Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 2-28-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, February 28, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *EdSource: Nine districts submit waiver for relief from NCLB* Education Headlines *Thursday, February 28, 2013* Sequestration would cut $6 million from Monterey County schoolsMonterey County schools stand to lose more than $6 million this fall if federal budget cuts go into effect. Marin teachers see fewer layoff notices this yearIn the latest sign that the financial free fall may be ending for Marin County school districts, the number of teachers receiving layoff notices has declined dramatically this year. Fresno Unified board ... more »

‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Threatens Trusting Relationship Between Educators and Students | NEA Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago

‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Threatens Trusting Relationship Between Educators and Students | NEA Today: ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Threatens Trusting Relationship Between Educators and Students February 28, 2013 by twalker Filed under Featured News, Top Stories Leave a Comment [image: Email][image: Share] *By Edward Graham* Last year, Tennessee lawmakers considered passing a controversial bill that would have restricted state elementary and middle school educators and administrators from offering “…any instruction and or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality.” ... more »

It’s time for Teach For America to fold — former TFAer

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago

It’s time for Teach For America to fold — former TFAer: It’s time for Teach For America to fold — former TFAer Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 28, 2013 at 11:00 am [image: TFA founder Wendy Kopp] TFA founder Wendy Kopp Teach For America is one of the most controversial school reform organizations operating today. TFA recruits new college graduates, gives them five weeks of summer training and then places them in some of America’s neediest classrooms, presuming that just a little over a month of training is sufficient to do the job. Critics point out that high-needs students, w... more »

School Safety: Ideas for PBL Projects — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 minutes ago

School Safety: Ideas for PBL Projects — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Andrew Miller]School Safety: Ideas for PBL Projects February 28, 2013 by Andrew Miller Creating a safe and supportive learning environment is a critical to a whole child approach to education. Usually when we reflect and work on implementing the Whole Child Tenets in our schools, we forgot one critical component in making them manifest: the students. Students are as important as actors in creating a safe school as teachers. They can be actors in helping to create a safe learning environment, ... more »

John Thompson: The Head vs the Heart: Which Should Rule in Our Schools? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 minutes ago

John Thompson: The Head vs the Heart: Which Should Rule in Our Schools? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: The Head vs the Heart: Which Should Rule in Our Schools? by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Thompson.* Bellwhether's Andrew Rotherham, in "The Head - Heart Issue," nailed the essence of data-driven "reform." As the consultant explains, education has always been a battleground between "the Head" and "the Heart." When I attended public school, teachers were free to choose which side of the "head/heart clash" they were on. The contemporary "reform" mo... more »

Analysis: The Politics of Teacher Testing | NBC New York

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 40 minutes ago

Analysis: The Politics of Teacher Testing | NBC New York: Analysis: The Politics of Teacher Testing By Gabe Pressman| Wednesday, Feb 27, 2013 | Updated 5:44 PM EST View Comments ( 0 ) | Email | Print [image: Analysis: The Politics of Teacher Testing] New York City children are becoming “pawns” in a political struggle over teacher evaluation, warns a prominent advocate for children and parents. Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters says the battle over teacher evaluation in Albany could harm the city’s 1.1 million school children. Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to withhold $260 million in ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: URGENT: The Assault On NJ's Special Needs Kids

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: URGENT: The Assault On NJ's Special Needs Kids: URGENT: The Assault On NJ's Special Needs Kids by Duke There are times when the people who run our education system do something so awful that I can hardly believe it: *URGENT:* State Board of Education is fast-tracking changes in the special education regulations that would, if enacted, allow teachers and other certified staff to be designated as case managers of students with disabilities. Unless we intervene, these changes will be acted on at the Board’s *MARCH 6* meeting. Please write to the Board *IMMEDIATELY... more »

This Week In Education: Thompson: Edu-Philanthropy's Unintended Threat to Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 51 minutes ago

This Week In Education: Thompson: Edu-Philanthropy's Unintended Threat to Public Education: Thompson: Edu-Philanthropy's Unintended Threat to Public Education by john thompson Sarah Reckhow's recent TWIE post, Philanthropy Critique Can Obscure Key Differences reviews her research findings on the growing "convergence" of edu-philanthropy and her concerns about the consequences of the coordination of their efforts. [image: Citizensunited] Among other things, Reckhow worries that "policy priorities of major philanthropists are not well supported by research." But she also warns agains... more »

State Education Reforms (SER) - Welcome to the Website on State Education Reforms

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

State Education Reforms (SER) - Welcome to the Website on State Education Reforms: *Welcome to the Website on State Education Reforms*This site, which draws primarily on data collected by organizations other than NCES, compiles and disseminates data on state-level elementary and secondary education reform efforts in the five areas indicated below. School finance is also an important area of educational reform. A few tables on this topic are included in the Accountability section. Additional state-level information on school finance is available in "Revenues and Expenditures for P... more »

Shanker Blog » Teacher Surveys And Standardized Tests: Different Data, Similar Warning Labels

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Shanker Blog » Teacher Surveys And Standardized Tests: Different Data, Similar Warning Labels: Teacher Surveys And Standardized Tests: Different Data, Similar Warning Labels by Matthew Di Carlo As a strong believer in paying attention to what teachers think about policy, I always review the results of MetLife’s annual teacher survey. The big theme of this year’s survey, as pushed by the press release and reiterated in most of the media coverage, was that job satisfaction among teachers is at “its lowest level in 25 years.” It turns out that a change in question wording precludes ... more »

Modern School: Brown’s Budget Shuffle: Something From Nothing is Still Nothing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Modern School: Brown’s Budget Shuffle: Something From Nothing is Still Nothing: Brown’s Budget Shuffle: Something From Nothing is Still Nothing by Michael Dunn "*Equal treatment for children in unequal situations is not justice*"—Gov. Jerry Brown, California (quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle) Gov. Brown is correct—funding poor schools the same as affluent schools is not only unjust, it is pedagogically irrational. Poor children have greater educational needs, while their parents have far less to donate to school fundraisers. Funding them equally only guarantees unequal outc... more »

To Arne Duncan: ‘Check your facts’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

To Arne Duncan: ‘Check your facts’: To Arne Duncan: ‘Check your facts’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 28, 2013 at 9:18 am 0 Comments More [image: pinocchio_4]Education Secretary Arne Duncan is probably mighty sorry he linked pink slips being given to some teachers to the sequester, not just because that connection is tenuous at best but because he got called out for it. The Washington Post’s “Fact Checker,” Glenn Kessler, gave him four Pinocchios, which are given to stories not only with some shading of the facts (one Pinocchio), or significant omissions and/or exaggerations ... more »

Freedom of Information complaint filed against Commissioner Stefan Pryor and the Connecticut Department of Education - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Freedom of Information complaint filed against Commissioner Stefan Pryor and the Connecticut Department of Education - Wait, What?: Freedom of Information complaint filed against Commissioner Stefan Pryor and the Connecticut Department of Education by jonpelto *“A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both. A people who mean to be their own governor must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”* – James Madison With three Freedom of Information requests pending with the Conn... more »

Vol.#22: The Dark Side of Choosing School Choice | Teaching Speaks Volumes

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Vol.#22: The Dark Side of Choosing School Choice | Teaching Speaks Volumes: Vol.#22: The Dark Side of Choosing School Choice [image: Freedom-of-choice-a22077920]During the time I was visiting these four schools and writing these posts, this article was released about Wake County dropping the choice plan. However, when I entered my address in the Student Assignment page today, I still got a total of 16 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and 9 high schools in varying Base, Calendar, and Magnet options for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. This still looks far from resolved, ho... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-28-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] How Do You Fight Back Without Getting Fired? by dianerav This reader asks the question of the day, which is the title of this post. If you are doing a job you want to do but are required to do what you know is wrong, what do you do? One answer: join with others who agree with you. Find others teachers who feel the same. Join with parents. Alone you are powerless and vulnerable. Learn about any organized opposition to educational malpractice in your community, re... more »

Nine districts submit waiver for relief from NCLB | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Nine districts submit waiver for relief from NCLB | EdSource Today: Ten districts submit waiver for relief from NCLB - by Kathryn Baron and John Fensterwald by Kathryn Baron and John Fensterwald [image: CORE's accountability system would replace the current system, with most schools in Program Improvement, facing NCLB sanctions, with a three-tiered system that rewards top Schools of Distinction and identifies the 15 percent of Title I schools needing improvement. Teams of teachers from Schools of Distinction would mentor their peers in the Priority and Focus schools. All subgroups... more »

Joy Resmovits: School Safety Addressed At House Education Committee Hearing; Arne Duncan's Sequestration Hype -- Ed Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Joy Resmovits: School Safety Addressed At House Education Committee Hearing; Arne Duncan's Sequestration Hype -- Ed Today: School Safety Addressed At House Education Committee Hearing; Arne Duncan's Sequestration Hype -- Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *House Education Panel On School Safety* On Wednesday, members of the House Education & Workforce Committee mulled over ways to keep schools safe in light of the horrific Newtown, Conn. elementary school shooting, reports Politics K-12. Witnesses told the committee that "school resource officers, additional guidance counselors, and profe... more »

Children of the Core: Our Kids are at Risk – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Children of the Core: Our Kids are at Risk – @ the chalk face: Children of the Core: Our Kids are at Risk by Kris Nielsen [image: 51b3oNSMFnL._SY300_ (1)]The more and more I see how the education “reform” movement is operating, the more it makes me ill. I wish I were exaggerating with that statement, but I’m not. Every time I hear about some millionaire telling us to increase class sizes, or some high-paid wannabe teacher tells us that teachers are the problem with America, it makes me want to vomit. I get sick because these are people who pretend to care about kids, with fancy ... more »

Laugh it up City's school closures a bummer, negotiations with secret whales a joke Sacramento News & Review

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Sacramento News & Review - Laugh it up - Bites - Opinions - February 28, 2013: *Laugh it up* City's school closures a bummer, negotiations with secret whales a joke By Cosmo Garvin cosmog@newsreview.com This article was published on 02.28.13. *Related stories:* Whale bites Will Mayor Kevin Johnson's billionaires club save Sacramento—or eat us? SN&R, 01.31.13. Sacramento city school-closure vote set for next week Sacramento's struggling neighborhoods feel bullied by city district's school-closure plan. SN&R, 02.14.13. [image: spacer] *The editor suggested a brief “post-mortem”...more »

Research on preschool: Setting the record straight

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Research on preschool: Setting the record straight: Research on preschool: Setting the record straight Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 28, 2013 at 6:00 am [image: President Obama at a preschool in Georgia] President Obama at a preschool in Georgia Now that President Obama has proposed a new initiative to broaden preschool programs, the debate about the value of early childhood education has gotten a lot louder. To help sort out what is true and what isn’t, W. Stephen Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, has just releas... more »

Tony Bennett: There Will Be No Delay in Common Core, PARCC | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Tony Bennett: There Will Be No Delay in Common Core, PARCC | Scathing Purple Musings: Tony Bennett: There Will Be No Delay in Common Core, PARCC by Bob Sikes From an *Associated Press report in the Tampa Tribune*: TALLAHASSEE — Florida shouldn’t delay new academic standards it’s sharing with 44 other states or a related test despite looming obstacles, the state’s schools chief said today at an education summit sponsored by business interests. Other participants at the meeting in Orlando, though, said they were worried Florida was moving too fast by attempting to fully implement t... more »

solidaridad: Despicable: Mónica García accuses fellow candidates of "standing up for predators"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

solidaridad: Despicable: Mónica García accuses fellow candidates of "standing up for predators": Despicable: Mónica García accuses fellow candidates of "standing up for predators" by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene This flyer, at the behest of the candidate, LAUSD Board President Mónica García, explicitly states "Her opponents stand up for predators..." Categorically untrue, this deplorable accusation should be widely condemned by everyone. Some of García's opponents are parents whose children attended LAUSD schools, highlighting all the more how depraved is García to make such libel...more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: One More Reason to Wonder about Tom

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: One More Reason to Wonder about Tom: One More Reason to Wonder about Tom by Melissa Westbrook From The Stranger Slog (with the headline "Rodney Tom Hates Teachers"): *With zero notice Sunday, just one day before it was heard by the Ways & Means Committee, millionaire state Senate Majority "Leader" Rodney Tom (R-Medina) filed a bill that would eliminate defined pension benefits for most state and public school employees, replacing them with a risky 401-K-style savings plan that would subject future retirees to the whims of the market. SB 5856, of w...more »

Unions and charters are strange bedfellows | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Unions and charters are strange bedfellows | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: Unions and charters are strange bedfellows by Gary Rubinstein When you ask the leader of an allegedly high performing charter school what makes them so successful, they generally say that they have more flexibility with hiring and firing since they are free from pesky union contracts. This is why I found it quite odd that I received an announcement with job openings at a charter school called Green Dot High School the other day from the New York City teacher’s union, called the UFT. It turns out that some charte... more »

S.322: Ready to Learn Act - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

S.322: Ready to Learn Act - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: S.322 Ready to Learn Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 36 minutes ago A bill to set the United States on track to ensure children are ready to learn when they begin kindergarten. Bill Introduced: S.274 Children Eating Well Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 36 minutes ago A bill to strengthen nutrition education for elementary school and secondary school students to promote healthy eating choices through developmentally appropriate lessons and activities integrated into ... more »

Zimmer Irate Over Reform Coalition Attacks - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Zimmer Irate Over Reform Coalition Attacks - LA School Report: Zimmer Irate Over Reform Coalition Attacks by Hillel Aron Zimmer, Villaraigosa, and Sullivan It was perhaps no surprise that District 4 School Board member *Steve Zimmer * was visibly upset when he happened to run into Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Deputy Mayor for Education, Joan Sullivan, at today’s United Way education event. “RFK, Joan? Really?” said Zimmer as the two rode the escalator together. “That’s just wrong.” “I don’t know what you want me to say, Steve,” responded Sullivan. The exchange, followed by harsh rem... more »

Education Standards and Totalitarian conformity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Education Standards and Totalitarian conformity: Education Standards and Totalitarian Conformity by Danny Weil [image: barbie] This is the seventh of a series of guest posts by Dr Danny Weil from an article (World Class Standards: Whose World, Which Economic Classes and What Standards?) he originally published in Daily Censored. http://stuartbramhall.aegauthorblogs.com/2013/02/23/the-link-between-education-standards-and-totalitarian-control/comment-page-1/#comment-931674 In this seventh section, Dr Weil argues that federal imposition of educational standards essentially programs chil... more »

The Future of Education in America? All eyes on charter fallout - Sarasota News | Mysuncoast.com and ABC 7: 7 South Newsroom

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

All eyes on charter fallout - Sarasota News | Mysuncoast.com and ABC 7: 7 South Newsroom: All eyes on charter fallout - Story - Comments PrintCreate a hardcopy of this pageFont Size:Default font sizeLarger font size 8 [image: Imagine fallout] Related Stories - Related:Judge rules that Imagine principal can remain in place - Related:Board: Millions in taxpayer money wasted with Imagine - Related:Charter schools still answer to county school officials - Related:Charter school votes to break from parent company Posted: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 5:02 pm |*Upd... more »

A lawsuit has been filed in Washington State challenging the legality of charter schools | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

A lawsuit has been filed in Washington State challenging the legality of charter schools | Seattle Education: A lawsuit has been filed in Washington State challenging the legality of charter schools by seattleducation2011 [image: no privatization] *Educators and community groups file legal challenge to new charter school law* Statement by the Washington Education Association (WEA): A coalition of educators and community groups has filed a legal demand with the Washington Attorney General challenging the constitutionality of Initiative 1240, the state’s new charter school law. The d... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Legal Challenge Filed to I-1240

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Legal Challenge Filed to I-1240: Legal Challenge Filed to I-1240 by Melissa Westbrook It's on. From the WEA: *Educators and community groups file legal challenge to new charter school law* A coalition of educators and community groups has filed a legal demand with the Washington Attorney General challenging the constitutionality of Initiative 1240, the state’s new charter school law. The demand asserts I-1240, the Charter School Act, violates the Washington Constitution by improperly diverting public school funds to private non-profit groups that ... more »

Districts drop at-large elections to comply with voting rights law | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Districts drop at-large elections to comply with voting rights law | EdSource Today: Districts drop at-large elections to comply with voting rights law - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Next week, Pasadena Unified voters will elect school board members by trustee areas for the first time, switching from at-large elections in which all candidates compete districtwide. Education Week reports that dozens of California school districts have switched to trustee areas to encourage racial and ethnic diversity on their boards and avoid being sued under the California Voting... more »

NYC Educator: My Filmmaking Career

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

NYC Educator: My Filmmaking Career: My Filmmaking Career by NYC Educator This year, I was asked to do a project with my kids. I chose to have them make films, with the cooperation of MyBlock NYC, which I highly recommend. I made a short video introducing my block as that my school was on, and introduced the students to people in the building I thought could help them. I then told them to make their own videos, and let some of them borrow the ancient flip cameras our school owns. I thought it would be easy. I edited my video on a Mac using iMovie, never having used it before, and f... more »

Tweedledee and Tweedledum – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Tweedledee and Tweedledum – @ the chalk face: Tweedledee and Tweedledum by Activism in paradise - Voices from down under I was intrigued by this quote from a Diane Ravitch article: *‘The Common Core standards have been adopted in 46 states and the District of Columbia without any field test. They are being imposed on the children of this nation despite the fact that no one has any idea how they will affect students, teachers, or schools. We are a nation of guinea pigs, almost all trying an unknown new program at the same time.’* The New Zealand variant of CCS is called National Sta... more »

Michelle Rhee: Wrong again - Powerful Pro-School-Voucher Group May Have Violated State Law [Updated] | The Philly Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Powerful Pro-School-Voucher Group May Have Violated State Law [Updated] | The Philly Post: Powerful Pro-School-Voucher Group May Have Violated State Law [Updated]PAC with ties to Jeffrey Yass connected to John McDaniel’s case. ** 0 Comments and 0 Reactions Students First PAC, a pro-school-voucher group backed by three managers of Bala Cynwyd-based Susquehanna International Group, may have violated state election law. Susquehanna’s Jeffrey Yass, an ardent charter and voucher advocate, and two like-minded associates, first got into the political game in 2010, pouring an unpreced... more »

Pass / Fail : School districts can't charge parents for basic education; must create complaint process | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Pass / Fail : School districts can't charge parents for basic education; must create complaint process | 89.3 KPCC: School districts can't charge parents for basic education; must create complaint process Vanessa Romo | February 27th, 2013, 12:32pm [image: school supplies] Erika Aguilar/KPCC Out of necessity, cash strapped schools have for years been asking parents to cover some of the most basic classroom needs: craft supplies, a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, an Algebra book. But it turns out that is illegal and California school districts have until Friday to draw up procedures ... more »

Diane in the Evening 2-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Will the Democratic Party Listen? by dianerav In this terrific article, you can see the beginnings of a popular uprising against the testing obsession and the rush to put public dollars into private hands. In Texas, Republicans are paying attention, even threatening to pull the plug on testing. Rural Republicans seem Corporate Bloc Collects $3 Million to Buy L.A. School Board by dianerav Corporate reformers are taking no chances. They have raised more than $3 million to make sure that they control the Los Angeles... more »

Jake Frackson – An Idealist’s View on Bullying Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Student Voice: Jake Frackson – An Idealist’s View on Bullying by admin *“Today, thousands of youth across Canada will don pink in support of Anti-Bullying Day. Together they will express their shared view and in doing so, condemn the abuse that is bullying. But what are they really condemning? And more importantly, what do schools want to replace it with? To answer these questions, another look needs to be given to what bullying is.”* In an adult world brimming with alienation, arrogance, and animosity, it is not difficult to imagine these sentiments overflowing into the world of... more »

Remarks by the President at Dedication of Statue Honoring Rosa Parks -- US Capitol | The White House

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Remarks by the President at Dedication of Statue Honoring Rosa Parks -- US Capitol | The White House: Remarks by the President at Dedication of Statue Honoring Rosa Parks -- US Capitol Remarks by the President at Dedication of Statue Honoring Rosa Parks -- US Capitol United States Capitol 11:45 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Leader Reid, Leader McConnell, Leader Pelosi, Assistant Leader Clyburn; to the friends and family of Rosa Parks; to the distinguished guests who are gathered here today. This morning, we celebrate a seamstress, slight in stature but mighty in courage. ... more »

An education reform warning for Democrats

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

An education reform warning for Democrats: An education reform warning for Democrats Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 27, 2013 at 12:45 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: President Obama and JEb Bush shake hands, with Arne Duncan in the background, in 2011. (The Associated Press)] President Obama and Jeb Bush shake hands, with Arne Duncan in the background, in 2011. (The Associated Press) If there is one area where there is bipartisan support in President Obama’s agenda, it is educa... more »

First World Education Problems, Part III: Say Nice things about Detroit - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

First World Education Problems, Part III: Say Nice things about Detroit - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: First World Education Problems, Part III: Say Nice things about Detroit by Nancy Flanagan What to do about a city like Detroit? What's the best way to serve the children there, who deserve the same free, first-rate democratic education that children all over this country are receiving? Is there a way to rebuild a large urban school system, make it leaner, more nimble and responsive? Or do we"unbundle" the district's publicly owned resources, facilities and hu... more »

School Tech Connect: Coming To The Party?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Coming To The Party?: Coming To The Party? by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Indeed I still exist. One thing I've been working on is the Raise Your Glass Winter Bash for Raise Your Hand. It's Thursday night, and I'll be making a much-anticipated cameo. I work with a lot of groups--- RYH is getting things done. Come to the Bash. It's a fundraiser. Meanwhile, a RYH team recently met with the CPS testing "accountability" guy to review the massive abuse of standardized testing. It wasn't such a great meeting, from what I gathered. Read RYH's response letter he... more »

UPDATE: TFA contracts ignore the evidence - and Malloy’s own rhetoric - another must read piece by Sarah Darer Littman - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

TFA contracts ignore the evidence - and Malloy’s own rhetoric - another must read piece by Sarah Darer Littman - Wait, What?: Blessed are the Gifted for they shall inherit the earth. by jonpelto Okay so that wasn’t one of the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, but maybe that’s because the concept hadn’t been fully developed yet. But things are changing. Despite unprecedented financial pressures, three of the poorest cities in Connecticut will be redirecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in education funding to create special academies for a small group of their most gifte... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: First they came for the public schools...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: First they came for the public schools...: First they came for the public schools... by Mike Klonsky Charter operators took over DuSable High School in Bronzeville. Now that two charter schools, Betty Shabazz Leadership Academy at DuSable and Mirta Ramirez Computer Science High School, run by ASPIRA, are on Byrd-Bennett's [s]hit list for poor performance, watch the charter operators scream "unfair" and ask local pols to intervene. I agree, it is unfair that the survival of any school is based mainly on student test scores. Those scores correlate much ... more »

UPDATE: 5 Ways Yoga Can Help Educators + School Safety Lessons Learned: From Cleveland to Newtown — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

School Safety Lessons Learned: From Cleveland to Newtown — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Lara Veon]5 Ways Yoga Can Help Educators Create Safe Environments February 27, 2013 by Lara Veon [image: Mindful Practices] Much like that of educating the whole child, how to make our learning environments safe places in which to teach and learn is a rich and complex discussion in our current educational landscape. Our Mindful Practices team teaches in schools throughout Chicago—in the most under-resourced neighborhoods to the most affluent suburbs. While each community mi... more »

Teachers join school-closings 'Walk In My Shoes' protest at Fulton Elementary | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Teachers join school-closings 'Walk In My Shoes' protest at Fulton Elementary | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Teachers join school-closings 'Walk In My Shoes' protest at Fulton Elementary by thenotebook *by Aaron Moselle* Fran Hoffman didn't mince words Tuesday afternoon while discussing the collective mood inside Robert Fulton Elementary's East Germantown building. "We're a little defeated," he said. "We're taking a collective punch in the gut." Hoffman, who teaches sixth grade, nonetheless grabbed a picket sign and joined about a dozen teachers from Fulton and beyond for a ... more »

Is Working From Home a Feminist Issue? - Dana Goldstein

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Is Working From Home a Feminist Issue? - Dana Goldstein: Is Working From Home a Feminist Issue? by Dana Goldstein I've worked in offices for small magazines, large media companies, and think tanks. So I know there's a lot about office culture that sucks: useless meetings, crackberries that ruin your precious out-of-the-office hours, and sometimes an assumption that whoever stays latest or arrives earliest is working hardest. In New York, there's competitive dressing. In DC, there are old-school dress codes, as if everyone were about to meet with a senator,*any minute now*! A lot ... more »

Superintendents speak out on privatization, grading schools | Education | NewsObserver.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Superintendents speak out on privatization, grading schools | Education | NewsObserver.com: Superintendents speak out on privatization, grading schools * * By Lynn Bonner — lbonner@newsobserver.com School superintendents oppose any plan that would use public money to support private K-12 education, and warned legislators Tuesday that privatization would set up a two-tiered education system based on class, both funded with taxpayer money. Superintendents are united against a voucher or private school tax-credit plan, and see them as “the single greatest threat to public schools,” sa... more »

Michael Weston | A Teacher for Hillsborough County School Board

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Michael Weston | A Teacher for Hillsborough County School Board: Welcome My name is Michael Weston, and I am a candidate for Hillsborough County School Board, District 2. I am a parent, a teacher and a long-time member of our community. If elected, I will be about the classroom. I will be about our children’s future. I will be about the responsible use of dollars. My vision is - a Hillsborough County School District that supports the classroom, rather than burdens it with the latest fads in education “reform”. - a Hillsborough County School District that engages the c... more »

Local school districts are new target of education reformers | HechingerEd Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Local school districts are new target of education reformers | HechingerEd Blog: Local school districts are new target of education reformers by Sarah Garland [image: Mayor Bloomberg Your Money Sucks! (Learn More click picture)] The large amounts of outside money flowing into the Los Angeles Unified school board election represent a new front in the reform battles that have shaken up education politics over the last decade. Donations of $1 million by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City and $250,000 by former District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, in par... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Scrap the Map Event at UW

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Scrap the Map Event at UW: Ed Reform Flowchart by Melissa Westbrook A very nifty flowchart from our friends at the Seattle Education blog (Sue Peters and Dora Taylor) showing the "lines of influence" both nationally and locally. They created this awhile back and admit it needs updating like the line between Gates and the Alliance, that Goodloe-Johnson is gone, and there are even more connections than ever in 2013. Scrap the Map Event at UW by Melissa Westbrook From Scrap the Map: Standardized testing discussion at University of Washin... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, February 27, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Pediatricians oppose school suspension, expulsion* Education Headlines *Wednesday, February 27, 2013* Stockton USD votes to issue layoff noticesDespite pleas from counselors and from the head of the teachers union, Stockton Unified School District took the first step Tuesday night toward possible layoffs of nearly 100 teachers and counselors. Desert Sands Unified prepares cutsThe Desert Sands Unified School District will most likely schedule furlough days, layoff employees or increase class sizes if the governor’s plan to redist... more »

Parents Across America Webinar: The Journey for Justice in Education with Karran Harper-Royal | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Parents Across America Webinar: The Journey for Justice in Education with Karran Harper-Royal | Parents Across America: Parents Across America Webinar: The Journey for Justice in Education with Karran Harper-Royal by DoraTaylor [image: journey] *Parents Across America Webinar* *The Journey for Justice* *With New Orleans Parent and Education Advocate Karran Harper-Royal* *March 3, 2013* *1:00 PM PST* Free tickets available through Eventbrite. With moderator Dora Taylor. Journey for Justice is an emerging alliance currently comprised of grassroots community-based organizations from 18 ... more »

Common Core Unpreparedness: Teachers Say They Are Not Ready | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Common Core Unpreparedness: Teachers Say They Are Not Ready | Truth in American Education: Common Core Unpreparedness: Teachers Say They Are Not Ready by Shane Vander Hart *Education Week* conducted a survey of teachers and nearly half of all teachers say they are unprepared to teach the Common Core, especially to disadvantaged students: The study by the EPE Research Center, an arm of Editorial Projects in Education, the publisher of*Education Week*, found deep wells of concern among teachers about their readiness to meet the challenges posed by the common core in English/langua... more »

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