Monday, February 11, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 2-11-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2




BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




In Defense of Student Government «

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago
In Defense of Student Government «: In Defense of Student Government by Angus Johnston Last month I wrote up some of my thoughts on one of the classic essays in American student activist history — Ray Glass’s “Are Student Governments Obsolete.” In that post I argued that there was a strange paradox lurking in Glass’s repudiation of the student government in favor of a voluntary student union organizing model, since Glass himself had helped to found one of the most important and effective statewide student associations the nation has ever seen — an organization that had student gov... more »

Groups vying to open Texas charter schools turned in similar proposals. How similar? See for yourself. | Education Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 34 minutes ago
Groups vying to open Texas charter schools turned in similar proposals. How similar? See for yourself. | Education Blog: Groups vying to open Texas charter schools turned in similar proposals. How similar? See for yourself. By Holly Hacker/Reporter hhacker@dallasnews.com 8:44 am on February 11, 2013 | Permalink 0 1 0 As we reported Sunday, some nonprofit groups that want to start charter schools in Texas have turned in applications with identical or nearly identical passages. And the State Board of Education, which approves charters, has largely been okay with that. One now-former b... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: OUTSIDE GROUPS TRYING TO INFLUENCE L.A. SCHOOL BOARD RACES. Eli Broad’s in for a quarter-of-a-million + smf’s 2¢

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 36 minutes ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: OUTSIDE GROUPS TRYING TO INFLUENCE L.A. SCHOOL BOARD RACES. Eli Broad’s in for a quarter-of-a-million + smf’s 2¢: OUTSIDE GROUPS TRYING TO INFLUENCE L.A. SCHOOL BOARD RACES. Eli Broad’s in for a quarter-of-a-million + smf’s 2¢ The Coalition for School Reform has raised more than $1.5 million, mostly from a small group of wealthy donors who helped fund past campaigns. Separate campaigns are being paid for by unions. BY HOWARD BLUME, LOS ANGELES TIMES | HTTP://LAT.MS/126QBK0[image: Eli Broad gives to school reform group] Education and ar... more »

Robert Scott’s Testimony on the Common Core | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Robert Scott’s Testimony on the Common Core | Truth in American Education: Robert Scott’s Testimony on the Common Core by Shane Vander Hart Robert Scott, former Texas Commissioner of Education, gave testimony before the Georgia General Assembly Joint Meeting of the House and Senate Education Committees. Below is the video: Part 1: Popout Part 2: Gates, Not the States, Driving Education Policy? by Shane Vander Hart Further evidence that the Common Core is special-interest driven and led, not state-led. Joy Pullman writing for the Heartland Institute’s School Reform News pointed o... more »

Modern School: With Friends Like These: Twisted Lefty Support for Drones and the CIA

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Modern School: With Friends Like These: Twisted Lefty Support for Drones and the CIA: With Friends Like These: Twisted Lefty Support for Drones and the CIA by Michael Dunn As Congress prepared to grill John Brennan, Obama’s appointment to lead the CIA, protesters from Code Pink and other organizations lined up outside in preparation to protest the hearings. As they waited, Code Pink cofounder, Medea Benjamin, was interviewed by KPFA’s Brian Edwards Tiekert (Thursday, 2/7/13, KPFA’s “Up Front”). In the interview, Benjamin listed numerous perfectly good reasons why Brennan should b...more »

New Orleans “Recovery District” a Dismal Failure « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
New Orleans “Recovery District” a Dismal Failure « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: New Orleans “Recovery District” a Dismal Failure by millerlf [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991]*Damaging Communities Now!* Post by Diane Ravitch 2/10/13 Bobby Jindal went to Virginia to boast of the miraculous transformation of education in Louisiana, all attributable to the magic of replacing public schools with privately managed, deregulated charters. This is an oft-told tale, repeated again and again by advocates of privatization in both political parties and e... more »

Shanker Blog » Why Did Florida Schools' Grades Improve Dramatically Between 1999 and 2005?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Shanker Blog » Why Did Florida Schools' Grades Improve Dramatically Between 1999 and 2005?: Why Did Florida Schools’ Grades Improve Dramatically Between 1999 and 2005? by Matthew Di Carlo Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was in Virginia last week, helping push for a new law that would install an “A-F” grading system for all public schools in the commonwealth, similar to a system that has existed in Florida for well over a decade. In making his case, Governor Bush put forth an argument about the Florida system that he and his supporters use frequently. He said that, right after th... more »

Joy Resmovits: Bobby Jindal Shills For Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's Education Reforms; Warriors Vs. Worriors: Ed Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Joy Resmovits: Bobby Jindal Shills For Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's Education Reforms; Warriors Vs. Worriors: Ed Today: Bobby Jindal Shills For Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's Education Reforms; Warriors Vs. Worriors: Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *Huffington Post Education Reporter* *McDonnell Gets By With A Little Help From His Friend* As Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) continued his push for education reforms in Virginia, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) stopped by for a little nudge in the right direction, reports the Associated Press. "Jindal was in Richmond for U.S. House Majority Leader ... more »

Louisiana Educator: A Special Message to School Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: A Special Message to School Principals: A Special Message to School Principals by Michael Deshotels I have been spending a lot of time visiting schools and meeting with principals lately. I have concluded that school principals are really caught in the middle of Louisiana's school reform movement and are often being unfairly blamed for and expected to cure all of the perceived educational ills of society right now or else! State authorities are dictating that school principals and their faculties bring up their school performance scores every year even though ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Everything You Wanted to Know About Michelle Rhee by dianerav Here is Michelle Rhee, as reviewed by Mercedes Schneider in part viii of her study of the board of the National Council of Teacher Quality. Mercedes Schneider is a teacher in Louisiana who holds a Ph.D. In statistics and research methods. Here she is at her best, doing a close examination of the life and work of Michelle Rhee. My Vacation in Cuba by dianerav I just returned from an amazing week in Cuba. I went there legally, from Miami to Hava... more »

UPDATE: Stop closing Chicago public schools + John Dillon. Repesentative Sosnowski’s constitutional amendment. Say it ain’t so, Joe. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
John Dillon. Repesentative Sosnowski’s constitutional amendment. Say it ain’t so, Joe. « Fred Klonsky: Stop closing Chicago public schools. by Fred Klonsky [image: darwin school] My kids are all grown up now. I have grand kids who go to public school in Brooklyn. On these chilly Chicago mornings I walk Ulysses at about 7:30. Just as kids are walking to Darwin Elementary School. Our neighborhood school. My neighborhood school for 40 years. Some of the older kids walk by themselves. The younger ones walk with a parent. Last week a dad was trying to walk the dog and his young son who o... more »

Teachers Rock in School: But what about out of School? – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Teachers Rock in School: But what about out of School? – @ the chalk face: Teachers Rock in School: But what about out of School? by Timothy D. Slekar [image: pov1][image: pov2]At this point you’re probably aware of my dissatisfaction with Jon Stewart and his tepid interview with the “radical” Michelle Rhee. OK I’m moving on–from Jon–not Rhee. I want to go back to one of the statements that she made in the interview. However, if you have the stomach to do so and follow Ms. Rhee, you know she makes this statement regularly: The research is very clear. That of all the in school fac... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Diane Ravitch *The embargo seems as antique as the now ancient slogans.The sooner the embargo is lifted, the sooner there will be normal relations between our countries.* -- My vacation in Cuba Wendy Lecker, Connecticut Adocate *It is time for both parents and taxpayers to wake up. Millions upon millions of our hard-earned tax *

A teacher evaluation session out of ‘Star Wars’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
A teacher evaluation session out of ‘Star Wars’: A teacher evaluation session out of ‘Star Wars’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 11, 2013 at 4:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: yoda]Think “Star Wars.” That’s how award-winning Principal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York frames her newest post on Year Two of New York’s controversial educator evaluation system. Burris has for more than a year chronicled on this blog (here and here and here, for example) the imple... more »

Legislation Alert: Student Assessment Bill 5587, Online Learning Bills HB 1431 and HB 1423 « Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Legislation Alert: Student Assessment Bill 5587, Online Learning Bills HB 1431 and HB 1423 « Seattle Education: Legislation Alert: Student Assessment Bill 5587, Online Learning Bills HB 1431 and HB 1423 by seattleducation2011 [image: alert-icon-red-md] *SENATE BILL 5587 *regarding student assessment (testing, as in high stakes testing) was introduced by Mercer Island Republican Tom Litzow who was backed during his campaign by Stand for Children. The bill will receive a public hearing on Wednesday, February 13 at 1:30 p.m. by the Senate committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education ... more »

Is a High-Stakes Testing Moratorium Possible in Florida? | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Is a High-Stakes Testing Moratorium Possible in Florida? | Scathing Purple Musings: Is a High-Stakes Testing Moratorium Possible in Florida? by Bob Sikes *F*or such an idea to be taken seriously, the voice had to belong to someone of significance. It does. Powerful Senate President Don Gaetz hasn’t been backing off his statement that there’s danger that Florida’s entire accountability system could implode. Now this is an interview with the editors of the *Panama City News Herald*: Having Gaetz — who’s hardly a squish on education reform — on board should persuade the rest of Cap... more »

UPDATE: The Vote for the Levies + Seattle Schools Community Forum: Music Teachers - The Grammys Appreciate You

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Music Teachers - The Grammys Appreciate You: The Vote for the Levies by Melissa Westbrook That deadline for that vote is now a little more than 36 hours away. Frankly, I doubt there are that many undecided votes out there. (I think no matter the outcome, the voting patterns will be interesting to watch as they may be an early warning for the Board elections in November.) No matter the vote, we do need to pull together as a district. The unity of purpose of parents is just as important as it is for the Board or district staff. Parents and comm... more »

Districts to seek NCLB waiver whether or not they’re invited | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Districts to seek NCLB waiver whether or not they’re invited | EdSource Today: Districts to seek NCLB waiver whether or not they’re invited ** February 10th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By Kathryn Baron Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on print More Sharing Services A collaborative of California school districts known as the California Office to Reform Education, or CORE, plans to move forward with its application for a waiver from the most severe provisions of No Child Left Behind by the end of the month, the next deadline for states to apply. CORE intends to procee... more »

Daily Kos: How the US is NOT number 1:

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Daily Kos: How the US is NOT number 1:: How the US is NOT number 1: by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) The United States is one of only three countries that do not mandate paid parental leave out of 177 nations, according to researchers at McGill and Harvard universities. The other two are Papua New Guinea and Swaziland. That is from an article today's *Washington Post* titled Landmark family leave law doesn’t help millions of workers.By the way, officially I am not covered, because I did not have 1250 hours in at my current school before Leaves on the Current found out about her ca... more »

Straight Up Conversation: SAP Honcho Jason Zimba :: Frederick M. Hess

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Straight Up Conversation: SAP Honcho Jason Zimba :: Frederick M. Hess: Straight Up Conversation: SAP Honcho Jason Zimba *by Frederick M. Hess • Feb 11, 2013 at 7:04 am Cross-posted from Education Week* Print Send RSS [image: Share] Share You didn't think the ferment around Common Core could keep building? Hah! Prepare for several more years of increasing wackiness. In the middle of it all is Jazon Zimba, founding principal of Student Achievement Partners (SAP) and the man who continued to lead SAP after David Coleman went off to head up the College Board. SAP is a major player in ... more »

The Educated Reporter: Senate Discusses NCLB Waivers: What's Next For Federal Education Policy?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Senate Discusses NCLB Waivers: What's Next For Federal Education Policy?: Senate Discusses NCLB Waivers: What's Next For Federal Education Policy? by Emily Richmond If you're looking for background on the important Senate hearing on the NCLB waivers, and what might be next for education reform efforts at the federal level, start with Motoko Rich's news analysis for the New York Times. It's a solid primer on the backbone of the waivers, the controversy, and the criticism. Then jump over to Education Week's Politics K-12 blog. I can't say enough about the th... more »

NYC Educator: UFT Leadership: Those With Conscience Need Not Apply

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
NYC Educator: UFT Leadership: Those With Conscience Need Not Apply: UFT Leadership: Those With Conscience Need Not Apply by NYC Educator It's very discouraging to read of the UFT endorsement of Rory Lancman for City Council. There are some very basic things we should demand before offering our endorsement of any candidate. High on the list would be an opposition to closing schools. It was heartbreaking to see Jamaica High School condemned to closure based on false statistics, and there's no defense whatsoever for union support of those who helped it happen. Worse, even the veneer o... more »

Edu$hysters of the Week: Tim Quinn of Michigan (and the Broad Foundation, of course) « Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Edu$hysters of the Week: Tim Quinn of Michigan (and the Broad Foundation, of course) « Seattle Education: Edu$hysters of the Week: Tim Quinn of Michigan (and the Broad Foundation, of course) by seattleducation2011 This is part 2 in a series on what’s going on in the great state of Michigan. What’s happening in Utica, MI happened in Seattle and just might happen in your neck of the woods if it hasn’t already. To read Part 1, go to Introducing the Edu$hysters of the week and they all hail from the great state of Michigan. [image: money7] *Part 2:* *Edu$hyster of the Week: Tim Quinn o... more »

LAUSD - District 2 Board Candidate's Forum - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
LAUSD - District 2 Board Candidate's Forum - Perdaily.com: LAUSD - District 2 Board Candidate's Forum by Leonard Isenberg [image: LAUSD Board.jpg] *LAUSD** -** District 2 **Candidate's Forum* *Monday, February 11, 2013* *6**:00-**8**:00pm** at** **El Sereno Senior Citizen's Center*** *4818 Klamath Pl., Los Angeles, 90032 * *EDUCATION CAN'T WAIT: Meet the candidates for the March 5, 2013 election and hear them share their views.* For the future of our children & their schools: Please ask questions + voice your concerns 教育不能等待 表达您关注的问题 满足候选人 2013 年 2 月 11 日 6 ... more »

All Education Matters: Round Five: Restoring Bankruptcy Protection Rights To Student Loan Borrowers (HR 432)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
All Education Matters: Round Five: Restoring Bankruptcy Protection Rights To Student Loan Borrowers (HR 432): Round Five: Restoring Bankruptcy Protection Rights To Student Loan Borrowers (HR 432) by Cryn Johannsen Last Wednesday, HR 432, which would allow private loans to be discharged in bankruptcy, was introduced by Congressmen Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). This is the fifth time that that this type of legislation has been presented for passage. As most of my readers are aware, I am in full favor in restoring bankruptcy protection rights to borrowers with pri... more »

Cornel West on the "shameless silence" of progressives about Obama and education reform - C-SPAN Video Library

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Cornel West on the "shameless silence" of progressives about Obama and education reform - C-SPAN Video Library: CORNEL WEST ON THE "SHAMELESS SILENCE" OF PROGRESSIVES ABOUT OBAMA AND EDUCATION REFORMClipped from:Tavis Smiley Presents Poverty in America Jan 17, 2013 "PUBLIC EDUCATION IS PREDICATED ON THE NOTION YOU ARE FOCUSED ON OTHER KIDS -- YOU HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT ALL CHILDREN....NOT ANY LONGER -- ALL THIS PRIVATIZING PROFIT OBSESSION, THIS PREOCCUPATION WITH THIS SHORT-TERM GAIN AS OPPOSED TO LONG-TERM INTEGRITY, IS BEING PUSHED TO THE SIDE." 3 minutes, 42 seconds | 6 view... more »

A warning to college profs from a high school teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
A warning to college profs from a high school teacher: A warning to college profs from a high school teacher Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 9, 2013 at 12:00 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: warning]For more than a decade now we have heard that the high-stakes testing obsession in K-12 education that began with the enactment of No Child Left Behind 11 years ago has resulted in high school graduates who don’t think as analytically or as broadly as they should because so much emph... more »

Black History Month: Billie Holiday-Strange fruit- HD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
*Black History Month: Billie Holiday-Strange fruit* Billie Holiday Strange Fruit Lyrics * Songwriters: FROST,DAMON/PHIRI,AARON / Southern trees bear a strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is... more »

Common Core math blues + The emotional violence of the accountability regime: part one – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Common Core math blues – @ the chalk face: [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] Common Core math blues by Chris Cerrone So parents, have you noticed that your children’s math homework is much more difficult this year? Are you having problems helping your child? Welcome to Common Core math. This new education reform is permeating our children’s classrooms and the result is not pretty. 44 States and D.C. have signed on to the Common Core Standards, many for the opportunity to get the Race to the Top bribes, err, grants. Ask any veteran teacher: there have been many educational movemen... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Times Just Can't Stop

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Times Just Can't Stop: The Times Just Can't Stop by Melissa Westbrook [image: Corporate Media = Corporate Lies] Honestly, I just don't get the Times. So now they have trotted out an op-ed against BOTH levies (and, gotten the name of the pro-levy supporter, Greg Wong -not Wang - wrong to boot). It's yet another person who is late to this party of "accountability" and yet this guy even casts a bigger swath. And he's a public school parent who wants* both* levies to fail. I understand his unhappiness but failing the Operations levy won't chang... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter: This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter by Larry Ferlazzo Guest Post by Joe Mazza When: Wed., 2/13/13 – 9PM EDT/6PST Image credit: http://edtechvision.org/ Oftentimes parents don’t ask questions about supporting academic initiatives in our schools because we haven’t provided them enough information on the who, what, when, where, how. It’s up to teachers and leaders to go the extra mile to engage them and show them how to support our work in the classroom. During this week’s Parent-Teacher Chat (#ptchat) on Twitter, we’ll creat... more »

Black History Month Not Universally Supported - Higher Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Black History Month Not Universally Supported - Higher Education: Black History Month Not Universally Supported by cmaadmin Shukree Tilghman is among those calling for an end to Black History Month. One scene in a CBS “60 Minutes” profile of Morgan Freeman that was broadcast several years ago garnered a lot of attention. [image: End BHM]“Black History Month you find …?” the interviewer Mike Wallace began. “Ridiculous,” said Freeman. “You going to relegate my history to a month?” Then the veteran actor turned the tables on his interviewer: “Which month is White History Month?” “I’m Jew... more »

For Immediate Release: Occupy the U.S. Dept. of Ed. 2.0 | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
For Immediate Release: Occupy the U.S. Dept. of Ed. 2.0 | United Opt Out National: For Immediate Release: Occupy the U.S. Dept. of Ed. 2.0 by admin Contact: United Opt Out National FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Email: unitedoptoutnational@gmail.com Website: http://unitedoptout.com OCCUPY THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2.0 The Battle for Public Schools Administrators of the public education advocacy group UNITED OPT OUT NATIONAL are hosting the second annual event on the grounds of the US Department of Education in Washington, DC on April 4-7, 2013. We ask all of ... more »

Overcoming arrogance and obstruction – one story at a time | Reclaim Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Overcoming arrogance and obstruction – one story at a time | Reclaim Reform: Overcoming arrogance and obstruction – one story at a time by kenpreviti [image: Chicago CPS attitude]What does it take to overcome arrogant responses and obstructions when all we want is justice for our public schools, students, teachers and retirees with their pensions. Here is just one story and commentary of educational courage published in the Answer Sheet of the Washington Post. HERE. Excerpt: Sam’s story also teaches us that we must stand together. While

Ramblings About Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Ramblings About Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee « Cooperative Catalyst: Ramblings About Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee by robinclane Just finished watching Jon Stewart’s interview with Michelle Rhee. She mostly focused on specific policies she highlights in her new book — teacher evaluation, “accountability,” school closings, etc. — that many of us progressive educators can agree are anti-student as well as anti-teacher. But beyond all of that, there are two things I haven’t heard much discussion about that I’d like to bring up about Rhee and the premise from which she func... more »

I have some concerns about the #studentvoice in #edreform – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
I have some concerns about the #studentvoice in #edreform – @ the chalk face: I have some concerns about the #studentvoice in #edreform by Chalk Face, PhD I will keep this brief. I have other things to do. But I have some concerns that I feel like I need to air to see if I’ve got this correct or if anyone else is feeling it too. Right now, groups on numerous sides of the education reform debate are finally asking students to speak out. There’s a bunch of different student-organized clubs or groups that advocate for education-specific causes. That’s excellent. We can’t complain if ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Apparently, I'm Not the Only One

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Apparently, I'm Not the Only One: Apparently, I'm Not the Only One by Melissa Westbrook In the continuing saga over opposing the BEX because of the interim plan vote, I have seen some new e-mails. One interesting item to note is that *BOTH the Eckstein PTA as well as the Seattle Council PTSA support both levies. * It would seem Eckstein's elected parent leadership is for the BEX. And, if the Seattle Council PTSA had serious issues with either levy, you'd think they would have brought them up. One PTA president (who will remain nameless) asked Ms... more »

School Tech Connect: The View From Sunday

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
School Tech Connect: The View From Sunday: The View From Sunday by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Man, the gloom hanging over Chicago today was intense. Anyway, Rogers Park Neighbors For Public Schools is on the march, growing so fast I can hardly keep up with it. At the end of today's meeting I realized we had organizational activities every night this week, which means my dogs will be very, very unhappy by Friday night. On a positive note, I've learned enough about computers over the past two years that I managed to repair my own MacBook Pro, which if you'll remember, I dro... more »

Our Book Club: A Brief History of Neoliberalism by David Harvey | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Our Book Club: A Brief History of Neoliberalism by David Harvey | United Opt Out National: Our Book Club: A Brief History of Neoliberalism by David Harvey by admin United Opt Out National began an online book club approximately two months ago and it appears that it is here to stay; we’d like to invite everyone to join us. Our meeting time is on Sunday at 4 p.m. EST on our Occupy the DOE in DC page. Next week we will finish the final chapter of The Future of Our Schools: Teachers Unions and Social Justice by Lois Weiner and we will begin by reading the introduction of A Brief Hist... more »

Help Has Arrived!: Banishing NCLB’s Narrow Paradigm | Cloaking Inequity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Help Has Arrived!: Banishing NCLB’s Narrow Paradigm | Cloaking Inequity: Help Has Arrived!: Banishing NCLB’s Narrow Paradigm [image: Screen Shot 2013-01-31 at 1.12.14 PM] How can we banish NCLB’s top-down and narrow paradigm? Here is how you do it… Accountability should foster collective community goals. In education, there are many measures of student success from school entry through graduation and beyond. Here are Community-Based Accountability Executive Summary and Key Features. Please forward and circulate widely. These are living documents and will be revised as feedback and ... more »

Webinar: Teacher Jesse Hagopian of Garfield High School- How it can happen at your school « Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Webinar: Teacher Jesse Hagopian of Garfield High School- How it can happen at your school « Seattle Education: Webinar: Teacher Jesse Hagopian of Garfield High School- How it can happen at your school by seattleducation2011 [image: scrap the map2] *A webinar with Garfield High School Teacher Jesse Hagopian* A free webinar featuring Jesse Hagopian, Garfield teacher and alumnus, as he discusses the background and current state of the fight to Scrap The Map. Today at 5pm PST. You must register via email to receive an invitation to the webinar: Write to garfieldteacherswebinar@gmail.com... more »

Daily Kos: Sacramento School District Rushing to Close 1/5 of its Elementary Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Daily Kos: Sacramento School District Rushing to Close 1/5 of its Elementary Schools: SUN FEB 10, 2013 AT 09:03 AM PST Sacramento School District Rushing to Close 1/5 of its Elementary Schools byERTBenFollow - - - 7 Comments / 7 New On January 16th, the Sacramento City Unified School District announced that it was planning to close 11 elementary schools - 1/5 of the total elementary schools in the entire district. This came as a shock to many, since city voters had just overwhelmingly passed Measures Q and R, providing $414 million in bonds to fund repairs and... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Another State Legislative Hearing on the Common Core Standards

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Another State Legislative Hearing on the Common Core Standards: Another State Legislative Hearing on the Common Core Standards by stlgretchen [image: MO Coalition Against Common Core Brochure] Click on the brochure to download a copy. From politicalchips.org: Time: February 14, 2013 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm Location: State Capital City/Town: *Topeka, KS* Event Type: hearing *The legislators in various states are finally waking up to the enormous costs of the unfunded Federal mandate which leave local and state school boards with no authority over what a... more »

UPDATE: THE Enemy is TESTING + Fear of Creativity – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Fear of Creativity – @ the chalk face: Fear of Creativity by Kris Nielsen On her blog, Kate Edson (who is a spare-time frugality researcher) tells about a book she is reading and offers these words: *Everyone is born creative*. However sometime between kindergarten and today, perhaps during the tumultuous time called adolescence, doubt creeps in and we may think we *aren’t* creative. Fear THE Enemy is TESTING. Enlist educators against it. by Chalk Face, PhD [image: THE Enemy is TESTING. Enlist educators against it.] *Testing is the disease.*

21st Century Education Is the Way Forward | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
21st Century Education Is the Way Forward | toteachornototeach: 21st Century Education Is the Way Forward by aristotlethewise *21st Century Education Is the Way Forward * by John Thomas Everywhere you turn in education today, you hear mention of “21st Century Learning.” It is very natural that whenever there is talk about “change,” there is anxiety and confusion until people fully understand what is meant by the change. A parent in a very direct and honest way reached out to me recently after hearing me talk about the growing emphasis of teaching, collaboration, creativity, and cri... more »

What is the truth about the new Windham STEM Magnet? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
What is the truth about the new Windham STEM Magnet? - Wait, What?: What is the truth about the new Windham STEM Magnet? by jonpelto A major controversy is brewing about the operating agreement that will govern Windham’s new Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy. Recruitment for the K-8 magnet school is beginning and the school will be opening in September 2013. The Agreement, as proposed by Windham’s Special Master Steven Adamowski and approved by the Windham Board of Education, includes the concept that “New students entering beyond grade 3 must be reading at grade level.” As Windham... more »

Diane in the Evening 2-10-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Exclude Students with Disabilities to Raise Test Scores by dianerav This is not a new trick. It is proven to work. Remove students with disabilities from the mandated tests and the scores go up. You won’t be surprised where this is happening. Read about it here. After all, what matters most? Kids or test scores? In another era, we might have said without thinking twice that kids mater most. But in the age of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, that’s no longer true. The fate of schools, principals, and teachers depend on test scores. This is sad. It’s... more »

House Charter School Bill Corrupted by Cozy Relationship Between Tony Bennett and Charter Schools USA | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
House Charter School Bill Corrupted by Cozy Relationship Between Tony Bennett and Charter Schools USA | Scathing Purple Musings: House Charter School Bill Corrupted by Cozy Relationship Between Tony Bennett and Charter Schools USA by Bob Sikes House Charter School Bill Corrupted by Cozy Relationship Between Tony Bennett and Charter Schools USA Chris Moya, Charter Schools USA lobbyist testified this week that Rep. George Moraitis charter school bill was about ‘improving accountability”. Moya and Florida Charter School Alliance lobbyist Jim Horne’s smug performances this week were... more »

Sorry, Kirp’s Fix Another Flawed Discourse on Ed Reform – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Sorry, Kirp’s Fix Another Flawed Discourse on Ed Reform – @ the chalk face: Sorry, Kirp’s Fix Another Flawed Discourse on Ed Reform by plthomasedd [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] Before I could find David Kirp’s “The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools,” I received by email and discovered on Twitter a series of enthusiastic praise from friends, colleagues, and like-minded progressives and left-leaning radicals. So let me be the first to say, “Sorry, but Kirp’s fix is yet another flawed public commentary about the state of schools and the needed education reform.” Now, briefly, let me c... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Corporate reformers and union haters target Zimmer in L.A. board race

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Corporate reformers and union haters target Zimmer in L.A. board race: Corporate reformers and union haters target Zimmer in L.A. board race by Mike Klonsky I have done several posts on various local school board elections which recently have become targets for corporate reform types bent on district takeovers. Their aim is to gain control of hundreds of school district budgets and shift money away from neighborhood public schools and into the pockets of private charter school operators. In October, I referred to a piece in The Nation which a... more »

Short Notes: Dear Chris Lehmann [This Time, It's About You] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Short Notes: Dear Chris Lehmann [This Time, It's About You] | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: Dear Chris Lehmann [This Time, It's About You] by Jose Vilson [image: Chris Lehmann and ... Chris Lehmann] Chris Lehmann and … Chris Lehmann A few links: - Amidst all the talk about Obama’s lack of action regarding Chicago’s daily murders, First Lady Obama attends Hadiya Pendleton’s funeral. [The Root] - ITeach4Change ruminates on the situation at Garfield High School in Seattle. We still need serious reform. [Cooperative Catalyst] - The NAACP asks you to nominate a local h... more »

Palm Beach County schools look for ways to reduce teen arrests - Sun Sentinel

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Palm Beach County schools look for ways to reduce teen arrests - Sun Sentinel: Students arrested for 'bad behavior, not criminal behavior' February 9, 2013|By Leslie Postal and Scott Travis, Orlando Sentinel, Sun Sentinel Thousands of Florida students are arrested in school each year and taken to jail for behavior that once warranted a trip to the principal's office — a trend that troubles juvenile-justice and civil-rights leaders who say children are being traumatized for non-criminal acts. Though the number of school arrests has dropped significantly since the state eased its "... more »

So much for school choice in New Orleans and elsewhere « Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
So much for school choice in New Orleans and elsewhere « Seattle Education: So much for school choice in New Orleans and elsewhere by seattleducation2011 [image: Karran Harper Royal] Karran Harper Royal Karran Harper-Royal, an advocate for all children in public schools, works tirelessly in New Orleans and beyond in ensuring an equitable education for all against many odds. Mrs. Harper-Royal has begun a collection of video recordings of herself and others as they describe the reality of the so-called miracle of New Orleans charter schools. The first video is one of Mrs. Harper-Royal... more »

Madigan can run but he can’t hide. He wants you to fax him. So, fax him. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Madigan can run but he can’t hide. He wants you to fax him. So, fax him. « Fred Klonsky: Madigan can run but he can’t hide. He wants you to fax him. So, fax him. by Fred Klonsky [image: Madigan+Pension+Reform+Talks] If you were like me on Friday you were going to find a way to send a message to Democratic Party Chairman and House Speaker Michael Madigan. He had disrespected our union and its members with his *drop dead* letter telling the *We Are One* coalition of public employee unions that he had no time to meet with them about pensions. And while the union leaders themselves had p... more »

The exaggeration of charter school waiting lists

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The exaggeration of charter school waiting lists: The exaggeration of charter school waiting lists Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 10, 2013 at 11:18 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: the-waiting-list-one-sheet]No doubt there are excellent charter schools in the country where the waiting lists are very, very long. But there also are instances where waiting lists aren’t exactly as long as they appear. That became clear at a recent legislative hearing in Florida, when charter school... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Teachers Stand Up Against Merit Pay

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Teachers Stand Up Against Merit Pay: Teachers Stand Up Against Merit Pay by Duke Back when we were debating the Newark teacher's contract, I warned everyone that if the Newark Teachers Union accepted a deal that included merit pay, all other districts in the state would be under pressure to accept a similar provision in their contracts. And so has come to pass that the teachers in Paterson - another district, like Newark, that is under state control- are being pressured to accept merit pay. But the latest reports show that the reformyists at the NJDOE and in Pate... more »

Schools Matter: Corporate Insider, Bob George, Named Steering Committee National Director for SOS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Schools Matter: Corporate Insider, Bob George, Named Steering Committee National Director for SOS: Corporate Insider, Bob George, Named Steering Committee National Director for SOS by Jim Horn Below is the first paragraph from a post I put up in 2006, which lists Catapult Learning as one of the fat leeches sucking dollars from ED during the heyday of NCLB. The coming of the neocons to ED has meant that subjects other than reading, math, and behavior control have been shoved aside by a plalanx of testing pushed by the ed industry, the testing/textbook industry, and the politico... more »

What You Need to Know About the Seattle Teachers' Rebellion and the Deeply Flawed Test That Inspired It

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
What You Need to Know About the Seattle Teachers' Rebellion and the Deeply Flawed Test That Inspired It: What You Need to Know About the Seattle Teachers' Rebellion and the Deeply Flawed Test That Inspired ItWednesday, 06 February 2013 10:47By Sarah Jaffe , AlterNet | Report High school teachers in Seattle are saying no to the spread of high-stakes standardized tests. On January 10, the staff of Garfield High School voted unanimously to refuse to administer the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test to their ninth-grade students. For two weeks they've held firm, even as the super... more »

Education for the Greater Good | Scholarly Blog | M.A.Escotet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Education for the Greater Good | Scholarly Blog | M.A.Escotet: Education for the Greater Good by Miguel Angel Escotet *Lack of social ethics is one of the causes of violence and it is **at the root of our present social and economic crises* ------------------------------ We live in a world in turmoil, a world of collapsing ideas, unfulfilled promises, and crashed ideologies and we experience the forces of change invading our classrooms every day, and at the same time, the voices of the discontents demanding radical reform of public education at all levels, including higher educat... more »




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