Tuesday, March 12, 2013

by Jose Vilson

Riot

The newest truism goes:

If you’re a group of color, you’re rioting. If you’re White, you’re protesting. If you’re multicultural, you’re marching.

The recent so-called riots in Brooklyn serve as yet another example. For those of you unacquainted, concerned Brooklyn residents of all ages held a vigil and demonstration to protest the treatment of 16-year-old Kimani Gray, a gun-toting teen who the police filled with 11 rounds of bullets in short succession. The volume of bullets disturbs even the steel stomachs, but the historical treatment of youth of color in this country should put any young man from age 8 to 30 on high alert if and when they encounter the NYPD.
In no way do I excuse Kimani for having a gun, either. A big part of me wonders why a child (!) has a gun to begin with, and how he found himself in this predicament. I’m also fully aware of the lack of training (and pay) some police officers have been given, thus adding even more stress to an already tense job. Police officers barely have time to think, and asking them to make snap decisions isn’t a science for many of them. Yet, it’s

Charter school conference opens in San Diego | Keynote from Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee, CEO and founder of StudentsFirst

Charter school conference opens in San Diego | UTSanDiego.com:

Charter school conference opens in San Diego

Educators from across the state are in San Diego this week for the 20th annual California Charter School Conference.

The four-day event runs through Thursday at the San Diego Convention Center and includes a keynote address from Michelle Rhee, CEO and founder of StudentsFirst and former chancellor of District of Columbia Public Schools, and Geoffrey Canada, founder and CEO of Harlem Children’s Zone.

Both speakers were prominently featured in the documentary “Waiting for Superman.”

Workshops and breakout sessions begin Tuesday, with many part of the

“They didn’t come in and try to say that we needed to do everything differently” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

“They didn’t come in and try to say that we needed to do everything differently” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

“They didn’t come in and try to say that we needed to do everything differently”

March 12, 2013 by Larry Ferlazzo | 0 comments

I, and many others, have been critical of the strategies demanded by federal School Improvement Grants (see The Best Resources For Learning About The Four School Improvement Grant Models). These kinds of sweeping changes are seldom the most constructive ways to move a school community forward.

I was reminded of this last night when the PBS News Hour showed an encore presentationabout changes in a Louisiana school. I don’t know much about the program “Diplomas Now” out of John Hopkins University, but I do like how the principal described their intervention:

DENISE CHARBONNET [Principal]: Johns Hopkins came, and what I really, really liked about them is that they didn’t come in and try to say that we needed to do everything differently. They came to say, what can we do to enhance what you are doing here? How can we make it better?

Latino students attending increasingly segregated schools in Virginia - The Washington Post

Latino students attending increasingly segregated schools in Virginia - The Washington Post:

KIPP DC proposes new high school in Southwest D.C.

(KIPP DC / KIPP DC)

Emma Brown

The proposal has drawn mixed reviews from politicians, neighbors and commercial developers.

The Answer Sheet

Class Struggle

Report: Latino students attending increasingly segregated schools in Va.

Michael Alison Chandler 5:44 PM ET

Civil Rights Project report says nearly four out of five Latino students are in predominantly minority schools.

In Montgomery schools, achievement gap widens in some measures

Donna St. George 5:10 PM ET

Report shows gap widening between races in certain academic indicators, points to improvements in others.

THE ANSWER SHEET

School Custodian wins award for helping kids

Valerie Strauss

Sometimes a nice little story is just the ticket, and here's one: A custodian at a Texas high school won the national LifeChanger of the Year award for his efforts to help and mentor students.

THE ANSWER SHEET

What is 'The Reasonable School Discipline Act of 2013'?

Valerie Strauss

You won't believe what a bill called "The Reasonable School Discipline Act of 2013" and introduced in the Maryland legislature is intended to accomplish. Think Pop-Tarts and guns.

CAMPUS OVERLOAD

Dept. of Ed rules on U-Va. sanctions

Jenna Johnson

Officials conclude U-Va.’s accreditor did not break any laws in issuing a warning. Activist group appeals.

THE ANSWER SHEET

Study: Home-schooled kids get more sleep

Valerie Strauss

A new study of a few thousand students found that homeschoolers get more sleep than students at traditional public and private schools. What are the consequences?

Parents launch ‘Real Food for Kids Montgomery’ to overhaul school lunch

Lynh Bui

Grassroots parent group seeks to remove added dyes, sugar from Montgomery school lunches

THE ANSWER SHEET

Real consequences of 'school choice'

Valerie Strauss

Here's an argument about why the school choice movement has failed to provide real choice for families.

LAUSD charters would lose funding under Gov. Jerry Brown's budget - LA Daily News

LAUSD charters would lose funding under Gov. Jerry Brown's budget - LA Daily News:

LAUSD charters would lose funding under Gov. Jerry Brown's budget

by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer

Wilbur Elementary got $230,000 in state grants when it converted to a charter last fall, a windfall that allowed the Tarzana campus to keep class sizes small and provide personalized help to struggling students.

Now, administrators at Wilbur and other affiliated charters, nearly all of them in the San Fernando Valley, are struggling with the news that they stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants if lawmakers approve Gov. Jerry Brown's new formula for funding public education.

"It's a nice chunk of money," said Principal Deborah Plat who worked with parents and staff on the 100-page charter petition approved last year. "It let us go on a shopping spree, if you will, but one that let us figure out how to do best by our students. "

Brown's proposal would eliminate funding for charter grants and nearly every other program that serve a specific purpose. Instead, that money would be reallocated to districts, which would receive a base amount of roughly $6,800 per pupil and an extra 35 percent for each English learner and low-income student. Campuses with

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-12-13 #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

Bullying Intervention: New Study Confirms It Is Worth Prioritizing | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

Bullying Intervention: New Study Confirms It Is Worth Prioritizing | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Bullying Intervention: New Study Confirms It Is Worth Prioritizing by Tarsi Dunlop A new study that tracks the long-term effects of bullying suggests that intervention efforts are well worth attention and investment. While some consider bullying to be a rite of passage - it is certainly a common occurrence – the behavior adversely affects student learning and can account for higher rates of absenteeism. Nationally, 160,000 students miss school on a daily basis ... more »

Sac City Unified Seeks Community Input on How to Address Achievement Gap

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago

Sac City Unified Seeks Community Input on How to Address Achievement Gap: Sac City Unified Seeks Community Input on How to Address Achievement Gap - Sacramento Observer [image: P1520011]SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento City Unified School District is seeking ways to eliminating the achievement and opportunity gaps for its students, especially before they get to the third grade. Today, March 12, an education task force and a broad-base of stakeholders will meet at the Serna Center to examine district policy, practices, and provide recommendations in identifying the root causes of the ach... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Come join us on Thursday AM in front of Tweed; and updates on student privacy

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago

NYC Public School Parents: Come join us on Thursday AM in front of Tweed; and updates on student privacy: Come join us on Thursday AM in front of Tweed; and updates on student privacy by Molly This Thursday, March 14 at 11:15 AM we will be holding a press conference with public school parents concerned about the imminent threat to student privacy from the actions of NYS and NYC DOE. *When: Thursday March 14 at 11:15 AM* *Where: steps of Tweed, 52 Chambers near City Hall.* * *As reported in *Reuters,* a company called *inBloom Inc*. is collecting the most private, sensitive, and... more »

A dialogue with author Barbara Miner on privatization and resistance | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

A dialogue with author Barbara Miner on privatization and resistance | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: A dialogue with author Barbara Miner on privatization and resistance by Helen Gym Photo: courtesy of The New Press Against a backdrop of unprecedented school closings and disinvestment in public education in Philadelphia, journalist and author Barbara Miner will be in town Thursday to share wisdom and hope for our schools’ future. She will be discussing her new book, *Lessons from the Heartland: A turbulent half century of public education in an iconic American city, *at an e... more »

PSAT for 3-12-13: Urge more officials to join Black, Latino caucus leaders calling for school closing moratorium Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 3-12-13: Urge more officials to join Black, Latino caucus leaders calling for school closing moratorium: PSAT for 3-12-13: Urge more officials to join Black, Latino caucus leaders calling for school closing moratorium by admin [image: psat_logo]Our public schools have just gained a strong group of champions. As youmay have heard, the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, state Senator William Delgado, and the chairs of the Illinois General Assembly’s Black and Latino Caucuses, state Representatives Ken Dunkin... more »

SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break 3-12-13 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* Is Bill Gates Data Mining Your Children? by Michael Dunn Blooming Automatons? (Image from Flickr, by edenpictures) Want your child to flower academically? That’s what inBloom Inc. says it will do by accessing your child’s social security number, test scores, hobbies, learning disabilities, attendance records, career goals, homework completion records, and other personal data, in order to develop “personalized” learning aids that it will sell back to you or your school district. *Private Education Companies are School Officials Accordin... more »

The unreasonable ‘Reasonable School Discipline Act of 2013′

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

The unreasonable ‘Reasonable School Discipline Act of 2013′: The unreasonable ‘Reasonable School Discipline Act of 2013′ Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 12, 2013 at 2:04 pm [image: poptarts]You won’t believe what a bill called “The Reasonable School Discipline Act of 2013″and introduced in the Maryland legislature is intended to accomplish. (Or maybe you will.) My colleague Michael Rosenwald calls it a bill “to protect Pop-Tart guns.” Why? A 7-year-old in an Anne Arundel County school bit a Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun, apparently said, “Bang bang,” and was suspended. The ac... more »

New Video Exposes Parent Trigger Campaign | OurFuture.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

New Video Exposes Parent Trigger Campaign | OurFuture.org: NEW VIDEO EXPOSES PARENT TRIGGER CAMPAIGNEducation Opportunity Network Shows “Parent Revolution” Effort Misled Parents and Fractured the Community Washington, DC – The Education Opportunity Network (EON) is releasing a new video with the real story of how one campaign behind parent trigger laws misled parents and fractured the community. The video tells the story of Adelanto, California where a well-funded, outside group "Parent Revolution" came to town and instead of working to improve the schools tricked parents with... more »

Buried in Data | Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Buried in Data | Deborah Meier on Education: JOIN NPE by debmeier Network for Public Education. Check it out, and then if you agree, JOIN.. THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION (CLICK PICTURE) [image: The Network for Public Education (click picture)] WE ARE MANY. THERE IS POWER IN OUR NUMBERS. TOGETHER, WE WILL SAVE OUR SCHOOLS. THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION Buried in Data by debmeier The first of the five habits which the schools I helped found were based on was: “What’s the evidence” How do you know that?” The education debate–especially the one about the value of the data–is one... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-12-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why California Tightened Oversight of New Teachers by dianerav In a post yesterday, I referred to a decision by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing to set higher standards for those who teach the state’s neediest students, especiallybEnglish-language learners.. Some readers thought this decision was unfair to Teach for America recruits, who get only five weeks of training before assignment to difficult jobs. However, a reader who closely follows the work of the Commission described the decision, ... more »

Jake Frackson – The Equity of Ideas Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Student Voice: Jake Frackson – The Equity of Ideas by Editor Admin *The Value of the Student Voice* What if the weight of your opinion did not matter on your ethnicity, social status, age, or any other superficial characteristic? Or in other words, what if your ideas were based on their content, and not their designer? Now that’s what I would call progress, and Student Voice, a student-led initiative empowering student involvement internationally, would entirely agree. Malala Yousafzai, a school-aged proponent of women’s rights and a recent victim of the Taliban in Pakistan, is ... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 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. Testing Madness Leading to Massive Retention of 3rd Graders Best of the Ed Blogs Mike Klonsky March 12, 2013 Are the Common Core Math Standards Developmentally App... more »

Lifting Up not Leaning In is Key to Helping Women Get Ahead « MomsRising Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Lifting Up not Leaning In is Key to Helping Women Get Ahead « MomsRising Blog: Lifting Up not Leaning In is Key to Helping Women Get Ahead Linda Meric at MomsRising Blog - 1 minute ago What a lot of attention the book Lean In by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has generated. The self-help book, mostly geared towards college-educated women who are or want to be on the executive track, promotes believing in oneself, taking risks and pursing ambitious goals as tactics for personal and professional success. Whether or not you [...] Are You a Member of the In Crowd – The “Lean In” Crowd? ... more »

Say Bye Bye to the 13th High School | PWC Education Reform Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Say Bye Bye to the 13th High School | PWC Education Reform Blog: Say Bye Bye to the 13th High School by pwceducationreform Be forewarned. Word on the street is that the 13th high school might not happen. Not because of political pressure due to the controversy over the grandiose scale of the 12th high school and its pool, but because the county can’t afford to take on any more debt. *Overcrowding and School Construction* Residents in the western end of the county have grown accustomed to overcrowded schools and jam packed classrooms. Overcrowding is the norm out here, not the ... more »

This Week In Education: Thompson: Partial Takeover Of LAUSD Only Beginning For Bloomberg

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

This Week In Education: Thompson: Partial Takeover Of LAUSD Only Beginning For Bloomberg: Thompson: Partial Takeover Of LAUSD Only Beginning For Bloomberg by john thompson [image: Edtweak]The outcome of last Tuesday’s Los Angeles School Board election might have seemed anticlimactic, writes Education Tweak inBloomberg Acquires Partial Stake in LAUSD, but the education journal of farce explains that the partial takeover is a part of a longterm strategy: "Bloomberg’s spokesperson, Ollie Garkey, insists that further acquisitions in this and other districts will take place over the nex... more »

SxSWEdu 2013 | My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

SxSWEdu 2013 | My Island View: SxSWEdu 2013 by tomwhitby Whenever I attend an education conference, which I am doing with great frequency these days, I do so as an educator with an educator’s eye, and an educator’s attitude. It is through that lens that I view education conferences either as a conference for the education profession or the education industry. Sometimes conferences are a combination of both. An easy distinction is that the industry side is made up of the business side of education, while the profession side is composed of classroom educators. Of course the most e... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Funding of Public Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State Funding of Public Schools: Washington State Funding of Public Schools by Melissa Westbrook *The Lowdown on School Funding - How Can We Fully Support our Public Schools?* Our schools are continually asked to do more with less dollars. Join us on March 20th and learn what we can do to secure the funding needed to support our public schools. Guest Speaker: Heidi Bennett, WSPTA Region 6 Legislative Chair We will discuss: How public funding of our schools works. How much the state needs to provide in order to meet its obligation und...more »

Oklahoma Governor & Speaker of the House Stonewall Common Core Bill | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Oklahoma Governor & Speaker of the House Stonewall Common Core Bill | Truth in American Education: Oklahoma Governor & Speaker of the House Stonewall Common Core Bill by Shane Vander Hart [image: oklahoma state capitol]From Jenni White of Restoring Oklahoma Public Education (ROPE) via email: So here’s the deal, the governor and the superintendent had a meeting with legislators this morning and apparently told them not to pass anything against her education “reforms” including the common core! Our author of the task force bill, hb1907, Gus Blackwell, was told by speaker T.W. Shannon... more »

Real consequences of ‘school choice’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Real consequences of ‘school choice’: Real consequences of ‘school choice’ COMPETITION, CONFUSION Real consequences of ‘school choice’ Here's an argument about why the school choice movement has failed to provide real choice for families. By Valerie Strauss 15 mins ago 0 Comments - Share: - - - More » ANSWERS FROM THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS Does a quality education help you play baseball? Washington Nationals, some of whom attended elite universities, answer the question. By Valerie Strauss 1 hour ago 0 Comments - Share: - - - More » 'TEACHERS ARE REALLY... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, March 12, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

*Adult education’s unclear future* Education Headlines *Tuesday, March 12, 2013* Desert Mirage High School administrators firedTwo administrators at a Coachella Valley high school were fired last week, prompting about 100 students to walk out of class on Monday, the district’s union president said. Twin Rivers board to look again at early pink slipsA special meeting is set for 7 p.m. tonight for the Twin Rivers Unified school board to reconsider sending preliminary pink slips to teachers and support staff before the state-mandated deadline on Friday. The school board failed to v... more »

Chicago Students Teach Through Their Walkout for School Safety - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Chicago Students Teach Through Their Walkout for School Safety - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Chicago Students Teach Through Their Walkout for School Safety by Anthony Cody *Last week I posted a report from some Chicago High School students, which described their concerns about safety at their school. Today I am sharing a follow-up, which explains how their attempts to have these issues address were received by their administration.* *Guest post by Yoseling Cueto and Leslie Leon.* Lately, an issue that's come between me and my education is the lack of safety at the sc... more »

Senate President Williams, Speaker of the House Sharkey; Commissioner Pryor is mocking you and the Legislature - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Senate President Williams, Speaker of the House Sharkey; Commissioner Pryor is mocking you and the Legislature - Wait, What?: Senate President Williams, Speaker of the House Sharkey; Commissioner Pryor is mocking you and the Legislature by jonpelto Last week the Bridgeport Board of Education voted 5 to 4 to illegally appoint Paul Vallas as Bridgeport’s Superintendent of Schools effective March 4, 2013. However, as you will recall, during the “education reform” debate, Commissioner Pryor provided the General Assembly with draft language that you adopted and was signed into law tha... more »

A Realistic Approach to Better Testing - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

A Realistic Approach to Better Testing - Bridging Differences - Education Week: A Realistic Approach to Better Testing by Deborah Meier *Eric Hanushek continues his discussion with Deborah Meier on Bridging Differences today.* Dear Deborah, Whenever there is any discussion of accountability, there is always an overhang of issues of testing and the use of tests. Testing clearly falls into the knee-jerk reaction zone, but I'm hoping not to inspire such reactions. Instead I want to lay out a simple idea of how to deal with a number of the current problems and objections in order to se... more »

UPDATE: Koch brothers to buy the Trib? + signed on to the moratorium on school closings? + Fraud. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Fraud. | Fred Klonsky: Ten minute drawing. Koch brothers to buy the Trib? by Fred Klonsky [image: Koch] Click on drawing to enlarge. Has your alderman, state rep or state senator signed on to the moratorium on school closings? by Fred Klonsky [image: chi-lawmakers-threaten-to-push-cps-closings-mo-001] Thousands of parents and teachers have shown up at hearings all across our city to express opposition to school closings. It was only a matter of time for the politicians to see the writing on the wall. The latest manifestation was the press conference yesterday consisting of Chica... more »

Schools Matter: Learning about Hippies in Louisiana's Voucher Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Schools Matter: Learning about Hippies in Louisiana's Voucher Schools: Learning about Hippies in Louisiana's Voucher Schools by Jim Horn *Beka Books is owned by Arlin and Beka Horton, who both graduated from Bob Jones "University" in 1951. The company, which now has an extensive product line of semi-literate ultra-fundamentalist teaching materials, made headlines a couple of years ago by changing the Christian unfriendly "Slave Trade" to the "Atlantic Triangular Trade." How offensive an unwholesome to talk about slavery in a Christian environment. From Political Research Asso... more »

The U.S. Department of Education’s Data Mining Efforts | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

The U.S. Department of Education’s Data Mining Efforts | Truth in American Education: The U.S. Department of Education’s Data Mining Efforts by Joy Pullman The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how public schools can collect information on “non-cognitive” student attributes, after granting itself the power to share student data across agencies without parents’ knowledge. The feds want to use schools to catalogue “attributes, dispositions, social skills, attitudes, and intrapersonal resources, independent of intellectual ability,” according to a February DOE report, a... more »

Savings from STAR suspension would net about $15 million SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Savings from STAR suspension would net about $15 million *By Tom Chorneau* Tuesday, March 12, 2013 A plan to suspend some statewide testing in advance of transition to new assessments based on the common core standards would save the state about $15 million, according to an estimate released Monday by the California Department of Education. State schools chief Tom Torlakson has recommended that California move quickly to begin testing students based on new common core curriculum standards by the spring of 2015. As part of that goal, Torlakson... more »

Pass / Fail : Despite increase in funding, school districts still sending layoff notices to teachers | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Pass / Fail : Despite increase in funding, school districts still sending layoff notices to teachers | 89.3 KPCC: Despite increase in funding, school districts still sending layoff notices to teachers by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez *Teachers, parents and supporters rallied last year to protest budget cuts and layoffs. Credit: Damian Dovarganes/AP* [image: Teachers Protest]Year after year, March 15th has been a date of dread for California public school teachers. The date, which falls on a Friday this year, is the preliminary deadline for school districts to send out "Reduction In Force" no... more »

Shanker Blog » A Controversial Consensus On KIPP Charter Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Shanker Blog » A Controversial Consensus On KIPP Charter Schools: A Controversial Consensus On KIPP Charter Schools by Matthew Di Carlo A recent Mathematica report on the performance of KIPP charter schools expands and elaborates on their prioranalyses of these schools’ (estimated) effects on average test scores and other outcomes (also here). These findings are important and interesting, and were covered extensively elsewhere. As is usually the case with KIPP, the results stirred the full spectrum of reactions. To over-generalize a bit, critics sometimes seem unwilling to acknow... more »

UPDATE: Department Of Defense Schools Await Furlough News + Military Schools Grapple With Budget Cuts Confusion, Instability

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Military Schools Grapple With Budget Cuts Confusion, Instability: Department Of Defense Schools Await Furlough News; More Early Education Details From Obama Administration: Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *More Early Ed Details?* Yesterday, President Barack Obama's education advisor Roberto Rodriguez addressed the Council of the Great City Schools legislative conference, and gave folks a few more details about Obama's early ed plans, according to Education Week. The program is apparently a full-day preschool program that is to be overseen by school districts, he said. "We want to go bey... more »

Teachers union still draws support, money from retired members | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Teachers union still draws support, money from retired members | Hechinger Report: Teachers union still draws support, money from retired members by Sarah Butrymowicz [image: Teachers union still draws support, money from retired members] At a synagogue in Surfside, Fla., last month, about 40 former teachers gathered for cupcakes, cheesecake and a PowerPoint presentation by a pair of union representatives from New York. The teachers were members of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) retiree chapter, and the representatives had been sent by the UFT and New York State United Teac... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-12-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Brian Ford Says: Repeat After Me by dianerav Brian Ford, teacher and author, writes: Repeat after me: THE GREAT MISTAKE AND OVERRIDING DANGER TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IS THAT THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS WILL BE LINKD TO HIGH STAKES STANDARDIZED TESTS, TEACHER EVALUATIONS AND SCHOOL CLOSINGS I know it is not catchy, but say it twice more: THE GREAT MISTAKE AND OVERRIDING DANGER TO PUBLIC EDUCATION IS THAT Will College Adjuncts Qualify for Food Stamps? by dianerav I rece... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Professor of Education Policy and Research Written Testimony Supporting the End of Common Core Standards Implementation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Professor of Education Policy and Research Written Testimony Supporting the End of Common Core Standards Implementation: Professor of Education Policy and Research Written Testimony Supporting the End of Common Core Standards Implementation by stlgretchen The following written testimony by Mark Garrison, Ph.D. was entered to support MO SB 210 and HB 616and end the implementation of Common Core State Standards: *EXPERT TESTIMONY OF MARK GARRISON, PH.D., IN OPPOSITION TO THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS INITIATIVE (CCSSI).* March 3, 2013 Based on my ... more »

Louisiana Educator: Teachers Show They Can Speak Truth to Power

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Louisiana Educator: Teachers Show They Can Speak Truth to Power: Teachers Show They Can Speak Truth to Power by Michael Deshotels *Please click on this link to read the letter from Abby Breaux that was printed in the Washington Post over the weekend. It is getting rave reviews from educators all over the country. Take a look at the many comments from teachers in other parts of the country that are facing the same impossible challenges as Ms Breaux that are being ignored by our "reformer" power structure. People like Jindal and White have no idea what teachers go through, yet the... more »

UPDATE: The Expertise Gap + So, is Direct and Purposeful Teaching Anti-Constructivist? – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

So, is Direct and Purposeful Teaching Anti-Constructivist? – @ the chalk face: Argue with Some of the Logic?: The Expertise Gap by plthomasedd While not above criticism himself, Malcolm Gladwell (*Time*, 20 October 2009) has argued an important point about the importance of topic expertise for journalists: The issue is not writing. It’s what you write about. One of my favorite columnists is Jonathan Weil, who writes for Bloomberg. He broke the Enron story, and he broke it because he’s one of the very few mainstream journalists in America who really knows how to read a balance she... more »

UPDATE: Prejudice Daily Kos: What we need to remember about our students

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Daily Kos: What we need to remember about our students: Prejudice by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I cannot claim I am or ever have been completely free of prejudice, but perhaps I am lucky in the family I lived in and in how I have lived my life. I just read The Price of Hate: $85 + ? (which if you have not read I strongly recommend that you do) and it got me thinking. When I was growing up in Larchmont New York it was a period of time where gifted women like my mother rarely worked - when she went back to work as a lawyer when I was around 8 or 9, and then became an Assistant Atto... more »

Parent Trigger Would Only Apply to “Small, Narrow Universe” of Schools | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Parent Trigger Would Only Apply to “Small, Narrow Universe” of Schools | Scathing Purple Musings: Parent Trigger Would Only Apply to “Small, Narrow Universe” of Schools by Bob Sikes *Orlando Sentinel *education reporter Leslie Postal doesn’t attribute the quote in the title to this blog post to anyone, but it was a point of emphasis that the two top advocates for HB 867 were making at the March 7th hearing. The bills would give parents a say in the “turnaround” option selected for an F-graded school (there were 34 last year, including Wheatley Elementary in Apopka). The options ... more »

The Disempowerment Of Public School Parents - Jeff Bryant

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

The Disempowerment Of Public School Parents - Jeff Bryant: The Disempowerment Of Public School Parents by Jeff Bryant *This post is republished from the Education Opportunity Network, a new online publication edited by Jeff Bryant.* For years, policy initiatives stemming from right wing belief tanks have been wrapped in the rhetoric of positive outcomes that are, in fact, the complete opposite of what the measures are really intended to do. A bill called Clear Skies that called for more pollution. Another called Healthy Forestsincentivized cutting down valuable trees. No Child Left ... more »

Anybody out there want to rethink middle schools? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Anybody out there want to rethink middle schools? | Get Schooled: Anybody out there want to rethink middle schools? by Maureen Downey [image: grabarart0920]Regular Get Schooled readers know that I have *doubts about the efficacy of the middle school model*. Despite decades of experimentation and refinement, middle school still doesn’t work in most places, leading me to conclude that the problem is not with the execution of the concept but with the concept itself. In 2011, *a Harvard study* found that students moving from fifth grade to a middle school setting suffer a sharp drop in a... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Charters grease corporate contracts

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Charters grease corporate contracts: Charters grease corporate contracts by Mike Klonsky Rupert Murdoch (AP photo)Writing in Salon.com, David Sirota warns us to stop pretending wealthy CEOs pushing for charter schools are altruistic "reformers." They're raking in billions. * Citing a fact sheet from the for-profit education industry itself, the Washington Post recently reported that “the education sector now represents nearly 9 percent of the country’s gross domestic product” while the “for-profit education is valued at $1.3 trillion, and is one ... more »

AFT’s Weingarten on why she got arrested, ‘the gall’ of reformers, etc.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

AFT’s Weingarten on why she got arrested, ‘the gall’ of reformers, etc.: AFT’s Weingarten on why she got arrested, ‘the gall’ of reformers, etc. Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 12, 2013 at 5:00 am 1 Comments More [image: Weingarten being led away by police. (By Bill Hangley Jr.)] Weingarten being led away by police in Philadelphia (By Bill Hangley Jr.) American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was arrested last week in Philadelphia while protesting a hearing of the School Reform Commission that voted to close 23 public schools. Here’s a Q & A with her about why s... more »

A Veteran’s View of Choices Facing Teachers in Implementing Common Core Standards (David B. Cohen) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

A Veteran’s View of Choices Facing Teachers in Implementing Common Core Standards (David B. Cohen) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: A Veteran’s View of Choices Facing Teachers in Implementing Common Core Standards (David B. Cohen) by larrycuban *David Cohen has been teaching since 1993. He completed a B.A. in English at U.C. Berkeley (’91) with Phi Beta Kappa honors, and earned a Master’s degree in Education through the Stanford Teacher Education Program (’95). After achieving National Board Certification in 2004, David served for two years as a support pr... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Black, Latino legislators step up to the plate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Black, Latino legislators step up to the plate: Black, Latino legislators step up to the plate by Mike Klonsky Tribune photoLeaders of the Illinois Legislature’s black and Latino caucuses on Monday accused CPS of preparing to close schools without having a comprehensive plan in place and called for a moratorium on closings for the 2013-2014 school year. They were joined by several member of the City Council's Progressive Caucus *“We’re not gonna sit back and say, ‘OK, Mayor Rahm Emanuel do what you want to do, how you want to do it, when you want to ... more »

NYC Educator: Sweet Sixteen

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

NYC Educator: Sweet Sixteen: Sweet Sixteen by NYC Educator As of today, our esteemed Mayor4Life was to finally get his wish--soft drinks over 16 ounces would be banned in much of the city. Alas, a state court has declared the law arbitrary and capricious (ironically, the very same standard he wanted to use to fire teachers). Mike Bloomberg had determined that 17 ounces is just too much, and since he's the richest guy in the city, the man who'd bought Gracie Mansion fair and square (except for that third term), he figured he had the right to tell you just how much Sprite you can ha... more »

Daily Kos: Back to work!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Daily Kos: Back to work!: Back to work! by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) At least part time. This afternoon/evening Leaves on the Current went into her office for a half-day, that is, five hours - she normally work 4 10 hour days/week, three in the office and one telecommuting. While she had been in her office for a meeting more than a week ago, and had telecommuted once, this was both her longest time working and her longest time on her own without me. A positive sign, with the hope that within two weeks perhaps she will be back to full-time work. This past week has been diffic... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CTU says, it's time to fight back...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CTU says, it's time to fight back...: CTU says, it's time to fight back... by Mike Klonsky [image: An important message from the Chicago Teachers Union:] *The Board of Education insists the only way to fix schools is to close them. * We disagree. The Board won't listen to reason. It is time to organize and fight back together. Join the Grassroots Education Movement (GEM) for a non-violent civil disobedience training session. *Choose one session:* *Westside: Thursday, March 14th at 6:30 PM St. Agatha's Church, 3151 W. Douglas Blvd. Southside: Satu... more »

Beware the Reform-y Types in Constructivist’s Clothing – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Beware the Reform-y Types in Constructivist’s Clothing – @ the chalk face: Beware the Reform-y Types in Constructivist’s Clothing by Kris Nielsen There’s been a great way to teach out there in school-o-sphere for quite some time, which we know leads to authentic learning and happy kids. It’s not lecture. It’s not worksheets. It’s not even “hands-on.” (“Hands-on” doesn’t always mean that kids are learning or even engaged.) Put that away and get back to hands-on learning! [image: Put that away and get back to our hands-on learning!]It’s called constructivism, and it is totally aweso... more »

If You Smell What I’m Cooking, Read This. [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

If You Smell What I’m Cooking, Read This. [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: If You Smell What I’m Cooking, Read This. [Future of Teaching] by Jose Vilson Clearly, we need to define what “teacher” means a little more, and “educator,” for that matter. We also need to understand what that means for teacher voice. I spark a discussion here: The term “celebrity teacher” is such a difficult one too, because it presumes that the spotlight should focus strictly on the teacher and not on the ways in which that teacher helps students. The profession doesn’t lend itself to alpha dog... more »

Group Calls for Radical Changes to Standardized Tests - Higher Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Group Calls for Radical Changes to Standardized Tests - Higher Education: Group Calls for Radical Changes to Standardized Tests from Diverse by cmaadmin *Washington* – Educational assessments should be revamped to help educators improve teaching and learning instead of being narrowly used—and in some cases misused—for purposes of accountability. That is one of the key ideas that an independent commission proffered Monday as the commission released a new report on what its members envision as a radically transformed “assessment enterprise.” “We certainly recognize and endorse the us...more »

Pass / Fail : LAUSD Budget forecast is getting brighter | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Pass / Fail : LAUSD Budget forecast is getting brighter | 89.3 KPCC LAUSD Budget forecast is getting brighter by Vanessa Romo *Credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images* [image: Mercer 3287]LA Unified’s Budget, Facilities and Audit Committee is convening Tuesday morning. The proposedagenda shows financial improvement at the district after five years of devastating cuts -- due to a boost from Prop. 30 funds. According to the district, the Governor’s proposed budget would provide $1.6 billion to begin implementation of a new funding model that benefits district with large numbers of poor an... more »

That “Girls” Rape Scene |

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

That “Girls” Rape Scene |: That “Girls” Rape Scene by Angus Johnston Last night on Girls there was a scene in which Hannah’s ex-boyfriend Adam sexually abuses his new girlfriend Nat. The scene was clearly written and directed in such a way as to create ambiguity as to whether what Adam — a generally sympathetic, if deeply creepy, character — did was actually rape. Amanda Hess has a particularly good rundown, in which she describes the scene as illustrating “what happens when a person you want to have sex with ‘has sex with you’ in a way that you do not want them to.” But such ... more »

Response: Teachers & Superintendents Must "Work To Understand Each Other" - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Response: Teachers & Superintendents Must "Work To Understand Each Other" - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher: Response: Teachers & Superintendents Must "Work To Understand Each Other" By Larry Ferlazzo on March 11, 2013 10:35 PM (This is Part Two of a two-part series. You can see Part One here) Last week's question was: *How can teachers best relate to Superintendents -- and vice versa?* A few days ago, we heard responses from a teacher perspective: Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers; Dean Vogel, President of the California T... more »

Is reading at risk? -

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Is reading at risk? - California Teachers Association: Is reading at risk? By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin [image: image] Emily Hager, Mia Gonzales, Najeeb Darwish Growing up, Michelle Albaugh spent lazy afternoons on her couch, nose buried in a book. But that’s not the case with many of her students today. “Teens don’t do that much anymore,” says the Sowers Middle School teacher. “Not long ago, kids could read The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and now they struggle with it. Some can’t read anything of great length and struggle to read a 10-page short story. Students toil reading a... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Glass Size Matters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Glass Size Matters: Glass Size Matters by Gary Babad *March 11, 2013 (GBN News):* Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a plan to deal with those unused supersize drink containers that city eateries can no longer sell because of his ban on oversized drinks. He’s going to turn them into classrooms. Ever the environmentalist, the Mayor told reporters today that the Sanitation Department will immediately begin collecting the containers and turning them over to the NYC School Construction Authority. The SCA will in turn recycle them into prefabricated classrooms, to ... more »

Ed Notes Online: Storm of Reform: Carol Burris on Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Ed Notes Online: Storm of Reform: Carol Burris on Common Core: Storm of Reform: Carol Burris on Common Core by ed notes online With every passing day education giants like Carol Burris expose the Common Core. Wouldst our own quasi union leaders do the same. Someone (preferably some honest person in Unity Caucus) must ask a fundamental question: WHAT IS STOPPING THEM? Instead Leo Casey attacked Burris for defending teachers from the evils of a junk science evaluation system. The Burris piece is a follow-up to my earlier post: Randi on Board of inBloom: AFT dues-paying members, ho... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Anthony Cody and I Talk About the Network @TheChalkface by dianerav Tim Slekar and Shaun Johnson are fearless education activists who operate on many fronts to support public education. They write, they blog, they make videos, they spoof the loony ideas called “reform.” On March 11, Anthony Cody and I were interviewed @TheChalkface about the new Network for Public Education. We described how we hope to provide a means for grassroots groups to get connected to one another; to supply them with information and res... more »

Meanwhile, back in Hartford – The State of Connecticut to save $200 million by spending $120 million - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Meanwhile, back in Hartford – The State of Connecticut to save $200 million by spending $120 million - Wait, What?: Meanwhile, back in Hartford – The State of Connecticut to save $200 million by spending $120 million by jonpelto Or, as the Hartford Courant’s real estate reporter explained in a paragraph that I’m still trying to interpret, “The state expects to save $200 million, adjusted for inflation, over the next 20 years. The savings is roughly $100 million in today’s dollars.” But that statement aside, here are the facts; On Thursday the State Bond Commission will meet to auth... more »

Jersey Jazzman: So THAT'S What A Real Confirmation Hearing Looks Like!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Jersey Jazzman: So THAT'S What A Real Confirmation Hearing Looks Like!: So THAT'S What A Real Confirmation Hearing Looks Like! by Duke *Accountability begins at home.* Here in New Jersey, we had a perfunctory confirmation hearing for Education Commissioner Chris Cerf. In fairness, there were some pointed questions from the great State Senator Loretta Weinberg, and some good questions from Senator Nellie Pou. But too much of the hearing was spent on questions about Cerf's residency or softball questions about school funding. We never got to Cerf's background, his... *interesting* e... more »