BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS
Shanker Blog » The Arcane Rules That Drive Outcomes Under NCLB
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 46 minutes ago
Shanker Blog » The Arcane Rules That Drive Outcomes Under NCLB: The Arcane Rules That Drive Outcomes Under NCLB by Matthew Di Carlo A big part of successful policy making is unyielding attention to detail (an argument that regular readers of this blog hear often). Choices about design and implementation that may seem unimportant can play a substantial role in determining how policies play out in practice. A new paper, co-authored by Elizabeth Davidson, Randall Reback, Jonah Rockoff and Heather Schwartz, and presented at last month’s annual conference of The Association for Educati... more »
School warns students: No test, no sports
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 46 minutes ago
School warns students: No test, no sports: School warns students: No test, no sports by Valerie Strauss [image: Smash the DC CAS] How's this for twisting students' arms to take high-stakes standardized tests? This is an email that Woodrow Wilson High School in D.C. Public Schools sent to parents (as written): A message from WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL DCCAS Testing Schedule We will be administering the DCCAS April 23-25, 2013 to all scholars that have been identified to take one or more of the assessments. Scholars who do not show for a required assessment will be pulled from the... more »
All Education Matters: Out of Touch Congressman Tells Homeless, Educated Debtor That He Supports Higher Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 53 minutes ago
All Education Matters: Out of Touch Congressman Tells Homeless, Educated Debtor That He Supports Higher Education: Out of Touch Congressman Tells Homeless, Educated Debtor That He Supports Higher Education by Cryn Johannsen On March 30th, I wrote a brief post about Tagean Goddard's coverage on mounting defaults. A growing number of economists and policy analysts are finally acknowledging that student loan debt, and the alarming number of people who are defaulting on their loans, is having an adverse affect upon the health of the economy. Indeed, younger people with degrees, who s...more »
"NYSUT on state tests: 'It's time to hold the Commissioner and the Regents accountable'." April 22, 2013. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals. www.nysut.org
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 54 minutes ago
"NYSUT on state tests: 'It's time to hold the Commissioner and the Regents accountable'." April 22, 2013. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals. www.nysut.org: NYSUT on state tests: 'It's time to hold the Commissioner and the Regents accountable' [image: slider_120427_testing_01] *STATEMENT BY NEW YORK STATE UNITED TEACHERS AS STATE STANDARDIZED TESTING RESUMES* "Teachers want nothing more than to nurture in their students a lifelong love of learning. They are dedicated to fostering in young people the deeper learning and skills needed to be successful. New York's teachers believe th... more »
Boston Schools Reopen After Vacation Marked By Marathon Bombing, Manhunt
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago
Boston Schools Reopen After Vacation Marked By Marathon Bombing, Manhunt: Boston Schools Reopen After Vacation Marked By Marathon Bombing, Manhunt by Joy Resmovits [image: Boston Schools Reopen] After a week of April vacation bookended by a tragic marathon bombing and a manhunt that killed one suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and brought the other, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, into custody, Monday marks a return to class for students of Boston Public Schools. While the district is focused on helping students cope and carry on, some teachers wonder if and how students in Boston's tougher neighbor... more »
UPDATE: Official first day of our partnership with Schools Matter – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Official first day of our partnership with Schools Matter – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: @benjaminriley References to Da Vinci code conspiracies are so humdrum. Boring satire. by Chalk Face, PhD From the New Schools Venture Fund, some kind of parody of common core critics as conspiracy nuts? And this from an organization that in their title uses the word “venture,” a term commonly associated with a business enterprise that assumes risk with the potential for remunerative gain. Am I adding irony here that shouldn’t be? Official first day of our partnership with School... more »
The Best Principals — Whole Child Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The Best Principals — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Walter McKenzie]The Best Principals April 22, 2013 by Walter McKenzie Who's the best principal you ever worked for? And why do you say so? Ask this question of educators from the classroom to the superintendent's office and the common denominator answer is quite consistent: he or she cared. Cared about what? Content? Pedagogy? Test scores? Well sure, those are a given. But in this case, the principal cared about them. They felt a connection with this principal ... that they were more than just a supervisor. H... more »
Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center: Best of the Ed Blogs *Best of the Ed Blogs* features a frequently updated selection of interesting and insightful blog posts on education policy. The views expressed by the bloggers on our blog roll are thoughtful, original, and entirely their own. We hope you make *Best of the Ed Blogs* your first stop for concise takes on today's most important education topics. Shocker: The PTA and McDonald’s? Best of the Ed Blogs Diane Ravitch April 22, 2013 Why Education Advocates Join the Progressive Opposition to Obama’s Budget Best of... more »
If It Smells Like a Skunk… | EduShyster
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
If It Smells Like a Skunk… | EduShyster: If It Smells Like a Skunk… by edushyster2012 Michigan officials have launched a bold and secret project known as Skunk Works to create “value schools.” Someday, in our bold choice-tacular future, once-stifled students will be able to choose the educational option of their choice. Choice chosen, they will then swipe their EduCards to pay for 21st century skills building served up steaming and blended. And should they have any Edu Bucks left after choosing their choice, they can spring for extras like AP courses, athletics or super cool cyber ... more »
CISPA: Why it’s not a good idea, at all | Seattle Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
CISPA: Why it’s not a good idea, at all | Seattle Education: CISPA: Why it’s not a good idea, at all by seattleducation2011 [image: cispa1] Corporations and Congress with members who receive big bucks to promote and protect their business interests along with corporate/military interests, tried to push through legislation that would allow a greater ability for companies to access personal information of folks on the internet and yet protect the powers that be in complete secrecy through SOPA and ACTA. You can read a post that I wrote about ACTA at Stop ACTA NOW. At first I co... more »
As States Pull Back From Common Core, Parents Should Ask 'Why?' - High School Notes (usnews.com)
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
As States Pull Back From Common Core, Parents Should Ask 'Why?' - High School Notes (usnews.com): States Pull Back From Common Core Standards By KELSEY SHEEHY April 22, 2013 RSS Feed Print [image: High school students works on an exam. Some states are reversing course on Common Core, citing concerns over increased testing.] Parents should ask why some state lawmakers want to reverse course on adopting Common Core standards. Lawmakers in some states hope to halt the transition to theCommon Core State Standards, even as school districts across the country are rolling them out. In Alab... more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-22-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] New York: Tests Will Remain Secret by dianerav Parents in New York want to see the contents of the Pearson tests that are aligned with the Common Core but officials are adamantly opposed to releasing the tests. Parents want to review the tests to see if the questions and answers are reasonable. That is not going to happen. Teachers have been warned that they may be disciplined if they reveal any questions. Unless students Shocker: The PTA and McDonald’s? by ... more »
Retired teacher to the Tribune: “You persist in cruel, one-note tirades against the long-honored state contract with teachers.” | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Retired teacher to the Tribune: “You persist in cruel, one-note tirades against the long-honored state contract with teachers.” | Fred Klonsky: Retired teacher to the Tribune: “You persist in cruel, one-note tirades against the long-honored state contract with teachers.” by Fred Klonsky [image: Corporate Media = Corporate Lies] Letter to the Editor, Chicago Tribune. April 22, 2013 State’s pension system As a retired public school teacher dependent on the promises inherent in our Illinois pension system, I have watched with equal parts incredulity and horror as the Tribune’s edit... more »
D.C. cheating issue calls test-driven incentives into question | EdSource Today
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
D.C. cheating issue calls test-driven incentives into question | EdSource Today: D.C. cheating issue calls test-driven incentives into question - by Charles Taylor Kerchner / commentary by Charles Taylor Kerchner / commentary The smoke surrounding allegations of test score cheating in the Washington, D.C., public schools burst into flame last week. In a 4,300-word blog post, titled*Michelle Rhee’s Reign of Error, *the veteran educational journalist John Merrow linked the former schools chancellor with documents that suggest that she knew about widespread cheating on standardized... more »
Ed Notes Online: Josmar Trujillo: Why My Son is Not Taking the State Tests
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Josmar Trujillo: Why My Son is Not Taking the State Tests: Josmar Trujillo: Why My Son is Not Taking the State Tests by ed notes online One of the strongest motivating factors for our decision was how politicized and pressurized the environment around testing has become.... Josmar Trujillo I met Josmar, who was co-PTA president a year ago when the DOE wanted to close Peninsula Prep and even though I have a strong position opposing charters, it is still not easy closing down a school. So I wrote a column about the sleazy crew at Tweed and the games they play with... more »
UPDATE: Daily Kos: Boston, West, Newtown: For Whom the Bells Toll, For Whom the Alarms Ring
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Daily Kos: Boston, West, Newtown: For Whom the Bells Toll, For Whom the Alarms Ring: West, Texas plant could have fueled terrorism by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Seriously. In this story from Reuters we learn that The fertilizer plant that exploded on Wednesday, obliterating part of a small Texas town and killing at least 14 people, had last year been storing 1,350 times the amount of ammonium nitrate that would normally trigger safety oversight by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Why is that important? Well, let's start with this: Fertilizer plants and depots mu... more »
Pearson flubs test scoring for gifted-and-talented programs
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Pearson flubs test scoring for gifted-and-talented programs: Pearson flubs test scoring for gifted-and-talented programs Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 22, 2013 at 4:00 am 1 Comments More [image: gifted]Pearson, the world’s largest education company, was just forced to apologize for making errors in its scoring of assessments for entry into gifted-and-talented programs in New York City public schools. Sound familiar? The part about Pearsonerring should. It keeps happening. In 2010, for example, six of Florida’s largest school districts formally complained to state officials about ... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: You Can Opt Your Child Out of Pilot Common Core Testing or Practice Creative Protest
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: You Can Opt Your Child Out of Pilot Common Core Testing or Practice Creative Protest: You Can Opt Your Child Out of Pilot Common Core Testing or Practice Creative Protest by stlgretchen This memo from DESE on a Common Core assessment pilot for your children makes it sound as if there was a huge demand for more pilot testing in the districts: *Due to the overwhelming demand for access to the Volunteer Pilotassessment *from principals, teachers, parents, and the public in Missouri and across the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, the Smarter Bal... more »
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Rahm campaign donors, Chicago Hotel developers also bullish on charter schools
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Rahm campaign donors, Chicago Hotel developers also bullish on charter schools: Rahm campaign donors, Chicago Hotel developers also bullish on charter schools by Mike Klonsky Here's a funny quote from the mayor of Chicago *"Government can no longer be an insider's game, serving primarily the lobbyists and well-connected." -- Rahm Emanuel* Chicago Tribune
Time for Teacher Unions to Hop Off the Common Core Train - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Time for Teacher Unions to Hop Off the Common Core Train - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Time for Teacher Unions to Hop Off the Common Core Train by Anthony Cody The two largest teacher unions in the US have positioned themselves as active supporters of the Common Core (wanted to be national) Standards. A visit to the NEA web site reveals President Dennis Van Roekel's columnpraising the project. He writes: CCSS offers a vivid, practical example of NEA's Leading the Professions initiative, a three-part plan to transform the teaching profession and accelerate studen... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky U.S. Reps Bobby Rush and Danny Davis conducted hearings Saturday, on Chicago school closings*Congressman Bobby Rush* *"There is no way that you’re going to heal these neighborhoods. If it was just Henson [Elementary in Englewood]…but you're talking about 53 schools...all at the same time. It is unheard of in the history of this state." *-- DNAInfo *Matt Farmer* *Chicago’s school “reform” efforts have always worked best on other people’s children. *--Washington Post At the hearings (DNAInfo)*Ald... more »
BREAKING: We have a scanned sample of a “Grade 3 ELA exam” passage with questions – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
BREAKING: We have a scanned sample of a “Grade 3 ELA exam” passage with questions – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: BREAKING: We have a scanned sample of a “Grade 3 ELA exam” passage with questions by Chalk Face, PhD [image: Image]Interesting. A sample passage with a few questions.* It looks like they’re going to double down on
Educators want concrete data to build new API indicators SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Educators want concrete data to build new API indicators In the search for a more perfect school accountably system, classroom teachers and district administrators joined school advocates in a call last week for more concrete indicators – like daily attendance, fitness marks and discipline records. The hearing in Sacramento is one of six that will be held statewide to get input from the field on legislative requirements to include ‘college and career readiness’ components as part of the current high school accountability system. A commission... more »
State probes Burbank third grade cheating report | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
State probes Burbank third grade cheating report | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: State probes Burbank third grade cheating report [image: Mercer 15534]*A third grade teacher at McKinley Elementary is on leave after a student reported receiving help with answers on the state's STAR exams.; Credit: Rogers Herr Middle School* Burbank school officials say a third-grade teacher has been put on leave after a student reported a got help with answers on state standardized tests. The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that Burbank Unified Superintendent Jan Britz announced the investigation at a b... more »
How Matchmaking Technology Can Help Reduce Teacher Turnover | toteachornototeach
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
How Matchmaking Technology Can Help Reduce Teacher Turnover | toteachornototeach: How Matchmaking Technology Can Help Reduce Teacher Turnover by aristotlethewise *How Matchmaking Technology Can Help Reduce Teacher Turnover* by Cassie Slane The U.S education system faces a number of challenges, but I think we all can agree that good teachers are the backbone of our education system. Without good teachers, we have nothing. One problem that many schools face is the mass exodus of teachers after only a few years. In fact, 30 percent of new teachers quit before three years and almost 5... more »
Is Common Core Cutting Edge Education or jsut a dull blade? | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Is Common Core Cutting Edge Education or jsut a dull blade? | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Is Common Core cutting-edge education or just use of a dull blade? by Danny Weil *By John Young* http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_23057432/is-common-core-cutting-edge-education-or-just *Posted 4/21/2013* The Denver Post Jinnie Spiegler, left, mother of Nacala Spiegler-Frederick, right, is worried that the standardized tests third-through-eighth graders will take will be harder than ever before. Educators have issued warnings that math and ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Odds and Ends
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Odds and Ends: Odds and Ends by Melissa Westbrook John Rogers Elementary is getting a new principal for school year 2013-2014. Their current principal, Marcia Boyd, is retiring at the end of the current school year. Sara Mirabueno will be their new principal. She comes from John Hay Elementary where she is currently assistant principal. Ms Mirabueno was also a teacher at several SPS schools. According to the Montlaker, Montlake Elementary School's nomination has been unanimously approved by the Landmarks Preservation Board. Their designation ... more »
Shake the tree. Ballots for NEA RA retired delegate must be in Springfield by this week. | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Shake the tree. Ballots for NEA RA retired delegate must be in Springfield by this week. | Fred Klonsky: Shake the tree. Ballots for NEA RA retired delegate must be in Springfield by this week. by Fred Klonsky
Modern School: L.A .Teachers Vote No Confidence in Deasy and Their Own Union
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Modern School: L.A .Teachers Vote No Confidence in Deasy and Their Own Union: L.A .Teachers Vote No Confidence in Deasy and Their Own Union by Michael Dunn The Los Angeles times reported that LAUSD teachers “overwhelmingly expressed ‘no confidence’ in superintendent John Deasy last Wednesday, the first time such a vote has occurred in the nation's second-largest school system. It is certainly significant that a majority of LA teachers voted no confidence in their superintendent—and not at all surprising, considering Deasy’s war on teachers. Under his watch, LAUSD has implemented... more »
RPNPS Voices: Some Excellent Recent Reading
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
RPNPS Voices: Some Excellent Recent Reading: Some Excellent Recent Reading Two really remarkable essays, in case you missed them. First, *Schools Are The Foundations of Communities*, by Professor Timuel D. Black. It's a beautiful piece of writing, about a notion of public education that totally escapes the current administration. I am old enough to know the story. Once these public assets are given away to private charter school operators, or sold off to condominium developers, that is public space we can’t get back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. We need only refer to the parking-mete... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Following Up on the Equitable Access Framework Work Session
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Following Up on the Equitable Access Framework Work Session: Following Up on the Equitable Access Framework Work Session by Melissa Westbrook The two items I took away from this Work Session on April 10th were these: - The phrase "differentiating resource allocation" came up prominently. I didn't really hear the Directors call it out but my own notes reflect "uh oh." I say that because the Strategic Plan - in its early stages - seems to lean towards closing the achievement gap rather than supporting ALL students and their learning... more »
Learning the Hard Way: The False Promises of Standardized Tests | MyFDL
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Learning the Hard Way: The False Promises of Standardized Tests | MyFDL: Learning the Hard Way: The False Promises of Standardized Tests by amerigus [image: scourge-of-testing-web] *Learning the Hard Way by amerigus* My daughter sees a math tutor, a bright young med school student from Pakistan. She told me last weekend my daughter still struggles, but she was shocked to hear that “every single kid” in her class has a math tutor. I was shocked to learn this too, but for another reason. Over a decade ago, the federal government sought to “fix” low-performance in schools, but not by ... more »
One Teacher's Perspective: Restore Pride in Wisconsin Schools
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
One Teacher's Perspective: Restore Pride in Wisconsin Schools: Restore Pride in Wisconsin Schools by Imagine Wisconsin *With my teaching schedule, I am unable to attend the public hearings on this year's state budget, so I sent the following letter to Wisconsin state legislators to express my serious concerns about inadequate funding for public schools. * Wisconsin Legislators: As you ponder this season's state budget, you should weigh heavily *this reporting out of Evansville*. This story adds to the mounting accounts of how the recent state cuts to public education are not worki... more »
Test scores under investigation at Burbank school - latimes.com
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Test scores under investigation at Burbank school - latimes.com: Test scores under investigation at Burbank school by By Kelly Corrigan A McKinley Elementary teacher has been placed on administrative leave after a third-grade student reported that the teacher helped a class answer questions on state standardized tests this week. Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz, who made the announcement during Thursday's school board meeting, added that state officials are investigating the case. Still uncertain of the alleged infraction's full consequences, Britz said state officials could mark th... more »
From the Rick Smith Show, Part I of Live Interviews from Occupy 2.0 – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
From the Rick Smith Show, Part I of Live Interviews from Occupy 2.0 – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: From the Rick Smith Show, Part I of Live Interviews from Occupy 2.0 by Chalk Face, PhD APRIL 21, 2013 BY CHALK FACE, PHD LEAVE A COMMENT 11:00 Galen Munroe, Teamsters Press Secretary on why so many Teamsters are setting up picket lines against Republic Services 33:04 Matt Farmer, Chicago Parent on the current wave of community destruction and how Arne Duncan started the process years ago 48:54 Kris Neilson on how we can fight for equitable education outside the classroom 1:02... more »
Short Notes: Pearson Makes Money, Whether You Like It Or Not | The Jose Vilson
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Short Notes: Pearson Makes Money, Whether You Like It Or Not | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: Pearson Makes Money, Whether You Like It Or Not by Jose Vilson [image: Chris Rock as Rufus in Dogma on Ideas] Chris Rock as Rufus in *Dogma* on Ideas A few notes: - William J. Reese lets the world know that none of this testing business is new. Good read. [New York Times] - Pearson apologized for errors on the gifted and talented test. They get a stern warning, and get to sit in the corner for millions of dollars. (Commentary mine.) [GothamSchools] - I was asked to write w... more »