Thursday, May 30, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-30-13 #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


solidaridad: Parent Trigger: Stop the Lies! Hear the Truth Rally in the Valley 2013-June-04

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago
solidaridad: Parent Trigger: Stop the Lies! Hear the Truth Rally in the Valley 2013-June-04: Parent Trigger: Stop the Lies! Hear the Truth Rally in the Valley 2013-June-04 *Stop the lies being told by organizations such as Parent Revolution* Tuesday, June 4, 2013 5:30pm-7:30pm Haddon Avenue Elementary School 10115 Haddon Avenue, Pacoima, CA 91331 Our community our decision: Rally in the Valley by Robert D. Skeels Guest Speakers: Parents from Adelanto Desert Trails Elementary. Principal & Teachers from Weigand Elementary. Parents from Haddon Avenue Elementary. Hosted by Valley Parents A... more »

All Education Matters: What is the most outrageous thing a student loan debt collector has said to you?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago
All Education Matters: What is the most outrageous thing a student loan debt collector has said to you?: What is the most outrageous thing a student loan debt collector has said to you? by Cryn Johannsen When I first began speaking to members of the indentured educated class, I was outraged by the things that debt collectors said to them on the phone. So many awful, awful things were said, just to try and squeeze money out of people who made it clear to these loan sharks that they were struggling and simply unable to pay them the amount they were demanding. As many of us are aware,... more »

Divestiture: They vote with their feet, Catherine Ferguson Academy (CFA) Students & Supporters Walk Out to Demand a Real Education, Not Fake Education on the Cheap | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago
Divestiture: They vote with their feet, Catherine Ferguson Academy (CFA) Students & Supporters Walk Out to Demand a Real Education, Not Fake Education on the Cheap | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Divestiture: They vote with their feet, Catherine Ferguson Academy (CFA) Students & Supporters Walk Out to Demand a Real Education, Not Fake Education on the Cheap by Danny Weil In the past I have written extensively on Detroit schools and especially the Catherine Ferguson Academy (CFA) (google Detroit Schools, Dailycensored.com). Well, Detr... more »

Assembly Approves Overhaul of School Testing - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago
Assembly Approves Overhaul of School Testing - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): Assembly Approves Overhaul of Public School Testing *State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Move to College, Career Readiness*** SACRAMENTO—Legislation sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson to create a new statewide assessment system using computer-based exams that would measure and promote student progress toward career and college readiness was approved today by the state Assembly. Assembly Bill 484 (Bonilla) would limit the use of outdated Standardized Testing a... more »

Ed Notes Online: DOE Allows Charter Schools to Set Up Stealth Pre-K programs to Further Undermine Public Schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Ed Notes Online: DOE Allows Charter Schools to Set Up Stealth Pre-K programs to Further Undermine Public Schools: DOE Allows Charter Schools to Set Up Stealth Pre-K programs to Further Undermine Public Schools by ed notes online *DOE is approving over 400,000 thousand dollars to PAVE for their pre-k program. They are getting about 30,000 less than PS 15 does for Pre-K, but we run 4 classes and PAVE will run 3..... **Public school administrators all over this city must fight or beg for every resource they bring to their schools, while charter school operators clearly have people i... more »

The “BIG IDEAS BOX" — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The “BIG IDEAS BOX" — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Fred Zilian]The “BIG IDEAS BOX” May 30, 2013 by Fred Zilian When teaching history, it is very easy to get caught up and lost in all the details of a particular lesson. Especially drawn to political, diplomatic, and military history, I have found myself spending far too much time in my Western Civilization courses on the fine points of the diplomatic maneuverings of the Congress of Vienna or of the tactical skill of Hannibal during the Second Punic War. To ensure that my students have the big picture: 1. At... more »

NYC Educator: Getting Ready for Reformy John King's Plan

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
NYC Educator: Getting Ready for Reformy John King's Plan: Getting Ready for Reformy John King's Plan by NYC Educator The administrators in my building are hard at work figuring out just what the hell they are going to tell us at PD next week. They're looking at Danielson, and figuring out how we can meet whatever requirements the DOE has told them Danielson demands. Now the geniuses at the DOE, because they know everything about teaching and learning, have determined that observations should take only 15 minutes. Therefore, if Danielson demands kids turn and talk, you'd better have... more »

Hart, Weingarten, and Power Point Deception | deutsch29

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Hart, Weingarten, and Power Point Deception | deutsch29: Hart, Weingarten, and Power Point Deception by deutsch29 Randi Weingarten really wants to promote the illusion that teachers have bought into the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). She hired Hart Research Associates to conduct a survey of AFT membership regarding perceptions about CCSS, and Hart did so March 27 – 30, 2013. Weingarten has used this survey as a platform to proclaim that “75% of AFT teachers surveyed support the Common Core.” But it is a lie, and I can prove it using a single Power Point slide composed by Hart... more »

How to File a Freedom of Information Request | The Network For Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
How to File a Freedom of Information Request | The Network For Public Education: How to File a Freedom of Information Request by admin [image: FOI]*By Jonathan Pelto (www.jonathanpelto.com)* When it comes to standing up to the education reform industry and their allies in state and local government, one of the most powerful tools for edu-bloggers and advocacy journalists is to utilize state-level freedom of information laws. Freedom of Information requests, or FOIAs, give us the power to see into the dark places. While opponents to open government and honesty are hard at work trying... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Rick Hess Just Makes Stuff Up

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Rick Hess Just Makes Stuff Up: Rick Hess Just Makes Stuff Up by Duke *Rick Hess (artist's conception)* * * How do you rise to the top of the eduwonky world? *Make stuff up*. Look at Rick Hess: since returning from his "hiatus," he's posted ten times on his blog. The posts include: - A made up interview with an "insincere reformer," lamely attempting to mock the critics of corporate reform. - A made up Twitter exchange between several known voices in the reform debate; none of the quotes appear to be verbatim. - A made up conference call transcript between the Chie... more »

Principal removal and REAL parent empowerment | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Principal removal and REAL parent empowerment | Parents Across America: Principal removal and REAL parent empowerment by pureparents Last week, a Parent Revolution-backed petition drive collected enough signatures to force out the well-respected principal of Weigand Avenue Elementary School in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. According to the article, 21 out of 22 teachers at the school have asked for transfers in protest. That’s parent empowerment? We’re sceptical, in part because of the many deceptive tactics used by the well-funded Parent Revolution astroturfers – most rec... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Where Is the Support for Our Children? by dianerav This teacher describes how the testing mania–the evil spawn of No Child Left Behind–has consumed his school without changing the odds against the students. They are still behind and certain to remain far behind. He writes: I teach fourth grade in a Philadelphia public school. Though the school has made AYP for the past two years, most of the students are not performing at grade level in math or reading. So, at this school, like most urban schools, the standardi... more »

Louisiana Education Superintendent John White denies allegations of high school test score cover-up | NOLA.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Louisiana Education Superintendent John White denies allegations of high school test score cover-up | NOLA.com: Louisiana Education Superintendent John White addresses inflated test scores before Senate panel Lauren McGaughy, NOLA.com | The Times Picayune By Lauren McGaughy, NOLA.com | The Times Picayune Email the author | Follow on Twitter on May 30, 2013 at 12:57 PM, updated May 30, 2013 at 1:43 PM [image: State Superintendent John White] Louisiana's top education official on Thursday denied allegations that his department intentionally inflated high school test scores and then ... more »

The Dramatic Retreat from Funding Equity in New Jersey: Evidence from the Census Fiscal Survey | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
The Dramatic Retreat from Funding Equity in New Jersey: Evidence from the Census Fiscal Survey | School Finance 101: The Dramatic Retreat from Funding Equity in New Jersey: Evidence from the Census Fiscal Survey by schoolfinance101 I have explained in numerous previous posts how New Jersey is among those states that operates a reasonably progressive state school finance system, that New Jersey, throughout the 1990s and early 2000s put the effort into disrupting the relationship between local community income and school spending. And, during that period, New Jersey’s low income stude... more »

Dems’ supermajority doesn’t preclude real differences on budget with Brown SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Dems’ supermajority doesn’t preclude real differences on budget with Brown Even as a key state Senate committee engaged last week in a thorough rebuke of Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan for restructuring school finance, panel chair Mark Leno noted that legislative leaders probably still agree with 96 percent of what the governor has proposed. The observation would seem out of context to developments in recent days as lawmakers in both houses adopted confrontational spending plans that will add billions in spending beyond what Brown has said he w... more »

ALLEGED:Latino Students Discriminated Against in Louisiana Schools | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
ALLEGED:Latino Students Discriminated Against in Louisiana Schools | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: ALLEGED: Latino Students Discriminated Against in Louisiana Head Start Programs [image: ALLEGED: Latino Students Discriminated Against in Louisiana Head Start Programs]The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLU) and other civil rights organizations are alleging head start centers in the Jefferson Parish in Louisiana are discriminating against Latino families. Apparently only Latino families are being asked to provide proof of citizenship to enroll in the federally funded pre-school progra... more »

The importance of dissent and resistance - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
The importance of dissent and resistance - Wait, What?: The importance of dissent and resistance by jonpelto [image: Resistence]Carmen Lopez, the retired Connecticut judge, life-long Bridgeport resident and leading voice in opposition to the on-going attempt to destroy public education in Connecticut has written a “must read” column in the Connecticut Post. It is an elegant and moving explanation about why we are fighting so hard against the likes of Malloy, Finch, Pryor and Vallas. In fact, it is right up there with two profound quotes that I keep on my desk: “Never doubt that a sm... more »

Latest grades for state charters: Proverbial mixed bag | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Latest grades for state charters: Proverbial mixed bag | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Get Schooled: Latest grades for state charters: Proverbial mixed bag Walter Jones of Morris News has an interesting story on the charter schools approved by the state Charter Schools Commission. [image: State issues grades photo] Walter Jones of Morris News has an interesting story on the charter schools approved by the state Charter Schools Commission. Please keep in mind that these schools represent only a fraction of the state's charter schools, most of which are approved by local boards of educa... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, May 30, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Thursday, May 30, 2013* In California, incarcerated students fall through gaps in special education lawsCalifornia and federal laws allow students with disabilities to receive special education until age 22. But the laws are vague enough that deciding who should provide that education is unclear. Budget forecast to benefit Ventura schoolsAfter years of cuts, Ventura schools face a fiscal future with improved fortunes. Conejo Valley school board accepts $10.1 million bid for Kelley Road propertyThe Conejo V... more »

Moving Beyond the Textbook: Closing the Book on the Textbook-Dependent Classroom — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Moving Beyond the Textbook: Closing the Book on the Textbook-Dependent Classroom — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Rich McKinney]Moving Beyond the Textbook: Closing the Book on the Textbook-Dependent Classroom May 30, 2013 by Rich McKinney A few weeks ago I was watching as my daughters were working through drills during their weekly tennis lessons. I observed a group of elementary kids dutifully take their places, hit the ball, and then move to the next station. It was simple, efficient, and monotonous. Though they were learning the basics of tennis, the kids sim... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Where's the outrage over Kirk's jail-'em-all' plan?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Where's the outrage over Kirk's jail-'em-all' plan?: Where's the outrage over Kirk's jail-'em-all' plan? by Mike Klonsky Sens. Durbin & Kirk proposing the jailing of 18,000 more black men. (Sun-Times) Thanks to Congressman *Bobby Rush* for using plain talk to discredit *Sen. Mark Kirk's* latest plan to imprison 18,000 more young black men in Chicago. Rush called it "Kirk’s ‘white boy’ gang plan." As usual, the Sun-Times comments section is filled with racist remarks and obscenities aimed at our heroic congressman. No one, it seems, is outraged over t... more »

The toll high-stakes tests take on non-traditional learners (and their teachers)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
The toll high-stakes tests take on non-traditional learners (and their teachers): The toll high-stakes tests take on non-traditional learners (and their teachers) By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 30, 2013 at 11:00 amE-mail the writer [image: sols]Bobbi Snow is the co-founder of The Community Public Charter School, an arts-infused, literacy-focused school for non-traditional learners in Charlottesville, Va., open to all Albemarle County middle school students. ​​​​​​​​​Snow wrote the following piece while recently proctoring Virginia’s high-stakes Standards of Learning exams, whic... more »

Jesse Hagopian’s new website: I AM AN EDUCATOR | Seattle Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Jesse Hagopian’s new website: I AM AN EDUCATOR | Seattle Education: Jesse Hagopian’s new website: I AM AN EDUCATOR by seattleducation2011 Jesse Hagopian’s new website: I AM AN EDUCATOR [image: iamaneducator_photo] I AM AN EDUCATOR is a new website dedicated defending the humanity of the educator and a vision of education that contributes to creating a socially just society. [image: iamaman2] On February 1, 1968, two Memphis garbage collectors, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were crushed to death by a malfunctioning garbage truck. Outraged by the city’s response–in what was a... more »

Warning to Chicago about threat to student privacy Parents United for Responsible Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Warning to Chicago about threat to student privacy: Warning to Chicago about threat to student privacy by admin [image: Telescope 2]From NYC’s Leonie Haimson: Dear Karen Lewis and other Chicago friends and allies (among the SOS folks): Thank you for fighting so valiantly to preserve public education in Chicago. We are all with you in spirit. I wanted to alert you to yet another real threat to your schools. Yesterday, Stephanie Simon of Reuters revealed that at least four states have pulled out of the data mining Gates-funded op... more »

Understanding the Chiefs for Change on Common Core Accountability "Hiatus" :: Frederick M. Hess

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Understanding the Chiefs for Change on Common Core Accountability "Hiatus" :: Frederick M. Hess: Understanding the Chiefs for Change on Understanding the Chiefs for Change on Common Core Accountability "Hiatus" On Tuesday, CCSSO waded into the Common Core "hiatus" discussion, issuing a thoughtful paper which argued that states should proceed with sensible flexibility and called on Secretary Duncan to exercise restraint when interpreting promises coerced by ED... Accountability "Hiatus" On Tuesday, CCSSO waded into the Common Core "hiatus" discussion, issuing a thoughtful paper wh... more »

Daily Kos: Exit Exams Have Failed Students, Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Daily Kos: Exit Exams Have Failed Students, Education: Exit Exams Have Failed Students, Education by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) As the first decade of the twenty-first century drew to an end, Frederick Douglass High School (Maryland) stood as a contradiction of social history, education and racial promise, the claimed failures of public schools, and the essential flaws in high-stakes accountability. Focusing on Douglass High, documentarians Alan and Susan Raymond detail the realities of both day-to-day schooling in a high-poverty, majority-minority public schools and the uninte... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: What is going on with special education?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: What is going on with special education?: What is going on with special education? by stlgretchen Something is happening with special education. Seemingly random reports are coming in, from parents with children who receive special services from school, showing that those services are changing. Is this part of a bigger picture? In one district they are consolidating IEP's for third and fourth graders because they are switching to a "standardized" IEP report. Even teachers are unclear where this "standardized" report form is coming from. In another d... more »

Follow-up: Title I Funding DOES NOT Make Rich States Richer! | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Follow-up: Title I Funding DOES NOT Make Rich States Richer! | School Finance 101: Follow-up: Title I Funding DOES NOT Make Rich States Richer! by schoolfinance101 [image: Slide3] In one of my earliest posts, I took on a myth created and shared by many DC Think Tanks that the Title I funding formula inappropriately favors “rich states” and school districts in urban areas. This myth has its origins in a handful of policy papers and poorly constructed analyses, some of which eventually made into print – albeit in law review journals that tend to be light on reviewing quantitative ev... more »

UPDATE: Rebranding Rahm. + “Good morning Senator Martinez. Vote no.” | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
“Good morning Senator Martinez. Vote no.” | Fred Klonsky: Guess who’s coming to dinner? “The problem is not these white babies up north. They’re not the problem. They deserve a world-class education, but so do our babies.” by Fred Klonsky [image: pritzker-protest-0530] *Parents and students from three South Side schools slated to close gather outside Pritzker Elementary School in Wicker Park, after trying to enroll there, but being told the school has a * Rebranding Rahm. by Fred Klonsky [image: rebranding] *“It is a new beginning. We are putting the past behind us, it is time to tu... more »

Can Schools Overcome Poverty and Racism? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Can Schools Overcome Poverty and Racism? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Can Schools Overcome Poverty and Racism? by Deborah Meier Dear Michael, I just recently wrote a blog column for my website (deborahmeier.com) about the problem I have with data—the "facts." Still, I'm not an atheist about data, just an agnostic, including data in the form of graphs. Graphs can correlate, but they cannot tell us what poverty does to people. My interpretation of the data leads me to suggest that "my" reforms are better than "yours." (I've spent too many years in the schoolyard!) So, fi... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson 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] NC Teacher: How Our Legislature Is Driving Bad Policy by dianerav Could things get worse in North Carolina? Here, a teacher describes the bills that are moving towards passage, all of which will undermine public schools and transfer public funds to private corporations. Why Is Philadelphia in Crisis? by dianerav Philadelphia is once again facing catastrophic budget cuts that threaten to gut public education. Who is killing Philadelphia’s schools, asks journalist... more »

Louisiana Believes Course Choice Providers Should Defraud the State | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Louisiana Believes Course Choice Providers Should Defraud the State | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Louisiana Believes Course Choice Providers Should Defraud the State by crazycrawfish [image: Actual FastPath recruit] It’s become increasingly clear that Louisiana believes that a certain amount of fraud, waste, and graft is a good thing, and a lot of any of these things is a whole lot better! From the outset, Course Choice (ala carte online courses children can take to supplement their educational diets paid for by tax payers) has been fraught with what most states would consider scandalou... more »

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: From “Surplussed” to “Excessed:” Dumped Memphis Teachers Go to Court by Jim Horn With the blessing of Bill Gates and State Commissioner, Kevin (formerly Mister Michelle Rhee) Huffman, principals across Memphis and Shelby County are illegally dumping hundreds of tenured teachers in favor of TFA, TeachPlus, and TeachMemphis corporate missionaries, who are hired to instill in Memphis’ impoverished children the corporate psychology that can be summed up as “you can […] Enough of the “I am a white person and I refuse to acknowledge the opportun... more »

The biggest irony in Chicago’s mass closing of schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
The biggest irony in Chicago’s mass closing of schools: The biggest irony in Chicago’s mass closing of schools By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 30, 2013 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer 2 Comments More [image: President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. (ed.gov)] President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. (ed.gov) There’s some deep irony in this: In 2002, Arne Duncan, then the head of the Chicago public schools system, announced that he was closing three elementary schools because they had been failing students for years. It was the start of a strategy of closing down s... more »

solidaridad: @TCFKSM: Alexander Russo's vicious attack on Weigand Elementary School Teachers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
solidaridad: @TCFKSM: Alexander Russo's vicious attack on Weigand Elementary School Teachers: @TCFKSM: Alexander Russo's vicious attack on Weigand Elementary School Teachers by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene First published on @TCFKSM on May 29, 2013 ------------------------------ Photo courtesy of Alexander Russo's vicious attack on LAUSD's Weigand Elementary School teachers should be noted by everyone. In a piece where he gleefully sides with AEI's Hess' smear on the distinguished Professor Ravitch, he also decides to take aim at the hardworking women and men teaching at the schoo... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revelations

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Revelations: Revelations by Charlie Mas Much was revealed at the Growth Boundaries presentation this afternoon. Here is just a short list: There will be new service delivery models for Special Education: Resource, Access, Behaior, Contained, and Distinct. We don't know what these mean or how they will work, and the whole thing is subject to the collective bargaining process, but it looks like radical change. There will be a new delivery model for APP. The District isn't saying what it will be or how it will work. They won't even offer the pretens... more »

Kimble's Corner: Meeting Michele Bachmann for the First Time

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Kimble's Corner: Meeting Michele Bachmann for the First Time: Meeting Michele Bachmann for the First Time by Representative Kimble *[The Following is excerpted from Profiles in Courageousness. If you enjoy this blog, you're going to want to pick up your copy today.]* * * At this point, I was feeling toxic. Nobody wanted to talk to me and I just wanted a giant hole to swallow me up. What had I gotten myself into? My only friend was in the other party and his play in the NFL gave me absolutely no confidence in our relationship. When the moment finally came for us to take a shor... more »

The in box. Urgent call from We Are One on new pension threat. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
The in box. Urgent call from We Are One on new pension threat. | Fred Klonsky: The in box. Urgent call from We Are One on new pension threat. by Fred Klonsky Friends, Our coalition has heard credible reports that pension-slashing bills could move in the Senate tomorrow. Senate Bill 1 – or pieces of it, like House Bill 1165 – could be up for a Senate vote on Thursday, May 30, or Friday, May 31. Both bills have already passed the House. If either bill clears the Senate, it will go to the Governor Pat Quinn’s desk, where he is very likely to sign either measure. The legislature is ent... more »

Last Stand for Children First: Our Report from the Mackinac Island Conference.

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Last Stand for Children First: Our Report from the Mackinac Island Conference.: Our Report from the Mackinac Island Conference. by Last Stand for Children Hello and a sunny welcome from beautiful Mackinac Island, Michigan where the beautiful people of the education reform set have all penciled in this beautiful island made famous by Esther Williams in the movie Grand Hotel, for their Spring getaways. It's Mackinac Island Conference Week and if there's one thing on the menu besides*Chianti *Chef Keith Shockling's Semolina Dusted Lake Huron Whitefish, it's education reform. Where el... more »

The Washington Teacher: Pink Slipping DCs Teachers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
The Washington Teacher: Pink Slipping DCs Teachers: Pink Slipping DCs Teachers by noreply@blogger.com (Candi Peterson) By Candi Peterson *Vote Davis Slate for WTU* * *Liz Davis /Candi Peterson The WTU Can Be Better! One by one, Cardozo Senior High School teachers and school staff were called down to the Principal's office today to receive pink slips. Just a week ago, DC's Cardozo High School staff were notified that 100% of our staff would be reconstituted and required to reapply for our jobs, with the exception of the school's principal. Later on in the same week, 90 staff members... more »

Sallie Mae Plans To Split into Two Separate Companies - Higher Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Sallie Mae Plans To Split into Two Separate Companies - Higher Education: Sallie Mae Plans To Split into Two Separate Companies by cmaadmin *NEWARK, Del. —* Sallie Mae plans to split into two separate, publicly traded companies. The student loan giant also named John Remondi as its CEO. Sallie Mae, formally named SLM Corp., said Wednesday that the two separate companies, an education loan management business and a consumer banking business, would help unlock value and boost its long-term growth potential. The education loan management business would include the company’s portfolios ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Bad Advice Needs Own Thread

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Bad Advice Needs Own Thread: Bad Advice Needs Own Thread by Melissa Westbrook A reader asked this: *I have a bright 4th grader in the Carnation area - we are considering some other options for her for next year, yes even at this late date. Where should I start looking? * Me, going on my old school way of thinking, told this parent that he/she didn't have many options. Not true (after talking with Tracy Libros in Enrollment). So, to correct: - coming in at a later grade there CAN be spaces open that might not be at kindergarten. So check what y... more »

The readiness to do social experiments on the education of children – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
The readiness to do social experiments on the education of children – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: The readiness to do social experiments on the education of children by Activism in paradise - Voices from down under Reposted from Scoop NZ.by Gordon Campbell *T*he school closures in Christchurch really are a perfect storm – the most stressed community in New Zealand is being led by the most accident prone Minister in the Key government, into a social experiment on its youngest and most vulnerable, in the least available time. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that scena... more »

Wait, What? The Last Push for the May 2013 Fundraising Program - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Wait, What? The Last Push for the May 2013 Fundraising Program - Wait, What?: Wait, What? The Last Push for the May 2013 Fundraising Program by jonpelto Friends, A huge thank you to everyone who has been so supportive and generous during the May 2013 Wait, What? fundraising effort. We’ve reached the last days of the campaign and have nearly reached our goal. If you haven’t donated, but wish to help strengthen Wait, What? and the role of advocacy and investigative journalism in Connecticut — now is the time to give. With your help and support we’ll continue our effort to “to educa... more »

LAUSD submits amended application for No Child Left Behind waiver - LA Daily News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
LAUSD submits amended application for No Child Left Behind waiver - LA Daily News: LAUSD submits amended application for No Child Left Behind waiver by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer In response to concerns raised by federal regulators, Los Angeles Unified and eight other school districts have filed an amended application for a waiver from a federal law requiring that all students be proficient in English and math by 2014. The coalition dubbed the California Office to Reform Education is seeking an exemption from key academic provisions of the No Child Left Behind law, which has ... more »

CCSS Garbage – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
CCSS Garbage – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: CCSS Garbage by Chris Cerrone [image: photo(1)] This Second Grade math workbook produced by McGraw-Hill is a total piece of garbage that my children’s school has purchased to “align” with the Common Core here in New York State. *Is this corporate produced workbook the result of a rush to market because of the lightspeed push to force the Common Core on classrooms across the Empire State? * For those outside of New York, our state used Common Core aligned State Assessments this spring even though most teachers have had little tr... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Voting Machines, Old and New by dianerav This is off-topic, since it is not about education. But, hey, it’s my blog and I am allowed now and then to think about other topics. I just read in the *New York Times* that New York City is planning to ditch its new electronic voting machines and go back to using the old lever-operated machines, first invented in 1890. The city has already spent $95 million on the electronic machines, and some critics said that it was wrong to revert to the old technology. The old ma... more »

Deepest Learning: Reading to Write & Writing to Learn « The Core Knowledge Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Deepest Learning: Reading to Write & Writing to Learn « The Core Knowledge Blog: Deepest Learning: Reading to Write & Writing to Learn by Lisa Hansel Where in Queens, NY, can you find second graders comparing the Olympics in ancient Greece with our modern games—and using that discussion as an opportunity to review the use of past and present verbs? Or third graders preparing travel guides on the Amazon, Orinoco, Nile, and Yellow rivers? What about essays by fourth graders on the Chinese painter and calligrapher Zhao Mengfu, small groups of fifth graders discussing the assassinatio... more »

Modern School: Latest Federal Data Confirm: College NOT Road to Prosperity

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Modern School: Latest Federal Data Confirm: College NOT Road to Prosperity: Latest Federal Data Confirm: College NOT Road to Prosperity by Michael Dunn College educated people do have higher incomes and lower unemployment rates, on average, than those who have not been to college. However, the goal of achieving prosperity by obtaining a college education is becoming less attainable and secure than ever before, primarily because of staggering levels of student debt and a stagnant labor market offering mostly low wage jobs in the service sector, but also because of growing competitio... more »

Developing Active Readers Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Student Voice: Developing Active Readers by Editor Admin *Repost from Edutopia by Rebecca Alber. With the end of the university year already here and with the high school year’s end rapidly approaching, what better topic to discuss than summer reading plans? * Adults forget all that they do while reading. We are predicting, making connections, contextualizing, critiquing, and already plotting how we might use any new insights or information. Yep, we do all that when we read. As teachers, we need to train students in each of these skills, and begin to do so early on. I was recently ... more »

Jeb Bush Talks Education At Mackinac, Pushes Michigan's Questionable Charter School Sector

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Jeb Bush Talks Education At Mackinac, Pushes Michigan's Questionable Charter School Sector: Jeb Bush Talks Education At Mackinac, Pushes Michigan's Questionable Charter School Sector by Joy Resmovits MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. -- Jeb Bush praised charter schools and slammed traditional public schools and teachers unions in a speech here Wednesday, saying that public education “dumbs down standards to make adults look better," a phrase often used by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "We must expand [school] choice," said Bush, delivering a keynote speech at the annual Mackinac... more »

State high court is skeptical of nurses' stance on school duties - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
State high court is skeptical of nurses' stance on school duties - latimes.com: State high court is skeptical of nurses' stance on school duties by By Maura Dolan [image: California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye] SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court appeared skeptical Wednesday of arguments that only licensed nurses may administer insulin injections and other medications to schoolchildren. During a hearing, several justices on the state high court questioned whether such requirements made sense. The California Nurses Assn. has argued that state law requires licensed nu... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Math Curriculum Update

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Math Curriculum Update: Math Curriculum Update by Melissa Westbrook From the Seattle Math Coalition: FYI, the district has changed their math adoption plan based on budget concerns. The proposed K-8 adoption which was supposed to be in classrooms in Fall of 2014 is now only a K-5 adoption, with 6-8 to be delayed for another year! This files in the face of common sense: 1) CMP2 is a train wreck for families without stellar teachers or family/tutor support 2) Despite a goal of a 7-year adoption cycle, the CMP2 materials are already at year ... more »

Horse Hockey | EduShyster

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Horse Hockey | EduShyster: Horse Hockey by edushyster2012 *An exclusive Michigan gathering attracts some high-profile education reformers—and more than a few flies.* Horse Hockey is defined as: 1. Horse excrement, horseshit. 2. (slang, euphemistic) False or deceitful statements; lies; exaggerations; nonsense. (a euphemism for*horseshit*) 3. A tall tale so extravagant as to be unbelievable 4. An expression of disbelief or disgust Welcome to beautiful Mackinac Island. Home to the annual Mackinac Policy Conference, this exclusive enclave is currently swarming with more t... more »

Jersey Jazzman: US Census Bureau: Most Charters Not "Public " Schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Jersey Jazzman: US Census Bureau: Most Charters Not "Public " Schools: US Census Bureau: Most Charters Not "Public " Schools by Duke *NOT a public school.* * * It's official: according to the US Census Bureau, most charter schools are not "public": Charter Schools The data in this report include only those charter schools established and administratively controlled by another government entity (e.g., universities, cities, counties, or public school systems). The data for these “public charter schools” are collected as separate, individual units, or are included with the data for t... more »

Smarter Balanced Practice Tests - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Smarter Balanced Practice Tests - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education): Smarter Balanced Practice Tests ------------------------------ The Smarter Balanced Practice Tests are now available for grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 in English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The Practice Tests provide a preview of the Smarter Balanced assessments, but do not reflect the full range of content that students may encounter on the actual assessments. As such, *the practice tests should not be used to guide instructional decisions about students*. Scoring keys are expected to be av... more »

Ed Notes Online: Video - Mayoral Debate on Education: The Winner is ..... Moderator Zakiyah Ansari

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Ed Notes Online: Video - Mayoral Debate on Education: The Winner is ..... Moderator Zakiyah Ansari: Video - Mayoral Debate on Education: The Winner is ..... Moderator Zakiyah Ansari by ed notes online Republished with full video coverage: No one was more impressive than Zakiyah who dominated the debate with her no-nonsense take charge approach. I guess many of the candidates did not know much about her but every single one of them took notice. Zakiayah for mayor. The press corps was massive due to Weiner -- a major victory for NY-GPS in getting him to show -- did they have to guara...more »














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