Thursday, April 25, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-25-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, April 25, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates $350,000 to LAUSD reformer's campaign Education Headlines *Thursday, April 25, 2013* Oakland: Alliance teachers, parents speak out on recent school violenceIn a call to action, teachers and parents at Alliance Academy Middle School protested Wednesday morning in response to unsafe school conditions and repeated violence. Oakland Unified School District board appoints Gary Yee to temporarily replace outgoing Superintendent Tony SmithThe Oakland Unified School District board appointed Gary ... more »

Burning Bridges – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago
Burning Bridges – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Burning Bridges by plthomasedd Deborah Meier and Elliott Witney have been attempting to bridge differences about ideology and practices associated with Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools, a “no excuses” view of children, poverty, education, and the world. I admire Meier’s patience and diligence in this discussion and strongly reject KIPP and other “no excuses” schools as racist and classist. Witney’s responses do nothing to change my mind, but do expose a strategy found among “no excuses” advocates that is bur... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Passion Now Spills into the Bedroom?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Passion Now Spills into the Bedroom?: Common Core Passion Now Spills into the Bedroom? by stlgretchen New talking point of Common Core proponents: *Don't canoodle with right wingers.* Now that's some research/data to prop up CCSS claims. Arne Duncan asked the business community to defend Common Core standards. Education insiders aredoubting the long term success of the implementation of the standards and the proponents must be getting nervous. Education reform organizations are attacking taxpayers/organizations who want local control/au... more »

Another great image a la #cpsboycott, racism in chicago – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
Another great image a la #cpsboycott, racism in chicago – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Another great image a la #cpsboycott, racism in chicago APRIL 25, 2013 BY CHALK FACE, PHD LEAVE A COMMENT [image: Another great image a la #cpsboycott, racism in chicago] Self-explanatory. Won’t Let You Opt Out? Try All “A” Day by ontogenyx It is heartening to see the testing boycotts in Chicago, Portland, Seattle and elsewhere, and yet there is so much more to do to bring down the high stakes testing that has turned our schools in profit centers for corporations, while killing learning a... more »

Law that holds parents accountable for kids truancy applied differently across Southern California | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
Law that holds parents accountable for kids truancy applied differently across Southern California | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Law that holds parents accountable for kids truancy applied differently across Southern California by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez *A student reads in the classroom. ; Credit: Jonathan Pobre/Flickr CC* [image: Mercer 2083]Last week, six parents in Orange County who had let their kids miss up to 22 days from school were charged with two misdemeanors: contributing to the delinquency of a minor and failure to reasonably supervise or encourage school attendance. This last... more »

U.S. Department of Education Releases Blueprint to Elevate and Transform the Teaching Profession, Calls Educators to Action | U.S. Department of Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
U.S. Department of Education Releases Blueprint to Elevate and Transform the Teaching Profession, Calls Educators to Action | U.S. Department of Education: U.S. Department of Education Releases Blueprint to Elevate and Transform the Teaching Profession, Calls Educators to Action APRIL 25, 2013 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Today the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will release the Obama Administration's blueprint for elevating and transforming the teaching profession, also known as the Blueprint for RESPECT (Recognizing Educational Success, Profess... more »

Shanker Blog » Can The Common Core Standards Reverse The “Rising Tide Of Mediocrity”?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Shanker Blog » Can The Common Core Standards Reverse The “Rising Tide Of Mediocrity”?: Can The Common Core Standards Reverse The “Rising Tide Of Mediocrity”? by Lisa Hansel *Our guest author today is Lisa Hansel, communications director for the Core Knowledge Foundation. Previously, she was the editor of *American Educator*, the magazine published by the American Federation of Teachers.* Spring 2013 marks the 30th anniversary of two landmark publications. One, an essay by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., in *The American Scholar* titled “Cultural Literacy,” sparked a small but steadily growing ... more »

Education Group Casts Doubt on Value of Michelle Rhee's School Reforms: DCist

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Education Group Casts Doubt on Value of Michelle Rhee's School Reforms: DCist: Education Group Casts Doubt on Value of Michelle Rhee's School Reforms [image: 2011_0421_rheebroom.jpg]The conventional wisdom is that former D.C. Schools Chancellor and current national education reformer Michelle Rhee brought much-needed positive change to the D.C. public school system during her tenure, firing ineffective teachers, closing under-performing schools and more aggressively pushing students and teachers to perform better. But a new report from an education advocacy group says much the oppo... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] KrazyTA: the Meaning of Leadership by dianerav KrazyTA, a regular commenter on the blog, offered his definition of leadership in dialogue with other readers. It got a great response. Here goes: “I once had a job where I was a clerk typist in an academic library. I had three supervisors: from the bottom up they were a librarian-in-training, a professional librarian, and the librarian who ran the entire department I worked in. **Not bragging: I was a good enou... more »

Louisiana Educator: Big Victories for the Real Educators of Louisiana!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: Big Victories for the Real Educators of Louisiana!: Big Victories for the Real Educators of Louisiana! by Michael Deshotels Yesterday an amazing series of events happened in the Louisiana House Education Committee. Due to the hundreds of emails and phone calls by the real educators of Louisiana (and the powerful evidence of incompetent implementation of the Act 54 evaluation system) , *all three of the bills designed to circumvent the court decision striking down Act 1 of 2012* were pulled off the Committee agenda for the time being. This is the same committe... more »

UPDATE: How arcane rules — not student achievement — drove No Child Left Behind

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
How arcane rules — not student achievement — drove No Child Left Behind: How arcane rules — not student achievement — drove No Child Left Behind Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 25, 2013 at 5:00 am 3 Comments More [image: nclb]If No Child Left Behind was supposed to be about anything, it was improving student achievement. Here’s an important piece about how it wasn’t really student achievement that affected NCLB outcomes but, rather, tiny differences in arcane rules. This was written by Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute, located in Washi... more »

Pension debate inside. Rally outside. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Pension debate inside. Rally outside. | Fred Klonsky: Pension debate inside. Rally outside. by Fred Klonsky The Daily Herald and corporate group Reboot Illinois sponsored a forum on the state’s public employee pension debt at Harper College in Palatine last night. Tickets to the event were carefully distributed. But many teacher pension activist got inside. S0eaking were state representative pension bombers Elaine Nekritz and Tom Morrison. IEA President Cinda Klickna represented the state’s public employee union leadership. Outside Northern Illinois Jobs with Justice gathered teache... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: New Definitions

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: New Definitions: New Definitions by Charlie Mas Today at the Management Oversight work session for Teaching and Learning we learned of some new definitions, or, more precisely, the re-definition of some terms. *Early Education* now refers to Pre-K through grade 5. Cashel Toner will be responsible for all of that. Previously, early education referred only to Birth to Kindergarten. Now it includes all of elementary education as well. The definition of *Academic Assurances* has been narrowed. It now refers only to the academic opportunity that the d... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: STUDENT VOICE

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: STUDENT VOICE: STUDENT VOICE by Mike Klonsky Kenyon students pack the college theater to watch plays written by 4th-graders who sat on stage and saw their play performed by college students .I made the 7-hour drive back from Kenyon just in time to make it to class yesterday. The contrast between this pastoral Ohio campus and Chicago's urban school battlefield was never more striking. At Kenyon I helped advise students on their final projects. One of them, bound for a great teaching career (I hope) worked with 4th-grade public schools students in near... more »

Shocker: Hartford Superintendent proposes another Achievement First Inc. Charter School - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Shocker: Hartford Superintendent proposes another Achievement First Inc. Charter School - Wait, What?: Shocker: Hartford Superintendent proposes another Achievement First Inc. Charter School by jonpelto Joined by the Chairman of the Hartford Board of Education, Hartford Superintendent of Schools and “education reformer protégé,” Christiana Kishimoto, began her annual “State of the Schools” speech by presenting Governor Malloy with the Hartford State of the Schools Award “to thank him for education reform and its impact on Hartford.” Then, Kishimoto announced that she was throwin... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: The city that works

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: The city that works: The city that works by Mike Klonsky RaunerBack in the early '70s, Chicago earned the nickname, *the city that works*. Then, like now, the phrase always required the addendum, *works for whom*? The same question might also be asked about the city's public schools. Under mayoral control, Chicago has been reconstructing a two-tier system of public schools: selective enrollment schools for top scoring students and those with well-connected parents, and under-resourced neighborhood schools for the majority. Today that notion was ... more »

John Thompson: Education Reform Party is Over -- What a Mess! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
John Thompson: Education Reform Party is Over -- What a Mess! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Education Reform Party is Over -- What a Mess! by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Thompson.* Back when "Dandy Don" Meredith was host of Monday Night Football, when the game was all over but the shouting, he would break into song. We need a 21st century way of saying the obvious. Test-driven school "reform" failed. To borrow a phrase regarding "closing time," test-driven "reformers"do not have to go home, but they can't stay here in our children's schools. In... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg's education legacy in The Nation

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg's education legacy in The Nation: Bloomberg's education legacy in The Nation by Leonie Haimson Diane Ravitch and I have an article in this week's The Nation about Michael Bloomberg's damaging legacy for our schools; and how his policies widened inequities rather than narrowed them. Here is the introduction: In 2008, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his schools chancellor at the time, Joel Klein, testified before Congress that their policies had led to a substantial narrowing of the racial achievement gap, meaning the gap in test scores between white ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Scope and Sequence, Alignment and Walk-Thru, Oh My

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Scope and Sequence, Alignment and Walk-Thru, Oh My: Scope and Sequence, Alignment and Walk-Thru, Oh My by Melissa Westbrook I have been to many, many Work Sessions. This current one, Teach and Learning: Part One of Curriculum and Instruction, takes the cake. A dense, voluminous presentation with more edu-speak than you can shake an eraser at. Department head Shauna Heath is a master of this verbage. Right now, the directors are struggling to get this verbage understood. At one point she said they still needed to define "curriculum." She also... more »

Jersey Jazzman: How Every Kid Could Go To Bill Gates's Private School

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: How Every Kid Could Go To Bill Gates's Private School: How Every Kid Could Go To Bill Gates's Private School by Duke *I'd rather not...* There are times when I'm not sure that even EduShyster could parody the musings of Bill Gates. For example: After almost two decades of pursuing improvements in U.S. education through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates maintains a sweeping and grand ambition. His goal for the next 20 years, he says, is to graduate roughly twice as many kids from college, move the United States up in the international rankings,*and do so... more »

The Effective Principal — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
The Effective Principal — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]The Effective Principal April 24, 2013 by Klea Scharberg The topic of principal effectiveness and its role in comprehensive, sustainable school improvement has been on our minds as we bring our ASCD Forum discussion to a close. We asked readers of *ASCD SmartBrief*, a free daily e-mail news service that provides summaries and links to major education stories and issues, what best defines effective principals. More than a third (34 percent) of readers agree that the most important standard i... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Happy Blog Birthday, Diane!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Happy Blog Birthday, Diane!: Happy Blog Birthday, Diane! by Duke On the one year anniversary of her eponymous Wordpress site, let us raise a glass to Diane Ravitch - blogger. There's no point in my retelling yet again how much Diane means to the real reform movement for her tireless advocacy, her books, her speeches, her media appearances, and everything else she has done to turn back the billionaire-powered tide of reforminess. We all know what she's done; we all know what she means to us. But I think it's worth giving Diane special praise for her blog. It's beco... more »

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race - LA Daily News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race - LA Daily News: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who contributed $1 million to a slate of reformers in the LAUSD primary election, has now donated $350,000 to support a candidate facing a runoff for a school board seat in May.According to statements filed today on the city Ethics Commission website, Bloomberg made the $350,000 donation on Tuesday to the Coalition for School Reform, which is backing... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday: Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday by Melissa Westbrook From the Stranger Slog: *A Central District high school was locked down yesterday afternoon as police responded to reports that a former student and suspected gang member had assaulted several peers and had allegedly pulled a gun on one student. * ***Students from Nova High school and the World School, a multilingual school for newly arrived immigrant and refugee students that shares space with Nova, were locked into the building at around 2:30 ... more »

NYC Educator: Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
NYC Educator: Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns: Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns by NYC Educator Michael Fiorillo wrote a great piece about the "choices" city residents have for their kids. The corporate geniuses who make all the decisions about education have determined, since vouchers have never been popular anywhere, to get into the charter business. Of course, by the sole criterion with which they are measured, test scores, they aren't really any better than the neighborhood schools they displace. But everyone wants Choice. You can go to the neighborhood school, if they haven't clos... more »

Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program - San Jose Mercury News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program - San Jose Mercury News: Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program By Theresa Harrington Contra Costa Times Posted: 04/24/2013 06:24:10 AM PDT Updated: 04/24/2013 06:24:34 AM PDT STANFORD -- A nonprofit organization in the Stanford Graduate School of Education is reporting that the Advanced Placement program -- which offers college level courses in high schools and is a factor considered by many colleges in making admissions decisions -- may not live up to its claims. In a report release... more »

Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula | EdSource Today: ' Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Gov. Jerry Brown emphatically vowed Wednesday “to fight with everything I have and whatever we have to bring to bear” for passage this year of his school finance reform, as proposed. Back from a trip to China and re-engaged on a priority issue, Brown spoke at a news conference a day after Senate Democrats announced they would propose a bill that would delay action on the governor’s Local Control ... more »

State sued for lacks of services to students learning English - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
State sued for lacks of services to students learning English - latimes.com: State sued for lack of services to students learning English by By Howard Blume [image: Mark Rosenbaum]Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel of the ACLU of Southern California, which is suing California over lack of services to students who are not fluent in English. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press / May 30, 2012) The state education department has ignored its obligation to make sure that thousands of students learning English receive adequate and legally required assistance, according to a lawsuit filed W... more »

Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests: Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 24, 2013 at 3:51 pm 5 Comments More [image: test]Though parents in some other states are formally “opting out” of high-stakes standardized tests and keeping their children at home on test days, officials in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia say it is not permitted in their jurisdictions. A movement by parents to opt out of standardized tests and keep their children home on test day — without penalty fo... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Citizens of WHAT World? Charter's recruiting tactics and leaked documents

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Citizens of WHAT World? Charter's recruiting tactics and leaked documents: Citizens of WHAT World? Recruiting tactics and leaked documents by Leonie Haimson ** *For more on this issue, see the DNA article here.* Williamsburg and Greenpoint parents have been fighting what we see as a real threat to re-segregate public schools in our neighborhood through Citizens of the World Charter Schools (CWC), a Los Angeles-based chain of schools imposed upon District 14 as well as District 17 in Crown Heights. *CWC's Core parent group = "Predominantly white"* From ... more »

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan | Truth in American Education: McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan by Shane Vander Hart [image: michigan-state-capitol] Breaking…. big move in the Michigan House of Representatives! The Michigan House today approved the Department of Education budget (HB4328) on a 59-51 vote with an amendment which does not allow them to implement Common Core State Standards or “Smarter Balanced Assessments”. The amendment was sponsored by State Rep. Tom McMillin, the amendment is similar to House Bill 4276 which is currently before t...more »

Diane in the Evening 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: You Have Only a Few Hours to Read This Shocking Exposé by dianerav When Yasha Levine wrote his extraordinary article about the parent trigger in Adelanto, he was struck by the failure of the media to do any investigative reporting. It seemed that everyone was cheering for the charter promoters. He wrote this as a follow-up. Its title: “Et Tu, NPR?” His thesis: the a billionaires Boys Club has bought up the mainstream media, even NPR. NYC Mayoral Forum, May 2 by dianerav Come to PS 29 in NYC to hear the mayoral c... more »

UPDATE: Missouri Education Watchdog: Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?: Common Core Gag Order: Teacher Told to Not to Question Common Core Implementation by stlgretchen Teacher not allowed to question CCSS implementation in Wyoming Following is an amazing story from Truth in American Education and a Wyoming teacher who was threatened by her administrator for questioning the CCSS implementation and ramifications of the standards in terms of privacy and loss of local control. Please share with other teachers and parents. Where is the "criti... more »

Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom Gov. Rick Snyder says education in Michigan — and in the nation — is broken, and badly in need of reform. We couldn’t agree more. So, let’s talk about it. But let’s do so without a “skunk works group” that’s meeting independently and clandestinely to develop a sweeping school reform program. That’s disrespectful of the voters who sent Snyder to Lansing. And it’s disrespectful of the parents, teachers and students who depend on our public ... more »

Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum - DailyCensored.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum Years ago, Chick-fil-A used some of its $4.5 billion to claim a Vermont artist’s T-shirt phrase infringes on its trademarked “eat mor chikin.” The corporation told Associated Press, the Vermont T-shirt “is likely to cause confusion of the public and dilutes the distinctiveness of Ch... more »

Maria Puolakkainen – #StuVoice Finland Shares the ‘Characteristics of an Effective Teacher’ Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Student Voice: Maria Puolakkainen – #StuVoice Finland Shares the ‘Characteristics of an Effective Teacher’ by Editor Admin *Fair, Dedicated, and Inspiring.* Originally posted to Penn-Finn Learning 2013. I am a seventeen year-old IB high school student in my penultimate year from Helsinki, Finland. Embodying a kind of bicultural identity, I am a product of two different cultural upbringings, Finnish and American.*** *Having spent a few of my years of elementary school in Seattle, Washington, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of both school envi... more »

National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient'

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient': National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient' by Joy Resmovits [image: National Assessment Of Educational Progress Econom] Fewer than half of high school seniors are proficient in economics, according to the results of the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress exam released Wednesday. This statistic is causing alarm among educators and advocates, especially in an era marked by economic crisis. "I was sh... more »

Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students by millerlf Wisconsin voucher students lag in latest state test By Erin Richards and Andrea Anderson of the Journal Sentinel April 23, 2013 Students attending private voucher schools in Milwaukee and Racine scored lower than their public-school counterparts in Milwaukee Public Schools and the Racine Unified School District on the latest state standardized achievement test, according to results released by the state Tuesday.... more »

Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Marc Cohen]Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High April 24, 2013 by Marc Cohen I am a principal. I knew I wanted to become a principal soon after I began my teaching career almost twenty years ago and I count myself as among the fortunate few who can honestly say they are making a living doing what they always dreamed of being able to do. Seven years ago, when I began this phase of my career, a colleague, herself a retired principal, asked me if I understood the difference between bein... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, April 24, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Wednesday, April 24, 2013* Hawthorne schools pilot use of palm scanners to speed lunch linesThe project is happening on a trial basis at Hawthorne Middle and Ramona Elemenary schools, where students - once they reach the front of the lunch line - place a hand on a digital reader in the shape of a palm. Guevara's hiring in Monterey district on holdMonterey Peninsula Unified’s decision to hire Lake Elsinore Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Alain Guevara as superintendent there was delayed Mond... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oversight of Teaching and Learning

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oversight of Teaching and Learning: Oversight of Teaching and Learning by Charlie Mas This afternoon we will finally get a management oversight work session for teaching and learning, you know, the school district's core mission. Here is the presentation that will be made to the Board. Here are some questions that the presentations makes me want to ask: *Slide 1:* Why is this Part 1? How many parts will there be? What is included in each part? *Slide 3:* The Slide is titled Department Functions but the divisions and groupings are odd. They are... more »

You, Me, and AGT – Part 2 | InterACT

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
You, Me, and AGT – Part 2 | InterACT: You, Me, and AGT – Part 2 by Lisa Alva Wood Last week, my classroom children took the California Standards Test. This is about as thrilling as walking the plank during Shark Week. In February, John Deasy announced that he wants 30% of my evaluation based on these test scores. And then, later in the same week, came an email from my principal asking for my Stull Initial Planning Sheet. Now, I don’t mind being evaluated and I like that being next door to my principal’s office means that he’s always in and out. I like that he was a fellow teacher... more »

Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings « CBS Chicago

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings « CBS Chicago: Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings *UPDATED: 4/24/2013 10:50 a.m.* *CHICAGO (CBS)* — They are supposed to be taking a mandatory state test today, but about 100 CPS students instead were protesting school closings outside Wednesday’s school board meeting. They are upset over planned school closings, but it will come at the expense of some of their own academic careers. Students on Wednesday are required to take a state PSAE exam that will promote them to senior year and make them eligib... more »

‘Lunch Lady’ Author: Let’s Celebrate School Lunch Superheroes on May 3 | NEA Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
‘Lunch Lady’ Author: Let’s Celebrate School Lunch Superheroes on May 3 | NEA Today: ‘Lunch Lady’ Author: Let’s Celebrate School Lunch Superheroes on May 3 April 24, 2013 by twalker Filed under Education Support Professionals, Featured News, Top Stories Leave a Comment [image: Email][image: Share] *By John Rosales* After publishing his first book, *Good Night, Monkey Boy*, author and illustrator *Jarrett Krosoczka*returned to his old elementary school in Worcester, Massachusetts to talk to students about writing, illustrating, and publishing books. While walking the halls at Gates L... more »

Day of the Teacher 2013 - California Teachers Association

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Day of the Teacher 2013 - California Teachers Association: DAY OF THE TEACHER 2013 *Hover mouse over poster to share.* To download a wallpaper of the California Day of the Teacher poster, select your screen resolution width:1024, 1280, 1600, 1920, 2048. California Teachers: Honoring our past. Guiding the future. On May 8, 2013 we will mark the 31th anniversary of California’s Day of the Teacher. To honor teachers and the 150th anniversary of CTA, we have chosen “*California Teachers: Honoring the Past, Guiding the Future*” as this year’s theme. CTA has been making a positive impact ... more »

Dartmouth Cancels Wednesday Classes After Threats to Activists |

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Dartmouth Cancels Wednesday Classes After Threats to Activists |: Dartmouth Cancels Wednesday Classes After Threats to Activists by Angus Johnston [image: "What's wrong with just not admitting LBGTQ and unappreciative minorities...?"] Last Friday a group of about fifteen Dartmouth students staged an action at an event for prospective students, chanting “Dartmouth has a problem!” The group interrupted the gathering in the middle of a welcome skit, detailing a number of recent anti-gay and racist incidents and sexual assaults, and criticizing the college’s responses to them. As word... more »

UPDATE: Do TRS members need to worry + The Illinois Charter Commission, less democratic oversight than the CPS board. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Illinois Charter Commission. An über committee with even less democratic oversight than the CPS board. | Fred Klonsky: Rauner called Arne and got his kid into Walter Payton. Isn’t that special? by Fred Klonsky Popout. Bruce Rauner, GOP gubernatorial candidate and Rahm best friend is back in the news today. Greg Hinz reporting again. Last week it turns out that Rauner couldn’t decide if he lived in Chicago or the north shore. He votes here. Pays property taxes on his primary residence in wealthy Winnetka. Today Hinz reports that Rauner was one of those *special interests* that go... more »

Let My People Go: Public Education, Jewish Separatism, and School Vouchers | The American Conservative

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Let My People Go: Public Education, Jewish Separatism, and School Vouchers | The American Conservative: Let My People Go: Public Education, Jewish Separatism, and School Vouchers By SAMUEL GOLDMAN • April 22, 2013, 3:18 PM - - - - - - [image: Jukie Bot / Flickr] Jukie Bot / Flickr *New York *magazine has a disturbing story on relations between Ultra-Orthodox Jews and the rest of the population in the western part of Rockland County, New York. The Ultra-Orthodox began moving to the area in the 1970s. Since then, they’ve grown to a majority in the town of Rama... more »

'Nation at Risk' warnings about shortcomings in US education 30 years ago still resonate today | StarTribune.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
'Nation at Risk' warnings about shortcomings in US education 30 years ago still resonate today | StarTribune.com: 'Nation at Risk' warnings about shortcomings in US education 30 years ago still resonate today - Article by: PHILIP ELLIOTT , Associated Press - Updated: April 24, 2013 - 2:34 AM WASHINGTON - U.S. students are falling behind their international rivals. Young people aren't adept at new technology. America's economy will suffer if schools don't step up their game. "A Nation at Risk," the report issued 30 years ago by President Ronald Reagan's Education Depart... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-24-13 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] Shameless StudentsFirst Tries to Buy Iowa by dianerav Even though Michelle Rhee suffered multiple embarrassments in the past few weeks–with John Merrow reporting her refusal to investigate the cheating scandal that occurred on her watch and the Broader Bolder Approach reporting the failure of her “reforms”—her organization continues to push her failed “reforms” on states across the nation. StudentsFirst pumped over $317,000 into legislative races in Iowa to ensur... more »












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