Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 3-15-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Friday, March 15, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 3-15-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

Bruce Lesley excerpt at The Washington Post Live Children & Families Summit 2013’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 minutes ago

- The Washington Post: Bruce Lesley excerpt at The Washington Post Live Children & Families Summit 2013’ *Video: *Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, discusses inequality in schools and the need for a national commitment to address this. *First Focus*: Home About 50 percent of the growth in the number of kids in this country in the last decade happened in Texas, and yet we’re seeing a per capita decline in spending for kids in that state by almost $2,000 per kid. Think about the classroom. The classroom has got 25 kids in it. You’re underinvesting in that classroom by ... more »

Persepolis protest scheduled at Lane this afternoon. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago

Persepolis protest scheduled at Lane this afternoon. | Fred Klonsky: Persepolis protest scheduled at Lane this afternoon. by Fred Klonsky [image: persepolis-cover-small2-1] A group of students, parents and teachers from Lane Technical High School are planning a protest this afternoon at the corners of Western and Addison streets. They will be protesting the action of CPS bureaucrats who have attempted to pull the acclaimed graphic novel, Persepolis, off of school book shelves. The action is scheduled for 3:30. Teacher networks across the city have been buzzing about the action by CP... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Video footage from our student privacy press conferece

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago

NYC Public School Parents: Video footage from our student privacy press conferece: Video footage from our student privacy press conferece by Molly Class Size Matters led a student privacy press conference on the Tweed steps, March 14, 2013. Speakers included famed Civil Rights Attorney Norman Siegel, Councilmembers Daniel Dromm, Letitia James and Stephen Levin, mayoral candidate Tom Allon, public school parents Karen Sprowal, Lisa Shaw and Tori Frye, and Class Size Matters own Leonie Haimson. For more information on the press conference, see *our last post, here*. Videos will be u... more »

School Tech Connect: The Other Unbelievably Bizarre Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

School Tech Connect: The Other Unbelievably Bizarre Story: The Other Unbelievably Bizarre Story by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Before I went all kooky in the kepi over of CPS roundup of *Persepolis, *I was going to chime in about the highly weird, I'm-off-my-meds comment from the B3 about how every "gets it" that all these schools need to close. I think I'll just run Raise Your Hand's response: Today CEO Byrd Bennett told the press regarding the community hearings that "Everybody got it that we needed to close schools." You can hear the audio from WBEZ here: https://soundcl... more »

Tom Vander Ark and the Business of Education | deutsch29

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Tom Vander Ark and the Business of Education | deutsch29: Tom Vander Ark and the Business of Education by deutsch29 Former Florida governor Jeb Bush believes in education. He believes that education should follow a business model, that education is a lucrative market and should be privatized. And corporations ready to profit from the corporate reformer declaration that “public education is failing” are in no short supply. Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) provides an excellent conduit for “education for sale.” As Donald Cohen of the watchdog group, In the P... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-15-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Florida Teacher: A Fruitless Pursuit of My VAM Rating by dianerav Please read the link in this comment. Kafkateach has been trying, again and again, to find out what her VAM score for 2011-2012 was. No one will tell her. No one knows. It is being calculated. It is being recalculated. If it takes two years to find out what your evaluation score is, what value does VAM add? Will someone be sure to let Arne Duncan and Bill Gates know? She writes: *The new and impro... more »

Persepolis off CPS classroom shelves. No explanation given. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Persepolis off CPS classroom shelves. No explanation given. | Fred Klonsky: Persepolis off CPS classroom shelves. No explanation given. by Fred Klonsky The story of the removal of Persepolis from CPS classrooms and libraries gets stranger and stranger. One CPS teacher wrote me: *The book is included in the Common Core curriculum for both 7th grade and 11th grade, so there’s no way for the Board to plausibly claim the book was ordered “by mistake.”* -Fred I’m a CPS librarian very worried about the possible banning of the book Persepolis. We received the email below today, after HS l... more »

Dramatic dip in ‘pink slips’ given to teachers | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Dramatic dip in ‘pink slips’ given to teachers | EdSource Today: Dramatic dip in ‘pink slips’ given to teachers - by Susan Frey and John Fensterwald by Susan Frey and John Fensterwald Districts have issued dramatically fewer preliminary layoff notices to teachers this year, signaling an end to five years of high budgetary anxiety and providing one of the first concrete examples of the immediate benefits of Proposition 30. Reports are still trickling in, but the number could be as low as 2,600 notices statewide – down 87 percent from the 20,000 “pink slips” issued last year and jus... more »

Louisiana Educator: Ravitch Exposes Reform Myths

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Louisiana Educator: Ravitch Exposes Reform Myths: Ravitch Exposes Reform Myths by Michael Deshotels Diane Ravitch visited Baton Rouge yesterday, and participated in a forum with BESE president Chas Roemer sponsored by Leaders With Vision. In this forum and in a town hall meeting with teachers later in the afternoon Dr Ravitch discredited the myths upon which the Jindal education reforms are based. To summarize, Ravitch used the latest educational research findings to point out that (1) vouchers have never improved education, and in the longest running voucher program in Milwauk... more »

The Seductive Lure of Big Data: Practitioners Beware | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

The Seductive Lure of Big Data: Practitioners Beware | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: The Seductive Lure of Big Data: Practitioners Beware by larrycuban Big Data beckons policymakers, administrators and teachers with eye-popping analytics and snazzy graphics. Here is Darrell West of the Brookings Institition laying out the case for teachers and administrators to use Big Data: *Twelve-year-old Susan took a course designed to improve her reading skills. She read short stories and the teacher would give her and her fellow students a written test every other wee... more »

Why English spelling is so messed up | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Why English spelling is so messed up | toteachornototeach: Why English spelling is so messed up by aristotlethewise [image: imqwes]*Why English spelling is so messed up** The explanation may not comfort you, but it may at least * *make you see the language as less arbitrarily maddening* by Arika Okrent If you’re a kid learning how to write, or an adult speaker of a language with sensible spelling, English spelling can seem like a cruel prank. And even if you’re a completely literate adult native speaker of English, you will still run into situations that make you wonder how English sp... more »

Aspire surrenders benefit charter status under settlement terms SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Aspire surrenders benefit charter status under settlement terms Aspire Charter Schools will surrender its statewide benefit charter status under terms of a settlement agreement reached today between the charter operator, the state board of education and the group of education advocates that brought the lawsuit. Aspire will also be ineligible to seek statewide benefit charter status for five years and, along with SBE, will pay $300,000 – $150,000 each – in attorney’s fees and court costs. “Today’s settlement is an important victory for parents ... more »

Open Letter to Parents of Public Schooled Children | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Open Letter to Parents of Public Schooled Children | Truth in American Education: Open Letter to Parents of Public Schooled Children by Heather Patenaude This fall as your buy your school supplies, tennis shoes, and backpacks, make sure you do your homework on the shift that has taken place within the halls of public schools across this nation. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are creating a dark future for education and parents must educate themselves on these new standards and their radical implications. What you need to know about CCSS: 1) These standards claim to be “rigorou... more »

Daily Kos: Krugman: After the Flimflam

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Daily Kos: Krugman: After the Flimflam: Krugman: After the Flimflam by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) begins like this: It has been a big week for budget documents. In fact, members of Congress have presented not one but two full-fledged, serious proposals for spending and taxes over the next decade. As it happens, and as one discovers by reading Krugman's entire *New York Times* column, both "full-fledged, serious proposals" are by Democrats, those in the Senate, and those in the Congressional Progressive Caucus.Krugman acknowledges that 3 proposals were presented this week, but... more »

Can we simultaneously fix and flee public schools? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Can we simultaneously fix and flee public schools? | Get Schooled: Can we simultaneously fix and flee public schools? by Maureen Downey Can we simultaneously fix and flee public schools? [image: artchange]I wondered about that question after meetings with Georgia’s last Democratic governor, Roy Barnes, and House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta. The men sat down with the AJC recently to discuss education issues in the state. In many areas, the two leaders — both noted for their interest in education — see eye to eye. “Just because a child is born in Schley County and not Forsy... more »

Chicago school activists get trained in civil disobedience tactics

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Chicago school activists get trained in civil disobedience tactics: Chicago school activists get trained in civil disobedience tactics Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 15, 2013 at 7:00 am [image: Chicago teachers on strike last fall. (By John Gress/Reuters)] Chicago teachers on strike last fall. (By John Gress/Reuters) Chicago Public Schools officials are considering closing as many as 129 public schools said to be under-enrolled — and activists are gearing up for a fight. The Chicago Teachers Union is co-sponsoring “Citywide Non-Violent Civil Disobedience Trainings” to teach par... more »

Weakening Local Control of Schools to Empower Charter Schools Continues in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Weakening Local Control of Schools to Empower Charter Schools Continues in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings: Weakening Local Control of Schools to Empower Charter Schools Continues in Florida by Bob Sikes Floridians have not witnessed such an avalanche of legislation intended to shift tax payer dollars which once went to public schools to the education for profit industry. *Scathing Purple Musings *wrote yesterday that a senate bill would turn over children’s private information to testing corporations to stay in line with Florida’s move to Common Core Standards. The House was ... more »

Have charter schools grown too fast? Page 1 of 2 | UTSanDiego.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Have charter schools grown too fast? Page 1 of 2 | UTSanDiego.com: Have charter schools grown too fast? [image: The California Charter Schools Association's 20th annual conference took place this week at the San Diego Convention Center. / photo by John Gastaldo * U-T]The California Charter Schools Association's 20th annual conference took place this week at the San Diego Convention Center. / photo by John Gastaldo * U-T Mar 14, 2013, 8:48 p.m. After two decades of offering educational choice to families, leaders of the charter-school movement in California are touting accomplishme... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: How to Sustain a Nationalized Educational System. Turn it Over to 501(c)(3) Groups for Outsourcing.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: How to Sustain a Nationalized Educational System. Turn it Over to 501(c)(3) Groups for Outsourcing.: How to Sustain a Nationalized Educational System. Turn it Over to 501(c)(3) Groups for Outsourcing. by stlgretchen *Outsourcing: *Outsourcing is any task, operation, job or process that could be performed by employees within an organization, but is instead contracted to a third party for a significant period of time. In addition, the functions that are performed by the third party can be performed on-site or off-site. The two private trade organization... more »

NYC Educator: The Dreaded Parent-Teacher Conference Attendance Sheet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

NYC Educator: The Dreaded Parent-Teacher Conference Attendance Sheet: The Dreaded Parent-Teacher Conference Attendance Sheet by NYC Educator Mr. Hopkins had been teaching for over a decade. Twice a year, he held parent-teacher conferences. By 9 PM, he was anxious to go home. But there was always the matter of the attendance sheet. You had to send the office a report of how many parents you saw, and before doing this, you simply could not go home. Mr. Hopkins would often see 30 parents. One year, he dropped a sheet saying he had seen those 30 parents, but did so 5 minutes before vis... more »

HAVE LAUSD TEACHERS RECENTLY BEEN INFECTED WITH A PERVERT VIRUS OR IS LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY LYING TO FACILITATE THE PRIVATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION? (VIDEO) - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

HAVE LAUSD TEACHERS RECENTLY BEEN INFECTED WITH A PERVERT VIRUS OR IS LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY LYING TO FACILITATE THE PRIVATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION? (VIDEO) - Perdaily.com: HAVE LAUSD TEACHERS RECENTLY BEEN INFECTED WITH A PERVERT VIRUS OR IS LAUSD'S SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY LYING TO FACILITATE THE PRIVATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION? (VIDEO) by Leonard Isenberg [image: witch hunt.jpg] (Mensaje se repite en Español) At the end of the following video, Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Monica Garcia asks Superintendent John Deasy, "How long has this [teacher j... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 3-14-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* *CORPORATE ED REFORM* CPS book banning. by Fred Klonsky [image: 504280418xsjvla_fs] Photo: CPS Chatter. Is there a freee speech storm brewing at Lane Tech? Here is what I am hearing. CPS suits apparently sent a directive to Lane (and how many other high schools?) on March 13th, 2013 to I have the best job by Dean Shareski Cross posted on The DEN blogs The other day I having one of my regular google hangouts with my teammates and my wife happened to be home over hearing the conversation. “I hate you”, she said in jest. “All your calls in... more »

Corporate Education Storm of Reform Hits Alabama | The Network For Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Corporate Education Storm of Reform Hits Alabama | The Network For Public Education: Corporate Education Storm of Reform Hits Alabama by admin [image: The Network For Public Education -] For the most part, the winds of corporate education reform sweeping over the country in the last decade bypassed Alabama. That is until the elections of 2010 put Republican legislators in firm control of both the House and Senate. In addition, a GOP governor and Lt. governor were elected. Then in 2011, like a storm blowing in from the gulf, the GOP majority took a run at bringing charter schools ... more »

ARNE DUNCAN INVITED TO THE AERA: SHOCKING? – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

ARNE DUNCAN INVITED TO THE AERA: SHOCKING? – @ the chalk face: ARNE DUNCAN INVITED TO THE AERA: SHOCKING? by Barbara Madeloni This is not a blog about being shocked, shocked to find out that the AERA has invited the state’s chief purveyor of the corporate takeover of public education to speak at its annual conference. There is nothing shocking about Arne Duncan speaking at the AERA, anymore than it is shocking that corporate think tanks get to pass themselves off as researchers in AERA journals or that the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education is promoting the edT... more »

Daily Kos: Some quick notes on biit'aa tiinlii ihii

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Daily Kos: Some quick notes on biit'aa tiinlii ihii: Some quick notes on biit'aa tiinlii ihii by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) [image: photo (30)] *biit'aa tiinlii ihii* that's an Apache phrase that translated literally means "leaves flowing in river" which of course approximates to Leaves on the Current. A dear friend offered to pray for my wife at an Apache sweat lodge ceremony, and decided to translate her screen name in the appropriate language oh and he is sending an appropriate bird feather to add to Gregor. You can see Gregor in the photo. The picture was taken at the end of a... more »

A Year at Mission Hill One year. A public school trying to help children learn / grow. The national conversation we need to be having.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Home | A Year at Mission Hill: What is the relationship between our social & emotional well-being and our capacity for intellectual growth? What are the opportunities and the obstacles associated with full-inclusion classrooms? WATCH This is My Place What Kids Can Do READ The Empathy Formula Sam Chaltain LISTEN Loretta Goodwin: Daring To Dream, Amid Apartheid WAMU DO Try This Format for Problem-Solving Conferences NEFC/Responsive Classroom *Go Deeper. *Find more resources for each chapter. What goes into creating a powerful learning environment for children and adults? Meet the teache... more »

Mexico's new education laws: reform or political power play?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Mexico's new education laws: reform or political power play?: Mexico’s new education laws: reform or political power play? 03/14/2013 By Being Latino Contributors Leave a Comment Photo: Susana Gonzalez / Bloomberg / Getty Images On Feb. 26, just days before radical new educational reforms were scheduled to take effect, Elba Esther Gordillo, head of Mexico’s powerful teacher’s union for almost a quarter century, was arrested and charged with embezzling 2 billion pesos (approximately $160 million) from her union during her tenure. The question that is foremost on everyone’s mind: i... more »

School addresses Charlie Sheen's Twitter rant, threats - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

School addresses Charlie Sheen's Twitter rant, threats - latimes.com: School addresses Charlie Sheen's Twitter rant, threats March 14, 2013 | 4:13 pm [image: increase text size][image: decrease text size] 7 0 [image: Actor Charlie Sheen is photograph during Comedy Central's roast of him at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times] A Calabasas school on Thursday said actor Charlie Sheen may have placed it at risk by posting a message on Twitter encouraging his fans to leave rotten eggs, toilet paper and dog excrement at campus where his dau... more »

Pass / Fail : Preschool teachers need schooling in health and nutrition facts -- and practices | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Pass / Fail : Preschool teachers need schooling in health and nutrition facts -- and practices | 89.3 KPCC: Preschool teachers need schooling in health and nutrition facts -- and practices by Deepa Fernandes *Credit: Larry Crowe/AP* Digging into the concept of whether you can teach what you don't know, a recent survey by researchers at the University of Texas School of Public Health sought to uncover the health and nutrition knowledge --and practices-- of a group of teachers. Two of the questions asked of almost 200 Head Start teachers in Texas: - Do you know how many servings o... more »

California Teacher Layoffs Decline Because Of Prop 30

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

California Teacher Layoffs Decline Because Of Prop 30: California Teacher Layoffs Decline Because Of Prop 30 by Joy Resmovits [image: California Teacher Layoffs] After years of threatening to lay off tens of thousands of teachers due to budget shortfalls, California has some relatively good news: less than one-eighth of the number of teachers who got pink-slipped last year will be out of work next year. After sending out 20,000 reduction In force notices to teachers last year, school districts in California have only sent out about 2,400 such letters so far this year, Dean Vogel,... more »

Revolution or Sequestration? – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Revolution or Sequestration? – @ the chalk face: Revolution or Sequestration? by Timothy D. Slekar [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] Someone has to say it. Where the hell is the main stream media? Look! https://www.facebook.com/events/538840062805733/ http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/02/portland_public_schools_studen_1.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/03/04/principal-i-was-naive-about-common-core/ http://www.texastribune.org/2013/02/23/capitol-education-rally-tough-words-legislature/ http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2020158085_jessehago... more »

Action for 3-14-13: Share this parent trigger video | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Action for 3-14-13: Share this parent trigger video | Parents Across America: Action for 3-14-13: Share this parent trigger video by pureparents Here’s a four minute video from the Education Opportunity Network. “Another Reform Misfires” features a parent, Lori Yuan, who opposed the trigger at her children’s elementary school in Adelanto, CA and John Rogers a professor from UCLA who has described the parent trigger as “a misguided approach to improving educational improvement and enhancing parental engagement.” Parent triggers have been introduced in 14 states this year (see map b... more »

UPDATE: Late breaking news: Penny Pritzker, bah bye. And two pension bills get through the Illinois House. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Late breaking news: Penny Pritzker, bah bye. And two pension bills get through the Illinois House. | Fred Klonsky: The in box. Can the SOIL enact no law that compensates these accounts from the assets of the crooks that knowingly misrepresented them? by Fred Klonsky *Fred,* *Why, in the name of all that’s fair and lawful do Illinois politicians insist that INNOCENT retirees sacrifice what they were PROMISED by politicians, who not only and utterly failed to live up to their responsibility to fund pensions but who BROKE U.S. law by knowingly misrepresenting the state of the pension... more »

Where are We Going and Why? — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Where are We Going and Why? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Where are We Going and Why? March 14, 2013 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers *Post submitted by Andy Hargreaves and Pasi Sahlberg.* *We are entering an age of post-standardization in education. It may not look, smell, or feel like it, but the augurs of the new age have already arrived and are advancing with increasing speed. [This] Fourth Way pushes beyond standardization, data-driven decision making, and target-obsessed distractions to forge an equal and interactive partnership am... more »

SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 3-14-13 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* Part Two Of My ASCD Article On Using Ed Tech In The Classroom by Larry Ferlazzo ASCD just published my article, Giving Teachers the Opportunity to Say “Yes” to Ed Tech, which is basically the second part of an article I wrote for ASCD Educational Leadership earlier this month. Here’s a quote from it: Seattle School District Announcements by Melissa Westbrook * From SPS Communications regarding the Strategic Plan, SE Region and Hiring/Spending Freeze:* *Strategic Plan* Seattle Public Schools will host five community meetings to share i... more »

School Board Report – March 13, 2013 | PWC Education Reform Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

School Board Report – March 13, 2013 | PWC Education Reform Blog: FY 2014 PWCS Budget Update #2 by pwceducationreform On March 13, 2013 the Superintendent provided a update on how much PWCS expects to receive next school year. The school division expects to receive about $5.6 million less than they’d originally budgeted due to the change in the tax rate approved by the PWC BOCS and a reduction in funds received from the state. [...] School Board Report – March 13, 2013 by pwceducationreform School Board Report for March 13, 2013. This was the meeting that was rescheduled fr... more »

Chicago: Everybody out for March 27th. Every school. Every neighborhood. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Chicago: Everybody out for March 27th. Every school. Every neighborhood. | Fred Klonsky: Chicago: Everybody out for March 27th. Every school. Every neighborhood. by Fred Klonsky [image: 378899_10200571414023683_1303371586_n]

Common Core Is Where The Money Is At | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Common Core Is Where The Money Is At | Truth in American Education: Common Core Is Where The Money Is At by Shane Vander Hart I was just reminded of that today from an EdWeek story announcing tha Amplify Insight has been awarded $12.5 million dollar contract from Smarter Balanced. One of the two consortia developing tests for the Common Core State Standards has awarded a $12.5 million contract to Amplify Insight to develop a digital library of formative assessment professional learning tools for educators. The award from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, announced Tues... more »

GUEST POST: Myths of committing to TFA, Julie Gorlewski – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

GUEST POST: Myths of committing to TFA, Julie Gorlewski – @ the chalk face: GUEST POST: Myths of committing to TFA, Julie Gorlewski by plthomasedd Buffalo, NY, a city desperate for jobs that will allow young people to remain in the area and mitigate the “brain drain,” is on the verge of hiring 60 Teach for American (TFA) temps. The *Buffalo News*, which has published an editorial supporting this decision, is not interested in publishing my piece: Another Voice: TFA: Mistake or Malevolence? The decision to bring TFA to Buffalo Schools will have negative consequences for students, t... more »

Teach 4 a Place 2 Live | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Teach 4 a Place 2 Live | EduShyster: Teach 4 a Place 2 Live by edushyster2012 *When reform and real estate development get together, miracle$ happen…* Teachers Village is under construction in Newark NJ, thanks to the support of Goldman Sachs. Teachers will live on site next to three outstanding charter schools. Make that almost solved. Because the fresh new teachers traveled from far away to boost achievement and excellence, they didn’t have anywhere to live. Fortunately bold visionary leaders who have figured out one way to boost profits achievement almost always have another gre... more »

Skyline College, SLO’s, the ACCJC, Accreditation: The Privatization, California Community Colleges

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Skyline College, SLO’s, the ACCJC, Accreditation: The Privatization, California Community Colleges: Skyline College, SLO’s, the ACCJC and Accreditation: The Privatization of California Community Colleges by Danny Weil *by guest writer, George Wright, PhD. Department of Politics, The University of Leeds* *UPWA Action Alert!!!* *United Public Workers for Action* (www.upwa.info, http://www.upwa.info) *UPWA Editorial Board* *Introduction* The specter of accreditation of Skyline Community College next year by the Accrediting Commission for Community Colleges and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) ... more »

Big bucks for blended learning in K-12: Where’s the evidence? | Digital

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Big bucks for blended learning in K-12: Where’s the evidence? | Digital: Big bucks for blended learning in K-12: Where’s the evidence? A Bay Area nonprofit called the Learning Accelerator (TLA), started with funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has just scored a $5 million grant to expand its operations greatly and get more blended learning programs into more K-12 schools. (Note: The Gates Foundation is among thevarious funders of The Hechinger Report.) “Blended learning is the transformative educational innovation of our time and has the potential to significantly impr... more »

Steven Adamowski: Add public funded consultant and adjunct professor to the title Special Master - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Steven Adamowski: Add public funded consultant and adjunct professor to the title Special Master - Wait, What?: Steven Adamowski: Add public funded consultant and adjunct professor to the title Special Master by jonpelto If there is one thing you can say about Connecticut “education reformers” like Paul Vallas and Steven Adamowski it is that they sure do know how to double and triple down on making money. Bridgeport’s Acting Superintendent, Paul Vallas, wouldn’t sign a $234,000 annual contract unless it allowed him to maintain his private consulting company, the Vallas Group. T... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: For Mayor - Not Ron Sims

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: For Mayor - Not Ron Sims: For Mayor - Not Ron Sims by Melissa Westbrook He said that on KUOW earlier this week. I did finally listen to the interview because I had been told he talked a lot about Seattle public education. I found his remarks kind of all over the place and frankly, I'm glad he's not running. His main theme seemed to be that mayors should bring change. And, for Seattle, that would be in public education. When the host pushed back saying that a mayor like that would hear from the Superintendent and School Board, he said "mayors ... more »

Legislative Action Alert: Grading schools, closing schools and converting them into charter schools: SB5328 and SB5329 | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Legislative Action Alert: Grading schools, closing schools and converting them into charter schools: SB5328 and SB5329 | Seattle Education: Legislative Action Alert: Grading schools, closing schools and converting them into charter schools: SB5328 and SB5329 by seattleducation2011 [image: ActionAlert] This is a one item agenda, grading schools, then transforming the schools with the lowest test scores into charter schools or closing them and providing the option of…a charter school or a public school outside of the student’s neighborhood. If you don’t understand the devastation tha... more »

LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY IS A BLATANT LIAR- SO WHY DOESN'T KNBC'S CONAN NOLAN CALL HIM ON IT? (VIDEO) - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY IS A BLATANT LIAR- SO WHY DOESN'T KNBC'S CONAN NOLAN CALL HIM ON IT? (VIDEO) - Perdaily.com: LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT JOHN DEASY IS A BLATANT LIAR- SO WHY DOESN'T KNBC'S CONAN NOLAN CALL HIM ON IT? (VIDEO) by Leonard Isenberg [image: Scorpion 2.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) **T*here is the fable about the scorpion who talks a turtle into ferrying him across the river by telling him he would not dare bite him, because he too would drown and that would be illogical. This convinces the turtle who allows the scorpion on his back, only to be bitten by ... more »

Spoiler Alert: House of Card Reveals Corrupt Nexus of Politicians and Charities | CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Spoiler Alert: House of Card Reveals Corrupt Nexus of Politicians and Charities | CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: Spoiler Alert: House of Card Reveals Corrupt Nexus of Politicians and Charities [image: Bloody fingers] Last month, Netflix debuted *House of Cards*, a fictional take on the dark side of power in Washington, DC. Though the show has apparently become “a minor cultural zeitgeist among Hill staffers and journalists,” some in D.C. are questioning whether it accurately depicts the realities of Washington. One element of the show’s story, howe... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, March 14, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Michelle Rhee: Not all charters created equal* Education Headlines *Thursday, March 14, 2013* School modernization creates headaches for parents, cities With most of its buildings more than half-a-century old, the school district, composed of 68 schools stretching across neighboring cities such as Fountain Valley and Westminster, placed Measure A on the June 2010 ballot. It passed on a 59.2 percent vote. The bond measure created $250 million in local funds – and paved the way for the district to receive state matching funds – t... more »

UPDATE: Madigan responds + Good morning. HB2404, HB3162, SB1 and SB35. 888/412-6570 | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Good morning. HB2404, HB3162, SB1 and SB35. 888/412-6570 | Fred Klonsky: Madigan responds to pension fraud charge: “No victims.” by Fred Klonsky Want more evidence that we in Illinois live in Bizarro World. Read page four of today’s Chicago Sun-Times. Earlier this week the Securities and Exchange Commission accused the state of Illinois of committing fraud. They found that the state had both failed to adequately fund the states public pension systems and then hid the fact from investors who purchased state bonds. Even the Chicago Tribune editorialized that *every* politician involved... more »

The Heart of Our Testing Disagreement - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The Heart of Our Testing Disagreement - Bridging Differences - Education Week: The Heart of Our Testing Disagreement by Deborah Meier Dear Eric, I think you you've picked the heart of our disagreement, or maybe I should say the "brain" since heart seems wishy-washy! I might never have changed my views if I hadn't had the experiences I did—from going into the classroom to having a son who had trouble with testing, and had it not been for those interviews I did of 2nd and 3rd graders. With those experiences behind me, and having had access—as teachers no longer do—to the manuals... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center: Best of the Ed Blogs *Best of the Ed Blogs* features a frequently updated selection of interesting and insightful blog posts on education policy. The views expressed by the bloggers on our blog roll are thoughtful, original, and entirely their own. We hope you make *Best of the Ed Blogs* your first stop for concise takes on today's most important education topics. Big Data is “Not a Replacement for the Classic Ways of Understanding the World" Best of the Ed Blogs Larry Ferlazzo March 14, 2013 10 Signs You Might Be a Transph... more »

» SEC Charges Illinois with Securities Fraud for Failing to Properly Fund Public Pensions

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

» SEC Charges Illinois with Securities Fraud for Failing to Properly Fund Public Pensions: SEC Charges Illinois with Securities Fraud for Failing to Properly Fund Public Pensions by Steve Cooper Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn As Illinois Governor Pat Quinn looks to overhaul his state’s pensions system, the SEC is stepping in with charges that officials misled investors. An investigation shows that a series of political decisions almost two decades in the making have left Illinois with only 40 cents of assets for every dollar of pension liabilities. The national average for states is ... more »