Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-3-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



4LAKids - Education Coalition Position Paper: The 2013-14 CALIFORNIA STATE BUDGET

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Education Coalition Position Paper: The 2013-14 CALIFORNIA STATE BUDGET: Education Coalition Position Paper: The 2013-14 CALIFORNIA STATE BUDGET *FROM THE EDUCATION COALITION* *(SEE FOLLOWING)* * * * * *March 20, 2013* *School Finance Principles for the 2013-14 Budget* The Governor’s Budget proposal to fund Proposition 98 at a level that reflects the increased revenues from the November 2012 election and his effort to eliminate the wall of debt by paying down deferrals is supported by the Education Coalition. This reflects the Coalition’s ... more »

Starving the Beast | GoingPublic

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
Starving the Beast | GoingPublic: Starving the Beast by Nancy Letts Starving the beast, at the very least, will just increase its hunger. Go right ahead and starve me dead. It will only make me stronger. –*They Might be Giants* If They Might Be Giants sing it you know it’s true! They wouldn’t lie to children, and neither should we. But the clock is running so fast in many states that it may be too late to call for repairs. The truth is that we like our educational system. We support teachers and the work they do. We think our kids are getting a good education. We like our public sc... more »

NYC Public School Parents: A personal note

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
NYC Public School Parents: A personal note: A personal note by Leonie Haimson I haven’t written much about myself or my family on this blog, however, I am doing so now because GothamSchools is intent on writing about me, my organization Class Size Matters, and about the fact that my son entered a private high school this year. I told their reporter Geoff Decker about this in the fall, in the midst of a longer, off the record conversation about many things, and ever since, whenever I have contacted him about possible stories, he has brought up this issue instead of more important... more »

The in box. More on Chicago charter underutilization. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 minutes ago
The in box. More on Chicago charter underutilization. | Fred Klonsky: The in box. More on Chicago charter underutilization. by Fred Klonsky *Fred,* *Last spring my 8th grader was aggressively recruited by a charter high school, Chicago Tech Academy — which he had not applied to.* *His CPS elementary school had held a high school information session, and a good number of schools came to talk with the kids.* *But the elementary school then held a separate information session only for Chicago Tech Academy. And that is likely where my child’s name, address, and perhaps even test scores ... more »

Louisiana Educator: Tenure Destruction Bill Reintroduced

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
Louisiana Educator: Tenure Destruction Bill Reintroduced: Tenure Destruction Bill Reintroduced by Michael Deshotels Senator Conrad Appel has now reintroduced a bill (Senate Bill 89) to drastically reduce the due process needed for teacher dismissals. This bill would nullify a teacher's tenure status based on only one year of negative ratings using the new teacher evaluation system starting with the 2013-14 school year. Three separate independent researchers have published papers pointing out that the VAM portion of the new evaluation system is so inaccurate that it should never ... more »

Common Core "State" Standards Test Items to Get Federal Review - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 35 minutes ago
Common Core "State" Standards Test Items to Get Federal Review - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Common Core "State" Standards Test Items to Get Federal Review by Anthony Cody Neal McClusky at the Cato at Liberty blog highlighted some news yesterday related to the Common Core. Yesterday news came out that made clear just how serious--and unfunny--concerns about a federal takeover are. According to Education Week, the U.S. Department of Education will start a "technical review process" for the Department-selected consortia creating the national tests to go with the s... more »

Lawsuit against Bridgeport Board of Education, Commissioner Pryor and Paul Vallas gets more coverage - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 35 minutes ago
Lawsuit against Bridgeport Board of Education, Commissioner Pryor and Paul Vallas gets more coverage - Wait, What?: Lawsuit against Bridgeport Board of Education, Commissioner Pryor and Paul Vallas gets more coverage by jonpelto The Hartford Courant has added to the growing media coverage of the lawsuit about the Bridgeport Board of Education’s illegal contract for Acting Superintendent Paul Vallas. As the Courant reports, Attorney Norm Pattis, who brought the lawsuit the led to the Supreme Court ruling that the Malloy Administration’s attempt to take over the Bridgeport School ... more »

GUEST POST: Arresting Development: Police Officers, Teachers, and Standardization, Julie Gorlewski – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
GUEST POST: Arresting Development: Police Officers, Teachers, and Standardization, Julie Gorlewski – @ the chalk face: GUEST POST: Arresting Development: Police Officers, Teachers, and Standardization, Julie Gorlewski by plthomasedd [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] What happens when public employees are forced to use standardized measures to deal with human endeavors? Our most vulnerable youth populations suffer. Today, this is clearly visible in education and law enforcement. Police officers, charged to increase municipal revenues by meeting arbitrary quotas, implemented “stop a... more »

Why Latino teachers lead to more diversity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Why Latino teachers lead to more diversity: Why we need more Latino teachers by Being Latino Contributors visualphotos.com When you think of a teacher, who do you see? If you are like most people, you’re likely to imagine a middle-aged woman. If you think back on the teachers you’ve had in your K-12 education, most of your teachers fit that description, and furthermore, more likely than not, most of them were also white. Because in all honesty, how many elementary-school teachers of yours were men or of a minority background? Consider yourself fortunate if you ever had a male teac... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Missouri Coaltion Against Common Core Response to DESE's Common Core Claims

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Missouri Coaltion Against Common Core Response to DESE's Common Core Claims: Missouri Coaltion Against Common Core Response to DESE's Common Core Claims by stlgretchen The following response was sent to legislators in response to Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's claims on Common Core. You may find some responses helpful in your fight against Common Core spin from your state agency. From Missouri Coalition Against Common Core Standards: * * ******************************************************** * * *Inaccuracies in the DES... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 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] Rhee To Face Federal Lawsuit Over Wrongful Termination by dianerav This just in: “http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/4/prweb10586920.htm Federal Judge Orders Michelle Rhee Suit to Go Forward, will Broaden to Concealment and Fraud Claims A US federal judge has denied a Motion to Dismiss by former DC Public School Chancellor Michelle Rhee in a wrongful termination lawsuit over the mass firings of DC Public School teachers back in 2009. Case to be amended to add co... more »

"It's Time To Fight Back!" (words and music by Matt Farmer) Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: *Chicago FightBack School-Closings Rap* Published on Apr 1, 2013 *"It's Time To Fight Back!" (words and music by Matt Farmer)* * * Popout

Daily Kos: A pointed commentary on the cheating scandal in Atlanta

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Daily Kos: A pointed commentary on the cheating scandal in Atlanta: A pointed commentary on the cheating scandal in Atlanta by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) which was sent to the NY Times as a possible op-ed / letter to the editor, but not published. I am posting it here with permission, and will also offer some commentary: *The road to the massive cheating scandal in Atlanta (NYT 3/30/2013) runs right through the White House.*The former superintendent, Dr. Beverly L. Hall, and her 34 obedient subordinates now face criminal charges, but the central role played by a group of un-i... more »

Aspire and State Board give up fight over controversial charters | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Aspire and State Board give up fight over controversial charters | EdSource Today: Aspire and State Board give up fight over controversial charters ** April 3rd, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald After a six-year legal battle, Aspire Public Schools and the State Board of Education have agreed to give up the permit that enabled Aspire to open a half-dozen charter schools without local district approval. The much-watched settlement, reached last month, will likely discourage the State Board from granting similar “statewide benefit charters” and marks a clear victory for the... more »

In Ravitch’s Defense: Milwaukee Voucher Study Found Wanting | deutsch29

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
In Ravitch’s Defense: Milwaukee Voucher Study Found Wanting | deutsch29: In Ravitch’s Defense: Milwaukee Voucher Study Found Wanting by deutsch29 I hold a Ph.D. in applied statistics and research methods from the University of Northern Colorado (2002). The title of my dissertation is *A Monte Carlo Study of the Type I Error and Power Associated with Descriptive Discriminant Analysis as a MANOVA Post Hoc Procedure*. Why am I beginning this post with information about my credentials? Yesterday, Dr. Patrick Wolf of the University of Arkansas’ Department of Educational Reform (which is... more »

Seeing teachers as technicians ignores what else they give students: confidence, moral support and inspiration | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Seeing teachers as technicians ignores what else they give students: confidence, moral support and inspiration | Get Schooled: Seeing teachers as technicians ignores what else they give students: confidence, moral support and inspiration by Maureen Downey Spurred by federal policy, many states, including Georgia, are moving to teacher evaluations that consider student progress on tests. But a rising chorus is challenging the reliance on testing to define a good teacher. (AJC photo) [image: Spurred by federal policy, many states, including Georgia, want to move to evaluations that c... more »

Bill Ayers: Road to Atlanta cheating scandal ‘runs right through White House’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Bill Ayers: Road to Atlanta cheating scandal ‘runs right through White House’: Bill Ayers: Road to Atlanta cheating scandal ‘runs right through White House’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 3, 2013 at 4:00 am 6 Comments More [image: the_white_house_0]Bill Ayers, a retired professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in no uncertain terms takes aim in this post at federal school policies that led to the Atlanta cheating scandal. Ayers, a radical activist during the 1960s and ’70s, had the national spotlight thrown on him during the 2008 presidential campaign wh... more »

Smearing, Belittling and Besmirching the PTA in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Smearing, Belittling and Besmirching the PTA in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings: Smearing, Belittling and Besmirching the PTA in Florida by Bob Sikes The presence of at least a half-dozen independent PTA members at Monday’s senate hearing on Parent Trigger was enough to demonstrate the clout of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA/PTSA) across Florida. Their voice used to matter until the education for profit gravy train came to town and politicians realized the advantage to be had by jumping on. But what to do about those pesky naysayers – like those loathsome PTA members – when t... more »

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): CReATE Researchers Issue Open Letter on School Closures

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): CReATE Researchers Issue Open Letter on School Closures: CReATE Researchers Issue Open Letter on School Closures by CReATE Chicago *Education Scholars Agree Chicago School Closures **are Ill-Advised and Unsupported by Data* * * * **An Open Letter of Concern to* *Mayor Rahm Emanuel,* *Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett* *and the Chicago School Board* * * We, the undersigned, call upon the Chicago Board of Education to reject the closing of 54 schools at their May meeting, and instead, to impl... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-2-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* *CORPORATE ED REFORM* University of Phoenix to ‘Occupy’ Santa Monica College by Danny Weil It was the former Chancellor of the Community College system, Jack Scott, who proposed that to increase access for students to education, the notorious [...] The post University of Phoenix to ‘Occupy’ Santa Monica College appeared first on DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored... Remainders: Looking for answers in Atlanta’s cheating charges by Philissa Cramer, at 9:02 pm - Three important questions and answers about Atlanta’s sweeping schoo... more »

Public Education Justice Alliance of Minnesota(PEJAM)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Public Education Justice Alliance of Minnesota(PEJAM): FrankenGuild...It's Alive! *FrankenGuild... * *It's Alive!* *The Monster * Two years ago the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) created the Minnesota Guild of Public Charter Schools and were officially approved by the state to be a sponsor of charter schools. This effort was financed by two Innovation Grants from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The Innovation Grants were funded in part by the Gates Foundation and the Eli Broad Foundation. This is yet another attempt to do what Pasi Sahlberg called, "tryin... more »

NPE Webinar #1: How to Organize a Grassroots Group | The Network For Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
NPE Webinar #1: How to Organize a Grassroots Group | The Network For Public Education: [image: The Network For Public Education -] NPE Webinar #1: How to Organize a Grassroots Group by admin *Organizers share ideas* Many of those who have joined our network want to get involved in grassroots work to change the direction of education in our communities. We are now planning a series of web forums to share concrete ways to do just that. The first will focus on how to organize grassroots groups. Phyllis Bush and members of the North East Indiana Friends of Public Education will share ... more »

Kimble's Corner: Congressman Kimble to Appear in Vagina Monologues

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Kimble's Corner: Congressman Kimble to Appear in Vagina Monologues: Congressman Kimble to Appear in Vagina Monologues by Representative Kimble *[Reprinted from the Oakdale Value Shopper with Permission]* It's not the sort of thing you'd expect from 4 ruggedly conservative Congressmen, but this April 12th and 13th, Congressmen Jack Kimble, Jim Sensenbrenner, Louie Gohmert, and Steve Fincher will be appearing in a production of The Vagina Monologues at Glendale Valley Community College. We're joined by Congressman Kimble to talk about the production: OVS: Welcome Congressmen JK: Tha...more »

solidaridad: 2ND ANNUAL CEJ/PEAC Social Justice Schools Conference

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
solidaridad: 2ND ANNUAL CEJ/PEAC Social Justice Schools Conference: 2ND ANNUAL CEJ/PEAC Social Justice Schools Conference by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene Attacks on our schools continue, but the fight is stronger than ever as exemplified by the Schools L.A. Students Deserve Campaign. Parents, students, teachers, community organizations have come together to not only build a vision for schools but to think about a strategy to win. 2ND ANNUAL CEJ/PEAC Social Justice Schools Conference by Robert D. Skeels

Schools Matter: Tom Friedman Signals New Education Rhetoric and the Same Old Crap

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Schools Matter: Tom Friedman Signals New Education Rhetoric and the Same Old Crap: Tom Friedman Signals New Education Rhetoric and the Same Old Crap by Jim Horn I have been dismissing Tom Friedman for a long time, but occasionally I do find something of interest in his column that someone else said. His latest column follows that pattern, in that it is based largely on quotes from Tony Wagner, a Harvard prof who has made a career of trying to do in education what Tom Friedman has done in politics, i. e., represent an abstract middle-brow version of progressivism that wraps neo-... more »

UPDATE: DFER's 'Education Warrior' Schooling in the Ownership Society: Walton paying for CPS propaganda campaign on school closings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Walton paying for CPS propaganda campaign on school closings: DFER's 'Education Warrior' Sen. Smith, busted trying to rig N.Y. mayor's race by Mike Klonsky Smith, in a conversation with a federal informant, expressed his feelings on the illegal payoffs. “Business is business.” Hedge-fund school reformers at DFER's held up *State Sen. Malcolm Smith*, as their all-time school privatization hero. They describe Smith here as "a proud supporter of public charter schools long before it became popular to do so within the Democratic Party." Smith was e... more »

UPDATE: Parent Revolution Monster Jeb Bush + Florida’s School Choice Crowd Buses in Kids on a School Day for Political Rally | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Florida’s School Choice Crowd Buses in Kids on a School Day for Political Rally | Scathing Purple Musings: The Parent Revolution Monster Jeb Bush Wants to Unleash in Florida Communities With Parent Trigger by Bob Sikes Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future (FFF) has brought in Parent Revolution the past two years to testify on behalf of Parent Trigger. FFF’s executive director, Patricia Levesque, orchestrated a press conference last week with Parent Revolution as a primary part of FFF’s efforts to pass Parent Trigger. Bush even singled out the self-described left wing group a... more »

Hispanic Education: CA Migrant Head Start Program Can be Model | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Hispanic Education: CA Migrant Head Start Program Can be Model | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: Hispanic Education: California Migrant Head Start Program Can be Model [image: Hispanic Education: California Migrant Head Start Program Can be Model]Long before President Obama triggered a new national interest in universal preschool earlier this year, a Central Valley-based Head Start program for children of migrant workers has been breaking down barriers that have kept Latino families out of early learning programs. Data suggests that Latino children, who now make up more than half of ...more »

Learning Math, Learning Justice - Rethinking Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Rethinking Schools: Volume 27, Issue 3 Volume 27, Issue 3 VOLUME 27, ISSUE 3 — SPRING 2013 Cover Theme: Learning Math, Learning Justice This issue of *Rethinking Schools* previews our new, expanded, and revised edition of *Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers*. The focus is on teaching math in ways that help students make sense of their world. Editorial: Just MathWhose Community Is This?Mathematics of neighborhood displacement By Eric (Rico) Gutstein Students use advanced math to study gentrification, displacement, and foreclosure in their neighborhood. Bey... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed Reform Collapsing Under Its Own Weight - Part One, Assessments

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed Reform Collapsing Under Its Own Weight - Part One, Assessments: Keeping Up with Language Usage (Do Keep Up) from Seattle Schools Community Forum by Melissa Westbrook First up today, it was the use of the word "illegals", then it seems "whom" may be on its way out and now the NY Times weighs in on language with this op-ed "*Those Irritating Verbs-as-Nouns.*" Today the Associated Press (via the Huffington Post) sent out a style guide to reporters about using the term "illegals, illegal immigrants and undocumented immigrants." From the AP Styleboo... more »

Public Schools, Private Agendas: Parent Revolution – Hot Ideas for a Cold Economy – The Frying Pan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Public Schools, Private Agendas: Parent Revolution – Hot Ideas for a Cold Economy – The Frying Pan: Public Schools, Private Agendas: Parent Revolution by Gary Cohn on April 2, 2013 At first glance, it is one of the nation’s hottest new education-reform movements, a seemingly populist crusade to empower poor parents and fix failing public schools. But a closer examination reveals that the “parent-trigger” movement is being heavily financed by the conservative Walton Family Foundation, one of the nation’s largest and most strident anti-union organizations, a Frying Pan News invest... more »

Letter to the Sacramento County Board of Education: Just Say No to the Fortune School Charter Revision | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Letter to the Sacramento County Board of Education: Just Say No to the Fortune School Charter Revision | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: Letter to the Sacramento County Board of Education: Just Say No to the Fortune School Charter Revision by Kate_Lenox [image: Home] published by Kate_Lenox on Tue, 04/02/2013 - 1:07pm Dear SCOE Board of Trustees: It has come to our attention that the Fortune School will be coming before the SCOE board to ask for a material revision of its charter. It is proposing a new school in Elk Grove School USD more than three miles from t... more »

Atlanta school cheating indictments: Your questions, answered. By Dana Goldstein

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Atlanta school cheating indictments: Your questions, answered.: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy What You Need to Know About the Shocking Cheating Indictments in the Atlanta Public Schools By Dana Goldstein | Posted Tuesday, April 2, 2013, at 3:07 PM [image: Share on Facebook] 3 16 [image: 97021506] The Atlanta indictment alleges a top-down conspiracy. Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images A March 29 grand jury indictment details the shockingly sick culture of adult cheating that existed within the Atlanta public schools under former superinten... more »

The Common Core Reality that Florida Republican Senators Want to Ignore in Parent Trigger Fight | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
The Common Core Reality that Florida Republican Senators Want to Ignore in Parent Trigger Fight | Scathing Purple Musings: The Common Core Reality that Florida Republican Senators Want to Ignore in Parent Trigger Fight by Bob Sikes Susan Smith reminded senate republicans of something they don’t want to be reminded of during yesterday’s Senate Education Committee hearing on Parent Trigger. Florida’s implementation of Common Core Standards (CCS) has consequences which will come into play in the bill they say is just about “giving parents a seat at the table.” Referring to a prese... more »

Will Charter Schools Survive The Charter School Movement?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Will Charter Schools Survive The Charter School Movement?: Will Charter Schools Survive The Charter School Movement? by Jeff Bryant [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] America’s education polices are brimming with contradiction. Schools, we’re told, need more standardization, but parents need more choices, which standardization precludes. Teachers need to be held to more accountability, but entry into the teaching force needs to be easier with fewer qualifications. This kind of contradiction applies to one of the more contentious ideas often equated to schoo... more »

In Pictures: Rahm & others announce “and justice for…” | Reclaim Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
In Pictures: Rahm & others announce “and justice for…” | Reclaim Reform: In Pictures: Rahm & others announce “and justice for…” by kenpreviti Bill Moyers dares to speak truth to power and us all – even the most deluded of us all. “Bill reports on the hypocrisy of ‘justice for all’ in a society where billions are squandered for a war born in fraud while the poor are pushed aside. Turns out true justice — not just the word we recite from the Pledge of Allegiance — is still unaffordable for those who need it most.” As a matter of fact, it’s not only the poor, it is also the middle clas... more »

The Wonders of Promoting School Involvement From Spanish Speaking Parents | NewsTacoNewsTaco

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
The Wonders of Promoting School Involvement From Spanish Speaking Parents | NewsTacoNewsTaco: The Wonders of Promoting School Involvement From Spanish Speaking Parents by NewsTaco [image: homework] [image: NBCLatino]By Esther J. Cepeda, NBCLatino CHICAGO — Something bordering on the miraculous happened at my community high school the other night: The parents who speak only Spanish were included and respected in a meeting in a way that did not turn the whole thing into a big, fat mess. In the past, the school district’s well-intentioned efforts to include non-English-speaking parent...more »

Common Core Presentations and Omissions | InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Common Core Presentations and Omissions | InterACT: Common Core Presentations and Omissions by David B. Cohen Diane Ravitch (Jan. 2012; photo by the author) [image: Diane Ravitch (Jan. 2012; photo by the author)]Still thinking over the presentations I attended at the recent ASCD Conference, I was struck by some other recent blog posts about the Common Core standards transition. There’s been a recent back-and-forth exchange of posts debating a number of issues relating to the CCSS, involving Marc Tucker, Diane Ravitch, and Stephen Krashen. Tucker just posted in EdWeek his “Last Round... more »

Dear 8th Grader: You Have a 3% Chance of Getting Ready for College « The Core Knowledge Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Dear 8th Grader: You Have a 3% Chance of Getting Ready for College « The Core Knowledge Blog: Dear 8th Grader: You Have a 3% Chance of Getting Ready for College by Lisa Hansel What are the odds that an eighth grader in a high-poverty school who is far behind academically will catch up? You know the odds are low, but single-digit low? According toresearch from ACT, catching up in high school is rare—if by “catching up” we mean getting poorly prepared eighth graders ready for college by twelfth grade. An eighth grader in a high-poverty school who is far from meeting ACT’s college r... more »

Why Common Core tests won’t be what Arne Duncan promised

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Why Common Core tests won’t be what Arne Duncan promised: Why Common Core tests won’t be what Arne Duncan promised Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 2, 2013 at 12:31 pm [image: bubble]On Sept. 2, 2010, Education Secretary Arne Duncan gave a speech called “Beyond The Bubble Tests: The Next Generation of Assessments.” Duncan was referring to standardized tests that were just then starting to be created to align with the Common Core State Standards. These tests, being developed by two multi-state consortia with $360 million in federal funds, promised to go beyond the familiar multip... more »

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: American Indian Model Schools enrollment trends: student retention and demographics

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: American Indian Model Schools enrollment trends: student retention and demographics: American Indian Model Schools enrollment trends: student retention and demographics *STUDENT RETENTION* *American** Indian Public Charter School*** School Code #6113807 3637 Magee Ave., Oakland, CA Total Enroll 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 6th>8th Student retention 2011-12 255 4 121 80 50 71>50 70.4% 2010-11 179 0 82 57 40 66>40 60.6% 2009-10 193 1 71 52 69 77>69 89.6% 2008-09 182 0 66 72 44 62>44 71.0% 2007-08 190 5 77 59 49 2006-07 174 11 62 54 47 200... more »

The Crumbling of Corporate School "Reform" | California Progress Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
The Crumbling of Corporate School "Reform" | California Progress Report: The Crumbling of Corporate School "Reform" by callen *By Randy Shaw* In the past month, 1. Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly rejected a billionaire-backed school board candidate seeking to shift control of the district to anti-union forces; 2. Thirty-five Atlanta educators, including a close ally of prominent "reformer" Michelle Rhee, were indicted for altering students' test scores; 3. Rhee, head of "Students First," was herself caught lying about being a "public school parent" after it was reported that... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, April 2, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Judge adds twist to school yoga case* Education Headlines *Tuesday, April 2, 2013* Bassett Unified Superintendent Martin Galindo resignsHistory appears to be repeating itself at Bassett Unified where now the second district leader in less than three years has resigned because of irreparable tensions with the school board. Temecula schools forming own special education planTemecula educators are a step closer to taking control over delivering special education programs to students. Judge adds twist to school yoga caseA routine co... more »

When Real Life Exceeds Satire: Comments on ShankerBlog’s April Fools Post | School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
When Real Life Exceeds Satire: Comments on ShankerBlog’s April Fools Post | School Finance 101: When Real Life Exceeds Satire: Comments on ShankerBlog’s April Fools Post by schoolfinance101 Yesterday, Matt Di Carlo over at Shankerblog put out his April fools post. The genius of the post is in its subtlety. Matt put together a few graphs of longitudinal NAEP data showing that Maryland had made greater than average national gains on NAEP and then asserted that these gains must therefore be a function of some policy conditions that exist in Maryland. In the Post-RTTT era, ...more »

The Big Swindle | Bill Ayers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Big Swindle | Bill Ayers: The Big Swindle by billayers The road to the massive cheating scandal in Atlanta (NY *Times* 3/30/2013) runs right through the White House. The former superintendent, Dr. Beverly *L. *Hall, and her 34 obedient subordinates now face criminal charges, but the central role played by a group of un-indicted and largely unacknowledged co-conspirators, her powerful enablers, is barely noted. Beyond her “strong relations with the business elite” who reportedly made her “untouchable” in Atlanta, she was a national super-star for more than a decade because her... more »

Connecting the Dots to Whole Child Education — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Connecting the Dots to Whole Child Education — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Thom Markham]Connecting the Dots to Whole Child Education April 2, 2013 by Thom Markham Yesterday's date: *April 1, 2013.* Yesterday's lead education article: *How should we handle homework?* Yesterday's lead statistic: *ADHD diagnosed in 11 percent of U.S. children.* Today's question: *Can we connect the dots?* No, this was not an April Fool's question. It's a simple scattergram, a graph of disparate facts and headlines arranged into no particular pattern—until you begin to probe and p... more »

UPDATE: PSAT Part 1: A parent’s request to stop school closings + Never let a tragedy go to waste Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive »

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Never let a tragedy go to waste: Never let a tragedy go to waste by admin Hadiya Pendleton’s mother, Cleopatra, and brother, Nathaniel, Jr. [image: Hadiya Pendleton's mother, Cleopatra, and brother, Nathaniel, Jr.] Murdered CPS student Hadiya Pendleton’s family is moving forward with plans for an anti-violence foundation in her honor. Bless their efforts – we hope this project gives them some measure of comfort. According to the Tribune, others are looking to see how they can get involved, too, though motivation in some of th... more »

Hiring Heats Up in K-12 Teaching Specialties - US News and World Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Hiring Heats Up in K-12 Teaching Specialties - US News and World Report: Hiring Heats Up in K-12 Teaching SpecialtiesChanging curriculum standards and demographics are driving demand for teachers in various specialties. By RETT FISHER April 2, 2013 RSS Feed Print [image: Job openings for K-12 teachers who specialize in special education and STEM fields are increasing.] Job openings for K-12 teachers who specialize in special education and STEM fields are increasing. Big changes in education, driven by changing curriculum standards, demographics and diagnoses of kids with special need... more »

UPDATE: I’m not an educator. I just play one while working at the state capital. Interesting info on data points from #SXSWedu – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
@dianeravitch is talking about @shankerinst who’s talking about MD – @ the chalk face: I’m not an educator. I just play one while working at the state capital. by Timothy D. Slekar Yesterday, Carnegie Mellon University English professor Kathy M. Newman published an opinion piece about high stakes testing in the *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette* that has since gone viral. The title was simple: Why I Won’t Let My Son Take The PSSA. The passage itself was powerful and very well articulated. For example after talking about the problems the PSSAs (NCLB tests in PA) were causing at home, Pro... more »

Conspiracy theories. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Conspiracy theories. | Fred Klonsky: Conspiracy theories. by Fred Klonsky [image: William-Burroughs-London-1988-300x203]*“A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what’s going on.”* - William S. Burroughs. Some pundits (Yes. I’m looking at you Eric Zorn and Laura Washington) have dismissed the accusation of racism when it comes to school closings. They sneer at Karen Lewis for suggesting such a thing as the Mayor closes schools that are over 90% African-American in a district with 42% African-American enrollment. I wonder what they will say if and when lawyers go into federal co... more »

The Atlanta Cheating Scandal

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Atlanta Cheating Scandal: The Atlanta Cheating Scandal by Sam There was a good conversation last night on the new prime time MSNBC Chris Hayes show about the Atlanta Cheating scandal. Still waiting to see if the investigation in DC ever gets as extensive as this — and, if it does, to what extent it exposes similar willful ignorance: Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy