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Monday, December 16, 2013

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 12-16-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


Nite Cap UPDATE

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The 2013 Legislative Audit of Louisiana Voucher Schools
On December 11, 2013, Louisiana Legislative Auditor (LLA) Daryl Purpera released the 2013 Performance Audit of Louisiana’s voucher program. The purpose of this audit is to inform legislators of the state of the Louisiana voucher program as the legislators consider the actions they might take regarding the voucher program in the upcoming legislative session. I sure […]
To mention or not to mention Christmas. NOT.
I’ve minimized the presence of Christmas in my Kindergarten classroom. And by minimize, I mean no presence. The school is all about it, likely because it’s important to the local community. Probably no one Jewish within miles, but I do wonder if there’re any Muslims in our school. Huh. In any event, no Christmas parties, […]
The 2013 Legislative Audit of Louisiana Voucher Schools
On December 11, 2013, Louisiana Legislative Auditor (LLA) Daryl Purpera released the 2013 Performance Audit of Louisiana’s voucher program. The purpose of this audit is to inform legislators of the state of the Louisiana voucher program as the legislators consider the actions they might take regarding the voucher program in the upcoming legislative session. I sure hope the legislators take Purpera

Egypt Students Clash with Police at University
CAIRO—Egyptian security forces fought pitched street battles with dozens of university students outside their Cairo campus Monday, firing tear gas to disperse rock-throwing protesters and prevent their rally from reaching the nearby defense ministry. Security officials said 25 students were arrested for blocking traffic. A security official said one was carrying shotgun ammunition and a tear gas c

History Suggests College Rating System a Losing Proposition
President Obama’s proposal of August 2013 to tie individual students’ financial aid to government ratings of the college they attend is perhaps the worst idea ever put forward for higher education by a sitting president. Two of the major proposed metrics — graduation rates and post-graduation employment and income — are inexorably bound up with the nature of the students that the colleges serve. P

Back to the Bataan Death March
Well, it's time to get back to the fray. I take a week off and head to Delray Florida for some serious tanning and eating and fraternizing and shit happened while I was gone. Well, I hope you've all been reading the fabulous bloggers on my blog roll to keep up. I am way behind. (I find it real hard to do much blogging while at the beach.) And it was only decent beach weather for the first few days

Strauss: Texts of exchange between Catholic educators in war of words over $1 million Koch gift to university
Catholic educators are feuding over a $1 million gift that the right-wing billionaire Koch brothers have given to Catholic University in Washington D.C. A tough letter, signed by 50 Catholic educators from across the country, says Catholic University should not have accepted a $1 million gift from the the right-wing Koch Brothers because they support “anti-government, Tea Party ideology” that “di




NEWS: Remainders: Concrete ideas for increasing parent involvement
A nonprofit leader explains where de Blasio should look for better parent involvement. (Insideschools) A Murry Bergtraum teacher sees lessons for the mayor-elect in the school’s struggles. (Labor’s Lessons) School papers in the city have helped explain evaluations and filed FOIA requests. (Schoolbook) The P.S. 22 chorus got a visit from a “Walking Dead” actress and sang with her, too. (P.S. 22) T

Appoint or elect? Let us know what LAUSD board should do
  Take Our Poll VOTE IN OUR POLL Should the LA Unified School board call a special election to fill the vacant seat left by the death of Marguerite Lamotte? Or should the board appoint a school board member? The board will take the matter up at its meeting on Tuesday, December 17. You can vote now in our poll, by clicking on the box above.  LA School Report will carry the school board meet


“Stoodle” Could Be The Best “Virtual Corkboard” Site Out There
There are lots of sites out there that let you create virtual “corkboards” and you can see them at The Best Online Virtual “Corkboards” (or “Bulletin Boards”). Padlet (formerly known as Wallwisher) is probably the most well-known tool of this kind. Richard Byrne recently shared about a new site that might end up being the best of the bunch. It’s called Stoodle. Like the best of the other sites, y


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Syrian refugees have fled to Bulgaria, Europe's poorest country. Thousands of refugees have come into these camps, meant for only 400. The camps do not have electricity or hot water. The camp commandant, Pepy Dzurenov claimed, "The camp was full to capacity, but when a family with five to ten children arrive at midnight, they don't have anywhere to sleep, I'm forced to do the impossible and f

Students say respect and relevance lead to better engagement in school
Call it the three Rs of student engagement: respect, rigor, and relevance.  At a School Reform Commission meeting Monday night, a group of high school students led more than 150 of their peers in a series of roundtable discussions intended to gather thoughts on what the District can do to keep its students motivated, challenged, and in school.  After the two-hour session, an upbeat Superintendent


Ambulance Chasing Comes to PS 154 in the Bronx
Awesome article by Lisa Fleisher in today's Wall Street Journal about how easy and quick school leaders seem to call EMS for unruly special needs students. According to Fleisher,"a group of New York City parents are trying to prevent public schools from sending children who have severe temper tantrums to the emergency room against their parents' wishes."These parents are soon facing not


EWA National Seminar: Is the College Financial Aid System Broken?
The Institute for College Access and Success has a new report on student debt and the class of 2012, and it's definitely worth reading. This also seems like a good time to revisit a session from EWA's 66th National Seminar held at Stanford University. We asked journalists who attended to contribute posts, and today's guest blogger is Jon Marcus of the Hechinger Report. Stream any session from Nati



“The 20 most popular TED Talks” Of All Time
TED has just published a list of their twenty most popular Talks of all time — as of December, 2013. Sir Ken Robinson’s talk is number one. I’m adding this info to The Best Teacher Resources For “TED Talks” (& Similar Presentations).


 mark as read

Standardized Lies, Money & Civil Rights - Rockfish Productions
Standardized Lies, Money & Civil Rights - Rockfish Productions: Standardized Lies, Money & Civil RightsScreenings for STANDARDIZEDWe’d like to provide some information in case you’re interested in setting up a screening your area. While we would sincerely love to personally deliver the film to all of the states, we must consider our full-time jobs, all-but-exhausted budget, and our wives and children (who have been wonderfully supportive!). Therefore, we need to rely on your passion to spread the word about standardized testing and what it’s doing to public education. So what are the o
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Every Kid Needs a Champion: Rita's Words and This Little Girl!
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Every Kid Needs a Champion: Rita's Words and This Little Girl!: Every Kid Needs a Champion: Rita's Words and This Little Girl!That quote inspires me.This little girl handed me a paper with her Dad and Mom's contact information on it. It had their home phone number, cell phone number,  job number, and email addresses. I said, "I already have this information. Why are they sending it to me again?"She responded, "Mrs.M, you have to understand, (this is how she speaks), for the past 4 years, my parents have been called for every single thing I did.
Charter school operators ordered to pay $300K in restitution | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC
Charter school operators ordered to pay $300K in restitution | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Charter school operators ordered to pay $300K in restitutionAnnie Gilbertson | December 16th, 2013, 4:12pmRobyn Beck/AFP/Getty ImagesLos Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Marcus on Monday ordered the founders of a San Fernando Valley charter school to repay nearly $300,000 for money they embezzled and taxes on the ill-gotten gains.Yevgency "Eugene" Selivanov and Tatyana Berkovich ran a money-making scheme with public school funds from Ivy Academia Charter Schools, which still has campuses in Wo

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solidaridad: CA-NAME Conference Reclaiming Multicultural Education: Fighting Back, Imagining and Building Socially Just Worlds
solidaridad: CA-NAME Conference Reclaiming Multicultural Education: Fighting Back, Imagining and Building Socially Just Worlds: CA-NAME Conference Reclaiming Multicultural Education: Fighting Back, Imagining and Building Socially Just WorldsMULTICULTURAL EDUCATION CONFERENCEJANUARY 11, 2014CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTONOVER 25 WORKSHOPS! POWERFUL KEYNOTE SPEAKERS! REGISTER ONLINE! REGISTRA
Nite Cap 12-16-13 #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 mark as readMajor Charter School Chain's Classrooms Look Like Cubicles for Telemarketers | AlternetMajor Charter School Chain's Classrooms Look Like Cubicles for Telemarketers | Alternet: Major Charter School Chain's Classrooms Look Like Cubicle