Latest News and Comment from Education

Friday, January 18, 2013

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Names Kahlil Byrd as StudentsFirst New President - LA Sentinel

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Names Kahlil Byrd as StudentsFirst New President - LA Sentinel:


Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Names Kahlil Byrd as StudentsFirst New President


Kahlil Byrd
StudentsFirst, a bipartisan grassroots education reform movement, announced key new hires as the organization transitions into its next phase of development.  The new hires include individuals with a breadth of knowledge and experience in politics and nonprofit management. They will all work of out the StudentsFirst headquarters located in Sacramento, California.
“I am thrilled to welcome these talented and passionate people to the effort of transforming public education," said StudentsFirst CEO and founder, Michelle Rhee. "As we enter the New Year, I am confident that these new members of the StudentsFirst team will build upon our past successes and fight for common sense education policies across our nation."
As president, Kahlil Byrd is tasked with guiding the overall mission of StudentsFirst.  He works with Rhee, the senior team, and the Board, to shape the organization’s long-term strategy, operations, budget, and key effort to pass state legislation geared towards 

11 Sacramento schools are slated to close next school year as part of a plan to balance SCUSD's budget | news10.net

11 Sacramento schools are slated to close next school year as part of a plan to balance SCUSD's budget | news10.net:

11 Sacramento schools are slated to close next school year as part of a plan to balance SCUSD's budget





SACRAMENTO, CA - A $10 million to $12 million budget deficit in the Sacramento City Unified School District is leaving some school board members questioning if closing schools is the right decision and parents wondering what will happen next.
Thursday's overflow crowd at a district board meeting pleaded with district officials to reconsider the plan to close 11 schools. Some school board members also opposed a plan by district staff.
Diana Rodriguez, one of the board members opposed to the plan, is not convinced the district is losing money at each of the targeted schools.
"Not enough information has come out to prove that each school site is running in a deficit," said Rodriguez.
District officials disagree.
Gabe Ross, the district's chief communications officer, says closing the schools and consolidating will save money and create better opportunities for the students.


Community implores Sacramento City school board to save 11 schools from closure


SACRAMENTO, CA - Hundreds fought to save 11 Sacramento elementary schools on the chopping block at a Thursday night's school board meeting.
The schools recommended to be closed are:
1. Fruit Ridge
2. James Marshall
3. Washington
4. Tahoe
5. C.P. Huntington
6. Susan B. Anthony
7. Bret Harte
8. Joseph Bonnheim
9. Mark Hopkins
10. C.B. Wire
11. Maple
"If you close James Marshall," parent Matt Muller said, "I'm going to pull my kids out and home-school them because this idea is a bad idea." Muller has a son who attends James 

Common Core State Standards: 2014 is a Year Away | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Common Core State Standards: 2014 is a Year Away | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:


Common Core State Standards: 2014 is a Year Away

The arrival of 2013 brings us one year closer to the rollout ofCommon Core State Standard (CCSS) assessments, scheduled for 2014-15. As the deadline approaches, the complexities surrounding implementation of the standards and their accompanying assessments come into sharper focus. The issues listed below are hardly exhaustive, but they begin to convey the challenges of implementation facing our nation’s schools and districts.
read more

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-18-13 #SOSCHAT #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



solidaridad: Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) endorse Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago
solidaridad: Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) endorse Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board: Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) endorse Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) endorse Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board by Robert D. Skeels About AALAThe Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) represents administrators in the Los Angeles Unified School District. With a 31 year history of representing certificated administrators, AALA now includes classified administrators, as well. AALA is org... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center: Best of the Ed Blogs *Best of the Ed Blogs* features a frequently updated selection of interesting and insightful blog posts on education policy. The views expressed by the bloggers on our blog roll are thoughtful, original, and entirely their own. We hope you make *Best of the Ed Blogs* your first stop for concise takes on today's most important education topics. Assembled Pieces Reveal Disturbing Reform Picture Best of the Ed Blogs P.L. Thomas January 18, 2013 Reformers’ Narrative About Lagging U.S. Schools Covers Up Povert... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Parents beware! NY and eight other states plan to share your child’s confidential school records with private corporations without your consent!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Parents beware! NY and eight other states plan to share your child’s confidential school records with private corporations without your consent!: Parents beware! NY and eight other states plan to share your child’s confidential school records with private corporations without your consent! by Leonie Haimson New York is one of five states that have *agreed to share confidential NYC student and teacher data* in Phase I with the “Shared Learning Collaborative” or SLC, a project of the Gates Foundation. - The other states and districts in Phase I inclu... more »

Diane in the Evening 1-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: The Mess in NYC by dianerav This is a statement by Leonie Haimson, founder of Class Size Matters in NYC and a founder of Parents Across America on the collapse of negotiations over a teacher evaluation deal between the city and union: If the Governor goes ahead with punishing NYC children for the mayor’s failures by subtracting $250 million from state aid, it will be terribly unfair. Yet there is little doubt that most parents will blame Bloomberg for this latest fiasco, as the just-released Quinnipiac poll shows that NYC voters trust the UFT by 53 to 35... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: Evaluation By the Evaluated?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Teachers Don't Suck !: Evaluation By the Evaluated?: Evaluation By the Evaluated? by Walt S. When I taught at Middlesex County College, student evaluation forms were always issued along with the final exam. I thought, by enlarge, the results were a fair distribution of positive and negative remarks. (BTW - These all were anonymous evaluations and not used by the administration to grade instructors - as far as know anyway) One thing I liked about the form was the section asking about the student's efforts. This too, generally resulted in a fair distribution of honest respo... more »

Former Federal Prosecutor Fitzgerald targets Quinn in attempted theft of public employee pensions. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Former Federal Prosecutor Fitzgerald targets Quinn in attempted theft of public employee pensions. « Fred Klonsky: Former Federal Prosecutor Fitzgerald targets Quinn in attempted theft of public employee pensions. by Fred Klonsky [image: Illinois Governors] At first I was surprised to hear that Governor Pat “Squeezy” Quinn had appointed former Federal prosecutor and corruption buster Patrick Fitzgerald to the board of trustees of the University of Illinois. I was even more surprised that Fitzgerald had accepted the job. Fitzgerald earned his corruption busting reputation putting Gove... more »

MLK Day and Presidential Inauguration a Historic Occasion to Stand Up for Social and Economic Justice, Says NEA President | NEA Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
MLK Day and Presidential Inauguration a Historic Occasion to Stand Up for Social and Economic Justice, Says NEA President | NEA Today: MLK Day and Presidential Inauguration a Historic Occasion to Stand Up for Social and Economic Justice, Says NEA President by twalker *NEA President Dennis Van Roekel issued the following message today to NEA’s 3 million members in advance of Monday’s Presidential Inauguration and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:* “On Monday, our nation’s first African American President will take the oath of office—the same day we honor Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, our mo... more »

Parents question Sacramento City district school closure plans at emotional meeting - Education - The Sacramento Bee

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Parents question Sacramento City district school closure plans at emotional meeting - Education - The Sacramento Bee: Parents question Sacramento City district school closure plans at emotional meeting By Melody Gutierrez mgutierrez@sacbee.com Published: Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 1A Last Modified: Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 - 12:09 am - [image: 5M18SCHOOLS.JPG] José Luis Villegas / jvillegas@sacbee.comDana Trobee, a parent with a child attending James Marshall Elementary School, looks over the jammed meeting room Thursday before the hearing by the Sacramento City U... more »

OCCUPY EDUCATION - thepeoplesrecord: School-closing protests are...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
OCCUPY EDUCATION - thepeoplesrecord: School-closing protests are...: 18TH JANUARY 2013 PHOTOSET REBLOGGED FROM DYSAETHESIA AETHIOPICA WITH 291 NOTES thepeoplesrecord: School-closing protests are nothing new in Philadelphia, but students who stood outside The School District of Philadelphia building today at 440 N. Broad St. added a new twist. Members of the Philadelphia Student Union staged a “Student Apocalypse: A Brainless Future” dressed as zombies to rally against the district’s plan to close 37 public schools. Students were there to act out scenes they say create “brainless” pu... more »

CHICAGO PRINCIPALS FALL VICTIM TO SILLY REFORMS « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
CHICAGO PRINCIPALS FALL VICTIM TO SILLY REFORMS « Teachers Fight Back: CHICAGO PRINCIPALS FALL VICTIM TO SILLY REFORMS by alkleen Student achievement will now account for 50 percent on a principal’s evaluation in Chicago Public Schools. What a ridiculous concept. If students do well compared with national standards, principals will be rewarded with bonuses and other incentives. District officials didn’t make clear what would happen if students don’t improve their scores. One can only imagine. Does anyone familiar with our education system actually think a principal can make a mea... more »

Distrito Escolar tendrá que cerrar 11 escuelas en SAC - Univision Sacramento

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Distrito Escolar tendrá que cerrar 11 escuelas en SAC - Univision Sacramento:

UPDATE: School Board Report – Why Johnny Can’t Subtract « PWC Education Reform Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Why Johnny Can’t Subtract « PWC Education Reform Blog: School Board Report – Jan. 16, 2013 by pwceducationreform School Board Report for January 16, 2013 The meeting began at 7:08 PM. All members were present. Editor’s note – the was live blogged on our facebook page (here) Consent Agenda The Consent Agenda only had one item on it, approving the minutes from the January 2, 2013 meeting. It was approved with a unanimous [...] Why Johnny Can’t Subtract by pwceducationreform Many parents and teachers have complained to me that their children can’t subtract. While most of us mana... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CPS retreats on high school closings. But still no moratorium.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CPS retreats on high school closings. But still no moratorium.: CPS retreats on high school closings. But still no moratorium. by Mike Klonsky *“Closing high schools could potentially result in students traveling further, being forced to cross gang boundaries and placing students in great harm,” she wrote to the panel’s chairman. “We simply cannot support any decision that would jeopardize the safety and well-being of our students.”* -- Barbara Byrd-Bennett The schools CEO says she will follow the recommendations of her appointed School Utilization ... more »

With school closures pitch, District needs to improve its art of persuasion | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
With school closures pitch, District needs to improve its art of persuasion | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: With school closures pitch, District needs to improve its art of persuasion by Samuel Reed III on Jan 18 2013 Posted in Commentary ="" style="color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on email COMMENTS (0)PRINT Photo: Flickr/Brett Jordan I have attended several of the community forums where the public has weighed in on the Philadelphia School District's facilities master plan. The comments and counterproposals regarding the closing o... more »

Maria Shriver on Alzheimer’s and Women: Hope Over Fear | BlogHer

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Maria Shriver on Alzheimer’s and Women: Hope Over Fear | BlogHer: Maria Shriver on Alzheimer’s and Women: Hope Over Fear October 20, 2010 8:32 am by Maria Shriver in Life - - - 9 - 8 - 3 - - Pin It - - BLOGHER ORIGINAL POST Try to remember what you were doing a minute ago. Got it? Now wrap your brains around this: In the past minute, another American developed a fatal disease that will slowly erase the personality and a lifetime of memories. That person will either die with that disease or from it, because there is no cure. That disea...more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – Older school systems will support new computer-adaptive testing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *Older school systems will support new computer-adaptive testing* *By Tom Chorneau* Friday, January 18, 2013 The national consortium developing new computer-adaptive assessments that California has a qualified commitment to use, has released an analysis of the technology requirements districts will need to access the testing – and the results suggest many older computers will support the program. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is on schedule to produce testing for grades 3, 8 and 11 in new English and math standards aligned wit... more »

Aspire Charter Schools: Behind the Reversal - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Aspire Charter Schools: Behind the Reversal - LA School Report: Aspire Charter Schools: Behind the Reversal by Hillel Aron Changed votes by two Board members over the approval of two Aspire charter schools at this week’s Board meeting gave the public a glimpse at a much larger debate over whether charter schools based in Los Angeles should be allowed to operate their special education programs through a partnership with a far-off district that costs them less. Initially, the Board deadlocked 3-3 over the proposed approval of Aspire, a highly rated charter operator founded by Don Sha... more »

America's oldest teacher turns 99

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
The oldest teacher in America celebrates her 99th birthday. Erin Burnett reports. For more CNN videos, check outhttp://www.youtube.com/cnn or visit our site athttp://www.cnn.com/video/

NYC Public School Parents: Autopsy of the failed teacher evaluation deal

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Autopsy of the failed teacher evaluation deal: Autopsy of the failed teacher evaluation deal by Leonie Haimson In all the conflicting accounts between the city and the UFT about the collapse of the teacher evaluation plan, there is one clear point of agreement: the Mayor refused to accept a two year sunset for the deal. In this, he was deeply wrongheaded for disallowing the city to pilot what is essentially an experiment that could go hideously wrong, for both teachers and children. Meanwhile, 90 percent of the districts in the rest of the state, appro... more »

PAA to co-host Indiana 4-state action planning meeting | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
PAA to co-host Indiana 4-state action planning meeting | Parents Across America: PAA to co-host Indiana 4-state action planning meeting by pureparents *Attention public education supporters in: * *OHIO MICHIGAN INDIANA ILLINOIS* Would you like to join with others in our 4-state region in coordinated action to support our public schools? Parents Across America, in cooperation with many local groups, invites you to “Public Schools Across America,” a 4-state Regional Action Planning Meeting. *Across the country, there is a rising chorus of protest against corporate-style ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, January 18, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991]*Charter schools see largest boom since their inception 20 years ago* Education Headlines *Friday, January 18, 2013* Schools wage battle against bullyingTwo major conferences are coming to town to address bullying on school campuses, and Compton Jr. High School is looking to partner with other schools to bring in singer Keenan West next month. Paso Robles school district's budget situation improving, official saysOnce on the brink of a state takeover due to its financial d... more »

Teachers refuse to give test, but aren’t there some tests that are worth giving? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Teachers refuse to give test, but aren’t there some tests that are worth giving? | Get Schooled: Teachers refuse to give test, but aren’t there some tests that are worth giving? by Maureen Downey [image: crcted.0920 (Medium)]Teachers in Seattle are taking a stand against standardized testing by refusing to administer a required district-wide test. What’s odd to me is the test Seattle teachers are choosing to protest, which is the Measure of Academic Progress. The high performing City of Decatur Schools uses MAP testing as well, giving it three times a year to see where students be... more »

Gov. Are you kidding me? When arrogance and lying become the norm… - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Gov. Are you kidding me? When arrogance and lying become the norm… - Wait, What?: Gov. Are you kidding me? When arrogance and lying become the norm… by jonpelto “Really? Really? They are going to argue about whether we should evaluate the effectiveness of people? Really?… That’s an argument I’m more than happy to have.” - Governor Malloy January 2013 According to recent CTMirror articles, that is the response Governor Malloy had when “Told that municipal leaders were expressing concerns about the timeline and costs for implementation of the evaluation system at their annual Coun... more »

Modern School: Teacher Fired For Being Poor Role Model

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Modern School: Teacher Fired For Being Poor Role Model: Teacher Fired For Being Poor Role Model by Michael Dunn Madonna in Sorrow or The Perfect Teacher? In another stunning defeat for free speech and privacy, the California Commission on Professional Competence (CPC) has upheld the dismissal of Stacie Halas, finding her “unfit” to teach 8th-grade science because she had acted in pornographic films in the past, the Los Angeles Times recently reported. (An East Coast appellate court just ruled that a school could fire a teacher for a Facebook posting) The CPC argued that her pornogr... more »

Joy Resmovits: NYC Teacher Evaluation Stalemate, White House Assessing Big Push On Early Education: Ed Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Joy Resmovits: NYC Teacher Evaluation Stalemate, White House Assessing Big Push On Early Education: Ed Today: NYC Teacher Evaluation Stalemate, White House Assessing Big Push On Early Education: Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *Obama 2.0?* As part of the Huffington Post's series on Obama's second term ("The Road Forward,") we reported out this story on his plans. The White House and Education Department have so far been pretty tight-lipped about their plans, but a few little birdies told us that they're cooking something up on the early education front. See here for more. *No Deal!* Y... more »

Two Education Crises: Which is Fake, Which Real? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Two Education Crises: Which is Fake, Which Real? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Two Education Crises: Which is Fake, Which Real? by Anthony Cody Last week there were two important studies released. One tells us that the international test data used to declare our schools broken and uncompetitive is bogus. The other tells us we have a very different crisis we should be concerned about: the percent of students who are engaged and excited about school drops dramatically between elementary and high school. The policies being pursued to fight the first, phony crisis ar... more »

Shanker Blog » Moving From Ideology To Evidence In The Debate About Public Sector Unions

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Shanker Blog » Moving From Ideology To Evidence In The Debate About Public Sector Unions: Moving From Ideology To Evidence In The Debate About Public Sector Unions by Randall Garton Drawing on a half century of empirical evidence, as well as new data and analysis, a team of scholars has challenged the substance of many of the attacks on public employees and their unions –urging political leaders and the research community to take this “transformational” moment in the divisive and ideologically driven debate over the role of government and the value of public services to deepen t... more »

UPDATE: NY teacher evaluation blows up + Seattle’s Garfield High teacher: “Why we boycotted the MAP test.” « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Seattle’s Garfield High teacher: “Why we boycotted the MAP test.” « Fred Klonsky: Watching from a distance. NY teacher evaluation blows up. by Fred Klonsky *New York’s bully-boy Mayor.* [image: 18.1N004.Teacherevals1.C--300x300]Watching from a distance, I responded with a smile when I heard that the negotiations over teacher evaluations between the UFT and New York’s Mayor Bloomberg blew up yesterday. Governor Cuomo had put a deadline for an agreement to evaluate teachers based on student test scores, a stupid idea to be sure. We’ve covered that territory before. Cuomo threatened ... more »

Opinion: No one talks about the armed guards already in Latino schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Opinion: No one talks about the armed guards already in Latino schools: Opinion: No one talks about the armed guards already in Latino schools by Stephen A. Nuňo 1:46 pm on 01/10/2013 [image: Police watch as school bus takes students to Newtown High School December 18, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)] Someone should ask the principled anti-gun responders why there is so much outrage at the thought of armed guards in schools when school districts throughout California and elsewhere, particularly where Latino and black children go to school, ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Rhee Lawyers Up

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Rhee Lawyers Up: Rhee Lawyers Up by Duke Yesterday, I posted about a story by John Merrow that alleges that a memo exists that likely shows Michelle Rhee was warned about potential widespread cheating in Washington, D.C. early in her tenure as schools chancellor. If it turns out that this memo says what Merrow conjectures it does, it calls into question Rhee's claims of success as a school leader, her diligence in pursuing testing irregularities, her current claim that she fully cooperated with investigators, and the efficacy of the climate she built around high-... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Why Garfield Teachers Boycotted the MAP Test by dianerav Jesse Hagopian a teacher at Garfield High School in Seattle, explains why every teacher in the school voted to boycott the MAP test. The teachers at Garfield are an inspiration to friends nd supporters of public education acros America. They are champions of students, and they are already on the honor roll for their courage and heroism. Walmart Made the Bushmaster the Most Popular Assault Weapon in US by dianerav Think of it. The biggest retail store... more »

Obama Evaluating Early Childhood Education Push In Second Term

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Obama Evaluating Early Childhood Education Push In Second Term: Obama Evaluating Early Childhood Education Push In Second Term by Joy Resmovits Arne Duncan, President Barack Obama's education secretary, has a slogan that summarizes his tenure and the view of his mission that he shares with his boss. "Education is the civil rights issue of our generation," Duncan says. Maybe so, but if Duncan is right, the country remains very far from being "free at last" -- and the president faces mighty challenges in leading us to the mountaintop in his second term. Ironically, as Obama begins ... more »

No, Sidwell Friends School has no armed guards

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
No, Sidwell Friends School has no armed guards: No, Sidwell Friends School has no armed guards Posted by Valerie Strauss on January 18, 2013 at 5:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: Sidwell Friends School. (Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post)] Sidwell Friends School. (Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post) The National Rifle Association is airing a television ad (and has on its website thisfour-minute video) that says the private school that President Obama’s daughters attend, Sidwell ... more »

Legislative leaders assert role in shaping school finance plan | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Legislative leaders assert role in shaping school finance plan | EdSource Today: Legislative leaders assert role in shaping school finance plan ** January 17th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on print More Sharing Services [image: Brown wants to keep details of his school finance plan in the state budget.] Brown wants to keep details of his school finance plan in the state budget, not create a policy bill. Gov. Jerry Brown hasn’t yet presented the substance of his plan to reform K-12 school finance, but already he’s in... more »

UPDATE: Letter to Seattle Board Members - Schools Matter: What the Gates MET Study Really Shows

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Schools Matter: What the Gates MET Study Really Shows: Letter to Seattle Board Members and Superintendent by Jim Horn Here are the addresses: superintendent@seattleschools.org, schoolboard@seattleschools.org Dear Board Members: You are to be congratulated for your leadership in spawning a group of educators at Garfield High who understand their mission is "to improve learning, rather than to prove it" (Dan Stufflebeam quote from 30 years ago). Stufflebeam knew then what most reformers still don't about the purpose of evaluation, and he also knew that trying to direct traffic fr... more »

John Legg Urges Tony Bennett to Take Swift Action on SAT and ACT Concordant Scores | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
John Legg Urges Tony Bennett to Take Swift Action on SAT and ACT Concordant Scores | Scathing Purple Musings: John Legg Urges Tony Bennett to Take Swift Action on SAT and ACT Concordant Scores by Bob Sikes Good for John Legg. And good reporting by the *Tampa Bay Times *Jeff Solochek: News that the Florida Department of Education has yet to set concordant scores between the FCAT 2.0 and the SAT and ACT for current high school juniors did not sit well with state Senate Education Policy Committee chairman John Legg. Legg, who learned of the situation when reading a story in the *T... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: No Clear Answer for the NE

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: No Clear Answer for the NE: No Clear Answer for the NE by Melissa Westbrook I attended today's *Operation Committee of the Whole* where some important issues for school year 2013-2014 were discussed. Those would be transportation and what to do in the NE middle school region. The regular Operations Committee meeting went over some sundry items but President Smith-Blum, who came in late, explained she had been at a meeting about Yesler Terrace. Apparently there will be a large number of very low to moderate income level apartments coming in there... more »

Sanislo Elementary School stands with Garfield High School: It’s a “Kafkaesque situation” | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Sanislo Elementary School stands with Garfield High School: It’s a “Kafkaesque situation” | Seattle Education: Sanislo Elementary School stands with Garfield High School: It’s a “Kafkaesque situation” by seattleducation2011 [image: testing5] A teacher in Chicago *The following letter was sent to Seattle Schools’ superintendent Jose Banda from the teachers at Sanislo Elementary School in Seattle.* We the staff at Sanislo Elementary, by a unanimous vote, write to express our support for Garfield High School’s decision to not administer the MAP test. We share many of their same concer... more »

The Narcissism of School ‘Reform’ | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The Narcissism of School ‘Reform’ | toteachornototeach: The Narcissism of School ‘Reform’ by aristotlethewise *The Narcissism of School ‘Reform’ * by John Thompson This week, two icons of the contemporary school “reform” — the Gates Foundation and Michelle Rhee — illustrated the movement’s essence. And it wasn’t pretty. They exemplify the late Christopher Lasch’s concept of the “culture of narcissism.” [image: 20100910-waiting-for-superman-1-300x205]Lasch was at its best when describing cultural losses due to deindustrialization. The year his masterpiece was published, 1979, was th... more »

Caught In Their Own Web Of Deception and Deceit: Bloomberg, the DOE and Teacher Evaluation Negotiations | Edwize

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Caught In Their Own Web Of Deception and Deceit: Bloomberg, the DOE and Teacher Evaluation Negotiations | Edwize: Caught In Their Own Web Of Deception and Deceit: Bloomberg, the DOE and Teacher Evaluation Negotiations by Leo Casey After he blew up the teacher evaluation agreement that had been reached between the UFT and his own NYC DOE negotiating team, Mayor Bloomberg appeared at a hastily called press conference yesterday to spin an entirely fictional account of what had transpired. The UFT had made agreement impossible, he claimed, because of our unreasonable demands for more... more »

The Educated Reporter: Reporter Shares Lessons From Visiting Family of Sandy Hook Shooting's Youngest Victim

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Reporter Shares Lessons From Visiting Family of Sandy Hook Shooting's Youngest Victim: Reporter Shares Lessons From Visiting Family of Sandy Hook Shooting's Youngest Victim by Emily Richmond A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the remarkable work of Naomi Zeveloff, a reporter at the Jewish Daily Forward. She received well-earned praise for her detailed and sensitive profile of the mother of the youngest victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. I've since had the opportunity to talk with Zeveloff, and you can find my "Five Questions" interview over... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 1-17-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* Organized Parents, Organized Teachers: A Video by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform by Edit Barry This is what parent empowerment looks like. Popout Organized Parents, Organized Teachers – Working together for effective reform in America’s public schoolsFrom the Annenberg Institute on Vimeo. To get related resources on parent-teacher collaboration, visit www.realparentpower.com When the teacher is ready, the student will appear by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Wait, you say. Can it be that teacherken is confused about the ancien... more »

Big Education Ape - Early Eveving Banana Break 1-17-13 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
*Big Education Ape - Early Eveving Banana Break* Parents Across America Are Opting Out by Judy Rabin Looks like parents have finally had enough testing too. The Superintendent of Montgomery County Maryland called for a three year moratorium on high stakes standardized testing. The budget squeeze is making it impossible to ignore all the money for testing. The perfect storm. * * *On **January 27 at 1:00 PM PST, 3:00 PM Central and 4:00 PM EST,** Parents Across America will be hosting an online seminar on high stakes testing and opting out of such tests.* Our guests will be: ... more »

Playing with the data! « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Playing with the data! « Deborah Meier on Education: Playing with the data! by debmeier [image: animated numbers] For all the fuss about multiplication tables , algebra and calculus what’s more alarming is the depth of our layman understanding of statistics–including students with high test scores and elite educational backgrounds. Including, of course, journalists and politicians and newspaper editors. Once again Richard Rothstein of EPI comes to the rescue. Along with Martin Canoy of Stamford they undertook a close examination of the numbers around international test score comp... more »

Dear Schools, Please Stop Discriminating Based on Pregnancy. Thanks, Title IX | MyFDL

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Dear Schools, Please Stop Discriminating Based on Pregnancy. Thanks, Title IX | MyFDL: Dear Schools, Please Stop Discriminating Based on Pregnancy. Thanks, Title IX by RH Reality Check *Written by Lara S. Kaufmann for RH Reality Check*. Imagine you’re an honors student at a community college. You’re doing great: you’ve got a merit-based scholarship and you’re enjoying your classes. You’re also pregnant and excited to welcome the new addition to your family. Being the conscientious student that you are, you approach your professors as soon as classes start, tell them that you’re du... more »

This Week In Education: Thompson: Rhee Defenders Increasingly Desperate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
This Week In Education: Thompson: Rhee Defenders Increasingly Desperate: Thompson: Rhee Defenders Increasingly Desperate by john thompson [image: Michelle_rhee]I can't deny my enjoyment of Michelle Rhee's fall from grace. It is also fun to witness the convoluted spin of her defenders, as her duplicity is further documented. Despite what he says in "More Rhee!," Andrew Rotherham must realize that Richard Kahlenberg is correct and we have two ways of testing whether Rhee's theories could work. Schools in the American South, where unions are not powerful, have lower student performan... more »

Torlakson, Lockyer Caution Against Bonds - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Torlakson, Lockyer Caution Against Bonds - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson, State Treasurer Bill Lockyer Caution School Districts Against Issuance of Capital Appreciation Bonds SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and State Treasurer Bill Lockyer today issued the following letter to local educational agencies regarding capital appreciation bonds: Dear County and District Superintendents: CAPITAL APPRECIATION BONDS We understand many districts face a critical need to build or modernize facilities for their children,... more »

School Discipline Report Highlights Tension Between Safety, Civil Rights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
School Discipline Report Highlights Tension Between Safety, Civil Rights: School Discipline Report Highlights Tension Between Safety, Civil Rights by Joy Resmovits In Holmes County, Miss., a sheriff's car once picked up 5-year-old. The crime? Wearing shoes with red-and-white symbols, an apparent school dress code violation. In DeSoto County, Miss., cops reportedly arrested and threatened six students for arguing on a school bus. The examples of what advocates are calling Mississippi's extreme discipline problem are part of a reportreleased Thursday by the Advancement Project, a ... more »

Schools Matter: Please Sign the Petition in Support of Garfield Teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Schools Matter: Please Sign the Petition in Support of Garfield Teachers: Please Sign the Petition in Support of Garfield Teachers by Jim Horn *Go here to sign the petition.* The Measure of Academic Progress test used in Seattle Public Schools needs to be removed because: -The MAP’s margin of error is greater than expected gains. -The MAP is not aligned with state standards which teachers are expected to teach. There is no way to see the content of the test and thus prepare for it. -Administering the MAP takes time away from instruction. The test is taken 3 times a year and requir... more »

I am "Paul - .southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: I am "Paul" by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) You don't get to meet a lot of really good people in this "business" of education. The type of people where you know they will have your back, be honest with you, and hope for the best. Two of these people are David Greene and Diane Ravitch. The first time I met Dave, I got an instant respect for him when he put me in my place for generalizing TFA teachers. I was like, "Wow, this guy says what is own his mind!" But it was not only that, it was the encyclopedic knowledge he has of education and the ... more »

Rethinking Schools: Chicago points the way for a new teacher unionism. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Rethinking Schools: Chicago points the way for a new teacher unionism. « Fred Klonsky: Rethinking Schools: Chicago points the way for a new teacher unionism. by Fred Klonsky [image: edit272] The editors of Rethinking Schools draw lessons for the teacher union movement from the recent events in Chicago. Some people describe this new unionism as an organizing model. Others call it “social justice unionism” or “social movement unionism.” Regardless, the Chicago teachers demonstrated its main features: - Unapologetically defend wages and working conditions of public school ed... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Who is to blame for the failed negotiations over teacher evaluation?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Public School Parents: Who is to blame for the failed negotiations over teacher evaluation?: Who is to blame for the failed negotiations over teacher evaluation? by Leonie Haimson If the Governor goes ahead with punishing NYC children for the mayor’s failures by subtracting $250 million from state aid, it will be terribly unfair. Yet there is little doubt that most parents will blame Bloomberg for this latest fiasco, as the just-released Quinnipiac poll shows that NYC voters trust the UFT by 53 to 35 percent over the mayor. And 63 percent of those polled believe that the mayo... more »





Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 1-12-13 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 1-5-13 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-29-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-22-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-15-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-8-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-1-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-24-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-17-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-10-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-3-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 10-27-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 






Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-17-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-16-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-15-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-14-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-13-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-12-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-11-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-10-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-9-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-8-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-7-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-6-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-5-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-4-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-3-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-2-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-1-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2