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Monday, May 13, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-13-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2



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



AFT’s Randi Weingarten supports the pension deal. That’s no surprise. But claiming it fixes the pension system? | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 31 minutes ago
AFT’s Randi Weingarten supports the pension deal. That’s no surprise. But claiming it fixes the pension system? | Fred Klonsky: AFT’s Randi Weingarten supports the pension deal. That’s no surprise. But claiming it fixes the pension system? by Fred Klonsky [image: photo-14_2] American Federation of Teacher President Randi Weingarten gave her stamp of approval to the awful pension deal worked out between the We Are One coalition and Senate President John Cullerton. *“Instead of focusing on blaming, scapegoating and trying to eviscerate public workers—as is the sport in so many states—... more »

» PSAT for 5-14-13: Sign up for the 3-day march Parents United for Responsible Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 31 minutes ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 5-14-13: Sign up for the 3-day march: PSAT for 5-14-13: Sign up for the 3-day march by admin [image: psat_logo] Our City, Our Schools, Our Voices, will come together this coming weekend in the final protest push before the May 22 Board meeting where the mass school closing vote will be taken. Here’s what the CTU says about this event: The mayor and Board of Education want to destroy 54 school communities. This will be the largest destruction of schools in U.S. history. We need our neighborhood schools and we should... more »

What We Talk About When We Talk About "IQ:" Algebra and School Quality - Dana Goldstein

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 31 minutes ago
What We Talk About When We Talk About "IQ:" Algebra and School Quality - Dana Goldstein: What We Talk About When We Talk About "IQ:" Algebra and School Quality by Dana Goldstein The now-unemployed Jason Richwine is portraying himself as a numbers-driven policy wonk who has been unfairly pilloried for a nuanced, intellectually sophisticated Harvard dissertation, whose only crime was questioning liberal pieties on race and IQ. Byron York: Richwine and others also pointed to the fact that his ideas were expressed most completely in a dissertation done at Harvard, of all places, under... more »

Letter to a Young Education Reformer | EduShyster

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Letter to a Young Education Reformer | EduShyster: Letter to a Young Education Reformer by edushyster2012 *A young MBA student tells her classmates that “education reform” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.* Many of my classmates in business school assume that education reform is a good thing. Accountability! Improvement! Closing the Achievement gap! Usually they know some Teach for America alums (who are now lawyers), or they’ve watched “Waiting for Superman.” They’ve heard of charter schools (which of course they didn’t attend), and being business-minded, they assume that privat... more »

UPDATE: Can poor children learn? + Common Core Rollback: One Down, 44 to Go – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Common Core Rollback: One Down, 44 to Go – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Data, Data Everywhere by freetoteach Enjoyed Tim and Shaun’s discussion Sunday on InBloom thanks for brining Rachel from CO to educate us. if No Child Left Behind was propaganda, this date mining bonanaza is another holy grail for corporate ed deformers. I keep getting ads and invitations to update my Linked In account and once on Facebook, people start popping up all over the place. This is the cloud. Can poor children learn? by Timothy D. Slekar By now the poverty does or doesn’t matter dichotomy... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: *NPE News Briefs* Gates Foundation Spends $150 Million for Common Core by dianerav Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post has published an overview of the munificent support provided by the Gates Foundation to promote the Common Core standards. The foundation expended $150 million to a wide variety of state education departments, think tanks, universities, NY Daily News Rebukes Pearson and Walcott by dianerav In a rare break from its established stance of applauding whatever Mayor Bloomberg’s Department of ... more »

Ed Notes Online: Fred Smith on Pearson Mergers and a Poem

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Fred Smith on Pearson Mergers and a Poem: Fred Smith on Pearson Mergers and a Poem by ed notes online Fred and others have been tracking the Pearson merger machine. See below Fred's poem. It has been noted that the Penguin- Random House merger involves Bertelsmann, the company that Klein left (most likely tossed) before he was rescued by Bloomberg and made chancellor. Pearson continues to merge with other publishers and business partners. I just got a Pearson key chain as a prize in my CrackerJack box. And with Pearson's buyout of Hallmark, I fear there will be ... more »

Closing California's education gap - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Closing California's education gap - latimes.com: OP-ED Closing California's education gapAs the overall education level declines, the state faces not only social ills but also major economic problems. By Michele Siqueiros May 13, 2013 California has proved to be a land of opportunity where hard work delivers prosperity and nurtures innovation. Its human capital has helped the state develop into the world's ninth-largest economy, which attracts nearly half of the venture capital in the nation. But this opportunity and success have not reached everyone, and the California dream is ... more »

School funding will be focus, source of contention, of Brown’s revised budget | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
School funding will be focus, source of contention, of Brown’s revised budget | EdSource Today: School funding will be focus, source of contention, of Brown’s revised budget - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Democrats in the Legislature may find themselves at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on two issues that will factor large when Brown reveals his revised state budget Tuesday: how to spend billions in unanticipated revenue and how to reshape Brown’s sweeping plan for funding K-12 education. As of now, the state is on target to collect $4.5 billion more than expected in pers... more »

The MME Network: Introduction & Membership - Musical Media For Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
The MME Network: Introduction & Membership - Musical Media For Education: The MME Network: Introduction & Membership posted 3 weeks ago [image: image] Welcome to the proto-MME Network. I am Lance Fialkoff, the community facilitator*.* I am a veteran Social Studies educator who has worked for public schools, diversity/college access non-profits, private curriculum content providers, distance learning companies and regional educational cooperatives. Since I began teaching more than 25 years ago, music has always been at the heart of my work, especially where music and other forms of ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: UNO charter hustlers have Wall Streeters' undies in a twist

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: UNO charter hustlers have Wall Streeters' undies in a twist: UNO charter hustlers have Wall Streeters' undies in a twist by Mike Klonsky The scandal involving the UNO charter school hustlers has Wall Street investors worrying. Today's Sun-Times reports: *Now under investigation by two state agencies, the United Neighborhood Organization is also facing tough questions on Wall Street from investors who lent tens of millions of dollars to help * Bill Gate$ buys into Common Core by Mike Klonsky Valerie Strauss writes in the Washington Post: *For... more »

UPDATE: What If “Reformers”... + Free propaganda gallery – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Free @thechalkface propaganda gallery – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: What If “Reformers” Adopted a Positive Agenda? by John Thompson John Legend introduced PBS’s first education TED talk with the promise that it would not play the blame game. The great presentations that followed raise the question of what could be accomplished if we all obeyed that policy, stopped pointing fingers, and promoted “win win” methods of school improvement. This post will show that even […] What If School “Reformers” Kept Up Their Best Behavior? by John Thompson John Legend introduced PBS’s... more »

Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012 | Center on Reinventing Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012 | Center on Reinventing Public Education: Hopes, Fears, & Reality: A Balanced Look at American Charter Schools in 2012 pub_hfr12_may13.pdf MAY 2013 Robin Lake Related Research: Hopes, Fears, & Reality Innovation and Technology Charter Management Organizations Finance and Productivity Charter Schools and Public School Choice District-Charter Collaboration Portfolio Strategy One of the main goals of the charter school movement at its founding was to provide new school options for families that wanted and ne...more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, May 13, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *NPE News Briefs* Education Headlines *Monday, May 13, 2013* Azusa Unified board airs concerns over Rosedale development schoolBefore the housing bubble that led to the Great Recession and crippled construction, the fanfare of the Rosedale development wooed many interested buyers. One of the biggest selling points of the 1,250-home master-planned community was a brand-new school built specifically for the development. Gaps appear present in 2nd set of Alisal USD credit card documentsA second set of Alisal Union School District V... more »

UPDATE: The in box + Chicago on the March next weekend, May 18th and 19th. Big rally on the 20th. No school closings. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Chicago on the March next weekend, May 18th and 19th. Big rally on the 20th. No school closings. | Fred Klonsky: Glen Brown responds to Haisman. You didn’t know what to tell a legislator what we’re for? Here’s what we’re for. by Fred Klonsky Glen Brown: *“I think the constant saying NO was the danger Fred. Legislators have been saying to me for three and half years ….’ Ok …..OK — I get it you don’t like ‘This New Bill_______ ‘(fill in the number) but Bob give us something to Vote FOR! Offer a union counter to the Pension Killers! I can’t just keep on voting No!” -Bob Haisman.* Her... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Items of Note

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Items of Note: Items of Note by Melissa Westbrook Roosevelt High School's Jazz Band placed third at this weekend's Essentially Ellington competition in NYC. Congrats to all! Ballard High students in their video program won two major prizes at the Dominique Dunne Film Competition in Colorado Springs. The competition only awards four prizes and the judges are a who's who in Hollywood so this is huge honor for Ballard. Good job! Pinehurst K-8 is circulating a petition about their proposed relocation to Broadview-Thompson. From the petition: *... more »

Connected Community — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Connected Community — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Walter McKenzie]Connected Community May 13, 2013 by Walter McKenzie The hallmark of this brave new Information Age is the interconnectedness of everything: ideas, information, and people. Relationships are key. It's no longer what you know or how much you know ... it's who you know and how to connect with them. Interactions are more immediate, fluid, and dynamic. On an individual basis it is happening as I write. But what about on an institutional scale? Don't we eventually have to affect change in our public ... more »

Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo? - State EdWatch - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo? - State EdWatch - Education Week: Common-Core Pushback to the Pushback: Who Has the Political Mojo? by Andrew Ujifusa The political battle over the Common Core State Standards is heating up, both at the state level and in broader debates at the national level, and at least some supporters of the standards appear to be taking notice that the ride may get very bumpy, at least politically. One supporter who summed up such fears was Andrew Rotherham, the co-founder of Bellwether Education Partners, a K-12 consulting f... more »

How To Teach History | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
How To Teach History | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: How To Teach History by larrycuban Here is how a journalist described a class she watched a few months ago in a Northern California high school. *In the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ben Stein famously plays a high school teacher who drones on about the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act while his students slump at their desks in a collective stupor. For many kids, that’s history: an endless catalog of disconnected dates and names, passed down like scripture from the state textbook, seldom questioned and... more »

Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Monty Neill: Building a Successful Test Reform Movement by Anthony Cody [image: Home] *Guest post by Monty Neill.* *Part one of three.* We are in the midst of rising resistance to high-stakes testing in the public schools. We have seen parents, students and teachers engaged in boycotts and opting out, demonstrations, forums and town halls, petitions and resolutions. Mainstream media has taken notice of the growing movement. Numerous articles about the Atlanta cheating scandal ha... more »

Shanker Blog » A Quick Look At "Best High School" Rankings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Shanker Blog » A Quick Look At "Best High School" Rankings: A Quick Look At “Best High School” Rankings by Matthew Di Carlo Every year, a few major media outlets publish high school rankings. Most recently, *Newsweek* (in partnership with *The Daily Beast*) issued its annual list of the “nation’s best high schools.” Their general approach to this task seems quite defensible: To find the high schools that “best prepare students for college.” The rankings are calculated using six measures: graduation rate (25 percent); college acceptance rate (25); AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student... more »

Common-Core Turbulence: Inevitable or Preventable? :: Frederick M. Hess

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Common-Core Turbulence: Inevitable or Preventable? :: Frederick M. Hess: Common-Core Turbulence: Inevitable or Preventable? *by Frederick M. Hess • May 10, 2013 at 9:11 am* * * It's been a turbulent few months for the Common Core, raising real questions about its future. Opposition on the right has stretched well beyond the fringe has now been voiced by the Republican National Committee, with several Republican U.S. Senators speaking out in opposition and legislation to withdraw from the Common Core proposed in seven state legislatures. Meanwhile, in a big blow from the left, Rand... more »

The hole in the logic of an argument a truck could drive through. The union leaders who can’t say no. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
The hole in the logic of an argument a truck could drive through. The union leaders who can’t say no. | Fred Klonsky: The hole in the logic of an argument a truck could drive through. The union leaders who can’t say no. by Fred Klonsky [image: dana-fradon-i-still-have-my-loophole-but-i-can-t-drive-a-truck-through-it-new-yorker-cartoon] This weekend IEA President Cinda Klickna emailed her best argument to IEA Board of Directors and staff for supporting the We Are One/Cullerton pension cutting bill. *What does this bill give us that we don’t currently have?* *• Contractual enforceable... more »

Daily Kos: Something I think I finally understand

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Daily Kos: Something I think I finally understand: Something I think I finally understand by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) is that those who insist upon merit pay for teachers are themselves primarily motivated by money and have trouble grasping that for many people, while they want to earn a decent income and be able to support themselves and their family, money is not the primary motivation. Among those for whom money is not the primary motivation are many who undertake military careers, those who serve as clergy in many denominations, social workers, those who work in Legal Aid... more »

The Death of “Freedom”: Last Days of a Dying School | Project Wordsworth

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
The Death of “Freedom”: Last Days of a Dying School | Project Wordsworth: If you enjoy this story, we ask that you consider paying for it. Please see the payment section below. The Death of “Freedom”: Last Days of a Dying School By Emmanuel FeltonMAY 9, 2013 ------------------------------ Ifirst visited Freedom Academy High School on a dreary March day. The clouds were hanging low and there was a sprinkling of the last of winter’s snow. Despite the gray day, I felt an unusual air of excitement while ascending the stairs to Freedom’s sixth floor lunchroom. It was Spirit Week. It was N... more »

Finland's Secret Sauce: Its Teachers | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Finland's Secret Sauce: Its Teachers | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Finland's Secret Sauce: Its Teachers by Phi Delta Kappa International *By Joan Richardson, Editor-in-Chief of *Kappan* magazine (**PDK International**)* In the 1980s, educators and policymakers swarmed across Germany to examine its two-tier education system that separated college-bound students from vocational ed students, all in an effort to boost the national economy. In the 1990s, Japan and its unique lesson study model attracted American attention. Along came the 2000s, and Finland has t... more »

Modern School: Looming Strike for Teachers in Ramona, CA

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Modern School: Looming Strike for Teachers in Ramona, CA: Looming Strike for Teachers in Ramona, CA by Michael Dunn Teachers in the Ramona school district in San Diego County have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike. CTA officials say that 99% of the teachers participated in the vote, with 75% voting in favor of a strike. The vote does not mean that a strike will necessarily happen, though. Rather, it is a legal requirement before teachers can actually walk off the job, something their union may ask of them in the near future if negotiations with their district fail. Negot... more »

Bill Gates, Jeb Bush, Oprah and Warren Buffett meeting at SC isl - WBTW-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Florence, SC

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Bill Gates, Jeb Bush, Oprah and Warren Buffett meeting at SC isl - WBTW-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Florence, SC: *Bill Gates, Jeb Bush, Oprah and Warren Buffett meeting at SC island* CHARLESTON, SC - Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft and one of the richest people in the world, is spending time in the Lowcountry. WCBD confirmed the American business magnate is at the Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. Suspicion was raised when nearly 20 very expensive jets were seen lined up at the Charleston International Airport on Johns Island. Officials with the Beach Company confirmed to WCBD ... more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 5-11-13 * Surprise! Florida High-Stakes Accountability Promotes Gaming the System by dianerav The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a study of Florida’s accountability system–the one that Jeb Bush brags about–and concludes that the system promotes behavior to game the system. Schools are assigning children to categories where they will not lower the school’s letter grade. Here is a succinct summ... more »

UPDATE: Deal surfaces to give Bridgeport elementary school to Hartford charter school company - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Deal surfaces to give Bridgeport elementary school to Hartford charter school company - Wait, What?: Meanwhile, deal surfaces to give Bridgeport elementary school to Jumoke’s charter school management company by jonpelto *Re-post:* Fresh off Malloy’s “victory” of getting the Chief Operating Officer of FUSE/Jumoke Academy on to the State Board of Education, the Malloy Administration, Mayor Bill Finch and “Superintendent of Schools,” Paul Vallas, have apparently concocted a deal to hand Bridgeport’s Paul Lawrence Dunbar Elementary School over to Hartford’s Family Urban Schools of ... more »

Adult Ed Students Fight Back! Defending Current Classes and Demanding More | Classroom Struggle

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Adult Ed Students Fight Back! Defending Current Classes and Demanding More | Classroom Struggle: Adult Ed Students Fight Back! Defending Current Classes and Demanding More by ClassroomStruggle *A new update on the growing current struggle to save and rebuild Adult Education in OUSD. At the end are the demands of the students and teachers of Adult Ed and K-12 who are fighting as well as a summary of the reasons to keep Adult Ed fully funded and in OUSD. Also, be sure to come out to the Board meeting on May 22nd. It’s an all out mobilization for the deciding vote! Click either t... more »

You reach more kids when you use the arts to teach | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
You reach more kids when you use the arts to teach | EdSource Today: You reach more kids when you use the arts to teach ** May 12th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By Jon Schwartz Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on print More Sharing Services [image: Jon Schwartz] Jon Schwartz When I tell people I use the performing arts to teach my second grade students, they often ask, “You’re responsible for teaching kids academics. How do you find the time for *that*?” Guess what? For the first 13 years of teaching, I too viewed the performing arts as an unaffordable luxury, if not a... more »

Why video cameras and teacher evaluation do not mix

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Why video cameras and teacher evaluation do not mix: Why video cameras and teacher evaluation do not mix By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 13, 2013 at 4:00 amE-mail reporter 2 Comments More [image: videocam]I wrote a post the other day about Bill Gates’ plan to videotape America’s teachers as part of a teacher evaluation system, an enterprise that he said could cost up to $5 billion, but, he believes, is worth it. Here is veteran educator Anthony Cody to explain why it isn’t. Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high needs middle schoo... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Fired Crenshaw teacher Alex Caputo-Pearl Dana Goldstein *At Crenshaw, a “politically and intellectually challenging” themed school-within-a-school reform was dumped and its leaders dispersed. That’s “discouraging.” *-- Joanne Jacobs blog UNO Lender Steven Levy *“It had to be more than just an appearance” of a conflict, Levy, whose firm bought bonds issued for construction of UNO’s schools, told Rangel during the conference call. “There must have been something else going on for [d’Escoto] to quit... more »

NYC Educator: Observation Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
NYC Educator: Observation Report: Observation Report by NYC Educator Dear Ms. Whitman: On May 9th, I observed your second period ESL class. Your aim was "How Can We Apologize For Our Mistakes?" 21 students were present as the class commenced. You opened the class by asking who had to go to the bathroom, and listed the names of five students on the board. While you were writing the names, the student in front of me took two wet paper towels and threw them at the blackboard, where they stuck, making a very loud "plop" sound. You appeared not to hear this and continued to elicit nam... more »

The Miss for Bliss | My Island View

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
The Miss for Bliss | My Island View: The Miss for Bliss by tomwhitby After watching the Jeff Bliss’s, viral video, as well as the remix of it, created to popularize the event even more, I was almost moved to do a reflective post on the subject. After viewing a number of supportive blog posts for the Bliss position I kind of backed off thinking that I was off base in my position. Then I read* Why the Jeff Bliss story makes me want to quit *by a fellow English teacher*.* The end of the academic year has all teachers stressed out. After giving one’s all for a year, and having it com... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Hazelwood Report on Delphi DESE Meeting May 2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Hazelwood Report on Delphi DESE Meeting May 2: Hazelwood Report on Delphi DESE Meeting May 2 by stlgretchen The Hazelwood Patch had an article from a taxpayer who attended the May 2 DESE meeting on Common Core standards. The writer's narrative is not much different than the other meetings DESE held via the Delphi technique. From Elizabeth O'Fallon in *Is Common Core a Bad Apple?:* At the meeting, a presentation on Common Core was given by Dr. Tim Ricker, the Area Supervisor of DESE for the St. Louis Region. The information that was provided was labe... more »

The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: Arne Duncan's Kick-Off Keynote at EWA's 66th National Seminar

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: Arne Duncan's Kick-Off Keynote at EWA's 66th National Seminar: Guest Post: Arne Duncan's Kick-Off Keynote at EWA's 66th National Seminar by Emily Richmond *EWA's 66th National Seminar, hosted by Stanford University, took place earlier this month. We asked some of the journalists attending to contribute posts from the sessions. Additional content, including videos and podcasts, will soon be available at EdMedia Commons. Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few of posts here, including those from the keynote sessions. Joy Resmovits of the Huf... more »

Principal Ron Smolkin Gets Advice From Steve Martin.southbronxschool.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Principal Ron Smolkin Gets Advice From Steve Martin by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) Another, yet a same, principal is in the news today for attempting to destroy a teacher's life and career. The New York Post reported today that Principal Ron Smolkin of Independence High School put fraudulent material in a teacher's file supposedly written by a parent. Recall, this is the same principal that wrote a teacher's co-op board in which a claim of pedophilia was lodged against the teacher and his partner. Too often, in fact, all the time in my opini... more »

NYC Public School Parents: video: Meet Mr. Flowers of inBloom Inc.

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: video: Meet Mr. Flowers of inBloom Inc.: video: Meet Mr. Flowers of inBloom Inc. by Leonie Haimson New video on the Gates-funded student data sharing corporation inBloom Inc. One correction. NYC DOE is not paying inBloom $50 million; they are not paying them anything at this point. But starting in 2015, inBloom has said that they will start charging states and districts $2-$5 per student for the use of their "services"; and they are exploring the option of charging vendors for access to this highly confidential, personalized student information as well. ... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – After Sandy Hook, some legislative fixes fall away – some move ahead

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *After Sandy Hook, some legislative fixes fall away – some move ahead* *By Kimberly Beltran* Monday, May 13, 2013 In the aftermath of the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, California lawmakers were quick to offer up a number of new ideas aimed at keeping schools and students safe. Four months later, however, some of those ideas have already been set aside and those that remain viable are challenged both by economic restrictions and political realities. A plan to allow teachers to anonymously carry weapons on school grounds, for insta... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week: Seattle Schools This Week by Melissa Westbrook *Monday, May 13th* Curriculum & Instruction Committee meeting, 4-5:30 p.m. *Tuesday, May 14th* Special Education Advocacy & Advisory Meeting from 6:30-9:30 p.m* *at JSCEE, Room 2700* * *Wednesday, May 15th* Special Education PTSA meeting from 7-9 pm in room 2700.* * School Board Meeting, starting at 4:15 pm. Agenda. This looks to be a fairly easy agenda and the meeting will probably adjourn on time. *Items of Note:* - hey, a "student presentation" by the John Muir 4th grad... more »

I Am Louisiana Course Choice, And I Enroll Without Parental Consent | deutsch29

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
I Am Louisiana Course Choice, And I Enroll Without Parental Consent | deutsch29: I Am Louisiana Course Choice, And I Enroll Without Parental Consent by deutsch29 There’s money to be made in education, and I am here to get mine. I am a Louisiana Course Choice provider. Despite the initial, November 2012 state ruling of unconstitutionality regarding my receiving MFP funding for offering Course Choice, an despite the fact that Jindal and White have no other BESE-approved plan in place for paying me, it is full speed ahead and I am approved. I have access to student data via John Whit... more »

Another Casualty of Reform – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Another Casualty of Reform – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Another Casualty of Reform by Kris Nielsen When I became a statistic of the education reform we have seen grinding the education system down, I felt alone and a little scared. Since then, I have seen a whole lot more like me deciding that the harm and policies are too much. Yet, we all fight on, and we will continue to fight until the system changes. Here’s is another wonderful and professional teacher resigning here in New York. Read it through carefully, and then spread it to all that will listen. When we f... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Video and highlights from yesterday's UFT mayoral forum

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Video and highlights from yesterday's UFT mayoral forum: Video and highlights from yesterday's UFT mayoral forum by Leonie Haimson Below is a video of the mayoral forum at the UFT spring conference yesterday. Some highlights: In response to pointed questions from President Michael Mulgrew and Karen Alford, VP of elementary schools, all the candidates said they would get rid of the school progress reports along with the school grades. They also said they would minimize the influence of high stakes testing, including as a factor in teacher evaluations. ... more »

Villaraigosa-backed school board candidate leads money race - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Villaraigosa-backed school board candidate leads money race - latimes.com: Villaraigosa-backed school board candidate leads money raceBy Howard Blume May 12, 2013, 4:31 p.m. The money race among two remaining candidates for the Los Angeles Board of Education is competitive, but outside spending has skewed resources decidedly toward the one backed by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Antonio Sanchez has collected more than $67,000 in contributions for a May 21 runoff in District 6, which stretches across the east San Fernando Valley. Opponent Monica Ratliff has raised nearly $27,000, ... more »

Reflections on Teaching » Week 32: The beginning of the end…

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 32: The beginning of the end…: Week 32: The beginning of the end… by alicemercer [image: 32] There’s a quote from Churchill that I love, “It’s not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.” Teaching sixth graders in elementary school really feels like the beginning of an end, and now that we are entering the final month of school, it’s that much moreso. Still, it’s not just an ending for the kids, but the start of a new beginning. I’m doing a bit for Larry Ferlazzo’s Ed Week column on the final weeks of school, and this p... more »

Parent Advocates - Pulling the Parent Trigger: The Push to Privatize Public Schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org: Pulling the Parent Trigger: The Push to Privatize Public Schools by Yasha Levine * * * *"The parents told me that a Los Angeles-based group calling itself Parent Revolution organized a local campaign to harass and trick them into signing petitions that they thought were meant for simple school improvements. In fact those petitions turned out to be part of a sophisticated campaign to convert their children’s public school into a privately-run charter — something a majority of parents opposed. At times, locals say, the Parent Revolution volunt... more »

Last Stand for Children First: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Last Stand for Children First: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week by Last Stand for Children Teachers make such a difference in the lives of so many children. I know this first hand because I was a student in San Diego for nearly a year before coming to work at Last Stand for Children First. In that time, I was a truly and unsung hero and I remember it fondly. I had wanted to do a drive to have parents donate used mugs that we could clean and then present to teachers as our little way of saying thanks, but unfortunately I forgot about Teacher Apprec... more »

Daily Kos: Sharing a time I lied, and I am proud of it

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: Sharing a time I lied, and I am proud of it: Sharing a time I lied, and I am proud of it by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *deciding to share after reading How a saleman lost a sale* It was very late. I do not know if it was just after 4 AM, when bars closed on Friday nights in NYC in those days, or somewhat earlier, when they closed on Saturday night. That doesn't matter. I had closed out a bar on E. 79th Street and hailed a cab to take me home to Brooklyn Heights. I got in the cab, which in those days had no partitions between driver and passenger(s) in the rear set... more »

Two moms and two (or more) problems regarding #commoncore – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Two moms and two (or more) problems regarding #commoncore – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Two moms and two (or more) problems regarding #commoncore by Chalk Face, PhD Kudos to these education activists receiving some notoriety for their anti-common core views in Indiana. After spending four years in the state for graduate school, I can say I’m somewhat familiar with how that state does things. Although, I have some concerns. First, not necessarily from an ideological standpoint, I on this day of all days take issue with the “Two Moms” thing. Motherhood does not confer exp... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Teacher Tells Missouri What Common Core Really Means. The Post-Dispatch Didn't Cover These Points.

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Teacher Tells Missouri What Common Core Really Means. The Post-Dispatch Didn't Cover These Points.: Teacher Tells Missouri What Common Core Really Means. The Post-Dispatch Didn't Cover These Points. by stlgretchen Peg with Pen, the Colorado teacher who implored teachers and parents to oppose Common Core and whose blog we reposted this morning, followed up with an extraordinary article responding to the St. Louis Post Dispatch's article this morning on Common Core. Little did I know when I resposted her original blog, she was a native Missourian and ... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-12-13 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: GERM in Scotland by dianerav A group funded by a rightwing think tank calls itself the “Commission on School Reform” and attacks Scottish public schools. The BBC reports the “findings” of the “commission” as objective research, not advocacy. Sound familiar? A Teacher’s Life by dianerav A teacher writes to explain how life in the classroom differs from his earlier life in another field: I worked in industry for 15 years before switching careers and moving into education. I can honestly say I work harder as ... more »

Students Last: Top Ten Reasons I Joined Teach for America by Kai Merikal

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Students Last: Top Ten Reasons I Joined Teach for America by Kai Merikal: Top Ten Reasons I Joined Teach for America by Kai Merikal by Students Last Kai Merikal, a twenty-two-year-old from Wisconsin, will be teaching fourth graders in Newark, New Jersey beginning in September. Below she shares her reasons for joining Teach for America. 10. I didn't get into law school... yet. 9. I want to be sainted. 8. I believe that if teachers just expect their students to learn, they will. 7. How hard could teaching really be? 6. Because I'm blind to the long-term consequences of m... more »

The Facts: the Phony Crisis | Deborah Meier on Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Facts: the Phony Crisis | Deborah Meier on Education: The Facts: the Phony Crisis by debmeier Some of the additional facts regarding international comparisons need to become common knowledge–to back up the previous (below) blog. Also from Tienken article. (Anyone know how you can link into this?) Examples. . 2009 PISA. The US scores were better than 77% above of 65 OED nations. Better than you thought? BUT–and that’s where it gets interesting–Tienken documents why we’re comparing apples to oranges. “Because of (a) selective sampling on the part of some countries, (b) (the effe... more »











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