Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 6-27-13 AM Posts #edreform #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

Thoughts for Summer: Aspirations, Not Requirements - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago

Thoughts for Summer: Aspirations, Not Requirements - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Thoughts for Summer: Aspirations, Not Requirements by Deborah Meier *This is Deborah Meier's last Bridging Differences post before she begins a well-deserved summer break. She will return to the blog in September.* Dear Todd, I visited two schools in Boston last week. One, the Green Academy, just finished its second year, and the staff half laughingly told me that, best of all, "they survived." The other, Mission Hill, always leaves me elated—as well as worried. Enjoying "the moment" while ... more »

The problem is old people. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago

The problem is old people. | Fred Klonsky: The problem is old people. by Fred Klonsky Popout. In an hour I am riding my bike up to the CTA station and taking the train down to the Michael Bilandic building where the *Committee of Ten* is holding its first public meeting on pension – *ahem* – reform. I’m hoping the small room is filled to capacity with old people. After all, we are the problem. There’s just too many God damn old people. And old teachers? *We are the worst.* I mean really. Is there anything worse than a greedy old geezer who spent 35 years working with kids –

Education giant Pearson debuts the first class of its virtual ed tech startup accelerator — Tech News and Analysis

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Education giant Pearson debuts the first class of its virtual ed tech startup accelerator — Tech News and Analysis: Education giant Pearson debuts the first class of its virtual ed tech startup accelerator by Ki Mae Heussner 10 HOURS AGO **No Comments - - - - - - A** - A** [image: education technology] photo: OHiShiapply SUMMARY: Pearson Catalyst, the new ed tech startup program launched by publishing company Pearson, has announced the companies in its inaugural class. **tweet this Pearson, the U.K.-based educational publishing powerhouse, is getting ... more »

The Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs In Education - Forbes

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

The Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs In Education - Forbes: The Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs In Education Comment Now Follow Comments The Best- And Worst-Paying Education Jobs 1 of 12 [image: The Five Best-Paying Education Jobs] +show more The Five Best-Paying Education Jobs People’s career choices should be based on passion over paychecks—and that’s especially true for those who are educating America’s youth. But even if you’re pursuing a profession in education for the all right reasons, you still have to wonder which are the highest- and lowest-paying positions in the field. Forbes sift... more »

6-27-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] Perhaps the NEA and AFT both adhere to an old model of lesson planning by Chalk Face, PhD This whole idea of monetizing lesson plans seems like a very antique method. This from the Huffington Post on a very similar initiative soon to be released by the NEA that is strikingly similar to AFT’s Share My Lesson, or whatever. The NEA’s is called, what, BetterLesson or something? I mean, OK, I guess. Who […] Charter Schools, the Invisible Hand, and Gutless Political Leadership | the becoming radical by plthomasedd Charter Schools, ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-27-13 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] Burris: John King’s Absurd Educator Evaluation Plan by dianerav Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in Rockville Center, Long Island, New York, runs a good school. She wants to protect her staff and her students from ill-advised state interference. She wants to keep morale high. She has led the principals’ rebellion against the state evaluation plan. In this post, she reviews the evaluation plan that John King, our state commissioner of educ... more »

The earliest intervention: How to stop the achievement gap from starting? | Hechinger Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

The earliest intervention: How to stop the achievement gap from starting? | Hechinger Report: The earliest intervention: How to stop the achievement gap from starting? by Sara Neufeld [image: After having a stillborn baby in 2009, Dwana Harris wanted to do everything right when a second chance at motherhood came her way. (Photo by Kim Palmer)]CHICAGO—Her first baby, a boy she planned to call Jaidan, arrived stillborn on June 25, 2009, the same day Michael Jackson died. More than three years later, when a second chance at motherhood finally came her way, Dwana Harris was determined t... more »

UPDATE: Indiana Continues It’s Slide Away From Common Core, PARCC | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Indiana Continues It’s Slide Away From Common Core, PARCC | Scathing Purple Musings: Expect Student Test Scores to “Nosedive” With Common Core-PARCC Tests by Bob Sikes From *NPR* reporter Gabriel Spitzer in Seattle. Seattle families should expect steep drops in student test scores as public schools adopt new national learning standards, according to a report to be presented Wednesday evening to the Seattle School Board. Starting next year, students in Washington, 44 other states, and the District of Columbia will be held to new, tougher standards known as Common Core. That could cau...more »

News Update: More on financial problems facing Bridgeport Board of Ed. Chair Kenneth Moales, Jr. and his church - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

News Update: More on financial problems facing Bridgeport Board of Ed. Chair Kenneth Moales, Jr. and his church - Wait, What?: News Update: More on financial problems facing Bridgeport Board of Ed. Chair Kenneth Moales, Jr. and his church by jonpelto More on the troubles facing Malloy, Finch, Pryor and Vallas ally Kenneth Moales Jr On December 12, 2007, Kenneth Moales, Jr. and his Tabernacle Church of Love, Inc. borrowed $6,123,000 from Foundation Capital Resources, Inc. a Georgia company that loans money for the construction of fundamentalist churches. As collateral for the loan,... more »

John Thompson: What Can We Learn From Alternative Schools? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

John Thompson: What Can We Learn From Alternative Schools? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: What Can We Learn From Alternative Schools? by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Thompson.* Education Week's special edition, "Second Chance: Turning Dropouts into Graduates," reports that the nation's graduation rate has increased to nearly 75%, and it may be approaching our all-time high point. This good news is the result of innovations that are the antithesis of test-driven "reform." They point the way towards humane policies that could be the cornerstone of... more »

MOOCs and Reforming Higher Education (Kentaro Toyama) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

MOOCs and Reforming Higher Education (Kentaro Toyama) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: MOOCs and Reforming Higher Education (Kentaro Toyama) by larrycuban *This post appeared in “Educational Technology Debate: Exploring ICT and Learning in Developing Countries,” in April 2013. The debate is managed by three editors. They can be reached athttp://edutechdebate.org/contact/* *The following biography is taken from Toyama’s description of himself.* *Kentaro Toyama is a researcher in the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, and a fellow of... more »

Daily Kos: Obama thinks same sex marriages should be recognized everywhere

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Daily Kos: Obama thinks same sex marriages should be recognized everywhere: Obama thinks same sex marriages should be recognized everywhere by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I just received a breaking news email from Politico, the key contents of which are this: President Barack Obama said on Thursday that he believes that same-sex marriages performed in one state should apply in another."It's my personal belief -- and I'm speaking now as a president [not] as a lawyer -- if you're married in Massachusetts and you move someplace else, you're still married," he said at a press confer... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie Must Go

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Jersey Jazzman: Chris Christie Must Go: Chris Christie Must Go by Duke *New Jersey's problems aren't my fault! Nothing's my fault! It's all you greedy teachers!* I don't know about the rest of you, but I am so very, very tired of this crap: [NJ Governor Chris] Christie said parents must stand up to organizations who he said care more about pensions, wage increases, generous benefits packages and summers off than about extending quality education to all students. *And yet this pompous fool has done more to decimate New Jersey's excellent public schools than any man ever, and his ... more »

Ed Notes Online: Video: Chicago Students Tossed From Board of Education Meeting

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Ed Notes Online: Video: Chicago Students Tossed From Board of Education Meeting: Video: Chicago Students Tossed From Board of Education Meeting by ed notes online Video of Chicago students taking over the Board of Education Meeting to save schools, prevent education cuts. From Xian Barrett: *Published on Jun 26, 2013* Members of Chicago Students Organizing to Save Our Schools speak out against unjust and illegal school closing and draconic budget cuts. The Board of Education continues to sabotage public education and divert money to their political allies. We stood up as the on... more »

Lessons from a budget battle | Parents United for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Lessons from a budget battle | Parents United for Public Education: Lessons from a budget battle by helengym [image: 10sept]Last Thursday, City Council decided democracy was inconvenient. [image: Tonayia Marla Fox Chase]Faced with a deluge of phone calls and an unprecedented outpouring of parent action around the progressive Use & Occupancy tax, City Council President Darrell Clarke shut down an expected vote on the tax and instead announced that the City would seek over $74 million for schools through a tax on cigarettes and improved delinquent tax collection. One City Hall insider... more »

Goldman Sachs Gets Into Public Education | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Goldman Sachs Gets Into Public Education | toteachornototeach: Goldman Sachs Gets Into Public Education by aristotlethewise *Goldman Sachs Gets Into Public Education* By DSWright The corporate “ed reform” movement to privatize public education is quite lucrative – public education spending runs in the billions across the country. So should anyone be surprised that Wall Street has stepped out of the shadows to get in on the action? Wall Street has already been the funding base for Michelle Rhee and other privatizers but has always presented itself merely as trying to benevolently cont... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Mayor 'bristles' while budgets burn

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The Mayor 'bristles' while budgets burn: The Mayor 'bristles' while budgets burn by Mike Klonsky At yesterday's protest, teachers wore stickers with the cut amounts on them: -$535K on Tracy Barrientos from Jungman. -$1.1 million on several students from Whitney Young Magnet High School. As hundreds of people braved yesterday's storms to protest Rahm's draconian budget cuts, the mayor was busy "bristling" at reporters questions and spreading more manure around. Rahm put the blame for his $82 million budget cuts on greedy retirees and on the legislature... more »

After legal ruling leaves some parcel taxes in jeopardy, clarity must come from Legislature | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

After legal ruling leaves some parcel taxes in jeopardy, clarity must come from Legislature | EdSource Today: After legal ruling leaves some parcel taxes in jeopardy, clarity must come from Legislature - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald [image: Source: Flickr] State law mandates that parcel taxes be levied equally on all property owners in a district, regardless of parcel size or number of living units. Some school districts have sought creative approaches to raise additional revenue from larger parcels, but a recent Court of Appeals ruling puts those approaches in jeopardy.... more »

Education Research Report: The Magnitude of Student Sorting Within Schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Education Research Report: The Magnitude of Student Sorting Within Schools: The Magnitude of Student Sorting Within Schools The authors of this study use administrative data from three large urban school districts to describe student sorting within schools. Students are linked to each of their teachers and students’ classmates are identified. There are differences in the average achievement levels, racial composition, and socioeconomic composition of classrooms within schools. This sorting occurs even in self-contained elementary school classrooms and is much larger than would b... more »

Why it’s time for a reset of education reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Why it’s time for a reset of education reform: Why it’s time for a reset of education reform By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 27, 2013 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer [image: http://www.freepik.com/] www.freepik.com/ It’s the end of a difficult school year, and the education world is in some turmoil. Here’s a piece about where we stand by Jeff Bryant, an associate fellow at theCampaign for America’s Future and the owner of a marketing and communications consultancy that serves organizations including Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders and PBS. He writes extensively about pub... more »

Thomas publishes new book on education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Thomas publishes new book on education: Thomas publishes new book on education By Vince Moore Filed in Education, Feature Stories, Homepage News June 26th, 2013 @ 8:02 pm GREENVILLE, S.C.—Furman University education professor Paul Thomas has published his 15th book, *De-Testing and De-Grading Schools*. The book, a collection of essays co-edited by Thomas and Canadian educator Joe Bower and published by Peter Lang USA, looks at a century of education and education reform along with the last three decades of high-stakes testing and accountability to show the failure of testing and grad... more »

Report Card: Activists, Dickinson use drama to examine disciplinary issues

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Report Card: Activists, Dickinson use drama to examine disciplinary issues: Activists, Dickinson use drama to examine disciplinary issues [image: willful.JPG]The state Capitol featured theatrics Wednesday, but not on the Assembly floor. In a committee room, student actors put on a 10-minute play called "Willful," in which a black high school student named Tom heads to the principal's office for yet another disciplinary action. His mother is sick, and his family has problems at home. Tom expects a suspension. But this time, Principal Burton decides to send the student to counseling an... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Once Again, Joel Klein Is Full Of It

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Once Again, Joel Klein Is Full Of It: Once Again, Joel Klein Is Full Of It by Duke [image: Photo] Thanks to Leonie Haimson and Lisa Fliesher, we now know that there is no accountability whatsoever at the top of the New York City schools: nobody gets evaluated, even as they scream for more test-based evaluations for teachers. But there was one other part of Fliesher's story really caught my eye: Joel Klein, schools chief from 2002 to 2010, said he received constant feedback from the mayor, and evaluated his team daily. "*When a member of my team's performance wasn'... more »

When Jeanne Allen Comes Out Against the CREDO Study, the News Can’t Be Good for Charters – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

When Jeanne Allen Comes Out Against the CREDO Study, the News Can’t Be Good for Charters – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: When Jeanne Allen Comes Out Against the CREDO Study, the News Can’t Be Good for Charters by Jim Horn Apparently, world champion charter industry promoter, Jeanne Allen, did not get the memo from the corporate ed offices that all corporate education welfare recipients should pretend that the new CREDO study was full of good news for the corrupt charter school industry. Jeanne, who otherwise is a lifelong member of the Test and Punish Society for High Stak...more »

Jersey Jazzman: Dennis Walcott Makes Case For Cutting His Salary

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Dennis Walcott Makes Case For Cutting His Salary: Dennis Walcott Makes Case For Cutting His Salary by Duke Diane Ravitch points us to a piece by Lisa Fleischer in the *Wall Street Journal* about the complete lack of accountability at the top of New York's City's schools under Generalissimo Mike Bloomberg's rule: Top administrators at the city's Department of Education haven't been subject to formal evaluations during the Bloomberg administration, a break from past practice and an unusual occurrence among school districts across the U.S. The disclosure follows the cul... more »

NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education: *NPE News Briefs* 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 240 Next » Real education reform would focus on ____________ | Teachers’ Letters to Bill Gates JUN 26 2013 by Harry Proudfoot – Dear Bill, Someone posted something on Facebook today I have to take issue with here. The post suggested the math skills learned in high school are not applicable in real life. Actually, we use the skills taught in math classes every day. The important thing we are supposed to get from ... read more → **Activism · Gates Foundation · Teacher Issues · Testing / Opting ... more »

Supporting Teacher Growth with Instructional Rounds — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Supporting Teacher Growth with Instructional Rounds — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Supporting Teacher Growth with Instructional Rounds June 26, 2013 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers *Post written by Robert J. Marzano and Michael D. Toth* In *Teacher Evaluation That Makes a Difference*, our recommendations for best practices are based on the assumption that teacher evaluation should have two purposes—development and measurement—but that development should be the more important of the two. If districts and schools share this perspective, th... more »

Diane in the Evening 6-26-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Lisa Fleisher of WSJ: Evaluations for Thee, But Not for Me by dianerav Lisa Fleisher of the Wall Street Journal reminds us what investigative reporting looks like. In New York City, we nearly forgot, especially since Michael Winerip of the New York Ztimes was taken off the education beat. Fleisher filed a Freedom of Information Act request to find out whether top officials at the New York City Department of Education receive job evaluations. As we know, the Bloomberg DOE evaluates everyone in its *LISTEN TO D... more »

Sacramento closes nine schools - Substance News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Sacramento closes nine schools - Substance News: California city gets the usual barrage of verbiage about 'budget deficits' and 'underutilization' crises... Parents file lawsuit on behalf of poor families as Sacramento closes seven elementary schools following the neo-liberal attack on public schools with seven closings George N. Schmidt - June 16, 2013 Sacramento California, where the school board is elected, joined the neoliberal racist attack real public school serving children who live in poverty with a vote to close nine of the city's real public schools. Last week, a group rep... more »

Jersey Jazzman: TFA: The New Gentrifiers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: TFA: The New Gentrifiers: TFA: The New Gentrifiers by Duke *Gentrifying America One Charter School at a Time!* Yesterday, I reported on how Teach For America is turning into a pipeline to bring young, college-educated professionals into urban areas ripe for gentrification. In Newark, for example, developer Ron Beit, the financial muscle behind Teachers Village, also happens to serve on the advisory board of TFA-Newark. It's the perfect scheme: Beit and his private investors get tens of millions of dollars in tax credits to finance the development. He then turns ar... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Yaks at Mackinac

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Applauds Senate Approval of New Student Assessment - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Applauds Senate Approval of New Student Assessment - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Senate Ed Committee Approval of New Era of Student Assessment SACRAMENTO—The Senate Education Committee today approved legislation sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson that would replace California's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) system with new, computer-based exams designed to assess students' progress toward career and college readiness. "I appreciate the Committee's support of this legislation, and their ... more »

‘Education Spring’ Rebellions Get Noticed At The Top

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

‘Education Spring’ Rebellions Get Noticed At The Top: ‘Education Spring’ Rebellions Get Noticed At The Top by Jeff Bryant The end of another school year is leaving a bad taste in many people’s mouths. A steady diet of government austerity and top-down “accountability” mandates have left numerous communities across the country with a severe case of sour stomachs over how their schools are being governed. As the school year closed in Michigan, hundreds of protestors gathered at the state capital in Lansing to protest state school budgets and policies that have left classrooms overcrow... more »

Infographic: “Common Standards and Assessment Consortia Membership” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Infographic: “Common Standards and Assessment Consortia Membership” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: Infographic: “Common Standards and Assessment Consortia Membership” by Larry Ferlazzo I’m adding this updated infographic from Education Week to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Next Generation” Of State Testing. I’m also adding the Ed Week article, Schools Test-Drive Common Core, to the same list. [image: Common Standards and Assessment Consortia Membership] Common Standards and Assessment Consortia Membership infographic by lindajurkowitz.

Three Florida GOP Congressmen Sign Letter Opposing Common Core, Data Mining | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Three Florida GOP Congressmen Sign Letter Opposing Common Core, Data Mining | Scathing Purple Musings: Three Florida GOP Congressmen Sign Letter Opposing Common Core, Data Mining by Bob Sikes Wonder if they realize they’ve just taken a walk on the wild side to Jeb Bush’s woodshed. Florida republican congressmen – Richard Nugent (FL 11), Trey Radel (FL 19) and Ted Yodel (FL 3) were among a group of 34 republican representatives who signed a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan saying “states had been coerced into choosing the standards.” *Topeka Capital-Journal*educa... more »

Student Makes a Difference Through a Seat on the School Board Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Student Voice: Student Makes a Difference Through a Seat on the School Board by Editor Admin What can one do to make a difference when they feel that their generation is not being listened to? Well, when you turn 18 you can run for office, and that is exactly what I did. My name is Kyle Flood. I live in Kenosha, Wisconsin and on April 2nd, 2013, I became the youngest person ever elected to the Kenosha Unified School Board. Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) is a K-12 School District that serves the communities of Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, and Somers. In today’s world, educati... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Growth Boundaries and Trust

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Growth Boundaries and Trust: Are you freakin' kidding me? 12% of students in APP?! by Charlie Mas Per Rachel Cassidy, the District demographer, 12% of Seattle Public School students in grades 6 to 8 living in the McClure, Whitman, Hamilton, and Eckstein attendance areas are enrolled in middle school APP. You read that right. 12% of north-end middle school students are in APP. How can this be possible? The program is intended for students in the top 2% nationally for cognitive ability and What is the procedure for principal appointments? by Charlie... more »

Minority Kids Less Likely to Be Diagnosed, Treated for ADHD | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Minority Kids Less Likely to Be Diagnosed, Treated for ADHD | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: Study Finds Minority Kids Less Likely to Be Diagnosed, Treated for ADHD *Finding points to possible disparities in care.* Minority children are significantly less likely than their white peers to be diagnosed or treated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), new research shows. The study, which is published online June 24 and in the July print issue of the journal Pediatrics, followed more than 17,000 children across the nation from kindergarten to eighth grade. Researchers ... more »

Ed Secretary defends Common Core: Feds didn't write, approve... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Ed Secretary defends Common Core: Feds didn't write, approve... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Ed Secretary defends Common Core: Feds didn't write, approve or mandate them. View Larger US Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Common Core: "States signed on to the Common Core because it was the right thing to do." Previous Posts - Ousted DeKalb school board chair makes case today against head of SACS June 26, 2013 - Beyond sunburn, what dangers did school official see in student bikini photo? June 25, 2013 - State sees improvement in CRCT scores June 25, 2013 ... more »

Putting Students First (Whether They Like It Or Not) | EduShyster

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Putting Students First (Whether They Like It Or Not) | EduShyster: Putting Students First (Whether They Like It Or Not) by edushyster2012 Why won’t these Philly students let us put them first? Putting students first is THE civil rights issue of our time. So what to do when students don’t seem to want to be put first but instead demand to remain in their union-stifled public schools and even want to continue to be taught by their union-stifled teachers? Alas, putting students first is so fiercely urgent that we can’t afford to give students the choice of whether or not they want to be... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The struggle continues

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The struggle continues: The struggle continues by Mike Klonsky Fred Klonsky *The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” -- *William Faulkner Yesterday will go down as a day of infamy in U.S. history. The Supreme Court ruling, gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the failure of Congress to respond, sets back the struggle for racial equality in this country by some 50 years. The decision will stand, along with previous rulings like Dred Scott, Plessy and Plessy v. Ferguson as another official tribute to institutionalized white supremacy protected ... more »

Goldman Sachs Gets Into Public Education | FDL News Desk

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Goldman Sachs Gets Into Public Education | FDL News Desk: Goldman Sachs Gets Into Public Education by DSWright The corporate “ed reform” movement to privatize public education is quite lucrative – public education spending runs in the billions across the country. So should anyone be surprised that Wall Street has stepped out of the shadows to get in on the action? Wall Street has already been the funding base for Michelle Rhee and other privatizers but has always presented itself merely as trying to benevolently control people not control people to exploit them. But now Goldman Sach... more »

NEA Set to Launch Educator Led National Movement for Public Education | NEA Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

NEA Set to Launch Educator Led National Movement for Public Education | NEA Today: NEA Set to Launch Educator Led National Movement for Public Education by twalker *By Tim Walker* On July 2, the National Education Association will be* launching a new campaign *to help educators across the nation become the leaders in a national movement for public education. The campaign, called “Raise Your Hand,” will kick-off at the 2013 NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly with an event attended by more than one thousand educators and prominent leaders in education. Billed as a “day of ... more »

Obama’s student loan rules are denying blacks in disproportionate numbers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Obama’s student loan rules are denying blacks in disproportionate numbers: Obama’s student loan rules are denying blacks in disproportionate numbers By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 26, 2013 at 11:16 amE-mail the writer [image: student loan form]The Obama administration’s rules for approving student loans are causing a disproportionately large number of blacks to be denied because of blemished credit histories. Courtland Milloy, my colleague and a veteran local columnist at The Washington Post, has written an important and powerful piece on this subject, titled “Obama administratio... more »

NYC Educator: Another Day, Another Trashing of Teachers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

NYC Educator: Another Day, Another Trashing of Teachers: Another Day, Another Trashing of Teachers by NYC Educator The Daily News, no longer content to have its editorial section lecture us on the perfidy of teachers, has now taken to the pages of its "reporting" to do so. In fact, to save time, they appear to be simply writing the same story every day. Teachers are a bunch of perverts, legal expert Campbell Brown says they are right, and that's pretty much it. And, of course, paragon of fairness Dennis Walcott says anyone charged with sexual misconduct ought to be terminated. If th... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Doing the George Costanza in China

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Doing the George Costanza in China: Doing the George Costanza in China by Melissa Westbrook So China is now deciding that for public education, the idea that testing is best, is now going out the window. From The Answer Sheet at the Washington Post: *China just began a major education reform effort that is aimed at reducing the importance of standardized testing in determining school quality and including factors such as student engagement, boredom, anxiety, and happiness. * *As scholar Yong Zhao notes in the following post, the approach is the ... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, June 26, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Prop. 8: Supreme Court clears way for gay marriage in California Education Headlines *Wednesday, June 26, 2013* Fillmore school officials optimistic about state budget, but uncertainty lingersInterim Superintendent Dr. Alan Nishino was pleased with the state budget being passed through the Legislature by the deadline, but said it was still unclear how the new school funding system would affect the district. Lincoln Unified budget: Sunny outlook for first time in yearsWeeks earlier than expected, new solar-energy systems were powe... more »

What the Supreme Court Doesn’t Understand About the Voting Rights Act | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

What the Supreme Court Doesn’t Understand About the Voting Rights Act | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: What the Supreme Court Doesn’t Understand About the Voting Rights Act by millerlf Ari Berman on June 25, 2013 The Nation Magazine No sooner had the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965, after two hundred years of slavery and nearly 100 years of Jim Crow, than Southern conservatives, who failed to stop the law, began to attack it. South Carolina mounted the first constitutional challenge to the law only a month after it was enacted. President Nixon tried to weaken the law... more »

Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, dismisses Prop. 8 case - CBS News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, dismisses Prop. 8 case - CBS News: Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, dismisses Prop. 8 case [image: Gay rights advocate Vin Testa waves a rainbow flag in front of the Supreme Court at sun up in Washington, Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Justices are expected to hand down major rulings on two gay marriage cases that could impact same-sex couples across the country. One is a challenge to California's voter-enacted ban on same-sex marriage. The other is a challenge to a provision of federal law that prevents legally married gay couples from receiving a range ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-26-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Reader: New CREDO Study Celebrates “Survivorship Bias” by dianerav A reader, Enrique Diaz-Alvarez, offered the following critique of the new national study of charter schools by CREDO. The “improvement” seems to be a result of closing low-performing charter schools. Is this like kicking out the low-performing students and declaring that your test scores are great? He writes: *Diane, you *must* read the scenario analysis that starts in page 89.* *They actually th... more »

NYC Public School Parents: UPDATE: No performance evaluations for any Chancellor or top administrator at Tweed since Bloomberg took office

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: UPDATE: No performance evaluations for any Chancellor or top administrator at Tweed since Bloomberg took office: UPDATE: No performance evaluations for any Chancellor or top administrators at Tweed since Bloomberg took office by Leonie Haimson UPDATE: Lisa Fleisher of the Wall Street Journal FOILed for the job evaluations of the top leadership at Tweed after I did – but smartly, she asked for all the evaluations back to 2001, when Bloomberg took office. Guess what? There are none. She also shows how this is sharp departure from pre-Bloomberg days and t... more »

6-26-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] Ultra badass student activists in Chicago giving it to CPS #stuvoice by Chalk Face, PhD I am quoting, via Facebook: Just spoke out against the Board of Education with students from the CSOSOS! Most bad ass thing in the world! Security had no idea what was going on as students across the room stood up and spoke against the Board. It was pure chaos! My thirty second stand up speech: […] Duncan: Pay no attention to who is behind the #CCSS curtain by Chris Cerrone Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been quite busy lately ma... more »

Closing arguments end trial against Paul Vallas, Judge to rule by Friday - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Closing arguments end trial against Paul Vallas, Judge to rule by Friday - Wait, What?: Closing arguments end trial against Paul Vallas, Judge to rule by Friday by jonpelto Following an incredible day of testimony on Monday, lawyers in the trial seeking Paul Vallas’ removal as Bridgeport’s superintendent of schools brought the trial to an end yesterday with their closing arguments. The differences in approach, style and substance could not have been clearer. The lawyer for Paul Vallas and the City of Bridgeport sought to rationalize the special treatment Paul Vallas has received; te... more »

Should news organizations publish teachers’ value-added ratings?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Should news organizations publish teachers’ value-added ratings?: Should news organizations publish teachers’ value-added ratings? By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 26, 2013 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer [image: valueadded]The Cleveland Plain Dealer just published the “value-added” ratings of teachers that purport to show how effective a teacher is or isn’t. The Los Angeles Times did something similar in 2010 and 2011, and so did The New York Times in 2012. In every case the newspapers came under heavy criticism. Why? Value-added ratings are derived by taking the standardized test sc... more »

Shanker Blog » No Presentation Without Representation

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Shanker Blog » No Presentation Without Representation: No Presentation Without Representation by Matthew Di Carlo I tend to comment on newly-released teacher surveys, primarily because I think the surveys are important and interesting, but also because teachers’ opinions are sometimes misrepresented in our debate about education reform. So, last year, I wrote about a report by the advocacy organization Teach Plus, in which they presented results from a survey focused on identifying differences in attitudes by teacher experience (an important topic). One of my major comments was th... more »

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