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Friday, March 8, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 3-8-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




Is Rick Scott a wildcard on 'parent trigger' bill? | Tampa Bay Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago
Is Rick Scott a wildcard on 'parent trigger' bill? | Tampa Bay Times: Is Rick Scott a wildcard on 'parent trigger' bill? - [image: Kathleen McGrory]Kathleen McGrory, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau Thursday, March 7, 2013 6:44pm Facebook 8 Email Share 18 - Print - 14 TALLAHASSEE — A bill that empowers parents. A bill that hands public schools over to private interests. A red herring. No matter what you think of the so-called "parent trigger" proposal, one thing was made clear Thursday: The bill will be among the most contentious of the legislative session. The pro... more »

Gun incident at Grady High highlights socio-economic divide. Can students overcome differences? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago
Gun incident at Grady High highlights socio-economic divide. Can students overcome differences? | Get Schooled: Gun incident at Grady High highlights socio-economic divide. Can students overcome differences? by Maureen Downey [image: Grady High student Joe Lavine shot this photo of the gun in the accidental shooting at Grady Wednesday. (Joe Lavine, Southerner)] Grady High student Joe Lavine shot this photo of the gun in the accidental shooting at Grady on Feb. 27. (Joe Lavine, The Southerner) One of the strongest images to emerge from the accidental shooting 10 days ago at Grady Hig... more »

Sac Unified May Lay Off 20 Teachers | KTXL FOX40

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 33 minutes ago
Sac Unified May Lay Off 20 Teachers | KTXL FOX40: Sac Unified May Lay Off 20 Teachers - [image: See bio, contact info, and more articles from Luana Munoz] 8 hours ago by Luana Munoz Reporter - *Sacramento Unified Considers Closing 11 Elementary Schools* SACRAMENTO- It has been an ongoing battle as parents push to save schools from closing, but tonight more frustrating news. As the district looks to save money parents and teachers are bearing the brunt. Proposed budget reductions would cut 20 teacher positions, a grant writing position and many more all to save the di... more »

SRC votes to close Germantown High, Fulton and Kinsey elementaries; spares Roosevelt | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago
SRC votes to close Germantown High, Fulton and Kinsey elementaries; spares Roosevelt | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: SRC votes to close Germantown High, Fulton and Kinsey elementaries; spares Roosevelt by thenotebook *by Aaron Moselle* Vera Primus' eyes said it all. Her words added an exclamation point. "I'm just floored," said a teary Primus, Germantown High School's alumni association president on Thursday night after learning that her alma mater would close at school-year's end. "They don't care nothing about these kids." Image: Image Caption: A rally for neighborhood sc... more »

Give me your tired test prep assignments, your poor #CCSS homework examples… – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago
Give me your tired test prep assignments, your poor #CCSS homework examples… – @ the chalk face: Give me your tired test prep assignments, your poor #CCSS homework examples… by Chris Cerrone [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] … your huddled students yearning to learn free from corporate education reform. Here *At the Chalkface* we have had several articles that have been widely read and shared recently: http://atthechalkface.com/2012/12/12/is-your-child-getting-a-worksheet-education/ http://atthechalkface.com/2013/03/05/kindergarteners-get-ready-to-confront-the-new-economy/ http://att... more »

Joy Resmovits: Diane Ravitch Launches Network For Public Education; Closure News In Philadelphia, Chicago, New York -- Ed Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Joy Resmovits: Diane Ravitch Launches Network For Public Education; Closure News In Philadelphia, Chicago, New York -- Ed Today: Diane Ravitch Launches Network For Public Education; Closure News In Philadelphia, Chicago, New York -- Ed Today by Joy Resmovits THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION (CLICK PICTURE) [image: The Network for Public Education (click picture)] WE ARE MANY. THERE IS POWER IN OUR NUMBERS. TOGETHER, WE WILL SAVE OUR SCHOOLS. THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION *Diane Ravitch's New Group* On Wednesday morning, a group of education activists across the country -- incl... more »

Schools Matter: Weingarten Gets Arrested for the Cameras in Philadelphia While Remaining Janus-Faced on Charter Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: Weingarten Gets Arrested for the Cameras in Philadelphia While Remaining Janus-Faced on Charter Schools: Weingarten Gets Arrested for the Cameras in Philadelphia While Remaining Janus-Faced on Charter Schools by Jim Horn Randi Weingarten is in Philadelphia, pretending to put herself in between the closing of 23 schools and the opening of a new batch of corporate welfare charter schools to replace them. Below is her staged arrest. Seems pretty calm there, Randi. Popout Now when you go on the AFT website and start to look at the charter-friendly historical revis... more »

Daily Kos: Conservative Leadership Poor Stewardship of Public Funds

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Daily Kos: Conservative Leadership Poor Stewardship of Public Funds: Conservative Leadership Poor Stewardship of Public Funds by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) In South Carolina and across the U.S., conservative leadership of education reform has failed to fulfill a foundational commitment to traditional values, good stewardship of public funds. [1] The evidence of that failed stewardship is best exposed in commitments to three education reform policies: Adopting and implementing Common Core State Standards (CCSS), designing and implementing new tests based on CCSS, and proposing... more »

Jersey Jazzman: God Bless Randi Weingarten

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: God Bless Randi Weingarten: God Bless Randi Weingarten by Duke Lord knows I've had my disagreements with Randi Weingarten in the past - good faith disagreements, yes, but strong disagreements nonetheless. Let me be among the first to say, however, that this took a lot of guts: Randi Weingarten and other protestors were arrested and hauled off in handcuffs while demonstrating against school closings in Philadelphia. Neither the Mayor nor the School Reform Commission was willing to meet with Weingarten. After her release from custody, said the article in the Huffin... more »

Ed Notes Online: Chicago Teacher Union PRES. At NYCoRE conf Sat. March 16th

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Chicago Teacher Union PRES. At NYCoRE conf Sat. March 16th: Chicago Teacher Union PRES. At NYCoRE conf Sat. March 16th by ed notes online And MORE and Change the Stakes too. I'm so excited. Given that Sat all day is tied up with FIRST LEGO League robotics at Javits (come on down - free and open to public) and next Sat with NYCORE, and since we still have one car and my wife won't be able to go to the gym, I expect to be living in the reconstruction zone of my house by St. Patrick's Day. Hi all, Next sat, March 16th, is the NYCoRE annual. Its an amazing conference ... more »

What’s Happening to Adult Education? | Edspace

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
What’s Happening to Adult Education? | Edspace: What’s Happening to Adult Education? March 7, 2013, 12:05 pm • Posted by Maxine Einhorn EmailShareTwitterFacebookComments (2) [image: photo by Lillian R. Mongeau/Oakland North] photo by Lillian R. Mongeau/Oakland North In his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013-2014, Governor Jerry Brown announced that California is no longer facing a budget deficit. In relation to funding education, his budget increases state funding per student in K-12 schools to $2,700 by 2016-2017. For K-12 and community colleges, funding is projected to increase b... more »

Louisiana Educator: No Trust in New MFP and Jindal "Deforms"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: No Trust in New MFP and Jindal "Deforms": No Trust in New MFP and Jindal "Deforms" by Michael Deshotels In addition to all the changes in teacher evaluation, vouchers, course choice programs, and the transition to the common core curriculum, school systems will now have to contend with a radically changed MFP. It almost seems as though State Superintendent White and Governor Jindal are trying to implement every radical education change ever conceived and make the students and educators of Louisiana the guinea pigs of untested education reform. There is appare... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-8-13 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] TeacherKen on The Network for Public Education by dianerav Ken Bernstein is one of the nation’s best education bloggers. He blogs frequently at The Daily Kos. He has wise in the ways of federal policies and politics. He also is a gifted teacher and a great person. One of the great rewards of writing my last book was that I met this great and generous man. Today, Ken wrote a great article about the new Network for Public Education. He explains more about the ... more »

Chicago students boycott the NAEP to demand safety. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Chicago students boycott the NAEP to demand safety. | Fred Klonsky: Chicago students boycott the NAEP to demand safety. by Fred Klonsky From Anthony Cody’s EdWeek blog, *Living in Dialogue:* Hello my name is Leslie Leon. I am an 18 year old senior at Gage Park High School on Chicago Southwest side. I was born in Chicago, Illinois but raised in Imlay city, Michigan. My parents only wanted the best for my family, therefore we moved to Michigan for a safer life. My parents decided to move back to my hometown in 2010. My life took a whole “U” turn. Everything was different, I couldn’t a... more »

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluation Disaster: Here Come the Lawsuits!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluation Disaster: Here Come the Lawsuits!: NJ Teacher Evaluation Disaster: Here Come the Lawsuits! by Duke *I originally posted this piece on October 11, 2011. Given the disaster that is about to befall us with the Cerf proposals for teacher evaluation changes in New Jersey, I think I was quite prophetic. OK, I got the "Vice-President Christie" part wrong, but maybe I was just a little early... * TRENTON, NJ -- December 10, *2016* In a stunning blow to the crumbling education "reform" movement, the New Jersey Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling... more »

Diane Ravitch to lead new organization into political trenches | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch to lead new organization into political trenches | EdSource Today: Diane Ravitch to lead new organization into political trenches - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Author Diane Ravitch, a hero of unionized teachers, is leading a new politically active national organization whose purpose is to “give voice to the millions of parents, educators, and other citizens who are fed up with corporate-style reform.” The Network for Public Education, announced Thursday, hasn’t decided whether it will contribute to candidates, but it will promote them, in the hope that ... more »

Daily Kos: Global Temperatures Highest in 4,000 Years

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Daily Kos: Global Temperatures Highest in 4,000 Years: Global Temperatures Highest in 4,000 Years by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) That is the title of this *New York Times* story which warns that over the coming decades are likely to surpass levels not seen on the planet since before the last ice age. The article is reporting on new research scheduled for publication on Friday in the journal Science, Shaun Marcott, an earth scientist at Oregon State University, and his colleagues compiled the most meticulous reconstruction yet of global temperatures over the past 11,300 years, ... more »

MAP Test Boycott: The Movie | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
MAP Test Boycott: The Movie | Seattle Education: MAP Test Boycott: The Movie

Schools Matter: Stacking Boards: Seating the "Reform Majority"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Schools Matter: Stacking Boards: Seating the "Reform Majority": Stacking Boards: Seating the "Reform Majority" by Storm Guest Post by John Harris Loflin of the Education-Community Action Team, Indianapolis *National agenda to seat "reform majority" school boards in key cities * * * *“Lead the effort to seat ‘reform majority’ school boards in several key cities.” * ~ Democrats for Education Reform, “A Year of Impact” 2012 DfER accomplishment It looks like the January 7, 2013 Stand for Children (SfC) “celebration” for their 3 endorsed IPS school board commissioners (Arnold, Cosby... more »

Tony Bennett’s Curious Meddling in Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Tony Bennett’s Curious Meddling in Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings: Tony Bennett’s Curious Meddling in Parent Trigger by Bob Sikes So Parent Trigger legislation predictably moved through a House committee yesterday along party lines by a 8-5 vote. But the most interesting news of the day came in the form of a letter that Florida’s new education commissioner, Tony Bennett sent to the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) and Rep, Carlos Trujillo (R-Miami). See this Kathleen McGrory story in *The Buzz *for the link. Consider this part of Bennett’s March 6 lette... more »

Protesting ... mostly in vain | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Protesting ... mostly in vain | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Protesting ... mostly in vain by thenotebook *by Bill Hangley, Jr. * A day that began with big crowds, high spirits, and defiant speeches ended with disappointment for most opponents of Philadelphia’s school closing plan. “I’m totally numb,” said veteran activist “Mama” Gail Clouden as the crowd filed out of the auditorium at School District headquarters in the wake of a series of votes that closed 23 schools and spared just four. “This is unbelievable to me.” “There’s a way to do this, and do it right, and they ch... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 3-7-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* *CORPORATE ED REFORM* * * Chicago Students Boycott the NAEP to Demand Safety by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Leslie Leon with Yoseling Cueto.* Hello my name is Leslie Leon. I am an 18 year old senior at Gage Park High School on Chicago Southwest side. I was born in Chicago, Illinois but raised in Imlay city, Michigan. My parents only wanted the best for my family, therefore we moved to Michigan for a safer life. My parents decided to move back to my hometown in 2010. My life took a whole "U" turn. Everything was different, I couldn't a... more »

Educators, You Might Be A Good, Racist Person Too | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Educators, You Might Be A Good, Racist Person Too | The Jose Vilson: Educators, You Might Be A Good, Racist Person Too by Jose Vilson Ta-Nehisi Coates has a message for good, honest folk. Read: But much worse, it haunts black people with a kind of invisible violence that is given tell only when the victim happens to be an Oscar winner. The promise of America is that those who play by the rules, who observe the norms of the “middle class,” will be treated as such. But this injunction is only half-enforced when it comes to black people, in large part because we were never meant to... more »

School Tech Connect: School Board Meeting Tomorrow

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
School Tech Connect: School Board Meeting Tomorrow: School Board Meeting Tomorrow by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) No, it's not CPS. It's a citywide People's School Board Meeting. Here in the city we have no democratic access to school policy, so it looks like we're just going to have to start having our own meetings. See you there!

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's hitting the fan in Philly

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's hitting the fan in Philly: It's hitting the fan in Philly by Mike Klonsky Protesters gather before start of meeting of the School Reform Commission March 7, 2013 before vote to order the largest mass school closing in history. ( TOM GRALISH / Inquirer ) Well the shit has hit the fan in Philly as the gaggle of corporate school reforms who call themselves the School Reform Committee, are moving to close 27 neighborhood schools. 19 protesters including AFT Prez *Randi Weingarten*, have been arrested so far today with hundreds more protesting outside... more »

AFT leader Randi Weingarten arrested for protesting school closings hearing in Phillie

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
AFT leader Randi Weingarten arrested for protesting school closings hearing in Phillie: * * AFT leader Randi Weingarten arrested for protesting school closings hearing in Phillie Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 7, 2013 at 8:09 pm 2 Comments More [image: Randi Weingarten being put under arrest. (Photo By Helen Gym)] Randi Weingarten being put under arrest. (Photo By Helen Gym) American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was arrested along with 18 other activists in Philadelphia today as they were protesting a hearing by the School Reform Commission on a plan to close n... more »

VIDEO: Randi Weingarten Arrested For Protesting Philadelphia School Closure Hearing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Randi Weingarten Arrested For Protesting Philadelphia School Closure Hearing: Randi Weingarten Arrested For Protesting Philadelphia School Closure Hearing by Joy Resmovits NEW YORK -- Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, was arrested Thursday afternoon for blocking a school reform hearing in Philadelphia, an AFT spokesperson told The Huffington Post. Weingarten reportedly stood outside the meeting of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, in which the group was supposed to decide which Philadelphia Public Schools would clos... more »

BREAKING NEWS: AFT president Randi Weingarten was among a group of protesters arrested in Philadelphia

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Tell Mayor Nutter to fix, not close, Philadelphia’s public schools.: *BREAKING NEWS:* AFT president Randi Weingarten was among a group of protesters arrested in Philadelphia this evening for engaging in civil disobedience to protest the city’s proposed public school closures. *Show your support for this courageous action. Tell Mayor Michael Nutter to fix, not close, Philadelphia’s public schools.* Mayor Nutter and the School Reform Commission want to close 29 of the city’s public schools, a reckless strategy that won’t help kids and won’t save money. These harmful closures will... more »

Breaking News: New Group to Oppose Corporate Reforms by Diane Ravitch - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Breaking News: New Group to Oppose Corporate Reforms by Diane Ravitch - Perdaily.com: Breaking News: New Group to Oppose Corporate Reforms by Diane Ravitch by Leonard Isenberg [image: Diane Ravitch 2.jpeg] (Mensaje se repite en Español)Breaking News: New Group to Oppose Corporate Reformsby dianerav Dear Friends, It is time to organize to support our children, our schools, and our educators against the well-funded attacks on them. Please join me and a group of education leaders from across the country in building a movement for improving and strengthening our schools with research-b... more »

Bill Gates greeted by standing ovation from…teachers? | Digital

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Bill Gates greeted by standing ovation from…teachers? | Digital: Bill Gates greeted by standing ovation from….teachers? by Anya Kamenetz Patti Freudenberg works for the Clear Creek Independent School District in the Houston-Galveston area, where she is the "Teaching American History Grant Specialist," currently leading groups of history teachers to historical sites around the US on a Department of Education grant. Clad in leopard print, she arrived bright and early Thursday morning to sit in the very front row of Bill Gates' closing keynote at the South by Southwest Edu conferenc... more »

Neovouchers: The debate continues

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Neovouchers: The debate continues: Neovouchers: The debate continues Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 7, 2013 at 5:15 pm 1 Comments More [image: taxcrdit3]Here’s the latest in a debate on tax credits for private school — dubbed “neovouchers” — that started with this post that I wrote enttitled, “Welfare for the rich? Private school tax credit programs expanding.” Jason Bedrick of the Cato Institute wrote a dissenting March 1st statement on the Hoover Institution’s Education Next Blog in support of these tax credit programs, and in turn, Kevin Welner, director of the National Edu... more »

SCUSD Stonewalls the Community By Denying Access to Budget Data | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
SCUSD Stonewalls the Community By Denying Access to Budget Data | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: SCUSD Stonewalls the Community By Denying Access to Budget Data by Kate_Lenox Last Tuesday evening the Putting Students First Coalition hosted a community budget forum. The presenter was Karen Swett, a retired SCUSD teacher who has spent years working with district budget s and is one of the founders of the non-profit Making Cents Work. The non-profit is dedicated to empowering parents and community members with the knowledge of how to read district budgets and mak... more »

Throughout March: Reducing Barriers and Expanding Opportunities — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Throughout March: Reducing Barriers and Expanding Opportunities — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]Throughout March: Reducing Barriers and Expanding Opportunities March 7, 2013 by Klea Scharberg Addressing students' needs levels the playing field. Or rather, addressing students' needs is *only* leveling the playing field. If a child is hungry, then the need can be addressed by providing breakfast, lunch, and assistance as needed. The same applies if the child is unwell. Many schools have made great strides in addressing students' needs, but some sc... more »

Silence from Commissioner Pryor on Vallas’ illegal contract - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Silence from Commissioner Pryor on Vallas’ illegal contract - Wait, What?: Silence from Commissioner Pryor on Vallas’ illegal contract by jonpelto During the “Great Education Reform” debate last year, Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education asked the Connecticut General Assembly to adopt new statutory language that would allow him to waive the certification requirements for a person to serve as a superintendent of schools in Connecticut. It was an odd move, to say the least, considering the bill was supposed to be about improving education in Connecticut and enhancing the qua... more »

Put Down the Common Core Kool-Aid | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Put Down the Common Core Kool-Aid | Truth in American Education: Put Down the Common Core Kool-Aid by Shane Vander Hart [image: kool-aid]Joy Pullman has to be one of my favorite people who writes about the Common Core. I didn’t realize that she was an Indiana resident until today. She recently wrote this op/ed for one of her hometown newspapers, *The Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette*. The first couple paragraphs of her piece articulates the skepticism we should have when somebody proposes a silver bullet answer to our public education woes. As soon as someone tells you something will s... more »

Ideas for E.L.L.'s | The Real Harlem Shake, Mapping Memories and More - NYTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Ideas for E.L.L.'s | The Real Harlem Shake, Mapping Memories and More - NYTimes.com: Ideas for English Language Learners | The Real Harlem Shake, Mapping Memories and MoreBy LARRY FERLAZZO *Go to related Times interactive showing the history of the dance »* *Each month, the teacher, author and edublogger Larry Ferlazzo presents ways that teachers of English Language Learners can use Times content in the classroom.* *This month: creative uses of Times visuals, from video to photography to maps, to practice spoken and written language … and your dance moves.* Posts published by L... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-7-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION (CLICK PICTURE) [image: The Network for Public Education (click picture)] WE ARE MANY. THERE IS POWER IN OUR NUMBERS. TOGETHER, WE WILL SAVE OUR SCHOOLS. THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION Randi Weingarten Arrested in Philadelphia Protest by dianerav Randi Weingarten and other protestors were arrested and hauled off in handcuffs while demonstrating against school closings in Philadelphia. Neither the Mayor nor the School Reform Commission was willing to meet with Weingarten. Afte... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Mr. Greenberg's Opus at last night's Seattle School Board Meeting

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Mr. Greenberg's Opus at last night's Seattle School Board Meeting: Mercer Island to Give All 10th/11th Graders iPads by Melissa Westbrook From the Stranger Slog: *The Mercer Island School District will kick off its "One to One" iPad initiative next month by distributing free iPads to all 10th and 11th graders. The iPads will be used by students for the remainder of the year, returned for the summer, and then redistributed in September.* ***Say what you want about the economic disparity that allows districts like Mercer Island to hand out iPads whi... more »

Relationships Key to School Safety — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Relationships Key to School Safety — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Melissa Mellor]Relationships Key to School Safety March 7, 2013 by Melissa Mellor Fostering trusting relationships between adults and students is the most effective way to improve school safety, a panel of experts told members of Congress during a recent House Education Committee hearing convened in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. To facilitate those relationships, the panel suggested increasing the numbers of school counselors and mental health professio... more »

Natalie Meier – Transgendered Visibility on a Single-Sex Campus Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Student Voice: Natalie Meier – Transgendered Visibility on a Single-Sex Campus by admin For an institution that identifies as a “women’s college” and produces “strong women” of all different shapes, races, creeds, and sexual orientations, there is a group that hasn’t been receiving the support it needs or deserves: transgendered individuals. The demographic of identities present on women’s college campuses is vast, to say the least. But picture this for a moment… Imagine for a moment that you were born into the wrong body. Imagine that your birth certificate, your driver’s li... more »

Latinos Shifting Black-White Paradigm in Memphis Schools | NewsTacoNewsTaco

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Latinos Shifting Black-White Paradigm in Memphis Schools | NewsTacoNewsTaco: Latinos Shifting Black-White Paradigm in Memphis Schools by NewsTaco By Stan Washington, New America Media MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hispanic parents in this city care about the education of their children just as much as any other ethnic group, declared one Hispanic mother, Marta Lopez, during a recent town hall discussion on education. [image: new american media][image: memphis latino schools]Lopez, who works at a local school, said there is a false stereotype that Hispanic parents in Memphis aren’t engaged in th... more »

UPDATE: 119 of the 129 CPS schools on the closing list are in Black communities. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
119 of the 129 CPS schools on the closing list are in Black communities. | Fred Klonsky: Breaking: Action in the Illinois House on teacher pensions. by Fred Klonsky Three pension amendments to HB 1154 were debated on the House floor this afternoon. *Floor amendment #7 passed 65-7.* Amendments 6 and 8 failed. The amendments to House Bill 1154 included the following: - Limits/freezes pensionable salary of TRS employees to the greater of the Social Security base for the previous year (currently $113,700), or the annual salary of the member in the previous year – does not appl... more »

How school closings affect children

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
How school closings affect children: How school closings affect children Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 7, 2013 at 11:30 am [image: closed]The School Reform Commission in Philadelphia is about to decide whether to go ahead with an unprecedented and controversial plan to close 29 public schools. (There were more schools on the list but activists got about 10 removed). To understand what is at stake for affected students and educators in Philadelphia — and in other cities where closing schools has become a popular reform tactic — here’s testimony that Kate Shaw, executive direct... more »

State Board takes up student fee complaint rules SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *State Board takes up student fee complaint rules* *By Tom Chorneau* Thursday, March 07, 2013 As confusion persists in the field over a new law banning student fees for educational activities, state officials are set next week to consider creating a process for resolving complaints lodged against districts. AB 1575, signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last fall, reinforces existing statute that prohibits public schools – including charters and alternative schools – from requiring a pupil to pay a fee, a deposit or make some other charge not sp... more »

A parent’s perspective: Pricey L.A. school board election is wake-up call | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
A parent’s perspective: Pricey L.A. school board election is wake-up call | Hechinger Report: A parent’s perspective: Pricey L.A. school board election is wake-up call by Sara Roos Like my neighbors, it wasn’t until millions of dollars began pouring into my little, local school district that I first paid any attention to the Los Angeles school board race. Most of us were too busy with common travesties in our schools, like sluggish fundraising and chronic understaffing, to notice. In short order, it became clear that this was an end-game for a massive national power struggle in t... more »

The Dalai Lama’s education tweet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Dalai Lama’s education tweet: The Dalai Lama’s education tweet Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 7, 2013 at 11:00 am Jon Stewart ridicules preschool critics Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 hours ago Take six minutes and 12 seconds to watch this. Jon Stewart continues to be the best critic of silly education thinking with this “Daily Show” piece about the stupidity of some of the criticism of the idea of government support … Continue reading → Obama, Oprah, Colbert, Ripken etc: The 2013 commencement speakers Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 5 hours ago Who is speaking... more »

Rotten to the Core | The Journal Gazette

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Rotten to the Core | The Journal Gazette: Rotten to the CoreUntested national school standards stifle local voices Joy Pullmann As soon as someone tells you something will save education, hide your children, hide your wife and check your back pocket. Because education deals with children and the American dream, it’s a land of magical thinking. The latest unproven fad is called Common Core. No one ever field-tested it, but 45 states, including Indiana, adopted it, believing its mental sugar pills will make all U.S. kids “college- and career-ready.” The Core defines what K-12 childre... more »

The brilliant John Dillon dissembles seven simple sentences. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The brilliant John Dillon dissembles seven simple sentences. | Fred Klonsky: The brilliant John Dillon dissembles seven simple sentences. by Fred Klonsky [image: tryonhead-1]*State Representative Michael Tryon.* From John Dillon’s blog: *Dissemble* – verb intransitive – to conceal one’s true feelings, beliefs or motives. A recent electronic message from Representative Michael Tryon displays the kind of half-truths and factual recklessness that might even make the editorial staff of the Chicago Tribune blush. On the other hand these kinds of false assertions have been so proselyti... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, March 7, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Some teachers to get layoff notices despite rising revenue* Education Headlines *Thursday, March 7, 2013* Education roundup: Taft gets new superintendentBlanca Cavazos, a former Arvin High School principal and current Kern County Superintendent of Schools office administrator, has been offered the job of superintendent of the Taft Union High School District. S.J. office draws heat in migrant-education auditA newly released state audit of California's migrant-education program criticizes the San Joaquin County Office of Educatio... more »

Nothing to Worry About? 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. Nothing to Worry About? Best of the Ed Blogs Jason Endacott March 7, 2013 A Tale of Two Schools Best of the Ed Blogs Sam Chaltain March 7, 2013 Hitting the Target,... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Behind the Chicago's school closings: Rahm's gentrification

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Behind the Chicago's school closings: Rahm's gentrification: Behind the Chicago's school closings: Rahm's gentrification by Mike Klonsky Greg Hinz at Crain's unintentionally gives us some clues about the real reasons for Rahm's mass closures of neighborhood schools and their replacement with privately-run charters and selective-enrollment schools. It has much more to do with reshaping the city's demography, pushing out the poor and people of color from the inner city and replacing them with a new class of young, tech and finance professionals. ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: NYC parents sue DOE for failure to comply with public feedback required aw

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Public School Parents: NYC parents sue DOE for failure to comply with public feedback required aw: NYC parents sue DOE for failure to comply with public feedback required aw by Leonie Haimson The Campaign for Fiscal Equity and the Education Law Center have filed a lawsuit on behalf of New York City parents against the NYC Department of Education for failing to hold the Contracts for Excellence borough hearings required by law, and for scheduling the Community Education Council presentations late in the year after much of the C4E funding has been spent. Here’s an article in th... more »






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