Thursday, February 7, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 2-7-13 #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


Followed by @abcte on #twitter, so what is this American Board? – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago
Followed by @abcte on #twitter, so what is this American Board? – @ the chalk face: Special episode of At the Chalk Face tonight, 9PM EST/6PM PST by Chalk Face, PhD We’ve invited a great guest, which is why the special day and time: Alexia Garcia, student organizer of a Portland boycott of the OAKS test. Probably the best test acronym by far. There’s some information here I’ll quote from Education Week, which is in turn from OregonLive: Alexia Garcia, a Lincoln High School senior, said the tests take away valuable class time and are ultimately unfair measures for both students and... more »

Schools Matter: When Will Justice Go After the Education Frauds?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago
Schools Matter: When Will Justice Go After the Education Frauds?: When Will Justice Go After the Education Frauds? by Judy Rabin The U.S. Justice Department has filed charges against Standard and Poors to recover billions of dollars that were lost and destroyed along with jobs, homes, families, and much needed tax dollars. S&P AAA ratings on "junk" otherwise known as Collagerialized Debt Obligations or Collateralized Mortgage Obligations, Credit Default SWAPS, whatever, led to the Great Recession, Depression, financial fiasco, whatever. Ok, it's a start. The $5 billion in penalt... more »

Ruben Brosbe Exposes His Incompetency at MS 331.southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Ruben Brosbe Exposes His Incompetency at MS 331 by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) Back in July we here at SBSB shared how Ruben Brosbe, famed former E4E fool had gotten a gig using his Harvard Graduate School of Education skills with Citizens Schools NY as the leader of whatever at MS 331 in the Bronx. Recently a someone who had worked closely with Ruben at MS 331 contacted The Crack Team here at SBSB and we commissioned this person to to guest blog for us. Please sit back and enjoy. *First off was his relationship with the senior member of the... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: TFA Rolls On

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: TFA Rolls On: TFA Rolls On by Melissa Westbrook By the numbers:In an interview on the Huffington Post in December 2012, TFA founder and CEO Wendy Kopp said the following: *"On average, our corps members stay in the classroom for eight years."*Anthony Cody of the Living in Dialogue blog at Ed Week asked for substantiation of this claim because the generally previously accepted number was more like only 10-15% of TFAers stay past their third year. Others doing the math found that one study found that about 40% of TFAers leave after two years and anot... more »

Big Education Ape - SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 2-7-13 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* Sacramento Current--School Closures:"Too many Questions, too little time." by Kate_Lenox Cosmos Garvin's must read article raises many important questions about the districts push to close "under-enrolled" schools. The future of district bond measures is one issue that hasn't been talked about much in the debate over the closures. Just a few months ago the district sold voters on approving two bond measures to upgrade school facilities. The district had detailed assessments made of each site to give the public some knowledge of where ... more »

Diane in the Evening 2-7-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Strange Bedfellows Oppose Common Core in Indiana by dianerav Glenda Ritz, the new State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana, thrashed reform idol Tony Bennett last November. She received more votes than anyone else on the ballot except the Attorney General (she ran ahead of the governor). Tony Bennett, who famously supports free-market solutions to education problems, is an advocate for charters and vouchers, for evaluating teachers by test scores, and for for-profit online corporations and charters. Tony Bennett is one of the nation’s loudes... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Coalition of education, parent & privacy groups protest plan to share confidential student data with Gates-funded corporation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Coalition of education, parent & privacy groups protest plan to share confidential student data with Gates-funded corporation: Coalition of education, parent & privacy groups protest plan to share confidential student data with Gates-funded corporation by Leonie Haimson Education, parent and privacy groups, including the Massachusetts ACLU, the MA state PTA, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and Citizens for Public Schools, sent a letter today to the MA State Board of Education, protesting the state's plan to share confidential student and ... more »

A Compleat Guide to the Corporate Reform Movement « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
A Compleat Guide to the Corporate Reform Movement « Diane Ravitch's blog: *A Compleat Guide to the Corporate Reform Movement * Leonie Haimson, who leads Class Size Matters in New York City and was a co-founder of Parents Across America, has worked with other parents and with educators to compile a comprehensive list of corporate reform organizations and to identify the lingo of the reformers. She asks your help in reviewing the list and letting her know about errors and omissions. Review the list of organizations and definitions. You can let her know your thoughts at the email she... more »

National Union Announces Friday Press Event & Grant - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
National Union Announces Friday Press Event & Grant - LA School Report: National Union Announces Friday Press Event & Grant by Samantha Oltman AFT President Randi Weingarten American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten is scheduled to hold a Friday, February 8 press conference at Woodland Hills Academy to announce a $150,000 grant to the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA). The grant is aimed at helping teachers create strong school improvement plans and prevent the need for any additional “parent trigger” actions in LAUSD. Weingarten’s appearance signals the impo...more »

Evan Horn – Enjoying School Like I Do - Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Student Voice: Evan Horn – Enjoying School Like I Do by admin There is nothing sweeter than waking up at 7:30 AM on a sunny Saturday morning in September to tailgate with the entire city of Madison, Wisconsin for an 11:00 AM football game. The streets are a sea of red and white football jerseys and face paint, flooded by the distinct smell of brats and loud cheers of its patrons. On game day, no matter where you go or whom you see, they are not only your friend but also your comrade in battle, ready to defend the University of Wisconsin’s honor and reputation, hand in hand with ... more »

February Is National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
February Is National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Kristen Pekarek]February Is National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month February 7, 2013 by Kristen Pekarek This February whole child partner National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) and communities across the nation will celebrate National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month. School-based health care centers work to redefine health for kids and teens by providing access to mental health services and oral health care, working to prevent obesit... more »

No Child Left Behind: Early Lessons from State Flexibility Waivers | U.S. Department of Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
No Child Left Behind: Early Lessons from State Flexibility Waivers | U.S. Department of Education: No Child Left Behind: Early Lessons from State Flexibility Waivers *Testimony of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions* FEBRUARY 7, 2013 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov *(As submitted to the Committee. The Secretary deviated from these remarks.) * Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Alexander, and Members of the Committee. Thank you for inviting me here today to testify on the flexibility ... more »

Compare Public School Districts by Area, Revenue and Expenditure

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Compare Public School Districts by Area, Revenue and Expenditure:

Your mailman and public schools. – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Your mailman and public schools. – @ the chalk face: Your mailman and public schools. by Chris Cerrone [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] I am sure most of you have heard about the U.S. Postal Service looking to cut Saturday delivery to help fight billions of dollars in losses. While techonlogical changes in society have contributed to some of the issues facing the Postal Service I believe that the USPS has been set up for failure. The USPS is mandated to contribute billions of dollars each year for future retirees 75 years in advance. These future postal workers have not even be... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – Budget bill provides details on accountability and energy money

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Budget bill provides details on accountability and energy money School districts would be required to report how they plan to use state money to meet the needs of disadvantaged students under Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to revamp California’s education finance system. Budget bill provides details on accountability and energy money *By Kimberly Beltran* Thursday, February 07, 2013 School districts would be required to report how they plan to use state money to meet the needs of disadvantaged students under Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to revamp Cali... more »

UPDATE: Voting for the Levies Seattle Schools Community Forum: MAP Boycott Support/Action Rolls On

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: MAP Boycott Support/Action Rolls On: Voting for the Levies by Melissa Westbrook Did you? Still pondering? I hear of virtually no one who is against the Operations Levy. The reality of what the state is NOT providing is clear for all to see. Take 25% of our General Fund away and watch the bottom drop out of our district. But BEX. In case you missed it, there are several loose groups against it but interestingly, none of them have joined forces. Depending on your point of view, this could be a good thing because there is not a focus or widesprea... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: "Your mother wears army boots"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Teachers Don't Suck !: "Your mother wears army boots": "Your mother wears army boots" by Walt S, "Your mother wears army boots" - that's what we used to say in my school days. Based on the article below I supposed that the school should have been held liable for not punishing us in the severest fashion for our obvious "bullying". Now, before I begin my short rant, let me say that I never appreciated nor condoned anyone being "picked on". I never allowed it in my class or in the teams which I coached. Most often all it took was a stern - "I want you to leave him alone... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, February 7, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Report: K-12 districts take kids' lunch money for other purposes Education Headlines *Thursday, February 7, 2013* K-8 charter plan withdrawn from Orange UnifiedA group hoping to open a charter school that allows students of different ages to learn in the same classrooms has withdrawn its petition to the Orange Unified School District. Rios testimony finishes, final arguments ThursdayGoing from crying to combative, Moreno Valley School Board member Mike Rios denied from the witness stand he was a pimp, procurer and rapist. “I did n... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Next Monday Feb 11th: APPARENTLY THE ONLY CANDIDATE DEBATE FOR BOARD DISTRICT 2 WHERE ALL THE CANDIDATES WILL APPEAR

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Next Monday Feb 11th: APPARENTLY THE ONLY CANDIDATE DEBATE FOR BOARD DISTRICT 2 WHERE ALL THE CANDIDATES WILL APPEAR: Next Monday Feb 11th: APPARENTLY THE ONLY CANDIDATE DEBATE FOR BOARD DISTRICT 2 WHERE ALL THE CANDIDATES WILL APPEAR LA-32 Neighborhood Council Debate in El Sereno [image: image] *Don’t miss the fun!* *Rumor has it that charter school proponents may pack the hall!* View Larger Map

School Tech Connect: I Send Faxes

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
School Tech Connect: I Send Faxes: I Send Faxes by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) and emails.. x

UPDATE: Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch shows what he’s made of - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch shows what he’s made of - Wait, What?: Windham’s Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: The problem is even greater than it first appeared by jonpelto As noted in previous Wait, What? posts, Windham, Connecticut’s Board of Education is building the Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy. Seventy percent of the students at the new K-8 STEM magnet school are scheduled to come from Windham and thirty percent from adjoining towns. Over the past few days we’ve been on a mission to track down the source and meaning of a clause in the Magnet School’s Operating Agreemen... more »

Competition vs. Collaboration - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Competition vs. Collaboration - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Competition vs. Collaboration by Deborah Meier *For the third week, Alfie Kohn joins Deborah Meier on the blog.* Dear Debbie, It goes without saying that we're not going to convince everyone—and, in this culture, we may struggle to convince even a substantial number —of the merit of any of the positions we support. That doesn't mean we don't keep trying, of course. But when you ask, "If [our views are] as sensible as you and I think, how come the world is still plagued by its obsession with punishment?", well, ... more »

Districts must return to 180-day instructional year by 2015-16 | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Districts must return to 180-day instructional year by 2015-16 | EdSource Today: Districts must return to 180-day instructional year by 2015-16 ** February 7th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on print More Sharing Services Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature agree: The state should again require a minimum 180-day school year, starting in 2015-16. Brown confirmed his view in a section of the 154-page education “trailer bill,” the supplemental legislation accompanying the state budget, that the administration release... more »

Modern School: Corruption at CTC Placed Kids at Risk, Denied Teachers Credentials

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Modern School: Corruption at CTC Placed Kids at Risk, Denied Teachers Credentials: Corruption at CTC Placed Kids at Risk, Denied Teachers Credentials by Michael Dunn A recent lawsuit against the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), filed in November by former government lawyer and CTC whistleblower Kathleen Carroll, alleges that CTC lawyers and administrators engaged in numerous illegal acts that prevented qualified teachers from obtaining or maintaining their credentials. The charges against the attorneys include tampering with case outcomes, acting outside the... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CPS privatizes its training of principals as test pushers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CPS privatizes its training of principals as test pushers: CPS privatizes its training of principals as test pushers by Mike Klonsky Yesterday, as local parent groups at 37 schools, gathered signatures on petitions calling for more limited assessment tests, CPS announced that new principals are going to trained by private companies, basically as test pushers. The board has handed out lucrative contracts to politically-connected New Leaders for New Schools and Teach

Shanker Blog » A New Twist On The Skills "Blame Game"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Shanker Blog » A New Twist On The Skills "Blame Game": A New Twist On The Skills “Blame Game” by Randall Garton It is conventional wisdom that the United States is suffering from a severe skills shortage, for which low-performing public schools and inadequate teachers must shoulder part of the blame (see here and here, for example). Employers complain that they cannot fill open slots because there are no Americans skilled enough to fill them, while pundits and policymakers – President Barack Obama and Bill Gates, among them – respond by pushing for unproven school reform proposa... more »

UPDATE: We should all be forced to look at Daily Kos: Hip-Hop Speaks to the Guns

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Daily Kos: Hip-Hop Speaks to the Guns: We should all be forced to look at by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) things like the smashed and brutalized body of Noah Pozner. Newspapers and the media should have shown it too many are detached from the reality of what guns do they watch movies, tv shows, video games it desensitizes it is not real I think back to when electeds on the Hill came out of seeing the Abu Ghraib photos sick to their stomachs we should all have seen them, all of them as Abu Ghraib was an almost inevitable byproduct of our idiotic decisions about Iraq, the violence of 1... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-7-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] What Happens When TFA Takes Over Vegas and Nevada by dianerav EduShyster tells a fascinating story about Nevada’s love affair with TFA. It is humorous but not funny. Nevada has large numbers of non-English speaking students but does not want to pay what t csts to help them learn. Nevada has the lowest graduation rate in the nation, worse even than Michele Rhee’s D.C. Schools. Las Vegas has some of the most overcrowded classrooms in the nation–as many as 50 in some classes. Two TFA alumnae have been elected t... more »

Truths About Education That Parents Need to Know | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Truths About Education That Parents Need to Know | toteachornototeach: Truths About Education That Parents Need to Know by aristotlethewise *Truths About Education That Parents Need to Know* [image: CompassMapcopy_zps59ce8c4a] by Dr. Rhonda Joy Edwards Vansant A six-year-old girl is excited about going to her neighborhood school. She was home schooled in kindergarten and now has her new backpack and lunchbox ready for first grade. She can’t wait to make new friends, share her love of art, and write stories. After the first day, her only news for her parents is that the teacher gave ... more »

Why Is Obama’s Agriculture Department blocking school integration?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Why Is Obama’s Agriculture Department blocking school integration?: Why Is Obama’s Agriculture Department blocking school integration? Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 7, 2013 at 5:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: iowa]The previous post looked school desegregation history, and this one looks at current events. It was written by Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, a nonprofit public policy research organization, writes about education, equal oppor... more »

Sacramento News & Review - Sacramento city district's worst practices on school closures - Bites - Opinions - February 7, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Sacramento News & Review - Sacramento city district's worst practices on school closures - Bites - Opinions - February 7, 2013: *Sacramento city district's worst practices on school closures* *Sacramento News & Review* * * By Cosmo Garvin cosmog@newsreview.com This article was published on 02.07.13. *Related stories:* Downsizing the district Sacramento neighborhood schools to be shuttered, and the superintendent's “priority schools” will be spared. SN&R, 01.24.13. Superintendent man and the meddling mayor Michell Rhee and Mayor Kevin Johnson screw with other people's school syste... more »

A look at the MAP test and Value Added Measures (VAM) « Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
A look at the MAP test and Value Added Measures (VAM) « Seattle Education: A look at the MAP test and Value Added Measures (VAM) by seattleducation2011 [image: scrap the map5] Students and teachers at Ballard High School in Seattle *Beginning this fall, teachers who have been on this system for two school years prior to 2012-2013, and who teach tested subjects and grades, will receive a student growth rating based upon two assessments and a two year rolling average of student assessment data.”* *- José Banda, Superintendent Seattle Public Schools* There has been a push underway to ... more »

Are Teachers Interested in the Opportunity To Call the Shots? (Kim Farris-Berg) Part 2 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Are Teachers Interested in the Opportunity To Call the Shots? (Kim Farris-Berg) Part 2 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Are Teachers Interested in the Opportunity To Call the Shots? (Kim Farris-Berg) Part 2 by larrycuban *Farris-Berg is lead author of **Trusting Teachers with School Success: What Happens When Teachers Call the Shots**. She is a Senior Associate with Education Evolving, a policy design shop based in St. Paul, Minnesota, and an independent education policy strategist. Her Twitter handle is @farrisberg.* If we made it loud and clear, in both po... more »

“Reckless” Bill Creates Charter School Land Grab | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
“Reckless” Bill Creates Charter School Land Grab | Scathing Purple Musings: “Reckless” Bill Creates Charter School Land Grab by Bob Sikes From *Palm Beach Post *reporter John Kennedy: An effort backed by Gov. Rick Scott to expand charter school education in Florida cleared a state House committee Wednesday on a strict, party-line vote. The legislation offers a host of incentives to the lucrative charter school industry – a move defended by Republicans on the House Choice & Innovation Subcommittee, which called charters an important alternative for parents and students unhappy wit... more »

UPDATE: Joy Resmovits: No Child Left Behind Review, Fountainhead In Idaho: Ed Today + No Child Left Behind Hearing Features Waiver Attack By Obama Ally

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
No Child Left Behind Hearing Features Waiver Attack By Obama Ally: No Child Left Behind Review, Fountainhead In Idaho: Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *Happy Waiver Day!* Today, the Senate's Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the No Child Left Behind waivers, featuring none other than U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the big cheese himself. Catch our preview here. *Mandatory Reading?* In Idaho, a lawmaker has proposed a bill that requires all students to read Tea Party favorite Atlas Shrugged before they can graduate. *Kind Cops?* In... more »

NYC Educator: In Which the DOE Shows Its Appreciation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
NYC Educator: In Which the DOE Shows Its Appreciation: In Which the DOE Shows Its Appreciation by NYC Educator I spent several days over at Bayside High School reading English Regents exams. I was entrusted with this task because I knew none of the kids whose papers I graded, and therefore was not prejudiced. I was "disinterested," which is apparently a desirable quality in a teacher nowadays. Because I did not care one way or another about the kids whose papers I read, my keen eye was somehow more accurate. *Thank you for your time and effort in serving as a scorer for Regents Di... more »

UPDATE: Tim Furman: Friday is Call Madigan Day. + Glen Brown: Call “Prince” Madigan on Friday. “Should this matter to you? The answer is an emphatic ‘Yes.’” « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Glen Brown: Call “Prince” Madigan on Friday. “Should this matter to you? The answer is an emphatic ‘Yes.’” « Fred Klonsky: Tim Furman: Friday is Call Madigan Day. by Fred Klonsky Chicago blogger and schools activist Tim Furman adds his voice to the chorus of those asking you to call Democratic Party Chairman and Speaker of the House Mike Madigan. Tell him that *he must talk to unions to find real pension solutions*. Madigan displayed his not-so-rare arrogance last week, telling the We Are One Coalition of public employee unions to basically *drop dead *in response to their request... more »

Schools Matter: No evidence supporting the Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Schools Matter: No evidence supporting the Common Core: No evidence supporting the Common Core by skrashen Sent to the Los Angeles Times, Feb 6, 2013 The Times is correct to insist on “evidence-based, replicated, time-tested educational change.” (“Education miracles that aren't,” Feb. 6). Let’s add the Common Core Standards to the list of unsupported claims. There is no evidence that “rigorous” standards and massive testing improve student learning. Stephen Krashen Some sources:

Heard the One About Old Teachers Resisting Tests? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Heard the One About Old Teachers Resisting Tests? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Heard the One About Old Teachers Resisting Tests? by Nancy Flanagan When I was a novice teacher, I knew I was on a path to becoming the World's Greatest Band Director. I gave my students challenging music (which they didn't play very well). I joked around in class (unlike their other, boring teachers). I wasn't stuck in a rut (see previous sentence). I was up on all the educational trends of the day: diversity and equality, the open classroom, unschooling. I was against trackin... more »

Diane in the Evening 2-6-13Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Uncommon assessments for common core? by garyrubinstein Guest Post by Gary Rubinstein garyrubinstein.teachforus.org ‘Rigor’ is in, and the common core standards promise to raise the achievement in this country by raising expectations which students always rise to meet. As a staunch “status-quo defender,” it might surprise ‘reformers’ that I have some pretty radical ideas about how I’d change the math curriculum in this country if I could. While they tinker around with teacher evaluation formulas which could, at best, raise test scores by a little, I would... more »

School closures: “Too many questions, too little time.” | Sacramento Current

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
School closures: “Too many questions, too little time.” | Sacramento Current: School closures: “Too many questions, too little time.” Posted on February 6, 2013 by cosmog *Note: This is a somewhat longer version of a column that will appear tomorrow in the Sacramento News and Review.* * * The more you peel back the layers of the Sac City school district’s brutal “right-sizing” plan, the weirder it gets.* * The administration wants to shutter 11 elementary schools–*one out of every five* run by the district. It’s a drastic solution, suited for a drastic problem. Unfortunately, it’s n... more »

Won’t you be my neighbor? A lesson in community relations | Baltimore Brew

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Won’t you be my neighbor? A lesson in community relations | Baltimore Brew: Won’t you be my neighbor? A lesson in community relationsAnger over a proposed greenhouse at a Hampden high school leads a community activist to reflect on the need for educators to reach out to local communities. Edit Barry February 6, 2013 at 8:06 am Story Link 3 [image: green house at ACCE] Site of a dispute: this hoop house in Hampden has spawned opposition from residents on Berry Street, in background. Photo by: Mark Reutter The words “civic engagement” are the stuff of academic symposium titles and armc... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 2-6-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* Fairy Tale Jeopardy! JeopardyLabs:This is Not Powerpoint! by Lisa M When I created my Fairytale Jeopardy, I used a PowerPoint template. (And, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that). The hard part for me was keeping score. The kids and I would get all mixed up. It was a hot mess! :) Then I discovered JeopardyLabs. Love it. The game is online so it can be played wherever, or on whatever,you use to access the Internet. It keeps score with a click and the Jeb Bush at the Trough by P. L. Thomas A picture is worth a 1000 words... ... more »

New Director of School Fiscal Services Division - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
New Director of School Fiscal Services Division - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Appoints New Director of School Fiscal Services Division SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today congratulated Peter Foggiato on his appointment as the new director of the California Department of Education's (CDE) School Fiscal Services Division. "Peter brings a wealth of knowledge to his new position at the department," said Torlakson. "School districts across the state rely on the department's fiscal experts for help navigating ...more »

No Pools For Schools « PWC Education Reform Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
No Pools For Schools « PWC Education Reform Blog: No Pools For Schools by pwceducationreform I spent most of my childhood swimming. Springboard pool in Springfield was my home, from early mornings at swim team practice to afternoons lounging around the pool. I remember the frozen hair after leaving practice in the winter and the chlorine smell that permeated everything I owned. One of the girls I swam with, Susie Rapp, received a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics for the 100 meter breaststroke. I swam on our neighborhood and high school teams until I turned 16, got a job, and d... more »

Glendale Unified, police settle suit over racial profiling - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Glendale Unified, police settle suit over racial profiling - latimes.com: Glendale Unified, police settle suit over racial profiling [image: Glendale Unified students take part in the ACLU lawsuit announcement in 2011. Credit: Raul Roa / Times Community News] The ACLU of Southern California announced Wednesday that it had reached settlements with the city of Glendale and the Glendale Unified School District on behalf of eight Latino students who alleged that officials engaged in racial profiling and illegal searches during a 2010 incident at Hoover High School. On Sept. 24, 2010, mo... more »

School Tech Connect: Call Madigan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
School Tech Connect: Call Madigan: Call Madigan by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Tomorrow is call/fax Mike Madigan day. I believe we're also calling our representatives and senators. For me the morning will begin with a short, pleasant call to Madigan, followed by a better, more hopeful call to Kelly Cassidy. I will think very carefully before calling my senator, given that I have called on her to resign on more than one occasion. *Rep. Michael J. Madigan(D-Chicago)* *22nd District**District Office* 6500 South Pulaski Road Chicago, IL 60629 (773) 581-8000 (773) 581-9414 (fax... more »

Council of the Great City Schools / Council of the Great City Schools - Homepage

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Council of the Great City Schools / Council of the Great City Schools - Homepage: - *Read the January/February edition of the Urban Educator* - *PRESS RELEASE: Statement on the Passing of Arlene Ackerman by the Council of the Great City Schools* - *PRESS RELEASE:* *Thousands of Educators Nationwide Taking Advantage of Resource to Help Urban School Districts Implement New Standards* - *NEWS RELEASE: New Common Core Academic Standards Advancing in Nation's Urban School Districts, Report Shows* - *NEW REPORT: Implementing the Common Core State Standards in Urba... more »

Daily Kos: Rebranding

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: Rebranding: Rebranding by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) as we listen to all the blather about Republican attempts to rebrand their party, it usually phrased in terms of taking an established product and presenting it in a different way, sometimes to differentiate it from competitors, in other cases to reintroduce the potential market to get them to reconsider the product or service. But there is an older and far more sinister use of the term, dating back to the last century and the American frontier. Remember the way one demonstrated ownership of certain livestock, es... more »

Enon Tabernacle seeks to counter 'top-down' approach to Philly school closings | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Enon Tabernacle seeks to counter 'top-down' approach to Philly school closings | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Enon Tabernacle seeks to counter 'top-down' approach to Philly school closingsby thenotebook on Feb 06 2013 Posted in Latest news ="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on email COMMENTS (0)PRINT Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller is the senior pastor at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Mt. Airy. *By Benjamin Herold for NewsWorks, a Notebook news partner* Add Alyn Waller, the influential pastor of the 15,000-member Enon ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: A Kinder, Gentler Michelle Rhee? Don't Count On It

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: A Kinder, Gentler Michelle Rhee? Don't Count On It: A Kinder, Gentler Michelle Rhee? Don't Count On It by Melissa Westbrook IS MICHELLE RHEE THE ANN COULTER OF EDUCATION? You may well have heard or seen Michelle Rhee on tv in the last week. She has a new book, Radical, that's she pushing. I have read a few excerpts and they don't fail to startle. As I had previously mentioned, the PBS series, Frontline, had Ms. Rhee as a focus of one show. It was quite the show as this was during the time period when she was DC Chancellor of schools. The re... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris on grants for charters to share their "successful" practices

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris on grants for charters to share their "successful" practices: Carol Burris on grants for charters to share their "successful" practices by Leonie Haimson *Carol Burris has been the principal of South **Side High School** in Rockville Centre, N.Y., for 12 years*. South Side is ranked as one of the top high schools in the country by Newsweek every year, and in 2010, she was named the NYS Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York. She is one of the co-authors of the principals’ letter against evaluating teacher... more »

Big Education Ape - SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 2-6-13 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* Chicago parents pass petitions at 37 schools to limit CPS testing by admin [image: standardized-tests]More Than a Score press release – Feb 6, 2013 Chicago parents pass petitions at 37 schools to limit CPS testing Joining National Day of Action to Support Seattle MAP Test Boycott Chicago, IL: Demanding fewer standardized tests in their children’s schools, and more test transparency from the district, parents of children in 37 Chicago public schools gathered signatures before and after school today on a new petition created by the parent, te... more »

RheeFirst! » Michelle “I don’t love publicity” Rhee hits the press circuit

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
RheeFirst! » Michelle “I don’t love publicity” Rhee hits the press circuit: Michelle “I don’t love publicity” Rhee hits the press circuit by admin In a New York Times Magazine interview last Friday, Rhee balked at the notion that she “loved publicity.” Well, for someone that doesn’t love publicity, she seems to be hitting the press circuit pretty hard. Rhee is currently making the press rounds to peddle her new memoir. Rhee has commiserated with Hannity, and been grilled by John Stewart, coddled by Pierce Morgan, and adored by the right-wing talkshow circuit this morning. And t... more »

Pushing Arne Duncan to Fast-Forward

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Pushing Arne Duncan to Fast-Forward: Pushing Arne Duncan to Fast-Forward JAMES CERSONSKY FEBRUARY 1, 2013 Activists demand that the Department of Education address discriminatory policies. 25InstapaperShare on readitlaterPocketShare on emailEmailShare on printPrint At a March 15, 2011, sit-down at the Children’s Defense Fund, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent an unequivocal message to black community and faith leaders. “What we’re desperately missing in this country is parents who will demand better for their children,” he said. “I wish to God I had parents knocking on my do... more »




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