BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 minutes ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Is Corporate Education Reform Coming to North Dakota? by dianerav A comment from a reader in North Dakota. Guess who BG is and why he is coming to Fargo? Is he a modern evangelist, selling salvation by technology? Any suggestions for our friends in North Dakota? I suggest they join the Network for Public Education, organize parent-teacher groups, and prepare to defend public education, doors open to all. “The same thing is going on in Fargo right now. I’m just d... more »
6 Insulting Things NYSED Keeps Repeating – @ THE CHALK FACE...
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 minutes ago
6 Insulting Things NYSED Keeps Repeating – @ THE CHALK FACE...: 6 Insulting Things NYSED Keeps Repeating by Kris Nielsen Every time the media reports a story about brave and caring parents who are allowing their kids to refuse the state tests, the reporters go ask NYSED officials to comment (in the name of fairness). What the officials of our education department offer are soundbytes and talking points that are ridiculous, at best, and completely insulting, at worst. Without further ado, here are the six most insulting things that NYSED keeps repeating in the media. *#6 Parents... more »
When it’s not his children’s school
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago
When it’s not his children’s school: When it’s not his children’s school Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 20, 2013 at 9:45 am 0 Comments More [image: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel] Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel There is a great deal of anger among Chicago parents about the city’s plan to close some 50 public schools. Here is a powerful piece from parent Matt Farmer, a Chicago trial lawyer who is a member of the Local School Council at Philip Rogers Elementary School. A version of this appeared on Huffington Post. By Matt Farmer *Question:* When is a Chicago elementary school with 23 kid... more »
John White’s Hidden Memorandum of Understanding with InBloom | deutsch29
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago
John White’s Hidden Memorandum of Understanding with InBloom | deutsch29: John White’s Hidden Memorandum of Understanding with InBloom by deutsch29 Today I read an article in the *Monroe News-Star* declaring that Louisiana State Superintendent John White had decided to nix his (it is his, not BESE’s) controversial, formerly-clandestine agreement to share student data with InBloom. InBloom is a data collection front for the likes of Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch: *The database is a joint project of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided most of the funding, the Carnegi... more »
Daily Kos: A meditation for the day, 4/20
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 32 minutes ago
Daily Kos: A meditation for the day, 4/20: A meditation for the day, 4/20 by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Every day is an opportunity for commemorations, some pleasant, some not so much. We can consider the births of the day: on the positive side, John Paul Stevens was born in 1920, perhaps offering something more positive for those whose natal day is today than remembering 1889 Adolph Hitler came into the world in in Austria. Perhaps we might remember those who died on this occasion: for me one stands out above all, a man born in Germany but so beloved by Britain that he is bu... more »
Schooling in the Ownership Society: D.C. school rheeform: Another privatizer bellies up to the trough
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 36 minutes ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: D.C. school rheeform: Another privatizer bellies up to the trough: D.C. school rheeform: Another privatizer bellies up to the trough by Mike Klonsky D.C. Councilman David Catania, who's the head of the Council's new newly constituted Education Committee, wants to take Michelle Rhee's failed corporate-reform plan to the next level. He's handing out a big contractto Hogan Lovells, an international firm with "wide areas of practice in government and industry, including K-12 and higher education," to re-design the city's school reform plan. The firm'... more »
Daily Kos: Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago
Daily Kos: Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric: Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) To All Elected Local, State, and National Political Leadership: No American needs anymore to name specifically the tragedy or the media and political responses because all have become both commonplace and predictable. I will name nonetheless, not because these are unique, but because they are sobering messages that must not be ignored. In recent days, a bomb exploded at the finish line of the Boston Ma... more »
The Time Tipping Point | toteachornototeach
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago
The Time Tipping Point | toteachornototeach: The Time Tipping Point by aristotlethewise *The Time Tipping Point* by Tiffany Cooper Gueye Schools are approaching a tipping point on time. Throughout the country, educators are reconsidering the traditional school day and school year calendar and exploring ways to increase the amount of learning time provided to students. This increasing focus on time is based on research that proves that more and better learning time increases student engagement, achievement, and success. The widespread adoption of expanded learning time is an imperati... more »
Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago
Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky [image: Quinn_Chapel_AME_Church,_2401_South_Wabash_Avenue,_Chicago_(Cook_County,_Illinois)] *Quinn Memorial AME Church.* I can’t linger over my coffee and Bob’s Red Mill hot cereal this morning. I have to head over to Quinn Memorial Chapel on South Wabash. Congressmen Bobby Rush and Danny Davis are holding hearings on Rahm’s plan to close more than 50 Chicago public schools next year. It is the largest public school destruction in American history. I suppose that strictly speaking, the fact that Rahm is blowing up Ch... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Northwestern's View of Diversity
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 44 minutes ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Northwestern's View of Diversity: Northwestern's View of Diversity by Anngie While the K-12 world is bent on commonality and treating everyone the same regardless of origin or ability, the world of higher education intends to take those same kids, who have been bathed in a culture of oneness and sameness, and yank them in completely the opposite direction. The goal of the Common Core standards is to prepare kids for college, but what is college going to do to them? Consider Northwestern University which is implementing a "Social Inequalities and Dive... more »
'Catastrophic' budget laid out by Philly schools - Philly.com
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
'Catastrophic' budget laid out by Philly schools - Philly.com: 'Catastrophic' budget laid out by Philly schools By Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff WriterPOSTED: April 19, 2013 If the "catastrophic" budget picture Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. laid out Thursday comes to pass, Philadelphia schools would be virtually unrecognizable come September. There could be no money for counselors or librarians. There might be no sports or extracurricular activities. No dedicated funds for secretaries, aides, or summer school would be provided. And that would follow the steep cuts made ov... more »
An Open Letter | California Father
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
An Open Letter | California Father: An Open Letter by California Father [image: California Father] Dear Editors: I am writing in response to your recent article about McKinley Elementary School, where a teacher was recently accused of giving answers to a student while administering the California Standards Test. Our son, a McKinley student, is not in the third grade class where the alleged cheating took place. He did not take the test at all because we decided to opt him out of testing, which is a parental right the California Education Code guarantees. We opted our boy out be... more »
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 4-20-13
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* Michelle Rhee: TIGER MOM… OR PAPER TIGER MOM …with kids in private school? smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 12 hours ago following up on MICHELLE RHEE’S REIGN OF ERROR Education advocate Michelle Rhee fends off accusations Head of a group that advocates using student test scores to evaluate teachers, fends off accusations that she failed to pursue evidence of cheating when she ran the D.C. school system. By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Timeshttp://lat.ms/1796S0y. BALDWIN PARK ... more »
Top Content this Week - 4-20-13 The Educator's PLN Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN:
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: The history of technology in education]The history of technology in education Added by Cassandra Trumbetic on April 13, 2013 2[image: Rick Wormeli: How Much Should Homework Count?]Rick Wormeli: How Much Should Homework Count? Added by Shawna Hixson on April 4, 2013 3[image: SMART Boards Why are they so easy to use?]SMART Boards Why are they so easy to use? Added by Cassandra Trumbetic on April 13, 2013 4[image: To be honest with you, no offense, but I was just sayin'...]To be honest with you, no offense, but I was just sayin'... A... more »
This Week's Education Research Report 4-20-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Education Research Report *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 21 hours ago Schools seeking to boost parental involvement will need to tailor their approaches to match parents' differing views and concerns, according to a new report from Public Agenda. The report, "Ready, Willing and Able? Kansas City Parents Talk About How to Improve Schools and What They Can Do to Help," indicates that parental involvement means very different things to different parents, with... more »
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 4-20-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL *LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY* *LOOK FOR MY nEW BOOK *[image: Ferlazzo200(1)] "Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation" will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves" How NOT to Start A Conversation With A Student…. Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 15 minutes ago This comic strip provides a perfect example of the wrong way to initiate a serious conversation with anyone, including a student: Source: gocomics.com via Larry on Pinterest Cinco de M... more »
COVER THEME: LEARNING MATH, LEARNING JUSTICE Rethinking Schools
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Rethinking Schools: VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 — SPRING 2013 COVER THEME: LEARNING MATH, LEARNING JUSTICE This issue of *Rethinking Schools* previews our new, expanded, and revised edition of *Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers*. The focus is on teaching math in ways that help students make sense of their world. Editorial: Just Math By the editors of Rethinking Schools Whose Community Is This? Mathematics of neighborhood displacement By Eric (Rico) Gutstein Students use advanced math to study gentrification, displacement, and foreclosure in their neighborhood. ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: TOMORROW...
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: TOMORROW...: TOMORROW... by Mike Klonsky
NYC Public School Parents: video: Occupy the DOE, talking about class size & big data
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: video: Occupy the DOE, talking about class size & big data: video: Occupy the DOE, talking about class size & big data by Leonie Haimson Talking about class size, the depersonalization of learning, Bill Gates, big data, Big Brother, inBloom Inc. and online learning on April 4, the first day of Occupy the US Department of Education in DC. Popout *A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 – @ the chalk face* coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 – @ the chalk face: A collectio... more »
Reporter? Journalist? Naw, I’m just a blogger… - Wait, What?
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Reporter? Journalist? Naw, I’m just a blogger… - Wait, What?: Reporter? Journalist? Naw, I’m just a blogger… by jonpelto Sometimes I refer to myself as an “advocacy journalist” or even an “investigative reporter,” but really I’m just a “blogger.” Don’t get me wrong. In this Internet and social networking age, blogging has become a powerful medium of communication. That said, blogging, as a job or task or career, is still in its infancy. One factor is that the protocol for reporters and bloggers is different when it comes to sourcing information. I still try to identify my sources.... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Do You Have a Quiet Kid?
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Do You Have a Quiet Kid?: Do You Have a Quiet Kid? by Melissa Westbrook A thoughtful article in Crosscut about children who are introverts and the "Quiet Revolution." *Recently, my fourteen-year-old daughter Melanie came home dejected from a volunteer activity. “I was criticized for not sharing enough of my ideas,” she told me. “The problem is that I like to listen. By the time I’m ready to share, everybody else is busy talking and I can’t get a word in edgewise.”* ***To reassure Melanie, we watched a TED Talk given by Susan Cain, author of the ... more »
What Does Good Teaching Look Like? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
What Does Good Teaching Look Like? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: What Does Good Teaching Look Like? by Nancy Flanagan Imagine you just walked into the classroom of a truly excellent teacher, as she's teaching a lesson. One of those "irreplaceables," perhaps. What do you see and hear? What's on the walls--and the whiteboard? How has she arranged the classroom? What are his students doing? Who's talking--and what are they talking about? What's the prevailing "atmosphere" in the room? *What does good teaching look like?* I used to use this question as a starte... more »
Pearson admits major errors in gifted and talented exam scoring | GothamSchools
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Pearson admits major errors in gifted and talented exam scoring | GothamSchools: Pearson’s gifted test score errors affected thousands of families by Philissa Cramer In the latest in a series of embarrassing snafus, the testing company Pearson miscalculated thousands of city students’ scores on tests to screen for giftedness. According to the Department of Education, 2,698 children who were told they did not hit the city’s threshold for gifted and talented program eligibility actually made the cut. Another 2,037 children had scores high enough to apply to citywide gifted programs,... more »
Education Week: School Board Transparency a Challenge in Digital Age
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Education Week: School Board Transparency a Challenge in Digital Age: School Board Transparency a Challenge in Digital Age Santa Fe school board members turned over nearly 40 pounds of business correspondence from their personal email accounts. —Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican By Nora Fleming Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org. Read more FREE content! [image: Article Tools] - [image: Print]Printer-Friendly - [image: Email]Email Article - [image: Reprint]Reprints - [image: Comments]Comments - - - School board members are struggling to interpre... more »
Schools Matter: America Awakening to Refreshing New Possibility: Tell Bill Gates to Take His Money and Go to Hell
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Schools Matter: America Awakening to Refreshing New Possibility: Tell Bill Gates to Take His Money and Go to Hell: America Awakening to Refreshing New Possibility: Tell Bill Gates to Take His Money and Go to Hell by Jim Horn When the LA Times starts having doubts about the wisdom of His Aged Geekiness, Billy Gates, then you have to know the worm is turning quickly. After all, it was the LA Times that published Gates-approved teacher ratings that ended in the suicide of Rigoberto Ruelas in 2010. Perhaps Team Obama should have a second look at its decision to put corporate founda... more »
The in box. Why the silence at home Congresswoman Schakowsky? | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
The in box. Why the silence at home Congresswoman Schakowsky? | Fred Klonsky: The in box. Why the silence at home Congresswoman Schakowsky? by Fred Klonsky [image: jan]Fred, The ironic part is that Schakowsky has NOT tolerated the same logic for cutting Social Security benefits by Republicans in DC that Springfield Democrats like Biss are employing in their attempts to gut Illinois pensions.Attacks from Republicans such Social Security adding to the deficit have been transformed by “progressive” Democratic like Biss into claiming pension benefits add to the state budget deficit. S... more »
Student Suspension and Expulsion Rates - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Student Suspension and Expulsion Rates - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Releases First Detailed Data on Student Suspension and Expulsion Rates [image: Fix School Discipline]*Support for AB 420 (Dickinson) – Disruption and Defiance: **Reducing Grounds for Harsh Discipline **National Lawyers Guild of Sacramento* * * * * *Milestone for CALPADS sets baseline for this data collection* SACRAMENTO—About one California student in 20 was suspended from school and one in 1,000 was expelled in the 2011-12 school year, according to data released for the first... more »
@john_merrow blames teachers’ unions as potential “creator” of Rhee. Hmm. – @ the chalk face
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
@john_merrow blames teachers’ unions as potential “creator” of Rhee. Hmm. – @ the chalk face: @john_merrow blames teachers’ unions as potential “creator” of Rhee. Hmm. by Chalk Face, PhD Diane Ravitch reported this. Then, Fred Klonsky got in on it, who should be respected for his positions on teachers’ unions. Merrow made his comments thusly: And finally U created her. “U” is my shorthand for teacher unions. This is simple physics: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” The “Michelle Rhee” phenomenon is the inevitable product of, and reaction to, intransig... more »
Approved Substitute System for Time Accounting - Correspondence (CA Dept of Education)
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Approved Substitute System for Time Accounting - Correspondence (CA Dept of Education): April 9, 2013 Dear County and District Chief Business Officials, Categorical Program Directors, and Charter School Administrators: Approved Substitute System for Time Accounting for Federal Programs We are pleased to announce that the United States Department of Education (USDE) has approved a new substitute system for time accounting for federal programs for use by all local educational agencies (LEAs). This new substitute system is in addition to the substitute system previously approve... more »
PPIC Statewide Education Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Initiative Process, September 2005 (PPIC Publication)
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Initiative Process, September 2005 (PPIC Publication): [image: Public Policy Institute of California] PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Initiative Process, September 2005 Mark Baldassare September 2005 Full Report[PDF, 1355K] Press Release[HTML] Read in Spanish *Some findings of the current survey* - Californians think that initiatives (39%) should have more influence than the legislature (32%) or governor (18%) over state policy. - Most residents (74%) feel that initiatives raise impo... more »
What Makes or Breaks a Principal? — Whole Child Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
What Makes or Breaks a Principal? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]What Makes or Breaks a Principal? April 19, 2013 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers In this *Educational Leadership* article, Gordon Donaldson, George Marnik, Sarah Mackenzie, and Richard Ackerman focus on the relational skills school leaders must use to build strong, sustainable, solid relationships and thriving schools—skills not typically taught in workshops or courses, so many principals have to figure them out on their own. The first skill to focus on is becoming an *activ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Let's ALL Get On This: Let Your Legislator Know What Matters
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Let's ALL Get On This: Let Your Legislator Know What Matters: Let's ALL Get On This: Let Your Legislator Know What Matters by Melissa Westbrook I normally don't agree with a lot of the thought process over at LEV. But here's something I agree with: *Which of these makes more sense to you? A) Keeping questionable industry tax breaks on the books? OR B) Amply funding our schools? If you picked "B," it's time to voice your choice. Please take two minutes of your time sending a message to your legislators. * We need to get a tsunami of e-mails to... more »
Diane in the Evening 4-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: *Oh Look Arne, a Picture of Diane Ravitch!* A Fawning Interview with Bill Gates by dianerav Read this and prepare to gag unless you are the president of your regional Bill Gates Fan Club. Did you know that Bill is warm and cuddly when he talks about how he plans to make US education the very best in the world without spending more? Don’t doubt for a minute that he knows how to do it. He has been reforming education for years, and think of all he has done. Well, let’s see, there is….. The article begins: “Afte... more »
Randi Weingarten's Pension Veto - WSJ.com
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Review & Outlook: Randi Weingarten's Pension Veto - WSJ.com: *Randi Weingarten's Pension Veto* The teachers union chief tries to blackball hedge funds that support school reform. Public pension funds are frantically chasing higher yields to reduce their roughly $3 trillion in unfunded liabilities. But don't tell that to Randi Weingarten, the teachers union el supremo, who is trying to strong-arm pension trustees not to invest in hedge funds or private-equity funds that support education reform. That's the remarkable story that emerged this week as the American Federation of Tea... more »
The Bylaws of the Bridgeport Board of Education: Policy 9270: Conflict of Interest - Wait, What?
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
The Bylaws of the Bridgeport Board of Education: Policy 9270: Conflict of Interest - Wait, What?: The Bylaws of the Bridgeport Board of Education: Policy 9270: Conflict of Interest by jonpelto As a member of the Bridgeport Board of Education, Hernan Illingworth took actions that directly benefited him and the company that he works for. *That is an ethics violation.* *It is a serious ethics violation and it requires action.* *Mayor Finch, the state is waiting to see how you handle this issue*. *The Bylaws of the Bridgeport Board of Education: Policy 9270: Conflict of Interest* *(1) ... more »
April 24th, 2013: A Pivotal Day for Louisiana Education | deutsch29
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
April 24th, 2013: A Pivotal Day for Louisiana Education | deutsch29: April 24th, 2013: A Pivotal Day for Louisiana Education by deutsch29 The 2012 Louisiana legislative session yielded two mammoth, anti-teacher, pro-privatization laws, Acts 1 (Teacher Evaluation and Tenure; Role of School Boards, among other changes) and Act 2 (Vouchers). Fortunately, canning both teachers and schools is not proceeding as smoothly as both Governor Bobby Jindal and State Superintendent John White would have liked. Both Acts 1 and 2 are currently under appeal with the Louisiana Supreme Court. Both ... more »
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Responds to Cheating Accusations, Takes on Teachers Unions | The Conference Channel Blog
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Responds to Cheating Accusations, Takes on Teachers Unions | The Conference Channel Blog: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Responds to Cheating Accusations, Takes on Teachers Unions Culture, Politics by Zain Iqbal Long considered a failing institution, the D.C. public school system was overdue for a shake-up when newly elected Mayor Adrian Fenty took office in 2007. Enter Michelle Rhee, a education professional who sparked interest among mid-career professionals who sought opportunities as public school teachers through The New Teacher Proje... more »
Mother Crusader: Hebrew Charters Hit The Broadway Stage
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Mother Crusader: Hebrew Charters Hit The Broadway Stage: Hebrew Charters Hit The Broadway Stage by darciecima It's Their Party And We're Not Invited Are you free this Sunday? Do you have an extra $50,000 lying around? If you answered yes to both of those questions, then you could be eligible to attend the inaugural benefit for the five charters in the Hebrew Charter School Center's (HCSC) network (including Hatikvah, which is taking almost $300,000 from my small district next year). "Afternoon at the Theater" is a *private *performance of Roald Dahl's "Matilda The Musical" at t... more »
Test Resentment and the Politics of the Common Core - Dana Goldstein
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Test Resentment and the Politics of the Common Core - Dana Goldstein: Test Resentment and the Politics of the Common Core by Dana Goldstein There is a growing national movement to opt one's children out of public school standardized tests, and much of its energy is flowing out of New York state, which this week debuted Common Core-aligned exams in English, created by the Pearson corporation. These tests ask much more challenging free response and essay questions than students are accustomed to, and were rolled out before many schools and teachers received all the new curriculum m... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, April 19, 2013
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Math Framework Public Comment Period Opens - **Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)* Education Headlines *Friday, April 19, 2013* Alisal school chief's spending under scrutinyThe personal use of official credit cards by the superintendent of the Alisal Union School District is being investigated on two fronts, officials said Thursday. San Jose's Metropolitan Education District names new superintendentThe Metropolitan Education District board has named Alyssa Lynch of Campbell as its next superintendent. Lynch replaces Paul Hay, who ... more »
Education Research Report: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Education Research Report: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * *This Week's Education Research Report 4-6-13 * Schools seeking to boost parental involvement will need to tailor their approaches to match parents' differing views and concerns, according to a new report from Public Agenda. The report, "Ready, Willing and Able? Kansas City Parents Talk About How to Improve Schools and What They Can Do to Help," indicates that parental involvement means ve... more »
Leading PBL Schoolwide? Tips to Get Started — Whole Child Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Leading PBL Schoolwide? Tips to Get Started — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Andrew Miller]Leading PBL Schoolwide? Tips to Get Started April 19, 2013 by Andrew Miller Many schools are making major changes in structures and professional development (PD) to make sure teachers are implementing effective project-based learning (PBL) schoolwide. I've been honored personally to be part of that journey with many schools. I have seen many different kinds of PBL schools, and with it, many kinds of PBL projects. This work has also reaffirmed the belief that the principal ... more »
NYC Public School Parents: One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School: One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School by Molly Earlier this year, Molly Moody of Class Size Matters interviewed Nikhil Goyal, seventeen-year old student writer and international speaker, to discuss his new book, *One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessmentof School*. Goyal is well known as an advocate for student voice. In addition to his book, published in 2012, you can find his writing in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, MSNBC, NPR, NBC Ni... more »
Criminalizing Children at School - NYTimes.com
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Criminalizing Children at School - NYTimes.com: Criminalizing Children at SchoolBy THE EDITORIAL BOARD The National Rifle Association and President Obama responded to the Newtown, Conn., shootings by recommending that more police officers be placed in the nation’s schools. But a growing body of research suggests that, contrary to popular wisdom, a larger police presence in schools generally does little to improve safety. It can also create a repressive environment in which children are arrested or issued summonses for minor misdeeds — like cutting class or talking back — that once... more »
UPDATE: Indiana C of C History of Backing Poor Education Policy + Ohio House Strips PARCC Funding from Budget | Truth in American Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Ohio House Strips PARCC Funding from Budget | Truth in American Education: Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s History of Backing Poor Education Policy by Erin Tuttle [image: Indiana Chamber of Commerce]The Indiana Chamber of Commerce promotes itself as a steward for the people and businesses of Indiana. No doubt it has done a lot of good for the state. But its support of the Common Core, a new national set of K-12 academic standards and tests in math and English, isn’t doing Indiana any favors. The Chamber has a poor track record on education issues. From *A Nation at Risk* in 1986, thr... more »
Who Created Excuses for Michelle Rhee? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Who Created Excuses for Michelle Rhee? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Who Created Excuses for Michelle Rhee? by Anthony Cody Educators are living an absolute nightmare of absurd accountability. Guided by the misguided notion that teachers are capable of singlehandedly overcoming the blight of poverty, "reformers" have created systems that have them evaluated based on test score growth, sometimes even for students they have never even taught. Yet when it comes for taking accountability for their own actions, some people are willing to give the reformers all sorts ... more »
UPDATE: Breaking: They won’t call the pension bomb to a vote this time. Next try is the week of April 29th. | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Data driven. | Fred Klonsky: Breaking: They won’t call the pension bomb to a vote this time. Next try is the week of April 29th. by Fred Klonsky They still don’t have the votes in the Illinois House to ignore the state’s constitution. The House adjourned today. HB3411 wasn’t called. HB34511 cuts the cost of living adjustment and raises the age when retirees can receive it, limits pensionable earnings and creates a 3rd tier of TRS employees that would have their defined benefit turned into a defined contribution. The House sponsors of HB3411 are Tom Cross - Elaine Nekritz - David H... more »
Rhee's Credibility Questioned as High-Stakes Testing is Exposed Again | California Progress Report
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Rhee's Credibility Questioned as High-Stakes Testing is Exposed Again | California Progress Report: Rhee's Credibility Questioned as High-Stakes Testing is Exposed Again by callen *By Lisa Schiff* Last week, high-stakes testing queen Michelle Rhee, was exposed. Thanks to the impressive investigative work of reporterJohn Merrow, the final dots have been connected making it clear that when Rhee was superintendent of Washington D.C.'s public schools, serious levels of cheating were occurring spurred on by the unrealistic pressure she put on principals and that she was fully aware of ... more »
NPE Webinar #2: How to Organize a Student Group | The Network For Public Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
NPE Webinar #2: How to Organize a Student Group | The Network For Public Education: NPE Webinar #2: How to Organize a Student Group by admin NPE Webinar #2: How to Organize a Student Group - Tuesday, April 30, 8:30 pm Eastern Featuring student activists Stephanie Riviera, Sarah Smith and Israel Munoz, plus guests from the Newark student walkout! These dynamic students will discuss the ways they have taken action to affect change around their own educational futures, and provide suggestions and advice for other students who want to do the same. Stephanie is enrolled at Rutgers, and... more »
UPDATE: GUEST POST: Nipping Dissent + ANNOUNCEMENT: At the Chalk Face and Schools Matter to join forces – @ the chalk face
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
ANNOUNCEMENT: At the Chalk Face and Schools Matter to join forces – @ the chalk face: GUEST POST: Nipping Dissent, By Edwin Mayorga and Julie Gorlewski by plthomasedd Nipping Dissent: The Hollow Centrality of Neoliberal Democracy and Multiculturalism By Edwin Mayorga and Julie Gorlewski (with support from reclaimAERA) “I am weary of the abuse of social media by writers hurling anonymous, venomous insults—a practice that encourages the general retreat to intellectual neighborhoods. Our work and our interactions with one another should model productive conversation about the nature ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: NYT: More cops in schools wrong approach to school safety
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: NYT: More cops in schools wrong approach to school safety: NYT: More cops in schools wrong approach to school safety by Mike Klonsky Thank you, New York Times Editorial Board, for affirming what many of us have been arguing for years. School violence is not mainly a policing problem, and adding more cops in schools doesn't make those schools any safer. Instead, it tends to criminalize students, especially students of color, and raises the expectation of violence, contributing to a culture that is antithetical to teaching and learning. According to ... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: The "Stop Common Core" Movement Consists of Right Wing Whackos and Third Party Whackos. It's All Good.
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: The "Stop Common Core" Movement Consists of Right Wing Whackos and Third Party Whackos. It's All Good.: The "Stop Common Core" Movement Consists of Right Wing Whackos and Third Party Whackos. It's All Good. by stlgretchen The growing displeasure about the adoption/implementation of Common Core has united disparate groups of folks concerned about the privatization and centralization of education. Edweek.com featured*A Progressive and a Conservative Find Common Ground Opposing the Common Core *and* *how different political philosophies are set aside by... more »
» AFT Report Highlights Hedge Fund Managers Who Secretely Work to Undermine Pensions
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
» AFT Report Highlights Hedge Fund Managers Who Secretely Work to Undermine Pensions: AFT Report Highlights Hedge Fund Managers Who Secretely Work to Undermine Pensions by Chaz Bolte AFT President Randi Weingarten A new report from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) lists 34 executives at hedge funds and investment firms who help make contributions to or are leaders of organizations with a negative view on traditional pensions. In naming these executives the union is hoping to persuade other unions to stop investing the flow of pension funds to groups with close ties to ... more »
MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Handwriting Expert to NC and SC: Don’t Mandate Cursive Writing by dianerav In their eagerness to drag the schools and children of their states back to the early 20th century, legislators in North Carolina and South Carolina want to mandate the teaching of cursive writing. (North Carolina Los wants to pass a law mandating that all children memorize the multiplication tables.) these legislators usually spend their time coming up with ways to privatize public scho... more »
