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Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-26-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2


James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."


A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP



NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes 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 - 36 minutes 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 - 36 minutes 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 - 36 minutes 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 - 51 minutes 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 - 1 hour ago

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 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 - 2 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 - 3 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 - 3 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 - 3 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 »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Growth Boundaries and Trust

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Growth Boundaries and Trust: Growth Boundaries and Trust by Charlie Mas On June 1st, at the Board Retreat, there was a lot of talk about trust. Here's one statement from that event that I recall clearly: "You cannot talk yourself out of a trust issue that you acted yourself into." Everyone at the retreat - Board directors and senior staff - pledged themselves to building trust. That was just a few weeks ago. Then, yesterday, we get a presentation from the senior staff, Board Work Session - Equitable Access, Growth Boundaries & Capacity Managemen... more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 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 - 5 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 - 5 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 6 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 7 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 - 8 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 - 8 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 - 8 hours 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 - 8 hours 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 - 8 hours 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 - 8 hours 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 »

ALEC, Jeb Bush’s Foundation and McCay Scholarship Fraud | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
ALEC, Jeb Bush’s Foundation and McCay Scholarship Fraud | Scathing Purple Musings: ALEC, Jeb Bush’s Foundation and McCay Scholarship Fraud by Bob Sikes *[image: The Real I.R.S. Scandal]**WE ARE FAMILY**ALEC, Jeb Bush’s Foundation and McCay Scholarship* ** A consortium of progressive organizations released yesterday titled *ALEC v. Kids: ALEC’s Assault On Public Education.* *StateImpact *has the entire report furnished by Progress Florida. Here is the report’s focus on Florida: ALEC’s ties to Florida are reinforced by the connection with Former Governor Jeb Bush and his ALEC membe... more »

After years of cuts, states investing in early education again | Hechinger Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
After years of cuts, states investing in early education again | Hechinger Report: After years of cuts, states investing in early education again by Tim Post Minnesota Public Radio News In a little over a year, many of Minnesota’s youngest students will be spending more time in the classroom. State lawmakers this spring approved $40 million in funding for all-day kindergarten and more money for pre-kindergarten scholarships for children from low-income families aiming to close the gap in standardized test scores between white students and students of color. [image: Kindergarten stude... more »

Pension “Committee of Ten” meets tomorrow in Chicago. Come on down. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Pension “Committee of Ten” meets tomorrow in Chicago. Come on down. | Fred Klonsky: Pension “Committee of Ten” meets tomorrow in Chicago. Come on down. by Fred Klonsky After Governor *Squeezy’s* failed attempt at forcing a pension bill out of the legislature a few weeks ago, The Madman and Senate President Cullerton set up a Committee of Ten to try and reach a compromise between the House’s horrible SB1 and the Senate’s SB24o4. SB2404 was the bill that was supported by the *We Are One*coalition of state public employee unions. By most accounts and predictions, nobody really expects S... more »

Daily Kos: worth remembering - Ten Years Ago Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Daily Kos: worth remembering - Ten Years Ago Today: worth remembering - Ten Years Ago Today by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) SCOTUS issued Lawrence v Texas, 539 U.S. 558. In the 6-3 ruling, the Court specifically struck down the anti-sodomy statute in Texas, reversed itself from Hardwicke v Bowersin 1986 which had upheld Georgia's anti-sodomy law, finding that case viewed the liberty interest too narrowly. The Court held that intimate consensual sexual conduct was part of the liberty protected by substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. Five Justices ruled on the ba... more »

The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: Choice and Competition - Improving or Undermining Public Education?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: Choice and Competition - Improving or Undermining Public Education?: Guest Post: Choice and Competition - Improving or Undermining Public Education? by Emily Richmond [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] * We asked some of the journalists attending EWA's 66th National Seminar, held at Stanford University in May, to contribute posts from the sessions. You can find additional content, including video, at EdMedia Commons. Jessica Williams of The Lens in is today's guest blogger. For video of the seminar session, click here. F... more »

Proof LDOE does not fill data requests; Sci Academy faux grad rate; and a prism through which to view the CREDO study | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Proof LDOE does not fill data requests; Sci Academy faux grad rate; and a prism through which to view the CREDO study | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Proof LDOE does not fill data requests; Sci Academy faux grad rate; and a prism through which to view the CREDO study by crazycrawfish John White testified during the last legislative session that he is not aware of people having trouble getting access to LDOE data. This statement is wildly inconsistent with what I, and numerous other researchers have reported. I am a witness in a lawsuit against LDOE where a New Orleans researcher, for alm... more »

Rope-A-Dope Like Muhammad Ali [Collaborateurs] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Rope-A-Dope Like Muhammad Ali [Collaborateurs] - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Rope-A-Dope Like Muhammad Ali [Collaborateurs] by Jose Vilson [image: George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali] George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali One of my year-end reflection is now live at The Collaborateurs: This year, I needed this when I went for a whirlwind of a trip this year, shifting roles and attitudes in ways that had me floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. Perhaps even a little rope-a-dope as I sustained a few blows. As successful as I’ve been outside of school, the frustrations insi... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: TOMORROW! JOIN THE CTU PROTEST AGAINST BUDGET CUTS!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: TOMORROW! JOIN THE CTU PROTEST AGAINST BUDGET CUTS!: TOMORROW! by Mike Klonsky [image: EVENTS] Join parents, students and educators from across the city to demand that Chicago puts our schools first! Fight the budget cuts and help win for our students. Please invite LSC members, parents and students from your school! *CHICAGO BOARD OF ED MEETING WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 Board of Education – 125 S. Clark**8:30 a.m. STAND UP FOR OUR SCHOOLS! CLASSROOMS NEED RESOURCES! **10:30 a.m. Board meeting beginsStand up for your students, your colleagu... more »

Budget detail shows almost all districts returning to prerecession funding levels SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Print this article*Budget detail shows almost all districts returning to prerecession funding levels* *By Kimberly Beltran* Tuesday, June 25, 2013 Gov. Jerry Brown’s finance department has released estimated payment amounts for districts based on the new education funding system adopted earlier this month by the Legislature as part of the 2013-14 state budget. Under terms of what’s being called a “compromise” on Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula, districts will receive an average of about $537 more per student than was proposed in May by... more »

Math, Science, Literacy, and Empathy Are Not Mutually Exclusive — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Math, Science, Literacy, and Empathy Are Not Mutually Exclusive — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Start Empathy]Math, Science, Literacy, and Empathy Are Not Mutually Exclusive June 25, 2013 by Start Empathy [image: Neon Tommy - Creative Commons] *Post written by Sharon Lazich for Ashoka's Start Empathy Initiative, a whole child partner organization* In February President Obama laid out an ambitious agenda to invest in our young people, calling for early childhood education for every child in America. In his own words: "Every dollar we invest in high-quality early... more »

Oregon Save Our Schools: Dr. Crew's Office: To Serve the Governor or the Public?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Oregon Save Our Schools: Dr. Crew's Office: To Serve the Governor or the Public?: Dr. Crew's Office: To Serve the Governor or the Public? by Oregon SOS *Oregon Save Our Schools met with Dr. Rudy Crew last year, a few months after he was hired in Oregon. We wanted to open a dialogue with him to share concerns of the voice of the public to include parents, teachers, and community members. After meeting for over an hour, which Dr. Crew and his staff graciously stayed longer than what was scheduled, it was obvious that the voice of the public was not in his job expectations. It was... more »

Diane in the Evening 6-25-13 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: Anyone Can Teach, Right? by dianerav Dennis Hong has written an essay that is spreading like wildfire across the Internet. It is called “The Hardest Job Everyone Thinks They Can Do.” He used to be a molecular biologist. When he told his friends about his frustration with a failed experiment, no one told him how to do it right. Then he became a teacher. Now everyone knows his job–or thinks they Oh, Those Overpaid Teachers in Tennessee! by dianerav A reader posted this comment: *I am a teacher in TN. I have 6 years o... more »

Pitiful --- Vallas and Pryor “performance” on the witness stand in the Bridgeport superintendent case - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Pitiful --- Vallas and Pryor “performance” on the witness stand in the Bridgeport superintendent case - Wait, What?: Pitiful — Vallas and Pryor “performance” on the witness stand in the Bridgeport superintendent case by jonpelto Yesterday, Paul Vallas and Stefan Pryor took the stand in the case about the fact that Paul Vallas lacks the educational and legal standing to serve as Bridgeport’s superintendent of schools. The case was brought by former Connecticut Judge Carmen Lopez and a Bridgeport parent. Their legal team is headed by the renowned trial attorney, Norm Pattis, as wel... more »

Georgia State GOP Committee Passes Resolution Against Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Georgia State GOP Committee Passes Resolution Against Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings: Georgia State GOP Committee Passes Resolution Against Common Core by Bob Sikes From *Marietti Daily Journal *reporter Lindsay Field: MARIETTA — The chess match over Georgia’s involvement in a controversial program to create nationwide educational standards got deeper over the weekend.The State Committee of the Georgia Republican Party adopted a resolution Saturday that recommends the state withdraw from participation in the Common Core standards and the national tests that are tied to ... more »

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 6-25-13: Sign Xian’s petition to return the public schools to the public

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 6-25-13: Sign Xian’s petition to return the public schools to the public: PSAT for 6-25-13: Sign Xian’s petition to return the public schools to the public by admin [image: psat_logo] The good news is that my son and daughter-in-law are expecting a baby and have signed a contract on a new house in Chicago. The bad news is that as of yesterday, there is no neighborhood elementary school in their area. As someone who has fought for high quality schools for every child in Chicago for 25 years, I find this a hard pill to ... more »

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Supreme Court Ruling Strikes Key Provisions of the Voting Rights Act

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Supreme Court Ruling Strikes Key Provisions of the Voting Rights Act: Supreme Court Ruling Strikes Key Provisions of the Voting Rights Act by L. Jablonski *This law covers many pages. But the heart of the act is plain. Wherever, by clear and objective standards, states and counties are using regulations, or laws, or tests to deny the right to vote, then they will be struck down. If it is clear that State officials still intend to discriminate, then Federal examiners will be sent in to register all eligible voters. When the prospect of discrimination is ... more »

Arne Duncan tells newspaper editors how to report on Common Core

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Arne Duncan tells newspaper editors how to report on Common Core: Arne Duncan tells newspaper editors how to report on Common Core By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 25, 2013 at 4:19 pmE-mail the writer It seems that a big part of Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s job now is giving impassioned defenses of the Common Core State Standards, which he did Tuesday to a convention of American news editors (some of whom may not have even known it needed defending). A few months ago, Duncan told Chamber of Commerce leaders that they had to be more supportive of the Common Core because it was ... more »

TODAY's Education Research Report 6-25-13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Education Research Report: Language Intervention Levels Playing Field for English Language Learners Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 hours ago A new approach to teaching pre-kindergarten could take a bite out of the achievement gap and level the playing field for America’s growing population of English language learners, according to a recently published study by researchers at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development. “We are excited that we have helped teachers develop ways of teaching that result in such remarkable gains among children,... more »

Arne Duncan To Defend Common Core, Call Tea Party Critiques 'Outlandish'

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Arne Duncan To Defend Common Core, Call Tea Party Critiques 'Outlandish': Arne Duncan To Defend Common Core, Call Tea Party Critiques 'Outlandish' by Joy Resmovits Over the last few months, the louder critics of the Common Core learning standards have associated the initiative with varying degrees of evil: vampires, zombies, brain tracking, Hitler. In a Washington, D.C. speech to the American Society of News Editors Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is expected to add one more to the list. "Traditionally, this event has been an opportunity for federal leaders to ta... more »

Common Core is “Conservative” to the Core? | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Common Core is “Conservative” to the Core? | Truth in American Education: Common Core is “Conservative” to the Core? by Shane Vander Hart There is an orchestrated push on the part of Common Core advocates to publish nonsense in local papers and other publication. We can’t respond to each and every piece here, but this particular post should cause a collective eye roll. Chester Finn and Michael Pretrilli of the Fordham Institute wrote a piece published in the* Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel* that must be addressed. They say the Common Core State Standards should make conservatives happy... more »









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