownback thinks more savings could be wrung out of the state’s public schools, and he has appointed an “efficiency task force” to find them. Curiously, none of the 10 members works in a school. Brownback’s task force is top-heavy with accountants. They occupy six spots. The chairman is

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why Wouldn't Mitt Talk to the Kids?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 42 minutes ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why Wouldn't Mitt Talk to the Kids?: Why Wouldn't Mitt Talk to the Kids? by Melissa Westbrook [image: Obama for America 2012 (click picture)] Over at The Stranger Slog, they had a headline, "Mitt Romney Hates Children." Please, I know he loves children but the issue is, why *not* go to the Nickelodeon tv special on the election? Here's what Obama's campaign said: *In a release, the network says Mitt Romney declined to participate after numerous attempts. The program will include file sound bites of Romney addressing the subjects.* *The preside... more »

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: more on education in Pennsylvania

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: more on education in Pennsylvania: Bus tour with teacherken: more on education in Pennsylvania by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *a second post today from on the bus. Please also considering visiting the original version at Education Votesand liking it there as well* Bus tour with teacherken: more on education in Pennsylvania Let me start with this: if you really care about what is happening to education, you absolutely should subscribe RIGHT NOW to Diane Ravitch’s blog It has become the hub of information about what is happening. Diane - who... more »

RFA: After School Education and Safety (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

RFA: After School Education and Safety (CA Dept of Education): Request for ApplicationsAfter School Education and Safety ------------------------------ Due: Thursday, January 17, 2013 The After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program is the result of the 2002 voter-approved initiative, Proposition 49. These programs are created through partnerships between schools and local community resources to provide literacy, academic enrichment and safe, constructive alternatives for students in kindergarten through ninth grade. Funding is designed to: (1) maintain existing before and aft... more »

Things educators could say but don’t

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Things educators could say but don’t: Things educators could say but don’t Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 8, 2012 at 5:02 pm With reform policies based more on hope than data, you might think educators would speak up more than do. Why don’t they? Here’s some thoughts about why most stay quiet, from Robert Bligh, former general counsel of the Nebraska Association of School Boards. Blight’s research interest involves the efficacy of the school reform efforts promoted by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act since its original adoption in 1965. He served as assistant pr... more »

Remarks by the President at the Dedication of the Cesar Chavez National Monument, Keene, CA | The White House

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Remarks by the President at the Dedication of the Cesar Chavez National Monument, Keene, CA | The White House: Remarks by the President at the Dedication of the Cesar Chavez National Monument, Keene, CAPresident Barack Obama walks with Cesar Chavez's widow, Helen F. Chavez Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/10/08/3022092/president-obama-at-cesar-chavez.html#storylink=cpy La Paz, Chavez National Monument Keene, California 11:50 A.M. PDT THE PRESIDENT: Good morning! Buenos dias! (Applause.) Si, se puede! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you so much. AUDIENCE: Four mor... more »

Diane in the Evening 10-8-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: A Marketplace for Schools? by dianerav Corporate reform privatizers like Joel Klein, Jeb Bush, Michael Bloomberg, and Mitt Romney like to boast of the glories of a marketplace for schools. They want parents to be consumers, armed with test scores and school report cards and grades. In that great come-and-get-it-day, all schools will be excellent when they compete. That’s why all those programs on all those channels on your TV dial are excellent, and why every product in the marketplace is excellent. Ah, the glories of deregulation! This teacher describes the... more »

Next on school Right Wing reformers’ agenda

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Next on school reformers’ agenda: Next on school reformers’ agenda Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 8, 2012 at 3:31 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » According to Michael Petrilli, executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, school reformers aren’t resting on their laurels and have some new goals in mind. These are things reformers look on as successes: Most states have approved the Common Core State Standar... more »

Week-Long Disappearing Act for Zimmer Resolution - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Week-Long Disappearing Act for Zimmer Resolution - LA School Report: Week-Long Disappearing Act for Zimmer Resolution by Alexander Russo When the Board meeting agenda came out last week, it initially included Board member Zimmer’s resolution regarding use of student achievement data to evaluate teachers (see PDF here).The Zimmer resolution sought to block LAUSD from using a new student achievement measurement called Academic Growth Over Time (AGT) when evaluating teachers – even in combination with other measures like classroom observation that LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy s... more »

TRS board member Bob Lyons and I exchange views responding to Richard Ingram. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

TRS board member Bob Lyons and I exchange views responding to Richard Ingram. « Fred Klonsky: TRS board member Bob Lyons and I exchange views responding to Richard Ingram. by Fred Klonsky *Fred,* *Not knowing if you saw my email from last Thursday I include it here, Cinda sent something out as President of the IEA, but the TRS Board will be silent up until we hold our meeting in a little more than two weeks. Fred, no member of a public board can speak for the board unless they are authorized to do by the board. For individual board members to be sending email to all of the ... more »

Red Shirts, Blue Suits: The Strike May Be Over But the Relationship Continues | Andrea Kayne Kaufman

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Red Shirts, Blue Suits: The Strike May Be Over But the Relationship Continues | Andrea Kayne Kaufman: Red Shirts, Blue Suits: The Strike May Be Over But the Relationship Continuesby oxford432 ** *Red Shirts, Blue Suits: The Strike May Be Over But the Relationship Continues* *This is the expanded version of my commentary that first appeared in Education Weekon 10/3/12.* As a professor in the educational leadership program at DePaul University College of Education, my students are mostly full time teachers seeking their master degrees and licensure to be school administrators. ... more »

Daily Kos: My last name is Bernstein

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Daily Kos: My last name is Bernstein: My last name is Bernstein by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) While I no longer identify religiously as a Jew, I am of Jewish heritage, of which I am proud. Relatives on my mother's side were killed in the liquidation of the Jewish community of Bialystok. Were a Nazi regime ever to take hold of this nation, I have little doubt that my lack of religiosity would in no way protect me from whatever equivalent of gas chambers they might choose to use. I strongly believe in the right of Israel to exist. That said, I must take strong exception to the fol... more »

Education Research Report: NEARLY HALF OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM WANDER OR “BOLT” FROM SAFE PLACES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Education Research Report: NEARLY HALF OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM WANDER OR “BOLT” FROM SAFE PLACES: NEARLY HALF OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM WANDER OR “BOLT” FROM SAFE PLACES by Jonathan Kantrowitz * Children with autism are four times more likely to wander than their unaffected siblings * A new study published today in the journal Pediatrics (Epub ahead of print) found that nearly half of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are reported to wander or “bolt,” and more than half of these children go missing. Led by researchers from the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), the nation... more »

Phil Ochs’ Secret Anonymous Racist Kid Record « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Phil Ochs’ Secret Anonymous Racist Kid Record « Student Activism: Phil Ochs’ Secret Anonymous Racist Kid Record by Angus Johnston Folk singer Phil Ochs’ first album was 1964′s All the News that’s Fit to Sing. Only it wasn’t. Sometime in the next few months we’re going to sail unknowing past the 50th anniversary of the recording of Ochs’ real first album, a record he appeared on anonymously and kept secret until his death. Released in 1963 — nobody knows when in 1963 — under the name of a non-existent band called The Campers, “Camp Favorites” was a cheap quickie album of kids’ camp ... more »

School Tech Connect: Tis The Season...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Tis The Season...: Tis The Season... by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) ...For checking out your sample ballot. I hate when I walk into a polling place to find out that I've prepped for only one or two questions. If I were teaching civics, I'd lead with the sample ballot tomorrow. Here's my ballot. That nasty Amendment 49 is the first thing there. Well, actually, an interpretation of it is there because the actual language is too long for the ballot. I don't know how people can be asked to vote on an interpretation. That itself seems like fraud. So, the Nove... more »

Education Week: Two Suitors Bid to Transform 'Parent-Trigger' School

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Education Week: Two Suitors Bid to Transform 'Parent-Trigger' School: Two Suitors Bid to Transform 'Parent-Trigger' School [image: Principal David Mobley, left, is handed 465 signatures earlier this year from parents of students at Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, Calif., where families used the state's 2010] Principal David Mobley, left, is handed 465 signatures earlier this year from parents of students at Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, Calif., where families used the state's 2010 "parent trigger" law to petition to convert the academically struggling sch... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Do CCSSI and RTTT Mandates Ensure Educational Exellence..or is it Something Else that the Government Hasn't Yet Mandated?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Do CCSSI and RTTT Mandates Ensure Educational Exellence..or is it Something Else that the Government Hasn't Yet Mandated?: Do CCSSI and RTTT Mandates Ensure Educational Exellence..or is it Something Else that the Government Hasn't Yet Mandated? by stlgretchen Are government mandates the answers to educational success? "Boys Hope Girls Hope" is a program in St. Louis and other cities designed to help at risk students. The St. Louis Post Dispatch recently ran an article explaining how the privately funded program works and the enormous commitment needed...more »

How Gloria Romero Became the Face of Proposition 32 – Hot Ideas for a Cold Economy – The Frying Pan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

How Gloria Romero Became the Face of Proposition 32 – Hot Ideas for a Cold Economy – The Frying Pan: How Gloria Romero Became the Face of Proposition 32 by Matthew Fleischer on October 5, 2012 “Money is the mother’s milk of politics,” Gloria Romero tells me on the phone. “It’s flowing to both sides. Government isn’t about drawing lines. It’s not about saying you’re on that side and you can’t come over.” Her voice is friendly, somewhat placid, but it’s clear Romero is not thrilled with having to answer questions about her political alliance with the Koch brothers and other wealth... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – Class and school environment often overlooked in confronting behavior problems

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Class and school environment often overlooked in confronting behavior problems *By Lee Funk* Monday, October 08, 2012 It is a scene that plays out in classrooms across the nation every day – a willful student repeatedly disregards a teacher’s warning about misconduct and eventually is sent to the principal’s office. If the pattern is repeated enough, the student gets suspended and perhaps later expelled. If the student is disabled, districts are required under federal law to have an Individualized Education Plan team determine if the behavior was a manifestation of the disability ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: So Much to Talk About in Public Education and This is What the Times Prints?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: So Much to Talk About in Public Education and This is What the Times Prints?: So Much to Talk About in Public Education and This is What the Times Prints? by Melissa Westbrook You have to shake your head. What's up with the Times? I'm pretty sure this guy isn't about throwing off the chains of public school education but more about vouchers. That he cloaks his rhetoric in the "it's for the kids" school of thought doesn't make it any better. (Note: like charters, we *did* vote on vouchers previously and again, the answer was no.) *So here’s a c... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Cult of KIPP Encounters Another Heretic

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: The Cult of KIPP Encounters Another Heretic: The Cult of KIPP Encounters Another Heretic by Duke KIPP the *Kids In Prison Program* KIPP - the Knowledge Is Power Program - is America's preeminent charter school juggernaut. With 125 schools in 20 states and Washington, D.C., KIPP is the darling of reformy, pro-charter pundits. It also has a bit of a reputation for being like a cult [all emphases mine]: Indeed, *Mathews likens KIPP to a cult "without the dues or the weird robes."* But by definition, a cult is a fringe movement. To date, no one—including such mighty p... more »

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Education in Pennsylvania

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken: Education in Pennsylvania: Bus tour with teacherken: Education in Pennsylvania by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *This is crossposted from Education Votes, a website of the NEA, for whom I am serving as an embedded blogger on the Stop the Greed Agenda Bus Tour. I ask that you also follow that link and Like the post* I will be discussing how the Greed Agenda and related things are affecting public education in Pennsylvania, but allow me to share some photos of our Sunday. There was nothing scheduled for today, but somehow we managed to find two wa... more »

Schools Matter: The Great Charter Charade

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Schools Matter: The Great Charter Charade: The Great Charter Charade by P. L. Thomas *The Post and Courier* (Charleston, SC) opened its editorial Sunday (October 7, 2012) with "Twenty years after the country’s first charter school opened in St. Paul, Minn., advocates are rightly pointing to the movement’s overwhelming success." The paper's endorsement is followed by a few other notable claims: "One reason for charter schools’ popularity is their ability to be more innovative than traditional schools because they are given freedom from district rules. They are, however, still hel... more »

Let’s give President Obama a clue about Race to the Top | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Let’s give President Obama a clue about Race to the Top | Seattle Education: Let’s give President Obama a clue about Race to the Top by seattleducation2011 It’s sad that during the debate President Obama twice, if not three times, mentioned Race to the Top as the crowning achievement of his presidency. Someone needs to give him a clue and Diane Ravitch has an idea: Please write a letter to President Obama and send it to Anthony Cody’s e-mail address listed below by Oct. 17th. Please invite everyone you know to write to Pres. Obama. We need thousands upon thousands of letters to m... more »

EdRoundup for 10-5-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

EdRoundup for 10-5-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): Education Roundup for the Week Ending October 5, 2012 SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today issued this week's Education Roundup of education-related announcements of public interest. Microsoft Administrator Releases List of Approved Technology and Services Schools May Purchase** The CDE today announced the Microsoft Settlement Claims Administrator has released its Product Eligibility Information [image: External link opens in new window or tab.] list of approved computer hardware and software, techn... more »

Shanker Blog » The Stability And Fairness Of New York City's School Ratings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Shanker Blog » The Stability And Fairness Of New York City's School Ratings: The Stability And Fairness Of New York City’s School Ratings by Matthew Di Carlo New York City has just released the new round of results from its school rating system (they’re called “progress reports”). It relies considerably more on student growth (60 out of 100 points) than absolute performance (25 points), and there are efforts to partially adjust most of the measures via peer group comparisons.* All of this indicates that the city’s system is more focused on *school* rather than *student* test-base... more »

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: LAUSD moves up deadline for magnet schoolsApplications for Los Angeles Unified's 172 magnet programs are due on Nov. 16 because of the academic year's early start. Education Headlines *Monday, October 8, 2012* San Diego school property sale brings $36 million in bidsTop bids for two old campuses and nearly seven acres of land for sale in the San Diego Unified School District have come in $13 million over the asking price. Sacramento Unified asks voters to approve two school bondsThe Sacramento City Unified School District is aski... more »

Today's lesson: charters do not outperform unionized schools Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: Today's lesson: charters do not outperform unionized schools * **Confronting the anti-teachers' union myth with, you know, facts**By Ben Joravsky @joravben* [image: CEO of UNO Juan Rangel and Mayor Rahm Emanuel] *CEO of UNO Juan Rangel and Mayor "Rahmbo" Emanuel* Brian Jackson/Chicago Sun-Times The teachers' strike was barely over when a *Tribune* editorial hit the streets ripping unionized schools and lauding nonunion charters, starting with one run by UNO, a Mayor Emanuel favorite. "Fuentes isn't a traditional Ch... more »

California education’s painful decline - Salon.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

California education’s painful decline - Salon.com: California education’s painful declineThe state starved its schools of cash. Now its once vaunted public education system is dying a slow deathBY ANDY KROLL, TOMDISPATCH.COM [image: California education's painful decline]A coed dorm at UCLA. (Credit: AP/Jae C. Hong)) This piece originally appeared on TomDispatch. It was the greatest education system the world had ever seen. They built it into the eucalyptus-dotted Berkeley hills and under the bright lights of Los Angeles, down in the valley in Fresno and in the shadows of t... more »

Morning UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-8-12 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 Draft of a Parent’s Letter to President Obama by dianerav A parent in California drafted a letter to President Obama. This could serve as a template for other parents. Some parents worry about the negative effects of high-stakes testing on their children. Others are upset that their community is being torn apart by battles with charter operators. Others are upset by class size or budget cuts. Please send us your email by October 17. Here are the instructions. Write your views and join our campaign to collect... more »

Daily Kos: Does our presidential campaign lack a moral core?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Daily Kos: Does our presidential campaign lack a moral core?: Does our presidential campaign lack a moral core? by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) That is the first sentence of a thought-provoking op-ed in today's *Washington Post* titled E.J. Dionne Jr.: The campaign’s moral hole. Dionne is a Catholic and a liberal, which places him not on the side of the nationa's Catholic bishops. some of whom he note often give the impression that they constitute the Republican Party at prayer . Instead he prefers One of my favorite pressure groups, Nuns on the Bus, will be launching a five-... more »

UPDATE: Still obtuse about standardized testing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Still obtuse about standardized testing: Still obtuse about standardized testing Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 8, 2012 at 6:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » For all that President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan talk about wanting to move beyond “bubble tests,” the high-stakes role ofstandardized testing in public education as a result of their policies can hardly be overstated. Here’s a new look at testing by Walt Gardner, who writes the Reality Check blog for Education... more »

Radical Scholarship: Writers Reflect on Chicago Strike (EdWeek)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Radical Scholarship: Writers Reflect on Chicago Strike (EdWeek): Writers Reflect on Chicago Strike (EdWeek) by P. L. Thomas Writers Reflect on Chicago Strike Education Week Missing the Forest for the Trees (Expanded below) The Chicago teachers’ strike has sparked even more debate over the role of unions and the importance of teacher quality in public education. Yet, arguments and policy associated with teachers’ unions and teacher quality share one serious problem—missing the forest for the trees. Carefully examining the debates themselves, in other words, pulling back from the... more »

NYC Educator: The Littlest Soldier

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

NYC Educator: The Littlest Soldier: The Littlest Soldier by NYC Educator My daughter is the most patriotic American I've ever seen. First thing, when she got into high school, she joined the JROTC, and she's been gung-ho over it ever since. She's on the drill team, the rifle team, in leadership, and she's got a chest full of medals. She'll go in at six AM to do I have no idea what, and stay until 8 PM to continue doing it. She'll go away weekends with them to practice it even more. One weekend I got a call from her CO. Someone had fallen on her while they were doing some sort of e... more »

LAUSD: THERE SHOULD BE NO EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY IN SCHOOL - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

LAUSD: THERE SHOULD BE NO EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY IN SCHOOL - Perdaily.com: LAUSD: THERE SHOULD BE NO EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY IN SCHOOL by Leonard Isenberg [image: Video Surveillance.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post) Students and teachers should have no expectation of privacy in school. As a matter of fact, it is the Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) assertion of unchallenged false notions of privacy on behalf of its administrators, teachers, and students that has created the present dishon... more »

Constitutional amendment 49 is 700 dirty little words. You only need to know one: No. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Constitutional amendment 49 is 700 dirty little words. You only need to know one: No. « Fred Klonsky: Constitutional amendment 49 is 700 dirty little words. You only need to know one: No. by Fred Klonsky *Constitutional Amendment 49 follows the logic of the Big Bird Rule.* Seven hundred words. That’s about how long Constitutional Amendment 49 is that will be on the ballot November 6th. But if passed, those words may supersede the words in Article XIII, Section 5 of the Illinois Constitution which contains the clause prohibiting state pension benefits from being *diminished or impa... more »

Education law expert: Language of charter schools amendment lesson in subversion | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Education law expert: Language of charter schools amendment lesson in subversion | Get Schooled: Education law expert: Language of charter schools amendment lesson in subversion by Maureen Downey [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Attorney Thomas Cox represented Atlanta and DeKalb schools in the lawsuit that led to the abolition of the state-run charter schools commission. That 2011 legal victory by school systems prompted the current campaign to change the Georgia Constitution so the state can recreate the commission and go back to approving charters ove... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky “I honestly think everybody won. No one wanted the strike, teachers didn’t want that, the administration didn’t want that,” said Duncan. But wait. Rahm said ithis was a "strike of choice." Who's writing the script? Arne Duncan *"Everybody won in Chicago teachers strike."* -- Daily Caller Paul Ryan *"Let's make this country a tax shelter**..."* Mother Jones The Notebook *The term “portfolio management” is borrowed from Wall Street, where the idea is to buy winning *

SI&A Cabinet Report – Lift begins on new math frameworks, fret remains over money to use them

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Print this articleLift begins on new math frameworks, fret remains over money to use them *By Kimberly Beltran* Monday, October 08, 2012 Educators charged with creating the blueprint for how California schools will teach new math standards tied to the common core jumped late last week into the bulk of that work – an exercise that while widely anticipated remains frustrated by the lack of funding for districts to ultimately take advantage of their efforts. The new math frameworks will be used by publishers to update instructional materials ... more »

Meaning and Purpose | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Meaning and Purpose | Connected Principals: Meaning and Purpose by dkerr So recently I had the wonderful opportunity to re-read one of of my favorite books, as well as the chance to have my eyes and heart opened by some unexpected people, in some unexpected places. Collectively, these experiences got me thinking a lot about the importance of meaning and purpose in our lives, and the responsibility we have as educators to instill this life focus in our students and children. Hopefully as teachers, we have eagerly and specifically chosen this profession because of the unmatched an... more »

The Educated Reporter: Columbus Day: Different Viewpoints on `Discovering' America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

The Educated Reporter: Columbus Day: Different Viewpoints on `Discovering' America: Columbus Day: Different Viewpoints on `Discovering' America by Emily Richmond Growing up, my early education about Christopher Columbus didn’t drill much deeper than a sanitized version of the journeys of the *Nina*, the *Pinta* and the *Santa Maria*. That perspective changed when a member of a New England American Indian tribe visited my eighth-grade history class. He described the devastating impact on his ancestors and subsequent generations following being “discovered” by European explorers. A... more »

Suneal and Kara (Oakland, CA) #UseYourTeacherVoice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

*Suneal and Kara (Oakland, CA) #UseYourTeacherVoice* All California students should have access to college. To learn more about Suneal and Kara's students' ballot initiative, visit www.collegeforcalifornia.org UPDATE: We are now live! Petitions are up!Help us reach our goal of 807,615 signatures. Click here to download the petition Click here to find out if you are eligible to collect signatures and who can sign the petition. The College for California ballot initiative would eliminate tuition and fees for all California residents who are full time students at the University of C... more »

Short Notes: Romney Flips The Big Bird | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Short Notes: Romney Flips The Big Bird | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: Romney Flips The Big Bird by Jose Mitt Romney Flips The Big Bird A few notes: - Here are a few reasons why we should save PBS. Like you need any more. [Explore] - Do we still expect our favorite writers to be nice people? Or as complex as their writing? Case in point:David Foster Wallace. [New York Times] - Harlem schools are seeing a high turnover rate. Beth Fertig explores. [Schoolbook] - Christina Lewis Halpern notices the shift

Kimble's Corner: The Speaker and The Ford House Five

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Kimble's Corner: The Speaker and The Ford House Five: [image: Kimble's Corner] The Speaker and The Ford House Five by Representative Kimble *[The following is an excerpt from my ebook Profiles in Courageousness: The Jack Kimble Story, which will be out for most electronic formats in the next few weeks.]* The Speaker and The Ford House Five - An Excerpt from Profiles in Courageousness: The Jack Kimble Story Together the four of us made Ford House something special and even though Danny and Carlton have moved on and Tex, Bill, and I have grown older and a bit more mature, the days ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Marie Corfield For NJ Assembly

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Jersey Jazzman: Marie Corfield For NJ Assembly: Marie Corfield For NJ Assembly by Duke I spend so much time on this blog cataloging the various sins of the corporate reformy crew that I often don't give enough space to what we parents and teachers can do to stop this assault on public education, especially in Jersey. Well, I know just the thing. *This is Marie Corfield, she's running for NJ Assembly, and she needs the help of every parent and teacher reading this blog.* * * The quick rundown on Marie is this: she is a terrific art teacher, she has two great kids, and she is a tire... more »

Attention all PTAs: Action for the Week of 10/7/2012 | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Attention all PTAs: Action for the Week of 10/7/2012 | United Opt Out National: Attention all PTAs: Action for the Week of 10/7/2012 by admin *The Niagara Region PTA in New York has written a resolution opposing high-stakes testing and calls for a moratorium on the 3-8 testing program. The following documents should be shared with all PTAs across the nation. United Opt Out National suggests adding the following – if the testing is NOT suspended, the PTA should recommend all parents opt their children out of the state test. Make this go viral. Well done Niagara Region PTA. Libe... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: A non-productive prison-based economy

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: A non-productive prison-based economy: A non-productive prison-based economy by Mike Klonsky The hard economic times explain why many residents enthusiastically welcomed the abrupt announcement Tuesday that the Federal Bureau of Prisons is buying the mothballed prison for $165 million from Illinois.In Illinois, when pols talk about "job creation" they probably aren't talking about capital investment in manufacturing. Big corporate investors would rather do that in other countries where labor is cheap and