James Baldwin said it best:
"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."
A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP
Jersey Jazzman: John Merrow Rewrites History
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
Jersey Jazzman: John Merrow Rewrites History: John Merrow Rewrites History by Duke John Merrow, education reporter for PBS (and funded, in part, by the Gates Foundation), has done some extraordinary work lately in uncovering the burgeoning cheating scandal in Washington, D.C. Merrow's reporting now calls into question the entire legacy of former Chancellor and current Queen of Reforminess, Michelle Rhee. Ironic, as Merrow is as responsible as anyone for catapulting Rhee into the national spotlight. I can only assume that Merrow is now suffering a small attack of conscience, won... more »
Report from congressional town hall meeting on school closings Parents United for Responsible Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Report from congressional town hall meeting on school closings: Report from congressional town hall meeting on school closings by admin [image: Congressmen Bobby Rush and Danny Davis host school closing forum]Congressmen Bobby Rush and Danny Davis host school closing forum Great hearing today at the historic Quinn Chapel in Chicago. You can read my live tweets from the forum here. Many important points were made, much nauseating rhetoric from CPS staff. My presentation is below, but in addition I had to address the comment of... more »
Detroit police accused of 'kidnapping' homeless people, leaving them outside city limits — RT USA
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Detroit police accused of 'kidnapping' homeless people, leaving them outside city limits — RT USA: Detroit police accused of 'kidnapping' homeless people, leaving them outside city limits Get short URL Published time: April 19, 2013 02:28 Edited time: April 20, 2013 11:16 [image: A homeless man covers himself from the cold while walking down a sidewalk February 24, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. (J.D. Pooley/Getty Images/AFP)] A homeless man covers himself from the cold while walking down a sidewalk February 24, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. (J.D. Pooley/Getty Images/AFP) Share on Tumblr T... more »
The Perils of Economic Thinking about Human Behavior | School Finance 101
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
The Perils of Economic Thinking about Human Behavior | School Finance 101: The Perils of Economic Thinking about Human Behavior by schoolfinance101 Behavioral economics is an interesting and potentially useful field of academic inquiry. I don’t doubt that. But, I’m increasingly concerned with what I see as the simple-minded projection of economic thinking onto everyone and anyone else, leading to ridiculous policy recommendations – that amazingly – get taken seriously – at least by the media and punditocracy. See, for example, Roland Fryer’s experiment on *loss aversion** *as a s... more »
Ed Notes Online: State Ed Dept, in Cahoots with Pearson, Forces Field Tests Under Threats
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: State Ed Dept, in Cahoots with Pearson, Forces Field Tests Under Threats: State Ed Dept, in Cahoots with Pearson, Forces Field Tests Under Threats by ed notes online *I saw an SED memo last week stating that the field tests were mandatory. This is the first time I have ever seen anything like this from SED. As a former superintendent I always refused to administer field tests and got away with it (albeit with much SED resistance). While they may not have any authority to mandate the tests, they indeed are sending the message to districts that they indeed must adm... more »
Smoking Gun: Further Evidence that Corporations are Taking Over Public Education for Fun and Profit
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
*Smoking Gun: Further Evidence that Corporations are Taking Over Public Education **for Fun and Profit* * * THE MASTER PLAN FOR OBAMA EDUCATION REFORMS by LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Here it is in one neat package: the Obama reform program, drafted by the Broad Foundation and published in April 2009. Please review the names of those who participated in drafting the plan. Many will be familiar to you. Here you will find the agenda for Race to the Top, which was revealed to the public three months later. These are the people and these are the policies that forged a strong link between No ... more »
Has John White lied to BESE and the State of Louisiana, or is inBloom lying? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Has John White lied to BESE and the State of Louisiana, or is inBloom lying? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Has John White lied to BESE and the State of Louisiana, or is inBloom lying? by crazycrawfish Regular readers of this bog may be aware that I am fighting the unlawful sharing of private student data to unsupervised private unaccountable vendors. I’ve even started a petition to support this effort. Friday morning I got some good news, or at least I thought I had. John White seemed to come to his senses and agreed to withdraw the student data he supplied to inBloom. InBloom is a pr... more »
Daily Kos: Derrick Jackson asks if we are "Tough on violence?"
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Daily Kos: Derrick Jackson asks if we are "Tough on violence?": Derrick Jackson asks if we are "Tough on violence?" by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) In light of the events of this week, he observers, in this Boston Globe column (And this week the Globe is NOT behind a paywall). what is noted in the subtitle: *Resolute on terrorism, Congress caves on mass gun killings*. Jackson is particularly incensed by the proposal of John Cornyn to require states to honor each other's concealed carry decisions, writing that a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found... more »
New standardized tests feature plugs for commercial products
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
New standardized tests feature plugs for commercial products: New standardized tests feature plugs for commercial products Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 20, 2013 at 10:53 am 1 Comments More [image: test]Talk about corporate-based school reform. New high-stakes standardized tests aligned with the Common Core State Standards are featuring plugs for commercial products. And the companies didn’t have to pay a penny. Yes, New York state students who this past week took Pearson-designed exams were just treated to plugs for LEGO, Mug Root Beer and more products from at least half a do... more »
Rhee Backpedals on Tests and Why it Matters in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Rhee Backpedals on Tests and Why it Matters in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings: Rhee Backpedals on Tests and Why it Matters in Florida by Bob Sikes Karin Klein writes this from a stunning interview Michelle Rhee had with editorial board of the *Los Angeles Times*: One of the things we ask of teachers — but just one thing — is to raise those scores. So they have some place in the evaluation. But how much? Easy. Get some good evidence and base the decisions on that, not on guessing. The quality of education is at stake, as well as people’s livelihoods. Much to my surprise, at a... more »
Teachers Don't Suck !: Another One Bites The Dust
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Teachers Don't Suck !: Another One Bites The Dust: Another One Bites The Dust by Walt S, Popout Politicians,"educrats" and cooperations will say and do whatever it takes to privatize public education. If you want to see how "privatization" improves public institutions take a look at "prison privatization"!! More stuff by Walt at: www.wsautter.com
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Being a Reformer Means Excuses Are OK for You, Not Students by dianerav Here is teacher Arthur Goldstein, at his sardonic best, explaining why reformers never make mistakes and if they do, it is not their fault. Clueless Bill Gates, Redux by dianerav In the year that I have had this blog, I have never posted the same article twice. I posted this one yesterday, and I am posting it again, to draw attention to some curious statements made by Bill Gates in the cou... more »
6 Insulting Things NYSED Keeps Repeating – @ THE CHALK FACE...
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
6 Insulting Things NYSED Keeps Repeating – @ THE CHALK FACE...: 6 Insulting Things NYSED Keeps Repeating by Kris Nielsen Every time the media reports a story about brave and caring parents who are allowing their kids to refuse the state tests, the reporters go ask NYSED officials to comment (in the name of fairness). What the officials of our education department offer are soundbytes and talking points that are ridiculous, at best, and completely insulting, at worst. Without further ado, here are the six most insulting things that NYSED keeps repeating in the media. *#6 Parents... more »
When it’s not his children’s school
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
When it’s not his children’s school: When it’s not his children’s school Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 20, 2013 at 9:45 am 0 Comments More [image: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel] Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel There is a great deal of anger among Chicago parents about the city’s plan to close some 50 public schools. Here is a powerful piece from parent Matt Farmer, a Chicago trial lawyer who is a member of the Local School Council at Philip Rogers Elementary School. A version of this appeared on Huffington Post. By Matt Farmer *Question:* When is a Chicago elementary school with 23 kid... more »
John White’s Hidden Memorandum of Understanding with InBloom | deutsch29
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
John White’s Hidden Memorandum of Understanding with InBloom | deutsch29: John White’s Hidden Memorandum of Understanding with InBloom by deutsch29 Today I read an article in the *Monroe News-Star* declaring that Louisiana State Superintendent John White had decided to nix his (it is his, not BESE’s) controversial, formerly-clandestine agreement to share student data with InBloom. InBloom is a data collection front for the likes of Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch: *The database is a joint project of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided most of the funding, the Carnegi... more »
Daily Kos: A meditation for the day, 4/20
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Daily Kos: A meditation for the day, 4/20: A meditation for the day, 4/20 by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Every day is an opportunity for commemorations, some pleasant, some not so much. We can consider the births of the day: on the positive side, John Paul Stevens was born in 1920, perhaps offering something more positive for those whose natal day is today than remembering 1889 Adolph Hitler came into the world in in Austria. Perhaps we might remember those who died on this occasion: for me one stands out above all, a man born in Germany but so beloved by Britain that he is bu... more »
Schooling in the Ownership Society: D.C. school rheeform: Another privatizer bellies up to the trough
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: D.C. school rheeform: Another privatizer bellies up to the trough: D.C. school rheeform: Another privatizer bellies up to the trough by Mike Klonsky D.C. Councilman David Catania, who's the head of the Council's new newly constituted Education Committee, wants to take Michelle Rhee's failed corporate-reform plan to the next level. He's handing out a big contractto Hogan Lovells, an international firm with "wide areas of practice in government and industry, including K-12 and higher education," to re-design the city's school reform plan. The firm'... more »
Daily Kos: Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Daily Kos: Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric: Open Letter to Political Leaders: Action, Not Tributes and Rhetoric by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) To All Elected Local, State, and National Political Leadership: No American needs anymore to name specifically the tragedy or the media and political responses because all have become both commonplace and predictable. I will name nonetheless, not because these are unique, but because they are sobering messages that must not be ignored. In recent days, a bomb exploded at the finish line of the Boston Ma... more »
The Time Tipping Point | toteachornototeach
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
The Time Tipping Point | toteachornototeach: The Time Tipping Point by aristotlethewise *The Time Tipping Point* by Tiffany Cooper Gueye Schools are approaching a tipping point on time. Throughout the country, educators are reconsidering the traditional school day and school year calendar and exploring ways to increase the amount of learning time provided to students. This increasing focus on time is based on research that proves that more and better learning time increases student engagement, achievement, and success. The widespread adoption of expanded learning time is an imperati... more »
Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky [image: Quinn_Chapel_AME_Church,_2401_South_Wabash_Avenue,_Chicago_(Cook_County,_Illinois)] *Quinn Memorial AME Church.* I can’t linger over my coffee and Bob’s Red Mill hot cereal this morning. I have to head over to Quinn Memorial Chapel on South Wabash. Congressmen Bobby Rush and Danny Davis are holding hearings on Rahm’s plan to close more than 50 Chicago public schools next year. It is the largest public school destruction in American history. I suppose that strictly speaking, the fact that Rahm is blowing up Ch... more »
UPDATE: Google "Smarter Balanced Assessment" Missouri Education Watchdog: Northwestern's View of Diversity
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Northwestern's View of Diversity: Northwestern's View of Diversity by Anngie While the K-12 world is bent on commonality and treating everyone the same regardless of origin or ability, the world of higher education intends to take those same kids, who have been bathed in a culture of oneness and sameness, and yank them in completely the opposite direction. The goal of the Common Core standards is to prepare kids for college, but what is college going to do to them? Consider Northwestern University which is implementing a "Social Inequalities and Dive... more »
'Catastrophic' budget laid out by Philly schools - Philly.com
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
'Catastrophic' budget laid out by Philly schools - Philly.com: 'Catastrophic' budget laid out by Philly schools By Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff WriterPOSTED: April 19, 2013 If the "catastrophic" budget picture Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. laid out Thursday comes to pass, Philadelphia schools would be virtually unrecognizable come September. There could be no money for counselors or librarians. There might be no sports or extracurricular activities. No dedicated funds for secretaries, aides, or summer school would be provided. And that would follow the steep cuts made ov... more »
An Open Letter | California Father
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
An Open Letter | California Father: An Open Letter by California Father [image: California Father] Dear Editors: I am writing in response to your recent article about McKinley Elementary School, where a teacher was recently accused of giving answers to a student while administering the California Standards Test. Our son, a McKinley student, is not in the third grade class where the alleged cheating took place. He did not take the test at all because we decided to opt him out of testing, which is a parental right the California Education Code guarantees. We opted our boy out be... more »
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 4-20-13
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* Michelle Rhee: TIGER MOM… OR PAPER TIGER MOM …with kids in private school? smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 12 hours ago following up on MICHELLE RHEE’S REIGN OF ERROR Education advocate Michelle Rhee fends off accusations Head of a group that advocates using student test scores to evaluate teachers, fends off accusations that she failed to pursue evidence of cheating when she ran the D.C. school system. By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Timeshttp://lat.ms/1796S0y. BALDWIN PARK ... more »
Top Content this Week - 4-20-13 The Educator's PLN Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN:
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: The history of technology in education]The history of technology in education Added by Cassandra Trumbetic on April 13, 2013 2[image: Rick Wormeli: How Much Should Homework Count?]Rick Wormeli: How Much Should Homework Count? Added by Shawna Hixson on April 4, 2013 3[image: SMART Boards Why are they so easy to use?]SMART Boards Why are they so easy to use? Added by Cassandra Trumbetic on April 13, 2013 4[image: To be honest with you, no offense, but I was just sayin'...]To be honest with you, no offense, but I was just sayin'... A... more »
This Week's Education Research Report 4-20-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Education Research Report *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 21 hours ago Schools seeking to boost parental involvement will need to tailor their approaches to match parents' differing views and concerns, according to a new report from Public Agenda. The report, "Ready, Willing and Able? Kansas City Parents Talk About How to Improve Schools and What They Can Do to Help," indicates that parental involvement means very different things to different parents, with... more »
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 4-20-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL *LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY* *LOOK FOR MY nEW BOOK *[image: Ferlazzo200(1)] "Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation" will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves" How NOT to Start A Conversation With A Student…. Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 15 minutes ago This comic strip provides a perfect example of the wrong way to initiate a serious conversation with anyone, including a student: Source: gocomics.com via Larry on Pinterest Cinco de M... more »
COVER THEME: LEARNING MATH, LEARNING JUSTICE Rethinking Schools
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Rethinking Schools: 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 Math By the editors of Rethinking Schools Whose Community Is This? Mathematics of neighborhood displacement By Eric (Rico) Gutstein Students use advanced math to study gentrification, displacement, and foreclosure in their neighborhood. ... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: TOMORROW...
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: TOMORROW...: TOMORROW... by Mike Klonsky
NYC Public School Parents: video: Occupy the DOE, talking about class size & big data
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: video: Occupy the DOE, talking about class size & big data: video: Occupy the DOE, talking about class size & big data by Leonie Haimson Talking about class size, the depersonalization of learning, Bill Gates, big data, Big Brother, inBloom Inc. and online learning on April 4, the first day of Occupy the US Department of Education in DC. Popout *A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 – @ the chalk face* coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 – @ the chalk face: A collectio... more »
Reporter? Journalist? Naw, I’m just a blogger… - Wait, What?
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Reporter? Journalist? Naw, I’m just a blogger… - Wait, What?: Reporter? Journalist? Naw, I’m just a blogger… by jonpelto Sometimes I refer to myself as an “advocacy journalist” or even an “investigative reporter,” but really I’m just a “blogger.” Don’t get me wrong. In this Internet and social networking age, blogging has become a powerful medium of communication. That said, blogging, as a job or task or career, is still in its infancy. One factor is that the protocol for reporters and bloggers is different when it comes to sourcing information. I still try to identify my sources.... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Do You Have a Quiet Kid?
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Do You Have a Quiet Kid?: Do You Have a Quiet Kid? by Melissa Westbrook A thoughtful article in Crosscut about children who are introverts and the "Quiet Revolution." *Recently, my fourteen-year-old daughter Melanie came home dejected from a volunteer activity. “I was criticized for not sharing enough of my ideas,” she told me. “The problem is that I like to listen. By the time I’m ready to share, everybody else is busy talking and I can’t get a word in edgewise.”* ***To reassure Melanie, we watched a TED Talk given by Susan Cain, author of the ... more »
What Does Good Teaching Look Like? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
What Does Good Teaching Look Like? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: What Does Good Teaching Look Like? by Nancy Flanagan Imagine you just walked into the classroom of a truly excellent teacher, as she's teaching a lesson. One of those "irreplaceables," perhaps. What do you see and hear? What's on the walls--and the whiteboard? How has she arranged the classroom? What are his students doing? Who's talking--and what are they talking about? What's the prevailing "atmosphere" in the room? *What does good teaching look like?* I used to use this question as a starte... more »
Pearson admits major errors in gifted and talented exam scoring | GothamSchools
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Pearson admits major errors in gifted and talented exam scoring | GothamSchools: Pearson’s gifted test score errors affected thousands of families by Philissa Cramer In the latest in a series of embarrassing snafus, the testing company Pearson miscalculated thousands of city students’ scores on tests to screen for giftedness. According to the Department of Education, 2,698 children who were told they did not hit the city’s threshold for gifted and talented program eligibility actually made the cut. Another 2,037 children had scores high enough to apply to citywide gifted programs,... more »
Education Week: School Board Transparency a Challenge in Digital Age
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Education Week: School Board Transparency a Challenge in Digital Age: School Board Transparency a Challenge in Digital Age Santa Fe school board members turned over nearly 40 pounds of business correspondence from their personal email accounts. —Luis Sánchez Saturno/The New Mexican By Nora Fleming Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org. Read more FREE content! [image: Article Tools] - [image: Print]Printer-Friendly - [image: Email]Email Article - [image: Reprint]Reprints - [image: Comments]Comments - - - School board members are struggling to interpre... more »
Schools Matter: America Awakening to Refreshing New Possibility: Tell Bill Gates to Take His Money and Go to Hell
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Schools Matter: America Awakening to Refreshing New Possibility: Tell Bill Gates to Take His Money and Go to Hell: America Awakening to Refreshing New Possibility: Tell Bill Gates to Take His Money and Go to Hell by Jim Horn When the LA Times starts having doubts about the wisdom of His Aged Geekiness, Billy Gates, then you have to know the worm is turning quickly. After all, it was the LA Times that published Gates-approved teacher ratings that ended in the suicide of Rigoberto Ruelas in 2010. Perhaps Team Obama should have a second look at its decision to put corporate founda... more »
The in box. Why the silence at home Congresswoman Schakowsky? | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The in box. Why the silence at home Congresswoman Schakowsky? | Fred Klonsky: The in box. Why the silence at home Congresswoman Schakowsky? by Fred Klonsky [image: jan]Fred, The ironic part is that Schakowsky has NOT tolerated the same logic for cutting Social Security benefits by Republicans in DC that Springfield Democrats like Biss are employing in their attempts to gut Illinois pensions.Attacks from Republicans such Social Security adding to the deficit have been transformed by “progressive” Democratic like Biss into claiming pension benefits add to the state budget deficit. S... more »
Student Suspension and Expulsion Rates - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Student Suspension and Expulsion Rates - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Releases First Detailed Data on Student Suspension and Expulsion Rates [image: Fix School Discipline]*Support for AB 420 (Dickinson) – Disruption and Defiance: **Reducing Grounds for Harsh Discipline **National Lawyers Guild of Sacramento* * * * * *Milestone for CALPADS sets baseline for this data collection* SACRAMENTO—About one California student in 20 was suspended from school and one in 1,000 was expelled in the 2011-12 school year, according to data released for the first... more »
@john_merrow blames teachers’ unions as potential “creator” of Rhee. Hmm. – @ the chalk face
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
@john_merrow blames teachers’ unions as potential “creator” of Rhee. Hmm. – @ the chalk face: @john_merrow blames teachers’ unions as potential “creator” of Rhee. Hmm. by Chalk Face, PhD Diane Ravitch reported this. Then, Fred Klonsky got in on it, who should be respected for his positions on teachers’ unions. Merrow made his comments thusly: And finally U created her. “U” is my shorthand for teacher unions. This is simple physics: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” The “Michelle Rhee” phenomenon is the inevitable product of, and reaction to, intransig... more »
Approved Substitute System for Time Accounting - Correspondence (CA Dept of Education)
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Approved Substitute System for Time Accounting - Correspondence (CA Dept of Education): April 9, 2013 Dear County and District Chief Business Officials, Categorical Program Directors, and Charter School Administrators: Approved Substitute System for Time Accounting for Federal Programs We are pleased to announce that the United States Department of Education (USDE) has approved a new substitute system for time accounting for federal programs for use by all local educational agencies (LEAs). This new substitute system is in addition to the substitute system previously approve... more »
PPIC Statewide Education Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Initiative Process, September 2005 (PPIC Publication)
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Initiative Process, September 2005 (PPIC Publication): [image: Public Policy Institute of California] PPIC Statewide Survey: Special Survey on Californians and the Initiative Process, September 2005 Mark Baldassare September 2005 Full Report[PDF, 1355K] Press Release[HTML] Read in Spanish *Some findings of the current survey* - Californians think that initiatives (39%) should have more influence than the legislature (32%) or governor (18%) over state policy. - Most residents (74%) feel that initiatives raise impo... more »
What Makes or Breaks a Principal? — Whole Child Education
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
What Makes or Breaks a Principal? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]What Makes or Breaks a Principal? April 19, 2013 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers In this *Educational Leadership* article, Gordon Donaldson, George Marnik, Sarah Mackenzie, and Richard Ackerman focus on the relational skills school leaders must use to build strong, sustainable, solid relationships and thriving schools—skills not typically taught in workshops or courses, so many principals have to figure them out on their own. The first skill to focus on is becoming an *activ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Let's ALL Get On This: Let Your Legislator Know What Matters
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Let's ALL Get On This: Let Your Legislator Know What Matters: Let's ALL Get On This: Let Your Legislator Know What Matters by Melissa Westbrook I normally don't agree with a lot of the thought process over at LEV. But here's something I agree with: *Which of these makes more sense to you? A) Keeping questionable industry tax breaks on the books? OR B) Amply funding our schools? If you picked "B," it's time to voice your choice. Please take two minutes of your time sending a message to your legislators. * We need to get a tsunami of e-mails to... more »
Diane in the Evening 4-19-13 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: *Oh Look Arne, a Picture of Diane Ravitch!* A Fawning Interview with Bill Gates by dianerav Read this and prepare to gag unless you are the president of your regional Bill Gates Fan Club. Did you know that Bill is warm and cuddly when he talks about how he plans to make US education the very best in the world without spending more? Don’t doubt for a minute that he knows how to do it. He has been reforming education for years, and think of all he has done. Well, let’s see, there is….. The article begins: “Afte... more »
