Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-26-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, April 26, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Fensterwald: Democrats split on timing, specifics of Brown’s funding formula* Education Headlines *Friday, April 26, 2013* Fensterwald: Democrats split on timing, specifics of Brown’s funding formulaJoan Buchanan, the Democratic chair of the Assembly Education Committee, grilled administration officials at length Wednesday on Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to reform school funding. She wanted, without success, to get them to concede there are flaws and inconsistencies in the plan. Sandy Hook absences cost Capo $123,000The Capistrano U... more »

UNO teachers respond to right-wing Illinois Policy Institute interference. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 53 minutes ago

UNO teachers respond to right-wing Illinois Policy Institute interference. | Fred Klonsky: UNO teachers respond to right-wing Illinois Policy Institute interference. by Fred Klonsky Paul Kersey of the union-bashing right-wing Illinois Policy Institute has his nose all bent out of shape by the success of the union organizing campaign at charter schools run by the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO). UNO teachers responded to Kersey’s interference in their affairs. *April 24, 2013* *Paul Kersey* *Director of Labor Policy Illinois Policy Institute* *RE: Unwelcome interference* *Dea... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Has UNO's great charter school heist really ended?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Has UNO's great charter school heist really ended?: Has UNO's great charter school heist really ended? by Mike Klonsky Madigan greased the deal FINALLY, the state has cut off money to the UNO charter school hustlers. After countless media exposures and with the IG and possibly federal investigators looking around the $98 million swindle pulled off by *Juan Rangel* and the* d’Escoto brothers*, *Gov. Quinn* finally turned off the money spigot -- at least for now. But Rangel, who co-chaired *Rahm Emanuel's* 2011 mayoral campaign, still has the *so-sue-m... more »

Leaders Must Earn Their Stripes Every Day — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Leaders Must Earn Their Stripes Every Day — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Mark Hyatt]Leaders Must Earn Their Stripes Every Day April 26, 2013 by Mark Hyatt As a former Air Force squadron commander and Vice Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Academy, believe me, I had already been through a lifetime's worth of leadership training when I moved into the civilian sector as a K–12 school superintendent in 2002. Looking back, however, I must admit that the most challenging leadership issues I have ever faced easily occurred in the last decade. In the military, discipli... more »

Daily Kos: April 26, 1937

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Daily Kos: April 26, 1937: April 26, 1937 by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) is a date that should be burned in the soul of every human being. From the standpoint of the Condor Legion of the Luftwaffe, it was an opportunity to test out tactics that would in the vast war to follow in less than 3 years be an essential part of Blitzkrieg - lightening war. It was the deliberate targeting of a civilian population by military air power. It unleashed that as a tactic used by both sides in World War II - think here of firebombings of Hamburg and Dresden to say nothing of the nuclear annihi... more »

Secret log of school requests kept by then CPS chief Arne Duncan’s administration | WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Secret log of school requests kept by then CPS chief Arne Duncan’s administration | WBEZ 91.5 Chicago: Secret [redacted] clout list for Chicago Public SchoolsSecret log kept by Arne Duncan’s administration during 2008. It shows who made requests to get kids into the city’s top schools, and where they sought admission. April 25, 2013 By: Linda Lutton AP/File File: Education Secretary Arne Duncan at a news conference in Chicago, Nov. 13, 2008. Duncan was Chicago Public Schools chief then. WBEZ gained access to a 'secret log' of school requests kept by Duncan’s CPS administration via ... more »

The Coming Revolution in Public Education - John Tierney - The Atlantic

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

The Coming Revolution in Public Education - John Tierney - The Atlantic: The Coming Revolution in Public Education Critics say the standardized test-driven reforms pushed by those like Michelle Rhee may actually be harming students. It's always hard to tell for sure exactly when a revolution starts. Is it when a few discontented people gather in a room to discuss how the ruling regime might be opposed? Is it when first shots are fired? When a critical mass forms and the opposition acquires sufficient weight to have a chance of prevailing? I'm not an expert on revolutions, but even... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-26-13 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] Breaking News! Illinois Stops $$$ to UNO Charters by dianerav The state of Illinois has cut off funding to the politically powerful UNO charter chain because of conflicts of interest, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The head of UNO, Juan Rangel, was co-chair of Rahm Emanuel’s mayoral campaign in 2011. According to the story, millions of dollars of a $98 million construction grant went to contracts with two brothers of a high-ranking UNO official. NC: Vou... more »

Florida Tea Party Leader Leads Opposition to Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Florida Tea Party Leader Leads Opposition to Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida Tea Party Leader Leads Opposition to Common Core by Bob Sikes Patricia Sullivan ran for United States House of Representatives under the Tea Party banner in 2010 and has emerged as a key leader in the state’s Tea Party movement. She was in Tallahassee this week and spoke at a rally to oppose Common Core Standards. *StateImpact’*s Gina Jordan has more: Patricia Sullivan home schools her kids and is concerned about the changes home school families may have to make. Students who want to go t... more »

Texas STAAR Guarantees Failure of Special Ed Students – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Texas STAAR Guarantees Failure of Special Ed Students – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Texas STAAR Guarantees Failure of Special Ed Students by ontogenyx Not hyperbole, but sad and inhumane fact. The headline from the Dallas Morning News April 22 was New STAAR test standards guarantee some Texas special education students will fail The guaranteed failure of the most vulnerable students has long been a fact in Texas and elsewhere, but for the State now to admit as much introduces a new phase in school social and economic sorting by tests and the dystopian visionaries w... more »

Education Reform through Student Action Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Student Voice: Education Reform through Student Action by Editor Admin *Students: The largest unrepresented group of people in the United States* I am currently at the end of my freshman year in college at the University of Georgia, and have a serious gripe with the education system that dates back to middle school. Now you can say I am just a disgruntled student who just hates homework, but this is not the case. I, like I believe most of us do, love to learn. I love to expand my horizons and truly unlock my academic potential. Unfortunately that rarely happens in classrooms these... more »

Chicago’s Three Day March for Justice. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Chicago’s Three Day March for Justice. | Fred Klonsky: Chicago’s Three Day March for Justice. by Fred Klonsky [image: 63169_10200532756393045_428173739_n]

Democrats split on timing, specifics of Brown’s funding formula | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Democrats split on timing, specifics of Brown’s funding formula | EdSource Today: Democrats split on timing, specifics of Brown’s funding formula - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Joan Buchanan, the Democratic chair of the Assembly Education Committee, grilled administration officials at length Wednesday on Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to reform school funding. She wanted, without success, to get them to concede there are flaws and inconsistencies in the plan. [image: Assembly Education Chair Joan Buchanan speaks at the hearing on Wednesday (photo from Cal Channel video).] Asse... more »

Why the public should see questions on new standardized tests

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Why the public should see questions on new standardized tests: Why the public should see questions on new standardized tests Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 26, 2013 at 6:00 am 1 Comments More [image: (www.NYSUT.org)] Sample question (www.NYSUT.org) Here’s an argument about why it matters when state education departments refuse to release sample questions on state standardized accountability tests. This was written by Aaron Pallas, professor of sociology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He writes the Sociological Eye on Education blog — where this post first... more »

Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson says "Bush’s legacy keeps getting worse"

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Daily Kos: Eugene Robinson says "Bush’s legacy keeps getting worse": Eugene Robinson says "Bush’s legacy keeps getting worse" by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) He open his Friday *Washington Post* column bluntly" In retrospect, George W. Bush’s legacy doesn’t look as bad as it did when he left office. It looks worse. He discusses several items, starting with torture, and a discussion of the Constitution Project Report and the completed but unreleased Senate Intelligence Committee report, criticizes Obama for not appointing a blue ribbon commission to examine the misdeeds of his pr... more »

Jersey Jazzman: In State-Run Newark, The Wheels Fall Off

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: In State-Run Newark, The Wheels Fall Off: In State-Run Newark, The Wheels Fall Off by Duke How little credibility does the state-appointed administration of Newark's schools have with the school system's stakeholders? - Newark's students staged a walk-out to protest cuts to the schools' budget. - The teachers are calling for an external audit of the budget. - The "advisory board" has voted unanimously to express "no confidence" in the state-appointed superintendent, Cami Anderson. Anderson's experience prior to coming to Newark was *not* primarily in schools. Af... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-25-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE* * * ** *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* Correlation Or Causation? by Larry Ferlazzo Here’s a great comic from xkcd: The Texas Tribune: Considering Free Breakfasts for All Texas Students in Poor Areas by By CHRIS HOOKS Texas legislators are working to expand the free-breakfast program to all schoolchildren in poor areas, not just those from low-income households. Protests by Mexican Teachers Continue to Swell by By KARLA ZABLUDOVSKY Members of the teachers’ union in Guerrero State showed their anger, and in some cases turned violent, ov...more »

Paul Horton: Of Common Core, Conspiracies and Coups d'Etat - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Paul Horton: Of Common Core, Conspiracies and Coups d'Etat - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Paul Horton: Of Common Core, Conspiracies and Coups d'Etat by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Paul Horton.* To those defending the Obama administration's Race To the Top and Common Core Curriculum initiatives, opponents tend to be placed in one very tidy box: "conspiracy theorists." Long a critic of overzealous federal intervention in education, Chester Finn, President of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute that promotes educational excellence and supports the president's education a... more »

Senate school funding plan includes boost for linked learning SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Senate school funding plan includes boost for linked learning *Senate school funding plan** PROUDLY SPONSORED BY * Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... The Senate version of Gov. Jerry Brown’s school finance restructuring proposal would require district and county administrators to hold public hearings and develop plans detailing how they will use additional state support to improve the performance of educationally disadvantaged students. SB 69, released Thursday, leaves open key financial elements p... more »

Modern School: Give the Kids What the Corporations Want: Downsizing, Vouchers and PROFITS!!!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Modern School: Give the Kids What the Corporations Want: Downsizing, Vouchers and PROFITS!!!: Give the Kids What the Corporations Want: Downsizing, Vouchers and PROFITS!!! by Michael Dunn Michigan’s constitution currently bans providing subsidies to private schools and the public currently opposes vouchers. However, little things like a state constitution and public sentiment are not enough to get in the way of Gov. Rick Snyder’s plan to open his state’s public education system even further to corporate expansion. A gang of 20 has been meeting in secret with business leaders to f... more »

Earth to Rocketship: More on Rocketship’s Fundamental Flaw from Scholastic Administrator | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Earth to Rocketship: More on Rocketship’s Fundamental Flaw from Scholastic Administrator | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Earth to Rocketship: More on Rocketship’s Fundamental Flaw from Scholastic Administrator by millerlf In a January 5, 2013 posting titled “*Rocketship Schools Coming Soon to an Urban Area Near You**” (*see below: article 2) I addressed some major issues concerning Rocketship. Following is an interesting point of view from *Scholastic Administrator*. *A Cautionary Tale: **Rocketship’s learning model works out some major kinks*. By Alexander Russo Sch... more »

Born To Do This Shit [On Personal Legends and Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Born To Do This Shit [On Personal Legends and Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: Born To Do This Shit [On Personal Legends and Teaching] by Jose Vilson [image: The Alchemist] The Alchemist “You have 135 minutes left on this test. Are there any questions?” After a quick pause, I said, “You may begin.” As the students got to work on this section of the test, I began to reflect on my life as a teacher, and came to realize that, yes, I was born to be in a classroom, teaching. The set of students in front of me, a gathering of opted-out English Language Learners from different classes including... more »

‘A Nation at Risk’ Turns 30: Where Did It Take Us? | NEA Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

‘A Nation at Risk’ Turns 30: Where Did It Take Us? | NEA Today: ‘A Nation at Risk’ Turns 30: Where Did It Take Us? by twalker *By Edward Graham* On April 26, 1983, President Ronald Reagan stood before the press and television cameras in the State Dining Room at the White House and held up a report titled *A Nation at Risk*. Eighteen months in the making and written by the blue-ribbon members of the National Commission on Excellence in Education at the behest of Secretary of Education Terrel Bell, the report examined the quality of education in the United States—and the findings wer... more »

Nel Nodding to the Rescue | Deborah Meier on Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Nel Nodding to the Rescue | Deborah Meier on Education: Nel Nodding to the Rescue by debmeier Another book! I’ll be writing about this one many many times. It’s title: Education and Democracy in the 2lst Century. The author, Nel Noddings. I’ve highlighted page after page, sentence by sentence. So you really just have to read it from page one to the end. I’m writing now to encourage a discussion about the meat of her argument. We could start by “arguing” over chapters one and two!! I don’t have to rush into print writing a book on the topic–which I keep wanting to do. Instead we h... more »

A year-end report card on school cafeterias: did they make the grade for improved nutrition? - FOX 54 WZDX – Huntsville News, Weather and Sports

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

A year-end report card on school cafeterias: did they make the grade for improved nutrition? - FOX 54 WZDX – Huntsville News, Weather and Sports: A year-end report card on school cafeterias: did they make the grade for improved nutrition? *Posted: Apr 25, 2013 6:35 AM PDT**Updated: Apr 25, 2013 6:35 AM PDT* (BPT) - The 2012-2013 school year brought a new curriculum to school cafeterias across the United States. For most of the country’s 17,000 school districts, it was an accelerated class, requiring the complete revision of school menus, from ingredients to food pairings to recipe... more »

City moving to fire teacher who blogged his “rubber room” days | GothamSchools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

City moving to fire teacher who blogged his “rubber room” days | GothamSchools: City moving to fire teacher who blogged his “rubber room” daysby Anika Anand, at 7:20 pm [image: A screenshot taken Thursday afternoon of a calendar clock on teacher Francesco Portelos's website shows that it's been 365 days since he was in his classroom.] A screenshot taken Thursday afternoon of a calendar clock on teacher Francesco Portelos’s website protectportelos.orgshows that it’s been 365 days since he was in his classroom. On his one-year anniversary today of being pulled from the classroom amid... more »

The Standardization of Subjectivity: Common Core Death | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

The Standardization of Subjectivity: Common Core Death | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: The Standardization of Subjectivity: Common Core Death by Danny Weil [image: New Common Core Logo] While life is characterized by growth in a structured, functional manner, the necrophilious person loves all that does not grow, all that is mechanical. The necrophilious person is driven by the desire to transform the organic into the inorganic, to approach life mechanically, as if all living persons were things… Memory, rather than experience; havin... more »

Grassroots Report: How Tennessee Parents Stopped Vouchers | The Network For Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Grassroots Report: How Tennessee Parents Stopped Vouchers | The Network For Public Education: [image: The Network For Public Education -] Grassroots Report: How Tennessee Parents Stopped Vouchers by admin Don’t Get Angry. Bake Cookies. In December 2012, we–a small group of active public school parents–sat around a dining room table to discuss how we could combat the education reform bills we anticipated during the upcoming Tennessee state legislative session. We were very aware that we faced an uphill battle because Tennessee has become Ground Zero for education reform over the p... more »

Why Do These Cities Have So Many Charter Schools and Where are They Located? Most Segregated Cities Census Maps - Business Insider

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Most Segregated Cities Census Maps - Business Insider: 21 Maps Of Highly Segregated Cities In America Rebecca Baird-Remba and Gus Lubin | Apr. 25, 2013, 9:32 AM | 270,436 | 22 - - inShare6 - - - Email - More [image: chicago] Flickr/Eric Fischer Racial segregation remains a problem in America, and it's lasting longer than anyone expected. Just how bad things are can be determined through analysis of 2010 Census data. The average black person lives in a neighborhood that is 45 percent black. Without segregation, his neighborhood would be only 13 percent black, acc... more »

What you need: Upcoming hearings & District’s FY2014 budget document | Parents United for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

What you need: Upcoming hearings & District’s FY2014 budget document | Parents United for Public Education: What you need: Upcoming hearings & District’s FY2014 budget document by parentsunitedphila [image: Image] If you haven’t had a chance to review it , here’s the documents the District has shared regarding the fiscal year 2014 situation. As a reminder, the District will argue this budget before City Council on Monday, April 29. Public testimony will be held at Lincoln High School starting at 6 p.m. Public testimony for City Council continues at 10 a.m. Tues., April 30. Call to ... more »

Penetrating the Smokescreen | Taking Note

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Penetrating the Smokescreen | Taking Note: Penetrating the Smokescreen by John Merrow A great deal has happened since “Michelle Rhee’s Reign of Error” appeared in this space two weeks ago. - DC Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson testified under oath that she learned of Sandy Sanford’s long-buried memo from my blog this past January. My source recalls being in at least one meeting when Ms. Henderson and then Chancellor Michelle Rhee discussed the memo and its contents. Someone is lying. - The DC City Council held what it called a ‘round table’ that, for the m... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie: Hypocritical Teacher Basher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie: Hypocritical Teacher Basher: Chris Christie: Hypocritical Teacher Basher by Duke Chris Christie just can't help himself - he *hates* teachers: Gov. Chris Christie blames “special interest” groups on the failure to enact certain school reforms he says are necessary to improving education in New Jersey. The governor told a friendly Bergenfield crowd Tuesday that Garden State students are in need of more hours in the classroom and longer school years in order to stay competitive. Christie blamed special interests with blocking those changes for purel... more »

State cuts off money to UNO charter schools over insider deals - Chicago Sun-Times

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

State cuts off money to UNO charter schools over insider deals - Chicago Sun-Times: State cuts off money to UNO charter schools over insider deals BY DAN MIHALOPOULOS Staff Reporter dmihalopoulos@suntimes.com April 25, 2013 2:02PM 0 0 Share 516 16 [image: From left Gov. PQuinn UNO CEO Juan Rangel House Speaker Michael Madigan Ald. Edward Burke July 2012 groundbreaking Southwest Side] From left, Gov. Pat Quinn, UNO CEO Juan Rangel, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Ald. Edward Burke at the July 2012 groundbreaking on the Southwest Side for the UNO Soccer Academy Charter High School. ...more »

Who Is Today's Principal? — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Who Is Today's Principal? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Daniel W. Smith]Who Is Today’s Principal? April 25, 2013 by Daniel W. Smith The qualities and skills required of today's principals have shifted quite dramatically over the past decade. It was not long ago that principals were expected to "manage" the building and those hiring building principals looked for individuals who were organized and knowledgeable about building operations. The shift has made it very difficult for principals who were appointed under the previous expectations. Those individuals, w... more »

Parents United wins open records case on BCG list of school closings | Parents United for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Parents United wins open records case on BCG list of school closings | Parents United for Public Education: Parents United wins open records case on BCG list of school closings by parentsunitedphila [image: Image] Parents United for Public Education has won its state Right To Know request to gain public access to the list of 60 schools identified by the Boston Consulting Group for closure and to the firm’s criteria for school closings – a request for information the District has consistently denied to the public. Last spring, the Boston Consulting Group came under intense criticism ... more »

Parents United wins open records request on BCG school closings list | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Parents United wins open records request on BCG school closings list | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Parents United wins open records request on BCG school closings list by Helen Gym Parents United for Public Education has won its state Right To Know request to gain public access to the list of 60 schools identified by the Boston Consulting Group for closure and to the firm’s criteria for school closings -- a request for information the District has consistently denied to the public. Last spring, the Boston Consulting Group came under intense criticism for a controversial ... more »

Corbett school board election puts district charter school on trial | OregonLive.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Corbett school board election puts district charter school on trial | OregonLive.com: Corbett school board election puts district charter school on trial [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Corbett students boast some of the better test scores in Oregon, and the district has made top 10 lists in Newsweek and The Washington Post for having so many students taking tough, college-level classes. Despite such successes, not everyone believes the unconventional way the district operates is the right fit for the quiet, unincorporated community across the Sandy River... more »

NYC Educator: Invasion of the Talent Coaches

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

NYC Educator: Invasion of the Talent Coaches: Invasion of the Talent Coaches by NYC Educator I'm hearing stories all over about the DOE's dreaded agents, doing practice observations. Armed with their adapted Danielson rubrics, with the three domains they have determined are inevitable, they do 15-minute observations. During these 15 minutes, they determine whether teachers are highly effective, effective, developing, or ineffective. The fact that the evaluation system does not yet exist deters them not at all. The fix is in, they figure, and Reformy John (King) will grant them what... more »

New book includes chapter by PAA’s Dora Taylor | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

New book includes chapter by PAA’s Dora Taylor | Parents Across America: New book includes chapter by PAA’s Dora Taylor by pureparents Our Seattle PAA founding member, Dora Taylor, has a chapter in new book, “Left Behind in the Race to the Top: Realities of School Reform,” edited by Julie Gorlewski, State University of New York-New Paltz and Brad Porfilio, Lewis University. Dora’s chapter is called “High Stakes Testing: A Parent’s Perspective.” From the publicity flyer: Public education is suffering attacks that are well funded and extraordinarily complex and multifaceted. These c... more »

UPDATE: May Day. Rally for immigrant rights + If the union leadership is talking to Cullerton, what’s the deal? | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

If the union leadership is talking to Cullerton, what’s the deal? | Fred Klonsky: May Day. Rally for immigrant rights. by Fred Klonsky [image: may day] If the union leadership is talking to Cullerton, what’s the deal? by Fred Klonsky [image: IMG_4837r1] *Photo credit: IEA. I asked Cinda if she wanted to address the crowd. “If they want me to,” she said.* The rumors have been floating around for about a week. After being excluded from the pension discussion going on in the Illinois General Assembly, word has been circulating that the leadership of the state public employee unions ... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: Talk About Waste

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Teachers Don't Suck !: Talk About Waste: Talk About Waste by Walt S, *I read the following replies on the local message board pertaining to the granting of school insurance contracts to companies who doled out campaign contributions. The word "waste" was used and when I thought about NJ "waste" it raised my BP to all time highs. I just had to write my reply. I guess "waste" is a relative term but below are the postings from the Internet and my reply.* *************** *So in our state there may just be bigger fish to fry than prosecuting the teacher's union in the court of publi... more »

The false promise of 'education reform' | HeraldNet.com - Opinion

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

The false promise of 'education reform' | HeraldNet.com - Opinion: The false promise of 'education reform' By Brendan Williams - Opinion Sign up for HeraldNet Headlines See sample | More Newsletters Since her time as District of Columbia schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee has been the face of "education reform." Regimenting testing for D.C. kids, she fired 241 teachers in one day alone in 2010 for low test scores. She fired a principal on camera. In turn, D.C. voters fired her mayoral patron in 2010 and she resigned. She now travels the country denouncing teachers, vis... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Randy Turner Explains His Suspension by dianerav Randy Turner was suspended not for his Huffington Post article but for his book. This is why teachers need tenure: Academic freedom. He sent this comment: “Thanks for the kind words from everyone. My suspension coming at almost exactly the same time as my Huffington Post blog was a coincidence. Basically, it happened because I wrote a novel, No Child Left Alive, criticizing many of the practices in education today, particularly those done by overambitious admini... more »

Weekly Leg Fax: Parents oppose the parent trigger | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Weekly Leg Fax: Parents oppose the parent trigger | Parents Across America: Weekly Leg Fax: Parents oppose the parent trigger by pureparents *Parent Voices Weekly Education Fax* April 24, 2013 *Parents oppose “parent trigger” laws* *The story: **Support for parent trigger laws isn’t parent-based or local**. * The Florida legislature is currently debating a controversial “parent trigger” law which could hand public schools over to a private management company if 51% of a school’s parents sign a petition requesting that change. Parent trigger laws are being pushed across the nation ... more »

Steve Perry Talks to White People | EduShyster

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Steve Perry Talks to White People | EduShyster: Steve Perry Talks to White People by edushyster2012 Dr. Steve Perry, America’s “most wanted educator” thrilled Minneapolis by “bringing it” and “raising the roof.” This week found America’s “most wanted educator” venturing to perhaps the whitest place in America: Minneapolis. There, Dr. Steve Perry delighted the crowd with his unique brand of high-octane, high-expectations roof raising, including referring to teacher unions as “roaches.” In this special guest post, an embittered veteran teacher weighs in on what she and her low-achiev... more »

UPDATE: Common Core Standards CCSSO Releases C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice (Part I) | Truth in American Education: Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Kills Anti-Common Core Bill by Shane Vander Hart [image: alabama-state-capitol]The Alabama Anti-Common Core bill dies, more accurately was killed by a State Senator who is confused. EdWeek reports: First, the legislative news. The Alabama Senate President Pro Tem, Del Marsh, a Republican, announced that he would not entertain any bills pertaining to the common core for a full Senate vote. That means Senate Bill 403, which passed the Senate Education Committee and... more »

UPDATE: What Do We Spend Our Education Dollars On? Seattle Schools Community Forum: NAEP Scores - Pretty Darn Good

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: NAEP Scores in Economics - Pretty Darn Good: 80 Students Won't Graduate Due to Math Test by Charlie Mas Linda Shaw of the Seattle Times reported today that there are 80 high school seniors who can't graduate because they didn't pass the two state End Of Course math tests. School principals wanted superintendent Banda to seek a waiver for the students but the superintendent Banda will not. Statewide there are over 3,000 students in a similar situation. What Do We Spend Our Education Dollars On? by Melissa Westbrook Apparently there is some confusion... more »

Racial segregation continues to impact quality of education in Mississippi—and nationwide | Hechinger Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Racial segregation continues to impact quality of education in Mississippi—and nationwide | Hechinger Report: Racial segregation continues to impact quality of education in Mississippi—and nationwide by Alan Richard [image: Racial segregation continues to impact quality of education in Mississippi—and nationwide] Debate is raging this year in Mississippi about whether state legislators should agree to start public pre-k programs for the first time. They’re also arguing about school funding and charter schools. In decades of debate on school reform in Mississippi, though, one iss... more »

Vallas, Pryor and the State Board of Education temporarily dodge lawsuit (Bridgeport Style) - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Vallas, Pryor and the State Board of Education temporarily dodge lawsuit (Bridgeport Style) - Wait, What?: Vallas, Pryor and the State Board of Education temporarily dodge lawsuit (Bridgeport Style) by jonpelto The state law Governor Malloy pushed through allowing his Commissioner of Education to waive the certification requirements for Paul Vallas had two simple provisions. To become Bridgeport’s permanent superintendent Vallas would have to complete his “probationary period” as Acting Superintendent and pass an Education Leadership Program at a Connecticut institution of high... more »

Teaching Students About Trade-Offs - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Teaching Students About Trade-Offs - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Teaching Students About Trade-Offs by Deborah Meier Dear Elliott, You remind me of what always gives me hope—about myself and the world! We are insatiably inclined to learn from our experience—although too often we do less and less of it as we grow older. Schools have the unique potential of being conscious places for thinking aloud together—across ages and different histories. They are the heart—potentially—of the answer to "how best to teach teachers." Bringing faculties, K-12 teachers, parents, and stud... more »

UPDATE FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, April 25, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day 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* Ventura superintendent says school district budget looking betterThe budget outlook for the next academic year in the Ventura Unified School District is the brightest it's been in six years, Superintendent Trudy Arriaga said Tuesday. Oxnard district plans to open academies at 3 schoolsThe academies will promote an integrated curriculum of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Pleasant Va... more »

UPDATE #commoncore + Burning Bridges – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Burning Bridges – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: A new post written @huffingtonpost on the #commoncore by Chalk Face, PhD I don’t know, some things are appropriate for the Huffington Post. This came from conversations I’ve had with proponents of the CCSS. There is a rabid insistence that it’s not a curriculum, it’s just standards, as if that makes it less intrusive or more palatable. If that insistence is ideological, I get it. But if it is based on some kind of understanding of the nature of curriculum, then it’s incorrect. We then have to reexamine other claims made by th... more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day 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 - 1 day 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 - 1 day 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 - 1 day 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 - 1 day 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 - 1 day 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 »

MORNING UPDATE 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 - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Good News! Excellent Results on NAEP Economics Test by dianerav The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) just released the results of its Economics test for high school seniors. Only 18% of students ranked “below basic,” which surely included high numbers of students who are English language learners and have serious disabilities. 82% are basic or above. A remarkable 43% of students ranked “proficient” or above. Proficient is excellent performance. ... more »