Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-9-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-9-13 #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

Daily Kos: Thoughts on Snowden, NSA, and more

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago

Daily Kos: Thoughts on Snowden, NSA, and more: Thoughts on Snowden, NSA, and more by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) As I write this, I sit at the counter of the bookstore at Busboys & Poets at 5th & K IN DC. For those who do not know it, B&P is a chain of restaurants owned by Iraqi-American Andy Shallal, named for Langston Hughes, who was both a busboy and a poet. Andy is very left in his politics. The original store at 14th and V has a bookstore run by Teaching for Change. Those in the other three stores, now gearing up, are un directly. I work weekends in both. i mention thi... more »

There are a lot of retired teachers in the League of Women Voters. Don’t mess with our TRS. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago

There are a lot of retired teachers in the League of Women Voters. Don’t mess with our TRS. | Fred Klonsky: There are a lot of retired teachers in the League of Women Voters. Don’t mess with our TRS. by Fred Klonsky There’s an interesting post by Elaine Hopkins on her blog, Peoria Post. The League of Women Voters had their state meeting in Peoria last week. Someone proposed a resolution on Illinois public employee pensions. It included some nonsense about shared sacrifice. It’s nonsense because the only ones sacrificing for past 60 years have been members of the state’s pension syst... more »

Diane in the Evening 6-9-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Schneider: Jindal in Hot Water in Legislature by dianerav Mercedes Schneider summarizes what happened to education bills in the Louisiana legislature this session. The good news is that the legislature is no longer rolling over for Jindal. Some of the damage of last year was undone by the courts and the legislature. Most surprising was the enactment of a “reverse parent trigger,” allowing charter parents to return their school to the district *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-9-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discus... more »

Under siege—and in bid to stay relevant—teacher unions evolve | Hechinger Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Under siege—and in bid to stay relevant—teacher unions evolve | Hechinger Report: Under siege—and in bid to stay relevant—teacher unions evolve by Sarah Butrymowicz HONOLULU — The Hawaii State Teachers Association’s weekly briefing meeting had turned into a battle-planning session; the conference room became a war room. It was late November. Officials were digging in for a protracted fight with the state over teacher evaluations and compensation. They were also dealing with an internal problem: A rogue group of frustrated teachers had launched a “work-to-rule” campaign without union ... more »

Penny Pritzker: Destroys Public Education? | Reclaim Reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Penny Pritzker: Destroys Public Education? | Reclaim Reform: Penny Pritzker: Destroys Public Education? by kenpreviti *Penny Pritzker as Secretary of Commerce?* With all the charges against her for tax evasion and the abuses heaped upon women and children by her companies and herself, why is President Obama nominating Pritzker for a Cabinet position? (Watch HERE) [image: Penny Pritzker1] - The billionaire heiress of the Hyatt fortunes. The recently resigned member of the Chicago Board of Education who approved the closing of 50 public schools for lack of tax funds while appr... more »

SCTA Wins Court Case Against Superintendent’s Priority Schools » Sacramento teachers’ union sues to preserve seniority rights in teacher layoffs

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Legal Clips » Sacramento teachers’ union sues to preserve seniority rights in teacher layoffs: SCTA Wins Court Case Against Superintendent’s Priority Schools SCTA has been litigating a claim against the district for illegal rehires at Priority Schools for the 2011/12 School Year. The court agreed that the District can't apply subjective and changed criteria to post-layoff rehiring for its Priority Schools, and shouldn't have hired/rehired whoever the Priority School Principals decided they wanted, based on differing and arbitrary standards. In the ruling (SCTA v. SCUSD), Judge S... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech: Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech The rally in Albany was massive today; with estimates of 25,000. You can get a sense of the size from the video below. I was honored and excited to be a part of it. Let's hope it is just the beginning of a real movement to rescue public education, led by teachers, parents, administrators and students, to take back our schools. Here is my speech: We are here today to call upon the Governor and the Legislature to do what is right for the children o... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed News from the Times

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed News from the Times: Seattle Schools This Week by Melissa Westbrook Tuesday starts high school graduations. Best wishes to ALL the grads and their parents/guardians! *Monday, June 10th* C&I Committee Mtg, 4-6 pm, Agenda This agenda is full of interesting items like a Math Adoption Progress report. Work Session: Board Evaluation, 6:45-8:00 pm I'd love to go to this one but I doubt I can make it. Not sure who is evaluating whom. *Tuesday, June 11th* Special Ed Advocacy&Advisory Council Meeting, 6:30-9:00 pm, JSCEE, Room 2700 *Wednesday, June 12th... more »

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 36: The end is, well you know…

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 36: The end is, well you know…: Week 36: The end is, well you know… by alicemercer [image: The End Is Nigh] Not much time is left now, and I thought I’d share pictures from Open House, which technically happened in Week 35, but, oh well enjoy! [image: I picked out their best writing for the trimester] [image: We made timelines of Ancient Civilizations that we put up] [image: I have invested in National Geographic maps to help teach Ancient Civilization] [image: This one has come in handy as our newest student is from Vietnam] [image: H... more »

America’s Student Loan Racket: Stiffer Debt Bondage Coming | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

America’s Student Loan Racket: Stiffer Debt Bondage Coming | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: America’s Student Loan Racket: Stiffer Debt Bondage Coming by Stephen Lendman [image: images] by Stephen Lendman For growing numbers of American youths, higher education is increasingly out of reach. High tuition and fees make it unaffordable. So does a disturbing government/corporate partnership. Millions of students need financial aid. They’re exploited for profit. Providers are enriched. Higher education involves debt entrapment. Students gra...more »

Rally: Standardized tests must go - Times Union

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Rally: Standardized tests must go - Times Union: *Rally: Standardized tests must go*Educators, students, supporters from across the state urge reversal of new mandatesBy Matthew HamiltonUpdated 9:52 pm, Saturday, June 8, 2013 [image: Fifteen-year-old Brittany Morris, left, a student from Watertown and Pat DeStefanis, right, a teacher from Indian River join other students and educators during an education rally to press the fight for the future of public education at the Capitol on Saturday June 8, 2013 in Albany, N.Y. (Michael P. Farrell/Times Union) Photo: Michael P. Farrell]Fiftee... more »

Investing in Schools Creates More Than Twice as Many Jobs as Military Spending

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Investing in Schools Creates More Than Twice as Many Jobs as Military Spending: Investing in Schools Creates More Than Twice as Many Jobs as Military Spending Bob Pollin: Education spending is the best job creator - so why are local and state governments firing teachers and closing schools? *- June 9, 13* [image: Investing in Schools Creates More Than Twice as Many Jobs as Military Spending]JAISAL NOOR, TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Jaisal Noor in Baltimore. And welcome to this week's edition of *The PERI Report*. Now joining us is Bob Pollin. He's t... more »

Short Notes: A Cautionary Tale for Edubloggers - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Short Notes: A Cautionary Tale for Edubloggers - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: A Cautionary Tale for Edubloggers by Jose Vilson [image: Arundhati Roy] Arundhati Roy A few notes: - The New York Daily News wants you to nominate teachers for their Hometown Heroes award. Start your engines, ladies and gentlemen. [NY Daily News] - If you’re sick of the “disruption” talk surrounding technology, specifically education, then read this paper by Audrey Watters. Another hit. [Hack Education] - Peter DeWitt writes an interview, and the press secretary for... more »

Perdido Street School: Bloomberg: Keep My Education Policies In Place Or NYC Goes Back To The "Taxi Driver" 70's

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Perdido Street School: Bloomberg: Keep My Education Policies In Place Or NYC Goes Back To The "Taxi Driver" 70's: Bloomberg: Keep My Education Policies In Place Or NYC Goes Back To The "Taxi Driver" 70's Because only Bloomberg and his policies can keep NYC running: *Mayor Michael Bloomberg today warned that should his successor, whoever that might be, not follow his lead on education and crime, the city risked a return to the bad old days.* "All I can say is, whoever follows us, if they don't continue improving the school system and giving the parents choice and letting people who... more »

UPDATE: Sunday reads. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Sunday reads. | Fred Klonsky: Chicago had the Memphis blues again. by Fred Klonsky PopoutIt was Memphis in Chicago at the Blues Festival last night. Anne and I planted ourselves in front of a speaker on the outer lawn of Butler Field. We had cleverly transferred the wine to a thermos so as not to be detected by Grant Park security. The night was beautiful if a little chilly. The skyline sparkled. Soon enough we were listening to the *Bar-Kays* and guests Eddie Floyd with Sir Mack Rice. Floyd had flown in from Jackson, Mississippi. He had been part of the annual memorial of assassinat... more »

UPDATE: Privacy concerns grow over Gates-funded student database

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Privacy concerns grow over Gates-funded student database: Provocative education tweet of the day by Valerie Strauss I am afraid the White House is pushing high speed Internet to make testing platforms easier. — Wilhelm II (@knightofgood) June 9, 2013 For those who missed it last week, President Obama announced a new initiative to bring broadband and wireless Internet access to nearly all of the nation's public schools and libraries within five years. Click here to read the full text of the speech Obama gave at a West Virginia middle school explaining the new EdConnect program, a... more »

Online Education Will Be the Next 'Bubble' To Pop, Not Traditional University Learning - Forbes

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Online Education Will Be the Next 'Bubble' To Pop, Not Traditional University Learning - Forbes: Online Education Will Be the Next 'Bubble' To Pop, Not Traditional University Learning Comment Now Follow Comments [image: Brown University] Brown University (Photo credit: Patricia Drury) Speaking in Providence, RI not too long ago, the post-speech conversation turned to college education. The word was that Brown University’s tuition alone had risen above $50,000 per year. The above number is staggering. For the most part college students tune out during their four years on campus; that... more »

This is what makes us beautiful

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

This is what makes us beautiful: This is what makes us beautiful by Sam And, if you need it, this is why it moves us so much . . . Popout

Jersey Jazzman: Tom Moran: Democracy For the 'Burbs! But Newark? Meh...

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Tom Moran: Democracy For the 'Burbs! But Newark? Meh...: Tom Moran: Democracy For the 'Burbs! But Newark? Meh... by Duke *Star-Ledger Editorial Board* I've pointed out the cluelessness of Tom Moran, op-ed editor of the * Star-Ledger*, many times before when it comes to education policy. I've pointed out repeatedly a basic truth he chooses to ignore: *Charter schools in Newark are not replicable on a large scale because they do not serve the same students as public schools.* I've pointed out Moran's cluelessness on the Newark teachers contract. I've pointed out his i... more »

The Hare And The Pineapple Show Up In Albany To Protest Standardized Testing Perdido Street School

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Perdido Street School: The Hare And The Pineapple Show Up In Albany To Protest Standardized Testing Nice article in the Times Union on the protest up in Albany: ALBANY — A duo infamous among educators mingled with the thousands at the One Voice United rally for education reform at the Empire State Plaza Saturday. No, it wasn't State Education Commissioner John King and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who some speakers lambasted and who were targeted by signs in the crowd calling for their ouster. It was the hare and the pineapple. The characters are from the nonsense story "The Hare and the Pin... more »

Teachers Letters to Bill Gates | Educators from the US and beyond: please share your teaching stories with Mr. Bill Gates. How have their policies influenced your classroom, your students, your teaching, your schools, and your communities?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Teachers Letters to Bill Gates | Educators from the US and beyond: please share your teaching stories with Mr. Bill Gates. How have their policies influenced your classroom, your students, your teaching, your schools, and your communities?: TEACHERS LETTERS TO BILL GATES Educators from the US and beyond: please share your teaching stories with Mr. Bill Gates. How have their policies influenced your classroom, your students, your teaching, your schools, and your communities? Would you consider sending your child to a pediatrician who was required to implement tests and procedures man... more »

Quinn: “no shenanigans” with UNO grant - Chicago Sun-Times

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Quinn: “no shenanigans” with UNO grant - Chicago Sun-Times: Quinn: “no shenanigans” with UNO grant By TINA SFONDELES and DAN MIHALOPOULOS Staff Reporters June 8, 2013 3:10PM 0 0 Share 34 8 [image: Gov. PQuinn tours farmer's market Saturday 61st Street Dorchester Avenue Chicago. | TinSfondeles~Sun-Times] Gov. Pat Quinn tours the farmer's market Saturday at 61st Street and Dorchester Avenue in Chicago. | Tina Sfondeles~Sun-Times ARTICLE EXTRAS [image: Story Image] View Gallery RELATED STORIES - Gov. Quinn to restore taxpayer funding for UNO school Updated: June 9, 2013 2:30AM ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-9-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Mississippi Governor: Blame Working Moms for Educational Woes by dianerav The governor of Mississippi said recently that America’s educational troubles started when women joined the workforce. Please, somebody, send him a copy of my new book when it comes out in September. He will be surprised to learn that test scores of federal exams have never been higher and dropout rates have never been lower. Or send me his address and I will send him an autographed copy m... more »

6-9-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] A new one from @mornamcdermott, is it the blue or the red pill? #highered by Chalk Face, PhD Once again, a well-researched and detailed piece from Educational Alchemy. Quick question, and this is for higher ed: why the hell would college syllabi need to be aligned to common core? I thought being college and career ready meant you were, you know, ready for college and we could move on? Whose ridiculous idea is […] Another experiment: #edreform news briefs as WW2 propaganda reels by Chalk Face, PhD As if I don’t have other thing... more »

How to survive our education battles - Class Struggle - The Washington Post

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

How to survive our education battles - Class Struggle - The Washington Post: How to survive our education battles By Jay Mathews E-mail the writer The latest fashions in the American education system are, as usual, inspiring raucous debate. I try to take sides in these arguments. Isn’t it my job to explain who’s right? But I wonder. There is much chatter, for instance, over education historian Diane Ravitch’s fiery assault on Ben Austin, founder of the Parent Revolution organization. The California “parent trigger law” Austin sponsored just cost a Los Angeles principal her job. Fif... more »

Ed Notes Online: Baby, I'm Crazy While a NYC Parent Says I May Not Be

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Baby, I'm Crazy While a NYC Parent Says I May Not Be: Baby, I'm Crazy While a NYC Parent Says I May Not Be by ed notes online People -- some even in MORE -- have branded me as a "crazy" due to my constant assault on the UFT leadership. Thus I was surprised to get this email from a parent activist, fairly newly minted (a year) activist -- someone who is enormously respected on so many levels -- who I had no idea read this blog who sent this. Norm, I have to confess that when I first read your writings (only a little over a year ago), I was impressed but thought you m... more »

Gates Foundation looking to make nice with teachers | Education | The Seattle Times

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Gates Foundation looking to make nice with teachers | Education | The Seattle Times: Gates Foundation looking to make nice with teachers Five years into the second phase of its mission to overhaul America’s public schools, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is moving to work more closely with teachers, generating interest but also wariness because of past hostilities. By Linda Shaw Seattle Times education reporter [image: Bill Gates, tempering his views on teachers?] Bill Gates, tempering his views on teachers? MOST POPULAR COMMENTS HIDE / SHOW COMMENTS Of course rating teachers sho... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Hamilton for Next Year from Superintendent Banda

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Hamilton for Next Year from Superintendent Banda: Hamilton for Next Year from Superintendent Banda by Melissa Westbrook Thank you to Grey Watch for putting this up (bold mine). I would say, from the Superintendent's statements, that Hamilton is going to be a lot like Eckstein for next year. *June 7, 2013 Dear Hamilton International Middle School community, As many of you are aware, enrollment is on the rise throughout our school district, including at Hamilton International Middle School. At every school we must balance the safety and security ... more »

Peg with Pen: Get the Message Clear re: #commoncore #highstakestesting

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Peg with Pen: Get the Message Clear re: #commoncore #highstakestesting: Get the Message Clear re: #commoncore #highstakestesting by Peggy The common core and high stakes testing must both go down. It cannot be one or the other. Very concerned that the message I hear today is asking for more time to implement the core, more time to make better tests, more time for teachers to get accustomed to the common core. This is not good enough for our children. This is exactly what the corp. ed. reformers want us to say. We have an opportunity to end this - but if we accept any part of their... more »

THE 99 CENTS STORE EDUCATION FOR THE 99% - Perdaily.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

THE 99 CENTS STORE EDUCATION FOR THE 99% - Perdaily.com: THE 99 CENTS STORE EDUCATION FOR THE 99% by Leonard Isenberg [image: 99 Cents Store.jpg] (Mensaje se repite en Español) *In the old world from which most of our ancestors came, America served as a beacon, because unlike the stratified world of our origin, America was a place where if you worked hard both you and your family could prosper. * * * *Fundamental to this ability to prosper was the availability of having your children educated at public expense to their highest potential. This gave access to the same high level of cri... more »

Special Episode of At the Chalk Face w. Sara Wottawa 06/08 by Chalk Face | Blog Talk Radio

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Special Episode of At the Chalk Face w. Sara Wottawa 06/08 by Chalk Face | Blog Talk Radio: Special Episode of At the Chalk Face w. Sara Wottawa [image: Chalk Face] Chalk Face 3 hours ago Listen to internet radio with Chalk Face on BlogTalkRadio - - - - Share On LinkedinLinkedIn - Share On Emailemail - 2 - EMBED 6.8.13: Before we go on a brief hiatus, we're going out with a bang. Parent activist Sara Wottawa is going to join us and tell us all how she keeps it real. Come and get some advice on parent activism, Saturday, 6PM EST. Chat's open, live tweet... more »

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: H.R.2237 DIPLOMA Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago To strengthen student achievement and graduation rates and prepare young people for college, careers, and citizenship through innovative partnerships that meet the comprehensive needs of children and youth. Bill Introduced: S.1062 Educator Preparation Reform Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago A bill to improve quality and accountability for educator preparation programs. Bill Introduced: S.1052 Growing Educ... more »

Examining My Core Values | Connected Principals

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Examining My Core Values | Connected Principals: Examining My Core Values by Dave Meister [image: corevalues]I sometimes become frustrated about administrating in a public school. I guess it is especially easy to be frustrated at the end of a school year. The students are burnt out. The teachers are ready for some time off to recharge. People get testy at the end of a school year. In these austere times, school personnel wonder about next year as it looms on the horizon. There are openings to fill, school program changes to be made, and assignments to be given. The end of this year ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech: Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech by Leonie Haimson The rally in Albany was massive today; with estimates of 25,000. You can get a sense of the size from the video below. I was honored and excited to be a part of it. Let's hope it is just the beginning of a real movement to rescue public education, led by teachers, parents, administrators and students, to take back our schools. Here is my speech: We are here today to call upon the Governor and the Legislature to do what is right ... more »

Revisiting the Chetty, Rockoff & Friedman Mole Hill | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Revisiting the Chetty, Rockoff & Friedman Mole Hill | School Finance 101: Revisiting the Chetty, Rockoff & Friedman Mole Hill by schoolfinance101 My kids and I don’t watch enough Phineas and Ferb anymore. Awesome show. I was reminded just yesterday ofthis great device! [image: 320px-Mountain_out_of_molehill-inator] This… is the Mountain-Out-Of-A-Molehill-INATOR! The name is rather self-explanatory – but here’s the official explanation anyway: The Mountain-out-of-a-molehill-inator turns molehills into big mountains. It uses energy pellets to do so. It was created because all his life... more »

No Learning Without Feeling - NYTimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

No Learning Without Feeling - NYTimes.com: No Learning Without Feeling Jon Han By CLAIRE NEEDELL HOLLANDERPublished: June 8, 2013 - FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - SAVE - E-MAIL - SHARE - PRINT - SINGLE PAGE - REPRINTS “IT’S sad,” the kid at the far table told me, “but it’s my favorite poem we worked on.” He was talking about “The Weary Blues,” by Langston Hughes, and although his emotional language was rudimentary, his response was authentic. “So we should read literature that makes us sad?” I asked. He laughed. “Well, sadness, Ms. Hollander, is something ... more »

Professional Development Goes Rogue | InterACT

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Professional Development Goes Rogue | InterACT: Professional Development Goes Rogue by David B. Cohen Robert Pronovost (@pronovost) shows off his #brewcue sign (photo by the author). [image: pronovost]My last professional development experience occurred at a bar, with a pitcher of beer passed among participants at the table. Don’t worry – no district funds were misspent. It was my second time joining an informal evening*tweet-up* (i.e., organized on Twitter) of Computer-Using Educators (CUE) in the San Francisco Bay Area. These gatherings go by hashtag *#brewcue*. There’s an occasio... more »

Blue Jersey:: NJ Education News Round-Up, 6/8/13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Blue Jersey:: NJ Education News Round-Up, 6/8/13: NJ Education News Round-Up, 6/8/13 by Jersey Jazzman Let's get right to it:*Debunking Propaganda on Teacher Evaluation* I have a post over at Jersey Jazzman on how the rhetoric out of NJDOE on teacher evaluation is becoming increasingly like propaganda: ** *Again: I am not going to criticize the motivations of any of the members of EPAC. But this op-ed piece is not helpful: it evades addressing the central concerns with AchieveNJ, and it asks teachers to happily sign on to a system of evaluation that has no support in research. Unl... more »

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Failing Charters in Michigan Are Not Closed by dianerav This comment was posted in response to a report by Education Trust Midwest about Michigan’s expansion of low-performing (and failing) charter schools. The irony is that the original theory of charters was that they would either meet their goals or lose their charter. twenty plus years ago, no one considered the possibility that for-profit and even nonprofit charters would make political contributions and assemble a political base that outweighed the q... more »

More tweets from the weird mind of Park Ridge school board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

More tweets from the weird mind of Park Ridge school board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno. | Fred Klonsky: More tweets from the weird mind of Park Ridge school board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno. by Fred Klonsky [image: home-dr-paterno] *Park Ridge District 64 board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno.* Park Ridge psychologist Dr. Dathan Paterno was recently elected by a huge number of Park Ridge residents*who didn’t vote.* Paterno, who frequently represents parents in cases against the Park Ridge school district, loves Twitter. It is there that he reduces his right-wing rants and goofy scientific ... more »

That Way Madness Lies - Reformy-to-English Dictionary, Volume Two

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

That Way Madness Lies - Reformy-to-English Dictionary, Volume Two: Reformy-to-English Dictionary, Volume Two *[Note: for an introduction and Volume One, please see the previous post.]* Accountability *(noun)*: The act of holding children responsible for choosing to be born into the wrong families or in the wrong geographic locations. Alternately, the act of penalizing teachers who do not advise at-risk students to quit school quickly and avoid wasting everyone’s time and money. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) *(noun)*: A number pulled out of a hat by a politician or political app... more »