Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-10-13 AM Posts #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Friday, May 10, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-10-13 AM Posts #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, May 10, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *California governor's school funding plan would alleviate inequities, report says* Education Headlines *Friday, May 10, 2013* MORENO VALLEY: School board OKs 21 layoff noticesAs the Moreno Valley school board approved final layoff notices Thursday, May 9, for 21 teachers, trustees said they don’t want to cut art, music and electives, which board member Jesus Holguin said are as important as math. Sexting allegations face five students at Rancho Cucamonga, Etiwanda high schoolsSheriff's detectives are investigating five students ... more »

John Thompson: An Improbable Tale of Successful Reform - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 48 minutes ago

John Thompson: An Improbable Tale of Successful Reform - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: An Improbable Tale of Successful Reform by Anthony Cody [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] *Guest post by John Thompson.* David Kirp begins his new book, Improbable Scholars, with the sentence, "Educators have grown wearily accustomed to being slapped around." School "reformers" have lambasted public schools as "fossilized bureaucracies run by paper-pushers and filled with time-serving teachers preoccupied with their own job security, not the... more »

Common Core: The Sixteen Billion Dollar Educational Scam | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago

Common Core: The Sixteen Billion Dollar Educational Scam | Truth in American Education: Common Core: The Sixteen Billion Dollar Educational Scam by Karen Schroeder The government is planning to spend about 16 BILLION dollars to implement programs that are basically the same as those paid for in the 1950s. Many have been given the false impression that Common Core State Standards and the International Baccalaureate programs will reform and improve education. However, these two newest educational policies are an extension of old policies that weakened the American educational syste... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Influence Targeted In Report By New York Group

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Influence Targeted In Report By New York Group: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Influence Targeted In Report By New York Group by Joy Resmovits Since Michelle Rhee's first days as Washington, D.C., schools chancellor, she has evoked intense reactions. Both presidential candidates in 2008 gave her glowing praise in a debate. In the last few months, her loudest critics have called her everything from an "Asian b**ch" to a "dickhead." Which is to say that much criticism of Rhee, the most visible member of the so... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 54 minutes ago

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center: Duncan Demagogy 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. Duncan Demagogy Best of the Ed Blogs Mike Klonsky May 10, 2013 Infographic: “A Visual Essay on the Changing State Of Education” Best of the Ed Blogs... more »

Friday on the Whole Child Virtual Conference — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Friday on the Whole Child Virtual Conference — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Whole Child Virtual Conference]Friday on the Whole Child Virtual Conference May 10, 2013 by Whole Child Virtual Conference We invite you to participate in ASCD's third annual Whole Child Virtual Conference. Entitled "Moving from Implementation to Sustainability to Culture," sessions will offer educators around the globe leadership discussions and strategies to support their work to implement and sustain a whole child approach to education. *UNICEF and Child-Friendly Schools* [image: Ch... more »

UPDATE: To absolutely nobody’s surprise + ChiTrib readers are not happy with biased anti-CTU election coverage. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

ChiTrib readers are not happy with biased anti-CTU election coverage. | Fred Klonsky: To absolutely nobody’s surprise, the Illinois Senate passes the Cullerton/We Are One bill. by Fred Klonsky [image: g183183000000000000cf00c17d3526b73aa814fd1951eda9360d7c5e8d] In case some of my good friends and colleagues who actually made phone calls to their Senators over the last two days thought the outcome was in doubt, they can relax now. The Senate passed the Cullerton/We Are One pension cutting bill by a vote of 40-16. The reality was that the phone calls were irrelevant. The vote was sol... more »

Alone among policy heavyweights, Vallas conveys reform fears | GothamSchools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Alone among policy heavyweights, Vallas conveys reform fears | GothamSchools: Alone among policy heavyweights, Vallas conveys reform fears by Geoff Decker On a night when education leaders offered a spirited defense of the policies they are trying to implement, an unusual voice emerged as the dissenter: Paul Vallas. The Bridgeport, Conn. superintendent — who has served stints in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Orleans and earned a reputation as a turnaround consultant for struggling districts with big budget gaps — said reforms he backed were at risk of collapsing “under the weigh... more »

Louisiana Educator: Illegal Payments for Vouchers Should be Recovered

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Louisiana Educator: Illegal Payments for Vouchers Should be Recovered: Illegal Payments for Vouchers Should be Recovered by Michael Deshotels Last year when LAE, LFT and the School Boards' Association filed suit against the Jindal Vouchers, claiming that the payments taken from the MFP were unconstitutional, Superintendent John White representing the State decided to start making quarterly payments to the voucher schools anyway, instead of making the payments contingent upon the pending court ruling. LAE attorney Brian Blackwell warned against this practice at the time, and even ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-10-13 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] Governor Cuomo, Please Read This by dianerav Governor Andrew Cuomo likes to say that the problems in New York are not about money, because the state spends enough already. Governor, please read this analysis by Bruce Baker. Despite years of promises, New York State has one of the most inequitable school finance systems in the Bill Gates Says He Knows How to Solve the Teacher Evaluation Problem by dianerav Bill Gates gave a TED talk. I confess I didn’t watch. H... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Bill Gates's Ridiculous TED Talk, Part II

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Bill Gates's Ridiculous TED Talk, Part II: Bill Gates's Ridiculous TED Talk, Part II by Duke As I blogged before, Bill Gates's talk at TED about teacher evaluation was patently absurd. Gates actually said this: (1:06) *Until recently, over 98% of teachers just got one word of feedback: "Satisfactory."* *That is an amazingly ignorant statement on its face.* Does Gates really believe teachers get "*one word of feedback*" in their evaluations? Seriously? We live in a world where powerful people like Gates are allowed to make audacious statements like this without ... more »

Senator Harris’ no vote. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Senator Harris’ no vote. | Fred Klonsky: Senator Harris’ no vote. by Fred Klonsky *State Senator Napoleon Harris.* From John Dillon’s blog: [image: napoleon-harris-nfl-vikings]When I asked about Constitutional issues, the new Senator responded, “We make laws and people have to follow them. If we make the law, it has to be followed and we need to make these laws.” I asked if it would be possible for my associate and I to talk to the Senator about these important Constitutional issues and about the Pension Protection Clause. “I’m going on vacation,” he responded. “I want to have s... more »

Grammar rules everyone should follow | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Grammar rules everyone should follow | toteachornototeach: Grammar rules everyone should follow by aristotlethewise Grammar rules everyone should follow *Following the inaugural Bad Grammar awards, Thomas Jones lists nine grammatical conventions that, depending on context, you may – sorry, might – as well adhere to* by Thomas Jones The Idler Academy’s inaugural Bad Grammar award was bestowed last week on 100 academics who wrote an open letter to Michael Gove in March criticising the education secretary’s revised national curriculum. The letter reads at times as if it was written by ... more »

Teach for America Has Gone Too Far – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Teach for America Has Gone Too Far – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Teach for America Has Gone Too Far by Katie Osgood It is not a secret that I am no fan of Teach for America. The very idea of the organization I find absolutely baffling. (Let’s cure educational inequality by exacerbating the inequality of placing poorly trained, inexperienced teachers in our neediest classrooms? Huh?) But TFA’s recent actions have sent me over the edge. Last night, on twitter, I was appalled to watch tweets fly by about a very fancy, very expensive fundraising dinner taking place in Ch... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: "Slow Eddie" Burke wants the UNO tap turned on again. Gee, I wonder why?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: "Slow Eddie" Burke wants the UNO tap turned on again. Gee, I wonder why?: "Slow Eddie" Burke wants the UNO tap turned on again. Gee, I wonder why? by Mike Klonsky From left, Gov. Pat Quinn, UNO CEO Juan Rangel, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Ald. Edward Burke at the July 2012 groundbreaking on the Southwest Side for the UNO Soccer Academy High School.Back in the Harold Washington days, they called him "Slow Eddie" Burke to distinguish him from "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak, as a leader of the racist cabal of 29 Chicago aldermen who stood in opposition... more »

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Appreciating Teachers!: My Top 10!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Appreciating Teachers!: My Top 10!: Appreciating Teachers!: My Top 10! by Lisa M Chocolate, gift certificates, and lunch are great! I really do appreciate all the thanks I have received during the week. But I'd like to share some tips on what would REALLY make me feel appreciated! This goes out to anyone who interacts with teachers,in no particular order: 1. Please take responsibility for your child. I can not raise your child(ren) and my own. We each have a hand in raising your child. I need your help. 2. Stop making excuses for your ch... more »

Michigan parent to Arne Duncan: ‘Our schools are at the breaking point’

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Michigan parent to Arne Duncan: ‘Our schools are at the breaking point’: Michigan parent to Arne Duncan: ‘Our schools are at the breaking point’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on May 10, 2013 at 4:00 am 3 Comments More [image: michigan]Education Secretary Arne Duncan just visited Michigan where he visited schools in Detroit and the Perry Child Development Center in Ypsilanti. Here’s an open letter to Duncan, put out before the visit and written by Steve J. Norton, executive director for Michigan Parents for Schools, a nonprofit advocacy group pushing for quality local public education. T... more »

Trust me. Trust me. Trust me. | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Trust me. Trust me. Trust me. | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Trust me. Trust me. Trust me. by crazycrawfish [image: The one thing you can really trust about John White] If I was John White I would be more than a little concerned right about now. I’ve gotten word that people are asking for his resignation. He’s lied so many times, to so many people, I doubt he even knows what the truth is anymore but I know he never cared. The one thing you can really trust about John White This was posted on BESE member Lottie Bebee’s Facebook page: This is a must read! Every teacher and administrator sh... more »

Ride for a Reason: Bike for school dollars + Jerry Brown’s plan to fund locally - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Ride for a Reason: Bike for school dollars + Jerry Brown’s plan to fund locally - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Ride for a Reason: Bike for school dollars + Jerry Brown’s plan to fund locally By awoodall Thursday, May 9th, 2013 at 1:55 pm in No Comments For those of you who fought for more school funding and are resting easy after the passage of Prop 30: You might be planning a backyard barbecue or some spring cleaning this weekend but not the annual Ride for a Reason bike to Sacramento, whose organizers would like to remind you that *it’s not over... more »

Daily Kos: A very quick update on me

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Daily Kos: A very quick update on me: A very quick update on me by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) As people who read this diary from two days ago, I have come to the conclusion that I really should go back into the classroom. On Wednesday I called the woman who putting together something for me not in a school to tell her, and she was very disappointed, although I might still do it part-time or even full-time temporarily until I am back in a school. This morning I taught a 30 minute mini-lesson to a group of 8th graders at a school that has expressed interest in me. Rather than d... more »

EdSource | Raising Revenues Locally: Parcel Taxes in California School Districts 1983-2012

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

EdSource | Raising Revenues Locally: Parcel Taxes in California School Districts 1983-2012: Raising Revenues Locally: Parcel Taxes in California School Districts 1983-2012 May 2013 34 pages PDF Download*Free*Download There is renewed discussion in the Legislature to reduce the voting threshold for passage of parcel taxes to 55 percent from the current two-thirds requirement. This EdSource report analyzes all the parcel tax elections since 1983, and looks at how a lower voting threshold might benefit some low-income school districts. *» Download Executive Summary «* *» Download Ful... more »

ACLU seeks records tied to $11 million in state grants to religious schools - NorthJersey.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

ACLU seeks records tied to $11 million in state grants to religious schools - NorthJersey.com: ACLU seeks records tied to $11 million in state grants to religious schools THURSDAY MAY 9, 2013, 7:51 PM BY JIM NORMAN STAFF WRITER THE RECORD PAGES: 1 2 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAIL [image: Gov. Chris Christie] NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR'S OFFICE Gov. Chris Christie The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey filed a public records request on Thursday demanding the disclosure of guidelines that the Christie administration followed when it granted $11 million to two religious scho... more »

Buena Vista Graduation In Question As Michigan School District Remains Shuttered

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Buena Vista Graduation In Question As Michigan School District Remains Shuttered: Buena Vista Graduation In Question As Michigan School District Remains Shuttered by Joy Resmovits When high school seniors worry about whether they can graduate, it's usually because they're failing a class or two. Not in Buena Vista. The tiny Michigan township's school district of about 400 mostly black, mostly poor students is broke. Schools are shuttered indefinitely. Seniors don't know if there will be a graduation or a prom. Or even a diploma. The district had students pay a fee for their gra... more »

Protesting budget cuts, students march on City Hall | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Protesting budget cuts, students march on City Hall | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Protesting budget cuts, students march on City Hall by thenotebook Popout Two days after hundreds of students from around the city rallied outside School District headquarters protesting budget cuts, hundreds more left school today to march on City Hall. *(Video by NewsWorks)* read more Schools' need for money center of attention in Philadelphia by thenotebook Popout *by Tom MacDonald for NewsWorks* Time is running out on efforts to close the Philadelphia School District's $300 million budge...more »

SBE Adopts Common Core Math Material Timeline - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

SBE Adopts Common Core Math Material Timeline - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Board of Education Adopts Timeline for New Common Core Math Materials * * * * *Schools Chief Torlakson Seeks to Have New Texts Ready for Students by Fall 2014* SACRAMENTO—California will begin its review of instructional materials based on the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics this year to provide students with new print and digital materials by the fall of 2014, under a timeline approved today by the State Board of Education. At the recommendation of State Superintendent of Public Inst... more »

Date this School (and Possibly Marry It) | EduShyster

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Date this School (and Possibly Marry It) | EduShyster: Date this School (and Possibly Marry It) by edushyster2012 Happy National Charter School Week, excellence lovers! Today we turn our extended attention spans to a fiercely urgent question: what if there was a way for teachers with enhanced excellence to find their perfect school match? And better yet, what if this dating service weeded out all of the duds—the dirty, low-expectations public schools that can be such a buzz kill for a young excellence lover? At last our dream has come true! myEDmatch.com combines the cool fun vibe... more »

Today Is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Today Is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]Today Is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day May 9, 2013 by Klea Scharberg [image: National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day, May 9, 2013] What does it take for children to be mentally healthy? Being mentally healthy is not just about emotional and behavioral difficulties. It's also about being mentally strong and resilient and having the skills and supports to deal with stressful issues when they arise. Today is National Children's Mental ... more »

UPDATE: Pearson Protest + @HuffingtonPost and @educationweek: Time to Walk? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

@HuffingtonPost and @educationweek: Time to Walk? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Pearson Protest in NJ Changed to Thursday May 23 by freetoteach *DEMAND CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE THURSDAY,* *MAY 23, 12:00PM Hoboken Ferry, 1 Hudson Place Hoboken, NJ* Tell Governor Christie:  Quit the corporate welfare and fund our public schools! Protest Governor Christie’s giveaways to corporate ed giant Pearson! High-stakes testing giant Pearson Education, Inc. was offered an $80 million payday from the state of New Jersey to relocate workers from Bergen County to Hoboken – even t... more »

Thousands prepare for a three-day march against school closings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Chicago Teachers Union | Thousands prepare for a three-day march against school closings: * * *Thousands prepare for a three-day march against school closings as Chicago’s mayor continues his assault on working-class people under the guise of education reform* * * * * *CHICAGO –* As the city braces itself for the largest assault on public education in the country, thousands of parents, students, teachers, clergy, citizens and community leaders are preparing for a “long march” against school closings on May 18, 19 and 20. Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Karen Lewis said th... more »

Take it from parents: teenagers are people, not data points | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Take it from parents: teenagers are people, not data points | Parents Across America: Take it from parents: teenagers are people, not data points by pureparents A Blog Post by Wendy Lecker, Sarah Darer Littman and Jonathan Pelto, members of PAA-Connecticut. Ask any parent, high school student or teacher- 11th grade is hell. Aside from the heavy course-load, juniors have to suffer through a litany of standardized tests- and these ones count: SATs, SAT subject tests, ACTs, APs. Could anyone make junior year any worse? Why yes! Thank President Obama, Secretary Duncan, and Governor Ma... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-9-13 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: Achieve Official Refutes Statements About PARCC by dianerav In an earlier post, a teacher in Tennessee wrote critically about the PARCC assessments of the Common Core. The teacher said that the assessments did not permit accommodations for students with disabilities. Chad Colby of Achieve, one of the organizations responsible for developing the Common Core, says that these claims are wrong. He writes: “The information presented in this post is factually incorrect. “Students with disabilities will have access to a... more »

Ed Notes Online: Friday: Change the Stakes Meeting Focuses on Coming Field Test Boycott

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Friday: Change the Stakes Meeting Focuses on Coming Field Test Boycott: Friday: Change the Stakes Meeting Focuses on Coming Field Test Boycott by ed notes online This in from parent activist Janine Sopp. I can't make this meeting as we have an ICE meeting tomorrow but these CTS meetings are becoming the epicenter of the opt-out movement with even people from around the state touching base to widen the impact of the movement beyond the city. There will also be some kind of demo/rally coming up in June. Teachers with parent contacts who might have an interest shoul... more »

Education By The Numbers | The accuracy of federal education data

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Education By The Numbers | The accuracy of federal education data: The accuracy of federal education data by Jill Barshay Correcting mistakes may be an essential part of a good education, but that doesn’t apply inside the branch of the U.S. government that compiles and keeps education statistics. Indeed, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) knowingly leaves in errors that are discovered two to three years later. And then this error-ridden data is used by education policy makers to make decisions. * *I recently learned about these revision deadlines from the person i... more »

Special Ed Vouchers Won’t End Discrimination | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Special Ed Vouchers Won’t End Discrimination | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Special Ed Vouchers Won’t End Discrimination by millerlf By Karyn Rotker, Courtney Bowie and Monica Murphy May 8, 2013 MJS T. was a kindergartner with a medical disorder that caused toilet difficulties. Despite her mother’s pleas, her teacher wouldn’t allow her to use the bathroom as needed – and humiliated her by discussing her problems publicly. A. was a 9-year-old who sometimes wouldn’t speak. Her teacher left her sitting by herself in a corner of the classroom. S. was a 4-year-old receiv... more »

Saw this from Jose Vilson the other day, wanted to comment. – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Saw this from Jose Vilson the other day, wanted to comment. – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Saw this from Jose Vilson the other day, wanted to comment. by Chalk Face, PhD Educator Jose Vilson is a passionate supporter of public education. I think my first encounter with him was watching poetry of his at the Save Our Schools rally in the summer of 2011. He’s also a frequent contributor to GOOD Magazine. Here’s one of his latest on the superficiality of Teacher Appreciation Week. I’ve had other online encounters with Mr. Vilson regarding tactics and tone of educational activ... more »

The charter future of D.C. public schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

The charter future of D.C. public schools: The charter future of D.C. public schools Posted by Valerie Strauss on May 9, 2013 at 1:18 pm [image: malcolm]With one decision about one elementary school, D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson is filling in the picture of the future of the District’s long-troubled public school system. It’s been clear for some time that the public school system in the nation’s capital has been moving toward charter dominance. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out: There are now about 45,000 students in 117 traditional public school buildings under He... more »

What the Census Tells Us About the Youth Vote |

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

What the Census Tells Us About the Youth Vote |: What the Census Tells Us About the Youth Vote by Angus Johnston Yesterday the Census Bureau released a demographic report on the 2012 election that’s chock full of really interesting stuff. The Bureau’s analysis of racial data has gotten the most attention, and not unreasonably. The report’s dramatic finding that black voter turnout levels rose above white levels for the first time in American history is just the beginning of that story. (I myself was even more intrigued to learn that black turnout rose almost as much between 2008 a... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Common Core Testing: Creating New Consumers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Common Core Testing: Creating New Consumers: Common Core Testing: Creating New Consumers by Melissa Westbrook From the Washington Post's The Answer Sheet, a guest column by an 8th grader, Isaiah Schrader, in New York (he is a gifted student so the essay reads very well). Guess what kids? The new Common Core assessments developed by the mega-uber education group Pearson? Contains brand-names (complete with trademark logos) in test questions. What does Isaiah have to say (bold mine)? *The “busboy” passage in the eighth grade test I took was fi... more »

Update On Our Community & Citywide Education Council Lawsuit Against The NYC Department Of Education | New York City Parents Union

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Update On Our Community & Citywide Education Council Lawsuit Against The NYC Department Of Education | New York City Parents Union: Update On Our Community & Citywide Education Council Lawsuit Against The NYC Department Of Education by admin [image: New York City Parents Union] Update On Our Community & Citywide Education Council Lawsuit Against The NYC Department Of Education *Sam Pirozzolo, President of Community Education Council 31, and Arthur Z. Schwartz, Esq.,* our General Counsel, today faced off in court against the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”), and stood u...more »

CTA's 150th Anniversary - California Teachers Association

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

CTA's 150th Anniversary - California Teachers Association: CTA MARKS A MILESTONE [image: image] ** SES·QUI·CEN·TEN·NI·AL: *adjective*1.* marking the completion of a period of 150 years. **noun *2.* a 150th anniversary or its celebration.* 150 YEARS OF ADVOCACY! This year, CTA marks 150 years of advocacy for our profession, our students and our public schools. And we will be celebrating the entire year. Coincidentally, the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) turns 100 this year. Over the next year, we will explore and celebrate our past via social media, our webs... more »

A Call for Non-Cooperation: So that Teachers Are Not Foreigners in Their Own Profession | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

A Call for Non-Cooperation: So that Teachers Are Not Foreigners in Their Own Profession | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: A Call for Non-Cooperation: So that Teachers Are Not Foreigners in Their Own Profession by P.L. Thomas [image: 50739570555869154322] Gandhi’s views on enhancing the vernaculars…so that Indians are “not foreigners in their own land” are directly tied to his opinions on developing communities (for “the poorest of the poor” ) and making community service an integral part of any education. (Ramanathan, 2006, pp. 235-2... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, May 9, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Fensterwald: Common Core test is on track, State Board told* Education Headlines *Thursday, May 9, 2013* Paperwork error halts CVUSD board recallAn effort to recall school board members in the Coachella Valley Unified School District has been halted due to a paperwork error. Desert Sands plans to rescind 10 teacher layoffsThe Desert Sands Unified School District will rescind layoff notices for nine full-time teachers on Friday. Sherry Johnstone, assistant superintendent for personnel, said Wednesday that the district can canc... more »

Appreciating teachers (for a change)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Appreciating teachers (for a change): Appreciating teachers (for a change) Posted by Valerie Strauss on May 9, 2013 at 10:53 am [image: teachers]This is Teacher Appreciation Week (so declared by theNational Education Association), a fine moment to say something nice to or about teachers, who have been put through the ringer in recent years. Why has teacher morale been plummeting, as evidenced in poll after poll? You can, in large part, thank reformers who have moved to end or reduce teacher tenure, make teacher evaluation partly dependent on student standardized test scores, tell te... more »

The Testing Obsession Widens the Gap - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The Testing Obsession Widens the Gap - Bridging Differences - Education Week: The Testing Obsession Widens the Gap by Deborah Meier *Deborah Meier responds to Fordham Institute's Michael J. Petrilli today.* Dear Mike, The data you present re. the "achievement gap" is consistent with an argument I made against using standardized testing as a barometer 50 years ago. I said (and wrote) that as long as our testing system requires us to rank order we will be tracking income (and wealth), not education. As one becomes less equal, so will the other. Anything else would not meet psychome... more »

Dennis Van Roekel: Exposing ALEC's Agenda to Defund and Dismantle Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Dennis Van Roekel: Exposing ALEC's Agenda to Defund and Dismantle Public Education: Exposing ALEC's Agenda to Defund and Dismantle Public Education Posted: 05/07/2013 11:52 am *Iron Man 3* just opened this past weekend, followed soon by more would-be blockbusters. I'm sure a lot of these movies will be entertaining, but none will be more important or relevant than a half-hour documentary I recently watched: *The United States of ALEC.* This film, featuring Bill Moyers, does a masterful job of explaining how the closed-door manipulations of the American Legislative Exchange Council ... more »

Thursday on the Whole Child Virtual Conference — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Thursday on the Whole Child Virtual Conference — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Whole Child Virtual Conference]Thursday on the Whole Child Virtual Conference May 8, 2013 by Whole Child Virtual Conference We invite you to participate in ASCD's third annual Whole Child Virtual Conference. Entitled "Moving from Implementation to Sustainability to Culture," sessions will offer educators around the globe leadership discussions and strategies to support their work to implement and sustain a whole child approach to education. *ASCD's Whole Child Network: The Importance... more »

Thursday on the Whole Child Virtual Conference — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Class Size & Funding Inequity in NY State & NY City | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Class Size & Funding Inequity in NY State & NY City | School Finance 101: Class Size & Funding Inequity in NY State & NY City by schoolfinance101 [image: Slide2] New York State repeatedly makes the top of our list of most INEQUITABLE state school finance systems in our National Report Card. http://www.schoolfundingfairness.org/National_Report_Card_2012.pdf Further, NY State was acknowledged in a report I prepared last year, with colleague Sean Corcoran of NYU, identifying states that are both generally inequitable and that actually exacerbate those inequities through their state sc... more »

Shanker Blog » The Relationship Between Teacher Salaries And Teacher Salary Schedules

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Shanker Blog » The Relationship Between Teacher Salaries And Teacher Salary Schedules: The Relationship Between Teacher Salaries And Teacher Salary Schedules by Matthew Di Carlo The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released a brief report on teacher salary schedules since the recession. NCTQ looks at 41 of the 50 largest districts in the U.S. (i.e., all but nine responded to the survey). Between 2007-08 and 2010-11, four out of five of these districts froze pay at least once. As would be expected, districts did so in different ways – sometimes by freezing step increa... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-9-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Tennessee Teacher on PARCC Testing by dianerav A reader comments: Wow, for those opposed to T-cap, wait until you get a good look at common core and the PARCC assessment. The nightmare is about to get worse. As a teacher, I have been working with the debut of common core in Tennessee this year. I don’t even know where to begin to express my frustration with the entire common core movement. It combines an exceptionally narrow curriculum with testing that is vague... more »