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
Bubble tests take on new meaning Parents United for Responsible Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Bubble tests take on new meaning: Bubble tests take on new meaning by admin [image: gum_1775702c]When my sons were in school, they were fed“superdonuts” on test days to boost test scores. Now kids are supposed to chew gum for better test scores. I first read this in a column by Tribune writer John Keilman, who reported that his children’s Chicago-area school recommended sending them to school with gum and mints on test days. In an earlier article on the same subject, he found that in a study funded by the Wrigley Science I... more »
Reply to SCOE Board President Geeting The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago
The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: [image: Home] [image: slideshow 2] April 4, 2013 President Geeting: Thank you for catching that error in my letter of April 2 about the Fortune School location. I meant to say that SCOE approved the re-zoning of the location without input from the public in Elk Grove. You are correct in stating that the Aspire case dealt with a statewide benefit charter--I did mention that in my letter. I wrote that the situations with Aspire and the Fortune school charter were analogous. However, I didn't quote you in my letter. I paraphrased a... more »
9-year-old Orlando boy with severe disabilities forced to take state-mandated test | News - Home
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago
9-year-old Orlando boy with severe disabilities forced to take state-mandated test | News - Home: 9-year-old Orlando boy with severe disabilities forced to take state-mandated testFla. rep. pushes to change law to eliminate state testing for special needs students Author: Sheli Muniz, Reporter, smuniz@wkmg.com Published On: Apr 04 2013 04:44:15 PM EDT Updated On: Apr 04 2013 06:21:35 PM EDT video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player ORLANDO, Fla. - A 9-year-old blind boy with severe disabilities is being forced to take a state-mandated test, despite his special ... more »
Special Diane in DC 4-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 36 minutes ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: *Diane Ravitch* 3h *In DC with Ceresta Smith of Florida and Karran Harper Royal of Néw Orleans *pic.twitter.com/VlEamGq441 More: Texas Legislature Turns Down Vouchers by dianerav Read here for first summary. Will post again when new stories available. Breaking News: Vouchers Fail in Texas! by dianerav Wayne Slater, senior political writer for the Dallas Morning News, tweeted this: @WayneSlater Put a fork in school vouchers in Texas — ban on taxpayer money for private schools passes overwhelming in conservative ... more »
The business of education in Wisconsin
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The business of education in Wisconsin: The business of education in Wisconsin from Dailycensored.com by Danny Weil [image: Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker and the business of educational reform] From: *The Progessive* http://progressive.org/education.html On August 30 the newly-formed School and District Accountability Design Team held the first of five meetings on the UW-Madison campus. The Design Team is led by “Quad-Chairs” Governor Scott Walker, Senator Luther Olsen, chair of the Senate Education Committee, Representative Steve Kestell, chair of the Assembly Education Com... more »
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "Ed Reformers" Are Bullies:They Know Who to Pick On!
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "Ed Reformers" Are Bullies:They Know Who to Pick On!: "Ed Reformers" Are Bullies:They Know Who to Pick On! from DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER! by Lisa M [image: bullying at school] As an educator, I have to deal with bullies every year. There's a pattern that I have noticed in every instance. They know who to pick on. They find the weakest kids, the kids who won't tell, the kids who, most likely, won't fight back. *See the connection?* When I first read Diane Ravitch's post about Tennessee cutting 30% of welfare benefits if their children ... more »
Emotions running high in Atlanta Public School cheating scandal
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Emotions running high in Atlanta Public School cheating scandal: Emotions running high in Atlanta Public School cheating scandal Atlanta : GA : USA | Apr 04, 2013 at 5:37 AM PDT BY Harold Michael Harvey, J. D. [image: send a private message][image: SelectMedia] 40 VIEWS: 4,875 [image: Shirley Franklin] [image: Back] 1 of 4 [image: Next] Former Atlanta Mayor Shirely Franiklin weighs in on the Atlanta Public School Cheating Scandal [image: Atlanta School System Caught in Epic Cheating Scandal] Emotions are running at a fever pitch in the southern Piedmont area of Georgia. One by one, w... more »
UPDATE: “Hell Raiser”: Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Roger and me. | Fred Klonsky: IEA Retired Skokie “Hell Raiser” chapter is ready to go. by Fred Klonsky [image: 20130404-172420.jpg] Roger and me. by Fred Klonsky Popout. When I read yesterday that Roger Ebert announced he would no longer do any more writing, I figured the writing was already on the wall. I posted this on Facebook yesterday. *I wish Roger Ebert the best of luck in fighting the latest illness. I was lucky enough to take two film classes with Ebert about a dozen years ago. One was a survey of 10 significant films that included some I’d seen, and a few I’d never seen.... more »
Why Conservatives Object to the Common Core | Truth in American Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Why Conservatives Object to the Common Core | Truth in American Education: Why Conservatives Object to the Common Core by Shane Vander Hart [image: Common Core State Standards] Kathleen Porter-Magee & Sol Stern ask in the subheading of their *National Review* article defending the Common Core State Standards ask “why are prominent conservatives criticizing a set of rigorous educational standards?” There are others who have provided direct rebuttals. I want to answer their primary question. While I’m not a “prominent conservative,” I am a conservative who has written extensively a... more »
How is a standardized test like a zombie? | Parents Across America
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
How is a standardized test like a zombie? | Parents Across America: How is a standardized test like a zombie? by pagrundy *How is a standardized test like a zombie?* *They’re mindless, and they just keep coming.* The MecklenburgACTS.org “Stop Testing Madness in North Carolina” campaign is off to a great start, closing in on 600 signatures, and with almost half our state’s 100 counties represented. We’re talking to school boards, superintendents and other organizations about endorsements, and working on a piece of state legislation that would place a moratorium on state-imposed con... more »
Schools Matter: A conservative approach to teacher evaluation
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: A conservative approach to teacher evaluation: A conservative approach to teacher evaluation by skrashen Sent to the Washington Post, April 4, 2013 Gates’ suggestions ("A fairer way to evaluate teachers," April 3) assume that there is something seriously wrong with teacher quality and teacher evaluation in the United States. I question both assumptions. We are always interested in improving teaching, but there is no evidence of a teacher quality crisis: When poverty is controlled, American students’ scores on international tests are near the top of the world. Ou... more »
Eating Our Young | Taking Note
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Eating Our Young | Taking Note: Eating Our Young by John Merrow When the pilot announced that we were making our final approach into Atlanta, I was reading about the shocking increase in ADHD diagnoses among children. That started my head reeling: I was landing in the city that is the poster child for adults cheating (mostly poor) children out of educational opportunities, while I was reading about a man-made epidemic that is drugging (mostly) middle- and upper-middle kids and depriving many of them of opportunities to be–and discover–who they are. And the longer I thought about ... more »
News Flash: What the Hell is going on...Malloy snubs nose at Connecticut law - Wait, What?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
News Flash: What the Hell is going on...Malloy snubs nose at Connecticut law - Wait, What?: News Flash: What the Hell is going on…Malloy snubs nose at Connecticut law by jonpelto Earlier today, Connecticut’s Board of Regents for Higher Education met and voted to forward three names to Governor Malloy with the request that he pick one to serve as President of the combined State University and Community College System. But the fact is that neither the Board of Regents nor the Governor has the authority to make the choice in this way. According to Connecticut law, the Governor nomina... more »
Bill Gates Dances Around the Teacher Evaluation Disaster He Sponsored - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Bill Gates Dances Around the Teacher Evaluation Disaster He Sponsored - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Bill Gates Dances Around the Teacher Evaluation Disaster He Sponsored by Anthony Cody *No one in America has done more to promote the raising of stakes for test scores in education than Bill Gates.* Yesterday, Mr. Gates published a column that dances around the disaster his advocacy has created in the schools of our nation. You can read his words there, but his actions have spoken so much more loudly, that I cannot even make sense out of what he is attempting to say ... more »
Social Justice in the Classroom: Not Always the Easiest Lesson | toteachornototeach
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Social Justice in the Classroom: Not Always the Easiest Lesson | toteachornototeach: Social Justice in the Classroom: Not Always the Easiest Lesson by aristotlethewise *Social Justice in the Classroom: Not Always the Easiest Lesson* by Holly Spinelli On March 4, I became a fellow of The Academy for Teachers, an organization that honors teachers who, despite everything, make their classrooms havens for passion and creativity. The Academy organizes “master classes” led by prominent experts in all subject areas, but mine was led by the incredible Gloria Steinem. The assembled English... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: The Joke's On Us: 20 U.S.C. § 3403 : US Code - Section 3403: Relationship with States
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: The Joke's On Us: 20 U.S.C. § 3403 : US Code - Section 3403: Relationship with States: The Joke's On Us: 20 U.S.C. § 3403 : US Code - Section 3403: Relationship with States by stlgretchen Neal McCluskey writes how *the Federal Government seems to be directing testing in the Common Core consortia.* From *Saying Common Core Not Federal a Joke, but Joke’s on Us:* Last week I posted video from an American Enterprise Institute conference featuring supporters of national curriculum standards—the Common Core—dismissing concerns that implementing the standa... more »
More schools need “robotic” learning | InterACT
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
More schools need “robotic” learning | InterACT: More schools need “robotic” learning by David B. Cohen Click to view slideshow.The images in the slideshow above are all pictures that I took at the 2011 and 2012 FIRST Robotics Competiton Silicon Valley Regional. (FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”). I’ve taken my sons to this event for four years now, partly to encourage my school and my participating students, and partly because it’s fun watching six robots zooming around and smacking into each other in a race to lift and place large inf... more »
A Virginia parent speaks truth to Arne Duncan | Parents Across America
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
A Virginia parent speaks truth to Arne Duncan | Parents Across America: A Virginia parent speaks truth to Arne Duncan by pureparents We welcome our first chapter in Virginia, PAA-Roanoke Valley, and its leaders, Laura Bowman. Here’s the story Laura told us about why she wanted to start a PAA chapter: I think it’s so important to have a parent group in my area speaking up in support of our public schools, teachers, and students. I believe that high stakes testing and the education reform movement have hijacked our schools and turned them into testing factories. In Virginia we hav... more »
Why renowned educators — and new teachers — are ‘occupying’ Ed Dept
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Why renowned educators — and new teachers — are ‘occupying’ Ed Dept: Why renowned educators — and new teachers — are ‘occupying’ Ed Dept Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 4, 2013 at 1:30 pm [image: occupy]Today teachers, students, parents, researchers and other activists are starting the second annual “Occupy the DOE” event on the grounds of the U.S. Education Department to protest corporate-based school reform. Among those attending the four-day event, sponsored by United Opt Out, an organization dedicated to the elimination of high-stakes standardized testing in public schools, ... more »
Josh Birdwell – Education Reform Is Becoming a Revolution Student Voice
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Student Voice: Josh Birdwell – Education Reform Is Becoming a Revolution by admin The Huffington Post will be promoting various Student Voice articles prior to the *Student Voice Live! *summit on April 13th. The following is from *Josh Birdwell:* Our voices matter because we are the most heavily affected by choices made in education policy and curriculum. I refuse to be simply a number who passed all of his End of Instruction tests (EOIs) and met the requirements. Without voices, we can give no feedback on the effectiveness of the system. Recently more students have been voicing ... more »
Arizona Lawmakers Poised to Outlaw Student Funding for Activist Groups |
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Arizona Lawmakers Poised to Outlaw Student Funding for Activist Groups |: Arizona Lawmakers Poised to Outlaw Student Funding for Activist Groups from Student Activism by Angus Johnston [image: jan brewer AZ]*What a ...* A bill passed the Arizona state senate Tuesday that would ban all use of student fees for lobbying or in support of organizations not chartered by the university. It is currently awaiting Governor Jan Brewer’s signature, amid a lobbying campaign to push her to veto. HB 2169 was drafted in response to controversy over the Arizona Students’ Association support for las... more »
Leveling and Raising the Playing Field — Whole Child Education
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Leveling and Raising the Playing Field — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Podcast][image: Whole Child Podcast]Leveling and Raising the Playing Field April 4, 2013 by Whole Child Podcast Download Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save] Addressing students' needs levels the playing field. Or rather, addressing students' needs is *only* leveling the playing field. If a child is hungry, then the need can be addressed by providing breakfast, lunch, and assistance as needed. The same applies if the child is unwell. Many schools have made great strides in addressing students' ... more »
UPDATE: The racists smile + Study the faces of the new tyrants. | Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Study the faces of the new tyrants. | Fred Klonsky: The racists smile. by Fred Klonsky It is the anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., murdered in Memphis in 1968. I read Barbara Byrd-Bennett’s declaration on the eve of this anniversary. She was “insulted” to be called a racist. Of course, nobody called her a racist. She certainly makes the racists smile. As does the ethnic cleansing of the City of Chicago. The very neighborhood that Martin Luther King chose to live in during his Chicago fair housing campaign has seen some of the greatest losses in African-America... more »
Defend Public Education - Who is Eli Broad and why is he trying to destroy public education?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Defend Public Education - Who is Eli Broad?: Eli Broad *Who is Eli Broad and why is he trying to destroy public education?* February 24, 2013 Introduction The historically unprecedented explosion of wealth in recent decades for the top one percent of the American populace is leading to a reshaping of the American economy in the interests of this one percent. Having more wealth than they know what to do with, many of the corporate leaders, hedge fund managers, and bankers are putting their wealth into “venture philanthropies”. They hope to advance an unregulated, free market economy... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, April 4, 2013
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: @CALIFATHER CALIFATHER ALL SPIFFED UP AND READY TO STREAM OCCUPY THE DOE! @califather Califather all spiffed up and ready to stream Occupy the DoE! Watch live streaming video from califather at livestream.com *California Father | @califather Califather all spiffed up and ready to stream Occupy the DoE! #edchat #soschat #uoodc13* coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago California Father | Educating Sullivan: [image: California Father] califather on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free - ON DEMAND - ABOUT OCCUPY THE DEPT OF ED - H... more »
ConnCAN dropped $35,800 on opinion poll to make Malloy and education reform appear popular - Wait, What?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
ConnCAN dropped $35,800 on opinion poll to make Malloy and education reform appear popular - Wait, What?: ConnCAN dropped $35,800 on opinion poll to make Malloy and education reform appear popular by jonpelto On February 6, 2013 Governor Dannel Malloy gave his Bi-annual budget address to a joint session of the Connecticut General Assembly. On the issue of public education he said, “We’re turning around struggling schools by growing our Commissioner’s Network, with funding for 17 more schools…We’re continuing to broaden the range of educational opportunities by maintaining our... more »
Harvard Dean Justifies Snooping on Faculty Email for the Children |
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Harvard Dean Justifies Snooping on Faculty Email for the Children |: Harvard Dean Justifies Snooping on Faculty Email for the Children by Angus Johnston The Harvard email spying scandal got worse this week, with an admission that administrators had engaged in broader surveillance of faculty communications than had been previously disclosed. The spying was prompted by public disclosure of an incident in which as many as half of the students in one Harvard class were accused of cheating on a take-home exam, and was intended to root out a faculty member believed to have leaked an in... more »
Schools Matter: "Reformers" Seek to Overturn California Education Laws Based Solely on Evidence-Free Beliefs, Part Two
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Schools Matter: "Reformers" Seek to Overturn California Education Laws Based Solely on Evidence-Free Beliefs, Part Two: "Reformers" Seek to Overturn California Education Laws Based Solely on Evidence-Free Beliefs, Part Two by John Thompson As I explained last week, the "astroturf" school "reform" organization, Students Matter, and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group want to strike down five education laws that supposedly "are destroying California's public education system, demoralizing the teaching profession, and robbing California children of their future." In*Vergara v Calif... more »
Where’s the Outrage about KIPP? – @ the chalk face
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Where’s the Outrage about KIPP? – @ the chalk face: Where’s the Outrage about KIPP? by plthomasedd Former Rutger’s basketball coach Mike Rice is the outrage of the moment, but his firing took months and a viral video: Video shows Mike Rice’s ire Popout Maybe a moral response to Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) requires a viral video. Apparently that is what it takes for organizations and the public to respond to inexcusable but prevalent behavior—especially when that behavior is mostly by white men in authority at the expense of mostly African American young men who are essentially...more »
Bill Gates: We’re fumbling evaluations when we rate teachers on how students skip | Get Schooled
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Bill Gates: We’re fumbling evaluations when we rate teachers on how students skip | Get Schooled: Bill Gates: We’re fumbling evaluations when we rate teachers on how students skip by Maureen Downey [image: downeyart0401]In a Washington Post op-ed, Bill Gates says there should be a fairer way to evaluate teachers. While he is all for accountability, Gates cautions against using student test scores as the primary basis for making decisions about firing, promoting and compensating teachers. *Here is an excerpt*: (Please read full piece before commenting.) Efforts are being made to de... more »
How KIPP Schools Define Success - Bridging Differences - Education Week
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
How KIPP Schools Define Success - Bridging Differences - Education Week: How KIPP Schools Define Success by Deborah Meier *Today, Elliott Witney, formerly a leader in a KIPP charter school, begins blogging with Deborah Meier.* Dear Deb, [image: Witney_Blog Head (2).jpg] I feel incredibly grateful to be able to join you in this public discussion. I remember vividly the moments when Emily Gasoi reflected aloud how surprised she was to find such similarity between the schools you work with and the KIPP school she studied for her dissertation. Before I respond in detail to your post, I w... more »
UPDATE: Daily Kos: Schools Worth Cloning in the Public Sector
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Daily Kos: Schools Worth Cloning in the Public Sector: In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) who 45 years ago this evening was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. The greatest honor I can give him is to offer you this: the speech he gave exactly one year before his death, in Riverside Church in New York City. Perhaps you can listen to his actual speech: Popout Perhaps you do not have time now to listen for the almost full hour. At some time you should - it is far more powerful to hear him speak, but there is also an alternat... more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] TeacherKen: on the Standardized Testing Racket by dianerav The Atlanta cheating scandal has caused some reflection on the system that incentivizes unethical behavior. It is important to say again and again that cheating is wrong. Those who cheat should be punished. But who will correct the system that cheats children of education? This reflection by TeacherKen on a column by Eugene Robinson raises important questions about the misdirection of education by the unre... more »
Bill would protect adult ed, career tech while extending local control | EdSource Today
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Bill would protect adult ed, career tech while extending local control | EdSource Today: Bill would protect adult ed, career tech while extending local control - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald School districts would keep discretion to spend billions of dollars of “categorical” funding however they want for five more years under a Senate bill that passed its first hurdle in the Legislature on Wednesday. [image: Sen. Carol Liu] Sen. Carol Liu SB 223‘s provisions on local spending control are similar to Gov. Jerry Brown’s sweeping plan for school finance reform. Both appr... more »
Occupy the Department Of Education Returns to DC | Mother Jones
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Occupy the Department Of Education Returns to DC | Mother Jones: *California Father | @califather Califather all spiffed up and ready to stream Occupy the DoE! #edchat #soschat #uoodc13* coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago California Father | Educating Sullivan: [image: California Father] califather on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free - ON DEMAND - ABOUT OCCUPY THE DEPT OF ED - HOW TO CHAT Occupy the Department Of Education Returns to DC —By Stephanie Mencimer | Thu Apr. 4, 2013 3:20 AM PDT Post - - Protesters from Occupy DOE United OptOut [image: Occupy DO... more »
Student Absences Costing Sacramento City Unified School District Millions « CBS Sacramento
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Student Absences Costing Sacramento City Unified School District Millions « CBS Sacramento: Student Absences Costing Sacramento City Unified School District Millions - CBS Local SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Parents are letting their students stay home and it’s costing the Sacramento City Unified School District millions of dollars. At Leataata Floyd Elementary School, nearly a quarter of the students miss at least 18 days a year, and a new report says parents are a big part of the problem. Parents have heard every excuse in the book when their child wants to miss school, but the sch... more »
An urban school district that works — without miracles or Superman
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
An urban school district that works — without miracles or Superman: An urban school district that works — without miracles or Superman Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 4, 2013 at 4:00 am 1 Comments More [image: kirp book]To listen to some school reformers, you’d think there are no urban traditional public schools that are successful. Here’s a different story, adapted and excerpted from “Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System And A Strategy For America’s Schools” (Oxford University Press), by David Kirp, professor of public policy at the University of Ca... more »
Cheating Scandals Reaffirm, Not Diminish, Testing | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Cheating Scandals Reaffirm, Not Diminish, Testing | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Cheating Scandals Reaffirm, Not Diminish, Testing by larrycuban Not until the trials (or plea bargains) are over, will a verdict be rendered on former Superintendent Beverly Hall’s guilt or innocence in what is called the Atlanta cheating scandal. Hall’s indictment follows on the heels of finding El Paso Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia guilty last Fall. He is now serving three and a half years in jail (see hereand here). Even before a judge or jury decides on her guilt or innocen... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Collaborating to Stagnation
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Collaborating to Stagnation: Collaborating to Stagnation by Anngie The new Common Core standards are supposed to develop students with "21st century skills" and "higher level" or "critical" thinking skills. *(I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what a 21st century skill is that is uniquely different from the skills k-12 education taught in that last century*) It's that second part that has a lot of people and businesses popping up and nodding their heads. Who wouldn't want kids with critical thinking skills? Just watch your average teenage drive... more »
Natalie Meier – Lessons On Raising Your Voice Student Voice
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Student Voice: Natalie Meier – Lessons On Raising Your Voice by admin When I first got involved with writing for Student Voice, I don’t think I grasped just how much the concept of raising my own voice would resonate in everything else I do. Talking about how you feel and what you believe in is difficult, especially if you’re worried that someone is going to shoot you down. I’ve received criticism for my own beliefs, and it wasn’t until I started to understand how valuable my ideals were that I began to stick by them and stop conforming to everyone else’s standards. Your thoughts... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: BBB'S HEARING PROBLEM
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: BBB'S HEARING PROBLEM: BBB'S HEARING PROBLEM by Mike Klonsky Schools CEO *Byrd-Bennett* has a hearing problem. After 20,000 people turned up at neighborhood community meetings to voice their anger over proposed school closings, BBB heard it this way. *"Everybody got it that we really needed to close schools..."* Then when one parent after another got up at Tuesday's press conference voicing concerns about their children's safety, passing through dangerous neighborhoods to get to their receiving school,BBB responded by saying she no time for adults wh... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Commission Picks Questioned
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Commission Picks Questioned: Charter Commission Picks Questioned by Melissa Westbrook So not all the Charter Commission picks have been happily received and there have been some surprising things said about some of the newly minted members. The two primary targets are Kevin Jacka and Steve Sundquist. Superintendent Jacka is from Springdale and leads the Mary Walker School District. He is suspect because he signed a No on 1240 page (I can't discern if it was the No on 1240 campaign or the WEA campaign.) Nonetheless, many superintendents... more »
A Big Red Splash | First Focus
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
A Big Red Splash | First Focus: A Big Red SplashBy Ed Walz April 3, 2013 [image: Communications]Last Tuesday, my Facebook timeline went red, as friend after friend joined the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in changing their profile pictures to a red version of the HRC logo, showing symbolic support for same-sex marriage. I was immediately impressed by the scale of this interesting communications effort, and as I thought more about it, I realized there are are three lessons children’s advocates can take from HRC’s effort: 1. *If it Ain’t Broke …* — HRC’s message last Tuesday was th... more »
New Jersey parents joining nationwide boycott of state standardized tests - NorthJersey.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
New Jersey parents joining nationwide boycott of state standardized tests - NorthJersey.com: New Jersey parents joining nationwide boycott of state standardized tests THURSDAY APRIL 4, 2013, 12:13 AM BY LESLIE BRODY STAFF WRITER THE RECORD PAGES: 1 2 3 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAIL A handful of New Jersey families will join an increasingly vocal national group boycotting state standardized tests this |spring, in the belief that they hinder true learning, fail to measure students’ skills, waste time and squander money. [image: Jean McTavish of Ridgewood is a New York City hi... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Reformy Campaign Money Machine Update
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Reformy Campaign Money Machine Update: Reformy Campaign Money Machine Update by Duke *ASK THE MONEY FAIRY!* In my last post, I explained how eight *very* wealthy people appear to have coordinated their campaign donations to support reformy state- and school district-level candidates across the nation: - Greg Penner - Arthur Rock - David Goldberg and Sheryl Sandberg - Kent Thiry - Lydia Callaghan - Alana and Jennifer Fournier A commenter at my post, however, objects to my characterization of this reformy intrusion into politics: Might be disappoin... more »
Who do you believe: Childless carpetbagger John White or a Louisiana public school parent? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Who do you believe: Childless carpetbagger John White or a Louisiana public school parent? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Who do you believe: Childless carpetbagger John White or a Louisiana public school parent? by crazycrawfish In response to our campaign to lobby our legislators and Governor to put a leash on John White’s reckless and illegal privacy violations, John White sent out a letter to local superintendents. This letter tries to mischaracterize our objections and goals, while pointedly ignoring the underlying issues and facts. I will set the record straight on a point by ... more »
Daily Kos: Leaves received the quilt!!!
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Daily Kos: Leaves received the quilt!!!: Leaves received the quilt!!! by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) [image: photo (35)] This is one of the most incredible things I've ever been given. Every one of these sayings is extraordinary. It's just incredible. On so many levels its just beautiful - emotionally, visually, in the beautiful way it's made, in the words themselves which are so full of poetry, healing and holiness. There is a real sense of the sacred about it. In the love behind it, in the community. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever been given. Such a gift! Ju... more »
The Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School Part X: Fun With Dick.southbronxschool.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: The Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School Part X: Fun With Dick by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) Oh what a joy it is to be back at The Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School after almost two weeks. Sadly, what was is, and what is, will be for the foreseeable future. Today, one of the teachers at The Happy Good Time Emotion Response Place and School was attempting to teach a 5th grade 12:1 one class. Yes, this is a rough class, but the kids are generally good. Today the class was different. Keith Partridge and Danny Partr... more »
Identities of the rich who hide cash offshore | UK news | The Guardian
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Identities of the rich who hide cash offshore | UK news | The Guardian: Identities of the rich who hide cash offshore Offshore financial industry leak exposes identities of thousands of holders of anonymous wealth from around the world - Share****1678 - - - inShare10 - Email - David Leigh - The Guardian, Wednesday 3 April 2013 18.59 EDT - Jump to comments (384) [image: British Virgin Islands] The British Virgin Islands, the world's leading offshore haven used by an array of government officials and rich families to hide their wealth. Photograph: Duncan Mc... more »
Alfie Kohn on APS cheating scandal: ‘What if we gave a test and nobody came?’ | Get Schooled
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Alfie Kohn on APS cheating scandal: ‘What if we gave a test and nobody came?’ | Get Schooled: Alfie Kohn on APS cheating scandal: ‘What if we gave a test and nobody came?’ by Maureen Downey [image: testing (Medium)]I interviewed education advocate and writer *Alfie Kohn* a while back. *You can read the 2011 interview here*. The APS cheating scandal was in the news at the time, and Kohn told me: The real cheating scandal that has been going on for years is that kids are being cheated out of meaningful learning by focusing on test scores. Standardized tests like the CRCT measure what... more »
Help! Action Alert! Kate and Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education Needs Your Help!!
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
We believe that the Fortune schools should go before the individual districts where the schools are to be located to petition for their charter. Please take a minute to let the *Sacramento County Board of Education *know that you support the Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education and that Fortune Charters must go before the individual districts where the schools are to be located to petition for their charter. Below you will find some of the issues involved with the fight against the Fortune Charter Schools being granted in district service areas without the approval of... more »
NYC Educator: Gotham Schools Compares Apples to
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Educator: Gotham Schools Compares Apples to: Gotham Schools Compares Apples to by NYC Educator * When a true genius appears, you can know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in a confederacy against him.* * **~Jonathan Swift.* I'm very disappointed when I read something like this from Leonie Haimson. Apparently Gotham Schools has seen fit to compare her to Michelle Rhee. This is because she, like Rhee, has chosen to place one of her children in private school. In this space, you have not seen criticism of people for choosing private school for their children. You have... more »
Teachbad, Rhee and Art: A Short Documentary | Mr. Teachbad
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Teachbad, Rhee and Art: A Short Documentary | Mr. Teachbad: [image: Logo Mr. Teachbad] Teachbad, Rhee and Art: A Short Documentary by teachbad Popout In this stunning new documentary short film, Mr. Teachbad discusses whether or not he is a visionary, his formal musical training, and the making of “Rhee Came Down the Mountain” with rehearsal outtakes.
Leonie Haimson exits public school parenting but not advocacy | GothamSchools
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Leonie Haimson exits public school parenting but not advocacy | GothamSchools: Leonie Haimson exits public school parenting but not advocacy by Geoff Decker [image: DSC_0448EDt] Leonie Haimson’s career as a New York City education activist started when her older child was assigned to a first-grade class with 28 other students. That was in 1996, and since then, Haimson has advocated for public school parents — through her organization, Class Size Matters; the blog and online mailing lists she runs; and the national parent group she helped launch. But her personal stake changed last... more »
If Twitter Is Not PD, What Is It? | My Island View
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
If Twitter Is Not PD, What Is It? | My Island View: If Twitter Is Not PD, What Is It? by tomwhitby I was recently contacted by Barbara Madden, a Missouri educator with a Mississippi dialect, who is conducting a survey of educators, who use Twitter for Professional Development asking for some feedback. Barbara had been in contact with a college professor who wanted to know the effect of Twitter as PD and it’s effect on student outcomes. That really got me thinking about PD and Twitter. I have heard many, many educators claiming that Twitter is the best PD that they have ever had. ... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Why Worry About Student Internet Access? Let Them Stream Whatever They Want.
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Why Worry About Student Internet Access? Let Them Stream Whatever They Want.: Why Worry About Student Internet Access? Let Them Stream Whatever They Want. by stlgretchen It's just maddening. *There's too much disconnect between being concerned about what kids access on the internet with no parental oversight...while there is no concern from these same school districts about the release of student data without parental permission or knowledge.* Data will be given to agencies/researchers and the student/parent will be oblivious to who has access or ho...more »
The Time is Now for Common Sense Immigration Reform...and a Pop Quizz - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Time is Now for Common Sense Immigration Reform...and a Pop Quizz - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard: [image: Lily's Blackboard Rotating Header Image] The Time is Now for Common Sense Immigration Reform…and a Pop Quizz by Lily Teachers love pop quizzes, and NEA's VP, Lily Eskelsen is no exception. Your homework assignment is to support the All In for Citizenship Rally on April 10 in Washington, DC
