Thursday, March 21, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 3-21-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



Heck, with an average age of 75, retired teachers may not even remember it was Malloy’s proposal - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 42 minutes ago
Heck, with an average age of 75, retired teachers may not even remember it was Malloy’s proposal - Wait, What?: Heck, with an average age of 75, retired teachers may not even remember it was Malloy’s proposal by jonpelto Last month, in a post entitled, *Define fiscally and morally irresponsible? Malloy’s plan for older, retired teachers.* Wait, What? readers had a chance to learn about Governor Malloy’s budget proposal to eliminate the state’s contribution to the retired teacher’s health insurance fund. The fund pays a portion of the health insurance premiums of retired teachers.... more »

Illinois pensions and what the hell happened yesterday. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago
Illinois pensions and what the hell happened yesterday. | Fred Klonsky: Illinois pensions and what the hell happened yesterday. by Fred Klonsky There was good news and bad, very bad, news yesterday coming out of Springfield. I got the story wrong and I’m not altogether clear yet. It started earlier in the day when a Sangamon County judge ruled on a case not involving TRS that the state could legally change the benefits of a retiree health plan. I knew that this was a worrisome decision and might give Senate President Cullerton some extra votes on his Senate Bill 1, which included a... more »

'Garbage In, Garbage Out' - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 52 minutes ago
'Garbage In, Garbage Out' - Bridging Differences - Education Week: 'Garbage In, Garbage Out' by Deborah Meier Dear Rick (vs. Eric, now that we know each other better!), I'm going to try to go through your thoughtful response one step at a time, and then propose one of many alternatives. First. Many, many of us have objected to standardized tests for students (FairTest is an OLD organization). IQ tests were the focus of critiques for a hundred years, and SATs for half a century. The list of books on the subject is long. My own writings on the subject began in the late 1960s and wer... more »

Like Spokes to a Hub: Chiefs for Change in Bush’s Service | deutsch29

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 52 minutes ago
Like Spokes to a Hub: Chiefs for Change in Bush’s Service | deutsch29: Like Spokes to a Hub: Chiefs for Change in Bush’s Service by deutsch29 Jeb Bush has a vision to impose his will nationwide, and he enjoys nothing more than doing so in the arena of educational reform. To this end, Bush used his Foundation for Educational Excellence (FEE) to create the offshoot, reform-exclusive club of Bush-serving state superintendents known as Chiefs for Change. The “chiefs” are merely spokes revolving around Bush the hub. Indeed, if the name “Chiefs for Change” could be reduced to a single ... more »

Shanker Blog » The Ineffective Rating Fetish

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 52 minutes ago
Shanker Blog » The Ineffective Rating Fetish: The Ineffective Rating Fetish by Matthew Di Carlo In a story for *Education Week*, always reliable Stephen Sawchuk reports on what may be a trend in states’ first results from their new teacher evaluation systems: The ratings are skewed toward the top. For example, the article notes that, in Michigan, Florida and Georgia, a high proportion of teachers (more than 90 percent) received one of the two top ratings (out of four or five). This has led to some grumbling among advocates and others, citing similarities between these results and ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: inBloom Student and Teacher Data Mining "Sandbox" Segment

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 52 minutes ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: inBloom Student and Teacher Data Mining "Sandbox" Segment: inBloom Student and Teacher Data Mining "Sandbox" Segment by stlgretchen *inBloom is bringing together states and districts from across the country to improve and align technology systems and teaching resources. There is no reason why each state should have to tackle this challenge alone – together, we have the potential to change the way education works for students on a large scale.* ** *- Gene Wilhoit, CEO of the Center for Innovation in Education and former Executive Director of the Co... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-21-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Indiana: Who Is Pushing for and against Common Core by dianerav Indiana voters booted out State superintendent Tony Bennett because of a strange coalition: Democrats who disliked his all-out assault on teachers and public education, allied with Republicans who disliked his fierce advocacy for the Common Core. Now the struggle against the Common Core continues in that state, as advocates like the rightwing Stand for Children run an advertising campaign to suppo... more »

Common Core Foes Go Knocking on Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s Door | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Common Core Foes Go Knocking on Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s Door | Truth in American Education: Common Core Foes Go Knocking on Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s Door by Shane Vander Hart [image: indiana-state-capitol]At 9:30am (EST) this morning at the Indiana State Capitol Common Core opponents are going to be delivering a letter to Indiana Governor Mike Pence. It reads: We, the undersigned, representing diverse grassroots organizations from across the state of Indiana, oppose the adoption of the Common Core State Standards and membership in the Partnership for Assessment of Colle... more »

Magical thinking about technology in education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Magical thinking about technology in education: Magical thinking about technology in education Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 21, 2013 at 5:00 am 4 Comments More [image: tech2]To hear some people talk, you’d think technology is going to save public education. Really? Here’s a caution post from Larry Cuban, a high school social studies teacher for 14 years, a district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, Va.), and professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught for more than 20 years. His latest book is “As Good As It Gets: What School Reform Brou... more »

House Republicans Reeling From Opposition and Weak Defense of Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
House Republicans Reeling From Opposition and Weak Defense of Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings: House Republicans Reeling From Opposition and Weak Defense of Parent Trigger by Bob Sikes Most observers say that Rep. Carlos Truillo (R-Miami) was bested by a handful of Florida democrat legislators in this week’s Parent Trigger debate in the House. Not only did opponents out number supporters – 23 people speaking in opposition with four in support – the suggestion arose as to just how small the number of parents there are clamoring for what’s called a parent empowerment bill.... more »

UPDATE: Jim Webb on Congressional Abdication Daily Kos: Because I have nothing better to do with my time right now

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Daily Kos: Because I have nothing better to do with my time right now: Jim Webb on Congressional Abdication by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Some here may remember that I was very active in the Senatorial campaign of Jim Webb against George Allen in 2006. Besides the fact that I could not stand Allen, my reasons included several things often overlooked when people rallied around Webb because of his opposition to the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq: 1. Webb wanted to rebuild the American middle class 2. Webb wanted to see a restoration of the proper balance between the Cong... more »

Ed Committee backs crackdown on interest-deferred bonds | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Ed Committee backs crackdown on interest-deferred bonds | EdSource Today: Ed Committee backs crackdown on interest-deferred bonds - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Despite opposition from several education organizations, the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday voted 6-0 for a bill that would severely restrict school districts’ ability to float construction bonds that would saddle future taxpayers with huge balloon payments. These financial instruments are known as capital appreciation bonds, or CABs, and they have become common over the past decade. By deferring paym... more »

Mother Crusader: Cerf Invites Edison Learning Crony To Open "Cluster" Of Charters In Paterson With No Public Input

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mother Crusader: Cerf Invites Edison Learning Crony To Open "Cluster" Of Charters In Paterson With No Public Input: Cerf Invites Edison Learning Crony To Open "Cluster" Of Charters In Paterson With No Public Input by darciecima The Paterson public school district has been under state control for 21 years, and elected officials are saying enough is enough. But state control suits NJ Education Commissioner Chris Cerf just fine. After all, if he isn't in complete control of the district, how can he hand out charter schools to his buddies? I have been following and writing about t... more »

The Business of Education | My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The Business of Education | My Island View: The Business of Education by tomwhitby As I have traveled around this country participating in education conferences I have made several observations in regard to the effects of the Internet and social media on various levels of education as a profession, as an industry, and as an institution. These are often the topics of sessions at education conferences that draw thousands of educators in to look at, examine, talk over, consider, and move on. This all takes time and has been going on since tech was first introduced to education in v... more »

NYC Educator: The Good Old Days

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
NYC Educator: The Good Old Days: The Good Old Days by NYC Educator A colleague told me yesterday about how she got her job. She was doing student teaching in our building and constantly being observed by her college teacher. The professor was effusive with praise for her, and her first department AP always found an excuse to be around and eavesdrop. He would shuffle through papers on a desk pretending to be looking for something, or stumble around as though lost in his own office. When she finished her student teaching, he was able to offer her a job. Before she got tenure, he for... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's War!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's War!: It's War! by Mike Klonsky *Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.* -- Frederick Douglass *Barbara Byrd-Bennett* will make her declaration of war on Chicago's most vulnerable communities today, when she announces officially that she will close 50 schools over the next few months, the largest number ever closed in one place at one time in the country, This first round of closings will move about 15,000 students to consolidated "welcoming" s... more »

Last Chance to Support #transformbmore EXTENDED | Re:education in Baltimore

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Last Chance to Support #transformbmore EXTENDED | Re:education in Baltimore: Last Chance to Support #transformbmore EXTENDED by Edit Barry [image: Picture 5]Twitpic of MD Delegate Maggie McIntosh of the 43rd Legislative District arguing for HB 860 on March 20, 2013 If you’ve been following the fate of the Baltimore City school construction bill, you were probably hoping for closure Wednesday night. The vote has been postponed to give legislators a chance to read the bill. Haven’t read the details yet yourself? Why wait? Download the PDF of HB0860 here. The bill returns to the floor... more »

The Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School Part VII: THE TRAIN WRECK southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: The Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School Part VII: THE TRAIN WRECK by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) When last we visited The Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School we saw how the proverbial doody is hitting the proverbial fan. That ain't nothing. The Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School is now nothing more than a train wreck awaiting the clean up crew wreckage of corpses of hope and education of what will ceased to be, especially after tonight's PEP meeting. To say that there is no direction at The Happy ...more »

Voice your opinion on issues important to you. How? With one click. | Reclaim Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Voice your opinion on issues important to you. How? With one click. | Reclaim Reform: Voice your opinion on issues important to you. How? With one click. Posted on March 20, 2013by kenpreviti Voice your opinion on issues important to you. How? With one click. Refuse to be a willing victim. Speak out. Simple: Find your Senators & Representatives in one click. Contact them. HERE: http://www.opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup Simple: Find your letters-to-the-editor source in one click. Write a letter to your paper. HERE: http://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4055/letter/?letter_KEY=210&tag210.ema... more »

All Things Education: Constituents: Eric Cantor wants to hear that you agree with his bankrupt agenda.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
All Things Education: Constituents: Eric Cantor wants to hear that you agree with his bankrupt agenda.: Constituents: Eric Cantor wants to hear that you agree with his bankrupt agenda. by Rachel Levy *Blogger's note:* *This is the second in a series of posts that I wrote in February of 2012 as part of a writing fellowship application. See the introduction to this series here. Eric Cantor's foray into education reform a la vouchers and privatization--he desires to "move heaven and earth to fix education for the most vulnerable" and says that "our schools are too dangerous"--along... more »

Legislative Analyst urges conditions on selling district property | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Legislative Analyst urges conditions on selling district property | EdSource Today: Legislative Analyst urges conditions on selling district property - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald The Legislative Analyst’s Office is taking issue with Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to remove restrictions limiting how school districts can use money from the sale of district property. The LAO wants to add a condition intended to make a district carefully weigh the option of selling district property to plug a hole in its general operating budget. Until the recession, with few exceptions, ... more »

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Hold NCAA March Madness Press Call | U.S. Department of Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Hold NCAA March Madness Press Call | U.S. Department of Education: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Hold NCAA March Madness Press Call *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov *Event Date 1: *March 21, 2013 12:30 pm - 01:30 pm U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will hold a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness press call on Thursday, March 21, to discuss the need to strike a healthier balance between academics and athletics in college sports. Duncan will highlight progress that ... more »

Connecticut concerns about Renzulli Academy segregation makes Washington Post - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Connecticut concerns about Renzulli Academy segregation makes Washington Post - Wait, What?: Connecticut concerns about Renzulli Academy segregation makes Washington Post by jonpelto The Washington Post’s education reporter, Valarie Strauss, reprinted the recent column written by Wendy Lecker on her blog, The Answer Sheet. Strauss writes, “Are schools for “gifted” students promoting segregation? Here’s an argument that they are, from Wendy Lecker, a columnist for Hearst Connecticut Media Group and senior attorney for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity project at the Education Law Cen...more »

Started a profile at myEDmatch for kicks, what a strange, reformy thing this is – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Started a profile at myEDmatch for kicks, what a strange, reformy thing this is – @ the chalk face: Started a profile at myEDmatch for kicks, what a strange, reformy thing this is by Chalk Face, PhD [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] I saw that a friend on Facebook “liked” something called myEdmatch. Apparently, finding a teaching job is like online dating. To wit: Complete the Core Beliefs Profile so myEDmatch can suggest schools that would be good matches based on your core beliefs about education. So, is this tHarmony, or something? I filled out some beliefs with minimal foretho... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Where's the "Do-Not-Track Common Core Data Act of 2013?"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Where's the "Do-Not-Track Common Core Data Act of 2013?": Where's the "Do-Not-Track Common Core Data Act of 2013?" by stlgretchen Jay Rockefeller introduced a "no tracking" bill (Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2013) to "prescribe regulations regarding the collection and use of personal information obtained by tracking the* *online activity of an individual, and for other purposes." From calpirg.org and *Free Cookies-Strings Attached:* Recently West Virginia’s Senator John D. Rockefeller, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, proposed the Do-N... more »

Last Stand for Children First: Chicago Public Schools Promise to Give Every Student at Closed Schools a Pony

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Last Stand for Children First: Chicago Public Schools Promise to Give Every Student at Closed Schools a Pony: Chicago Public Schools Promise to Give Every Student at Closed Schools a Pony by Last Stand for Children Despite a reported 1 billion dollar debt, the Chicago Public Schools announced that all students at closing students would be given their very own pony. District officials vowed to pick up the tab of approximately $2,500 per student for the ponies. “Our research shows that children--particularly small children--love ponies. We also have to consider that many childr... more »

School Tech Connect: Charter Meeting Thursday Night in Bowmanville

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Charter Meeting Thursday Night in Bowmanville: Charter Meeting Thursday Night in Bowmanville by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) *Raise Your Hand* is putting out a red alert on the new Concept charter school that the appointed state charter commission just inserted into Chicago. There's a meeting Thursday night of the Bowmanville Community Organization; I hope people can go. [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Concept Charter School Coming to Lincoln Sq/Bowmanville? Despite the fact that the Board of Education rejected the application fo... more »

Policy Intervention or Political Posture? | National Education Policy Center

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Policy Intervention or Political Posture? | National Education Policy Center: Policy Intervention or Political Posture? by elaine Christopher Lubienski Fawn Johnson *Education the Louisiana Way* By *Fawn Johnson* House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., last Friday visited a private Catholic school, St. Mary's Academy in New Orleans, for a tour and a discussion with local education officials and families. The purpose of the visit, (gumbo and sazerac aside) was to promote Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's education agenda, much of which has landed in court. "We want to explore what ... more »

Does anyone have half a ball? – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Does anyone have half a ball? – @ the chalk face: Does anyone have half a ball? by Timothy D. Slekar I post this with great reservation. The last thing I want to do is give any time to the “Bee Eater” Michelle Rhee. And as @the chalkface blogger Kris Nielsen recently pointed out, Michelle Rhee is an absolute failure when it comes to creating meaningful changes that put “children first.” [image: michelle_rhee]However, last week Michelle Rhee continued her promotional book tour and appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher. Once again an opportunity for one of the few people that tend ... more »

How big is the school counselor shortage? Big

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
How big is the school counselor shortage? Big: How big is the school counselor shortage? Big Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 20, 2013 at 5:19 pm 2 Comments More [image: schoolcounselor]A recent survey taken in California showed that a majority of voters there believe that the best approach to preventing violence in schools is through improving mental health services and emergency response training for school staff. But in the midst of a national debate about how to keeps kids in school safe, one thing we aren’t hearing much about is the serious shortage of school counselors. How ... more »

Clarification on what passed the Senate today: A different SB1. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Clarification on what passed the Senate today: A different SB1. | Fred Klonsky: Clarification on what passed the Senate today: A different SB1. by Fred Klonsky The IEA says that what I wrote in the previous blog post is not what happened today. Here is the IEA statement. Sen. President John Cullerton put a bill in front of the Senate today — twice — that has a direct effect on active Tier 1 TRS employees who have not yet submitted their letters of retirement.IEA is *OPPOSED* to the bill.The bill, known as SB1, forces current Tier 1 employees to choose to freeze their pensionabl... more »

Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Student Voice: Lee Nave Jr. – Educational Progression in Ethiopia by admin Education abroad gives you experiences you would have never dreamed of seeing. In my travels over the years, I have been able to witness the education systems of countries such as Japan and Honduras. These experiences have allowed me to learn how these systems function as well as the magnitude of their student voice empowerment or lack thereof. A few weeks ago, my travels brought me to the country of Ethiopia. Before this trip my only knowledge of Ethiopia stemmed from having an Ethiopian relative that I a... more »

Jesse H: Our education civil rights movement may also start with a boycott Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Jesse H: Our education civil rights movement may also start with a boycott: Jesse H: Our education civil rights movement may also start with a boycott by admin Jesse H with JW [image: JesseHandJW]Garfield High School teacher and MAP test boycott leader Jesse Hagopian told the crowd at the Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago last night that he agreed with Arne Duncan that education is the civil rights movement of our time. But history teacher Jesse reminded us that the last major civil rights movement started with ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Assessment Task Force Update

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Assessment Task Force Update: Assessment Task Force Update by Melissa Westbrook I mentioned previously that I had attended the Assessment Taskforce meeting on Feb. 21st. I wanted to make note of several things I noticed: - Organized - very much appreciated - Good facilitator who kept things on track - The group is going to be able to look at the MAP test. I think this is great because as members of this Taskforce, they need what they are talking about when it comes to this discussion. - Two principals - from Mercer and Denny - came in to talk abou... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Open Letter from Parents to NYC Chancellor by dianerav Parents in NYC called on Chancellor Dennis Walcott to pledge not to use this year’s tests to punish students, teachers, or schools. Change the Stakes (www.changethestakes.org), an activist group comprised of parents, teachers and teacher educators – argues that this year’s tests are so fundamentally flawed that the scores should not be used. Here’s our letter to the Chancellor: OPEN LETTER TO CHANCELLOR WALCOTT By Change the Stakes March 20, 2013 Dear Chancel... more »

Giving Our Kids an Early Start to Success — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Giving Our Kids an Early Start to Success — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: John Farden]Giving Our Kids an Early Start to Success March 20, 2013 by John Farden [image: John Farden - Save the Children] It is our favorite time of the day, right after the nightly bubble bath, just before bedtime snuggled up in—our rocking chair with a pile of story books. As far as my 20-month-old son knows, this time is all about cuddling, telling stories, singing songs, and having fun. But I know better. The truth is, I am giving him an invaluable gift—a head start towards succes... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hansel and Gretel banned in Chicago

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hansel and Gretel banned in Chicago: Hansel and Gretel banned in Chicago by Mike Klonsky CEO Byrd-Bennett has denounced the children's book Hansel and Gretel, as "too grim to be read by first graders." She has sent her library purification teams in to elementary schools across the city with orders to remove every copy from the shelves and destroy them. Hansel and Gretel, as you may know, is the nightmarish story of two small children whose parents abandon in order to save on food costs. After several failed attempts to find their way out of the forest... more »

UPDATE: Park Ridge board member Anthony Borrelli expects more gratitude from me. + Zorn updates. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Zorn updates. | Fred Klonsky: Breaking: Senate Bill 1 passes the Senate. by Fred Klonsky On the first vote it failed by one. They revoted. It passed. Senate President John Cullerton’s pension bill will now go to the Illinois House where it is also expected to pass. Then it will be up to the courts. The Cullerton bill has two parts. One is all the bad stuff in the Cross/Nekritz/Biss horror story: Raise the retirement age. Increase employee contributions. Cut COLAs. Cullerton fully expects the courts will find that part in violation of the pension protection clause of the Illinois T... more »

Ms. Reform: Education Reform as Starlet of NetFlix’s “House of Cards” - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Ms. Reform: Education Reform as Starlet of NetFlix’s “House of Cards” - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Ms. Reform: Education Reform as Starlet of NetFlix’s “House of Cards” by Adam Bessie [image: house of cards] “Education Reform” is a rising star: once Ms. Reform was all but ignored, featured in arcane reports presented in monotone at heavily acronymed academic conferences; now, she struts down the red carpet in Dolce & Gabbanna at awards shows, billionaire tech entrepreneur sidled on her arm, waving at the cameras with a poised gra... more »

Education Protection Account - Principal Apportionment (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Education Protection Account - Principal Apportionment (CA Dept of Education): Education Protection Account ------------------------------ The Education Protection Account (EPA) provides local educational agencies (LEAs) with general purpose state aid funding pursuant to Proposition 30, the Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012, approved by the voters on November 6, 2012. The EPA funding is a component of an LEA's total revenue limit or charter school general purpose entitlement. - Proposition 30 Impact to State Aid - 2012–13 EPA Entitlements and Apportion... more »

Opting Out | Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Opting Out | Deborah Meier on Education: Opting Out by debmeier A friend, principal of a NYC school, just sent me this: > Giving a test for which there is no established curriculum is absurd. Giving a test that all at Tweed are warning us many more children will fail is unconscionable, and abusive towards children. > > If we can get large percentages of parents to opt out, from a variety of schools, the people who take the stand will have protection. I know that many of my colleagues feel that if we just wait out Bloomberg’s term, we’ll get some breathing room. Buit we are like th... more »

Let’s do a little #parcc math, shall we? – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Let’s do a little #parcc math, shall we? – @ the chalk face: Let’s do a little #parcc math, shall we? by Chalk Face, PhD [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] I’ve been curious about the recent release of time estimates for the PARCC tests, via Education Week. I was thinking about the typical elementary school, ones that I’ve been in, to see how this is going to work in practice, at least for the first couple of years as we go into total flux mode. Nevermind that two to three years of a child’s formative education will be disrupted until the system is in place. Who cares about them, ri... more »

Meet ASCD President Becky J. Berg — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Meet ASCD President Becky J. Berg — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Willona Sloan]Meet ASCD President Becky J. Berg March 20, 2013 by Willona Sloan [image: Becky J. Bert] Becky J. Berg is from a family of educators. "My dad was a school board president; my mom was a career educator; and my sister, my grandmother, and my great-grandfather were educators," she says. Despite the genetic pull, Berg wasn't completely convinced she would follow in the family's footsteps until her experience as a summer camp counselor while she was in college. It was then that she reali... more »

LAUSD considers allowing students to enter magnets all year long - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
LAUSD considers allowing students to enter magnets all year long - latimes.com: LAUSD considers allowing students to enter magnets all year long Officials are working to set up a system that would allow students to enter popular magnet programs all year long in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The revamped admission process, previewed at Tuesday’s school board meeting, would address a long-standing problem: Programs are oversubscribed during the once-a-year admissions process, but underenrolled during the subsequent academic year. Currently, there are 172 magnet program... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, March 20, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Breaking: Board Votes to Oust Monica Garcia From Presidency - LA School Report* Education Headlines *Wednesday, March 20, 2013* Lincoln Unified focuses on special-needs adultsResponding to a need that has been growing steadily for years, Lincoln Unified School District has moved to establish a program that will serve the district's young adults with special needs by preparing them to work and live with greater independence. Wiring students at school and home Stockton USD goalFollowing up on last year's large-scale purchase of c... more »

UPDATE: Daily Kos: Will we hold our leaders to standards we applied to others? + thoughts on gun registration

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: thoughts on gun registration: Will we hold our leaders to standards we applied to others? by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) To help you answer that might I suggest reading the opening statement made by Robert Jackson, then on leave from his position as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court to serve as Lead US Counsel (chief prosecutor) at Nuremberg. Let me offer the following from that statement: The American dream of a peace-and-plenty economy, as well as the hopes of other nations, can never be fulfilled if those nations are involved in a war every generation so v... more »

Clean sweep of teachers in Senate parent trigger bill | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Clean sweep of teachers in Senate parent trigger bill | Get Schooled: Clean sweep of teachers in Senate parent trigger bill by Maureen Downey *Take a look at this Google doc* of the newly revised Parent Empowerment bill, notable for the clean sweep of any mention of teachers or educators. *See my blog yesterday on the odd changes to this bill*. The bill initially had been called the Parent and Educator Empowerment bill, but you can’t find the words “teacher” or “educator” any longer in the title or the text of the legislation. The bill, which passed the House, is in a Senate subcom... more »

Louisiana Educator: Ravitch Encourages Louisiana Educators & Defenders

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Louisiana Educator: Ravitch Encourages Louisiana Educators & Defenders: Ravitch Encourages Louisiana Educators & Defenders by Michael Deshotels [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Diane Ravitch honored our blog today along with several other Louisiana blogs and individuals who are true supporters of public education in Louisiana. She recommended our Defenders of Public Education data base. I want to take this opportunity to ask each of my readers who are voters in Louisiana to sign up for this group. Here are the details you need to know: - The Defenders of Pub... more »






 

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