Media spotlight: State Superintendent Tom Torlakson visits Cleveland High's Media Academy in Reseda - LA Daily News

Media spotlight: State Superintendent Tom Torlakson visits Cleveland High's Media Academy in Reseda - LA Daily News:

Media spotlight: State Superintendent Tom Torlakson visits Cleveland High's Media Academy in Reseda

by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer

State Superintendent of SchoolsTom Torlakson talks with Academy of Arts and Technology student Ciana Graham on the media set at Cleveland High on Oct. 30,2012. (David Crane/Staff Photographer)

RESEDA -- Aspiring newscaster Ciana Graham didn't have even a moment to prepare for her interview Tuesday with state schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson, who plunked down beside her in the production studio at Cleveland High School.The two chatted about Cleveland's state-of-the-art Media Academy, and how it's helping Ciana and her classmates prepare for college or an entry-level job in their chosen career.
"I'm in this class by surprise," said Graham, who is also taking rigorous college-prep courses through Cleveland's School for Advanced Studies. "I knew I liked acting so I signed up to learn film production. Now, I want to go to BYU and be a broadcast journalist."
It's seeing the fulfillment of dreams like

State schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson, center, meets with and Academy of Arts and Technology student Roberto Fonseca, left, and yearbook advisor Gabriela Rosillo on Oct. 31, 2012, at Cleveland High School in Reseda. (David Crane/Staff Photographer)

Ciana's that has taken Torlakson on a monthlong tour of career-technical 

Daily Kos: A brief presidential comparison

Daily Kos: A brief presidential comparison:

A brief presidential comparison

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

BUSH                                                 OBAMA
August 6 PDB                                       Bin Laden dead
Bin Laden Strikes in US
Bin Laden escapes from Tora Bora
Starts two wars, not paid for                 Ends Iraq
                                                        Ending Afghanistan
Financial Collapse                                Wall Street recovered
800K/mo job loss                                 30+ consecutive months private sector
                                                              job growth
Destroyed America's reputation              Restored America's standing around the world
in other countries
During Katrina, McCain cake                  Prepositioning FEMA supplies/personnel                          
flying over New Orleans                        visiting NJ tomorrow
Heck of a job, Brownie                          Craig Fugate (emergency professional)
                         Add your own examples.
                This President has earned our support.
          This President, Barack Hussein Obama, deserves reelection.

When will we know who will be our next President?

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

November 8, 2016.
Barack Obama will be reelected.
He will STILL be our President, not our next President.
We have four more years until we can answer the question in my title.
Now get out there and work like hell to make it so.

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week Eight 2012

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week Eight 2012:

Week Eight 2012

by alicemercer

Once again, I’m not keeping up with my work life online. Part of this is because I’m spending more time staying in touch with parents this year, so I thought I’d start this week’s report by sharing how I’m doing that.
First, I am using the Googles to simplify my life in a couple of ways. I started a Gmail account for class administrivia last year, and I’ve carried it over to this year. When I got my class list, I looked up all my parents’ email addresses and cell phone numbers, and started to add them to my contacts.  I use this as the base to send out a weekly email update about what the class is doing.  Here is last week’s communique:

This week:

• At last Monday’s Sixth Grade Class Meeting, we prepared to sell BooGrams by making die-cuts, and students sold at the end of the week.
• We started new units/chapters in all our subject areas. Social Studies was early 

Hurricane Attention Whoring With Educators4Excellence.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Hurricane Attention Whoring With Educators4Excellence

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

With the last two days off because of Hurricane Sandy, so many thoughts raced through my mind. One of them was how after watching the Tigers get swept by the Giants how did the Yankees get swept by the same team. Another thought took me back to the last hurricane to hit here, Irene and how Educators4Excellence made the death and destruction all about them. 

I wondered if this time would E4E show some humility and somehow not take to attention whoring themselves into the death and destruction of Hurricane Sandy that has permeated the area the last 48 hours. That hopefully, there would be silence on their parts and be mature and smart enough to be silent.

Checking my email this morning, sadly my best hopes went down the drain. Though, I do give them credit. In their sneaky way they left the statement off their 

Complaint Filed for Violation of Wisconsin Election Law by CEO « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Complaint Filed for Violation of Wisconsin Election Law by CEO « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Complaint Filed for Violation of Wisconsin Election Law by CEO

by millerlf

On Monday I participated in a news conference as a plaintiff  in a complaint against Rite-Hite corporation CEO Michael White for violation of Wisconsin election law. To see the Fox 6 report on the news conference go to:  
http://fox6now.com/2012/10/29/complaint-filed-against-rite-hite-ceo-for-alleged-election-law-violation/
MILWAUKEE — Faith and community leaders filed a formal complaint with the Government Accountability Board against Rite-Hite CEO Michael White on Monday, October 29th.
The leaders say White violated Wisconsin election law when he sent a memo to employees. In that memo, 

My schools GSA letter to East Aurora School District 131 « Cooperative Catalyst

My schools GSA letter to East Aurora School District 131 « Cooperative Catalyst:

My schools GSA letter to East Aurora School District 131

by Jabreel Chisley

Ohio Virtual Academy/ Gay-Straight Alliance
From: Ohio Virtual Academy High School

Gay Straight Alliance
1655 Holland Road
Suite F
Maumee, Ohio 43537

October 22, 2012

To: East Aurora School District 131
417 Fifth Street
Aurora, Illinois 60505
ATTN:  Mary Anne Turza
Stella Gonzalez
Annette Johnson
Richard Leonard
Raymund Hall
Anita Lewis
Ignacio Cervantes


Dear East Aurora School District 131:
The actions in which your Board of Education has engaged in are actions of momentous bigotry that rang the bell of injustice so loudly that the rings have spread across this great nation and into the ears of your school districts allies and Trans/Gender Non-Conforming population. These children are children of your district, are residents of your great state, and are residents of this great nation and for that they deserve assurance to the right to attend school and feel safe while doing so.
Your Board of Education’s actions have showed where your allegiance resides and it is not with the students who attend your schools. All students regardless of who they are, who they love, and who they identify with are supposed to have access to a education that is free and appropriate that resides within a environment that is 

tomhayden.com - Home - Personal Statement: Fifty years later, still making a statement

tomhayden.com - Home - Personal Statement: Fifty years later, still making a statement:

PERSONAL STATEMENT: FIFTY YEARS LATER, STILL MAKING A STATEMENT

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012 AT 4:16PM | PRINT ARTICLE | EMAIL ARTICLE | POST A COMMENT

(Photo: The Michigan Daily)

This article appeared at The Michigan Daily on October 25, 2012.

Few Ann Arbor residents know that The Statement, the Daily’s weekly news magazine, is named in memory of the Port Huron Statement, drafted by myself as the founding document of Students for a Democratic Society 50 years ago.

This week, the University will host a conference to explore the legacy of what many Ann Arbor students birthed half a century ago.

The vision of the Port Huron Statement lives on. The first principle of last year’s Occupy Wall Street movement was a call for participatory democracy, the guiding concept of the Port Huron Statement.

From SDS to Occupy, students have led movements demanding a voice. We believed in not just an electoral democracy, but also in direct participation of students in their remote-controlled universities, of employees in workplace decisions, of consumers in the marketplace, of 

Occupy and Sandy Storm Recovery Resources | OccupyWallSt.org

Occupy and Sandy Storm Recovery Resources | OccupyWallSt.org:

Occupy and Sandy Storm Recovery Resources

by OccupyWallSt

Occupy Wall Street & 350.org have teamed up withRecovers.org – a people-powered disaster relief platform – to help coordinate response to Hurricane Sandy in NYC. At Recovers.org we are launching support pages where people can GIVE help or post a NEED. For ongoing updates and info about this evolving relief effort, and to find out how you can help, be sure to sign up and stay informed at the Occupy Sandy Hub!
http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/

Support Pages

• https://lowereastside.recovers.org/ – (646) 580-7473
• https://astoria.recovers.org/ – (347) 669-4394
• https://redhook.recovers.org – (347) 464-9269

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION UNDERSTANDS WHAT THIS STRUGGLE IS ABOUT « Teachers Fight Back

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION UNDERSTANDS WHAT THIS STRUGGLE IS ABOUT « Teachers Fight Back:

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION UNDERSTANDS WHAT THIS STRUGGLE IS ABOUT

by alkleen

The Chicago Teachers’ Union has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the pension reform law enacted earlier this year by the Illinois General Assembly. That law targeted labor leaders who were teachers or public workers who received large public pensions based on their union salaries which were higher than their normal salaries.
No other unions dared to challenge this law as it passed almost unanimously and the Tribune and others made a huge deal out of the large pension amounts.  The CTU is challenging it because they understand what laws like this are really about. CTU vice president Jesse Sharkey said the following, ” I would disagree with the characterization that it’s a reform.  There is a lot of politics being played, and part of that has to do with looking for people to blame.”
CTU leaders also say reforms to the pension system should include additional revenues to shore up the funds, not just benefit reductions.
This is what makes me so angry when I hear teachers who say things like, “the pension deficit is so large, we 

SI&A Cabinet Report – SBE’s charter network struggles like other schools with federal AY

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

SBE’s charter network struggles like other schools with federal AYP
By Tom Chorneau
Tuesday, October 30, 2012

A new report on the performance of the sprawling network of charter schools under the management of the California State Board of Education found most made progress last year – although like the majority of all other schools statewide, most board-authorized charters also failed to meet federal benchmarks.

The state board is empowered to authorize new charter schools, under certain conditions. Currently, the SBE has oversight of 32 charters and one that is set to open in 2013-14.

Out of that total, 21 failed to meet federal performance requirements as dictated under the No Child Left Behind Act and will be required to submit to a remediation plan to the state. Ten of the board-authorized charters have failed to meet the federal Adequate Yearly Progress for a second year.

Those numbers are not out of step with the rest of California last year, where 27 percent of elementary schools, 18 percent of middle schools, and 28 percent of high schools made AYP targets.

However, as defined by the Academic Performance Index state officials note that virtually all of the board-authorized 

The in box. Letter to the editor from the CTU Pension Chair. « Fred Klonsky

The in box. Letter to the editor from the CTU Pension Chair. « Fred Klonsky:

The in box. Letter to the editor from the CTU Pension Chair.

by Fred Klonsky

Dear Editor:
For years millionaires and billionaires from the Commercial Club of Chicago, such as Bruce Rauner and Ty Fahner, have misrepresented the real cause of our state’s pension crisis. While public employees such as police officers, fire-fighters, teachers and others have dutifully paid employee contributions for decades, the recent manipulation of financial markets by banks and hedge fund operators has placed the retirement of countless public employees into question.
A resolution passed by the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund is determined to get to the bottom of 

Kimble's Corner: How the Jack O'Lantern Saved Christianity

Kimble's Corner: How the Jack O'Lantern Saved Christianity:

How the Jack O'Lantern Saved Christianity

by Representative Kimble

 

My friends, I don't mind telling you that we find ourselves in a culture war.  The forces of radical atheism again threaten to rob this great country of the symbols of it's freedom and it's proud Christian heritage.   If these people have their way all traces of Halloween's Christian roots would be erased and all references to Jesus would be stricken from Halloween parades, store displays, and the hopeful mouths of trick or treating Christian children.    We must all stand together against this atheistic tyranny.

 One of the stories, atheists don't want you to know is the story of the Jack O'Lantern.   In Ireland, Christians were persecuted for many centuries.  One of the reasons that St. Patrick was celebrated for driving the snakes from Ireland is because they used to feed Christian children to the snakes.   Christians were kept poor and not allowed to hold jobs.  Their possessions were simple, but their faith was mighty.

As the Irish traveled along the countryside at autumn harvest time looking for work picking crops, they were frequently met with signs that said Christians need not apply.   Even a non-Christian who hired a Christian to pick his crops faced persecution from the Irish King.   

The Irish  needed a subtle symbol to let others know that they welcomed Christians and that the light of Jesus shined within them.   They came up with the idea of taking a pumpkin and 

Dust in the wind

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 10-30-12 #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

Modern School: Former Porn Actress Appealing Her Firing as a Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 minutes ago

Modern School: Former Porn Actress Appealing Her Firing as a Teacher: Former Porn Actress Appealing Her Firing as a Teacher by Michael Dunn Stacie Halas was a science teacher at Richard B. Haydock Intermediate School, in Oxnard, California, until she was fired for having once been a porn actress. Her school board argued that her past was disruptive to the teaching environment. Halas is now appealing her dismissal. Halas acted in pornographic films for 8 months from 2005 to 2006 because of financial duress, her attorney told a panel of judges last week, but she never acted in any... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Who's In?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 24 minutes ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Who's In?: Who's In? by Melissa Westbrook It's an interesting thing to see who has endorsed which campaign around I-1240. First, you can thank me for the Yes side even *having* an endorsement page because they didn't have one for months. But I kept calling it out at debates and I guess they got embarrassed. What is kind of cute is the little mini-bios they have for every single person listed (but it does make the page look longer). For variety, there isn't a lot of comparison. The Yes is a lot of business groups/ed reformers and, for the elec... more »

‘Open’ and ‘closed’ education: In between face-to-face and online learning | Education | M.A.Escotet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

‘Open’ and ‘closed’ education: In between face-to-face and online learning | Education | M.A.Escotet: ‘Open’ and ‘closed’ education: In between face-to-face and online learning by Miguel Angel Escotet Open *education *is particularly characterized by the removal of restrictions, exclusions and privileges; by the accreditation of students’ previous ex­perience; by the flexibility of the management of the time variable; and by substantial changes in the traditional relationship between professors and students. On the other hand, *distance or virtual education *is a modality which p... more »

Charter school Initiative 1240: A video | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Charter school Initiative 1240: A video | Seattle Education: Charter school Initiative 1240: A video Posted on October 30, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)]

Single White Female | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Single White Female | EduShyster: Single White Female by edushyster2012 Many studies show that young white teachers are fresher and more innovative than their LIFO lifer peers of other races. The achievement gap is the civil rights issue of our time—which is why it may be necessary for us to destroy a large part of the Black middle class in order to achieve our goal of closing said gap. No doubt you think I’m being all hyperbolick-y up in here but allow me to explain. During the Chicago Teachers Union strike I encountered a stunning statistic. Since education reform arrived in Chica... more »

So Much On My Mind That I Can’t Recline [On Hurricane Sandy] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

So Much On My Mind That I Can’t Recline [On Hurricane Sandy] | The Jose Vilson: So Much On My Mind That I Can’t Recline [On Hurricane Sandy] by Jose Hurricane Sandy Hits South Carolina Beach *The new moon rode high in the crown of the metropolis,* *Shinin’, like “Who on top of this?”* - Mos Def in Blackstar’s “Respiration” Flashlights. Bottles of water. Cereal. Baby food. Milk. Batteries. Charged devices. Landline phone on deck. Ready-to-eat foods. As we went through the list at the supermarket, I found myself feeling stupid for thinking it wasn’t going to be that bad. Chalk it up to... more »

Newsflash: The Vallas Group and Cambium Education in Divorce proceedings? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Newsflash: The Vallas Group and Cambium Education in Divorce proceedings? - Wait, What?: Newsflash: The Vallas Group and Cambium Education in Divorce proceedings? by jonpelto In June, Wall Street investors were told the “Cambium Learning® Group, the nation’s leading educational provider focused primarily on serving the needs of at-risk and special student populations, announced an exclusive partnership with The Vallas Group, Inc. to bring nationally known education reform leader Paul Vallas’ unique school improvement model to struggling schools across the nation.” Weeks later came...more »

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Some "Truths" About Teaching!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Some "Truths" About Teaching!: Some "Truths" About Teaching! by Lisa M Source: elementary-teacher-resources.com via TeachHUB.com on Pinterest Since I'm not at work because of Hurricane Sandy, it gave me some time to peruse Pinterest, and I came across this poster. I think it's funny.:) It also made me think about some of the "truths" about teaching, especially if someone is choosing to go into this profession now. So, here are my "truths." - You can not go to the bathroom whenever you want. You will have to either hold it, or get someone ... more »

Daily Kos: Frank Schaeffer is on fire today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Daily Kos: Frank Schaeffer is on fire today: Frank Schaeffer is on fire today by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) as I discovered by following his Twitter feed where he is laying it out bluntly for White Evangelicals who say they are voting for Romney, with tweets like these: point out they are working to elect a job-destroying tax-avoiding lying flip-flopping Swiss bank account collecting draft dodger who is running with a disciple of the God-hating, Jesus-mocking hater-of-the-poor Ayn Rand, for their presidential candidate and these back to back: at the very same time as Frankl... more »

The No on Initiative 1240 campaign needs YOU | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

The No on Initiative 1240 campaign needs YOU | Seattle Education: The No on Initiative 1240 campaign needs YOU Posted on October 30, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] From the No on Initiative 1240 campaign: Last week an unprecedented 20,000 Washington voters joined a state wide conference call to learn about the damaging effect I-1240 would have on our public schools. Despite a $9 million advertising blitz in support of I-1240, an overwhelming majority of voters on the call said that they preferred reducing classroom size over fundi... more »

Schools Matter: A Lesson In Thinking About Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Schools Matter: A Lesson In Thinking About Education: A Lesson In Thinking About Education by Storm I imagine too few of us know well Mill's *On Liberty. *Let me press you to read it at the first opportunity, no, make an opportunity to read it now. (There is a good audio version available as well.) What is this essay about but the education of the human species and the role of social management in that education? I hope you can at least find the time to bear with this excerpt as it seems to me most pertinent for this audience of readers and bloggers. I am not comfortable with... more »

Shanker Blog » Surveying The Teacher Opinion Landscape

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Shanker Blog » Surveying The Teacher Opinion Landscape: Surveying The Teacher Opinion Landscape by Matthew Di Carlo I’m a big fan of surveys of teachers’ opinions of education policy, not only because of educators’ valuable policy-relevant knowledge, but also because their views are sometimes misrepresented or disregarded in our public discourse. For instance, the diverse set of ideas that might be loosely characterized as “market-based reform” faces a bit of tension when it comes to teacher support. Without question, some teachers support the more controversial market-based poli... more »

Diane in the Evening 10-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Teacher Who Said “I Quit” Responds to Some Critics by dianerav Kris Neilsen is the teacher who wrote the post explaining why he quit in North Carolina. His post went viral. He has posted several comments on the blog. Here is one of them: *Victims are the ones who stay, play by the crushing rules, and churn out students who are good at passing tests.* *I am not that. I am an activist. I got the attention of the leadership in my state, and I plan to engage them over * Is Rocketship the Wave of the Future? by dianerav Experienced journalist Tom Toch visited a... more »

7 Days Until the Election, Polls Show Youth Still Need Basic Info. on Voting

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

CIRCLE » Knowledge about Voter Laws Still Lacking: Knowledge about Voter Laws Still Lacking *Over 40% of young Americans “don’t know” key information about voting process* On Monday, CIRCLE released a groundbreaking poll of young people’s views of the election. The survey, commissioned by the Youth Education Fund, is unique in that it polled 1,695 youth (ages 18-29) in June/July and 1,109 of the same youth between October 12 and 23. Surveying the same people twice provides powerful evidence of change over time. *State of Young American’s Voter Law Knowledge* State voting and registr... more »

PSAT for 10-30-12: Boycott Amazon? Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 10-30-12: Boycott Amazon?: PSAT for 10-30-12: Boycott Amazon? by admin [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] I try to use the first PSAT of the month (when I remember) to identify some of the worst enemies of public education for us to boycott. So far, I’ve gleefully picked on Bill Gates,Penny Pritzker, Bruce Rauner and Walmart, and generally followed my own advice. I’m doing November’s entry a week early to highlight a ballot proposition in Washington state that will be decided next Tuesday. And this time I hav... more »

UPDATE: Should a teacher lose job for urging kids to check answers? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Should a teacher lose job for urging kids to check answers? | Get Schooled: Should a teacher lose job for urging kids to check answers? 11:05 am October 30, 2012, by Maureen Downey [image: Precious Moon, APS tribunal photo] Kent D. Johnson, kdjohnson@ajc.com Precious Moon testifies during her tribunal Oct. 29, 2012. Moon, a teacher and CRCT test administrator at M.A. Jones Elementary School, is accused of prompting students to change the answers on their tests when she knew they had marked an incorrect answer. She also allegedly provided the students with the correct answers on the t... more »

Please Vote For President Obama because Uh Oh, Ann Romney Wants to Champion Education | Education on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Uh Oh, Ann Romney Wants to Champion Education | Education on GOOD: Uh Oh, Ann Romney Wants to Champion Education [image: ann.romney] It's become a tradition for the First Lady to become an advocate for an issue most Americans can get behind. With her "Let’s Move!" childhood obesity campaign, First Lady Michelle Obama's brought some fun to healthy eating healthy and getting fit—she got Beyoncé on board and Mrs. O actually did the Dougie with middle schoolers in Washington D.C. last spring. Well, it turns out that if she becomes First Lady, Ann Romney wants to be involved with school... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, October 30, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: DR. AMI BERA | BERA FOR CONGRESS [image: Dr. Ami Bera | Bera for Congress] Making Washington Work Sacramento County needs a bold leader who sees Congress as an opportunity to serve. Like the oath I took to become a Doctor, I take another solemn oath to put people first. In Congress, I pledge: Education Headlines *Tuesday, October 30, 2012* New charter school proposed in YrekaHope Charter School would hold classes three days a week from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. for instruction on the core subjects – mathematics and language arts. One ... more »

Modern School: California Schools Not Providing Free, Safe Drinking Water

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Modern School: California Schools Not Providing Free, Safe Drinking Water: California Schools Not Providing Free, Safe Drinking Water by Michael Dunn Several recent state and federal laws now require schools to provide free, fresh drinking water wherever meals are served or eaten. Free water in meal areas not only benefits students who cannot afford flavored beverages or who do not like milk, it encourages all students to drink water, which is a healthier choice than juice or soda. While providing free, fresh water in meal areas seems like a no-brainer, 25% of California school... more »

UPDATE: Everyone in my Brooklyn family is okay this morning. I’m thinking of the others who may not have fared so well. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Everyone in my Brooklyn family is okay this morning. I’m thinking of the others who may not have fared so well. « Fred Klonsky: CTU challenges the slow chipping away at the pension protection clause of the state constitution. by Fred Klonsky Let’s consider this scenario: A school district employee works as a teacher for 20 years. She pays into the state’s retirement system 9.4% of her salary every paycheck as she is required to do. Let’s say that her salary after 20 years and having moved through all her possible professional growth lanes is now around $80 or 90 K. By the way, ov... more »

Schools Matter: Newark Teachers: Reject Weingarten's Betrayal Teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Schools Matter: Newark Teachers: Reject Weingarten's Betrayal Teachers: Newark Teachers: Reject Weingarten's Betrayal Teachers by Jim Horn Everywhere AFT's lead lawyer goes to "help" negotiate for teachers, she leaves a wake of destruction for the profession. But, then, that is what she is paid to do, as she works off her debt to Bloomberg and the plutocrats for making her president of AFT in the first place. In Newark, she has now added to her impressive list of betrayals by cutting a deal with Cory Booker and the Facebook chief twink to offer a meritless bonus pay plan that ha... more »

UPDATE: Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Masters of disaster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Masters of disaster: Masters of disaster by Mike Klonsky Oyster Creek Such a pretty name. Wait, what? MYFOXNY.COM *- An alert was declared at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in New Jersey because of water exceeding certain high water level criteria in the plant's water intake structure, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Oyster Creek plant is in Lacey Township, N.J. It gets its cooling water from the Barnegat Bay. It is the nation's oldest nuclear power plant.* Republicans are begging that Sandy not be "politicized". Who ... more »

Challenging Assumptions About Educating 'Those Children' - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Challenging Assumptions About Educating 'Those Children' - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Challenging Assumptions About Educating 'Those Children' by Pedro Noguera Pedro Noguera Deborah Meier Deborah Meier—visionary teacher and founder of successful small schools in New York City and Boston—and Pedro Noguera—author and director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education—debate issues relevant to schools, teachers, and students. Dear Deborah, Thanks for the updates from Belgium. I knew things must be hard there given the prolonged recession, but I am glad to hear that p... more »

Stop Saying "Entrepreneur" - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Stop Saying "Entrepreneur" - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Stop Saying "Entrepreneur" by Nancy Flanagan One of the best blogs I've read in a long time--with bonus points for the headline--was written by Katie Osgood, the Chicago special education teacher who penned *Paul Tough is Way Off Base. And Stop Saying 'Grit.'*Osgood's piece points out that Tough's "new" premise--character matters more than data upticks in eventual outcomes for American kids--is hardly a novelty, or surprising to teachers. And "grit," the buzzword that summarizes student perseverance... more »

The Missing Link « My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

The Missing Link « My Island View: The Missing Link by tomwhitby One of the many things that I love about my job is my freedom to attend national education conferences for the purpose of meeting with educators and commenting on trends and changes in the education system many of which are introduced, and explored at these conferences. I wish I could say that I could objectively report on the influences these conferences have on education, but my personal bias as a long, long time public educator prevents that from happening. I will always view these through the eyes of a classroom... more »

Powerful Coalition Opposes NCLB Waivers in New Jersey - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Powerful Coalition Opposes NCLB Waivers in New Jersey - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Powerful Coalition Opposes NCLB Waivers in New Jersey by Anthony Cody A remarkable coalition of individuals and organizations, many of them with deep roots in the African American and Latino communities, is calling upon the Department of Education to abandon plans to implement new policies associated with NCLB waivers in the state of New Jersey. In the past, some leaders in the African American and Latino communities have supported NCLB, believing it would result in improved outcom... more »

DHS Proposes Cybersecurity Education to Begin in Kindergarten

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

DHS Proposes Cybersecurity Education to Begin in Kindergarten: DHS Proposes Cybersecurity Education to Begin in KindergartenWritten by Brian Koenig - font size [image: decrease font size] [image: increase font size] - Print [image: DHS Proposes Cybersecurity Education to Begin in Kindergarten] In an effort to embolden the next generation of cyber professionals, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is devising an initiative to encourage and equip young Americans with knowledge and skills in the science of cybersecurity. Writing a blog entitled, “Inspiring the Next Gene... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Biggest Problem in U.S. Education Is….? by dianerav Chris Lehman has written an excellent post pulling together solid data about the “reformers’” solutions and the issue that refuse to address: poverty. What is the problem in U.S. education? What is the cause of low test scores? Is it bad teachers, as the reformers claim? Or is it poverty, where the U.S. leads the advanced nations of the world? Can school reform cure poverty? Has it? If you don’t address the causes, you will never solve the problem of low... more »

Taiwan tries to recruit California students to its universities | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Taiwan tries to recruit California students to its universities | toteachornototeach: Taiwan tries to recruit California students to its universities by aristotlethewise *Taiwan tries to recruit California students to its universities * *Taiwan’s minister of education,Wei-Ling Chiang, travels to California * *to encourage Taiwanese American students to enroll at its universities.* By Frank Shyong Taiwan’s minister of education, Wei-Ling Chiang, traveled toCalifornia last week to address a rarely discussed trade imbalance with theUnited States. “Just 3,561 American-born students are en... more »

UPDATE: Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson's column is about more than FEMA

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson's column is about more than FEMA: Eugene Robinson's column is about more than FEMA by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) His column, Romney would pass the buck on disasters, has the FEMA aspects of it featured in the Pundit Roundup on the Front Page. But Romney's attitude on FEMA is only part of it, because his attitude on this agency is emblematic of his attitude towards the Federal government as a whole. The title given the column by the editors does not fully represent the content. Here are three key paragraphs from the column: Most disastrously, this is ...more »

Boards, teachers must be careful to toe the line on advocacy | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Boards, teachers must be careful to toe the line on advocacy | EdSource Today: Boards, teachers must be careful to toe the line on advocacy ** October 30th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services The humanities professor from California State University, Monterey Bay who was sued by the conservative Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association this month for urging his students in an email to vote for the tax initiative Proposition 30 ran afoul of the state law (Government Code Section 8314) that... more »

Reform ‘insanity’ in a single chart

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Reform ‘insanity’ in a single chart: Reform ‘insanity’ in a single chart Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 30, 2012 at 5:00 am Insanity is sometimes defined as doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Below is what Paul T**homas, an associate professor of education at Furman University in South Carolina, calls his “insanity chart” that starkly shows the problems facing public schools and the (same) approach taken to fix it by the “no excuses” brand of school reform espoused by Michelle Rhee and her supporters. This was first published on theScho... more »

Our Schools Are Not Broken. Letter To The EditorSave Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Our Schools Are Not Broken. Letter To The EditorSave Our Schools: Our Schools Are Not Broken. Letter To The Editor by Server [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] The Yakima Herald Endorses YES on 1240 – A Tool to Improve Our Public Schools: Jane Watson writes TO THE EDITOR:Your editorial on Oct. 24 (“I-1240 would offer a tool that could help fix state schools”) had a false premise. OUR SCHOOLS ARE NOT BROKEN. When scores are disaggregated for poverty, the US is one of the top countries internationally on the PISA Internationally. PISA (Program for International Student Assessmen... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: "I'm just no good at kindergarten, just no good at all.”

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: "I'm just no good at kindergarten, just no good at all.”: "I'm just no good at kindergarten, just no good at all.” by stlgretchen Students, get ready to test, test, test! Teachers must prepare 5 year old children for the workforce! Yesterday we wrote about a teacher who quit because of common core standards, top down testing and administrators who cared more about testing results than authentic learning. Today we feature a story from Chicago and a mother's observation on her kindergartner's classroom. It's truly heartbreaking. This is a story that ... more »

Can Educators Learn from “The Corner Office”? « InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Can Educators Learn from “The Corner Office”? « InterACT: Can Educators Learn from “The Corner Office”? by David B. Cohen How can business management ideas be applied in education? Pick your adverb. [image: adverbs]One of the topics I’ve returned to now and then in the past couple years concerns the applicability of business and management principles in education. Too often when we hear business people lecturing educators about business, they’re envisioning a rigid hierarchical system built on simplistic notions of threat and reward. In their view, teachers need incentives to work... more »

Reflections of Teacher Ken NYTimes: A Big Storm Requires Big Government

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

*Reflections of Teacher Ken* *Dkos piece on Times eidtorial @Dailykos is down right now - so is Alternet so all you get is **Reflections of Teacher Ken* NYTimes: A Big Storm Requires Big Government by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Their editorial makes the argument for what big government does at the same time it takes Mitt Romney and Congressional Republicans apart. IT begins like this: ost Americans have never heard of the National Response Coordination Center, but they’re lucky it exists on days of lethal winds and flood tides. The center is the war room of the Federal Emergen... more »

Remember Your Place - Vote November 6

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

*Remember Your Place - Vote November 6* * * [image: Secretary of State banner] November 6, 2012, General Election ------------------------------ Election Information - Governor's Proclamation (pdf ~63KB) - Qualifications for Running for Office - General Election Calendar (pdf ~56KB) - Complete - 2012 California Election Calendar - Official Voter Information Guide - Random Alphabet Drawing (pdf ~40KB) Candidate Information - Certified List of Candidates (pdf ~513KB) - Certified List of Candidates - Abbreviated List (pdf ~88KB) - List of Nominated Candi... more »

Pass / Fail : Credit rating for California school districts could be downgraded if Props 30 & 38 fail | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Pass / Fail : Credit rating for California school districts could be downgraded if Props 30 & 38 fail | 89.3 KPCC: Credit rating for California school districts could be downgraded if Props 30 & 38 fail by By Vanessa Romo [image: Prop 30 and 38] *The fate of pro-education Propositions 30 and 38 will be decided by voters on Nov. 6. Credit: David McNew/Getty Images* Public support for Propositions 30 and 38 is plummeting despite expansive, and expensive, campaign efforts across the state by their respective champions: Governor Jerry Brown and attorney and millionaire-ess Molly Munge... more »

Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat: This Week’s #PTchat by Larry Ferlazzo Guest post by Joe Mazza Image credit: http://www.becoming1.orgOn a typical Wednesday night, we hold a Parent-Teacher chat on an important and timely home-school topic. This week, we’re providing a special 60-day school year check-in and opening up the conversation to your individual and school needs. Think about the following. What does your class or school struggle with in engaging families? Need to throw an idea out there to the rest of the PTchat community? What would take your home-school e... more »

“Right” and “Left” depend on context « JD2718

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

“Right” and “Left” depend on context « JD2718: “Right” and “Left” depend on context by jd2718 Picking a fight with a comic strip? Yup. And xkcd, at that. [image: Congress]Randall Munroe has done a superb job creating vertical time lines for the House and Senate, showing the ebb and flow of different parties. Look here, it’s really cool. But left and right change meaning over time. Different place, different time, different context. The slaveholders were to the left and the abolitionists to the right? Whoa, Nelly, er Randall. In today’s context, the Republicans are on the right. Bu... more »

Homeless Endure Hurricane Sandy In New York City: 'I Can Survive Just Like This'

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Homeless Endure Hurricane Sandy In New York City: 'I Can Survive Just Like This': Homeless Endure Hurricane Sandy In New York City: 'I Can Survive Just Like This' by Joy Resmovits NEW YORK -- As Hurricane Sandy hurtled toward New York City on Monday, Eduardo Acevedo, 57, sat in an empty lot just steps from the Hudson River. Straight ahead of him was the overcast skyline of New Jersey. Behind him, a panorama of glassy, doormanned buildings owned by Donald Trump. It was almost 12:30 p.m., and the city Department of Sanitation was shutting down Riverside Park, kicking out a group ... more »

Will the Common Core Lead to a Common Calendar? | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Will the Common Core Lead to a Common Calendar? | Truth in American Education: Will the Common Core Lead to a Common Calendar? by Shane Vander Hart Last night during our Truth in American Education participant conference call somebody had a great question. Will the Common Core with its requisite assessments move states to a common calendar as well? NeitherSmarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) or Partnership of Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) have stated when tests will be administered, but in terms of data collection they will likely specify tim... more »

Win, Lose, or Draw? Chicago Teachers Reach Agreement | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Win, Lose, or Draw? Chicago Teachers Reach Agreement | Dailycensored.com: Win, Lose, or Draw? Chicago Teachers Reach Agreement by gues twriter Emma Irving Does the agreement between the Chicago Teacher’s Union and the city represent a win for the labor movement? After over a week of striking and a year of contract negotiations, Chicago teacher’s have voted to return to the classroom, accepting a contract agreement that represents partial negotiations on both sides. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has been pushing for a longer school day and a longer school year, has added an hour and 15 ... more »

Diane in the Evening 10-29-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: New Orleans Students Demand True Reform by dianerav In all the hype and spin about the privatization of education in New Orleans, no one has heard from students. Various special-interest claim to speak for them, say “it’s all about the kids.” Some raise millions of dollars from corporations and ideologues by claiming to be student advocates. It turns out that students have their own views and need no surrogates. Silent no more. High school students are speaking out. They are holding a rally on October 30 at 5:30 pm to insist that they be heard. See the det... more »

The fight for Chicago’s schools continues. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

The fight for Chicago’s schools continues. « Fred Klonsky: The fight for Chicago’s schools continues. by Fred Klonsky From the Chicago Teachers Union. CPS plans to close up to 100 schools in our neighborhoods while finding cash to open 60 more politically-connected charter schools. Our students deserve small class size, more arts, computer technology, and physical education. Join hundreds of parents, educators, and community activists as we tell the mayor to put our students before his political supporters! Save our Schools! Immediate Moratorium on School Closures and Charter Exp... more »

HOW TO USE PERDAILY AS A REFERENCE GUIDE FOR LAUSD BAD ACTS - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

HOW TO USE PERDAILY AS A REFERENCE GUIDE FOR LAUSD BAD ACTS - Perdaily.com: HOW TO USE PERDAILY AS A REFERENCE GUIDE FOR LAUSD BAD ACTS by Leonard Isenberg [image: Lennyjpg.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post) After 3 years and the writing of 472 posts at perdaily, you now have a comprehensive reference database for anybody who is interested in documenting the premeditated and purposeful failing of public education by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and school districts like it around th... more »

Educational Courage [Book]Save Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Educational Courage [Book]Save Our Schools: Educational Courage [Book] by Server Educational Courage About the Book *“This book helps us to be audacious in our activism and in our vision.*” —from the Foreword by Deborah Meier Lost amid the debate over educational policies are the stories of the educators, parents, and students who are most affected by legislation such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. In *Educational Courage*, veteran educators and activists Nancy Schniedewind and Mara Sapon-Shevin bring together the voices of those who are resisting market-driven initia... more »

19th Ward Parents leader on chaos in Chicago Public Schools | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

19th Ward Parents leader on chaos in Chicago Public Schools | Parents Across America: 19th Ward Parents leader on chaos in Chicago Public Schools by pureparents By Becky Malone Guest Commentary October 26, 2012 (originally published in Daily Southtown newspaper) [image: Malone] There is a plague spreading through the Chicago Public Schools. It has left in its wake a score of school closures and school turnarounds, an unfunded longer school day lacking adequate resources to support high-quality education and the first teachers strike in a quarter century — a bitter fight to ensure ...more »

TRS board of trustees restates what it said in March. Silent on Ingram. Are you reassured? Me neither. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

TRS board of trustees restates what it said in March. Silent on Ingram. Are you reassured? Me neither. « Fred Klonsky: TRS board of trustees restates what it said in March. Silent on Ingram. Are you reassured? Me neither. by Fred Klonsky *Springfield, IL – The Teachers’ Retirement System Board of Trustees today issued the following statement regarding the on-going debate in the General Assembly concerning an overhaul of the state’s pension code:* *“The Board of Trustees of the Teachers’ Retirement System reiterates and reaffirms its resolution of March 30, 2012 (as amended on April... more »

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 10-27-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 10-20-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 10-13-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 10-6-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-29-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-22-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-15-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-8-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

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