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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 6-19-13 AM Posts #edreform #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



Modern School: Are Humans Getting Dumber (or is it Just Journalists and Sociobiologists?)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
Modern School: Are Humans Getting Dumber (or is it Just Journalists and Sociobiologists?): Are Humans Getting Dumber (or is it Just Journalists and Sociobiologists?) by Michael Dunn Human intelligence is on the decline, according to the Huffington Post, writing about a recent study suggesting that westerners have lost 14 I.Q. points since the Victorian Era. Study co-author, Dr. Jan te Nijenhuis, professor of work and organizational psychology at the University of Amsterdam, says that because women of higher intelligence tend to have fewer childrenthan do women of lower intelligence... more »

Karen Lewis to the City Club of Chicago: On baseball and budgets. “When I was a kid, I used to dream that one day I’d play right along-side Minnie Minoso or Sandy Koufax.” | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
Karen Lewis to the City Club of Chicago: On baseball and budgets. “When I was a kid, I used to dream that one day I’d play right along-side Minnie Minoso or Sandy Koufax.” | Fred Klonsky: Karen Lewis to the City Club of Chicago: On baseball and budgets. “When I was a kid, I used to dream that one day I’d play right along-side Minnie Minoso or Sandy Koufax.” by Fred Klonsky [image: baseball and budgets] Here is the full text of CTU President Karen Lewis’s great speech to the City Club of Chicago. *“Let me say I told you in the beginning that I love baseball. But in 1969 I fell out o... more »

Perdido Street School: NYCDOE Loses State Tests, Punishes Students With Summer School

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago
Perdido Street School: NYCDOE Loses State Tests, Punishes Students With Summer School: NYCDOE Loses State Tests, Punishes Students With Summer School by reality-based educator This is outrageous: A Brooklyn intermediate school flunked an entire eighth-grade class and told the kids they’d have to attend summer school — because bungling education officials lost their state English exams, The Post has learned. Panicked 13- and 14-year-olds at IS 227 in Bensonhurst said their dreams of a fun summer were dashed yesterday when they were handed letters that barred them from attending th... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Mark NAISON on the New BTA: Yes, You Too Can Join by dianerav Several people wrote to say that membership in the highly distinguished Badass Teachers Association was closed, that they applied and were turned down. This seemed unlikely to me, given the group’s desire to spread, so I contacted its founder Mark NAISON and asked him if there was a glitch. I also asked him if he could create a website for those who are not on Facebook. Here is his response (for some... more »

6-19-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] Breaking Non-News! The Rise of Poverty and the Fall of the Middle Class Affect Schools by Jim Horn The next time you see the world’s richest corporation, Exxon Mobil, trying to use school bashing to divert attention away from their obscene wealth, minimal tax rate, job export plan, and climate change denial positions, be reminded of the other facts that help us understand what may have contributed to our international test score positions–25th […] Teaching in Dystopia: The Common Corpse by plthomasedd Offred (June) in Margar... more »

Louisiana Educator: School Grading System a Farce

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Louisiana Educator: School Grading System a Farce: School Grading System a Farce by Michael Deshotels The school grading system in Louisiana is a farce. It results in the stigmatizing and unfair condemnation of professional educators, the constant uprooting of innocent children from educationally nurturing environments, transfers from one failed charter to another, the use of gifted and talented to boost grades, the shunning of students with disabilities to boost scores and generally all manner of manipulations that have nothing to do with education. There is no way to fix the gra... more »

National Council on Teacher Quality report is deeply flawed | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
National Council on Teacher Quality report is deeply flawed | EdSource Today: National Council on Teacher Quality report is deeply flawed - by Linda Darling-Hammond / commentary by Linda Darling-Hammond / commentary This week, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) issued a report, *NCTQ Teacher Prep Review*. Billed as a consumer’s guide, the report rates teacher preparation programs on a list of criteria ranging from selection and content preparation to coursework and student teaching aimed at the development of teaching skills. While the report appropriately focuses on t... more »

A ‘reform-to-English’ dictionary

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
A ‘reform-to-English’ dictionary: A ‘reform-to-English’ dictionary By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 19, 2013 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer 1 Comments More [image: (Merriam-Webster Inc. )] (Merriam-Webster Inc. ) If it’s sometimes hard to understand the world of school reform, it’s no wonder, given that things don’t always mean what their names or titles suggest. Here by way of explanation is a “reformy-to-English” glossary by Karen McKeegan Fraid, a public school parent and volunteer in Chicago. You can follow her on Twitter @*KarenMFraid. *The following is an edited version of her... more »

No Child Left Behind Act At Center Of House Hearing, Sparring Philosophies

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
No Child Left Behind Act At Center Of House Hearing, Sparring Philosophies: No Child Left Behind Act At Center Of House Hearing, Sparring Philosophies by Joy Resmovits [image: no child left behind act] John Kline is frustrated. The Republican representative from Minnesota and chair of the House Education Committee says his constituents have been telling him for years of the federal government's intrusion into their classrooms. "I've been hearing ... for years now that the current system does not give them the ability to move money where they need it," he told The Huffington Post i... more »

Is DA's case against APS educators collapsing? | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Is DA's case against APS educators collapsing? | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Get Schooled: Is DA's case against APS educators collapsing? View Larger [image: Former Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall photo] KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC Former Atlanta schools Superintendent Beverly Hall was the leader of a corrupt organization that used students’ test scores to earn bonuses if they rose, or intimidation and termination if they fell, according to a 65-count indictment returned March 29, 2013. Previous Posts - Employers can teach workers technology. They can't "teach them to ... more »

Put On Your Hip Boots: NCTQ Is At It Again. | deutsch29

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Put On Your Hip Boots: NCTQ Is At It Again. | deutsch29: Put On Your Hip Boots: NCTQ Is At It Again. by deutsch29 Today, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released its “first ever” “comprehensive” report to the American public “with *US News and World Report* as publisher.” And according to the NCTQ press release, the results of this sure-to-be-high quality report are “dismal.” Actually, what is “dismal” is how incredibly lame this report is. NCTQ believes that it can sell the American public a piece of propaganda so blatantly foolish that the public would have no cho... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Charter News Comes With Questions

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Charter News Comes With Questions: Washington State Charter News Comes With Questions by Melissa Westbrook Over the Washington State Charter Schools Association, they announced the "*members of the inaugural Washington State Charter Leader Cohort." * What's striking to me? 1) "...*over two dozen applicants in a national search.*" Two dozen over the entire country? That's all? Boy, I would have thought they would have droves. After all, this is what they get: *Cohort members will receive coaching on writing a charter school a... more »

Another Casualty of Excessive Testing: Great Teachers | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Another Casualty of Excessive Testing: Great Teachers | toteachornototeach: Another Casualty of Excessive Testing: Great Teachers by aristotlethewise Another Casualty of Excessive Testing: Great Teachers by Elaine Weiss Signs that standardized tests are overused and misused continue to emerge. State and local affiliates of Parents Across America host webinars on the ills of testing and “zombie” rallies, and parent members are opting increasing numbers of their children out of the tests. FairTest’s National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing has garnered over 11,000 individual and 400... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: NCTQ 'study' of teacher prep programs is good for something...

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: NCTQ 'study' of teacher prep programs is good for something...: NCTQ 'study' of teacher prep programs is good for something... by Mike Klonsky Darling-HammondYesterday, on my Schooling in the Ownership Society blog, I wrote a sharply critical review of the new so-called "study" by NCTQ, of the nation's ed schools. The group, led by a gaggle of corporate-reform types, follows *Arne Duncan's* lead in lambasting nearly all teacher preparation programs, labeling them as "an industry of mediocrity," that churns out teachers ill-prepared to work in elementar... more »

LAUSD passes guidelines for Parent Trigger, seeks law's repeal - LA Daily News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
LAUSD passes guidelines for Parent Trigger, seeks law's repeal - LA Daily News: LAUSD passes guidelines for Parent Trigger, seeks law's repeal by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer Following a ruckus over the use of the Parent Trigger law at two Los Angeles Unified schools, the board set guidelines Tuesday for to better deal with efforts to handle the takeover and transformation of low-achieving campuses. The resolution by board member Steve Zimmer requires the district to independently verify the signatures and how they're gathered by Parent Revolution, the group that helps to organiz... more »

Why So Serious? [On Demeanors In The Classroom] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Why So Serious? [On Demeanors In The Classroom] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Why So Serious? [On Demeanors In The Classroom] by Jose Vilson [image: Serious cat.] Serious cat. “Why are you so serious all the time, Mr. Vilson?” The students just finished giving me my student evaluations, something I thought I’d try this year, but probably waited too long in the year to do. “Well, it depends …” And before I could finish, my co-teacher put me on blast by saying that it depends on the situation. The yearbook has a picture of me smiling for the first time all year, sometime during ... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 6-18-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE* * * *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* Review of Khan Academy’s “American History Overview Part 1: Jamestown to Civil War” by ldorazio1 Popout I had not been a huge fan of Khan Academy. Even before I started working with one of its competitors, I generally took a dim view of anyone that though they could do better than a teacher with just a computer and a voice recorder. However, Salman Khan’s little creation, originally meant to help his own cousin in math, has been a founding father of today’s explosion in virtual pedagogy. Practically every... more »

Diane in the Evening 6-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Michael Feuer: The Flaws of the NCTQ Report by dianerav Some in the mainstream media have given credence to the report of the Nationsl Council on Teacher Education about teacher preparation. They should have talked to some of the institutions that were graded before venturing an opinion. In this post, Dean Michael Feuer of the George Washington University School of Education explains how far wrong the report was about his school, its programs, and its students. Robert Skeels Attends a pRev Meet and Greet by dia... more »

Big Education Ape - SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 6-18-13 #soschat #edreform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* Testing reform in the news: June 6-12, 2013 by ed notes online From Fair Test: Many major stories about assessment reform progress this week -- Texas significantly reduces standardized exam mandates; a rally in Albany opposes testing overkill, and major national groups call for a moratorium on Common Core tests. All our weekly newsblasts are posted on the web at http://www.fairtest.org/news/other - this one will be up shortly. Texas Governor Signs Bill Eliminating Two-Thirds of Required High-Stakes Exams http://blog.chron.com/texaspolit... more »

Reflecting on Technology — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Reflecting on Technology — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Chuck Bloch]Reflecting on Technology June 18, 2013 by Chuck Bloch I am a school principal. And I turned 50 recently. I know, it's just a number, but on watershed moments like these I find myself a bit more reflective than normal. Among many things, I have been thinking about how things have changed in my working life. I taught in the classroom for 11 years and have been in administration for 15 years now, and I can honestly say that it has been a great career so far. So many great people to work with and ... more »

AFT - NCTQ’s Review of Teacher Preparation Programs Needs Improvement

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
AFT - A Union of Professionals - NCTQ’s Review of Teacher Preparation Programs Needs Improvement: NCTQ's Review of Teacher Preparation Programs Needs Improvement *AFT's Weingarten: "It's disappointing that for something as important as strengthening teacher preparation programs, NCTQ chose to use the gimmick of a four-star rating system without using professionally accepted standards, visiting any of the institutions or talking with any of the graduates."* *WASHINGTON—*Statement by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on the National Council on Teacher Qualit... more »

Arne Duncan: Common Core Transition Will Give States More Time To Make Evaluations Count

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Arne Duncan: Common Core Transition Will Give States More Time To Make Evaluations Count: Arne Duncan: Common Core Transition Will Give States More Time To Make Evaluations Count by Joy Resmovits [image: Arne Duncan Common Core] In what some see as a tacit recognition of the Obama administration's overreach into nitty-gritty management of America's schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will give states a reprieve from certain aspects of teacher evaluations' consequences and the new wave of testing tied to the Common Core. Duncan said Tuesday that he will allow the firs... more »

Don’t just test … Don’t just teach #BeABadAss | Continuing Change

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Don’t just test … Don’t just teach #BeABadAss | Continuing Change: Don’t just test … Don’t just teach #BeABadAss by gatorbonbc Popout Back in 67, the year I was born, there were some bad ass young folks speaking up all around the streets of America – this song represented the resistance. Today, those same bad asses are not just kids anymore; they are wiser and stronger. And, they have joined

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Another attack aimed at colleges of education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Another attack aimed at colleges of education: Another attack aimed at colleges of education by Mike Klonsky That great "revolutionary" thinker Arne Duncan, set the stage back in '09, when he discredited all colleges of education, labeling them as "mediocre" and calling for "revolutionary change—not evolutionary tinkering." Now the National Council on Teacher Quality has taken Duncan's cue and has come out with what it's calling "the first comprehensive review" of university-based teacher ed programs, which it labels as "an industry of mediocr... more »

NYC Educator: UFT on Evaluation System

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
NYC Educator: UFT on Evaluation System: UFT on Evaluation System by NYC Educator On Sunday I posted about the new evaluation system, and about how effective ratings started at 9 according to NYS statute, but started at 15 in Reformy John's decree. Today I spoke to a UFT source, who told be this was not accurate, because we start with 13. When I asked what that meant, he said if we reached the target, which was 60%, we would get the 13 points. My source was not able to answer my question---60% of what. My source was also unaware whether this 13-point head start applied to state, loc... more »

Parents United statement on proposed education funds from City Council | Parents United for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Parents United statement on proposed education funds from City Council | Parents United for Public Education: Parents United statement on proposed education funds from City Council by parentsunitedphila This is a defining moment for public education in the City of Philadelphia. Never has so much been on the line – from thousands of essential jobs for Philadelphians to fundamental educational programs and services. In the past month, thousands of Philadelphians have marched at City Hall and lobbied City Council on behalf of supporting Philadelphia public schools and the children wh...more »

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS, STUDENTS RALLY AT STATE CAPITOL IN SUPPORT OF SUMMER LEARNING FOR NATIONAL SUMMER LEARNING DAY

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Home | Summer Matters: *CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS, STUDENTS RALLY AT STATE CAPITOL IN SUPPORT OF SUMMER LEARNING FOR NATIONAL SUMMER LEARNING DAY* State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, California Legislators, School District Leaders, Students and Civic Leaders Rally for Expanded Access to High Quality Summer Learning Programs at *“Reading Rocks! National Summer Learning Day Read-In @ the California State Capitol”* *Media & VIP Event* *WHAT: H**undreds of California students, educators, parents and school district and civic leaders will take to the steps of the Cali... more »

Remedial Education: Federal Education Policy - Council on Foreign Relations

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Remedial Education: Federal Education Policy - Council on Foreign Relations: Remedial Education: Federal Education PolicyProgress Report and Scorecard [image: Remedial Education: Federal Education Policy - remedial-education-federal-education-policy] Download Now PublisherCouncil on Foreign Relations Press Release DateJune 2013 26 pages Share 131[image: Share] 96[image: Tweet] Overview The U.S. education system is not as internationally competitive as it used to be; in fact, the United States has slipped ten spots in both high school and college graduation rates over the past three d... more »

New problems with New York’s teacher evaluation plan found

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
New problems with New York’s teacher evaluation plan found: New problems with New York’s teacher evaluation plan found By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 18, 2013 at 1:22 pmE-mail the writer APPR [image: ap]Here’s a new post from award-winning Principal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York about the state’s controversial new educator evaluation system. Burris has for more than a year chronicled on this blog (she calls it Star Wars here, and other things here and here and here, for example) the implementation of the system, which ignores research by using student stan... more »

Perdido Street School: How Is This Guy Still Running A School?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Perdido Street School: How Is This Guy Still Running A School?: How Is This Guy Still Running A School? by reality-based educator Just another example of how principals in Bloomberg's NYCDOE can do pretty much anything: New York City investigators are probing a Bible-quoting school principal who sources say threatened to don “a vest like the terrorists” and blow up faculty at his Bronx middle school, the Daily News has learned. Neifi Juan Acosta, 56, made the frightening remark at a post-Hurricane Sandy meeting Nov. 2 at Intermediate School 232, according to several staff members... more »

Common Core Generates Catholic Concerns | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Common Core Generates Catholic Concerns | Truth in American Education: Common Core Generates Catholic Concerns by Shane Vander Hart [image: St. Joseph's Catholic Church and School - Wapakoneta, OH]Charlotte Hays of the *National Catholic Register*had a piece up on how the Common Core State Standards are becoming the cause of concern within Catholic circles. She writes: Catholic schools and dioceses across the country will have to decide whether to adopt the CCSS. Although the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) isn’t endorsing the controversial Common Core State Standard... more »

Debunking the ‘Reform’ Agenda | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Debunking the ‘Reform’ Agenda | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Debunking the ‘Reform’ Agenda by National School Boards Association *By Thomas J. Gentzel, Executive Director, National School Boards Association (NSBA)* No human enterprise is perfect, and we all are capable of improving. That’s especially true when an institution faces continuing challenges and new demands. Such is the case with public education, which has undergone many transformations since it was established -- from its early agrarian roots, through the Industrial Revolution, two world wars, th... more »

Stripping schools to the bone | SocialistWorker.org

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Stripping schools to the bone | SocialistWorker.org: Stripping schools to the bone Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is ready for the next stage in his cruel war on public education--and students and teachers will pay the price, writes Lee Sustar. June 18, 2013 [image: Students protest Emanuel's plan to close dozens of Chicago elementary schools (Sarah-ji)]Students protest Emanuel's plan to close dozens of Chicago elementary schools (Sarah-ji) AFTER CLAIMING that closing 50 elementary schools will improve the quality of public education, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) officials are preparing ... more »

Education reform industry becomes cash cow for former Malloy aide - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Education reform industry becomes cash cow for former Malloy aide - Wait, What?: Education reform industry becomes cash cow for former Malloy aide by jonpelto When Roy Occhiogrosso left his job as Governor Malloy’s $160,000 a- year-advisor and mouth-piece late last year, he re-joined Global Strategy Group, a political consulting firm that had worked on Malloy’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign. And with that move, the education reform industry’s cash started pouring into Occhiogrosso’s company. In just the last few months, Occhiogrosso and Global Strategies Group have signed contracts w... more »

UPDATE The Board Evaluation Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Superintendent Says No to Half-Days/Waivers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Superintendent Says No to Half-Days/Waivers: The Board Evaluation by Melissa Westbrook The evaluation was requested by the Board itself. It was done by the Mercer Island Group and they apparently did interviews with the Board and Cabinet (with an additional online survey of the Board) but it is unclear to me what questions they asked or if they just used an attribute list for the respondents to vote on and then, asked for their comments. (Also, Appendix Four isn't quite clear as to who made the statements in this section.) (The c... more »

Kate Walsh, the NCTQ and US World and World Report | Seattle Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Kate Walsh, the NCTQ and US World and World Report | Seattle Education: Kate Walsh, the NCTQ and US World and World Report by seattleducation2011 Reblogged from Seattle Education: On the news wires this week, *U.S. News & World Report and the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) announce today the launch of a landmark survey. The survey will consist of more than 1,000 schools of education across the country. Unprecedented in its scope and comprehensiveness, the project will rate the quality of teacher preparation programs from which more than 200,000 new teachers graduate e... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: CTC backs teacher misconduct bill California’s standards board for educator training and professional conduct added its support to legislation that would rewrite the rules implementingsanctions against school officials who fail to report changes in an employee’s work status while an allegation of misconduct is pending. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing backed AB 449 by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, after the author dropped a provision that would have eliminated existing criminal penalties for a principal, teacher, employee or ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, June 18, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991]Horizon Charter School faces board vote amid complaints Education Headlines *Tuesday, June 18, 2013* Horizon Charter School faces board vote amid complaintsThe fate of Horizon Charter School and its 2,700 students is in the hands of Western Placer Unified's school board after allegations of fiscal mismanagement and complaints from parents. Capo Unified prepares for influx of studentsA new campus serving kindergartners through eighth-graders is likely to be the first schoo... more »

Mother Crusader: Step Right Up For Phase Two Of The New Jersey Charter Circus!!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Mother Crusader: Step Right Up For Phase Two Of The New Jersey Charter Circus!!: Welcome To Phase Two Of The New Jersey Charter Circus!! by darciecima Step right up ladies and gentlemen! The NJDOE announced yesterday which charter applications will move on in the application process! Thirteen have been invited to submit Phase Two applications in July, including the two I wrote about back in April. FOC Pastor McDuffieFormer Assemblyman Gerald Luongo's Creative Visions Charter School and "Friend of Christie" (FOC) Pastor Michael McDuffie's Mathematical Innovation Generates Higher Tec... more »

It’s Time For the PWC BOCS to Lead | PWC Education Reform Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
It’s Time For the PWC BOCS to Lead | PWC Education Reform Blog: It’s Time For the PWC BOCS to Lead by pwceducationreform In 2006 voters authorized Prince William County to issue $11 million in bonds to make improvements to park facilities in the county. Among the improvements residents wanted was an expansion of the swimming lanes at the Chinn Center. The expansion never happened, nor did any of the other promised improvements. The county reportedly issued the bonds in 2011, though no one I’ve asked seems to have any clue what the bonds were actually used for. We’re 7 years pas... more »

The Central Hypocrisy of the NCTQ Teacher Prep Institution Ratings | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Central Hypocrisy of the NCTQ Teacher Prep Institution Ratings | School Finance 101: The Central Hypocrisy of the NCTQ Teacher Prep Institution Ratings by schoolfinance101 [image: NCTQ] I’ve already written about this topic in the past. But, given that NCTQ has just come out with their *really, really big *new ratings of teacher preparation institutions… with their primary objective of declaring teacher prep by traditional colleges and universities in the U.S. a massive failure, I figured I should once again revisit why the NCTQ ratings are, in general, methodologically inept &... more »

UPDATE: The Madman blinks. + The in box. Pension reform. What is the moral basis for it? | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The in box. Pension reform. What is the moral basis for it? | Fred Klonsky: The Madman blinks. by Fred Klonsky [image: kent-wallis-lady-jane-grey-queen-for-nine-days-is-beheaded-at-the-tower-of-london-on-charges-of-treason_i-G-17-1753-L5S3D00Z-1] There will be no votes taken on any pension bill tomorrow. Let’s take a second and review what happened leading up to today. In the General Assembly session that ended the end of May, nothing happened. Madigan ordered his House to pass SB1, a pension bomb so punitive to state employees that it would make Alcatraz look like an all-inclusive reso... more »

Minority Kids With Autism Less Likely to Use Specialty Services: Study - US News and World Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Minority Kids With Autism Less Likely to Use Specialty Services: Study - US News and World Report: Minority Kids With Autism Less Likely to Use Specialty Services: StudyCompared to white children, black and Hispanic patients may be missing out on certain types of careJune 17, 2013 RSS Feed Print *By Maureen Salamon* *HealthDay Reporter* MONDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Black and Hispanic children with autism are markedly less likely than children from white families to receive specialty care for complications tied to the disorder, a new study finds. Researchers from Massachusetts ...more »

Modern School: Nanny State Gone Wild—More Stupid Rules to Make School More Unpleasant

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Modern School: Nanny State Gone Wild—More Stupid Rules to Make School More Unpleasant: Nanny State Gone Wild—More Stupid Rules to Make School More Unpleasant by Michael Dunn Image from Flickr, by KazVorpal Last week, in her column “The Answer Sheet,” Valerie Straus listed “eight weird things schools banned this year.” Some of the bans were absurd overreactions to freak accidents that were unlikely to ever occur again and that could be averted much more simply through greater caution by students and teachers. For example, frilly socks were banned at Kingshold Primary School in Glouc... more »

The Common Core Loses This Teacher's Support - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Common Core Loses This Teacher's Support - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: The Common Core Loses This Teacher's Support by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Katie Lapham.* *In April I carried a guest post written by New York City elementary teacher Katie Lapham, expressing support for the Common Core standards, but opposing the tests attached to them. Since then, Ms. Lapham has shifted her views. She explains:* When I first learned about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) two or so years ago, I didn't question their implementation. I've always preferred designing my... more »

NEA Provides Educators with Guidance on Preventing Workplace Bullying | NEA Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NEA Provides Educators with Guidance on Preventing Workplace Bullying | NEA Today: NEA Provides Educators with Guidance on Preventing Workplace Bullying by twalker *By Cindy Long* Kim Werner’s former principal was identified by her union as the most abusive principal in the district. “He has been targeting educators for fifteen years,” she says. “He lies. He coerces. He intimidates. He screams and uses profanities.” And he’s still a principal, while Werner is now an Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Trainer. After a year and a half of constant abuse, Werner took medical leave and ... more »











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