Schools Matter: Sanity Comes to Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Schools Matter: Sanity Comes to Charlotte-Mecklenburg:

Sanity Comes to Charlotte-Mecklenburg

by Jim Horn

When Charlotte's former superintendent, Peter Gorman, was run out of town, he found work as another edu-henchman for Rupert Murdoch.  Since then, Charlotte has hired someone who is willing to challenge the status quo of more high stakes testing. From the Charlotte Observer:

Posted: Friday, Dec. 21, 2012

By Ann Doss Helms
ahelms@charlotteobserver.com 

The barrage of new state tests being rolled out this year is “an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars” that won’t help kids, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Heath Morrison said Thursday.

He joins a band of superintendents across the country fighting the push to use student testing to rate teachers and schools. Earlier this month, the superintendent in Montgomery County, Md., called for a three-year moratorium on standardized testing and an end to “the insanity” of evaluating teachers on test scores, according to The Washington Post.

Morrison said he’s working with Montgomery County Superintendent Joshua Starr, as well as a network of district leaders inside and outside North Carolina, to try to counteract the national 

New Orleans schools ban creationist curriculum, shun Texas revisionist textbooks | toteachornototeach

New Orleans schools ban creationist curriculum, shun Texas revisionist textbooks | toteachornototeach:

New Orleans schools ban creationist curriculum, shun Texas revisionist textbooks

by aristotlethewise

New Orleans schools ban creationist
curriculum, shun Texas revisionist textbooks

by Robert T. Gonzalez
Sanity wins this round — at least for six schools in New Orleans. By a unanimous vote, N.O.’s Orleans Parish School Board voted on Tuesday to keep creationism out of its classrooms. Hallelujah.
“No teacher of any discipline of science shall teach any aspect of religious faith as science or in a science class,” reads a measure released by the School Board earlier this week. “No teacher of any discipline of science shall teach creationism or intelligent design in classes designated as science classes.”
The new policy also takes a deliberate stand against Texas’s conservative revisionist curricula:

No history textbook shall be approved which has been adjusted in accordance with the state of 

Despite Exemptions, Police and Firefighters Show Labor Solidarity in Michigan Right-to-Work Battle | MyFDL

Despite Exemptions, Police and Firefighters Show Labor Solidarity in Michigan Right-to-Work Battle | MyFDL:

Despite Exemptions, Police and Firefighters Show Labor Solidarity in Michigan Right-to-Work Battle
By: Michelle Chen Thursday December 20, 2012 10:47 pm	Tweet5

Jamee Urrea via Twitter: http://t.co/kkFAJ8DK

Originally posted from In These Times

Michigan’s new right-to-work law has has struck a savage blow to America’s labor movement in its heartland. Unions across the state have thronged to Lansing to oppose the attack, which makes union membership optional and thus reduces labor’s bargaining clout. But tucked into the legislation are subtle exemptions for particular workers—police and firefighters, who have historically played by a different set of rules, creating political divides in the labor movement.

But in this case, it seems that many members of Michigan’s police and firefighters unions—about 1,700 bargaining units altogether—are standing in solidarity with other public-sector unions to oppose the law.

Georgetown University labor historian Joseph McCartin, in an email to In These Times, points out the hypocrisy of lawmakers in exempting these honored civil servants from a supposedly “pro-worker” new law:

If these initiatives were pro-worker [as Governor Rick Snyder has claimed], why wouldn’t they also be good for public safety workers?… The exemption makes the intentions of the laws framers’ crystal clear: they intend to undermine organizations that ally with their political opponents.

Right-to-work proponents argue variously that the nature of police and firefighter work requires an 

Schools often first line of defense in identifying, treating kids with mental illness - LA Daily News

Schools often first line of defense in identifying, treating kids with mental illness - LA Daily News:

Schools often first line of defense in identifying, treating kids with mental illness

By Barbara Jones Staff Writer

Posted:   12/22/2012 02:17:07 PM PST

Updated:   12/22/2012 03:44:22 PM PST

They teach kids to read, write and solve math problems, and to work and play well with others.
And along with those lessons, educators are increasingly being trained to spot depression, anxiety and other troubling behaviors in their students, with administrators and teachers forming the first line of defense against mental illness.
"We provide psychiatric first aid," said Ailleth Tom, who coordinates crisis counseling and mental health services for the Los Angeles Unified School District. "We really listen, protect and connect students with services.
"We don't ask, `What's wrong with you?"' she said. "We ask, `What's happened to you?"'
Speculation about the mental health of the 20-year-old gunman in the Connecticut school shootings has focused attention on the need for the early treatment of troubling behavior in the nation's adolescents and 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 12-22-2012 #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

Poor Students Struggle as Class Plays a Greater Role in Success - NYTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago

Poor Students Struggle as Class Plays a Greater Role in Success - NYTimes.com: Poor Students Struggle as Class Plays a Greater Role in Success by By JASON DePARLE For Poor Strivers, Leap to College Often Ends in a Hard Fall Michael Stravato for The New York Times Angelica Gonzales, admitted to Emory, hoped to be the first college graduate in her family. By JASON DePARLEPublished: December 22, 2012 - FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - SAVE - E-MAIL - SHARE - PRINT - SINGLE PAGE - REPRINTS - GALVESTON, Tex. — Angelica Gonzales marched through high school in ... more »

Have a Very Rephormy Christmas | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Have a Very Rephormy Christmas | EduShyster: Have a Very Rephormy Christmas by edushyster2012 *And an excellent and innovative new year…* Still looking for the purrfect gift for that extra excellent and innovative someone in your life? Not to worry. EduShyster has assembled an assembly of offerings guaranteed to sent test scores soaring all through the holidays and into 2013. So from my rephorm family to yours: ¡feliz navidad and a very prospero año! Nothing says “you’re proficient” like a Galvanic bracelet from the Gates collection of great ideas. *Just for her, a Galvanic Gates-le... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris on the Regents proposal for three different kinds of diplomas

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NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris on the Regents proposal for three different kinds of diplomas: Carol Burris on the Regents proposal for three different kinds of diplomas by Leonie Haimson Congratulations to Carol Burris, co-author of the principal lettercritiquing the APPR, the new NY state teacher evaluation system. Her school, South Side HS in Rockville Center, was just named the second best high school in the state, according to US News and World Report, and it is one of few non-selective relatively diverse schools on the list. Here is her explanation: "*We do great thi... more »

Diane in the Evening 12-22-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Outrageous Treatment of Children with Special Needs by dianerav In Louisiana, this mother reports, her 17-year-old autistic son will be required to take the ACT and EOC (end-of-course exams). As she writes, “These children are also being forced to take the EOC. or “end of course” tests for high school courses that they have never taken. Allow me to reiterate. They are forced to take high-stakes, final exams for classes in which they have never been enrolled because they cannot meet the prerequisites.” What will this prove, she wonders? Will it prove that he... more »

Stop Special Needs Vouchers in Wisconsin! : blue cheddar

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Stop Special Needs Vouchers in Wisconsin! : blue cheddar: Stop Special Needs Vouchers in Wisconsin! by AnnieJo If there’s one thing we’ve learned in Wisconsin since February 2011, and in Michigan just this month, it’s that what gets passed in the statehouse after the election can be devastatingly different than what was promised or campaigned upon or even hinted at before. We’ve also been hit with the following corollary: these things can happen with blinding speed. Since the Nov. 6, 2012 election, the Walker administration has made no secret of their priority-plans to expand sch... more »

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky [image: hrtln_5291_magnum] *Katy Hogan and Mike James of the Heartland Cafe.* When I saw my old friend Mike James last Sunday it was after Representative Kelly Cassidy had appeared on*Live from the Heartland*, the radio show (WLUW 88.7 FM) that he and Katy Hogan do each Saturday morning at the venerable Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park. Cassidy is a co-sponsor of HB6258, Democrat Elaine Nekritz’s bill that would cut teacher pension cost of living increases and eventually turn our defined benefit system into the equiv... more »

Common Core Toolkit for Principals: Part 1 | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Common Core Toolkit for Principals: Part 1 | Connected Principals: Common Core Toolkit for Principals: Part 1 by Gerald Aungst As part of my district’s plan to realign our curriculum with the Common Core State Standards (which we are calling the *C4 Project*, for Cheltenham Common Core Curriculum), I will be developing a Toolkit for Principals. Each month, I will prepare a four-part package of resources and activities they can use both for their own professional development and as part of faculty meetings with their staff members. The four parts each month will be [image: c4-pro... more »

uwec hmong students respond to racist "problems" sign

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

uwec hmong students respond to racist "problems" sign: *uwec hmong students respond to racist "problems" sign* A couple of weeks ago, I shared this *note* that was posted in a dorm bathrooom stall by someone who obviously had some "problems" with her Hmong floor-mates at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. I recently heard from Mai Neng Vang, the resident assistant on the floor where the sign was posted. After waiting a month to see whether and how school officials would react, she and her peers decided to write a public statement to the university administration and the gre... more »

Conflicting State and Federal Standards for Educational Performance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Conflicting State and Federal Standards for Educational Performance: Conflicting State and Federal Standards for Educational Performance*By Michael Higham | 12/22/2012 | Education, Headline, Issues, Role of Government Read Time: 2 - 4 minutes * [image: 1x1.trans Conflicting State and Federal Standards for Educational Performance] Credit: businessweek.com Student achievement is a priority for educators and the government that oversees its schools. Within the conversation of education standards is the discussion of state and federal roles in evaluating school performance. California... more »

Campbell Brown's Despicable Newtown Rant

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Campbell Brown's Despicable Newtown Rant: Campbell Brown's Despicable Newtown Rant By Peter Hart 11 Comments digg [image: newtown]Former *CNN/NBC* anchor Campbell Brown demonstrates that "both sides do it" false balance is not just a problem with campaign journalism. In a new post at the *Daily Beast*(12/21/12), she explained that most reactions to the Newtown massacre have been touching and inspiring. But, she writes, ** *there have also been very unfortunate, even callous and disgusting, statements made by individuals who cannot help but use a slaughter of more than two dozen p...more »

Editorial: Court right to hit lawmakers over education mandate | Editorials | The Seattle Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Editorial: Court right to hit lawmakers over education mandate | Editorials | The Seattle Times: Editorial: Court right to hit lawmakers over education mandate The state Supreme Court is underwhelmed with the Legislature’s efforts so far to make good on the McCleary funding mandate. Rightly so. STATE lawmakers must do more than bicker in task-force meetings to make progress on its court-ordered mandate to fully fund a 21st-century public-education system. That should mean a robust system from early learning to higher education. The state’s Joint Task Force on Education Funding has fi... more »

More than 2,000 attend candlelight vigil in Newtown

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School Global Sympathy Card | causes.com: PETITION: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School Global Sympathy Card 24 DAYS LEFT PEOPLE SIGNED THE PETITION 2,370,233 More than 2,000 attend candlelight vigil in Newtown [image: newtown] More than 2,000 Newtown residents met on a soccer field tonight to remember the victims - and bring comfort to one another. NEWTOWN, Conn. - Thousands of townspeople – many in tears – gathered together at a candlelight vigil on a local soccer field Friday night to honor and remember the 27 victims in last week's el... more »

Satire, Sarcasm and Swearing: My Journey | Mr. Teachbad

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Satire, Sarcasm and Swearing: My Journey | Mr. Teachbad: Satire, Sarcasm and Swearing: My Journey by teachbad [image: Logo Mr. Teachbad] To close out the year, give myself a lit­tle break, and cel­e­brate three * mag­i­cal* years of *Mr. Teachbad’s Blog of Teacher Dis­gruntle­ment*, I’ve decided to post a lit­tle retrospective. What fol­lows are the Top Ten most-read posts from each year of Teachbad’s glo­ri­ous his­tory. I tried pick­ing my per­sonal favorite Top Ten, but it soon became clear that would be even more self-indulgent and time-consuming than this was. Let me know if yo... more »

Jersey Jazzman: See? Tenure Cases CAN Be Easy!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: See? Tenure Cases CAN Be Easy!: See? Tenure Cases CAN Be Easy! by Duke *What do you mean, I'm not scary anymore?!* That wasn't so very difficult, was it? A Vineland teacher caught running naked through an apartment complex on a dare is the first tenure case resolved under a new law designed to reduce the time it takes for such cases. In the past, tenure cases had dragged on for a year or more. Mark C. Bringhurst did lose his job, but representatives of both the state teacher’s union and the school boards association said the new procedure did protect his right o... more »

The National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

The National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest: The National Center for Fair & Open Testing [image: Home] The *National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) *works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students, teachers and schools is fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial. Learn more about us and our mission. Spotlight What a Year! Dear Friend: Thanks to your activism, 2012 has been a great year for the growing national assessment reform movement. Now, FairTest needs your continued help to* build greater moment... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-22-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] No Guns in Schools! by dianerav The National Rifle Association wants an armed guard at every one of the nation’s 100,000 schools. Some legislators want teachers and principals to carry weapons. Why should policy be reactive? Better to limit all weaponry to officers of the law, except for single-shot rifles for hunters. Guns should be available only to those authorized to use lethal force. In this link, with tweets on the subject, someone points out that Columbine High School had armed security at Privatiza... more »

Daily Kos: Safety in schools is about more than guns

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Daily Kos: Safety in schools is about more than guns: Safety in schools is about more than guns by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) [image: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com] Given the events 8 days ago we rightly have a concern for the issue of safety in schools, and certainly I have written my share of posts on the issue of guns and schools recently. Safety is about far more than guns, however. And for this week's Saturday meditation on teaching I would like to reflect about the broader issue I tell my students when I first meet them that I... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Closing Schools: NOT a White People Thing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Closing Schools: NOT a White People Thing: Closing Schools: NOT a White People Thing by Duke It appears the racist, segregationist school policies we find here in Jersey aren't confined only to our state. Chicago, for example, looks to be a national leader in disenfranchising people of color: An internal Chicago Public Schools document obtained by the Tribune shows for the first time that the Emanuel administration has weighed how many elementary and high schools to close in which neighborhoods and how to manage the public fallout. Labeled a "working draft," the S... more »

Package for Dr. Jones | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Package for Dr. Jones | toteachornototeach: Package for Dr. Jones by aristotlethewise *Package for Dr. Jones [image: tumblr_maghgtN3r71qgmv4ao1_500]*The University of Chicago received this mysterious package last week with no clues as to how it arrived in the school’s mail bag. Like all good things, the mysterious journal addressed to Indiana Jones that arrived at the University of Chicago last week came from the internet – eBay to be exact. And how it found its way to the university is a tale that ought to be told with a cinema map and an animated moving read line. [image: Package1... more »

Feds deny state a No Child Left Behind waiver | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Feds deny state a No Child Left Behind waiver | EdSource Today: Feds deny state a No Child Left Behind waiver ** December 21st, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services The formal letter from Washington hasn’t arrived, but the verdict has: The federal Department of Education has turned down California’s application for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law. [image: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson] State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson “It is d... more »

Ed Notes Online: What Were We Thinking? - Norm in The Wave

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Ed Notes Online: What Were We Thinking? - Norm in The Wave: What Were We Thinking? - Norm in The Wave by ed notes online [image: Norman Scott] Published in print edition Friday, December 21, 2012, www.rockawave.com By Norm Scott Here’s hoping everyone is recovering as best they can. I’m so glad The Wave has come through this. Seeing it out again is a clear sign we are moving towards the new normal. Monday morning, October 29, at 10:30, I posted a piece on my blog about the education evaluation negotiations and the January deadline imposed by Cuomo and how it might tie into a UFT ... more »

Weekly Address: The President and First Lady Extend a Holiday Greeting and Thank our Troops for their Service | The White House

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Weekly Address: The President and First Lady Extend a Holiday Greeting and Thank our Troops for their Service | The White House: Weekly Address: The President and First Lady Extend a Holiday Greeting and Thank our Troops for their ServiceIn this week’s address, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and thank our brave troops and their families for their service. The President and First Lady ask the American people to visit JoiningForces.gov to find ways to honor and support our veterans and military families, and say that we... more »

Charter Schools USA Got $6 Million More Than They Should Have During Tony Bennett’s Indiana Tenure | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Charter Schools USA Got $6 Million More Than They Should Have During Tony Bennett’s Indiana Tenure | Scathing Purple Musings: Charter Schools USA Got $6 Million More Than They Should Have During Tony Bennett’s Indiana Tenure by Bob Sikes From reporter Dan Goldblatt of *Indiana Public News*: A Marion County judge has decided that the Indiana State Board of Education misappropriated several million dollars of funding to charter schools. The money was being withheld from Indianapolis Public Schools. When private companies took over four Indianapolis Public Schools to become charters... more »

Marchers take their case to SRC - Philly.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Marchers take their case to SRC - Philly.com: Marchers take their case to SRC [image: About 100 protesters found themselves temporarily locked out of the School District building after marching from City Hall. (CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer)]*About 100 protesters found themselves temporarily locked out of the School District… (CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer )* A shouting and chanting crowd of hundreds told officials Thursday night exactly what they thought of a Philadelphia School District plan to close 37 schools and change grades and shut programs at dozens more. "SOS! Sav... more »

Parents get CPS to put plans for military school in my neighborhood back on the shelf. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Parents get CPS to put plans for military school in my neighborhood back on the shelf. « Fred Klonsky: Parents get CPS to put plans for military school in my neighborhood back on the shelf. by Fred Klonsky [image: image640x480] Last week I posted the story of Ames Middle School and the community’s fight to keep it as a neighborhood school. Local political boss Alderman Roberto Maldonado wanted to turn it into a military school. Ames was created 15 years ago as a result of community pressure to relieve over-crowding in other Logan Square schools. And while the numbers of students a... more »

Top Content this Week - 12-22-12 The Educator's PLN

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: Avoiding Cheating and Plagiarism in an Online Course]Avoiding Cheating and Plagiarism in an Online Course Added by Laura DeSena on December 9, 2012 2[image: French and Spanish Apps on iPad]French and Spanish Apps on iPad Posted by Gérard Gatoux on December 19, 2012 3[image: Work-Sheet Teachers Best Practices/HowTo]Work-Sheet Teachers Best Practices/HowTo Added by Gianfranco D'Aversa on October 23, 2012 4[image: Gifted Education Livebinder~ Hopefully a valuable resource.]Gifted Education Livebinder~ Hopefully a valuable resource. A... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs 12-22-12 | National Education Policy Center

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center: Best of the Ed Blogs *Best of the Ed Blogs* features a frequently updated selection of interesting and insightful blog posts on education policy. The views expressed by the bloggers on our blog roll are thoughtful, original, and entirely their own. We hope you make *Best of the Ed Blogs* your first stop for concise takes on today's most important education topics. The Year in Research on Market-Based Education Reform: 2012 Edition Best of the Ed Blogs Matthew Di Carlo De... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 12-22-12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* SEN. BOXER PROPOSES DEPLOYING NATIONAL GUARD AT SCHOOLS smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 22 hours ago By Richard Simon, LA Times | http://lat.ms/Tc1AMQ Sen. Barbara Boxer presents legislation to strengthen school safety on Capitol Hill. (Michael Reynolds / EPA / December 19, 2012) December 19, 2012, 10:23 a.m. :: WASHINGTON — Federal funds would be made available to deploy National Guard troops at schools under legislation introduced Wednesday by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-C... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 12-22-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * Socioeconomic risk and oral reading ability in first grade predicts growth of reading and math achievement in Grades 3 through 8 Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 16 hours ago This investigation tested the importance of early academic achievement for later achievement trajectories among 18,011 students grouped by level of socioeconomic risk. Students considered to be at highest risk were those who experienced homelessness or high residential mobility (HHM). HHM students were compared with student... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 12-21-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* California still awash in guns despite pioneering gun regulations - by Louis Freedberg by Louis Freedberg Despite being ranked ahead of every other state on gun controls, California still faces enormous challenges in how to reduce gun violence as a result of the millions of weapons already in circulation in the state and the complexity of laws intended to regulate them. These are the stark figures: Since 1991, close to 9 million guns were sold legally in California alone. Only about 1 percent of... On Guns, America Stands Out by rss... more »

Daily Kos: Already a school with teachers with guns

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Daily Kos: Already a school with teachers with guns: Already a school with teachers with guns by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) in Harrold TX, as reported in this piece from the National School Board Association, there are already teachers and other employees concealed carrying at the community's sole school. The rationalization is as follows: According to the Associated Press (AP) as reported in the Times-Picayune, in the community’s lone school in Harrold, Texas, some of the teachers are carrying concealed weapons. In remote Harrold, the nearest sheriff’s office is 30 minutes... more »

Mother Crusader: Stand Your PLAYGROUND? HELL NO! Keep The NRA AWAY From Our Kids!!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Mother Crusader: Stand Your PLAYGROUND? HELL NO! Keep The NRA AWAY From Our Kids!! Stand Your PLAYGROUND? HELL NO! Keep The NRA AWAY From Our Kids!! by darciecima I haven't commented on the heartbreaking events in Newtown because I have been, well, heartbroken. I have twin six year olds, the same grade as the beautiful babies that were killed, and I haven't been able to so much as think about this without bawling. Writing about it has simply been out of the question. But yesterday, in the car line waiting to pick up my girls from school - where an armed police officer has been ... more »

Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) meeting Agenda January 9 and 10, 2013 - CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Agenda January 9 and 10, 2013 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education): Agenda January 9 and 10, 2013Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) meeting agenda. ------------------------------ Advisory Commission on Special Education Members Kristin Wright, Chair Diane Fazzi, Vice Chair Feda Almaliti Janice Brown Maureen Burness Kenneth Denman Morena de Grimaldi Betty Karnette Tomislav Peraic Gina Plate Naomi Rainey Mariano Sanz Barbara Schulman Jaclyn Vincent Student Members Matthew Stacy Timothy Higgins Legislative Members Carol Liu, Senate Joan Buchanan, Assembly Sta... more »

Los Angeles nonprofit receives $30 million from U.S. Department of Education - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Los Angeles nonprofit receives $30 million from U.S. Department of Education - latimes.com: Los Angeles nonprofit receives $30 million from U.S. Department of Education A Los Angeles-area nonprofit that provides education services to low-income families and poverty-stricken communities received a $30-million grant from the U.S. Department of Education on Friday. The Youth Policy Institute is one of seven agencies in the nation to be awarded a Promise Neighborhood grant, implemented in 2010 by President Obama, and will receive $6 million every year for five years. The grant will b... more »

Daily Kos: On the issue of arming people in schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Daily Kos: On the issue of arming people in schools: On the issue of arming people in schools by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *crossposted from Blue Virginia* [image: BUSHMASTER AR-15] I oppose putting more guns into schools A policeman with a sidearm will be no match for someone with the AR-15 Bushmaster shown above. I do not want to turn our schools into armed camps. I wrote a version of this as a comment in an on-line discussion about Terry McAuliffe's proposal to place armed policemen in every school in the Commonwealth. Since then we have had a parallel proposal from Wayne La... more »

Michelle Obama’s advice on talking to young people about Newtown

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Michelle Obama’s advice on talking to young people about Newtown: Michelle Obama’s advice on talking to young people about Newtown Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 21, 2012 at 4:45 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Here is an open letter released today from First Lady Michelle Obama with ideas for teachers and parents on discussing the tragedy in Newtown with children and young people. Dear parents, Like every American, Barack and I are absolutely heartbroken about the unspeakable traged... more »

The NRA, Newtown, and Columbine « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The NRA, Newtown, and Columbine « Student Activism: The NRA, Newtown, and Columbine by Angus Johnston Today’s press conference by NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre has been greeted with a storm of derision and outrage from across the political spectrum. Even moderates and conservatives were appalled — New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s comment that the speech reflected a “paranoid, dystopian vision” of America was distinctive more for its phrasing than its sentiment. One of the most ridiculed elements of LaPierre’s appearance was his call for a national volunteer force of armed guar... more »

Moulding Young Minds through the militarization of education: US Public Schools Preaching the Virtues of War On Iran

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Moulding Young Minds through the militarization of education: US Public Schools Preaching the Virtues of War On Iran: Moulding Young Minds through the militarization of education: US Public Schools Preaching the Virtues of War On Iran by Danny Weil Moulding Young Minds: US Public Schools Preaching the Virtues of War On Iran Patrick Henningsen 21st Century Wire Dec 18, 2012 What exactly are we teaching your children? I remember my history lessons in school. Among many things, I can recall Normandy, Patton’s march through France and the Battle of the Bulge, Korea, Vietnam and how ab... more »

School Tech Connect: Labor Ruling On Chicago Gulen School

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

School Tech Connect: Labor Ruling On Chicago Gulen School: Labor Ruling On Chicago Gulen School by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) NLRB just ruled on the Chicago Math and Science Academy--- the Gulen charter in Rogers Park that doesn't want to be subject to the IELRB. In other words, they want to be a private employer, even though they're a public school. It's a complex ruling, and I've posted it below, but I think the union won.. You read it and tell me if I'm wrong. I have to get to a train.

Jersey Jazzman: Campbell Brown: Queen of the Pearl Clutchers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Jersey Jazzman: Campbell Brown: Queen of the Pearl Clutchers: Campbell Brown: Queen of the Pearl Clutchers by Duke The Reformy Ladies Sewing Circle and Pearl Clutching Society is apparently auditioning new members. Who better to join than the queen of teachers union bashers, Campbell Brown? For example, the unions’ newest patron saint, education writer Diane Ravitch, wrote a post titled “The Hero Teachers of Newtown.” Just three days after the shooting, *Ravitch described the teachers’ bravery not in individual terms*, but by linking it to their union membership. *The implicatio... more »

An Urgent Message from Teaching Tolerance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

An Urgent Message from Teaching Tolerance: An Urgent Message from Teaching Tolerance by Server December 16, 2012 Dear Friend of Teaching Tolerance, When the news about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School broke on Friday, we quickly issued someadvice for teachers heading back to school on Monday. Sadly, we had that advice ready. In the wake of last summer’s shootings at the movie theater in Aurora, Colo. and at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wis., we had decided to write a magazine article exploring ways teachers could help students cope in the aftermath of violence. We kne... more »

Arm Teachers? « My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Arm Teachers? « My Island View: Arm Teachers? by tomwhitby I hate the fact that this country has been thrown into this discussion the way that it has. The events leading to this discussion were costly and horrific. As I have stated before we need to discuss the facts and not propaganda or demagogy. We should also examine the facts without emotion which, in light of events and the victims, seems an impossible task. Educators have now been thrust into the discussion as a result of so many schools being victimized. There is also a consideration by some to arm teachers. In a recent ... more »

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