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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 6-4-13 AM Posts #edreform #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



solidaridad: Protest to get Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS) out of Santee Education Complex!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
solidaridad: Protest to get Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS) out of Santee Education Complex!: Protest to get Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (PLAS) out of Santee Education Complex! by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene From the organizers: PLEASE SHARE! Protest TODAY (Tuesday) at Santee High School at 3PM to get rid of Mayor Villaraigosa's "Partnership" for Los Angeles Schools! They are dishonest, corrupt and shady as hell! They have gotten rid of many teachers, Ethnic Studies classes and now they are trying to get rid of Dr. Rangel! Enough is enough! Let's get rid of these... more »

Fitch colluded with Wall Street. Now they use teacher pensions as a reason to lower Illinois credit rating. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
Fitch colluded with Wall Street. Now they use teacher pensions as a reason to lower Illinois credit rating. | Fred Klonsky: Fitch colluded with Wall Street. Now they use teacher pensions as a reason to lower Illinois credit rating. by Fred Klonsky As expected, the credit rating agencies, private corporations, are reacting to the failure of the Illinois General Assembly to cut public employee pensions. Greg Hinz: *The first reaction is in from Wall Street to the Illinois Legislature’s failure to enact pension reform last week, and it’s negative.* * **Fitch Ratings, one of the big fir... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, June 4, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 minutes ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Willful defiance suspensions vary widely among San Diego County districts Education Headlines *Tuesday, June 4, 2013* Wasco voters consider merging school districtsVoters in Wasco on Tuesday will decide whether to merge the Wasco Union Elementary School District and the Wasco Union High School District. Museum education gets innovation recognitionEach year, nearly 50,000 students, parents and teachers take field trips to the USS Midway Museum to study math, physical sciences, social studies and other subjects in a one-of-a-kind l... more »

Public Education “Reformers” Discredited By Yet Another Study | FDL News Desk

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 24 minutes ago
Public Education “Reformers” Discredited By Yet Another Study | FDL News Desk: Public Education “Reformers” Discredited By Yet Another Study by DSWright The privatization of public education movement sometimes called “ed reform” has always had one fatal flaw – none of their claims are supported by the evidence. In modern American politics being completely nonfactual is only a minor handicap, especially if like the “ed reform” movement you have money behind your agenda. Just shout louder and bribe anyone who still has their hearing left. But now we may have finally hit a tipping poin... more »

Chicago's Students Deserve Acts of Heroism | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 24 minutes ago
Chicago's Students Deserve Acts of Heroism | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Chicago's Students Deserve Acts of Heroism by National Education Association *By Dennis Van Roekel, President, National Education Association (NEA)* For weeks now, teachers, parents and community leaders have been protesting Chicago Public Schools' plan to close 50 schools in what will be the largest single wave of school closures in U.S. history. The media coverage has been dramatic, but what you see in the eyes of educators who are so adamantly opposed to this plan is the same thing you... more »

Heads up: Special Ed Community Committee meeting tonight - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago
Heads up: Special Ed Community Committee meeting tonight - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Heads up: Special Ed Community Committee meeting tonight Monday, June 3rd, 2013 at 1:34 pm in UncategorizedNo Comments I was planning to attend the Programs for Exceptional Children Community Advisory Committee meeting tonight after writing about the departure of OUSD’s special education director Karen Mates. I can’t make it but there is a lot to talk about from what I hear: The Special Education Teacher Caucus will be presenting, there will be discussion about pl... more »

Harkin to Introduce Schools Legislation - NYTimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Harkin to Introduce Schools Legislation - NYTimes.com: Senator to Introduce Education MeasureBy MOTOKO RICHPublished: June 4, 2013 Nearly half a century after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a sweeping federal education act and promised to “bridge the gap between helplessness and hope” for disadvantaged children in the nation’s public schools, Congress is still trying to fine-tune the law to achieve its original goals. On Tuesday, Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, is introducing the Strengthening America’s Schools Act of 2013. It is an updated version of the 48-year-old Ele... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: What Will It Take To Get Answers From DESE?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: What Will It Take To Get Answers From DESE?: What Will It Take To Get Answers From DESE? by Anngie Some folks down in the East Newton school district *still* have questions about Common Core and are willing to do whatever it takes to get answers from DESE. They have scheduled a meeting this month and invited DESE to attend. Here was the first response from DESE. -----Original Message----- Sent: Fri, May 31, 2013 2:58 pm Subject: Letter from DESE in response to our invitation Dear Bobbi: Thank you for the invitation to participate in your community mee... more »

Daley to run for governor on pension-cutting platform. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Daley to run for governor on pension-cutting platform. | Fred Klonsky: Daley to run for governor on pension-cutting platform. by Fred Klonsky [image: chi-william-daley-blasts-inaction-on-pension-r-001] Banker Bill Daley will challenge Governor Squeeezy for the office. He all but formally announced his candidacy yesterday in an-all out attack on the sitting governor, claiming Squeezy didn’t do enough to cut public employee pensions. Son of the late Boss Daley, brother of former Mayor Richie Daley and former banker-in-chief for the Obama administration, Bill Daley had endorsed the Madi... more »

Mental illness in children is on the rise. Should parents worry? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Mental illness in children is on the rise. Should parents worry? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Mental illness in children is on the rise. Should parents worry? by Deepa Fernandes [image: OCD Children] *Cassidy George and her mother Lisa George play outside their home in Manchester, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, on June 3rd, 2013. At age 7, Cassidy was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.; Credit: Mae Ryan/KPCC* Mental health issues in children are increasing. One in five kids now suffer from a mental disorder, according a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control an... more »

Imagine 2013 | the becoming radical

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Imagine 2013 | the becoming radical: Imagine 2013 Posted on June 4, 2013 by plthomasedd I am no John Lennon, but I think it is appropriate to imagine an education system and an education reform movement that create teaching and learning experiences for all students based on evidence and the experiences and expertise of educators, scholars, and researchers. So let’s imagine that system, and consider just a few possibilities. First, what about gathering student feedback on teachers or attempting to evaluate teachers based on pre- and post- test data within a high-stakes accountability... more »

Poor Children Need a Hand Up, Not Hospice - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Poor Children Need a Hand Up, Not Hospice - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Poor Children Need a Hand Up, Not Hospice by Deborah Meier *Michael Petrilli writes to Deborah Meier once again today. Deborah will respond to this post on Friday.* Dear Deborah, Your last post was amazing—one of the most coherent, cogent articulations of a reform alternative that I've ever read. I was particularly moved by this passage: We need quiet places and noisy places, places full of books and computers and others full of paint and clay. We need adults with the freedom to make spontaneous dec... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Good News: Illinois Enacts Moratorium on Virtual Charters by dianerav Thank you, Governor Pat Quinn! And congratulations to the 18 suburban districts that protected their students. Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation that enacts a one-year moratorium on virtual charters, allowing time to study their performance. Any impartial study will reveal that online charters get poor results. They have high student dropouts every year, students get low grades and have a po... more »

solidaridad: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
solidaridad: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD: SPaARCS calls for support of the Lower Class Size resolution at LAUSD by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene *Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 9am downtown (Beaudry),* * * our school board will consider a special resolution to *LOWER CLASS SIZE* As parents ~* WE MUST SPEAK LOUDLY IN SUPPORT OF THIS CRITICAL IMPROVEMENT*. There has been some suggestion that this measure is little more than a self-serving trick of organized labor. We must QUASH this mindset that ignores our children's needs. * * *KIDS NEED SMALLER...more »

NYC Educator: The Young Teacher and the Chapter Leader

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
NYC Educator: The Young Teacher and the Chapter Leader: The Young Teacher and the Chapter Leader by NYC Educator *by Curious Teacher* Young Teacher knocked on Chapter Leader's door. "Can I speak to you for a minute?" "Sure," said Chapter Leader. She was a kindly looking old lady. "What's going on?" Young Teacher explained her tale of woe. It was the old story: administration was harassing her when they had never bothered her before, she felt enormous pressure to resign, they didn't want to give her tenure, etc. Her AP had brought her up on charges of "professional misconduct" and ... more »

What Critical Problems in K-12 Schools Does Online Instruction Solve? (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
What Critical Problems in K-12 Schools Does Online Instruction Solve? (Part 2) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: What Critical Problems in K-12 Schools Does Online Instruction Solve? (Part 2) by larrycuban K-12 online instruction attracts policy-inclined school reformers and reform-minded policymakers because it appears as a technological and inexpensive solution for serious problems at a time when public schools are viewed as a double failure: in urban districts where largely poor and minority youth get a third-rate education and many suburban and rural scho... more »

Chicago pension fund sends thanks for the no vote on SB1920. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Chicago pension fund sends thanks for the no vote on SB1920. | Fred Klonsky: Chicago pension fund sends thanks for the no vote on SB1920. by Fred Klonsky In the final hours of the Illinois General Assembly, Mayor Emanuel conspired with Speaker Madigan and President Cullerton to try to pass SB1920 which would allow for another so-called pension holiday for CPS. Rahm threatened (and continues to threaten) to raise class sizes if CPS was required to meet their pension obligation. I advocated a no vote. The bill failed to pass. This morning the Chicago Teacher’s Pension Fund sent out a ... more »

Why schools should relax about cheating

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Why schools should relax about cheating: Why schools should relax about cheating By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 4, 2013 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer 7 Comments More [image: growing-pains_12]Here’s a rather unconventional view on cheating. It was written by Penelope Trunk, who founded Brazen Careerist and two other startups. Her career advice runs in 200 newspapers. She lives on a farm in Wisconsin and homeschools her sons. This appeared on her blog. By Penelope Trunk Eric Anderman, professor at education psychology at Ohio University, has studied cheating for decades, and he says ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Portugal's hot!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Portugal's hot!: Portugal's hot! by Mike Klonsky "Against the Troiks"** *"We are faced with a wall of intransigence. The government better understand that negotiating is not the same as imposing."* -- Carlos Silva, the head of the 500,000 members-strong UGT It's hot here in Lisbon and I'm not just talking about the weather. Luckily we're able to get around the city pretty well, arriving in town just after another strike shut down the Lisbon Metro for the 4th time in the past year. Lots of young people in the streets. Graffiti is ubiquitous. Unemplo... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Stranger Danger

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Stranger Danger: Stranger Danger by Melissa Westbrook From My Northwest, a report of three (apparent) attempts to abduct a child in three different areas in the Puget Sound Region (including outside of two schools including Coe Elementary). Talk to your children about strangers and what to do if they are approached. From the story: The National Child Prevention Council offers these tips for talking with kids about stranger danger: - You should also talk to your children about how they should handle dangerous situations. One way is to teac... more »

The Illegal Trojan Horse In King’s Teacher Evaluation Plan | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
The Illegal Trojan Horse In King’s Teacher Evaluation Plan | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: The Illegal Trojan Horse In King’s Teacher Evaluation Plan by Gary Rubinstein The state education commissioner of New York, John King, recently imposed a teacher evaluation system on New York City after years of disagreement between the city and the teacher’s union. The evaluation system will consist of three components: 55 points for principal observations, 40 points for test scores, and 5 points for student surveys. Much of this was inevitable as last year the state legislator updated education ... more »

Don’t let that American Flag in the corner of the room confuse you. - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Don’t let that American Flag in the corner of the room confuse you. - Wait, What?: Don’t let that American Flag in the corner of the room confuse you. by jonpelto As this update is being posted to Wait, What? the Bridgeport Board of Education’s “Board Policy Committee” is meeting in Bridgeport. The five member committee is made up of three Democrats loyal to Mayor Finch and his political operation and two members of more independent minded, one a Democrat and the other a member of the Working Families Party. Any action taken tonight by the Board Policy Committee must be confirmed ...more »

New data shows school “reformers” are full of it - Salon.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
New data shows school “reformers” are full of it - Salon.com: New data shows school “reformers” are full of itPoor schools underperform largely because of economic forces, not because teachers have it too easyBY DAVID SIROTA Michelle Rhee(Credit: © Hyungwon Kang / Reuters) In the great American debate over education, the education and technology corporations, bankrolled politicians and activist-profiteers who collectively comprise the so-called “reform” movement base their arguments on one central premise: that America should expect public schools to produce world-class academi... more »

Oath of Office OR Looney Tunes? | Reclaim Reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Oath of Office OR Looney Tunes? | Reclaim Reform: Oath of Office OR Looney Tunes? by kenpreviti What Oath of Office must be made by every state legislator? *“I do solemnly swear (affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of …. to the best of my ability.”* (Source: Illinois Constitution.) That’s it. Nice. Simple. Direct. What’s not to know? “… will support the Constitution.” Well, a bunch of Democratic and Republican politicos couldn’t do it. Who? See HE... more »

Daily Kos: Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has lung cancer - with small personal update

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Daily Kos: Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has lung cancer - with small personal update: Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has lung cancer - with small personal update by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) as you can read in this NY Times story. She is a dear friend, and I found out earlier today in an exchange of emails on another topic. Some of her House colleagues knew, because she was not a secretive person. She had discussed this earlier with political colleagues. The announcement was made several hours ago. She says her doctors are quite hopeful about the prognosis. She is getting superb treatment.... more »

A Note On Teacher Evaluations [A Memo For Sanity] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
A Note On Teacher Evaluations [A Memo For Sanity] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: A Note On Teacher Evaluations [A Memo For Sanity] by Jose Vilson [image: UFT Prez Michael Mulgrew, NYS Education Commissioner John King, and NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo] UFT Prez Michael Mulgrew, NYS Education Commissioner John King, and NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo Remember a few years ago when I told you that trying to create equations for the intangibles is calamitous for*any* profession, especially education? If think tanks prognosticate that the 21st century *needs* ideals like collaboration and ... more »

LA Unified school board considers two plans for Brown's proposed boost in school funding | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
LA Unified school board considers two plans for Brown's proposed boost in school funding | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: LA Unified school board considers two plans for Brown's proposed boost in school funding by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez [image: Monica Ratliff District 6] *Monica Ratliff's fifth grade classroom at San Pedro Street Elementary.; Credit: Rebecca Hill/KPCC* Board members at L.A. Unified will hold talks Tuesday morning about how to use funding increases expected from Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed student funding overhaul. Board members have written up two proposals. The first inc... more »

Reform of California’s complex school finance system likely | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Reform of California’s complex school finance system likely | EdSource Today: Reform of California’s complex school finance system likely - by Louis Freedberg by Louis Freedberg [image: Louis Freedberg] Louis Freedberg Less than a year after convincing voters to approve a multi-billion dollar tax increase for the state’s schools, Gov. Jerry Brown is on the verge of accomplishing a task that few California governors have dared to take on, let alone accomplish: reforming a school finance system that researchers andeducation advocates alike have for years labelled as inequitable, irra... more »

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. I retired a year ago. I turn 65 in two weeks. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Life in Rahm’s Chicago. I retired a year ago. I turn 65 in two weeks. | Fred Klonsky: Life in Rahm’s Chicago. I retired a year ago. I turn 65 in two weeks. by Fred Klonsky [image: 727_10201239583460941_1879980649_n] *Outside the shiny headquarters were about 100 CTA employees protesting layoffs by CTA boss Forrest Claypool.* “What do you do with your time,” I am often asked. In the old days time was money. Now money is time. I have been working on the goal of living as well and spending less. So I will spend time (which I have more of) to save some (which we have less of). Take the ann... more »

Former DISD chief of staff Jerome Oberlton federally indicted for deal in Atlanta Public Schools | Education Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Former DISD chief of staff Jerome Oberlton federally indicted for deal in Atlanta Public Schools | Education Blog: Former DISD chief of staff Jerome Oberlton federally indicted for deal in Atlanta Public Schools by Matthew Haag Former Dallas ISD chief of staff Jerome Oberlton was indicted Monday by a federal grand jury, accused of receiving at least $60,000 in kickbacks connected to a contract awarded by Atlanta Public Schools. Oberlton resigned as … [visit site to read more]

Another boondoggle in the making: At a cost of more than $12 million to CT Taxpayers - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Another boondoggle in the making: At a cost of more than $12 million to CT Taxpayers - Wait, What?: Another boondoggle in the making: At a cost of more than $12 million to CT Taxpayers by jonpelto On Wednesday, June 5, 2013 the Connecticut’s State Board of Education is scheduled to vote on a proposed new charter school for Windham, Connecticut called The Path Academy. The Path Academy is a project of Our Piece of the Pie, a Hartford-based “youth development agency” that seeks to “help young people access and attain a mix of the educational, employment, and personal skills that co... more »

Diane in the Evening 6-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Student Speaks Out Against StudentsFirst Award to Anti-Gay Legislator by dianerav A reader shared the following story about a student in Tennessee, where StudentsFirst named an outspoken anti-gay legislator as its “Reformer of the Year.” “11-year old takes on Michelle Rhee and Students First over endorsing “Don’t Say Gay” lawmaker endorsement. “ “I am Marcel Neergaard, and I am 11 years old. This year I was homeschooled for sixth grade because of severe bullying. If I had gone back to public school, there is a gr... more »

Administration Honors U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees; Launches Facilities Best Practices Tour | U.S. Department of Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Administration Honors U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees; Launches Facilities Best Practices Tour | U.S. Department of Education: Administration Honors U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees; Launches Facilities Best Practices Tour JUNE 3, 2013 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov White House CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe, and Deputy Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Janey Thornton joined U.S. Secretary of Edu... more »

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Illinois still in student data mining program

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Illinois still in student data mining program: Illinois still in student data mining program by admin [image: spybloom] Yesterday the Tribune printed a Reuters story about the InBloom (formerly Wireless Generation) program funded by Bill Gates that is currently collecting student confidential records it plans to share with private software companies. In Bloom says it cannot guarantee the safety of this data. The story reported that several states or districts which InBloom claimed were past of “Phase 1″ of their project have... more »

Ed Notes Online: Thompson Pans Evaluations as Critiques (other than UFT) Roll in

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Thompson Pans Evaluations as Critiques (other than UFT) Roll in: Thompson Pans Evaluations as Critiques (other than UFT) Roll in by ed notes online *Fleisher reports that Tisch and Thompson didn't speak before he released his comments criticizing the new plan.... WSJ* *So this morning the City’s Gates-trained drones are hard at work developing new tests for Auto Mechanics, Special Ed, Art, Drama, Newspaper, PhysEd, and the rest. By the way, you can forget any help to kill this plan from Randi’s boy, Mulgrew, at UFT. He has already sent out a letter to dues-pay... more »

Community schools bring services under one roof | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Community schools bring services under one roof | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Community schools bring services under one roofAdvocates here are educating the public about the concept, which has taken off in other cities.by Dale Mezzacappa ="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on email COMMENTS (1)PRINT Photo: The Children's Aid Society New York’s Children’s Aid Society has developed community schools that house dental clinics and a variety of other services. The idea of community schools, long discussed in Philadelphia but... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education and Strange Bedfellow: Common Core is Wrong

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education and Strange Bedfellow: Common Core is Wrong: Center School Saga Continues On by Melissa Westbrook I had heard about this but had no real info but our friends over at The Stranger have written this: (bold theirs) *Rumor has it that the Seattle School District is punishing the high school teacher at the center of a controversy earlier this year—concerning his award-winning race and social justice class—by transferring him to another school.* *Greenberg heard from the district this weekend—after chaperoning prom on Saturday night—that he'll... more »

Education Policy via Litigation | InterACT

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Education Policy via Litigation | InterACT: Education Policy via Litigation by David B. Cohen [image: Hoover Tower] photo: Jawed Karim (commons.wikimedia.org) Education is a highly politicized aspect of society, affecting the lives of millions and requiring hundreds of billions of dollars per year. The politics of education policy may be unavoidable, but there are reform strategies that bypass politicians and voters. Try a lawsuit. In a couple of prior blog posts, I’ve praised the efforts to improve public education by seeking legal remedies; specifically, I’ve written about *Lobato... more »

NYC Public School Parents: AFT statement on inBloom and new video critique out of the UK

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: AFT statement on inBloom and new video critique out of the UK: AFT statement on inBloom and new video critique out of the UK by Leonie Haimson On Friday, in an official statement, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, expressed her concerns about inBloom Inc., and how inBloom needs to address the growing public distrust of its credibility and security protection: "Any potential inBloom has to improve and personalize learning is being overshadowed by a growing lack of public trust in its early communications and operations... more »

Peg with Pen: Let’s get real about #optout @John_Merrow

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Peg with Pen: Let’s get real about #optout @John_Merrow: Let’s get real about #optout @John_Merrow by Peggy To understand this post it might be helpful to read Tim Slekar’s post here – to follow the discussion that ensued after John Merrow said “to hell with the tests.” His comment encouraged me to think that perhaps we had a reporter who was ready to tell the citizens of our country that a simple way to halt the harm to our public schools and begin to preserve and improve our public schools with the support of REAL educators, students, and citizens of our community was – to simpl... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Seattle Times and their Mood Swing Editorials

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Seattle Times and their Mood Swing Editorials: The Seattle Times and their Mood Swing Editorials by Melissa Westbrook The Times has two editorials from this weekend that leave a lot to be desired. One is about forced teacher placement at schools. We get a story trotted out about what, yes, sounds like a terrible teacher. The parents in one classroom at West Woodland kept their kids home for some number of days in 2011 because of her. But what the editorial lacks is what happened from there. What did the district do? Did the principal real... more »

The IRS Has More Than Its Rotten Image to Fix | Wall St. Cheat Sheet

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
The IRS Has More Than Its Rotten Image to Fix | Wall St. Cheat Sheet: The IRS Has More Than Its Rotten Image to Fix By Ed Dolan | More Articles June 02, 2013 President Obama is shocked and angered that the IRS targeted certain conservative organizations for special scrutiny when they applied for 501-c(4) tax exemptions as “social welfare” organizations. Republicans are just as shocked. The whole Washington political establishment is shocked, just shocked, that anyone, let alone the IRS, would try to stem the flow of political money that pours through this gaping loophole in the fe... more »

Long-neglected law on teacher evaluations rises to forefront | Hechinger Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Long-neglected law on teacher evaluations rises to forefront | Hechinger Report: Long-neglected law on teacher evaluations rises to forefront by Ashly McGlone LOS ANGELES – The road to an agreement on teacher evaluations has been a long and costly one that is not yet finished. But recent litigation has put the Los Angeles Unified School District on a fast track. The spotlight on teacher evaluations widened last June when Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant ruled that the district was violating California’s longstanding teacher evaluation law, the Stull Act, by not... more »

Third graders will now officially assess NYC teachers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Third graders will now officially assess NYC teachers: Third graders will now officially assess NYC teachers By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 3, 2013 at 10:51 amE-mail the writer 0 Comments More [image: quality]There are several questionable elements to the new teacher evaluation system just imposed on New York City schools by state education Commissioner John King, but the one that jumps out for sheer nitwittedness is this: Students starting in third grade will now have a say in the official assessment of their teachers. Yes, what third- (and fourth and fifth and sixth etc.) grade... more »

Native American student denied high school diploma for wearing tribal feather | The Raw Story

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Native American student denied high school diploma for wearing tribal feather | The Raw Story: Native American student denied high school diploma for wearing tribal feather by Arturo Garcia [image: Alabama high school student denied graduation after wearing tribal feather] Topics: Chelsey Ramer ♦ Escambia Academy High School ♦ high school diploma A high school graduate in Alabama is being denied her diploma after being fined $1,000 for wearing a feather reflecting her Native American heritage. “I don’t think it’s fair at all,” 17-year-old Chelsey Ramer told WPMI-TV. “I feel like its... more »

Record charter school closings in Broward County lead to calls for more scrutiny - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Record charter school closings in Broward County lead to calls for more scrutiny - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: Record charter school closings prompt calls for more accountability [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] By Karen Yi, Sun Sentinel 4:37 p.m. EDT, June 1, 2013 When Next Generation Charter School in Lauderdale Lakes abruptly closed its doors in April, the Broward School district was left scrambling to find classrooms for the 160 students that suddenly had no place to learn. "They did not inform us of their intent to close," said Jody Perry, director o... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, June 3, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Watts teachers urge public notice for parent trigger campaigns* Education Headlines *Monday, June 3, 2013* Palm Springs Unified School District must borrow to build, but risks maxing outThe Palm Springs Unified School District will pursue a bond of up to $107 million to finish construction projects at local campuses, but the school board must still decide to prioritize savings or flexibility. Advocates fear Gov. Jerry Brown's school funding plan could hurt small programsAdvocates warn that the California School Age Families Educat... more »

Lesson for Our Leaders: The Best Defense is a Good Offense - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Lesson for Our Leaders: The Best Defense is a Good Offense - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Lesson for Our Leaders: The Best Defense is a Good Offense by Anthony Cody Educators and our representatives have been on the defensive for so long, many of us have forgotten one of the lessons of the great strategist Sun Tzu - the best defense is a good offense. No Child Left Behind was a frontal assault on the teaching profession. We were accused of "the soft bigotry of low expectations. One Bush era secretary of education even called a teacher union a "terrorist organizatio... more »



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