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
Protesting budget cuts, students march on City Hall | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes 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 - 12 minutes 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 - 15 minutes 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 - 1 hour 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 - 2 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 - 3 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 - 3 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 - 3 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Jeanne Allen Responds to Bruce Baker by dianerav After the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that the funding for vouchers was unconstitutional, Jeanne Allen urged Governor Jindal to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Bruce Baker chastised Allen and said she needed a civics lesson about how federalism works. Jeanne Allen responded here. In her response, she says that there were criticisms of her family on this blog. I did not see every comment, but nothing posted here referred to Jeanne’s family, o... more »
Ed Notes Online: Friday: Change the Stakes Meeting Focuses on Coming Field Test Boycott
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 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 - 4 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 - 5 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 - 5 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 - 5 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 - 5 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 - 5 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 - 6 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 hours 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 - 8 hours 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 - 8 hours 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 - 8 hours 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 - 8 hours 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 - 9 hours 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 »
Class Size & Funding Inequity in NY State & NY City | School Finance 101
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 - 10 hours 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 »
Leading the way in education – instead of following the failing neo liberal agenda – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Leading the way in education – instead of following the failing neo liberal agenda – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Leading the way in education – instead of following the failing neo liberal agenda by Activism in paradise - Voices from down under by Bruce HammondsReposted from Leading-Learning. ‘Education in America is at a crossroads’, writes American educator Yong-Zhao Ironically while China is busy trying to transform its test orientated education into a talent orientated system, writes Chinese born but now a respected American educator Yong- Zhao, America ( and now N... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Bill Gates's Ridiculous TED Talk, Part I
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Bill Gates's Ridiculous TED Talk, Part I: Bill Gates's Ridiculous TED Talk, Part I by Duke I didn't even have to go two minutes into this spiel by Bill Gates before he laid out a whopper so large it's simply stunning: (1:06) *Until recently, over 98% of teachers just got one word of feedback: "Satisfactory."* That is astonishingly wrong. *No teacher I've ever heard of ever got a one-word evaluation*. Every principal I've ever worked for has written multiple pages about my teaching when doing my summative evaluation. Principals are, in fact, *required* to give m... more »
UPDATE: collective bargaining what Olive Garden is to Italian food + Arne at the AERA + CTU election debate. Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
CTU election debate. The Brawl at the Electricians’ Hall. | Fred Klonsky: This deal is to collective bargaining what Olive Garden is to Italian food. by Fred Klonsky [image: olive-garden-never-ending-pasta-bowl] From those who have defended the deal between Cullerton and the *We Are One* coalition that led to SB2404, there has been a constant theme. They compare the process to collective bargaining. Well, folks. This process makes a mockery of collective bargaining. I was talking to a class of college students last night about teacher unions. Of the many things that makes collective b... more »
Ed Notes Online: When Davids Boo Goliaths Do They Lack Civility?
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: When Davids Boo Goliaths Do They Lack Civility?: When Davids Boo Goliaths Do They Lack Civility? by ed notes online *Civility is the last recourse of the powerful, those who can afford to appear civil because they hold all the power... * *The call for civility exposes a foundational problem with the current education reform debate because, for all practical purposes, there is no debate..... Paul Thomas, *A Call for Non-Cooperation. *I call for a moratorium on requests that we be civil to people bordering on criminality. Straddling the fence is not an option. You ... more »
Common Core test is on track, State Board told | EdSource Today
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Common Core test is on track, State Board told | EdSource Today: Common Core test is on track, State Board told - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Four states have encountered serious glitches and system meltdowns over the past several weeksas they have moved their own state assessments online. But the head of the state-led consortium creating the Common Core tests for California and two dozen other states expressed confidence Wednesday that his organization is working closely with states and taking precautions to avoid significant problems. [image: Willhoft,... more »
Teacher "Appreciation" - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Teacher "Appreciation" - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Teacher "Appreciation" by Nancy Flanagan It's 1993, at the Michigan Teacher of the Year celebration in Lansing, and I have just been awarded a lovely parting gift: a Digital 286 computer. It sits on a table in the front of the ballroom, beige and boxy, the 12-inch monitor scrolling "Nancy Flanagan, Michigan Teacher of the Year" in bright pink letters. I am thrilled. My first computer! The program lists the Lansing business that donated the computer to the TOY program, and their representative stood up fo... more »
Weingarten Wants Me to Want the Common Core State Standards | deutsch29
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Weingarten Wants Me to Want the Common Core State Standards | deutsch29: Weingarten Wants Me to Want the Common Core State Standards by deutsch29 When I was very young, three or four years old, I used to ride with my father as he drove his New Orleans city bus on its morning route. This was before the age of seat belts, and my father used to allow me to stand next to him and operate the money crank. Riders would put their fare in a glass-topped container; my father would verify the amount was correct, and then I was allowed to pull the handle so that the money would drop into a m... more »
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan Demagogy
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan Demagogy: Duncan Demagogy by Mike Klonsky In the world of ed politics, there are straight shooters and there are those who will say anything, depending on their audience. There's no better example of a straight shooter than *Jonathan Kozol,* who is being honored tonight by FairTest with the *Deborah W. Meier Heroes in Education Award *in recognition of his courageous activism. The event will be held at the Multicultural Arts Center, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at 41 Second Street, Cambridge, MA Duncan at AERAThen there's Sec. *Arne Duncan*, who came ... more »
Poverty and student achievement: Are we comparing the wrong groups?
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Poverty and student achievement: Are we comparing the wrong groups?: Poverty and student achievement: Are we comparing the wrong groups? Posted by Valerie Strauss on May 9, 2013 at 5:00 am 2 Comments More [image: apples] Earlier this week I published a piece by UCLA Professor and author Mike Rose titled, “Leave No Unwealthy Child Behind,” in which he discusses how economic inequality is reflected in educational achievement. Here’s a response from Robert Bligh, former general counsel of the Nebraska Association of School Boards. Bligh’s research interest involves the efficacy of the... more »
Louisiana Educator: White Still Muddying up the Narrative
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: White Still Muddying up the Narrative: White Still Muddying up the Narrative by Michael Deshotels On Oct 22 and Oct 25 of 2012, I wrote two posts for this blog about the "adjustment" of VAM by Supeintendent White to accommodate a select group of teachers as South Highlands Elementary, a highly selective magnet school in Shreveport. I pointed out at the time that this rush to fix the VAM for just a few teachers was a purely political maneuver to "take care" of one of Jindal's friends in the legislature. What I did not have at the time has now been supplied by in... more »
Education is a Common Good: There Should Be No Losers | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Education is a Common Good: There Should Be No Losers | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Education is a Common Good: There Should Be No Losers by Tarsi Dunlop While we live in a market-driven economy, where winning and wealth accumulation are desired outcomes, education advocates on all sides of the political aisle currently assert that public schools are failing our children, especially minorities and low-income students. Education is a common good; it is the stepping-stone through which students can make something better of their futures. Therefore, we should... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: More Reports on DESE Common Core Meetings
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: More Reports on DESE Common Core Meetings: More Reports on DESE Common Core Meetings by stlgretchen Whether or not you agree that people are paranoid about what Common Core will bring to Missouri, it is evident and irrefutable that the meetings were to be facilitated in the same manner. They were scripted and questions were not answered. Why would citizens take their time to attend meetings for information they could gather from DESE's website? Do you think citizens would take their time to attend a meeting if they knew none of their questions would ... more »
Privatizing Education in China The Politics eZine – Privatization | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Privatizing Education in China The Politics eZine – Privatization | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Privatizing Education in China The Politics eZine – Privatization by Danny Weil In this article Samuel Mao tracks the growth of neo-liberal education in China. Since this time, the criminal syndicate and blood bank for the Washington Post, Kaplan University has made inroads into the country ( http://www.kaplan.com/our-programs/higher-education/university-preparation-programs/asia/kaplan-china.aspx) (http://www.kaplanchina.com.cn/). Kapl... more »
Daily Kos: "The rebranding of the Republican Party is to a large degree the renaming of intolerance."
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Daily Kos: "The rebranding of the Republican Party is to a large degree the renaming of intolerance.": "The rebranding of the Republican Party is to a large degree the renaming of intolerance." by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) That is the final line of a brilliant column by Charles M. Blow that I discuss in Charles M. Blow gets it right, which because of that very unsexy title is apparently not drawing eyeballs. This diary points at that. That diary explores the Blow column and then points you at it. The KEY thing is, read his column. PEACE Charles M. Blow gets it right by rss@... more »
SI&A Cabinet Report – SBE challenges school accountability measurement, looks for options
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: SBE challenges school accountability measurement, looks for options *By Kimberly Beltran* Thursday, May 09, 2013 California’s State Board of Education raised some major red flags Wednesday over changes being considered to the state’s K-12 school accountability system, leaving in question the next steps for updating the system. Mike Kirst, board president, even questioned whether a revised API could continue to serve as a viable measuring tool. “In baseball, you have a batting average, you have a runs-batted-in average, you have an on-base per... more »
Jersey Jazzman: What's In a Name? Only Jeb! Bush Knows.
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: What's In a Name? Only Jeb! Bush Knows.: What's In a Name? Only Jeb! Bush Knows. by Duke Hanna Skandera is now the head chief of Jeb Bush!'s reformy group, Chiefs For Change. And she's decided to celeberate by snatching up a title that was not conferred on her by law: Hanna Skandera, one of most controversial figures in state government, has given herself a new title. *Even without the New Mexico Senate's vote of approval, Skandera is calling herself secretary of public education. * It would seem a not-so-subtle dig at a Democrat in the Senate who waited two ye... more »
A Hockey Game Breaks Out at PS 154 in the Bronx.southbronxschool.com
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: A Hockey Game Breaks Out at PS 154 in the Bronx by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) We here at SBSB are admitted Trekkies. We have also had a chill go down our collective spines when either Captain Kirk or Captain Picard always take the ultimate responsibility for the actions and decisions of not only their crews, but the second in commands as well. And that is how it should always be. Just like the Skipper and Gilligan, Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-Along, Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Fife, Gomer and Goober, the Captain and Tennille, Steve Douglas and ... more »
The Campaign for College Opportunity :: Working Hard, Left Behind
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
The Campaign for College Opportunity :: Working Hard, Left Behind: Working Hard, Left BehindEducation as a pathway from poverty to prosperity for working Californians *[image: Working_Hard_Left_Behing_thumbnail.jpg]* Working Hard, Left Behind: Education as a pathway from poverty to prosperity is a new report commissioned by The Campaign for College Opportunity, in partnership with the Women’s Foundation of California and Working Poor Families project. The report details the economic state of California’s low-income adults and finds that low educational attainment is the one common... more »
State working poor lack education opportunities, report says - latimes.com
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
State working poor lack education opportunities, report says - latimes.com: State working poor lack education opportunities, report says by By Carla Rivera California has the highest number of working poor families in the nation, but the state does an ineffective job of providing educational opportunities to boost them out of poverty, according to a new report released Wednesday. The report, Working Hard, Left Behind, found that the state has the largest number of adults without a high school diploma or equivalent and ranks last among states in the percentage of low-income workin... more »
Everybody has dreams. I’m asking you to make a donation. | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Everybody has dreams. I’m asking you to make a donation. | Fred Klonsky: Everybody has dreams. I’m asking you to make a donation. by Fred Klonsky You rarely have seen me ask for money. Once in a while like when a massive human disaster strikes I will do what others do and link to sites where money can be sent. But today I’m asking you to consider making a donation to *The International Dreamers Scholarship Fund.* Take a minute and read about it. If you can see your way clear to contribute, that would be a good thing. *Everybody has dreams. Some people work hard and make their dre... more »
Elizabeth Warren: Student Loans Should Have Same Rate Big Banks Get
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Elizabeth Warren: Student Loans Should Have Same Rate Big Banks Get: Elizabeth Warren: Student Loans Should Have Same Rate Big Banks Get WASHINGTON -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) unveiled her first bill Wednesday, designed to set student loan interest rates at the same level the Federal Reserve offers to big banks. With some student loan rates set to double on July 1 -- from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent -- Warren's bill would reduce student loan interest rates to 0.75 percent, opening the Fed's discount window to students. "Every single day, this country invests in big banks by l... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Charters = Wal-Mart
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Charters = Wal-Mart: Charters = Wal-Mart by Duke Laura Waters - a local school board president herself - does not want to give local boards veto power over charter schools expanding into their districts. To make her case, she badly mangles a metaphor: Education Sector notes that school boards “are often hostile to charter schools, which compete with them for students, funds, and prestige,” adding that “state charter laws that allow only local school boards to authorize charters,” with no appeals process, “can result in very few charter schools in that state.” A ... more »
Buena Vista School District Closed For Third Day; Fired Teachers File For Unemployment
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Buena Vista School District Closed For Third Day; Fired Teachers File For Unemployment: Buena Vista School District Closed For Third Day; Fired Teachers File For Unemployment by Joy Resmovits The deathwatch over a tiny school district in Michigan continues as its schools remain closed. Despite teachers' offers to work for free for at least a week, schools in the Buena Vista School District will remain closed for the third consecutive day Thursday because the district has run out of money. On Monday, the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week, the district laid off everyone except... more »
The school model that's good enough for President Obama and Mayor Emanuel | Ben Joravsky on Politics | Chicago Reader
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
The school model that's good enough for President Obama and Mayor Emanuel | Ben Joravsky on Politics | Chicago Reader: *The school model that's good enough for President Obama and Mayor Emanuel *The prestigious University of Chicago Lab Schools respect and reward teachers—so why can't the public schools? By Ben Joravsky @joravben [image: University of Chicago Lab Schools parent Barack Obama, graduate Arne Duncan, and parent Rahm Emanuel] University of Chicago Lab Schools parent Barack Obama, graduate Arne Duncan, and parent Rahm Emanuel AP PHOTO/CHARLES DHARAPAK; AP PHOTO/JACQUELYN MAR... more »
What happens after the tests are over? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
What happens after the tests are over? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: What happens after the tests are over? by Chalk Face, PhD [image: spirit]Apparently, “Spirit Week!” Wait, isn’t learning supposed to be fun ALL YEAR ROUND? I guess not. Can we also think of new things to do in schools on these Spirit Days? I remember them as a teacher and an entire grade level wearing the same color really isn’t all that fun. Maybe I’m being too cynical. But I remember Field Days at the end of the year. Classes had to pick a country. I recall teachers practically running down to the o... more »
Immersion or segregation? Trost Elementary becomes a language-immersion-only school | OregonLive.com
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Immersion or segregation? Trost Elementary becomes a language-immersion-only school | OregonLive.com: Immersion or segregation? Trost Elementary becomes a language-immersion-only school by Heather Steeves, The Oregonian [image: trost3.jpg]CANBY -- Trost Elementary kindergartener Brisa Vega, 6, looks on as her friend Paola Cabello, 6, paints an octopus. The girls are among hundreds of children enrolled in Trost's dual language immersion program, where students learn to speak both Spanish and English. Next year Trost will become a magnet school and will only use the language immersi... more »
Bill Gates' TED Talk: Are Video Cameras the Missing Link? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Bill Gates' TED Talk: Are Video Cameras the Missing Link? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Bill Gates' TED Talk: Are Video Cameras the Missing Link? by Anthony Cody I watched Bill Gates' TED Talk last night, to hear him explain why we should spend $5 billion to put video cameras in every classroom in the nation. But before I get to what he said, I want to share some of the wisdom that preceded him. Rita Pierson starts us off with a bang, speaking of how human relationships are the prerequisite for learning. Kids don't learn from people they don't like. Apologize... ... more »
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » My Kid and Our Kids
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » My Kid and Our Kids: My Kid and Our Kids by alicemercer Recent news has focused on the educational choices that those on both sides of the education reform debate have made with their own kids. My first discomfort with this is the disclosure of the actual schools these children are attending. Given the high profile of both these ladies, and the animus they generate, as a teacher I worry about having information that specific (the actual schools) out there. I’m a firm believer that one should not bear the burden of ones parents, most espec... more »
NYC Educator: Reformy John and the Magic Mirror
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Educator: Reformy John and the Magic Mirror: Reformy John and the Magic Mirror by NYC Educator Every day Reformy John King peered into his magic mirror and asked, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the reformiest one of all?" Inevitably the mirror would answer, "You're reformy, this I like, but reformier still is Emperor Mike." Reformy John was sad. What can I do to be as reformy as Emperor Mike, he wondered. And furthermore, does an emperor outrank a king? Despite these illuminating ruminations, every morning it was the same. "Reformy yes, this you can do, but Mike's reformie... more »
UPDATE: We’re Going on a “DIG”! + Real News Report on Rhee and the Epidemic of Test Cheating – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Real News Report on Rhee and the Epidemic of Test Cheating – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: We’re Going on a “DIG”! by antiqueteacher60 It’s time to do some “digging for artifacts”! In order for my District to evaluate my performance on Domain 4 of the Danielson Rubric. I must produce 2 pieces of EVIDENCE of each of the following: 1. Reflection on Teaching 2. Maintaining Accurate Records 3. Communicating with Families 4. Participating in a Professional Community 5. Growing and Developing Real News Report on Rhee and the Epidemic of Test Cheating by Jim Horn From a coupl... more »
Subtracting to Add | Taking Note
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Subtracting to Add | Taking Note: Subtracting to Add by John Merrow The first time I heard this big idea was in a conversation with Zell Miller, the gruff former Senator from Georgia, in the fall of 2002. His quote didn’t make our documentary, “The Promise of Preschool,” but he basically said that, if he had his way, he would get rid of 12th grade and spend the money on free, universal, high quality preschool. At the time, Georgia was leading the nation in providing preschool, and it’s still near the top of the list. But Georgia and every other state and territory still have 12th ... more »
Virginia second-graders suspended for pointing pencils at each other
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Virginia second-graders suspended for pointing pencils at each other: Virginia second-graders suspended for pointing pencils at each other Posted by Valerie Strauss on May 8, 2013 at 3:42 pm 7 Comments More [image: pencils]Have you heard about the two 7-year-old boys who were suspended from their Suffolk County, Va. school for pointing pencils at each other while making shooting sounds? One boy was pretending to be a Marine and the other a bad guy. There is a zero tolerance policy in the school system and so, the second-graders had to stay home for two days instead of go to class at ... more »
Day of the Teacher 2013 - California Teachers Association
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Day of the Teacher 2013 - California Teachers Association: *Hover mouse over poster to share.* To download a wallpaper of the California Day of the Teacher poster, select your screen resolution width:1024, 1280, 1600, 1920, 2048. California Teachers: Honoring our past. Guiding the future. TODAY we mark the 31st anniversary of California’s Day of the Teacher. To honor teachers and the150th anniversary of CTA, we have chosen “*California Teachers: Honoring our Past, Guiding the Future*” as this year’s theme. CTA has been making a positive impact on education for 150 years now. Our vic... more »
UPDATE: Jason Richwine is even too racist for his bosses at the wing-nut Heritage Foundation. But not too racist to support Rahm’s school closings. | Fred Klonsky
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Jason Richwine is even too racist for his bosses at the wing-nut Heritage Foundation. But not too racist to support Rahm’s school closings. | Fred Klonsky: Jason Richwine is even too racist for his bosses at the wing-nut Heritage Foundation. But not too racist to support Rahm’s school closings. by Fred Klonsky Popout*Jason Richwine of the Heritage Foundation with Michael Klonsky and Jitu Brown last March.* Jason Richwine? *I know that name.* Oh, right. He was involved in a March televised discussion with my brother and Jitu Brown, Chicago schools and community activist. Representing... more »
Diane in the Evening 5-8-13 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: Will the Children of Buena Vista Go Without an Education? by dianerav The public schools of Buena Vista are closed. The teachers offered to work for free, but they were rebuffed. Some have filed for unemployment. The children are out of school, and no one knows when school will open again. Or if it will. Joy Resnovits is following this story on Huffington Post. Buena Vista is a town that got left behind when the American auto industry collapsed. Michigan in a Nutshell by dianerav A comment on the blog about the... more »
#Edchat: Why & How | My Island View
mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
#Edchat: Why & How | My Island View: #Edchat: Why & How by tomwhitby Each Sunday afternoon there are five Topic questions posted on a poll to determine which will be selected as that week’s #Edchat Topic. There are two #Edchat discussions each Tuesday on Twitter, so the top two topics selected by the poll become the topics of the chats. The number two choice goes at noon, Eastern Time, and the number one selection goes at 7 PM, Eastern Time. The larger audience is the 7 PM Chat. If you did not know it before, I am the person responsible for making up the #Edchat Topic questions ... more »
