Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 2-23-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

Should cursive writing be required? A N.C. bill would mandate it

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago

Should cursive writing be required? A N.C. bill would mandate it: Should cursive writing be required? A N.C. bill would mandate it Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 23, 2013 at 10:14 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: (By Darwin Weigel/The Calvert…)] (By Darwin Weigel/The Calvert Recorder) Are we headed to a “back to basics” movement? A bill actually called “Back to Basics” in the North Carolina House of Representatives would make cursive writing part of the curriculum for elementary... more »

I’m going to critique the #stuvoice, so bear with me here – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 minutes ago

I’m going to critique the #stuvoice, so bear with me here – @ the chalk face: I’m going to critique the #stuvoice, so bear with me here by Chalk Face, PhD [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] There’s something I need to get off my chest, and that’s what a blog is for, correct? In recent months, a particular student has been thrust into the spotlight as a passionate advocate for progressive values in education. This young person, who is of high school age, wrote a book about it. Upon completing high school early, this individual is now touring the country, giving speeches, and writing... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Great Texas Mirage (er, “Miracle”) Debunked by dianerav Jason Stanford is an Austin-based writer who has come to understand the sham of the Texas accountability system. He knows that there is an old tradition in Texas called “brags.” Back in 2000, a candidate for the presidency named George W. Bush bragged about Why Send Teachers with Least Preparation to Neediest Districts? by dianerav Sarah Darer Littman writes regularly about education for Connecticut med... more »

This is Your Brain on Test Scores

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago

This is Your Brain on Test Scores: This is Your Brain on Test Scores by Sam There are two seemingly unrelated columns in today’s Opinion page of the *New York Times* that provide a crisp summary of where we stand in our current thinking about school reform — and where we need to go. The first is a piece about charter schools in New York City, in which the editors reference “a national studyfinding that only 17 percent of charter schools offered students a better education, as measured by test scores, and that an astounding 37 percent offered a worse one.” This is not the first tim... more »

Overheard at KIPP | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago

Overheard at KIPP | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: Overheard at KIPP by Gary Rubinstein In November I visited the KIPP high school in New York City and wrote about it. Trying to be diplomatic and maybe even be invited to come back some time, I left out some things that I wanted to write about. More recently, I reached out to the two founders of KIPP in one of my open letters and was kind of disappointed that they did not respond to it. I also had tried to make that letter pretty tame and easy to respond to, and both Dave and Mike did write back to me that they got the letter, but it ... more »

Dangerous Talk – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Dangerous Talk – @ the chalk face: Dangerous Talk by Barbara Madeloni Talking is dangerous. Jesse Hagopian, a teacher leader from Garfield High School, says that their boycott, “began with a conversation in the teacher’s lounge.” In the fall of 2011 I found myself in many conversations with people I had never before met. Conversations about economic justice, about the possibilities for and nature of change, about racism, about schooling and about democracy. I had these conversations in Zuccotti Park, at Occupy Springfield Massachusetts, at Pulaski Park in my hometown of Northampt... more »

Does the state law being used against DeKalb board cede too much power to SACS? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Does the state law being used against DeKalb board cede too much power to SACS? | Get Schooled: Does the state law being used against DeKalb board cede too much power to SACS? by Maureen Downey In his passionate closing statement before the state Board of Education on Thursday, attorney Bob Wilson hearkened to fallen soldiers, the flag and the Constitution in an effort to save the jobs of his clients, veteran DeKalb County school board members “I look at that flag back there and I think about the young men and now the young women who lost their lives defending it. For what? Freed... more »

Ed Notes Online: MS 80 - Bronx Parents Need Your Help - 2/28 Rally

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Ed Notes Online: MS 80 - Bronx Parents Need Your Help - 2/28 Rally: MS 80 - Bronx Parents Need Your Help - 2/28 Rally by ed notes online Hi brothers and sisters This goes out on behalf of one of our Bronx parents. We could really use your support in this. Bronx community groups and parents will be holding a rally in support of MS 80 parents. MS 80 really suffering under this new principal Emmanuel Polanco. MS 80 was one of the schools slated to close last year, however the community at large fought to keep the school open. The DOE assigned a new principal to the school, a pri... more »

Nueva y simple herramienta da calificaciones a universidades de EEUU - Univision Vida y Familia

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Nueva y simple herramienta da calificaciones a universidades de EEUU - Univision Vida y Familia: Nueva y simple herramienta da calificaciones a universidades de EEUU Univision.com | Fecha: 02/13/2013 - Imprimir - A+ A- - - - - - Enviar [image: College Scorecard] El Gobierno lanzó una nueva "tarjeta de calificaciones" para orientar a los estudiantes sobre dónde pueden obtener mejor educación por su dinero. *- GobiernoUSA.gov* Enlaces Relacionados Consejos para solicitar FAFSA Ayuda financiera para estudiar Opciones para pagar la universidad para estudiantes ... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 2-23-13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* Election 2013/The best democracy money can buy: COULD A SINGLE SCHOOL BOARD RACE DETERMINE LAUSD'S FUTURE? + DONATIONS FROM INDEPENDENT GROUPS SHAPING CITY, LAUSD ELECTIONS smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 7 hours ago Could a single school board race determine LAUSD's future? Vanessa Romo | Take Two | 89.3 KPCC | http://bit.ly/ZyKQE2 Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/KPCC - L.A. Unified School District board member Steve Zimmer outside the home of a high school dropout. He and other edu... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 2-23-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * Not mixing genders in high-school classes = long-run gains Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 11 minutes ago In most European and North American countries women have overtaken men in college graduation rates. Nevertheless, a striking gender gap persists in the salaries of men and women, even when they are highly educated – and even if the overall gap has, in fact, narrowed in some nations (Black and Spitz-Oener 2007). One important reason for that gap is that men and women choose different college... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 2-23-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL *LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY* *LOOK FOR MY UPCOMING BOOK IN MARCH, 2013*[image: Ferlazzo200(1)] "Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation" will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves" “Quandary” Is A Cool Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Game Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago Quandary is a neat online game/choose your own adventure story that is can work well as a tool for English language development (see Digital Play for an ELL lesson pla... more »

Daily Kos: Saturday morning reflection - encouraging risk taking by students

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Daily Kos: Saturday morning reflection - encouraging risk taking by students: Saturday morning reflection - encouraging risk taking by students by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I am offering this reflection at the strong suggestion of my beloved spouse, Leaves on the Current, who says it is one of the most important principles underlying my own teaching. To me the greatest failure of our current approach to educational reform is by and large we discourage students from taking intellectual risks. We condition them to fear being wrong. In one sense this is not surprising - look a... more »

An open letter from a Centennial parent | DeFENSE

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

An open letter from a Centennial parent | DeFENSE: An open letter from a Centennial parent by defensedenver [image: Community protests in the cold in solidarity with Centennial families.] Last night’s Board of Education meeting was a wild ride,and there’s so much to tell you. First, this open invitation from one of the dads of Centennial, the school in which we stand in firm solidarity: Dear NW Denver Parents, Teachers, Business Owners, Citizens, Press, DPS board; This message is intended for anyone who wants to protect the NW Denver community & have great schools for our childr... more »

Edy the Warrior – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Edy the Warrior – @ the chalk face: Edy the Warrior by Kris Nielsen I have never been to Austin, Texas, so I have no idea how clean it is. I know that the slogan, “Don’t mess with Texas,” is very well known in the U.S. (and that littering fines can be hefty), but corporate reform fighters like Edy Chamness are giving that slogan a new meaning. [image: 20130202-Michels-Edy-Chamness-OptOut1-712x475] The Texas Observer gave us a great article about my good [Facebook] friend, Edy, as she showed her strength and resolve in sticking up for her son against the storm of standardized testin... more »

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "I Apologize" An Open Letter to My Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "I Apologize" An Open Letter to My Students!: "I Apologize" An Open Letter to My Students! by Lisa M Dear Kids, *I am sorry.* I am sorry that, yet again, I am placing another test (or assessment if you like using big words) on your desk. I am sorry that I am, again, forcing you to take another test. Yes, I know this is the 3rd test in a week, but you don't understand. In order to meet your needs, I have to collect data. Lots and lots of data. So much data in fact that I will never be able to look at it, especially since I have 25 of you sitting... more »

More bad news for Texas teachers | K-12 Zone | a Chron.com blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

More bad news for Texas teachers | K-12 Zone | a Chron.com blog: More bad news for Texas teachers by Jennifer Radcliffe A few recent studies paint a mostly dismal picture for teachers in Texas and across the nation. According to a recent National Education Association study, Texas’ per-pupil spending has fallen to about $8,500 — about $2,000 below the national average. (New York spends $17,746 per student.) Nearly 5 million children attend public school in Texas — the second highest population in the country — but Texas has the largest instructional staff with 366,204 K-12 public s... more »

School Tech Connect: A Little Bit of Everything

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

School Tech Connect: A Little Bit of Everything: A Little Bit of Everything by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Still slammed with school stuff. They're working me like Seabiscut! No blog post for you! I'm off (at 4AM tomorrow) to a tech conference with some great kids. We've got a number of presentations ready and we're going to rock the house, I'm pretty sure. Since I'm a tech writer (*cough! hack!*) I'm going to tell you the five hallmarks of a successful school technology program. 1. Your students can name the books they're reading and give several recommendations. 2. The... more »

Daily Kos: Well, if you want to know how I responded

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Daily Kos: Well, if you want to know how I responded: Well, if you want to know how I responded by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I can point you at what I wrote. If you do not understand what this is about, several days ago I posted So tell me how you might respond. Something I had written originally at * Academe* had been posted by Valerie Strauss at her blog at the*Washington Post*, where it proceeded to go viral. I had mentioned Jay Mathews in the piece, and he responded with a piece in which he somewhat disagreed with me. Jay and I will have our own direct back and forth, but ... more »

#edreformers: War Pigs! – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

#edreformers: War Pigs! – @ the chalk face: #edreformers: War Pigs! by Timothy D. Slekar In this latest installment of “someone has to say it” I again reveal my attempt to engage EDweek and *Teacher Beat* author Stephen Sawchuk in a legitimate discussion concerning education reform. Last week EDweek published Stephen’s story on the “proposed” changes to teacher accreditation unveiled by the new Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). In case you’ve forgotten NCATE and TEAC merged (CAEP) to further destroy professional teacher preparation and turn teaching into... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Long Live The Queen of Tenure!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Long Live The Queen of Tenure!: Long Live The Queen of Tenure! by Duke *Accountability begins at home.* The Queen of Tenure has survived her attempted usurpation: *The Perth Amboy Board of Education has voted to end its lengthy fight with Superintendent Janine Caffrey by rescinding her suspension*. On Thursday, the nine-member board — with three new members elected in November and two re-elected — rescinded a resolution it adopted Sept. 23 that placed Caffrey on administrative leave with pay, and notified her she would not be reappointed at the end of her term in... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Why Families Need a Progressive Middle School in District 4

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Why Families Need a Progressive Middle School in District 4: Why Families Need a Progressive Middle School in District 4 by Leonie Haimson *The following is by Raven Snook, a parent in District 4. WhileDOE often claims to be responding to "parent choice" they are really responding to the choice of privatizers, in their effort to expand charters as quickly as possible, and give them space inside public school buildings, even when they already have leased alternatives, as in the example below.* My 7-year-old attends Central Park East II, one of two progr... more »

Florida 5th grade teache Megan Allen speaks out against budget cuts

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Megan Allen of Tampa Florida speaks out against budget cuts that hurt students and families. She is in Washington, DC to testify to Congress today. [image: Allen 2] Florida 5th grade teacher Megan Allen testifies before the House Democratic Steering Committee on the potential impact of sequestration/fiscal cliff on her school and her students. Allen is also the 2010 Teacher of the Year and is a member of the Florida Education Association. PHOTOS: NEA/Bill Clark

Massachusetts professors protest high-stakes standardized tests

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Massachusetts professors protest high-stakes standardized tests: Massachusetts professors protest high-stakes standardized tests Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 22, 2013 at 3:55 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: teset1]A coalition of more than 130 Massachusetts professors and researchers from some 20 schools — including Harvard, Tufts, Boston and Brandeis universities — signed a new public statement that urges officials to stop overusing high-stakes standardized tests to assess s... more »

Schools Matter: Feds cut funding, but the tests will survive

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Schools Matter: Feds cut funding, but the tests will survive: Feds cut funding, but the tests will survive by skrashen Sent to the Washington Post, Feb. 22, 2013 “U.S. schools brace for federal funding cuts,” Feb. 21, did not mention that despite anticipated cuts of $1.3 billion in federal funding of education, there are no plans to cut back on the common core standards, accurately described by Susan Ohanian as “a radical untried curriculum overhaul and … nonstop national testing.” The common core requires that all students be connected to the internet in order to take the tests ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: LEAP Update

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: LEAP Update: LEAP Update by Duke *Accountability begins at home. * Here's an update to the LEAP charter school scandal; to my mind, Claudia Vargas of the *Philadelphia Inquirer*buries the lede: LEAP has resolved another issue. regaining its status as a tax-exempt organization last week. The IRS revoked that status after LEAP failed to file the required Form 990 for three consecutive years. That's big news, because this might save the $8.5 million in bonds that LEAP used to finance its expansion, guaranteed by Rutgers-Camden, from going into default. I'll assume t... more »

The Fight to Save Our Schools Begins Today | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

The Fight to Save Our Schools Begins Today | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: The Fight to Save Our Schools Begins Today by Kate_Lenox [image: Home] It's not just a school, it's a community that will be lost. Parents trust that teachers and staff will act in the best interests of their children to look after them and to teach them for 6 hours a day. It's a stressful and scary situation for a parent to lose the school that is your child's safe haven. Programs that serve the students can be moved to others schools, but that's pointless if the kids can't participa... more »

Diane in the Evening 2-22-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: New Jersey: Is It Necessary to Inform Urban Districts? by dianerav Mother Crusader reports on an anomalous situation in New Jersey. When the state wants to put charter schools in the suburbs, the state informs the district and parents have a chance to be heard. The suburbs are Governor Christie’s base. But when the state decides to put charters in an urban district, why bother soliciting their opinion? Who cares what they think? A Beautiful Story About Sportsmanship in El Paso by dianerav You have to see this wonderful video of a basketball game in Texas be... more »

A drop in a half empty bucket? In defense of deprivation in NY | School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

A drop in a half empty bucket? In defense of deprivation in NY | School Finance 101: A drop in a half empty bucket? In defense of deprivation in NY by schoolfinance101 [image: Slide1] First, here’s a primer and reading list on the Empire State of School Finance: 1. New York State maintains one of the least equitable state school finance systems in the nation 2. New York State actually allocates a ton of state aid to districts that need it least, exacerbating the disparities 3. Reformy types in New York State thought, under these circumstances, it would be really... more »

Schools Matter: Common Core State Standards Primer

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Schools Matter: Common Core State Standards Primer: Common Core State Standards Primer Disclaimer: The publishers of this document, Truth in American Education, have some very disconcerting right-wing membership and advisors. I mean really right wing, like Heritage, Koret, the Teabaggers, and other assorted birthers and Birchers. However, this Common Core State Standards Primer document appears on the Hoosiers Against Common Core site that Professor Ravitch mentions in her recent Two Determined Moms in Indiana Take On Common Core post. Like the old adage: "even a broken clock is ri... more »

Noble charter school student’s story in Education Week Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Noble charter school student’s story in Education Week: Noble charter school student’s story in Education Week by admin [image: Joshua Moore]Joshua Moore The story about Noble Charter Schools’ “secret sauce” – their ridiculous and costly discipline policies — that PURE first brought to light has made it into Education Week. Called “Charter Discipline: A Tale of Two Students,” the story details the way Joshua Moore, son of PURE member Donna Moore, was systematically harassed and ultimately pushed out of the school by the dis... more »

WHY DO TEACHERS PERSIST IN TRYING TO CONVINCE LAUSD OF THINGS THAT NOT EVEN LAUSD BELIEVES ARE TRUE? - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

WHY DO TEACHERS PERSIST IN TRYING TO CONVINCE LAUSD OF THINGS THAT NOT EVEN LAUSD BELIEVES ARE TRUE? - Perdaily.com: WHY DO TEACHERS PERSIST IN TRYING TO CONVINCE LAUSD OF THINGS THAT NOT EVEN LAUSD BELIEVES ARE TRUE? by Leonard Isenberg [image: Virginia Mc Martin.jpg] (Mensaje se repite en Español) *Educated teachers, parents, and even most students knows that 2 + 2 = 4 and yet the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) keep insisting that it equals 5...or sometimes even 3. Then why do teachers continue arguing with them, since to do so ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Mayor 2% and the freedom riders

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Mayor 2% and the freedom riders: Mayor 2% and the freedom riders by Mike Klonsky All the corporate reformers, from Duncan to Rhee, have been claiming that education is a civil rights issue. Turns out, they were right. Only they are the violators. Here's the real freedom riders: *“We are here today to declare that school closings and displacing children primarily black and brown children is a civil rights issue,” said the Rev. Krista Alston, whose son attended Price until it closed. “It is a civil rights issue when children are denied the right to a ... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

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. Districts as the Engine of School Reform: Past and Present (Part 2) Best of the Ed Blogs Larry Cuban February 22, 2013 Through the Sunshine State’s Accountability S... more »

Twitter vs. Education or Women vs. Men | My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Twitter vs. Education or Women vs. Men | My Island View: Twitter vs. Education or Women vs. Men by tomwhitby Every Friday on Twitter, Tweeters will make recommendations based on their personal experience of exceptional people to follow on Twitter. As an educator, if I follow those recommendations I will almost certainly improve the quality and quantity of tweets I get on education since educators are the people who I follow for my own Personal Learning Network. Each of these tweets of recommendation will be tagged with the telltale hashtag #FF. This identifies them as such a reco... more »

Schools Matter: Voucher Gospels in Indiana Government

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Schools Matter: Voucher Gospels in Indiana Government: Voucher Gospels in Indiana Government by Storm **Guest Post by Doug Martin *SCHOOL VOUCHER BULLYING, PURE POLITICS, AND THE INDIANA OFFICE OF MANAGEMENTAND BUDGET* When it comes to the corporate-religious-political bullying for the Amway/Walmart/ALEC/Overstock.com/Koch Brothers assault on Indiana school children, the Republicans will stop short of nothing. House Bill 1342 was a perfect example. Having moved out of committee but finally killed off yesterday by GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma, this bill sought to strip India... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, February 22, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Sacramento City district trustees vote to close seven schools* Education Headlines *Friday, February 22, 2013* Measure K funds spent accordin to plan, Lodi Unified School District officials sayThe Lodi Unified School District is congratulating itself on a job well done after disbanding the Measure K oversight committee on Tuesday. Most Marin schools to see big jump in state fundingThe majority of Marin school districts would receive big funding increases under a new state formula, but the amounts vary widely and some districts wou... more »

Hackery McHackerson on testing and the #commoncore @educationweek – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Hackery McHackerson on testing and the #commoncore @educationweek – @ the chalk face: Hackery McHackerson on testing and the #commoncore @educationweek by Chalk Face, PhD [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] Marilyn Rhames is Charting Her Own Course at Education Week, this time in a sort of interesting and not so interesting defense of the common core and testing. This article is weak, man, very weak. Let me go through some particulars. Actually, all I need to do is underscore this early paragraph: As annoying as it is to cut into my curriculum for two weeks of test prep and another ... more »

Parents saddened by vote to close Sacramento elementary schools - Education - The Sacramento Bee

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Parents saddened by vote to close Sacramento elementary schools - Education - The Sacramento Bee: Parents saddened by vote to close Sacramento elementary schools By Anne Gonzalez agonzalez@sacbee.com Published: Friday, Feb. 22, 2013 - 8:27 am Some parents reacted this morning with shock and sadness that schools their children attend in the Sacramento Unified School District are to be closed. The closures, scheduled for seven elementary schools at the end of the current academic year, were ordered by Sacramento City Unified district trustees after a 4-3 vote Thursday night. Three sc... more »

UPDATE: Downtown School Update Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why I Can't Support Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee 's Efforts

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Why I Can't Support Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee 's Efforts: Downtown School Update by Melissa Westbrook Councilman (and mayoral candidate) Tim Burgess has a regular newsletter that he sends out. Here's what he has to say about the South Lake Union development and a "public school." *3. Support our public school system. Two weeks ago, Seattle voters once again demonstrated generous support for public education by renewing two vital levies at a time when more parents are enrolling their children in public school. City government can do more ... more »

Four reasons why teachers should not teach creationism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Four reasons why teachers should not teach creationism: Four reasons why teachers should not teach creationism Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 22, 2013 at 11:30 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: dino]Evolution is the animating principle of modern biology, uniting all biological fields. It’s a theory in the sense that everything in science is considered a theory but biologists have no doubt of its essential truth. Creationist theory is not a scientific alternative view to evolutio...more »

Superintendent & School Board Overrules Community Voice to Close Schools in Sacramento’s Poorest Communities

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

(69) Superintendent & School Board Overrules Community Voice to Close Schools in Sacramento’s Poorest Communities: *Superintendent & School Board Overrules Community Voice to Close Schools in Sacramento’s Poor Communities* * * * * * * SACRAMENTO, CA – Amidst hundreds of disenfranchised parents, four Board Members (Cueno, Woo, Hansen, Kennedy) and Superintendent Raymond arbitrarily and inconsistently applied standards to close seven schools in Sacramento Unified City School District (SCUSD). Moments before the School Board was prepared to vote on the “wrong-sizing” proposal, Superi... more »

Louisiana Educator: Two Flaws in Accountability

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Louisiana Educator: Two Flaws in Accountability: Two Flaws in Accountability by Michael Deshotels I served on a panel in Lafayette Thursday for a discussion of the status of education in Louisiana sponsored by the Louisiana Association of Educators. As part of the panel presentation I pointed out two serious flaws in the Louisiana school accountability system. After the forum, a couple of teachers asked me to write a post on those two issues so that the teachers and other educators who were not able to attend the forum could also utilize this information in discussions with their... more »

State Auditors determine Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor and the Malloy Administration dodged bidding requirements - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

State Auditors determine Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor and the Malloy Administration dodged bidding requirements - Wait, What?: State Auditors determine Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor and the Malloy Administration dodged bidding requirements by jonpelto Wait, What? readers know the long, ugly story behind yesterday’s news that Commissioner Stefan Pryor did, in fact, use a quasi-state agency, the State Education Resource Center (SERC), to get around state bidding laws so that he could hire companies and individuals that he had worked with in the past. State Auditors have... more »

ASCD Releases 2013 Legislative Agenda — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

ASCD Releases 2013 Legislative Agenda — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Melissa Mellor]ASCD Releases 2013 Legislative Agenda February 22, 2013 by Melissa Mellor ASCD's 2013 Legislative Agenda (PDF) urges Congress to immediately reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replace it with a comprehensive rewrite that fixes the current law's flaws; aligns with and supports state and local initiatives; and guides revisions to other federal programs, such as special education and career and technical education. Now 11 years old and five years ove... more »

Addressing the Achievement Gap: Opportunities for Young Men of Color | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Addressing the Achievement Gap: Opportunities for Young Men of Color | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Addressing the Achievement Gap: Opportunities for Young Men of Color by Tarsi Dunlop The Commission on Equity and Excellence had a Congressional mandate to provide advice to Secretary Duncan on the disparities in meaningful educational opportunities and to recommend ways in which federal policies can address such disparities. They just released a report titled “For Each and Every Child,” after a two year work period. The distinguished members of the panel, wit... more »

Teacher questions value of AP program

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Teacher questions value of AP program: Teacher questions value of AP program Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 22, 2013 at 8:30 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: princeton-review-ap-government]Earlier this month I published what turned out to be a very popular post by veteran educator Kenneth Bernstein — known online as teacherken — that was a warning to college professors about the level of preparation for higher education that high school students were receiving. My colleague Jay... more »

Daily Kos: thoughts on writing and political participation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Daily Kos: thoughts on writing and political participation: thoughts on writing and political participation by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Like many in the blogosphere, I often opine on issues on which I lack formal expertise. Once I get beyond education, I would be hard put to justify my opinions on the basis of either formal education or job experience. In that sense I am no different than many who are paid great sums to offer their bloviations, the pundit class. I may agree with them - as I usually do with the likes of Paul Krugman, Charles M. Blow, and Eugene Robinson - ... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-22-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] A “Push Poll” by University of Chicago and Tribune to Support Rahm Agenda by dianerav Have you ever gotten one of those seemingly innocuous phone calls where the caller asks if you will participate in a survey? You know, market research or social science. Here is a fascinating account of a “push poll” that starts off innocuous and then turns into advocacy for Mayor Rahm Emanel’s agenda of privatization and teacher-bashing. Was the caller really working for the University of Chicago? Who knows? They called ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Weasel Migration: USDOE to Murdoch Inc.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Jersey Jazzman: Weasel Migration: USDOE to Murdoch Inc.: Weasel Migration: USDOE to Murdoch Inc. by Duke *@EdPressSec* Just in case you were worried that the Washington public-private revolving door was restricted to Capitol Hill: Cozy. *Justin Hamilton, who recently left the U.S. Department of Education, where he served as press secretary for Secretary Arne Duncan, has gone to work for Amplify, the online education company owned by Rupert Murdoch and run by Joel Klein.* Hamilton is senior vice president for corporate communications. Klein, the former chancellor of New York City ... more »

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 2-23-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2