Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-30-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-30-13 #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

Scathing excerpts from Atlanta indictment in test cheating scandal

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago

Scathing excerpts from Atlanta indictment in test cheating scandal: Scathing excerpts from Atlanta indictment in test cheating scandal Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 30, 2013 at 5:00 pm 0 Comments More [image: test1]Here are some excerpts from the 96-page indictment returned in Fulton County, Ga., against former Atlanta Schools superintendent Beverly Hall and 34 others in a massive cheating scandal. The indictment portrays Hall as the head of a corrupt organization that used standardized test scores to financially reward and punish employees, and it alleges that those involved ag... more »

Political Animal - What Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee doesn’t want you to know

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago

Political Animal - What Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee doesn’t want you to know: What Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee doesn’t want you to know By Kathleen Geier FacebookTwitterDiggRedditStumbleUponDelicious What’s good enough for other people’s kids apparently isn’t good enough for the daughter of Michelle Rhee. As The Washington Post’s Valerie Strauss reports, one of education reform advocate Michelle Rhee’s daughters apparently attends an elite prep school for grades 5-12 that charges tuition of upwards of $20,000 a year. On one level, the hypocrisy is hardly shocking. Eli... more »

Blue Jersey:: Education Round-Up 3/30/13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago

Blue Jersey:: Education Round-Up 3/30/13: Education Round-Up 3/30/13 by Jersey Jazzman A pre-Easter round-up this week, so I'll be keeping it short in order to preserve maximal egg-rolling time:*Camden Takeover* So Chris Christie and Education Commissioner Cerf finally pulled the trigger and took over Camden's schools.It's worth noting that the district already had a state monitor and a mayor-appointed school board, so it's not like Camden is a case of an elected board run amuck. Newark has been under state control for 18 years, Paterson 22 years, and Jersey City 24 years. There'... more »

Sun-Times claims credit for PURE state EIG complaint Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 minutes ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Sun-Times claims credit for PURE state EIG complaint: Sun-Times claims credit for PURE state EIG complaint by admin [image: UnoS-T] Well, I’ll have to admit that it’s flattering for a major metropolitan newspaper to take credit for our action. But the actual reason the state is investigating UNO’s $98 million grant is not the Sun-Times’s story, but the complaint PURE and LSC members from Pilsen Elementary filed with the state Office of the Executive Inspector General on January 17. That was a story the Sun-Times failed to rep... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: How will Common Core/National Science Standards Address Climate Change?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: How will Common Core/National Science Standards Address Climate Change?: How will Common Core/National Science Standards Address Climate Change? by stlgretchen A recent post by MEW reported on a parent's delight about the forthcoming national science standards and her belief they would teach climate change is primarily due to humans. She wrote: *Federal science standards coming later this month will recommend that public schools educate students about climate change. Once students understand, they may just educate their parents. * * Oops. From Hot... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Pedro Noguera on Atlanta Cheating Scandal by dianerav Pedro Noguera, my colleague at New York University, said the following in an email this morning: *“How ironic. Not one banker in jail for ruining the economy but a superintendent is under indictment for cheating. Says a lot about our nation’s priorities. – pedro”* I asked and got his permission to post this. He added: “*I don’t condone cheating but I see what happened in Atlanta and the other districts where cheating has occurred as a direct result of th... more »

List of charges against 35 in Atlanta test cheating indictment

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

List of charges against 35 in Atlanta test cheating indictment: List of charges against 35 in Atlanta test cheating indictment Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 30, 2013 at 4:00 pm 0 Comments More [image: atlanta]Here is the release from the Office of the Fulton County District Attorney, Paul L. Howard Jr., about a grand jury indictment of 35 administrators and educators in a massive test cheating scandal in Atlanta. (The misspellings are in the original): *GRAND JURY INDICTS 35 IN CONNECTION WITH ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHEATING SCANDAL* *Former Superindent Beverly Hall Accused of... more »

Close Corporate Tax Loopholes, Not Public Schools | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Close Corporate Tax Loopholes, Not Public Schools | toteachornototeach: Close Corporate Tax Loopholes, Not Public Schools by aristotlethewise *Close Corporate Tax Loopholes, Not Public Schools* by Carl Gibson If you’re in a canoe that’s got a hole letting in water, do you throw the other passenger overboard who is helping you row, or do you just patch the hole and keep rowing? Chicago public schools are facing a $1 billion deficit. The corporate media would like you to believe it’s due to excessive spending and that Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal to close more than 50 schools, most o... more »

All Education Matters: Taegan Goddard's Coverage on Mounting Defaults

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

All Education Matters: Taegan Goddard's Coverage on Mounting Defaults: "increase in student loan defaults," Taegan Goddard's Coverage on Mounting Defaults by Cryn Johannsen This subject, that of an increase in student loan defaults, has been covered for several years on AEM. So, this won't come as a surprise to most of my readers, but student loan defaults are worsening. Over at Political Wire, Taegan Goddard provided a short brief about the increase in student loan defaults. Here's a snippet: The Department’s Office of Inspector General… blames a system installed in 2011 by Xer... more »

Thinking About Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Thinking About Schools: Atlanta: We're All A Little Responsible In 1999, many of my colleagues and I began writing about the perils of excessive standardized testing. I guess we should have anticipated the unanticipated consequences. If only we’d been bolder and more courageous. In 2002, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was enacted under the shadow of 9/11 when no Presidential initiative would be contested. If only we’d been outraged when we learned the “Texas Miracle” upon which NCLB was modeled was fraudulent. In 2003 small groups of Massachusetts parents and students boycott... more »

Ten Things Legislators Should Know and Do When Making Education Policy - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Ten Things Legislators Should Know and Do When Making Education Policy - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Ten Things Legislators Should Know and Do When Making Education Policy by Nancy Flanagan A couple of days ago, I had coffee with Betsy Coffia, who ran last November--unsuccessfully--for a seat representing the 104th district in the Michigan House of Representatives. Coffia and I had never met, although we have several mutual friends. We found each other on-line, in a Facebook argument over Detroit Public Schools' Emergency Manager. She liked what I had to s... more »

Daily Kos: I know I am getting old

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Daily Kos: I know I am getting old: I know I am getting old by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) We recently put a new XM radio into my wife's car. I tuned to the 50s station, which covers music of Rock's first decade, which means into the early 60s, or roughly the period of my school days. I graduated from high school 50 years ago this June, but I am not sure how much that reality hit home until I was listening to songs of my younger days. It shocks my spouse that I remember the lyrics from songs from the 1950s. Perhaps it shouldn't - I am a musician by background and by training,... more »

Teaching Beyond the Transmission of Knowledge | Education | M.A.Escotet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Teaching Beyond the Transmission of Knowledge | Education | M.A.Escotet: Teaching Beyond the Transmission of Knowledge by Miguel Angel Escotet “Teaching to the test at the expense of teaching to the heart is wrong and reduces education to a very superficial acquisition of knowledge and values. Standardized testing for measuring knowledge, skills and attitudes goes against learning styles and individual differences.”“One of the most important rules of teaching is to preach by example. Are all faculty in teacher preparation programs practicing what they preach?” --------------------... more »

The week in Bridgeport… - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

The week in Bridgeport… - Wait, What?: The week in Bridgeport… by jonpelto On Monday, the five members of the Bridgeport Board of Education aligned with Mayor Bill Finch voted to make Kenneth Moales the chairman of the Bridgeport Board of Education. It was a banner day for Mayor Bill Finch, Acting Superintendent of Schools Paul Vallas, Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor and Governor Dannel Malloy. Moales promptly used his authoritarian, dictatorial and bullying approach to highlight his complete inability to function in a democratic society. The so called “pie... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Reformy Praise For Beverly Hall

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Reformy Praise For Beverly Hall: Reformy Praise For Beverly Hall by Duke It's been a long time coming, but the disgraced former superintendent of Atlanta's schools, Beverly Hall, is finally being brought up on charges for her role in the city's massive cheating scandal. Before this all falls into the memory hole, I think it's important to take a moment and recall that *Hall was one of the darlings of the corporate reform movement*. [all emphases mine] Arne Duncan: The partners who have joined you here today also show an unparalleled commitment to dramatically st... more »

Schools Matter: Attitude Toward Teaching

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Schools Matter: Attitude Toward Teaching: Attitude Toward Teaching by Douglas Storm Put a check mark (✓) if you agree with the statement. Put a cross (X) if you disagree with the statement. Form A 1. To strive to teach well is to pattern after Christ, who was the Master Teacher. There can be no higher calling. 3. Teachers are the nation's leaders. 5. Teaching develops the mind. 8. Dealing with youth tends to keep a teacher young, alert, and active. 12. Teaching requires more intelligence than n most professions. 15. Teachers are the molders of society. 16. Teachers do very well co... more »

solidaridad: Monica Ratliff for LAUSD at Empress Pavilion Fundraiser

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

solidaridad: Monica Ratliff for LAUSD at Empress Pavilion Fundraiser: Monica Ratliff for LAUSD at Empress Pavilion Fundraiser by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene Hello Friend, I am happy to let you know about a marvelous young candidate, a teacher, for LA School Board in a run-off in the area I served for 8 years in the East San Fernando Valley. She grew up with a single mom who went back to school to help her daughter go to College at Columbia University. Well her daughter, Monica Ratliff, won a National Hispanic Scholarship to Columbia and then went on to Columbia Law School. After ... more »

Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky [image: IMG_0225] * * *Photo: J. Gunderson (Klonsky). Age 4.* * * * * This is the third cloudless day since Anne and I arrived in Anna Maria Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The first day was a little on the chilly side. Not Chicago chilly. Florida chilly. It is a whole different category of chilly. Chicago chilly is 50 mile an hour gusts off the Lake and temperatures listed as a number with a “-” in front of it. Anna Maria Island chilly means putting on a sweater and being undecided about whether to change out o... more »

Atlanta’s former schools chief charged under law used against Mafia

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Atlanta’s former schools chief charged under law used against Mafia: Atlanta’s former schools chief charged under law used against Mafia Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 30, 2013 at 11:09 am 5 Comments More [image: Paul Sakuma / AP / File] Beverly Hall (Paul Sakuma/Associated Press) In 2009, Beverly Hall was tapped as the National Superintendent of the Year, hailed for driving up standardized test scores in the Atlanta Public Schools and turning the system “into a model of urban school reform. But the scores were illusory, and Hall wasjust indicted under a law used against Mafia lea... more »

NYC Educator: Who's Afraid of Julie Cavanagh?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

NYC Educator: Who's Afraid of Julie Cavanagh?: Who's Afraid of Julie Cavanagh? by NYC Educator These are very tough times for teachers. We're facing an evaluation system that I am personally convinced to be based on nonsense. Mayor Bloomberg openly discusses his desire to hold teachers' feet to the fire, and when he says fire, that's certainly what he wishes to do to us. Governor Cuomo is now buying Bloomberg's argument that junk science agreements ought not to sunset, and stating they ought to remain in effect until and unless they are renegotiated. Unity/ New Action's Mike Mulgr... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Teacher:Preparing My Students for Failure by dianerav By now, everyone has been duly warned that the new Common Core tests will be “harder.” The passing rates are expected to drop by 30%. Advocates of privatization are excited and hoping the bad news will encourage parents to abandon their community schools. Entrepreneurs are poised to sell stuff when everyone is desperate for the latest new thing. But what about the kids? This teacher describes what she sees in h... more »

What Problem Will Mark Zuckerberg Solve Next??? | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

What Problem Will Mark Zuckerberg Solve Next??? | EduShyster: What Problem Will Mark Zuckerberg Solve Next??? by edushyster2012 Our topic today is the skillz gap, a problem so fiercely urgent that only the nation’s preeminent techno-wonder kid can even begin to have the smarts to address it. I am talking about Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and in the time that it took me to type his names our failed and failing public schools failed to produce yet more workers skilled enough to work at what is indisputably the mostamazing company in human history. So what a relief to learn this week... more »

Come Saturday Morning: Another Charter School Exponent Falls from Grace | Firedoglake

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Come Saturday Morning: Another Charter School Exponent Falls from Grace | Firedoglake: Come Saturday Morning: Another Charter School Exponent Falls from Grace by Phoenix Woman Popout Well, well, what have we here? A grand jury on Friday indicted Beverly L. Hall, the former superintendent powerhouse of the Atlanta School District, on racketeering and other charges, bringing a dramatic new chapter to one of the largest cheating scandals in the country. The grand jury also indicted 34 teachers and administrators in addition to Dr. Hall, who resigned in 2011 just before results of an i... more »

Disappearing Act | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Disappearing Act | toteachornototeach: Disappearing Act by aristotlethewise *Disappearing Act* ** * * * * by Virginia Myers *End the testing fixation before it erases more meaningful education.* WHEN IT COMES TO TESTING, teachers, parents and even some students agree on one thing: They have had about all they can take. And for good reason. The fixation on testing is putting undue stress on educators as well as students, and, in many instances, punishing teachers and schools. It’s also shortchanging vital parts of the curriculum, including arts, music and physical education. Bonnie ... more »

Schools Matter: With "LiveSchool," Total Surveillance and Compliance Are Just a Swipe and Click Away

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Schools Matter: With "LiveSchool," Total Surveillance and Compliance Are Just a Swipe and Click Away: With "LiveSchool," Total Surveillance and Compliance Are Just a Swipe and Click Away by Jim Horn *"The best practice is to record data in the moment. Why? Because it will be immediately available to your colleagues, and it ensures that no behaviors-good or bad-go unrecognized." --LiveSchool promotional material* * **How does a KIPP or other corporate reform school teacher, with a 60-80 hour work week, keep track of every word spoken, every snort or snicker, every fake fart, every... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Reform Right: "Democracy Is a Myth!"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Reform Right: "Democracy Is a Myth!": Reform Right: "Democracy Is a Myth!" by Duke Meanwhile, in Newark: In an unprecedented move, the *Newark Schools Advisory Board tonight voted against approval of a budget submitted by state-appointed Superintendent Cami Anderson.* *The board voiced its dissatisfaction with the way the budget was submitted, bereft of details, according to at least one member.* "We were all in agreement that there was a lack of transparency," said Board Member Eliana Pintor Marin. "*I asked the question tonight 'where are the programs being cut,... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Proponent & Foundation for Excellence Member Mitchell Chester: Let Them Eat Cake?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Proponent & Foundation for Excellence Member Mitchell Chester: Let Them Eat Cake?: Common Core Proponent & Foundation for Excellence Member Mitchell Chester: Let Them Eat Cake? by stlgretchen A nonprofit group released thousands of e-mails today and said they show how a foundation begun by Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and national education reform leader, is working with public officials in states to write education laws that could benefit some of its corporate funders. from washingtonpost.com Neal McCluskey writes a most revealin... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-30-13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* Opinion: HOW I BEAT THE POWERBROKERS IN A SCHOOL BOARD RACE smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 14 hours ago By Bennett Kayser, Op-Ed in the LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/173VB2q 3/28/2013 12:17:23 PM PDT :: In my 2011 school board race, I beat the big money. My campaign coffers never topped $35,000. My opponent Luis Sanchez raised more than five times as much. Sanchez also benefited from the generous support of "independent" interests willing to spend millions to promote t... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 3-30-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * TEACHERS’ GESTURES BOOST MATH LEARNING Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 hours ago Students perform better when their instructors use hand gestures – a simple teaching tool that could yield benefits in higher-level math such as algebra. A study published in *Child Development*, the top-ranked educational psychology journal, provides some of the strongest evidence yet that gesturing may have a unique effect on learning. Teachers in the United States tend to use gestures less than teachers in oth...more »

The Battle for Public Schools – last minute details United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

United Opt Out National: Please read here for all details regarding the occupation. The event will take place at the Dept. of Education, 400 Maryland Ave, SW , Washington, DC 20202. We will be outside, in the plaza on the north side of the building. If possible, bring your own camping chair and be prepared for any kind of weather. Official schedule for our second occupation of the Dept. of Ed. in D.C. from April 4-7, 2013, is available *HERE.* Official press release is *HERE*. Donations are accepted *HERE.* Official poster* HERE*. Livestream is *HERE*. RSVP* HERE.* Rules and parameter... more »

All Things Education: 180 Days: Inspiration, Desperation, and Deselection

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

All Things Education: 180 Days: Inspiration, Desperation, and Deselection: 180 Days: Inspiration, Desperation, and Deselection by Rachel Levy This spring break, I didn't read the three education books I was planning to. Instead, I spent a good chunk of time watching *180 Days: A Year Inside an American High School.* It's a documentary about DC Metropolitan High School, an alternative or "last chance" school that's part of DCPS. It was well-done and compelling. I highly recommend it. On a personal level, it reminded me a lot of the DCPS high school where I taught in terms of the p... more »

UPDATE: The culture that created the Atlanta cheating + Glen Brown hits a quarter of a million site visits with a great how-to-talk-to-your-legislator post. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Glen Brown hits a quarter of a million site visits with a great how-to-talk-to-your-legislator post. | Fred Klonsky: The culture that created the Atlanta cheating scandal. by Fred Klonsky Today’s big education story is the indictment of former Atlanta school superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall. Dr. Hall was one of 35 Atlanta educators indicted Friday by a Fulton County grand jury. Dr. Hall, who retired in 2011, was charged with racketeering, theft, influencing witnesses, conspiracy and making false statements. Prosecutors recommended a $7.5 million bond for her; she could face up to... more »

New Orleans seen as school choice national model, but is it working? - The Denver Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

New Orleans seen as school choice national model, but is it working? - The Denver Post: New Orleans seen as school choice national model, but is it working? POSTED: 03/29/2013 05:40:10 AM MDT UPDATED: 03/29/2013 08:45:46 AM MDT ByHeather Miller, The Lens Anika Watson and her son Kaleb and daughter Kaliyah outside McDonogh City Park Academy where the children attend school on Thursday, March 14, 2013. Watson learned days after the start of the school year that her kids' new school was an F. The district offered her children a list of schools to which they could transfer, but even... more »

Biggest legal challenge in history to Colorado's state's system of funding public schools is finally being played out before Colorado Supreme Court justices

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Biggest legal challenge in history to Colorado's state's system of funding public schools is finally being played out before Colorado Supreme Court justices: Biggest legal challenge in history to Colorado’s state’s system of funding public schools is finally being played out before Colorado Supreme Court justices by Danny Weil [image: images] The Denver Post has reported that after eight years after it was first filed, the biggest legal challenge in history to the state’s system of funding public schools is finally being played out before Colorado Supreme Court justices. Hearing... more »

Glenn Beck Takes on the Common Core: Is Big Data Big Brother? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Glenn Beck Takes on the Common Core: Is Big Data Big Brother? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Glenn Beck Takes on the Common Core: Is Big Data Big Brother? by Anthony Cody It is safe to say that Glenn Beck has millions of politically conservative followers, even now, on his less visible cable TV and radio program, TheBlaze. In recent weeks, Beck has turned his attention to the dangers posed by the Common Core. I do not usually pay close attention to Glenn Beck's work. On his Fox channel show, he took on a professorial air, and often led viewers down a rabbit hole i... more »

University of Oregon students' anti-rape video goes viral | OregonLive.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

University of Oregon students' anti-rape video goes viral | OregonLive.com: University of Oregon students' anti-rape video goes viral by Yuxing Zheng, The Oregonian An anti-rape video posted by two University of Oregon undergraduates has garnered more than 1.8 million hits the past week and landed them in international media. Cinema studies undergraduates Samantha Stendal and Aaron Blanton posted the video in response to the rape case in Steubenville, Ohio, where two teenage footballers were convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl who was drunk and unconscious. In Stendal and Blanto...more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Opinion: HOW I BEAT THE POWERBROKERS IN A SCHOOL BOARD RACE

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Opinion: HOW I BEAT THE POWERBROKERS IN A SCHOOL BOARD RACE: Opinion: HOW I BEAT THE POWERBROKERS IN A SCHOOL BOARD RACE by smf BY BENNETT KAYSER, OP-ED IN THE LA DAILY NEWS | HTTP://BIT.LY/173VB2Q 3/28/2013 12:17:23 PM PDT :: In my 2011 school board race, I beat the big money. My campaign coffers never topped $35,000. My opponent Luis Sanchez raised more than five times as much. Sanchez also benefited from the generous support of "independent" interests willing to spend millions to promote their agendas. He also had the backing of wel... more »

Daily Kos: Could paying a living wage help retail make better profits?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Daily Kos: Could paying a living wage help retail make better profits?: Could paying a living wage help retail make better profits? by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) That seems to be the conclusion to be drawn from reading The Trader Joe's Lesson: How to Pay a Living Wage and Still Make Money in Retail, Sophie Quinton's story in *the Atlantic* which is subtitled "Companies that invest in higher salaries for low-level employees find success in a competitive market." It focuses on three chains that pay their employees far more than most competitors, and treats employees as an asset, ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's Duncan's Race To The Top that should have been indicted

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: It's Duncan's Race To The Top that should have been indicted: It's Duncan's Race To The Top that should have been indicted by Mike Klonsky Indicted!When the Atlanta test cheating scandal broke two years ago, *Arne Duncan* pooh-poohed it. He started out saying how "stunned" he was and then called it an "isolated" problem. *"I think this is very isolated," Duncan said. "In Baltimore, there's two schools and they dealt with it. This (Atlanta) is an easy one to fix, with better test security.* Isolated? An easy one to fix? Today AJC reports: * Former ... more »

Too much to read… | Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Too much to read… | Deborah Meier on Education: Too much to read… by debmeier I get sent books, I buy them and I borrow them. I’m a sucker for a good title. But if they are in “my field” I think they deserve passing along. So here are some comments about ones I found I was glad t have read this past month or two. 1. Letters of Recommendation, by Maxine McClintock is a surprisingly engaging fictional dialogue between a high school teacher and a very sensitive student about the value of what they’ve has been engaged in. I kept turing down page corners (tsk tsk) and over time I shal... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Astonishing Details of Atlanta Indictments for Cheating by dianerav The New York Times has an extended story on the indictments of educators for their alleged participation in cheating on tests. Ex-superintendent Beverly Hall was one of 35 Atlanta educators indicted in the biggest cheating scandal in public school history. A third-grade teacher agreed to wear a wire for the investigators: She “admitted to Mr. Hyde [the investigator] that she was one of seven teachers — nicknamed “the chosen” — who sat in a locked ... more »

Thinking about sick days. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Thinking about sick days. | Fred Klonsky: Thinking about sick days. by Fred Klonsky [image: jp-sick-articleLarge] One of the things about being retired is that I never have to worry about taking a paid sick day again. *“Who worries about taking a sick day?” you may ask.* Most teachers I know do. They worry about who the sub will be. They worry about leaving plans. They worry that their students will miss a day of their invaluable presence. I’m thinking about sick days because the city of New York is about to pass a law that requires companies which employ five people or more to prov... more »

State investigating $98 million grant for UNO charter schools - Chicago Sun-Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

State investigating $98 million grant for UNO charter schools - Chicago Sun-Times: State investigating $98 million grant for UNO charter schools BY DAN MIHALOPOULOS Staff Reporter dmihalopoulos@suntimes.com March 29, 2013 4:28PM 0 0 Share 26 1 [image: Juan Rangel CEO United Neighborhood Organization. | Brian Jackson~Sun-Times file photo] Juan Rangel, CEO of the United Neighborhood Organization. | Brian Jackson~Sun-Times file photo RELATED DOCUMENTS Inspector general's letter ARTICLE EXTRAS [image: Story Image] View Gallery RELATED STORIES - For insiders, community group UNO’s... more »

Michelle Rhee, a private school parent?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Michelle Rhee, a private school parent?: Michelle Rhee, a private school parent? Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 29, 2013 at 5:13 pm The outspoken Michelle Rhee appears to be uncomfortable talking about where her children go to school in Nashville. Public or private? And why does it matter? Her reluctance is detailed in this Los Angeles Times piece by Michael Mishak headlined, “Michelle Rhee, ‘a public school parent?’ ” Mishak reports that Erin Shaw, a spokesman for Rhee’s StudentsFirst anti-union organization, told the Times, “She is a public school parent.” Based on ... more »