Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 2-27-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 2-27-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best:

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes 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 - 32 minutes 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 - 37 minutes 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 - 1 hour 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 - 2 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 - 2 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 - 4 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: 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 school board. The school board president Monica Garcia will have $1 million, more or less, to fight off education activist Robert Skeels, who has raised $20,000, more or less. Inexperienced Kate Anderson, the corporate favorite, will have $1 million, more or less, to battle incumbent Steve Words of Wisdom about Com... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 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 - 5 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 - 5 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 hours 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 - 7 hours 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 - 7 hours 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 »

UPDATE: What should we do about #edweek + College Board to revamp SAT, from @washingtonpost – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

College Board to revamp SAT, from @washingtonpost – @ the chalk face: What should we do about #edweek ? by Timothy D. Slekar Yesterday Diane Ravitch said, I have come to the conclusion that the Common Core standards effort is fundamentally flawed by the process with which they have been foisted upon the nation. 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... more »

A Moratorium on School Closings Makes Sense « City School Stories

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

A Moratorium on School Closings Makes Sense « City School Stories: A Moratorium on School Closings Makes Sense by fmurphy *A School’s Value Cannot Be So Easily Calculated* Originally posted on the Notebook Blog by Frank Murphy on Feb 26 2013 Posted in Commentary Superintendent William Hite has changed a flawed school-closings plan, and the revision was an encouraging sign. Hearing the concerns and suggestions of individual school communities was exactly what Dr. Hite needed to do in order to demonstrate that he is pursuing a school reform agenda responsive to the best interests and... more »

John Kuhn: Our Schools are Touchstones, and We Will Stand and Fight to Save Them - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

John Kuhn: Our Schools are Touchstones, and We Will Stand and Fight to Save Them - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Kuhn: Our Schools are Touchstones, and We Will Stand and Fight to Save Them from Living in Dialogue by Anthony Cody Two years ago we met superintendent John Kuhn, as a result of his booming speech at the Save Our Schools rally in the great state of Texas. Last Saturday, once again there were 10,000 people marching on behalf of public schools, brought together by Save Texas Schools. Once again, John Kuhn delivered. Please watch the video to hear his wo... more »

Schools Matter: Shelby County Schools Slashing, But Charter Plans Remain Untouched and Invisible

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Schools Matter: Shelby County Schools Slashing, But Charter Plans Remain Untouched and Invisible: Shelby County Schools Slashing, But Charter Plans Remain Untouched and Invisible by Jim Horn [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] The Gates Plan for Memphis schools is proving to be more expensive than Bill fans ever dreamed, and apparently the superintendents of city and county plan to push forward without public knowledge or discussion among themselves, preferring instead to present a phony-baloney budget to the County Commission that they know will not surviv... more »

Modern School: Lies and Damned Lies: U.S. Test Scores Actually Near the Top

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Modern School: Lies and Damned Lies: U.S. Test Scores Actually Near the Top: Lies and Damned Lies: U.S. Test Scores Actually Near the Top by Michael Dunn For years, free market education reformers have claimed that the U.S. public education system is broken—some have even called it a threat to our national security (Reagan’s *Nation at Risk*report, 1983). They have used this “crisis” to justify everything from No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top to attacks on teachers’ seniority, tenure and due process rights. It has led to a decade of accountability and testing mania that ha... more »

UPDATE: Urgent. Call NOW + More on Monday’s meet up with Biss and Nekritz. More on Bizarro World. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

More on Monday’s meet up with Biss and Nekritz. More on Bizarro World. | Fred Klonsky: The in box. Madigan is impatient. Make the call NOW. 888-412-6570. by Fred Klonsky John Dillon’s blog: *Madigan’s Impatient * * * * * *In “The Lottery,” a chilling fable by Shirley Jackson, a town politician guides his small town citizenry to find a single townsperson to stone to death in order to assure the safety of the village for another year. If you’re a pensioner, I don’t recommend you read this anywhere near sharp objects.* * * *If you have not read it: Spoiler Alert! After the village... more »

Arts Education, Chinese Food and Matt Yglesias’ Tale of Non Sequiturs

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Arts Education, Chinese Food and Matt Yglesias’ Tale of Non Sequiturs: Arts Education, Chinese Food and Matt Yglesias’ Tale of Non Sequiturs FEBRUARY 27, 2013 BY M.D. ANDERSON LEAVE A COMMENT You know the saying: one is a coincidence, two is a pattern, three makes you a certified glutton for punishment. For months I’ve watched Slate writer Matt Yglesias flail away, writing on education issues. First, he tried to pit teachers unions against taxpayers in a smug piece on the Chicago Teachers Union strike. Then he analyzed the phony StudentsFirst report card, treating it like an objectiv... more »

Leaked Broad School Closure Guide

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

1344-schoolclosureguide: *Leaked Broad School Closure Guide * 1344-schoolclosureguide by John Kugler

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] This Florida Teacher Is Running for School Board by dianerav Michael Weston got fed up with being bullied. So he did what he had to do: he is running for the school board. Good luck, Michael! We will be rooting for you. Hi Diane. I am the Hillsborough County, Florida, teacher you featured in your post “Vote for this man for School Board”. Many thanks for that! I want to let you, and any others interested in our fight against Bill Gates, know that my Campaign web... more »

UPDATE: Sequestration In Your Schools? + Mathematica 2013 Study: KIPP Charter School Students Outperform Public School Peers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Mathematica 2013 Study: KIPP Charter School Students Outperform Public School Peers: Sequestration In Your Schools? Mexico Teachers Union Leader Busted -- Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *What's Sequestration, And Why Should You Care About It?* The good folks at Politics K-12 have a lengthy, 12-part explainer on sequestration and schools. *Union Leader Busted In Mexico?* The head of Mexico's teachers union has been detained for embezzlement charges, reports the Associated Press. Plastic surgery, a private plane and Neiman Marcus -- these are things the government is alleging that union... more »

Jeb Bush’s Misleading Anti-Public School, Anti-Teacher Spew in Texas | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Jeb Bush’s Misleading Anti-Public School, Anti-Teacher Spew in Texas | Scathing Purple Musings: Jeb Bush’s Misleading Anti-Public School, Anti-Teacher Spew in Texas by Bob Sikes So the Jeb Bush US Tour continued in Texas yesterday only this time with son, George in tow. From the Associated Press on *KHOU.com.* AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his rising-political-star son, George P. Bush, urged Texas on Tuesday to dismantle the “monopoly of public education” by dramatically expanding access to charter schools, embracing online learning and overhauling how t... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Corporate reformers pour millions into L.A. board elections

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Corporate reformers pour millions into L.A. board elections: Corporate reformers pour millions into L.A. board elections by Mike Klonsky L.A. Supt. Deasy, the man from Gates. His job is at stake. We don't know how the election for school board in L.A. will turn out.. But we do know that it will be the most expensive school board election in history with anti-union corporate reformers, including N.Y.'s billionaire Mayor Bloomberg shelling out millions to influence the outcome in their favor. At stake, among other things, is the job ofSupt. John De... more »

Self-Contained Urban Boredom Apparatus | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Self-Contained Urban Boredom Apparatus | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: Self-Contained Urban Boredom Apparatus by Gary Rubinstein In November I visited the KIPP High School in New York City and summarized some of what I saw in a blog post. I’ve decided to write more about what I saw there in a series of shorter blog posts. In this one, I will describe what I saw in their special education classes. KIPP High in NYC has very small class sizes. Some of the classes seemed to have around twelve students in them. An administrator told me, when I asked about this, that the numbers were a lit... more »

What 90% of Schools Don’t Teach | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

What 90% of Schools Don’t Teach | toteachornototeach: What 90% of Schools Don’t Teach by aristotlethewise [image: 0]*What 90% of Schools Don’t Teach* by Hadi and Ali Partovi Our economy is faltering and our schools lag in math and science. Yet we’ve overlooked one of the best ways to fix both, until today. Today, www.Code.org launches a short film with spokespeople from Bill Gates to Mark Zuckergberg, from rock stars to NBA all-stars, advocating for students to learn basic coding. Learning to code is the new literacy. It accelerates child development; it stimulates creativity and ... more »

Michelle Obama links movement to better test scores

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Michelle Obama links movement to better test scores: Michelle Obama links movement to better test scores Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 27, 2013 at 6:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: (Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press )] First Lady Michelle Obama (Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press) First lady Michelle Obama, in an interview with SiriusXM host B. Smith being aired to mark the third anniversary of her “Let’s Move” campaign, said that allowing stud... more »

Mt. Diablo school superintendent and two trustees kept charter fiscal report secret to avoid controversy - ContraCostaTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Mt. Diablo school superintendent and two trustees kept charter fiscal report secret to avoid controversy - ContraCostaTimes.com: Mt. Diablo school superintendent and two trustees kept charter fiscal report secret to avoid controversy By Theresa Harrington Contra Costa Times Posted: 02/26/2013 02:20:37 PM PST Updated: 02/26/2013 08:24:23 PM PST [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] CONCORD -- To protect the Mt. Diablo school district's reputation, Superintendent Steven Lawrence, the former Board President and another trustee kept a financial analysis on cha... more »

Cartoons: Doctors and Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Cartoons: Doctors and Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: [image: 130128_cn-surgery-2_p465]

A Tale of Two Open Letters | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

A Tale of Two Open Letters | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: A Tale of Two Open Letters by Gary Rubinstein Wendy Kopp announced that she is stepping down as CEO of Teach For America, and around that time on The Huffington Post, a TFA alum named Kate Casas wrote an open letter to Wendy. This letter was in stark contrast to the one I wrote which I was pretty proud of and which actually got written about in The New York Times andThe Washington Post. In this letter, Casas complains that Wendy has not been ‘reformy’ enough: *During the eight years that I have been associated with Teach for Am... more »

The Educated Reporter: Poorest Schools Face Deepest Cuts from Sequestration

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

The Educated Reporter: Poorest Schools Face Deepest Cuts from Sequestration: Poorest Schools Face Deepest Cuts from Sequestration by Emily Richmond Without a last-minute deal by lawmakers across-the-board reductions in funding to every federal agency -- known as sequestration -- will happen Friday. While public schools wouldn't see most of the cuts take effect until the new fiscal year on July 1, education officials at the local, state and federal levels are warning of dire consequences for programs and services that assist the most vulnerable students. Talking with reporters ... more »

The Dark Side of Teacher Leadership [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

The Dark Side of Teacher Leadership [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: The Dark Side of Teacher Leadership [Future of Teaching] by Jose Vilson I’m usually a fan of teacher leadership, but sometimes, it makes me nervous. Observe: I wonder if teachers who are deemed teacher leaders understand why so many of us put teacher in front of leader when speaking in front of teacher leadership. This falls on some of our colleagues too, who jump right into the teacher leadership role and misunderstand what comes with the title i.e. the perception that, yes, they will lead as teachers.... more »

William F Higgins South Bronx Classical Charter School Trustee Mocks Reality, Football, and the FBI southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

http://www.southbronxschool.com: William F Higgins South Bronx Classical Charter School Trustee Mocks Reality, Football, and the FBI by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) As readers of this blog are aware of we broke the news that South Bronx Classical Charter School II was to be co-located in the friendly confines of PS 154. The last sentence of Monday's blog was; *What is more disturbing is what will be gracing these pages concerning Bronx Classical in the days to come. * Little did we know here at SBSB just how much more disturbing information was to be found. You know the ol... more »

Jersey Jazzman: "Choice" Ain't Choice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: "Choice" Ain't Choice: "Choice" Ain't Choice by Duke See, when a charter school fails, it shows the system is working! You know, except for the kids... “*Part of the genius of the charter model is it does allow for a certain innovative churn, where you close low performers and thereby create space for new innovators to come in and try new models,*” said Brian Jones, the outgoing chairman of the charter board. Board members elected John “Skip” McKoy, who has been the board’s vice chairman, to succeed Jones. [...] Among the schools to be closed is Septima Clark in A... more »

S.217: High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

S.217: High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: H.R.700 ARPA-ED Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 2 minutes ago To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education to fund directed development projects to support targeted breakthroughs in teaching and learning. Bill Introduced: S.288 Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2013 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 2 minutes ago A bill to increase the participation of historically underrepresented demo... more »

No School Like Freedom School | Teaching Tolerance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

No School Like Freedom School | Teaching Tolerance: No School Like Freedom School - Blogs and Articles: - Activism [image: Printer-friendly version]Printer-friendly version Number 43: Spring 2013 “You are the hope of the future.” That’s the message Marian Wright Edelman, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), gave more than 1,500 excited college students and recent graduates as they began a week-long training for the CDF’s Freedom Schools. She was preparing them for a daunting task—that of transforming the educational prospects for thousands of students a... more »

Outside Spending Skyrockets - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Outside Spending Skyrockets - LA School Report: Outside Spending Skyrockets Posted on February 26, 2013 by LA School Report A massive spending spree of $3.4 million by outside groups has broken records in the Los Angeles School Board races with still seven days left before the election. That’s an increase of $1 million in just a week, according to the latest figures available at the LA City Ethics Commission. Low voter turnout and a fierce battle between two groups split along ideological lines could make this race one of the costliest per-voter in nation. Based on turnout figures f... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced: Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced by Melissa Westbrook From Superintendent Banda via SPS Communications (and I believe one of our astute readers called this one for Michael Tolley about a week ago): "I am pleased to announce that after a strong national search, Michael Tolley has been named Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, where he will oversee all aspects of students’ academic growth at Seattle Public Schools. Mr. Tolley stepped into this role as the Interim Assistant Superi... more »

PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education! Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education!: PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education! by admin [image: Cliff] Congress and the White House are working to resolve the “sequestration” threat set up by their failure to agree on a federal budget last year. Without a budget agreement, massive across-the-board program cuts will kick in on Friday. This may include: - Loss of 100,000 Head Start slots. - Service cuts to 500,000 special needs students. - An end to Title 1 gran... more »

The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now! | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now! | Fred Klonsky: The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now! FEBRUARY 26, 2013 *Illinois State Superintendent of Education Chris Koch* *supports the complete “repeal” of BOTH special education* *class size limits AND the 30 percent limit in general education.* *This would directly affect EVERY special education teacher* *in Illinois, and EVERY student with disabilities in Illinois.* *Koch stated today that -* *(1) “our current rules g... more »

Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Paula Mirk]Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools February 26, 2013 by Paula Mirk The current debate about school safety, as tragic as recent events may be, risks derailing the positive direction we need to go in as a nation if we want to uphold the broadest purpose of education: "What kind of people are we preparing to lead society into the future?" The very sad incident in Newtown was the result of one individual's mental impairment and a variety of factors—including his access... more »

NYC Educator: And Now for Something Completely Different …

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NYC Educator: And Now for Something Completely Different …: And Now for Something Completely Different … by NYC Educator *by special guest reviewer Recovering ATR * You might have heard of the movie Life of Pi. It just picked up a bunch of Academy Awards, and it was overall my favorite movie of the year. The thing is, all the teachers talked about how "Lincoln" would be a great movie to show in history class. I actually think the movie to show students is Life of Pi. And that is because I lived the Life of Pi. No, I didn't get shipwrecked and stranded in the ocean with a huge tiger... more »

Diane in the Evening 2-26-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Illinois: No Class Size Limits for Special Education? by dianerav Please don’t say this is school “reform.” The state superintendent of education in Illinois wants to remove class size limits for special education. Time to ask why the richest nation on earth can’t afford to provide a free and appropriate education for children with the greatest needs. Today! Three Million Page Views! by dianerav Today, this blog passed the three million page view marks. That represents the number of times someone has read a post ... more »