Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-30-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core to Teach Preschoolers/Kindergartners "Executive Function Skills"

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 32 minutes ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core to Teach Preschoolers/Kindergartners "Executive Function Skills": Common Core to Teach Preschoolers/Kindergartners "Executive Function Skills" by stlgretchen Register for a Common Core seminar to learn how your preschooler or kindergartener can learn to self-regulate and learn "executive function skills". Three to five year old children must learn to become globally competitive and understand their importance to the government and prove themselves to be a good Return on Investment (ROI). The seminar is sponsored by McREL, an organizatio... more »

Modern School: California, Poorest/Richest State in the Nation

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago
Modern School: California, Poorest/Richest State in the Nation: California, Poorest/Richest State in the Nation by Michael Dunn California currently has more than 600,000 millionaires and 85 billionaires in the Forbes 400 list, far more than any other state in the nation. At the same time, California is now the poorest state in the nation, with the highest percentage of residents living at or below the poverty level. According to the Census Bureau, 23.5% (8.7 million Californians) are living in poverty. Florida is number 2 at 19.5%. These numbers reflect a revision in how the C... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago
Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center: Postcard from the World's Fair in Pairs -- Circa 1899 A Futuristic Image of Learning "At School in the Year 2000' Image Source via Wikimedia Commons Best of the Ed Blogs *Best of the Ed Blogs* features a frequently updated selection of interesting and insightful blog posts on education policy. The views expressed by the bloggers on our blog roll are thoughtful, original, and entirely their own. We hope you make *Best of the Ed Blogs* your first stop for concise takes on today's most important education topics. Rebirth of th... more »

Are we rushing Common Core without field testing it? | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago
Are we rushing Common Core without field testing it? | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Get Schooled: Are we rushing Common Core without field testing it? There is a surge of late in criticisms of the Common Core State Standards, which most states, including Georgia, are in the process of incorporating into their classrooms. On one hand, *there is a political backlash against the standards*, which, while conceived at a state level, are now being recast as a plot by the Obama administration to wrest education from local control. Most of those complaints are partisan and have little... more »

UPDATE: AFT’s Weingarten urges moratorium on high stakes linked to new standardized tests

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
AFT’s Weingarten urges moratorium on high stakes linked to new standardized tests: AFT’s Weingarten urges moratorium on high stakes linked to new standardized tests Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 30, 2013 at 10:07 am [image: randi] Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, Tuesday called for a moratorium on the consequences of high-stakes testing because new standardized assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards are unfairly being given to students before teachers have ha... more »

The Gorilla Speaks: It’s time to Change the Conversation | GoingPublic

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The Gorilla Speaks: It’s time to Change the Conversation | GoingPublic: The Gorilla Speaks: It’s time to Change the Conversation by Nancy Letts Nancy’s article for the Huffington Post is trending: It’s time we stopped talking about the failure of teachers and their unions. Instead of pitting public schools against charters and vouchers, we’ve all got to take an unvarnished look at the gorilla in the room: poverty. We must change the conversation. It’s not that spending money on education is a bad investment; it’s where and how that money is spent that’s the problem. The sorry fact i... more »

Reformers Creating a Usable Past: Myths and Realities | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Reformers Creating a Usable Past: Myths and Realities | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Reformers Creating a Usable Past: Myths and Realities by larrycuban Consider the following: *Progressive school reformers praise the 19th century one-room school for multi-age grouping, students helping one another learn their lessons, and close connections between school and community; conservative school reformers see the same one-room school house as a place where order and discipline ruled the day and students learned basic skills. *Technology-driven reformers describe ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Review of Native Education Program Grant Application Tomorrow

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Review of Native Education Program Grant Application Tomorrow: Public Review of Native Education Program Grant Application Tomorrow by Charlie Mas PUBLIC NOTICE: Open public meeting to review draft application for Seattle Public Schools Title 7 Native Education Program Grant for fiscal year 2013-14 An open public hearing to review the Seattle Public Schools Native Education Title 7 Grant Application for fiscal year 2013-14 will be held 7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 1, at the John Stanford Center, Room 2700, 2445 3rd Ave S., Seattle, Wash., 9... more »

Cracks in the Common Core Coalition: On the Right, Left, and Now in the Center, Too - Dana Goldstein

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Cracks in the Common Core Coalition: On the Right, Left, and Now in the Center, Too - Dana Goldstein: Cracks in the Common Core Coalition: On the Right, Left, and Now in the Center, Too by Dana Goldstein In a speech in New York this morning, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called for a moratorium on high stakes attached to Common Core assessments. A survey of AFT members found that most believe they have not received adequate professional development or instructional materials aligned to the new standards. Weingarten said tests like the ones rolled out... more »

How Do We Foster Excellence? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
How Do We Foster Excellence? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: How Do We Foster Excellence? by Deborah Meier *Elliott Witney files his last entry for Bridging Differences today. Deborah will respond on Thursday, and a new co-blogger will join her next week.* Dear Deb, As we close our exchange, I want to express gratitude for this opportunity. I've never done anything like this before, and I deeply appreciate your asking me to join this discussion. It has been particularly interesting and exciting to discover how much we agree on. I also want to thank Emily Gasoi for introd... more »

Weingarten calling for moratorium on Common Core stakes | GothamSchools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Weingarten calling for moratorium on Common Core stakes | GothamSchools: Weingarten calling for moratorium on Common Core stakes by Philissa Cramer After dropping hints in interviews and public appearances for weeks, AFT President Randi Weingarten is formally weighing in on the backlash to the Common Core standards today by calling for a moratorium on consequences attached to Common Core test scores. Weingarten is making the proposal right now in a speech to business and civic leaders at the Association for a Better New York, a pit stop for public figures with new ideas to float. ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-30-13 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] McGill on Testing: Preparing Kids for the 1950s by dianerav Michael McGill is superintendent of schools in Scarsdale, Ne York, one of the nation’s most affluent districts. It has an excellent school system. Its students go to fine colleges. Yet even Scarsdale must submit to the half-brained testing and evaluation strategies dreamed up by non-educators and educators with minimal experience. McGill is an articulate and wise leader. Here are his thoughts on the... more »

Deasy's 30 Percent Teacher Evaluation Victory: UTLA's Capitulation and its Consequences By John Fernandez - Perdaily.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Deasy's 30 Percent Teacher Evaluation Victory: UTLA's Capitulation and its Consequences By John Fernandez - Perdaily.com: Deasy's 30 Percent Teacher Evaluation Victory: UTLA's Capitulation and its Consequences By John Fernandez by Leonard Isenberg [image: Dr. John Fernandez.jpg] (Mensaje se repite en Español) *Coward: A man in whom the instinct of self-preservation acts normally.*--Sultana Zoraya On January 19, 2013, teachers in the LAUSD approved a comprehensive evaluation system that will include student school wide test data and a host of other measurements, such as attendance... more »

UPDATE: Morrison’s bullsh*t pension proposal. + The in box. “Teachers are tired of losing.” | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The in box. “Teachers are tired of losing.” | Fred Klonsky: Illinois Representative Tom Morrison’s bullsh*t pension proposal. by Fred Klonsky [image: Unknown] There is a dilemma I face when dealing with those like Republican Illinois House Representative Tom Morrison and his pension proposal. Morrison is calling his idea to shift our defined benefit system to a defined contribution 401k plan a “sustainable pension plan.” Sustainable for Wall Street for sure. For us? Not so much. The dilemma part comes in because Morrison’s idea doesn’t have legs at the moment. Republicans like The... more »

New Revelations in Stargel-Rhee Parent Trigger Petition; Senate Vote Today | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
New Revelations in Stargel-Rhee Parent Trigger Petition; Senate Vote Today | Scathing Purple Musings: New Revelations in Stargel-Rhee Parent Trigger Petition; Senate Vote Today by Bob Sikes A “weaker version” of Parent Trigger will be get a vote on the floor of the senate today. Writes Kathleen McGrory in *The Buzz*: The parent trigger bill hit the Senate floor Monday, and as expected, sparked some lively discussion. Sen. *Nancy Detert*, R-Venice, set the tone by immediately withdrawing the eight amendments she had filed. “My intention is, at this point, to not even attempt to fix... more »

The Grand Accountability Scam – Kill the RSD | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The Grand Accountability Scam – Kill the RSD | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: The Grand Accountability Scam – Kill the RSD by crazycrawfish [image: certified 100% horse free (recipe now features poor students.)] certified 100% horse free (recipe now features poor students.) John White and Bobby Jindal have mixed two smart sounding messages in a way designed to punish people for being poor. It sounds good when you say, “poverty is not an excuse for poor performance.” It sounds good when “we refuse to allow poverty to be an excuse for poor performance.” Who could disagree with such uplifting... more »

‘Who allowed these big boys to go and play in education? Now the moms have to clean it up’

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
‘Who allowed these big boys to go and play in education? Now the moms have to clean it up’: ‘Who allowed these big boys to go and play in education? Now the moms have to clean it up’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 30, 2013 at 5:00 am 0 Comments More [image: texas]What started with eight women from Austin and suburban Houston is now a movement that spread across Texas and is challenging the standardized testing regime in the Lone Star State. The group started by these moms, Texas Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessments, is leading the charge in support of a bill in the Tex... more »

What Do the Tests Test? | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
What Do the Tests Test? | toteachornototeach: What Do the Tests Test? by aristotlethewise What Do the Tests Test? by Alan SingerMy eight-year-old grandchildren, Sadia and Gideon, seem to have survived the third grade ELA and Math tests without being scarred for life. From their perspective, it was “Much Ado About Nothing,” and they were more concerned about the start of the little league baseball season in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. For me, the bigger questions remain the value of these tests in the education of children, especially the impact they have on what gets taught (curricu... more »

#StopCommonCore Twitter Rally Part Deux | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
#StopCommonCore Twitter Rally Part Deux | Truth in American Education: #StopCommonCore Twitter Rally Part Deux by truthed Parent Led Reform (@parentledreform) is graciously hosting our 2nd #StopCommonCore Twitter Rally. Our follow-up rally is this Thursday, May 2nd at 9:00p (EDT)/8:00p (CDT). The #StopCommonCore Twitter Rally is a collaborative project in partnership with Truth In American Education(@TruthinAmEd), and designed to share the research diligently collected by parents and citizens concerned about the government’s push for national common standards in education. This... more »

Jersey Jazzman: StudentsFirst-B4K & Fulop: A Hustle in Jersey City

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: StudentsFirst-B4K & Fulop: A Hustle in Jersey City: StudentsFirst-B4K & Fulop: A Hustle in Jersey City by Duke *When I'm Mayor of Jersey City, I'll be a great friend to teachers! Really, I swear!* One sure sign of a hustler is that he denies the obvious truth while telling you it's your own eyes that are lying. Take, for example, the leap that StudentsFirst's "partner" in New Jersey, Better Education for Kids (B4K), ismaking into Jersey City politics: An advocate of teacher tenure and schools reform, *Better Education for New Jersey’s Kids, Inc. has intensified ef... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Arne and Karen Duncan's Secret Log

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Arne and Karen Duncan's Secret Log: Arne and Karen Duncan's Secret Log by Mike Klonsky Duncan & Daley used the city's elite schools as patronage.During *Arne Duncan's* reign as *Mayor Daley's*hand-picked schools CEO, he kept a "secret log" to manage requests by clout-heavy political donors and VIPs, to get many of their otherwise unqualified kids into the city's elite "public" schools. Although the log itself, (requests coming directly from Duncan appear as “AD” on the log. Petitions from *Duncan’s wife, Karen* appear as “KD” on the log) was only rec... more »

Advocacy groups urge rejection of NCLB waiver for California districts | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Advocacy groups urge rejection of NCLB waiver for California districts | EdSource Today: Advocacy groups urge rejection of NCLB waiver for California districts ** April 29th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on print More Sharing Services Seven advocacy and civil rights organizations, led by Washington-based The Education Trust, have called on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to deny nine California districts a waiver from the No Child Left Behind law, saying any deviation from a statewide waiver “would be the wrong pa... more »

Positive school climate boosts test scores, study says | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Positive school climate boosts test scores, study says | EdSource Today: Positive school climate boosts test scores, study says ** April 29th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By Jane Meredith Adams Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on print More Sharing Services [image: CA Schools that Beat the Odds] A partial list of California schools that researchers identified as performing better than similar schools. Click on the image to see the list of all 40 schools. It’s the million-dollar question or, given the size of the California education budget, the $50-billion-dollar quest... more »

Teachers at 2 more Seattle schools join MAP test boycott | Local News | The Seattle Times

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Teachers at 2 more Seattle schools join MAP test boycott | Local News | The Seattle Times: Teachers at 2 more Seattle schools join MAP test boycott More teachers in Seattle Public Schools have joined the protest against the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test. By Linda Shaw Seattle Times education reporter MOST POPULAR COMMENTS HIDE / SHOW COMMENTS "Above avg pay"? Really, do you know anything? Teachers are among the most... (April 29, 2013, by flyingfish747) MORE I read this whole article and I still do not see why the teachers are so upset about... (April 29, 2013, by themost... more »

Walton foundation gives $8 million to StudentsFirst - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Walton foundation gives $8 million to StudentsFirst - latimes.com: Walton foundation gives $8 million to StudentsFirst by By Howard Blume Failed D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's education advocacy efforts got a boost Tuesday with an $8-million grant from the Walton Family Foundation. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / January31, 2013) By Howard Blume April 30, 2013, 3:00 a.m. A foundation associated with the Wal-Mart family fortune has expanded its support for the education advocacy group run by former District of Columbia schools chancellor Michelle Rhee. The Walton F... more »

Bill seeks to limit school police in discipline matters | California Watch

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Bill seeks to limit school police in discipline matters | California Watch: Bill seeks to limit school police in discipline matters by Ben Wieder Susan Ferriss and Ben Wieder Vanessa Romo/KPCC.org Students protest last year in Los Angeles against school police tickets issued heavily at middle schools, low-income schools. As the national debate grows louder over deploying police in schools, the largest state in the union ­– California – is considering a bill that would require schools to set “clear guidelines” defining the role of school police and limit their involvement in discipli... more »

The Senate Deception Continues on Parent Trigger - MyEdNext

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The Senate Deception Continues on Parent Trigger - MyEdNext: The Senate Deception Continues on Parent Trigger Watching the Florida Senate debate the so-called Parent Empowerment bill, is like watching an episode of Truth or Dare. The bill's sponsor, Senator Kelli Stargel (R)- Lakeland, clumsily danced around answers to pertinent questions, like, *"Why is a parent trigger even needed in Florida?"* or, *"Who supports parent trigger in Florida."* I'm tired of the non answers, the wrong answers, and frankly, the lies presented with gusto such as the fabricated parent group with t... more »

The NFL Draft Has Lots To Teach Administrators [Edutopia] | The Jose Vilson

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
The NFL Draft Has Lots To Teach Administrators [Edutopia] | The Jose Vilson: The NFL Draft Has Lots To Teach Administrators [Edutopia] by Jose Vilson [image: Tyrann Mathieu at the NFL Scouting Combine] Tyrann Mathieu at the NFL Scouting Combine Here’s my recent article comparing the way the NFL recruits players in their scouting combine to what public education currently does. Stats and Equations vs. the Team as an EcosystemTrying to develop equations for player effectiveness doesn’t always work well. ESPN tried to develop its own quarterback equation, but found it wasn’t that simp... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-29-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE* *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* TOMORROW: Support Whittier School's Battle to Keep LSC-Selected Principal Zoila Garcia by Mike Klonsky Meeting Tuesday, April 30th, 3 PM at Whittier School On April 4, 2013, the principal at Whittier Elementary School in Pilsen, was removed by the Pilsen/Little Village Network Chief Stephen Zrike and reassigned temporarily to work from home. Principal Zoila Garcia had been at Whittier for 9 years and her contract was renewed by the Whittier Local School Council last year. Faculty was informed of the de... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes, the Cracks are Showing in Ed Reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes, the Cracks are Showing in Ed Reform: Yes, the Cracks are Showing in Ed Reform by Melissa Westbrook I have my own threads to write on the large and visible cracks in ed reform that are showing. But in brief: - TFA? There is now a group of ex-TFA that have organized to get TFA to go away. It's not just a few people, it's now a whole group. - Common Core? There's another big story of states starting to back away. One reason is something I have said would come and that's the day that conservatives realize that local control goes ... more »

Opening Statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan--Release of NIEER's "The State of Preschool 2012" Yearbook | U.S. Department of Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Opening Statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan--Release of NIEER's "The State of Preschool 2012" Yearbook | U.S. Department of Education: Opening Statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan--Release of NIEER's "The State of Preschool 2012" Yearbook APRIL 29, 2013 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov [image: View Full Report PDF]Full Report (PDF) Go to 2012 Yearbook Homepage Secretary Sebelius has been a great advocate for children and a fantastic partner with ED in our work together on early learning. I can't thank her enough for stepping u... more »

Georgia high school holds first integrated prom Brown v. Board of Education May 17, 1954

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Georgia high school holds first integrated prom: Georgia high school holds first integrated prom - Brown v. Board of Education May 17, 1954 Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 29, 2013 at 5:41 pm [image: Students from Wilcox County High School who are fighting to have an integrated prom. (Screengrab from a video by WSAV)] Students from Wilcox County High School who pushed for their school’s first integrated prom. (Screengrab from a video by WSAV) They did it. A small group of students in Georgia staged their high school’s first integrated prom, breaking a long-time tradition of tw... more »

Florida Parents Don't Let the Sunshine Melt Your AstroTurf +

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
*Florida Parents Don't Let the Sunshine Melt Your AstroTurf * Sunshine Parents - Sneak Peak from Sunshine Parents on Vimeo. [image: Sunshine Parents] Sunshine Parents - Sneak Peak from Sunshine Parents PLUS 6 days ago NOT YET RATED Sunshine Parents is about parents speaking out in support for Parent Empowerment legislation. This is a sneak peak. For the full 30min mini documentary please go to - vimeo.com/64156006 Parents want to be sure their sons and daughters are getting the very best educational opportunities, regardless of their circumstance. The voices of all families s... more »

Florida Parents Don't Let the Sunshine Melt Your AstroTurf

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Sunshine Parents - Sneak Peak on Vimeo: *Florida Parents Don't Let the Sunshine Melt Your AstroTurf * Sunshine Parents - Sneak Peak from Sunshine Parents on Vimeo. [image: Sunshine Parents] Sunshine Parents - Sneak Peak from Sunshine Parents PLUS 6 days ago NOT YET RATED Sunshine Parents is about parents speaking out in support for Parent Empowerment legislation. This is a sneak peak. For the full 30min mini documentary please go to - vimeo.com/64156006 Parents want to be sure their sons and daughters are getting the very best educational opportunities, regardless of their cir... more »

The gap between school reform rhetoric and reality in 3 cities

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
The gap between school reform rhetoric and reality in 3 cities: The gap between school reform rhetoric and reality in 3 cities Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 29, 2013 at 4:00 pm 1 Comments More [image: (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images)] (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images) A new report looks at the results of school reform in three major cities and finds that reformers’ claims about success don’t exactly match reality. Here’s a piece on it by Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for the Broader Bolder Approach to Education. This appeared on The Nation’s website. By Elaine Weiss ... more »

NYC Educator: How Do We Engage the Apathetic 75%?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
NYC Educator: How Do We Engage the Apathetic 75%?: How Do We Engage the Apathetic 75%? by NYC Educator It's humiliating that 52% of the union vote came from retirees. That we cannot muster more than one of four working teachers to take an interest in who runs our union is on us too. Retirees are certainly important, and I hope to become one someday. Retirees should be represented, and are, with their own chapter. Should the union have a Florida office? If we've got a huge percentage of retirees in Florida, why not? But here's a fact--retirees have different interests than working ... more »

Bye-Bye STAR Hello State Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress for the 21st Century Vote on AB 484 Wed. 5-1-13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
*Bye-Bye STAR * * Hello State Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress for the 21st Century * *Vote on AB 484 Wed. 5-1-13* * *** * * *Time is short before the vote Wednesday 5-1-13* *. Send a letter to members of the committee today and tell them what you think....* * * *CA Assembly Education Committee * Assemblyman Das Williams Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen Assemblywoman Nora Campos Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian Assemblyman Rocky Chavez Assemblywoman Shirley Weber *The Bill* *AB 484* *Title:* Pupil Assessments: Measurement of Performance/Progress... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The NY Times Editorial Endorsing Common Core by dianerav Several readers asked me to comment on the New York Times editorial endorsing the Common Core. I held off because there didn’t seem to be anything to say other than that the Times’ editorial board is repeating what they were told by promoters of the Common Core. The Common Core has serious problems, and there is no evidence that the Times gave any thought to those problems. It really does matter that no one knows how these standards will work in practice. No... more »

The Absurdity of High Stakes Testing Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Student Voice: The Absurdity of High Stakes Testing by Editor Admin *About the Author: *Amber Dawn Miley is a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is a future English teacher, a StuVoice activist, a hopeful author, and a self professed fangirl. Iowa Assesments, two words that make teachers cringe across the state. Throughout the nation, high-stakes testing is used to indicate whether students, teachers, administrators and even schools are up to par with the ever changing standards in education. However, using these outdated methods of evaluation in an ... more »

Set an Authentic and Respectful Tone at the Top — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Set an Authentic and Respectful Tone at the Top — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Paula Mirk]Set an Authentic and Respectful Tone at the Top April 29, 2013 by Paula Mirk "Tone at the Top" is a key research finding from our *Schools of Integrity* research project, so we know the vital part leadership plays in the process of building school cultures. Having worked frequently with great school principals who are deliberate and responsible about that role, there are specific qualities we now look for in leadership at our participating Ethical Literacy schools. *Know ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Chicago school closings run on 'family values'

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Chicago school closings run on 'family values': Chicago school closings run on 'family values' by Mike Klonsky Catherine O'Connor Sugrue (Left) at CPS Board meeting. (Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.)Catherine Sugrue, sister of Rahm's City Council floor leader, Patrick O'Connor, holds the newly created title of CPS director of school transition, reporting to Tom Tyrell, the retired Marine charged with safeguarding 30,000 displaced students. You follow? According to the Sun-Times: *O’Connor noted that Sugrue is a former teacher who spent 17... more »

More UNO scandals for Illinois Executive Inspector General – Part 1 Parents United for Responsible Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » More UNO scandals for Illinois Executive Inspector General – Part 1: More UNO scandals for Illinois Executive Inspector General – Part 1 by admin [image: UNO CEO Juan Rangel posing in front of "our private plane," from Rangel Facebook page]UNO CEO Juan Rangel posing in front of “our private plane,” from Rangel Facebook page It was very gratifying to hear that the state of Illinois is suspending payment of the balance of a $98 million grant to the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) and its charter school network, to be res... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Has a Strange Definition of 'Reformer' | Pith in the Wind

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Has a Strange Definition of 'Reformer' | Pith in the Wind: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Has a Strange Definition of 'Reformer'POSTED BY BETSY PHILLIPS ON MON, APR 29, 2013 AT 5:00 AM Unlike most people on the left, I find Michelle Rhee more baffling than irritating. Rhee's whole schtick is that she, as an educational reformer, can see simple solutions for fixing our schools that, thus far, everyone has either been too stupid to see themselves or too afraid of the teachers' unions to implement. Which is fi... more »

Broad school bully?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Broad school bully?: Broad school bully? [image: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, second from left, and the Broad Foundation´s Eli Broad, second from right, congratulate San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, center, at the Library of Congress Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005, in Washington, for winning $125,000 in scholarships as a finalist for the 2005 Broad Prize for Public Education. Ackerman is joined by Eric Mar, left, president of the SUSD Board of Education, and Dennis Kelly, right, president of the UnitedEducators of San Francisco. San... more »

What happens in Vegas should be shared! | My Island View

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
What happens in Vegas should be shared! | My Island View: What happens in Vegas should be shared! by tomwhitby I recently participated in what might possibly be a one-time experience for an educator, an education conference in Las Vegas. Of course that probably doesn’t hold true for Nevada educators. Solution Tree Publishing sponsored the Leadership Now Conference in Vegas. It was a Quality event with high visibility speakers keynoted the event. The speakers at the event were Solution Tree authors and each was a leading expert in their area of expertise. They were also all affilia... more »

Feds offering another Title I carryover waiver following sequestration SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Feds offering another Title I carryover waiver following sequestration In an effort to help soften the impact of sequestration on school districts, the U.S. Department of Education has offered states a waiver to rules limiting how many Title I dollars can be carried over from one fiscal year to the next. Existing law provides that no more than 15 percent of a district’s Title I allotment from one budget year can be retained for use in the next. There is a process for receiving an exception to the carryover rule but it can be granted by the s... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, April 29, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Skelton: Gov. Brown as Robin Hood* Education Headlines *Monday, April 29, 2013* CHRISTINE FRAZIER: A new funding model for next generation of studentsThis year, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a complete overhaul of education funding that I believe will provide greater equity in funding to California's school districts based on the differential costs of educating California's students. Skelton: Gov. Brown as Robin HoodHis plan to shift money from suburban to urban districts might help disadvantaged students but it could hurt other... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Legislature Can't Get It Done, Adjourns

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Legislature Can't Get It Done, Adjourns: Mayoral Forum Tonight by Melissa Westbrook There is yet another mayoral forum tonight. Mike McGinn, Charlie Staadecker, Tim Burgess, Bruce Harrell, Ed Murray, Peter Steinbrueck, Kate Martin and Mary Martin will meet at 6:30 p.m. at South Seattle Community College’s Georgetown campus. Doors will open at 6 p.m. It's at 6737 Corson Ave. S., Rooms 110/111 and moderated by the swell C.R. Douglas of Q13 News. Interesting Article from the NYT by Michael Rice Some thought provoking information that I hope the decis... more »

Gov. Brown as Robin Hood - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Gov. Brown as Robin Hood - latimes.com: Gov. Brown as Robin HoodHis plan to shift money from suburban to urban districts might help disadvantaged students but it could hurt other kids.[image: Gov. Jerry Brown]“This is a matter of equity and civil rights,” Gov. Jerry Brown told reporters last week about his plan for school funds. “The question is, do we want to try to take care of the biggest challenge facing California, and that’s the two-tier society?” (Renee C. Byer, Associated Press / April 24, 2013) By George SkeltonCapitol Journal April 29, 2013 Now we know what Gov. Jerry Br... more »

UPDATE: Governor Deal Needs to Learn + It’s Not to Late for Kansans to Fight the Common Core | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
It’s Not to Late for Kansans to Fight the Common Core | Truth in American Education: Governor Deal Needs to Learn a Good Deal More About the Common Core by Shane Vander Hart [image: nathan-deal]Governor Nathan Deal (R-GA) is not sure why the Republican National Committee passed a resolution against the Common Core State Standards. He believes they are a state-led effort and they make sense. *The Marietta Daily Journal* reported Friday that Governor Deal was asked about the Common Core State Standards at a bill signing in Cobb County. His remarks: I think the misconception is th... more »

Modern School: Terrorist Teachers Threatened in Mexico

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Modern School: Terrorist Teachers Threatened in Mexico: Terrorist Teachers Threatened in Mexico by Michael Dunn *REALLY "BAD" TEACHERS* The U.S. may have initiated the absurd propagandistic ploy of equating teachers with terrorists back when Bush’s Education Secretary, Reid Lyon, called the National Educators Association a terrorist organization.* *However, the Mexican state has taken it a step further, issuing arrest orders against Minervino Morán and Gonzalo Juárez, leaders of the Guerrero Teachers Union (*Coordinadora Estatal de Trabajadores de la Educación en Guerrero,* CETEG).... more »

Louisiana Educator: Let the People Choose Our Next State Superintendent

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Louisiana Educator: Let the People Choose Our Next State Superintendent: Let the People Choose Our Next State Superintendent by Michael Deshotels I once thought that it made sense to have BESE appoint the State Superintendent. The idea was that BESE could take applications from all over the country and from Louisiana in search of the most qualified candidate. You know, someone who has been properly trained in the field of education and who has devoted many years to his/her craft as a teacher and an administrator. Someone who has dealt first hand with the problems of properly educ... more »

The Principal’s Dilemma as Mock Trial: Ed Law Colleagues Please Provide Your Opinions! | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Principal’s Dilemma as Mock Trial: Ed Law Colleagues Please Provide Your Opinions! | School Finance 101: The Principal’s Dilemma as Mock Trial: Ed Law Colleagues Please Provide Your Opinions! by schoolfinance101 The following is a hypothetical case I am using as the culminating activity in Public School Law this semester. *The Dismissal of Principal X* Principal X is principal in a local public middle school in a state that has recently adopted through legislation, articulated with greater precision in state department of education regulations, a new teacher evaluation scheme... more »

Hudson Valley parents to state: Don't share students' data with corporations

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Hudson Valley parents to state: Don't share students' data with corporations: Hudson Valley parents to state: Don't share students' data with corporations Published: April 28, 2013 8:56 AM By MEGHAN E. MURPHY meghan.murphy@cablevision.com [image: Many Hudson Valley parents and educators oppose a]Photo credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr. | Many Hudson Valley parents and educators oppose a New York State Education Department project that they say would give access to student data to private education corporations. (March 27, 2013) Hudson Valley parents and educators are digging in... more »

What we can learn from the rise and fall of Michelle Rhee

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
What we can learn from the rise and fall of Michelle Rhee: What we can learn from the rise and fall of Michelle Rhee by JASON STANFORD on APRIL 17, 2013 At some point, we need to stop believing in miracles, at least in education. While we’re still getting over the RICO indictments handed down in the Atlanta cheating scandal comes the revelation that the success Michelle Rhee achieved as the “no excuses” superintendent of Washington, D.C.’s public schools was the product of massive cheating. Those asking why Rhee isn’t under indictment just like her former colleague in Atlanta are ... more »











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