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Monday, December 23, 2013

Nite Cap 12-23-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #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


Will Los Angeles schools have enough Internet access for students to take state tests? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC
Will Los Angeles schools have enough Internet access for students to take state tests? | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Will Los Angeles schools have enough Internet access for students to take state tests?Annie Gilbertson | December 23rd, 2013, 2:31pmMaya Sugarman/KPCCRuss Swanson, left, a virtual learning complex facilitator, works with second graders at Baldwin Hills Elementary to get their iPads onl
by mike simpson / 52min 
12-23-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Community ForumI'm From the West; How about You?Fun quiz that you and your family might enjoy (especially if you and your partner are from different places in the country) - from the NY Times, a dialect finder. What I found interesting is that I hesitated in a couple of places because words/phrases I used in my childhood, I don't always use now beca
by mike simpson / 56min 
To Our Troops and their Children: Merry Christmas? | Reclaim Reform
To Our Troops and their Children: Merry Christmas? | Reclaim Reform: To Our Troops and their Children: Merry Christmas?Posted on December 23, 2013by Ken PrevitiThe hypocrisy of the U.S. Congress towards our men and women who serve or served in our Armed Forces is appalling.As our members of Congress have a comfortable Christmas with their families and constituents, they smile for the cameras and p
by mike simpson / 58min 
Autistic activists out to change assumptions about disorder - latimes.com
Autistic activists out to change assumptions about disorder - latimes.com: Autistic activists out to change assumptions about disorderComments0EmailShare14CAPTIONS1/9By Thomas CurwenDecember 23, 2013, 1:49 p.m.Ido Kedar belongs to a rare confederacy.Diagnosed with autism when he was a child, Kedar — now 17 and a junior at Canoga Park High School — refuses to be defined by his disorder and joins a
by mike simpson / 1h 
12-23-13 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: Are Charter School Wait Lists Really That Big?Yesterday, I joined in with Bob Braun and shredded yet another ignorant and racially tone-deaf editorial from the Star-Ledger about Newark's schools. I'm really getting sick and tired of knocking down the S-L's ignorance; however, I want to address a point of policy I had skipped that the editorial makes:Charter schools will play a key
by mike simpson / 1h 
empathyeducates – Teachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and Charybdis
empathyeducates – Teachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and Charybdis: Teachers of Conscience and the Common Core Scylla and CharybdisBy Paul L. Thomas, Ed.D. | Originally Published at The Becoming Radical. December 22, 2013 In our popular discourse, we are prone to say we are caught between a rock and a hard place, a veiled allusion to Homer’s Scylla and Charybdis. For K-12 public sch
by mike simpson / 1h 
Student Privacy Rights Bill Filed in Washington State | Truth in American Education
Student Privacy Rights Bill Filed in Washington State | Truth in American Education: Student Privacy Rights Bill Filed in Washington StateFiled in Education at State Level, Privacy/SLDS by Shane Vander Hart on December 23, 2013 • 0 CommentsStop Common Core in Washington reportedthat there has been a bill pre-filed in Washington State that addresses student privacy rights – HB 2783 by State Represe
1 by mike simpson / 2h 
Farmers Insurance looks to thank and fund a million teachers with new grant program | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC
Farmers Insurance looks to thank and fund a million teachers with new grant program | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Farmers Insurance looks to thank and fund a million teachers with new grant programMary Plummer | December 23rd, 2013, 12:35pmFarmers Insurance (via YouTube)Actor Jack Black reunites with his middle school teacher to show his appreciation as part of a new effort spearheaded by Farmers Ins
1 by mike simpson / 2h 
Simple Approaches to School Improvement | InterACT
Simple Approaches to School Improvement | InterACT: Simple Approaches to School ImprovementDECEMBER 23, 2013tags: David Kirp, Sanger, school improvement, Union-Tribuneby David B. CohenSchools in the city of Sanger, California, struggle with many of the educational challenges you’d anticipate in a rural, farming community, populated largely by migrant workers with low incomes and little English. Ye
1 by mike simpson / 2h 
Liability Limit for Willful Pupil Misconduct + ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT TO BID THRESHOLD FOR CONTRACTS - Correspondence
Liability Limit for Willful Pupil Misconduct - Correspondence (CA Dept of Education): Dear County and District Superintendents and Chief Business Officials, and Charter School Administrators:ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT TO LIABILITY LIMIT OF PARENT OR GUARDIANFOR WILLFUL PUPIL MISCONDUCTCalifornia Education Code (EC) Section 48904(a)(1)  provides that the parent or guardian of a minor is liable for all damag
by mike simpson / 2h 
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement"
Engaging Parents In School… | Going Beyond Parent "Involvement":  The Best Resources — Specifically For Parents — On BullyingI have an extensive “Best” list at my other blog titled A Very, Very Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Bullying. In addition, I’ve published several posts in this blog about bullying resources specifically for parents, and thought bringing them together in on
by mike simpson / 3h 
A smorgasbord of a Mike Madigan/Gulen charter school scandal!
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » A smorgasbord of a Mike Madigan/Gulen charter school scandal!: A smorgasbord of a Mike Madigan/Gulen charter school scandal!It took today’s expose of the Gulen charter school network by the Sun-Times’ Dan Mihalopoulos (yes, the one I resent!)  to pull me away from my Christmas baking and cooking. There was just such a banquet of choice item
by mike simpson / 4h 
NYC Public School Parents: Please help us fight for small classes & student privacy in 2014!
NYC Public School Parents: Please help us fight for small classes & student privacy in 2014!: Please help us fight for small classes & student privacy in 2014!Class Size Matters is an organization with a large reach but a small budget.  We count on donations from individuals as our main source of funding.  To continue our efforts on behalf of children’s right to small , we need supporters
by mike simpson / 4h 
We’re more than the Common Core | Ward 8 DC Teacher
We’re more than the Common Core | Ward 8 DC Teacher: We’re more than the Common Coreby ANGEL CINTRON JR. • DECEMBER 23, 2013We wake up early, every morning, ready to teach,and we look forward to opening our classroom door.We quietly ponder which student we’ll reach,because we’re more than the Common Core.We spend countless hours planning lessons ahead,and we genuinely desire for our students to so
by mike simpson / 4h 
12-23-13 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: ARNE DUNCAN PRAISES LAUSD GAINS IN READING & MATH + smf’s 2¢U.S. Secretary of Education praises L.A. Unified for school-improvement efforts reflected in 2013 national test scores. By Howard Blume- latimes.com http://lat.ms/19aHWc3 L.A. Unified Supt. John Deasy at a school board meeting. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times / October 29, 2013) December 22
by mike simpson / 4h 
12-23-13 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: Randi, Cami and Newark: Anyone for a Quisling Reference?These two have a long history together. The dynamic works like this: Randi gives Cami whatever she wants, then complains about Cami exercising the freedoms that Randi has given her. It's sort of like the dynamic Randi is alleged to have with everyone else, except the 'gives', and later the 'complaints', are more pronounced an
by mike simpson / 5h 
12-23-13 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG 2013 Best of the Blog: 25-21
2013 Best of the Blog: 25–21 — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG2013 Best of the Blog: 25–21December 23, 2013 by ASCD Whole Child BloggersIn the past year, experts and practitioners in the field, whole child partners, and ASCD staff have shared their stories, ideas, and resources to help you ensure that each child, in each school, in each community is healthy, safe, engaged, su
by mike simpson / 5h 
Obama pushes program to turn public schools over to corporations - World Socialist Web Site
Obama pushes program to turn public schools over to corporations - World Socialist Web Site: Obama pushes program to turn public schools over to corporationsBy Steve Light and A. Woodson 23 December 2013President Barak Obama made a well-publicized helicopter landing in New York City’s borough of Brooklyn October 25 to visit Pathways in Technology Early College High School, known as P-TECH. It is a
by mike simpson / 5h 
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESBill de BlasioN.Y. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio"He [Bloomberg] did not address inequality. He looked away from it. He governed during the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression and he never addressed it. We will decidedly write a new chapter.'' -- USA TodayDonald Gaynes,  Local 597 member“I used to go down to the un
by mike simpson / 6h 
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Reporter pulls up a rock and finds a charter school rat's nest
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Reporter pulls up a rock and finds a charter school rat's nest: Reporter pulls up a rock and finds a charter school rat's nestSalim Ucan (second from left),Vice-president of Concept Schools speaks to at the Illinois Network of Charter School's conference in Chicago. | Michael R. Schmidt-For Sun-Times MediaAce Sun-Times investigative reporter Dan Mihalopoulos turns ov
by mike simpson / 6h 
12-23-13 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Making Teachers Better by Using Someone Else's Bogus Scores for EvaluationBeyond the idiocy of using unreliable, invalid, and unfair test score gains to evaluate teachers, there is the insanity of claiming the evaluations are about improving teachers by using scores that are someone else's.  Is there any other profession that allows such treatment of its members?  Where is Randi an
by mike simpson / 6h 
U.S. Department of Education Releases Estimated State and National Figures from 2009-10 Civil Rights Data Collection | ED.gov Blog
U.S. Department of Education Releases Estimated State and National Figures from 2009-10 Civil Rights Data Collection | ED.gov Blog: U.S. Department of Education Releases Estimated State and National Figures from 2009-10 Civil Rights Data CollectionPosted on December 23, 2013 by Guest BloggerThe Office for Civil Rights (OCR) collects data from public schools to help detect and prevent civil rights
by mike simpson / 6h 
When charter schools fail, close them - latimes.com
When charter schools fail, close them - latimes.com: When charter schools fail, close themNew Designs Charter School-Watts is among half a dozen seriously underperforming schools in the state. It should be shut down.By Jed WallaceDecember 23, 2013Charter schools make a basic promise to students, parents, school districts and the state: They operate with greater autonomy and flexibility than regula
by mike simpson / 6h 
Focus on ‘schools’ eligible for vouchers - robesonian.com
Focus on ‘schools’ eligible for vouchers - robesonian.com: Focus on ‘schools’ eligible for vouchers2 hours ago|110 Views|1 Comment|||The recent filing of a lawsuit against the state’s new private school voucher scheme by the NCAE and the N.C. Justice Center on behalf of 25 plaintiffs received a flurry of media attentionbn — and it should have.There’s a compelling case that diverting public money t
by mike simpson / 6h 
An Irresistible Invitation From Diane Ravitch | Vicki Cobb
An Irresistible Invitation From Diane Ravitch | Vicki Cobb: An Irresistible Invitation From Diane RavitchI was surprised and delighted by a recent shout-out about one of my Huff Post entries by Diane Ravitch, a brilliant and tireless crusader to save public education in the face of the Common Core State Standards. Diane claims in her post that she and I disagree about the CCSS. Make no mistake, I
by mike simpson / 6h 
Progress in the D.C. schools: Many authors and a surprising path - The Washington Post
Progress in the D.C. schools: Many authors and a surprising path - The Washington Post: Progress in the D.C. schools: Many authors and a surprising pathBy Richard Whitmire, Published: December 20Nationally, the District has long been regarded as an educational embarrassment, one of the top spenders on kindergarten to 12th grade with little to show for it. The story used to be familiar: Better-off
by mike simpson / 7h 
Morning Wink 12-23-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSTell Congress to Invest in Early Learning |Tell Congress to Invest in Early Learning |: Tell Congress to Invest in Early LearningDecember 23, 2013 by Alyssa HaywoodePhoto: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for ChildrenNote: Best wishes to all for a happy holiday season. Eye on Early Education will resume publication on January 6, 2014.*   *   *   *   *“Ye
by mike simpson / 7h 
Tell Congress to Invest in Early Learning |
Tell Congress to Invest in Early Learning |: Tell Congress to Invest in Early LearningDecember 23, 2013 by Alyssa HaywoodePhoto: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for ChildrenNote: Best wishes to all for a happy holiday season. Eye on Early Education will resume publication on January 6, 2014.*   *   *   *   *“Yes, there’s a budget deal. But our work is far from over!”That’s the message the Natio
by mike simpson / 7h 
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Robert Freeman: How to Destroy Education While Making a Trillion DollarsWe know the formula by now for destroying public education and handing it off to entrepreneurs who can cut costs, package it, extract a profit (or remain nonprofit while paying exorbitant executive salaries): Cry “crisis.” Set impossible targets (100% success o
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-23-13 Wait What? Pryor now using out-of-state company to recruit out-of-state school principals
Wait What?: Pryor now using out-of-state company to recruit out-of-state school principalsWith just over a month left in Mass Insight’s $1 million contract with Stefan Pryor and the Connecticut State Department of Education, the out-of-state company hired to run much of Stefan Pryor’s “turnaround” operation is posting job advertisements to recruit out-of-state school principals to take jobs in Con
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-23-13 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: ‘How the Dirth Stole Learning’ — in 14 cartoonsHere, in 14 cartoons that are a takeoff of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,”  is the story of “How the Dirth Stole Learning,” a commentary on the nation’s standardized testing obsession, school reform and the real meaning of learning. This is the work of David Lee Finkle, a middle-school teacher in Florida who draws the comic […]    
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-23-13 Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Imagine Charter School Belonging to Rick Scott Crony Sued for Ignoring AbuseImagine Charter Schools CEO Dennis Bakke was on Rick Scott’s education transition team. Trouble within Bakke’s empire are well documented in Scathing Purple Musings. But revelations that an offic
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-23-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: A Few More Christmas ResourcesHere are some new additions to my massive The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa list: An expat Washington Christmas: Antelope and ptarmigan can be tough to find is from The Washington Post. I wouldn’t say this video is in the “Christmas spirit,” but it would certainl
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-23-13 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.: The Illinois Charter Commission. The incestuous Michael Madigan.  Here’s how the Illinois Charter Commission works: If a private group gets turned down by a local school board in an attempt to establish a charter school, they can appeal to the Commission. If the Commission gives a thumb’s up, that dec
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-23-13 teacherken at Daily Kos: ‘Duck Dynasty,’ meet Pope Francis
Daily Kos: ‘Duck Dynasty,’ meet Pope Francis: ‘Duck Dynasty,’ meet Pope Francisis the title of this Washington Post op ed by E. J. Dionne, Jr..  It examines not only the remarks of the Pontiff and the patriarch of the Robertson family, but also the recent defrocking of Methodist Minister Frank Schaefer for presiding over the same-sex nuptials of his son.   I am not going to examine the entire colu
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-23-13 @ The Chalk Face
@ THE CHALK FACE: This Is the Common Core You Support?You have plenty of Urban Legend and baseless conspiracy theories swirling around the Common Core, and none of that really serves anyone well. But you also have evidence (and from what I can tell, that doesn’t carry much weight). So for all those who support the Common Core, and tend to ignore the evidence-based arguments […]7 by plthomasedd / 1
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-23-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: A Christmas WishIt's a traveling day for me, won't be back on the Internets until later this afternoon, but I wanted to leave this Christmas wish, via Leonie Haimson, before I head out on the road:"@McFiredogg: All I want for Xmas a School Chancellor who actually respects teachers. What's up, Mayor Elect DeBlasio?" & respects parents!— leonie haimson (@leonieha
by mike simpson / 8h 
12-22-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness
the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas, Furman University): This Is the Common Core You Support?This Is the Common Core You Support?.1 by plthomasedd / 1h  12-22-13 the becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindnessthe becoming radical | A Place for a Pedagogy of Kindness (the public and scholarly writing by P. L. Thomas,
1 by mike simpson / 8h 
CASU | CALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION : Why We Strike
CASU | CALIFORNIA STUDENT UNION : : Our struggles are one. Our victories are one. *** This site is currently under construction. Please bare with us as we update resources, links, etc. Thank you. ***: How Did Quebec Students Mobilize Hundreds of Thousands for Strike?Posted on May 10, 2012 by CASTUDENTUNION • Leave a commentThree students discuss the role of direct democracy and political demands i
by mike simpson / 8h 
Technology Trends for Teachers to Try in 2014 - High School Notes
Technology Trends for Teachers to Try in 2014 - High School Notes (usnews.com): Technology Trends for Teachers to Try in 2014By KELSEY SHEEHYDecember 23, 2013 RSS Feed PrintNew 3-D printers are just one tech tool teachers should try in the new year.Students learn best when they're invested in the material, but getting teens to that point isn't easy."The student comes in, puts their head down
by mike simpson / 8h 
Why Teachers of Color Quit - Amanda Machado - The Atlantic
Why Teachers of Color Quit - Amanda Machado - The Atlantic: Why Teachers of Color QuitLow pay and high stress drive black and Latino teachers to leave the profession at higher rates than their white peers.I became a teacher because of where I came from.I grew up in a middle-class family with immigrant parents from Mexico and Ecuador. When I was four years old, we moved to a predominantly white, up
by mike simpson / 8h 
Meet Micah Ali: Compton's foot soldier for Universal PreK | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC
Meet Micah Ali: Compton's foot soldier for Universal PreK | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Meet Micah Ali: Compton's foot soldier for Universal PreKDeepa Fernandes | December 23rd, 2013, 6:00amSLIDESHOW1 of 2Deepa Fernandes / KPCCMicah Ali is a strong advocate for quality preschool education for his district's 3-5 year olds. His car is his "office" as he zips around Compton and Los Angeles to
by mike simpson / 8h 
NYC Educator: Our Message to the President
NYC Educator: Our Message to the President: Our Message to the PresidentWhen Barack Obama ran for re-election, several groups told him they needed concessions before supporting him. LGBT groups managed to extract support for gay marriage. Immigrant groups managed to extract support for their causes.As for us, we supported Barack Obama unconditionally. The NEA and the AFT couldn't wait to get on Ba
by mike simpson / 9h 

YESTERDAY

The Educated Reporter: Remediation: New Strategies to Help Students Catch Up and Complete College
The Educated Reporter: Remediation: New Strategies to Help Students Catch Up and Complete College: THE EDUCATED REPORTERCOMMENTARY ON EDUCATION COVERAGE, WRITING AND A FEW OTHER THINGSMONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2013Remediation: New Strategies to Help Students Catch Up and Complete CollegePresident Obama is planning a summit with higher education leaders to discuss college success for lower-income studen
by mike simpson / 18h 
Bumpy Start for Teacher Evaluation Program in New York Schools - NYTimes.com
Bumpy Start for Teacher Evaluation Program in New York Schools - NYTimes.com: Ángel Franco/The New York TimesNina Phillips, upper right, being evaluated last month as she taught at P.S. 295 in Brooklyn.By AL BAKERPublished: December 22, 2013Follow us on Twitterand like us onFacebook for news and conversation.This year, however, she and the assistant principal are spending parts of each day darting
by mike simpson / 18h 
The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform | deutsch29
The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed Reform | deutsch29: The Importance of Common Core for Nationally-pervasive Ed ReformDecember 22, 2013A great error made by those combating corporate reform is in viewing the reforms as separate and distinct one from another. I have noticed as much in discussions about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  However, the “standards” were no
by mike simpson / 21h 
3 Questions To Guide Your Vision | Connected Principals
3 Questions To Guide Your Vision | Connected Principals: 3 Questions To Guide Your Visionby George Couros • December 23, 2013 • 0 CommentsThere are a lot of people in newly formed leadership positions where they have a blank slate to create something new in their work.  One of the things that I remember one of my mentors asking me when I first started as a principal was, “What will be your fingerp
by mike simpson / 21h 
Times Я Tough | EduShyster
Times Я Tough | EduShyster: Times Я Tough The man to whom EduShyster is *technically* married makes a desperate plea for your help this holiday seasonLittlest Bolshevik here: AKA the man to whom EduShyster is *technically* married. While EduShyster is otherwise engaged—in a senseless Twitter battle with a singing ed reformer—I’ve seized the means of communication in order to deliver this urgent ap
by mike simpson / 21h 
Nite Cap 12-22-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #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 CAPYou Can Address Your Pet Project and Inequality At The Same Time! | The Jose VilsonYou Can Address Your Pet Project and Inequality At The Same Time! | The Jose Vilson: Why Yes, You CAN Address Inequality and Your Pet Project At The Same Timeby JO
by mike simpson / 23h 



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