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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Nite Cap 10-3-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change


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

TODAY

Assembly Bill 484 Questions and Answers + $7.5 Million to Linked Learning Programs
Assembly Bill 484 Questions and Answers - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education): Assembly Bill 484 Questions and AnswersQuestions and answers regarding Assembly Bill (AB) 484, which establishes California's new statewide student assessment system. AB 484 was signed into law on October 2, 2013.1. What is Assembly Bill (AB) 484?Signed into law on October 2, 2013, AB 484 (Bonilla)  establishe
by mike simpson / 12min 
Remember the 'I Quit Teach for America' essay? Here's the... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com
Remember the 'I Quit Teach for America' essay? Here's the... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: Remember the 'I Quit Teach for America' essay? Here's the counterpoint. 'I stayed.' COMMENT(6) 2 731 108 859RelatedView Larger Former TFA teacher Tre TennysonPrevious PostsHigh school: Can't we make it better? October 3, 2013Lessons from abroad: Effort over talentOctober 2, 2013Moderate reformers need to jum
by mike simpson / 12min 
Tom Corbett, Stop Holding School Children Hostage | WeArePCAPS
Tom Corbett, Stop Holding School Children Hostage | WeArePCAPS: Tom Corbett, Stop Holding School Children HostagePosted on October 3, 2013by wearepcapsPCAPS was out today at Drexel where Tom Corbett was speaking.   We let him know what we think of his refusal release funding for Philadelphia Schools.
by mike simpson / 17min 
New Website Exposes Privatization: Focus this Week on K-12 On-Line Schools | janresseger
New Website Exposes Privatization: Focus this Week on K-12 On-Line Schools | janresseger: New Website Exposes Privatization: Focus this Week on K-12 On-Line SchoolsPosted on October 3, 2013 by janressegerThe Center for Media and Democracy, which has explored the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in its long-term project ALECexposed.org, has launched a new project—OutsourcingAm
by mike simpson / 17min 
Choosing Democracy: California continues to underfund its schools
Choosing Democracy: California continues to underfund its schools: California continues to underfund its schoolsValuable new report from California Budget Project.Rising to the Challenge: Why Greater Investment in K-12 Education Matters for California's StudentsA new CBP School Finance Facts compares California student demographics, education spending, and school staffing to that in the rest of th
by mike simpson / 26min 
Valuing Teachers | Taking Note
Valuing Teachers | Taking Note: Valuing Teachersby JOHN MERROW on 03. OCT, 2013 in 2013 BLOGSHow do we–the collective we–feel about teachers? The granddaddy of all surveys about public education is The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. It established the brand in 1984 and has, to this observer anyway, become better,deeper and more nuanced over time. [1]There are other education surveys, of c
by mike simpson / 34min 
10-3-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: From the End of the Beginning to the Beginning of the End for High Stakes TestingMark Mulville/Buffalo NewsRemember: it happened in Buffalo--the night that 2,500 parents, teachers, and administrators showed up. Now let's keep the hammer down.From the Buffalo News by Dale Anderson: Reform of high-stakes testing for schoolchildren, a groundswell movement of lawn signs and small-scale
by mike simpson / 41min 
NYC Educator: I Want to be a Dean
NYC Educator: I Want to be a Dean: I Want to be a DeanThat's the rallying cry I'm hearing from teachers everywhere. Deans in my school teach three periods and dean a bunch of others. Reformy John King and the other geniuses who designed the junk science to fire teachers program have decreed that teachers must teach 60% of the day to qualify for it. Therefore, if you teach three or fewer periods, y
by mike simpson / 49min 
Mother Crusader: Stealth Charter Approvals Mask For-Profit CMO Expansion In New Jersey
Mother Crusader: Stealth Charter Approvals Mask For-Profit CMO Expansion In New Jersey: Stealth Charter Approvals Mask For-Profit CMO Expansion In New JerseyDid you miss the announcement of the approval of three new charter schools?  Yeah, we all did. There was no glowing press release as per usual, just the stealth approval of three more urban charters.The New Jersey Charter School Circus Has Lef
by mike simpson / 49min 
Is Education Reform a Faith-Based Belief System? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Is Education Reform a Faith-Based Belief System? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Is Education Reform a Faith-Based Belief System?By Anthony Cody on October 3, 2013 12:25 PMThe latest entry in the Bridging Differences blog is a fascinating look at the belief system guiding the most fervent advocates of modern education reform. Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute raise
by mike simpson / 51min 
Education Advocacy in Urban Communities | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights
Education Advocacy in Urban Communities | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Education Advocacy in Urban CommunitiesBy National PTA on October 3, 2013“A person has truly become a PTA member when his circle of concern stretchesbeyond his own child to include all children.” – UnknownBy Stella Y. Edwards*, Chairman, National PTA Legislative CommitteeOctober is upon us. At National P
by mike simpson / 52min 
Why Resilience Is Critical in a Learning Environment — Whole Child Education
Why Resilience Is Critical in a Learning Environment — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGWhy Resilience Is Critical in a Learning EnvironmentOctober 3, 2013 by Tammy RussellResilience is a life skill that all teachers should focus on throughout students' educational career. In many classrooms, resiliency and perseverance may be discussed early in the year and then left out of the classroo
by mike simpson / 5h 
Will technology improve teacher-student relationships, or hurt them? | HechingerEd Blog
Will technology improve teacher-student relationships, or hurt them? | HechingerEd Blog: Will technology improve teacher-student relationships, or hurt them?School districts from the sprawling Los Angeles Unified to the tiny Nome Public Schools in Alaska have embraced technology in the classroom based on the promise that it can improve learning by increasing student engagement.A game which allows
by mike simpson / 5h 
All Education Matters: Warning - FAKE SALLIE MAE ACCOUNT CLAIMS THEY WILL FORGIVE YOUR STUDENT LOANS
All Education Matters: Warning - FAKE SALLIE MAE ACCOUNT CLAIMS THEY WILL FORGIVE YOUR STUDENT LOANS: Warning - FAKE SALLIE MAE ACCOUNT CLAIMS THEY WILL FORGIVE YOUR STUDENT LOANSFolks, we should have expected scams of various sorts to pop up, thanks to extremists in the GOP hijacking government and shutting it down.So, it comes as no surprise that scammers are trying to take full advantage of peo
by mike simpson / 5h 
Joy Pullmann on the Connection Between Common Core & Data Mining | Truth in American Education
Joy Pullmann on the Connection Between Common Core & Data Mining | Truth in American Education: Joy Pullmann on the Connection Between Common Core & Data MiningFiled in Common Core State Standards, Privacy/SLDS by Shane Vander Hart on October 3, 2013 • 0 Comments41Joy Pullmann of The Heartland Institute was interviewed by The New American.  You can watch the interview below:HT: Illinois Re
by mike simpson / 5h 
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's 'Fog Machine'
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's 'Fog Machine': Rahm's 'Fog Machine'“Their decision to modify their promise of a five-year moratorium on school closings is a smack in the face to the parents, teachers and students who are working so hard to secure vital resources for their neighborhood schools.” --CTU's Stephanie GadlinIf her lips are moving, Byrd-Bennettis lying.  Becky Carroll is lying even
by mike simpson / 5h 
Cali Education Headlines Thursday, October 3, 2013
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: STAR test dumped: Brown ignores federal threats, signs bill allowing new examsEducation HeadlinesThursday, October 3, 2013Critics blast Sonora High School pool projectConcerned community members attending the Sonora Union High School District’s board meeting Tuesday questioned whether the district is legally allowed to spend bond money on bui
by mike simpson / 6h 
The Connected Educator Culture | My Island View
The Connected Educator Culture | My Island View: The Connected Educator CultureOctober 3, 2013 by tomwhitbyThis is the original post that I submitted to Edcsurge. Under the expert editorship of Christina Quattrocchi it appeared under this title Board The Bullet Train: The Culture of ConnectionI have been a connected educator throughout most of my 40-year career. My professional life has always bee
by mike simpson / 6h 
Damon Takes the Stage, but Ravitch Wins the Applause - LA School Report
Damon Takes the Stage, but Ravitch Wins the Applause - LA School Report: Post navigationDamon Takes the Stage, but Ravitch Wins the ApplausePosted on October 3, 2013 by Chase NiesnerMatt Damon with Diane RavitchWhen the actor Matt Damon stood before a capacity crowd inside the Cal State Northridge student union last night, he smiled sheepishly and said he wasn’t surprised to see so many star-struc
by mike simpson / 6h 
Democrat Glenda Ritz, GOP appointees tussle for control of State Board of Education | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
Democrat Glenda Ritz, GOP appointees tussle for control of State Board of Education | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com: Democrat Glenda Ritz, GOP appointees tussle for control of State Board of EducationTension between Democrat state superintendent Glenda Ritz and the Republican-appointed Indiana State Board of Education exploded into a direct confrontation Wednesday over who controls the board’s
by mike simpson / 6h 
Teacher status around the world: How the U.S. stacks up | The Raw Story
Teacher status around the world: How the U.S. stacks up | The Raw Story: Teacher status around the world: How the U.S. stacks upBy The Christian Science MonitorThursday, October 3, 2013 11:04 EDTTopics: Alicia Schoenborn ♦ Mahnomen Elementary School ♦ Teacher status Debate about how to keep up with countries that perform best on international tests has been percolating for years in theUnited State
5 by mike simpson / 7h 
Morning Wink 10-3-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTODAYHas the Left Lost Faith in Upward Mobility? - Bridging Differences - Education WeekHas the Left Lost Faith in Upward Mobility? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Has the Left Lost Faith in Upward Mobility?By Mike Petrilli on October 3, 2013 10:03 AMDear Deborah,Earlier this week you wrote that you were "stunned" that I'd suggest a simp
1 by mike simpson / 7h 
Has the Left Lost Faith in Upward Mobility? - Bridging Differences - Education Week
Has the Left Lost Faith in Upward Mobility? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Has the Left Lost Faith in Upward Mobility?By Mike Petrilli on October 3, 2013 10:03 AMDear Deborah,Earlier this week you wrote that you were "stunned" that I'd suggest a simple rule for our young people: "Don't have babies until you can afford them." Stunned was a much kinder word than many co
by mike simpson / 8h 
Are There Low Performing Schools With High Performing Students?
Shanker Blog » Are There Low Performing Schools With High Performing Students?: Are There Low Performing Schools With High Performing Students?Posted by Matthew Di Carlo on October 3, 2013I write often (probably too often) about the difference between measures of school performance and studentperformance, usually in the context of school rating systems. The basic idea is that schools cannot contro
by mike simpson / 8h 
Headbangers Ball… | PWC Education Reform Blog
Headbangers Ball… | PWC Education Reform Blog: Headbangers Ball…October 3, 2013 — pwceducationreform I’ve been attending school board meetings for longer than I care to remember.  There are meetings that you walk out of feeling all warm and fuzzy, meetings where you leave wanting to slay dragons, and meetings where you want to run screaming around the parking lot banging your head against the wal
by mike simpson / 8h 
Wall Street's for-profit "cyber schools" rip off kids and taxpayers |Teamster Nation
Wall Street's for-profit "cyber schools" rip off kids and taxpayers |Teamster Nation: Wall Street's for-profit "cyber schools" rip off kids and taxpayersThe same anti-worker extremists waging war on the middle class and wringing workers dry are also trying to squeeze profits out of our kids -- and swindle taxpayers in the process.A new report from PR Watch has the details on Wa
by mike simpson / 8h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: What to Do with Your Child’s Test Scores: Send ‘em Back!Some parents in New York have devised a creative way to protest the absurdly hard Common Core tests that most kids “failed” last spring. They are sending the scores back to the State Commissioner John King. The word is getting out. The tests were designed to create failure. Te
by mike simpson / 9h 
10-3-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Achievement First’s Teacher Certification Violations lead right into State Department of EducationAchievement First – Bridgeport Academy is among Connecticut’s worst offenders when it comes to charter schools that fail to provide students with properly certified teachers. According to the records filed with the State Department of Education, of the 59 teachers working at Achievement Fi
by mike simpson / 10h 
Diane Ravitch: Q&A on her controversial new book
Diane Ravitch: Q&A on her controversial new book: Diane Ravitch: Q&A on her controversial new bookBy Valerie Strauss, Published: October 3 at 8:30 amE-mail the writer0CommentsMoreThe new book by education historian and activist Diane Ravitch, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools,has debuted on The New York Times bestseller list i
by mike simpson / 10h 
10-3-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools seeks members for Math Adoption CommitteeFrom SPS:Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is accepting applications from SPS families and community members interested in serving on the District’s Math Adoption Committee.The committee will advise SPS on the selection of mathematics instructional materials for kindergarten through Grade 5 students that meet the
by mike simpson / 10h 
10-3-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Special Edition Of This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Important Posts & Articles On Ed PolicyUsually, I just publish one “round-up” of good articles & posts on education policy each week, but there have been quite a few lately. Here’s a second, extra edition: PISA Learning, Not PISA Topping is by Andy Hargreaves and appears
by mike simpson / 10h 
10-3-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: What is the purpose of the state auditing every Illinois retired teacher on TRIP?  FOIA I filed for all CMS and HMS contracts. What is the purpose of the data dredging audit that Central Management Services (CMS) has hired HMS to do? I posted about this yesterday. My post came after the letter HMS sen
by mike simpson / 10h 
10-3-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Shame on "Journalists" Supporting E4E Closed Meeting Where All Had to Sign "The Pledge"Panelists included journalists Ben Max (Decide NYC), Lindsey Christ (NY1), Sarah Garland (Hechinger Report) and Sarah Darville (GothamSchools). What does this say about these journalists? Teachers who do not agree with the E4E position are banned. We know that E4E supports ev
by mike simpson / 10h 
10-3-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: More on LAUSD: Bond Money, Aquino, Broad, and (Again with) PearsonYesterday, I wrote a post on some of the conflicts of interest and obvious profiteering posed by the involvement of Deasy, Apple, Pearson, and Gates in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) iPad fiasco. In this post, I examine more of the situation as I reflect upon issues raised by the June 2013 Los Ange
by mike simpson / 10h 
10-3-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: More Andrew Cuomo Corruption News - Moreland Commission EditionCuomo said the Moreland Commission could look at anybody's campaign fundraising - including his own.But he's hiding something here: Gov. Cuomo’s anti-corruption commission killed a subpoena to the Cuomo-controlled state Democratic party, the Daily News has learned. The subpoena was to seek information on the part
by mike simpson / 10h 
Happy Connected Educator Month: A Day in the Life | toteachornototeach
Happy Connected Educator Month: A Day in the Life | toteachornototeach: Happy Connected Educator Month: A Day in the Life by Rob FurmanOctober has been deemed “Connected Educator Month” by the U.S. Department of Education. In an effort to do my part, I wanted to share a thought about the current state of technology — or maybe you could call it a dream.Futurists discuss the certainty of our student
by mike simpson / 10h 
Diane Ravitch on the great education-reform swindle - Sacramento News & Review - October 3, 2013
Sacramento News & Review - Diane Ravitch on the great education-reform swindle - Bites - Opinions - October 3, 2013: Diane Ravitch on the great education-reform swindleThis country's schools aren't failing. In fact, students are performing better than ever.By Cosmo Garvin cosmog@newsreview.comRead 1 reader submitted commentThis article was published on 10.03.13.AdvertisementPublic-school advoc
4 by mike simpson / 10h 
solidaridad: An event with both FairTest's Monty Neill, and MAP boycott organizer Jesse Hagopian? Yes!
solidaridad: An event with both FairTest's Monty Neill, and MAP boycott organizer Jesse Hagopian? Yes!: An event with both FairTest's Monty Neill, and MAP boycott organizer Jesse Hagopian? Yes!A recent fact sheet from FairTest challenges some of the myths about the coming Common Core tests:http://fairtest.org/common-core-assessments-factsheetMyth: Common Core tests will be much better than current
by mike simpson / 10h 
Who’s minding the people who are supposed to be minding the schools?
Who’s minding the people who are supposed to be minding the schools?: Who’s minding the people who are supposed to be minding the schools?By Valerie Strauss, Published: October 3 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer1CommentsMore(David Paul Morris / Bloomberg)Who’s minding the people who are supposed to be minding the schools?Let’s look at two debacles involving schools, one on the West Coast and one on the
by mike simpson / 10h 
Parents United sends hundreds of complaints to PA Secty. of Education | Parents United for Public Education
Parents United sends hundreds of complaints to PA Secty. of Education | Parents United for Public Education: Parents United sends hundreds of complaints to PA Secty. of EducationPosted on October 2, 2013 by PARENTSUNITEDPHILALeave a commentToday, Parents United for Public Education and the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia fed-exed 260 individual complaints to the PA Secretary of Educatio
by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 10-2-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
Nite Cap UPDATEUPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATECORPORATE ED REFORMThe Charter School MistakeThe Charter School Mistake Diane RavitchDate of Source: Tuesday, October 1, 2013Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles has more charter schools than any other school district in the nation, and it's a very bad idea.Billionaires like privately managed schools. Parents are lured with glittering promises of getting their kid
2 by mike simpson / 18h 
One Teacher's Perspective: Turn This Ship Around
One Teacher's Perspective: Turn This Ship Around: Turn This Ship AroundMy good friend, Fr. Joe Zimmerman, chimes in this week with his own review of Diane Ravitch's new book,Reign of Error. Zimmerman blogs at ivyrosary.blogspot.com.Diane Ravitch has bitten off a lot to chew. She aims to change the direction of ten years of national education policy. She attacks No Child Left Behind, the Bush admin
by mike simpson / 19h 
10-2-13 teacherken at Daily Kos
teacherken at Daily Kos: Leaves on the Current - going ahead with the Stem Cell TransplantToday my wife met with the transplant surgeon.  There was nothing disqualifying in the medical tests although two were redone just to be certain. She has talked with her spiritual adviser. She has considered the concerns offered by others. She has prayed about it. Today she signed the paperwork for an autolog
by mike simpson / 20h 
10-2-13 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: New Depths of Sanctimony From Arne DuncanAnthony Cody listens to Education Secretary Afren Duncan, and discovers our Reformy Czar slathers himself in sanctimony the way a 13-year-old boy douses himself in Axe Body Spray: Secretary Duncan: Also inhabiting this bubble are some arm chair pundits who insist our efforts to improve public education are somehow doomed to fail, either beca
by mike simpson / 21h 
Alleged scheme to divert millions of dollars to for-profit companies- The Washington Post
Alleged scheme to divert millions of dollars shorted Options students, teachers say - The Washington Post: Alleged scheme to divert millions of dollars shorted Options students, teachers sayBy Emma Brown, Updated: Wednesday, October 2, 6:17 PM E-mail the writerEducational services for at-risk students at Options Public Charter School suffered as the District school’s leaders allegedly diverted mil
by mike simpson / 21h 
Close down our most vulnerable children’s futures as the NYSE flourishes. Why? | Reclaim Reform
Close down our most vulnerable children’s futures as the NYSE flourishes. Why? | Reclaim Reform: Close down our most vulnerable children’s futures as the NYSE flourishes. Why?Posted on October 2, 2013by Ken PrevitiThe Stock Market is flourishing as the government is shut down. Flourishing.All of the “Government Is Broke” wailing is the dictated script of the Kabuki Theater of Absurd Greed. All of
by mike simpson / 21h 
Milton Friedman: Godfather of Privatization and Vouchers | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!
Milton Friedman: Godfather of Privatization and Vouchers | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Milton Friedman: Godfather of Privatization and VouchersFiled under: Privatization,Vouchers — millerlf @ 6:32 pm Public Schools: Make Them Privateby Milton Friedman Feb. 19, 1995Milton Friedman, a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution, won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1976.Executiv
by mike simpson / 22h 
NSBA: Allegations of misused funds by charter school operators show need for school board oversigh
National School Boards Association: NSBA: Allegations of misused funds by charter school operators show need for school board oversightAlexandria, Va. (Oct. 2, 2013) -- According to The Washington Post, D.C. authorities filed a lawsuit Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court in which former senior managers and the board chairwoman of D.C.-based Options Public Charter School (OPCS) are accused of diverting
3 by mike simpson / 23h 
NYC Public School Parents: The good news and mostly bad news from NYSED at the NYC Council hearings on inBloom
NYC Public School Parents: The good news and mostly bad news from NYSED at the NYC Council hearings on inBloom: The good news and mostly bad news from NYSED at the NYC Council hearings on inBloomKen Wagner and Nicholas Storelli-Castro of NYSEDOn Monday, the City Council hearings on inBloom and the state’s plan to share personal student data with vendors without parental consent opened with Ken Wag
by mike simpson / 23h 
Coop Goes to High School Part 5 – Behind the Lights | Lefty Parent
Coop Goes to High School Part 5 – Behind the Lights | Lefty Parent: Coop Goes to High School Part 5 – Behind the LightsOctober 2nd, 2013 at 15:46The story picks up in November 1970 almost halfway through three years of high school, still recovering from having jilted my first girlfriend (and being too shy to even face her after that), and Smokey Robinson part of my current Greek chorus on the AM r
by mike simpson / 23h 
Nite Cap 10-2-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2 #Cheats4Change
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 CAPTODAYTorlakson Applauds Testing Overhaul - Year 2013Torlakson Applauds Testing Overhaul - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Testing OverhaulOutdated assessments set aside to measure readiness for college
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