Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-24-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-24-13 #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

Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Nancy Flanagan is an education writer and consultant focusing on teacher leadership. She spent 30 years in a K-12 music classroom in Hartland, Mich, and was named Michigan Teacher of the Year in 1993. She is National Board-certified, and a member of the Teacher Leaders Network. She welcomes feedback on her sharp-eyed perspectives on the inconsistencies and inspirations, the incomprehensible, immoral and imaginative, in American education. She is a digital organizer for IDEA(Institute for Democratic Education in America). You can f... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools News: Precursor to Seattle Schools DOE Investigation by Melissa Westbrook From Ed Week comes this story of a district in Mississippi and the measures they must take for their disciplinary measures for all students. This may end up being what Seattle Schools is told they must do. *Among other things outlined in a consent decree signed Thursday between the district and the DOJ:* - *The district cannot use suspension, alternative school settings, or expulsion for minor misbehavior and has to limit these types of consequences a... more »

Why my grandson, 4, won’t be taking a gifted ed test - Class Struggle - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Why my grandson, 4, won’t be taking a gifted ed test - Class Struggle - The Washington Post: Why my grandson, 4, won’t be taking a gifted ed test By Jay Mathews My eldest grandson, Ben Mathews, just turned four. According to the New York Times, that is a perilous age in that big city. Many four year olds are toiling through exercises designed by their parents and tutoring companies to prepare for kindergarten gifted program entrance tests. It gets worse. Adults are fighting over the very nature of those exams. Should they, as they do now, measure how much academic preparation pre... more »

UFT on School Governance: the second (and stranger) of two debates | JD2718

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

UFT on School Governance: the second (and stranger) of two debates | JD2718: UFT on School Governance: the second (and stranger) of two debates by jd2718 Last Monday, at the UFT Exec Board, I rose to speak against the recommendations on school governance. They were approved by that body, seventy or so to 3. I posted about the meeting (click here for account), and promised to write up my notes (click here for the write up). On Wednesday the recommendations, now approved by the Exec Board, were introduced to the Delegate Assembly. There any chance of debate was obscured by a terti... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-24-13 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: *To infinity ... and beyond!* NYC Parents and Students Mobilizing for Real Reform by dianerav As the mayoral election of 2013 approaches, New York City parents and students are speaking up about what is most important to them. They got hold of an old school bus, painted it blue, and are driving around the city to raise awareness among other parents and students. The article linked here shows how parents and their children are trying to inform voters and the candidates about Do Americans Believe in Equality of ... more »

#edweek pushing the #commoncore on parents – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

#edweek pushing the #commoncore on parents – @ the chalk face: #edweek pushing the #commoncore on parents by Timothy D. Slekar [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] If you’re bored please go here. EdWeek needs our help. They want us to explain to “parents” why we need the Common Core. This is what I posted. *Re: Teaching Parents About the Common Core* Really? Now EdWeek is trying to dupe parents into the disaster of the coming Common Core. Parents, WAKE UP! The Common Core is nothing more than a package of surveillance gadgets designed to track your child’s constant movement and ... more »

Let’s Re-Learn How to Read for the Common Core | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Let’s Re-Learn How to Read for the Common Core | toteachornototeach: Let’s Re-Learn How to Read for the Common Core by aristotlethewise *Let’s Re-Learn How to Read for the Common Core* by Stephen Chiger It’s about time I said I was sorry to Professor Smith. One of my most vivid college memories is of him rebuking my modern drama class for our lazy reading of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Why did no one notice, let alone try to analyze, the symbolism of Nora dancing the tarantella? I felt terrible, and as Smith pushed us, I realized why he was so flustered: Ibsen had selected detail... more »

Public School Money, Creationism, Evolution, and Schneider | deutsch29

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Public School Money, Creationism, Evolution, and Schneider | deutsch29: Public School Money, Creationism, Evolution, and Schneider by deutsch29 Over the past year, I have read a number of articles regarding the use of public funds to support schools that are teaching creationism and not evolution. In all of my reading on the topic, I have not read any articles offering a perspective similar to my own. Therefore, I have decided to weigh in on the subject. In order for readers to properly consider my perspective, I must first offer insight into the influences that have shaped my t... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Spotlight on Aki Kurose

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Spotlight on Aki Kurose: Spotlight on Aki Kurose by Charlie Mas [image: aki-kurose] The Alliance for Education, by giving Mia Williams the Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence, has put a spotlight on Aki Kurose. Let's take a look. Aki Kurose was in Step 5 of No Child Left Behind when Ms Williams was installed as the principal there for the 2008-2009 school year. In Step 5 schools are supposed to either be closed (then re-invented and re-opened) or be "transformed". This transformation must include, at a minimum, the replacement of the principal. ... more »

School closings are child abuse on a massive scale. | Reclaim Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

School closings are child abuse on a massive scale. | Reclaim Reform: School closings are child abuse on a massive scale. by kenpreviti [image: Broad School Closing]Why should you be involved? What can you do?School closings are child abuse on a massive scale. Replacing a few of the public schools or building new schools with public funds paid to private for-profit charters includes fraud, corruption and graft. This process is not a “private/public partnership”; it is a plutocratic takeover and true redistribution of wealth. *“There’s a time when the operation of the machine become... more »

Debt Strangles the 99% | OccupyWallSt.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Debt Strangles the 99% | OccupyWallSt.org: Debt Strangles the 99% by OccupyWallSt 76% of Americans are in debt. 15% are being pursued by one or more debt collectors. 22% of Americans are too impoverished to qualify for credit. That forces them into informal debt like payday loans or worse, which generateinterest rates of up to 500%. So add that together and we have the 99%. [image: 62% of bankruptcies] Strike Debt and the Rolling Jubilee believe that no one should have to go into debt to cover basic human rights like health care, education, and housing. One in seven Americans is be... more »

Challenge is not only opening good charter schools, but closing bad ones. A new national discussion begins. | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Challenge is not only opening good charter schools, but closing bad ones. A new national discussion begins. | Get Schooled: Challenge is not only opening good charter schools, but closing bad ones. A new national discussion begins. by Maureen Downey Mike Ritter/AJC [image: Mike Ritter/AJC]While Georgia seeks ways to open more high-performing charter schools, other parts of the country are engaging in a different challenge: How to close under-performing ones. The House passed a parent trigger bill that would have allowed parents in even top-rated schools to petition their school boar... more »

Lafayette School. Evidence of a failing, underutilized school in Chicago. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Lafayette School. Evidence of a failing, underutilized school in Chicago. | Fred Klonsky: Lafayette School. Evidence of a failing, underutilized school in Chicago. by Fred Klonsky PopoutH/T: Last Stand for Children First. Lafayette School is just one of 54 schools that the Chicago Public Schools are planning to close. Lafayette’s Illinois School Report Card shows just what a colossal failure it is. With 98% of the student population living in poverty, should they really be earning the upright bass? Why not teach these students instruments that they could play on street corners a... more »

Jersey Jazzman: How ONE Question on ONE Test Can Cost You Your Job

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: How ONE Question on ONE Test Can Cost You Your Job: How ONE Question on ONE Test Can Cost You Your Job by Duke Last week, I pointed out a big math failure in the proposed New Jersey teacher evaluation system, AchieveNJ: Slide 14 (annotations mine): Slide 20: OK, wait a minute... Slide 14 says my students' Student Growth Percentiles, or SGPs, will be calculated on a scale of 1 to 99. We've already established that my evaluation will use the Median SGP for my class, even though that is potentially a hugely distorted metric (see NJDOE Math Fail #1 for more). Bu... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Discussion Board for Parents

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Discussion Board for Parents: Common Core Discussion Board for Parents by stlgretchen Parents and taxpayers, here's your chance to have your voice heard about the standards/assessments to be taught to your children via Common Core. From Education Week Teacher and *Teaching Parents about the Common Core:* For the *Education Week Teacher* story package on "Common Core Instructional Opportunities,” we spoke with teachers, curriculum specialists, and principals about what the new standards mean for teaching. One group of stakeholders we did n... more »

N&O’s Ned Barnett on Diane Ravitch « The Progressive Pulse

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

N&O’s Ned Barnett on Diane Ravitch « The Progressive Pulse: N&O’s Ned Barnett on Diane Ravitch [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Post on March 24, 2013 by Rob SchofieldNo Comments In case you missed last week’s NC Policy Watch luncheon with Diane Ravitch, you can still watch it by clicking here. You can also read Ned Barnett’s column in this morning’s edition of Raleigh’s *News & Observer* in which the veteran journalist summarizes the hard truths Ravitch spelled out as she dismantled the “reform” plans of North Carolina’s Senate leader Phil Berger. On Tuesday,... more »

Thinking About Schools: Value-SUBTRACTED Measures

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Thinking About Schools: Value-SUBTRACTED Measures: Value-SUBTRACTED Measures Subtract: a) to eliminate, reduce, terminate, cut, or other action which reduces value or ability to succeed. In an era where "Value-Added Measures" (along with excessive testing and teacher labeling) are all the rage, what about Value-Subtracted Measures which force action we know are bad for kids and learning and can in no way counter the noble efforts and success of those adding value to learning? I read with interest (and because of the pictures our son sent) about the U.S.A. World Cup prelimina... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: I feel Rahm's pain

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: I feel Rahm's pain: I feel Rahm's pain by Mike Klonsky Try this Mr. MayorThe mayor says closing 54 schools and displacing 30,000 students has been "very difficult" for him. *Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Saturday said the “difficult” decision to close 54 Chicago elementary schools was not a matter officials took lightly.There is a lot of anguish and I understand that and I appreciate it,” said Emanuel, who appeared to have windburn from his Utah skiing trip.* -- Sun-Times My first thought upon hearing about the mayor's discomfort over the school closings de... more »

The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Still Seeing High Numbers for African American Male Student Suspensions By Serena Valdez Friday, March 15th, 2013 at 10:36 am in Uncategorized 20 Comments » At Wednesday night’s school board meeting, Superintendent Tony Smith and a small panel, including two principals, presented the Balanced Scorecard Accountability Report. The topic: suspensions. One major focus of the report is to work toward reducing suspension rates overall, but specifically with African American male students. In the 2011-12 school year, African A... more »

Chicago Board of Education Plans to Shut Down 54 Schools, Move 30,000 Students | PBS NewsHour | March 22, 2013 | PBS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Chicago Board of Education Plans to Shut Down 54 Schools, Move 30,000 Students | PBS NewsHour | March 22, 2013 | PBS: Chicago Board of Education Plans to Shut Down 54 Schools, Move 30,000 Students *SUMMARY* The Chicago Board of Education plans to close 54 schools, citing a $1 billion deficit and under-enrollment. Critics say this move will disrupt communities and put kids in danger. For both sides of the debate, Jeffrey Brown talks with Board vice president Jesse Ruiz and Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union. 5 Comments and 26 Reactions Listen: MP3 Transcript *JEFFR... more »

Disaster Capitalism, Chicago-style | Jacobin

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Disaster Capitalism, Chicago-style | Jacobin: *Disaster Capitalism, Chicago-style* by Kenzo Shibata [image: (seantmcgill / flickr)] (seantmcgill / flickr) In public policy circles, crises are called “focusing events” — bringing to light a particular failing in government policy. They require government agencies to switch rapidly into crisis mode to implement solutions. Creating the crisis itself is more novel. The right-wing, free market vision of University of Chicago economist Milton Friedman informed the blueprint for the rapid privatization of municipal services throughout t... more »

Sunday read. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Sunday read. | Fred Klonsky: Sunday read. by Fred Klonsky [image: 207500_10151556212103454_405334183_n] *Photo credit: Sarah Jane Rhee/loveandstrugglephotos.com.* *Be sure to join us for cocktails and conversation with Karen Lewis at Weegee’s Lounge* in Logan Square on April 11th. Anne and I are part of the host committee. All proceeds go to the Caucus of Rank and File Educators in the CTU. I’ll be the one in the orange sweater. And be sure to be at the Daley Center at 4PM on Wednesday. *Chicago teachers*: “We will put our bodies on the line to fight school closings” *The Chicago Tr... more »

The Opt Out Update: More parents around the country are opting their students out of high stakes testing and the issue of student privacy rights is front and center | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

The Opt Out Update: More parents around the country are opting their students out of high stakes testing and the issue of student privacy rights is front and center | Seattle Education: The Opt Out Update: More parents around the country are opting their students out of high stakes testing and the issue of student privacy rights is front and center by seattleducation2011 [image: test2] First, we’ll begin with why parents are opting their children out of high stakes testing. *Blind, severely disabled boy forced to take standardized test* *Rick called me a few days ago. He had, he sa... more »

What Happened to the FLDOE’s Investigation of K12 Inc? | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

What Happened to the FLDOE’s Investigation of K12 Inc? | Scathing Purple Musings: What Happened to the FLDOE’s Investigation of K12 Inc? by Bob Sikes What Will Happen to FLDOE Investigation of K12 Inc When Tony Bennett Arrives? | Scathing Purple Musings A top financial backer of Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education, K12 Inc got into hot water with investors for inflating their claims about student success. Earlier this month, the corporation settled with share-holders. From Sean Cavanagh in *Education Week:* The for-profit education provider K12 Inc. has reached a te... more »

Last Stand for Children First: Mister Emanuel's Opus

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Last Stand for Children First: Mister Emanuel's Opus: Mister Emanuel's Opus by Last Stand for Children Mister Emanuel's Opus If you've ever seen Mr. Holland's Opus, you will remember the amazing moment at the end of the movie when many of Mr. Holland's former students reunite to play the symphony he wrote, but never got to really do much with because he was too busy teaching his students and helping them in their lives. I can only imagine when these Lafayette School students become adults and reunite to thank Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for closing their school and providing them... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Mayor Emanuel Returns from His Skiing Trip in Utah by dianerav Mayor Rahm Emanuel, fresh from his skiing trip in Utah, and showing a bit of windburn on his face, held a press conference to explain that it was a “difficult” decision to close 54 public schools and disrupt the lives of 30,000 children. Mayor Emanuel’s children will not be affected, fortunately. They attend the elite University of Chicago Lab School, where President Obama and Secretary Duncan sent ... more »

#reformshaming, the #commoncore edition – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

#reformshaming, the #commoncore edition – @ the chalk face: [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] #reformshaming, the #commoncore edition by Chalk Face, PhD [image: #reformshaming, the #commoncore edition] Mr. David Coleman At the Chalk Face’s #edreform #marchmadness, Round Two Chalk Face, PhD at @ the chalk face - 35 minutes ago Some predictable results, and a few upsets. We now have Round Two: The Erroneous Eight. Gates defeats 16 seed Broad, no surprise there, for the Donor Division. ALEC and USDE emerge victorious for “Good” Government. No surprise that Pearson and Achieve would ma... more »

The in box. “My fellow teachers and I have hired a bus for the 27th. My dad said he would have my bail money.” | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

The in box. “My fellow teachers and I have hired a bus for the 27th. My dad said he would have my bail money.” | Fred Klonsky: The in box. “My fellow teachers and I have hired a bus for the 27th. My dad said he would have my bail money.” by Fred Klonsky I had to escape the noise and head to my community of the just in Three Oaks MI.Phoning my 82 year old dad to explain what a “turn around” means and how I am out of a job.47 year card carrying member of the masonry union.His work ethic and union protection provided for me and his five children.A personal email from Karen Lewis to r... more »

Daily Kos: Leaves on the Current - the recovery continues

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Daily Kos: Leaves on the Current - the recovery continues: Leaves on the Current - the recovery continues by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) [image: photo (30)] It will be 8 weeks this evening since we got the news about my wife's cancer. Tomorrow evening will be the end of the 2nd 2-week cycle of chemotherapy, with another treatment-free week about to occur. It seems a good point at which to reflect on where we are, and where we hope we are heading. Most of all, the past two days mark a major achievement. My wife is by training a cultural historian. Since before I met her, she h... more »

Watch out! Tribune, Joyce Foundation team up to push school privatization Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Watch out! Tribune, Joyce Foundation team up to push school privatization: Watch out! Tribune, Joyce Foundation team up to push school privatization by admin [image: Newspaper Salesman 1flip]The Chicago Tribune published some pre-digested results of a new public education survey they carried out with support from the Joyce Foundation. Shockingly, the poll results,* according to the Tribune*, suggest that most people approve of the Tribune’s positions on teacher accountability and school privatization. Here’s what my look at t... more »

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Skip high school. Go straight to college. Here’s how!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Skip high school. Go straight to college. Here’s how!: Skip high school. Go straight to college. Here’s how! by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen) *By Rylie VanOrsdol * ** *In my fourteen years of life, I have been public schooled, online schooled, charter schooled, private schooled, Montessori schooled, and homeschooled. I’ve skipped a grade and completed a grade in three months online. After all the learning options I have experienced, what I have found is that the traditional path was unable to meet my needs. * * * *A recent adventure was c... more »

Schools Matter: Feeding the College-to-Poorhouse Pipeline

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Schools Matter: Feeding the College-to-Poorhouse Pipeline: Feeding the College-to-Poorhouse Pipeline by Jim Horn Bill Gates and his plutocratic pals of the Billionaire Boys Club have successfully planted and nurtured the self-serving myth there is a huge talent shortage among American workers. This myth has been fed, of course, by corporations looking to drive down wages by creating an oversupply of college graduates, and it has been promulgated by the college industry, both for profit and non-profit. With an oversupply of applicants at brick and mortar schools, those fine inst... more »

Superintendent in Don Gaetz’ District Critical of Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Superintendent in Don Gaetz’ District Critical of Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings: Superintendent in Don Gaetz’ District Critical of Parent Trigger by Bob Sikes I’ve always wondered whether Sen. Don Gaetz, the school board member and school superintendent had a different take on Parent Trigger than Don Gaetz, the politician. We will never know, but the school’s superintendent from one of the county’s he represents makes no bones about his opposition. *Panama City News Herald *reporter Matthew Beaton talked to Bay County Schools Superintendent Bill Husfeldt: Bay District... more »

Is It the Standards Fault that They Worry Me? | Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Is It the Standards Fault that They Worry Me? | Cooperative Catalyst: Is It the Standards Fault that They Worry Me? by Pernille Ripp “..but this is what I teach my college students…” My mother, who is an English professor, is looking at the new 5th grade common core standards. I shake my head, sigh, and realize that I now have another mountain to climb when it comes to making school relevant, engaging, and exciting for students. I have been hesistant to blog about the Common Core Standards, after all, this is my first year truly dealing with them and the prescribed curriculum ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluation: SOMEONE'S Got To Lose!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluation: SOMEONE'S Got To Lose!: NJ Teacher Evaluation: SOMEONE'S Got To Lose! by Duke Tim Matheney is the current Director of the Office of Evaluation at the New Jersey Department of Education. He is touring around the state these days, trying to sell the new, top-down, test-based teacher evaluation system, AchieveNJ. I've blogged extensively about my problems with this system, but let's give Matheney a chance to respond to its critics: Pamela Keuett, a Neptune Township middle school science teacher, voiced concern over whether the new rating system ... more »

Jack Hassard: School Closings in Our Cities: A Deep Ecological Problem - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Jack Hassard: School Closings in Our Cities: A Deep Ecological Problem - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Jack Hassard: School Closings in Our Cities: A Deep Ecological Problem by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Jack Hassard.* *Latest Story* * * * * * * In this post I am going to argue that it is a mistake for large school districts such as Chicago, New York, and Atlanta to close schools on the basis of achievement and cost effectiveness. The Chicago School District announced that they plan to close 61 schools which is 13% of the total schools in the district. This will be ... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: [image: Ferlazzo200(1)] "Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation" will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves" Koi & Classroom Management Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 hours ago Here’s a great story from Marvin Marshall, a great writer on positive classroom strategies: Experience Being An Autistic Child In This Simulation Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 5 hours ago Auti-Sim describes itself like this: The player na... more »

NYC Educator: Is UFT's Delegate Assembly a Forum for Candidates' Debate?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

NYC Educator: Is UFT's Delegate Assembly a Forum for Candidates' Debate?: Is UFT's Delegate Assembly a Forum for Candidates' Debate? by NYC Educator There's a small ruckus on the MORE blog about whether or not UFT President Mike Mulgrew should debate his sole opponent, Julie Cavanagh. While the respondents are often more civil than the juvenile ravings that haunt the ICE blog, their arguments are bizarre, to say the least. As it happens, candidate Julie Cavanagh has an infant son, and the best argument they can seem to muster against her is that she doesn't attend the DA frequently ... more »

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: I'm Not Retiring, And You Can't Make Me!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: I'm Not Retiring, And You Can't Make Me!: I'm Not Retiring, And You Can't Make Me! by Lisa M Are you an "old" teacher? Are you one of those teachers people think they have the right to ask, "When are you going to retire?" I had that conversation with a younger 20 something colleague recently. I wanted to respond to her question by stating, "None of your business.", but I was polite. I said, "When my mortgage is paid, or I get really, really, tired of this job." She was persistent. "That might be soon, the way things are going." My response, "I ... more »

UPDATE: Letter to the Editor Debunks Common Core Missouri Education Watchdog: Protecting Student Privacy Rights and Data

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Protecting Student Privacy Rights and Data: Letter to the Editor Debunks Common Core Talking Points by stlgretchen The exponent-telegram.com printed a letter to the editor questioning the spin from the Common Core special interest groups (NGA, CCSSO, State School Boards, School districts, education reform companies, companies/researchers funded by the Gates Foundation): ************************************************** From the wvde.state web site, questions and their “answers” that I have to question. 1) “Is having common standards the first step t... more »

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education "National Middle Level Education... OpenCongress

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

S.Res.80: A resolution expressing support for the designation of March 2013 as "National Middle Level Education... OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: S.Res.80 A resolution expressing support for the designation of March 2013 as "National Middle Level Education Month". Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 29 seconds ago A resolution expressing support for the designation of March 2013 as "National Middle Level Education Month". Bill Introduced: S.Res.79 A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day. Open Congress : Major Bill Action... more »

From John Stoffel on #marchmadness and #commoncore – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

From John Stoffel on #marchmadness and #commoncore – @ the chalk face: From John Stoffel on #marchmadness and #commoncore by Chalk Face, PhD It’s time for March Madness in Indiana. Sadly, I refer not to our state’s passion for basketball, but to our lawmakers’ debilitation of public schools through high stakes testing which students began this month. The concept of winning a basketball game is relatively simple: score more points than your opponent. However, any basketball fan knows scoring is more complicated than just shooting the ball through the hoop. Winning coaches focus on... more »

Baker, Jacobs square off over Prince George’s County schools takeover plan - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Baker, Jacobs square off over Prince George’s County schools takeover plan - The Washington Post: Baker, Jacobs square off over Prince George's County schools takeover plan Mark Gail/The Washington Post - Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker. By Miranda S. Spivack and and Ovetta Wiggins, Saturday, March 23, 4:55 PM The chairman of the Prince George’s school board on Saturday lashed out at County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, calling his plan to take over operations of the county’spublic schools a “last minute power grab.” In her sharpest public comments to date, Verjeana... more »

It’s about time legislators stopped listening to propaganda and started paying attention to research” (Sarah Darer Littman) - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

It’s about time legislators stopped listening to propaganda and started paying attention to research” (Sarah Darer Littman) - Wait, What?: It’s about time legislators stopped listening to propaganda and started paying attention to research” (Sarah Darer Littman) by jonpelto The sentence comes from columnist and fellow education advocate Sarah Darer Littman latest commentary piece in this weekend’s CTNewsjunkie. The topic: Education Reform in Connecticut Compared to what is actually taking place in Hartford and state capitols around the country, she might have begun her piece with ... more »

#aft and #nea are wrong on Common Core and VAMs. – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

#aft and #nea are wrong on Common Core and VAMs. – @ the chalk face: #aft and #nea are wrong on Common Core and VAMs. by Timothy D. Slekar I support teachers’ unions. However, the AFT’s and NEA’s national leaders need to be to openly criticized. At the leadership level they are unable to counter the “adults first” narrative and they are complicit in the corporate takeover of our public schools. 1. First, teachers’ unions have been absolutely horrendous (accept in Chicago) in demonstrating how collective bargaining benefits children. 2. Second, the teachers unions have sol... more »

ASCD Conference Day 3: Will the “Common Core Work For You”? | InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

ASCD Conference Day 3: Will the “Common Core Work For You”? | InterACT: ASCD Conference Day 3: Will the “Common Core Work For You”? by David B. Cohen [image: Sandra Alberti presenting at the ASCD Conference, Chicago, 3/18/13 (photo by the author)]Sandra Alberti presenting at the ASCD Conference, Chicago, 3/18/13 (photo by the author)Home from Chicago for nearly a week now, no longer exhausted but still nursing a cold, I still want to serve up a final “quick view” from the ASCD Conference in Chicago. On the final day of the conference, I wandered through the exhibit hall a bit, and l... more »

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Information about the Gulen Movement

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Information about the Gulen Movement: Information about the Gulen Movement by The Perimeter Primate My new paper posted on Scribd contains excerpts about the Gulen Movement from a wide variety of sources such as - Congressional Research Service Report prepared for Members and Committees of Congress - RAND National Defense Research Institute report - Stratfor Global Intelligence Special Report - CBS 60 Minutes - The New York Times - The New Yorker - The New Republic - Jane’s Islamic Affairs Analyst - Global Politician - Reuters ... more »

Let’s Get This Right – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Let’s Get This Right – @ the chalk face: Let’s Get This Right by Activism in paradise - Voices from down under [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] *Pat Buoncristiani* has a remarkable bi-cultural background. For instance, she has been the principal of a school in Victoria, Australia and in Virginia, USA. for several years each. She says *“ Perhaps it is only when you look at an environment from the outside that you see it for what it really is. It was only when I went to the USA that I appreciated what we had in Victoria. The sad thing is that over the past few years I have watched ... more »

'Initiative for the Schools L.A. Students Deserve' | United Teachers Los Angeles

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

'Initiative for the Schools L.A. Students Deserve' | United Teachers Los Angeles: 'Initiative for the Schools L.A. Students Deserve' Dear UTLA Member, A petition was submitted in January to the UTLA President titled *Initiative for the Schools LA Students Deserve*. The text of the initiative is available below, and will be published in the upcoming issue of *United Teacher.* Signatures were delivered to UTLA on February 20, 2013. The UTLA membership department has completed verification of membership status on the signatures received relative to the above cited initiative. We have... more »

A personal invite from me to meet Karen Lewis and support CORE. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

A personal invite from me to meet Karen Lewis and support CORE. | Fred Klonsky: Please join us for an evening in support of a fighting teachers union in Chicago. by Fred Klonsky Please join us in Logan Square, for Cocktails and Conversation with Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis about the fight against the threatened closures of our public schools. Open bar and good eats. Limited tickets: Donate & RSVP now at http://coreteachers.com/411. Logan Square is a recognized community of next generation activists. We understand that unlike classroom teachers, politicians might ... more »