Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-19-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-19-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

James Baldwin said it best:

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

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP

Daily Kos: The forgotten cost of war

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago

Daily Kos: The forgotten cost of war: The forgotten cost of war by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) is driven home in a powerful way in a piece by Ron Kovic at Truthdig, titled The Forgotten Wounded of Iraq Most probably only know about Kovic from the movie biopic on him starring Tom Cruise in an Oscar nominated performance, "Born on the Fourth of July." If you saw the movie, forget about it and just read what Kovic has written. Here is his opening paragraph, which only hints at the power of what you will encounter reading this piece: Thirty-eight years ago, on Jan. 20, 1968, I w... more »

Model SARBs Selected - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 31 minutes ago

Model SARBs Selected - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces 2012-13 Model Attendance, Dropout Prevention Programs SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that 11 programs have been designated as models of attendance improvement and dropout prevention by the State School Attendance Review Board (State SARB). Torlakson congratulated the 2012-13 Model SARBs for their work in reducing the number of students who are chronically absent, which results in costing school districts millions of dollars each...more »

Student Voice Toolkit – A Blast from the Past Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 40 minutes ago

Student Voice: Student Voice Toolkit – A Blast from the Past by admin As many prepare for the inaugural 2013 *Student Voice Live!* Summit that will be held at the Microsoft Offices in New York City, New York on April 13 th, I encourage us to take time to review what each of us has learned thus far. Over the past 7-months, there have been numerous Student Blog Contributions, weekly #StuVoice Twitter Meetings, insightful Student Panel Webinars and various initiatives to propel the work and impact to those in our communities and around the world. One particular #StuVoice Twitter Meet... more »

Union "Surveys" Teachers for Deasy Criticism - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 42 minutes ago

Union "Surveys" Teachers for Deasy Criticism - LA School Report: Union “Surveys” Teachers for Deasy Criticism by Samantha Oltman Superintendent John Deasy The teachers union’s on-again, off-again plan to survey its members on what they think about LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy’s job performance is back on again. However, this time around the union has a much stronger idea of what kinds of negative views its members should express. The union first mentioned in January that it planned to survey members about Deasy. At the time, the survey was described in neutral terms: “UTLA member... more »

CAPTA Resolution, Achievement: Eliminating the Gap Sacramento Council PTA

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Sacramento Council PTA: [image: Sacramento Council of PTAs]March 19, 2013SACRAMENTO COUNCIL UPDATE Click here to read CAPTA Resolution, Achievement: Eliminating the Gap Jason Shah and Benito Delgado-Olson are young men who are dedicated to reducing the achievement gap through innovative organizations they started. Read more Sacramento Council of PTAs commends the SCUSD in their efforts to eliminate the achievement gap, and we are excited that we were invited as a stakeholder in this important task. Board Update - dated March 15, 2013: "SCUSD has convened a Closing the Achieveme... more »

Zorn on Persepolis shows what’s wrong with Chicago big media school reporting. UPDATED: Zorn responds. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Zorn on Persepolis shows what’s wrong with Chicago big media school reporting. UPDATED: Zorn responds. | Fred Klonsky: Zorn on Persepolis shows what’s wrong with Chicago big media school reporting. by Fred Klonsky My brother Mike tells the truth about the Chicago coverage of the CPS * Persepolis* fiasco. *“Funny. It seems the Klonsky brothers are the best news source in town on this one.”* And the Chicago Tribune’s Eric Zorn fully demonstrates the point. He demonstrates why the Sun-Times and his Tribune suck when it comes to education coverage. Writing on his Tribune blog about the... more »

Where Are Progressives In The Fight To Save Public Schools?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Where Are Progressives In The Fight To Save Public Schools?: Where Are Progressives In The Fight To Save Public Schools? by Jeff Bryant *This post is republished from the Education Opportunity Network, a new online publication edited by Jeff Bryant.* This week, here was Paul Krugman’s assessment of the current policy agenda governing the nation’s public schools: “We have the illusion of consensus, an illusion based on a process in which anyone questioning the preferred narrative is immediately marginalized, no matter how strong his or her credentials.” Except, Krugman wasn’t writing ... more »

On "Innovation" in Social Policy, and "Solutionism" in Education - Dana Goldstein

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

On "Innovation" in Social Policy, and "Solutionism" in Education - Dana Goldstein: On "Innovation" in Social Policy, and "Solutionism" in Education by Dana Goldstein The following was written by the Princeton sociologist Melvin Tumin, in 1973. Tumin was thinking about the Teacher Corps, a Great Society program that was a sort of lefty precursor to Teach for America, in which intern teachers arrived in disadvantaged schools eager to close achievement gaps and -- because it was the sixties -- also build racial pride, improve student self-esteem, and overhaul the curriculum to bette... more »

Exceeding Needs Through a Partnership Perspective — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Exceeding Needs Through a Partnership Perspective — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Fred Ende]Exceeding Needs Through a Partnership Perspective March 19, 2013 by Fred Ende As a coordinator of science for a number of districts in the northern suburbs of New York City, I have the opportunity to work with schools with a tremendous array of needs. For some, finances are the primary culprit in educational challenges faced. In others, high populations of language learners or mobile student populations make it difficult to provide for each and every student. In still ot... more »

Dan Biss is in deep doo-doo with fellow Dems. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Dan Biss is in deep doo-doo with fellow Dems. | Fred Klonsky: Dan Biss is in deep doo-doo with fellow Dems. by Fred Klonsky The some good pension news coming from Springfield today. The first is that State Senate President John Cullerton’s Senate Bill 1 is in big trouble. SB1 is the mash-up bill that includes the blatantly unconstitutional Biss/Cross/Nekritz pension bomb with Cullerton’s own forced-choice of health care or COLA. The other good news is that Senator Dan “I don’t know much about the Constitution” Biss is in deep shit with his Democratic pals. This is coming from Sprin... more »

Daily Kos: TeacherKen on Three Decades of Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Daily Kos: TeacherKen on Three Decades of Reform: TeacherKen on Three Decades of Reform by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *explanation - I posted a comment on a thread on Diane Ravitch's blog, and today she turned it into a post, which I reproduce below, using her formatting.* Kenneth Bernstein is an award-winning NBCT who recently retired as a teacher of government. He is now caring for his wife, who is recovering from a major illness. He usually blogs at the Daily Kos but has taken the time to share his insights here as a comment. Thank you, Ken. He writes: *We have had a decad... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Anti-Teacher Legislation Introduced in North Carolina Legislature by dianerav No more career teachers in North Carolina. That’s the goal of legislation introduced by Phil Berger, the President Pro Tem of the State Senate in North Carolina. The experienced, high-performing teachers would get a four-year contract. Others would get shorter contracts. No tenure for any teachers. Lots of performance pay built in. Bonuses would be tied to new teacher evaluation programs now From Rhode Island: “I Failed the Test” by diane... more »

When it comes to testing, listen to teachers | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

When it comes to testing, listen to teachers | Hechinger Report: When it comes to testing, listen to teachers by Christina Lear [image: When it comes to testing, listen to teachers] In my second year of teaching in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), my principal organized monthly “data meetings.” The stated purpose of these meetings was to reflect on our classroom instruction and student progress in light of students’ latest results on district-created standardized tests. I’d always start these meetings with the same comment: “We can’t talk about what these data show if the test... more »

PSAT for 3-19-13, Part 1: More reasons to support the school closing moratorium

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 3-19-13, Part 1: More reasons to support the school closing moratorium: PSAT for 3-19-13, Part 1: More reasons to support the school closing moratorium by admin [image: psat_logo]For Public Schools Action Tuesday today, please get in touch with your statesenators and representatives asap to support SB1571 and HB3283, the CPS school closing moratorium bills. Here are some *new* reasons why: - Senator Delgado is holding a hearing on SB1571 this afternoon at 1 pm. Several of our aldermen are traveling down to Spr... more »

UPDATE: Let Your House Rep Know What You Think Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup: Let Your House Rep Know What You Think by Melissa Westbrook The nonsense that is* SB 5328 *- the bill for letter grades for schools - passed the Senate. Please, please let your House representatives know that you do not support this. On the face of it, why? If this is so important, why not grade ALL public institutions, starting with the Legislature and the elected officials there? Even Stand says that "*schools are already being graded by the Achievement Index"* so exactly why do we need this? In fact, the Achievement ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, March 19, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Lockyer: School bond election deals appear illegal* Education Headlines *Tuesday, March 19, 2013* Berkeley school board president quits to avoid conflict of interestSchool board President Leah Wilson will resign her post March 31, citing a potential conflict of interest with her new job as Court Executive Officer of Alameda County Superior Court. School district discriminated against gay students, ACLU allegesIn a letter from the ACLU, the Hesperia Unified School District is accused of discriminating against gay and lesbian st... more »

Evaluations Are Better Than No Evaluations - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Evaluations Are Better Than No Evaluations - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Evaluations Are Better Than No Evaluations by Deborah Meier *10% of something is better than 100% of nothing* *Eric "Rick" Hanushek continues a blog conversation with Deborah Meier this week.* Dear Deborah, In our conversations about accountability, we have skirted around the issue that I think drives the most heated debate—namely, that accountability involves evaluation of teachers and administrators. And teachers and administrators are "agin it," period. Can't we pare through some of the smoke a... more »

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures: CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures When a school is closed, the facility is shut down, school staff is displaced, children are sent to other schools, and the community loses a vital resource. If Chicago Public Schools (CPS) follows the city’s Commission on School Utilization March 2013 recommendations, 80 CPS neighborhood schools (13% of the entire system) will be closed, disrupting the lives of nearly 25,000 children. CPS expects that s... more »

Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified | news10.net

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified | news10.net: Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified - - - - [image: Share] - [image: Email] - [image: Print] - - A *A* A + Chris Nguyen - FILED UNDER - News - Local News - Education - COMMUNITIES - Natomas News - Land Park - Pocket News - South Sacramento News - East Sacramento News - Rancho Cordova - Gold River News - Fair Oaks - Carmichael News SACRAMENTO, Calif. - It's down to the wire for families in the Sac City Unified School District. Parents hav...more »

Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring by Cheryl S. Williams In the work that the Learning First Alliance (LFA) has undertaken over the past months in gathering data on public attitudes and perceptions of public education, one common assumption among the general public becomes clear: - Student success and teacher effectiveness are related to a single quality - *caring* So, the public and educators alike believe that if teachers care about thei... more »

School Tech Connect: In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

School Tech Connect: In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School: In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Just an update about the state charter panel that's meeting today at 1:30 PM at the Thompson Center. I don't know if this is a hearing or just a public meeting, or what, but it appears from the agenda that Concept Schools is getting two new charters--- a decision that overrides the CPS decision. I don't know if there was a previous hearing, but from what I can tell, the decision is made.

Daily Kos: Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Daily Kos: Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US: Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) in this powerful post. He describes this as the first in a series of posts he intends to do looking back on the decade since the war commenced. He reminds us bluntly: Coming into 2003, the US enjoyed a great deal of sympathy and solidarity from the rest of the world (including Iran) over the al-Qaeda strikes of September 11, 2001. In the aftermath of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the US was widely seen as an international bully. He... more »

News Update: Finch cuts Bridgeport School budget ; Claims it won’t reduce funding for schools (oh, okay) - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

News Update: Finch cuts Bridgeport School budget ; Claims it won’t reduce funding for schools (oh, okay) - Wait, What?: One Adam-12, One Adam-12, we have a COI in progress by jonpelto COI as in Conflict of Interest… (Written by Jonathan Pelto and Wendy Lecker) Yesterday, the Connecticut State Department of Education held an eight-hour training session for elected officials, administrators and parents associated with the “turnaround” schools that make up the Commissioner’s Network. Among various education reformers, the “training event” featured none other than the Jumoke Academy’s ... more »

Joy Resmovits: NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Joy Resmovits: NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today: NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *NYC Teachers' Free Pass?* The Wall Street Journal crunched eight years worth of data, and found that more than 10 percent of principals *did not flunk one teacher* on their evaluations. "The findings give ammunition to Department of Education officials who say the teacher-rating system should be changed," WSJ's Lisa Fleisher writes. "New York City is one of a handful of school districts statewide that hasn't adopt... more »

American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality | Truth in American Education: American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality by Shane Vander Hart Local control is bad, horrible, no good if you were to listen to the arguments being made by William Schmidt and Nathan Burroughs in their article in the Spring 2013 edition of *American Educator* which is a publication ofAmerican Federation of Teachers. They promote the standard talking points – “it resembles the standards of high-achieving countries and exhibit the key features of coh... more »

Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools? | toteachornototeach: Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools? by aristotlethewise *CPS ‘Persepolis’ Ban? Marjane Satrapi’s Graphic * *Novel Inappropriate For 7th Graders, District Says* Is Chicago Public Schools banning the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” from its schools’ libraries and classrooms? Reports began circulating Thursday that officials in the nation’s third-largest school district were directing the 2000 graphic novel, penned by Marjane Satr... more »

Schools Matter: By Masses of Complicated Fact

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Schools Matter: By Masses of Complicated Fact: By Masses of Complicated Fact by Douglas Storm The whole field of education is affected -- There is no end of detail that is without significance. Education would begin by placing in the mind of the student the nature of knowledge -- in the dead state and the nature of the force which may energize it. This would clarify his field at once -- He would then see the use of data. But at present knowledge is placed before a man as if it were a stair at the top of which a DEGREE is obtained which is superlative. nothing could be more ridi... more »

How school reform became the cause célèbre of billionaires

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

How school reform became the cause célèbre of billionaires: How school reform became the cause célèbre of billionaires Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 19, 2013 at 10:00 am [image: Bill Gates, school reformer Bill Gates (Jeffrey MacMillan / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)] Bill Gates, school reformer Bill Gates (By Jeffrey MacMillan/For TWP) Why are billionaire philanthropists at the forefront of school reform? Here’s a primer, from Jack Schneider, an assistant professor of education at the College of the Holy Cross and the author of “Excellence For All: How a New Breed of ... more »

A Sociological Eye on Education | Who’s afraid of big data?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

A Sociological Eye on Education | Who’s afraid of big data?: Who’s afraid of big data? by Aaron Pallas [image: Who’s afraid of big data?] Nestled in a dusty corner of my office sits a safe, which requires both a key and a combination to open. Inside the safe sits an external hard drive containing my only copy of encrypted confidential data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a federally funded research study that collected longitudinal data on the health behaviors of adolescents, their friendship networks and siblings, their schools, school trans... more »

UPDATE: The continuing saga of Persepolis. CPS’s black eye. + And the winner is… + Ten years after. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Ten years after. | Fred Klonsky: The continuing saga of Persepolis. CPS’s black eye. by Fred Klonsky [image: IMG_0096] *A Chicago reporter covers Lane Tech student protest.* Publisher’s Weekly: On Monday morning, a student-organized sit-in at Lane Tech, a magnet high school on Chicago’s north side protesting the decision to restrict access to *Persepolis *didn’t take place in the school library as planned, despite prior approval from the school’s librarian. Hundreds of students were locked out of the library and forced to crowd the hallways. According to Chicago retired teacher F... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] More Cheering from Wall Street for School Closures by dianerav Good news for Wall Street! More school closings! Does Wall Street think it would be a good idea to close down all public schools? Think of the savings to municipalities if we just stopped offering free public education! A reader writes: *And Bloomberg reports this about Philadelphia school closures:* *Closing 12% of Philadelphia Schools Creates Winners: Muni Credit* * from Bloomberg * *“The nation’s fi... more »

Guess when this was written

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Guess when this was written: Guess when this was written Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 19, 2013 at 4:00 am 5 Comments More [image: question mark]Consider that the implementation of No Child Left Behind, known as the era of high-stakes testing, began in 2002 under president George W. Bush, and that Race to the Top, which critics call NCLB “on steroids” for its reliance on standardized testing, began in 2009 under President Obama. Now read these passages and guess when they were written: Testing has assumed a prominent role in recent efforts to improve the quality of educatio... more »

Florida Senate Will Be the Key Battleground on Charter School Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Florida Senate Will Be the Key Battleground on Charter School Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida Senate Will Be the Key Battleground on Charter School Legislation by Bob Sikes Two news reports on yesterday’s Senate Education meeting yesterday provided tidbits which revealed the Senate’s cautious nature on charter school legislation. Lynn Hatters report in *WFSU* indicates the biggest fights will be over amendments as the committee wants to merge two “competing” bill. It appears that Parent Trigger will remain separate. Writes Hatters: Florida Senator David Simmons (R-... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It?: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It? by stlgretchen Missouri DESE published a news release stating it had over 400 endorsements supporting Common Core State Standards. From dese.com: More than 400 school districts, businesses, individuals, and colleges and universities have stepped forward to endorse Missouri’s implementation of the Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts. The Common Core State Standards have been endorsed by more than 200 Missouri school districts, 90 indi... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It?: 'via Blog this'

Louisiana Educator: More Outrageous Education Deforms

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Louisiana Educator: More Outrageous Education Deforms: More Outrageous Education Deforms by Michael Deshotels *Louisiana Supreme Court to Decide on Vouchers:* The Louisiana Supreme Court will hear final arguments today on Louisiana's voucher and course choice programs. Those are the Jindal reforms that allow some public school students to get “scholarships” to attend private and religious schools or to take individual courses next year provided by various private groups. The Supreme Court has already received written briefs from both the plaintiffs and defendants of the voucher ... more »

Cheating or collaboration? Do students really not know the difference? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Cheating or collaboration? Do students really not know the difference? | Get Schooled: Cheating or collaboration? Do students really not know the difference? by Maureen Downey [image: crcted.0920 (Medium)]A reader sent me this note about cheating and asked that I put the issue before the Get Schooled blog readership: I am wondering if you have done much on student cheating? I have read about teacher cheating but don’t remember anything on the student side of the equation. Now that my child is in high school, I am amazed at what online resources are available at the click of the but... more »

Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser: Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser by Server Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar*with Drs. Morna McDermott and Shaun Johnson, Educator Ceresta Smith and a Special Guest Speaker * March 27, 2013 – 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT} *Please Join Us as We Occupy the Department of Education for a Second Time!! * Drs. Morna McDermott, Shaun Johnson, Veteran Educator Ceresta Smith and a Special Guest Speaker will share the details during this Save Our Schools hosted Webinar.*Contribute to the Occupy the ... more »

NYC Educator: Anything that Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

NYC Educator: Anything that Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong: Anything that Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong by NYC Educator Yesterday was a rough day. I had taken my schoolbag out of its home in back of my car to write a lesson Friday night, which was a pretty good idea. Unfortunately, I followed up by forgetting to put it back on Monday morning. This was unfortunate on several levels. First, it would be tough to follow a plan I didn't actually have using books I also didn't have. Second, while some people find them quaint, I still kind of like the Delaney cards I've been using for decades.... more »

Shanker Blog » Poor Implementation Undermines Promise Of The Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Shanker Blog » Poor Implementation Undermines Promise Of The Common Core: Poor Implementation Undermines Promise Of The Common Core by Stephen Lazar *Our guest author today is Stephen Lazar, a founding teacher at Harvest Collegiate High School in New York City, where he teaches Social Studies. A National Board certified teacher, he blogs at Outside the Cave. Stephen is also one of the organizers of Insightful Social Studies, a grass roots campaign of teachers to reform the newly proposed New York State Social Studies standards.* The Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) seek to de... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Arundhati Roy speaks in Chicago. Book banning, no small thing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Arundhati Roy speaks in Chicago. Book banning, no small thing Arundhati Roy -- Chicago book banning, no small thing by Mike Klonsky Arundhati Roy reads from *The God of Small Things* (M. Klonsky pic)Listening to author/activist (*The God of Small Things)*, *Arundhati Roy* last night at Northwestern's Thorne Auditorium, was a powerfully provocative experience. As her narrative, on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War, wound around and through the global struggle for peace, democracy, human dignity, Arundhati couldn't avoid mention of the banning by CPS... more »

TAVIS SMILEY'S "EDUCATION UNDER ARREST" IGNORES THE CAUSES - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

TAVIS SMILEY'S "EDUCATION UNDER ARREST" IGNORES THE CAUSES - Perdaily.com: TAVIS SMILEY'S "EDUCATION UNDER ARREST" IGNORES THE CAUSES by Leonard Isenberg [image: Tavis Smiley.jpg] (Mensaje se repite en Español) *When the bubonic plague spread through Europe in the 14th century, people noticed that if you burned enough infected bodies and the houses where they died, you would ultimately get rid of the plague- but not until your population had been significantly decimated. People at the time did not as yet understand what caused the plague, which was actually being carried by fleas o... more »

All Things Education: Indeed, let’s celebrate the defeat of Prop 8 but know it’s far from the end of hate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

All Things Education: Indeed, let’s celebrate the defeat of Prop 8 but know it’s far from the end of hate: Indeed, let’s celebrate the defeat of Prop 8 but know it’s far from the end of hate by Rachel Levy *Blogger's note:* *This is the first 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. That DOMA and Prop 8 cases are soon to go before the Supreme Court is what reminded me of this piece.* Yesterday, Proposition 8, California’s ban on gay marriage, was struck down by a federal appeals... more »

Native Americans Challenge Teach For America in New Mexico - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Native Americans Challenge Teach For America in New Mexico - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Native Americans Challenge Teach For America in New Mexico by Anthony Cody Two weeks ago we learned about some questionable practices in the state of New Mexico. These things were revealed by investigator Michael Corwin, as part of the confirmation process for would-be Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera. One part of his testimony that was of special interest was his discussion of the role of Teach For America in his state. As readers know, I have explored the impact of TFA... more »

Hey, Bill Gates: You Evaluatin’ Me? (Part I) [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Hey, Bill Gates: You Evaluatin’ Me? (Part I) [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: Hey, Bill Gates: You Evaluatin’ Me? (Part I) [Future of Teaching] by Jose Vilson Here’s the first in a two-part essay about Bill Gates’ interview with The Washington Post: He is correct in stating that students get evaluated all the time, from the first time they enter a classroom all the way through college and beyond. Getting a degree demands having plenty of tests getting thrown at you, high-stakes or otherwise. These tests often determine if you achieve the next level or not, and whether we... more »

Treasurer calls school bond election deals 'illegal' | school, bonds, political - News - The Orange County Register

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Treasurer calls school bond election deals 'illegal' | school, bonds, political - News - The Orange County Register: Lockyer: School bond election deals appear illegal Melody Petersen / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER State Treasurer Bill Lockyer asked the California attorney general Monday to investigate whether school officials were breaking the law by hiring banks and their political strategists to promote bond measures before voters. Lockyer did not name the schools or banks involved in these deals. But some of the examples he describes in a letter to Attorney General Kamala Harris ar... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Argument, And The Response

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Argument, And The Response: The Reformy Argument, And The Response by Duke Watching Michelle Rhee once again on *Real Time with Bill Maher*, it becomes clear what the reformy argument all boils down to: 1. There is a shameful "gap" in performance between affluent white students and poor minority students. 2. But even our affluent white students suck compared to the rest of the world. 3. The problem, then, must be in our schools. 4. While there may be other factors involved, we really can't wait to fix those; we need immediate action... more »

News Update: Vallas rolls over for Finch + The truth starts to come out about Jumoke Academy and Hartford’s Milner Elementary School - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

The truth starts to come out about Jumoke Academy and Hartford’s Milner Elementary School - Wait, What?: News Update: Vallas rolls over for Finch; Supports cut to Bridgeport education budget by jonpelto After being ordered to appear at Mayor Finch’s Office today, Bridgeport’s, $234,000, part-time, Acting Superintendent of Schools, Paul Vallas has told an emergency meeting of the Board of Education that he is okay with Mayor Finch’s action to renege on his commitment to help Bridgeport’s schools. According to a recent tweet from CT Post’s Linda Lambeck, “Vallas says he is only conc... more »

Mike “MRSA” Madigan infects Public Education | Reclaim Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Mike “MRSA” Madigan infects Public Education | Reclaim Reform: Mike “MRSA” Madigan infects Public Education by kenpreviti Mike “MRSA” Madigan infects Public Education. This is not an insult; it is reality at its most primeval. [image: Madigan 12]Madigan has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 1971 and Speaker of the House since 1986 – minus a little blip. He presently refers to the intentional pillaging of teacher and other public pensions as the work of “previous legislatures.” Hmm… What intelligent and qualified person would choose to be a teacher in Illin... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Community Education District 2's Response to the C4E Plan FY 13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NYC Public School Parents: Community Education District 2's Response to the C4E Plan FY 13: Community Education District 2's Response to the C4E Plan FY 13 The following letter is from the Community Education Council District 2, regarding the Contracts for Excellence Proposed Plan FY 13: Community Education District 2's Response to the C4E Plan FY 13 Posted by Molly at 3/18/2013 11:30:00 AM ShareThis Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook inBloom's student and teacher data screenshots by Molly Thanks to our work and the advocacy of parents and teachers across the c... more »

Today’s must watch video: Chicago Teacher Union’s Karen Lewis on corporate ed reform | Parents United for Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Today’s must watch video: Chicago Teacher Union’s Karen Lewis on corporate ed reform | Parents United for Public Education: Today’s must watch video: Chicago Teacher Union’s Karen Lewis on corporate ed reform by parentsunitedphila Popout What is behind the attacks on public education and what do they mean for us as parents? Watch Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union break down the corporate ed reform movement and how teachers and parents need to build alliances to fight back and save our schools. Lewis spoke on Saturday to the New York Collective of Radical Educator... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: STEM Expands in Washington State

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: STEM Expands in Washington State: STEM Expands in Washington State by Melissa Westbrook From GeekWire: *The UW Board of Regents officially approved the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) last week. It’s the first school in the state to combine all of the STEM fields into one academic unit.* ***The school of STEM will bring together two existing programs — computing and software systems, and science and technology — and house them under one school.* *The creation of the school was also due to the increased interest i... more »

So it is written… | My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

So it is written… | My Island View: So it is written… by tomwhitby After a marathon attendance at a number of education conferences this year I have stored up many observations on the approach these conferences use to engage educators in their profession. Since I began attending them over 35 years ago I do have some historical perspective. More often than not my experience on the planning of the “Education Conference” is: So it is written, so it shall be done! Many reshuffle the deck and deal out the same old hands. If we always plan conferences on what worked last year, progres... more »

Privacy, big data and education: more about the inBloom databases | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Privacy, big data and education: more about the inBloom databases | Hechinger Report: Privacy, big data and education: more about the inBloom databases by Jill Barshay A new national database of personal student information understandably has parents and privacy advocates alarmed. As reported elsewhere, the new inBloom database houses information on millions of school children from nine states and includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, disciplinary records and learning disabilities. One of the states is New York. Naturally, the mommy listservs in Brooklyn, where I live, ar... more »

Grumpy Educators: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Grumpy Educators: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups by Sandra An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups The Parent Trigger bill, and any others that could prematurely expand the number of charter schools in the state, should be voted down. To do otherwise would be to continue to perpetuate injustice and constitute a disservice to our students, their parents, taxpayers, and the state. The attached Joint Position Statement on Equity Issues and the Parent Trigger bill e... more »

Grumpy Educators: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Daily Kos: 58% percent of Americans now favor gay marriage

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Daily Kos: 58% percent of Americans now favor gay marriage: 58% percent of Americans now favor gay marriage by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) as one can read in this just up Washington Post story. Her's the first paragraph: Public support for gay marriage has hit a new high as Americans increasingly see homosexuality not as a choice but as a way some people are, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll Some key findings from the poll: should be legal 58-37 (versus 37-55 in 2003). Should be left up to state versus decided on basis of US Constitution: 33-64 And this is CR... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Wall St. is bullish on school closings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Wall St. is bullish on school closings: Wall St. is bullish on school closings by Mike Klonsky Moody's in no mood for public schools. Philly.com reports that Wall St. likes the mass closing of public schools. *The Philadelphia School District's plan to shut almost 1/10 of the district's 250 schools, as competing, taxpayer-funded charter schools draw off one-third of the district's student body and Gov. Corbett cuts state aid, is "positive from a credit perspective" because it shows school officials "are intent on reducing expenditures" even if it... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Anti-Stand Group - The Network for Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Anti-Stand Group - The Network for Public Education: The Anti-Stand Group - The Network for Public Education by Melissa Westbrook [image: The Network For Public Education -] Diane Ravitch and other noted public education activists have joined together to form a national group, *The Network for Public Education*. Here's what they are: *We created the Network for Public Education as a way of connecting groups and individuals around the country who are devoted to preserving public education. This is no small task. We're up against a well-funded c... more »

Lane student protest blocked this morning. UPDATED INSIDE PHOTO. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Lane student protest blocked this morning. UPDATED INSIDE PHOTO. | Fred Klonsky Lane student protest blocked this morning. UPDATED INSIDE PHOTO. by Fred Klonsky [image: 253633_3030200330572_1874691178_n] *Photo: John Kugler* Word is coming from contacts inside Lane that the student sit-in that was planned this morning for the school library has been blocked. [image: lane_tech_student_protest]The protest was organized in response to the banning of the book, *Persepolis*. What I am hearing is that the principal Dr. Dignam, was not present as promised. CPS district Network officials we... more »