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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 3-13-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2


Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE


CORPORATE ED REFORM


John Legend and the Well-Meaning Corporatists

by Jose Vilson

Davis Guggenheim, John Legend, Michelle RheeDavis Guggenheim, John Legend, Michelle Rhee
Last Wednesday, Huffington Post Education’s Twitter feed tweeted this out:
John Legend: out to save schools? huff.to/14pCkEs
— HuffPostEducation (@HuffPostEdu) March 7, 2013

In the pithiest attempt at a response, I said “From what?”
After a more thorough read on all the school board races around the country, I noticed a disturbing trend of pundits funding their favorite candidates in influential districts. Places like Chicago, West Sacramento, and Los Angeles started getting funding from people like Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee, and, yes, John Legend.
John Legend’s presence in this debate particularly disturbs me because of the allure and seduction of having a 


Connecting the Dots on Equity

by Lisa Hansel
As a young child, I loved those connect-the-dots coloring books. Searching for the next number was sometimes tough (but not too tough) and it was fun to watch the picture emerge from what was, just a few minutes before, a messy array dots. I’ve been thinking of that a lot recently as I’ve read, and [...]


Senate Bills 35 and 1 may be voted on in the Illinois Senate. Call NOW!

by Fred Klonsky
Read John Dillon’s blog post. And Glen Brown’s. They’re linked right down on the right column of this blog.
Then call your State Senator. Tell them no way.
In fact, call first. Then read.
Action time folks.
Get off the Internet and pick up the phone.

Teacher remixed: 5 ways to change our profession

by Chad Sansing
[Author's note: originally posted on Classroots.org.]
Maker @timmmyboy With More Pompadour Cc @drgarcia @leelzebub by giulia.forsytheMaker @timmmyboy With More Pompadour Cc @drgarcia @leelzebub by giulia.forsythe
I am keenly missing the #dml2013 fellowship this week. While I’m not quite writing Ignite talks that will never be heard (or drawing sad-face slides), sniffle, I am thinking a lot about how public school teachers, in particular, can make it safe for kids to participate meaningfully in their own educations. As I look forward to the videos of this year’s Ignite talks, I am also thinking back to last year’s talks. Specifically, I’m thinking of Nishant Shah’sfantastic talk on remix. (Harlem Shake = aura remix?)
As #DML2013 looks toward democratic futures, I look for democratic education and a remix of what it means to be a teacher – a remix that is a return (as Nishant might say) to the essence of teaching and learning both at 


Update on Student Data Mining and Privacy Issues

by stlgretchen
From Mark Garrison in DataGate Update: Press Conference on Student Privacy:
There will be a press conference regarding growing concerns about student privacy this Thursday. Background to the issue can be found here, in addition to my recent post opposing the initiative.

It appears the New York State Department of Education will be issuing a “field memo” regarding the issue to school personal throughout New York State in the near future, likely in response to growing public concern, a concern that seems to be at least in part a result of growing opposition to the anti-public school reform movement (even more testing, more corporate charters, more 
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DFER lies about Garfield - Substance News

DFER lies about Garfield - Substance News:


MEDIA WATCH: DFER pushes slick attacks against Garfield High MAP boycott -- penned by a 'fourth grade teacher' (charter school variety) who is now a DFER 'policy analyst'

George N. Schmidt - March 09, 2013

DFER Fake Democrats for Education Privatization (click on Picture)

Back in the days before the movement against using body counts for "assessments" became stronger in Chicago (and across the USA), the late Jerry Bracey (whose books everyone should get and read before they go out of print forever) devoted an annual column in the Phi Delta Kappan to what he called the "Rotten Apple Awards." The "Rotten Apples" were awarded to the hacks and flacks who pushed corporate test-based "school reform" with the most mendacious vigor. In order to award the "Rotten Apples," of course, Jerry had to read what the Rotters wrote.
By the early 21st Century, the Phi Delta Kappan had been purchased, effectively, by the Broad Foundation, as Susan Ohanian, Jerry, and I reported at various points. (They didn't buy PDK outright; they just gave so much money to it that PDK effectively became just another mouthpiece for corporate test-based so-called "reform"). Suddenly, Bracey was told that the "Rotten Apples" would no longer be published in the PDK. For a time, the PDK continued publishing Bracey's annual "Bracey Report," but the "Rotten Apples" wound up being published after that in Substance.
The sellout by the editors of the PDK, like that by so many others in charge of the professional associations and journals 
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Teaching Eight-Year-Olds to Sound Like Bankers Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out)

Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out):


    Teaching Eight-Year-Olds to Sound Like Bankers by Susan Ohanian 
    AFT Share My Lesson Common Core fulfillment mania strikes again, with a lesson on informative/expository writing (free registration required) that tries to make eight-year-olds sound like bankers. Warning: They may forever lose their voices in the process. We're told that this lesson satisfies this Common Core Standard: 
    Students will be able to: Core Standard W.3.2b: Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details. Core Standard W.3.2c: Use linking words and phrases to connect ideas within categories of information. 
    There's a handout where kids can check off that they have used these words (Tell students that linking/transition words can be used to tie all their paragraphs 
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How Parent Trigger Brought Chaos and Divided a California Community | Scathing Purple Musings

How Parent Trigger Brought Chaos and Divided a California Community | Scathing Purple Musings:


How Parent Trigger Brought Chaos and Divided a California Community

by Bob Sikes


Jeb Bush’s foundation paraded the professional organizers of Parent Revolution around the legislature this time last year to promote Parent Trigger. The California charter school-funded group got to spin their version of events in the two Parent Trigger fights in their state. They eventually prevailed in Adelanto, but at a cost Florida’s republican legislators and Bush’s foundations don’t folks to know about. Carlos Mendoza was chairman of the school board which was tasked with dealing with the signature application. He has given his blessing for me to use the comment he left in Gina Jordan’s StateImpact’s story on this year’s battle in Florida:
How quickly we forget. Parent trigger laws are not what you think. In Adelanto, parents wanted to remove their names from the petition because they felt mislead by the signature process strategy of signing two petitions. I was the board president when Parent Revolution – a lobbyist group – successfully bullied our small district in California with lawsuits to implement the Parent Trigger 
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$15 Million Saved from Testing Suspension - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

$15 Million Saved from Testing Suspension - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):


State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Projects Savings of More Than $15 Million from Testing Suspension Proposal




SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson projected today that his recommendation to suspend standardized tests not required by the federal government starting next year would save more than $15 million, and called for the savings to be used to develop new high-quality assessments.
"Rather than continuing to spend scarce dollars and precious class time on outdated testing, we can invest these resources in developing the next generation of assessments that will help students focus on critical thinking and problem-solving— the skills they will need in college and their careers," Torlakson said.
The estimated savings and a summary of the state's current assessment system were detailed in a presentation today to the State Board of Education. The savings are broken down into contract savings and non-contract savings:
  • Some $11,347,000 represents a reduction in contract costs and could be used for planning and facilitation of the transition to new assessments, and to further the development and/or acquisition of new assessments, particularly in mathematics and science.
  • The remaining $3,750,000 represents a reduction in apportionments to local districts. These are local reimbursements that occur after the testing is completed.
Torlakson is sponsoring Assembly Bill 484 (Bonilla), which would enact his recommendations for transitioning California's schools to a new assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards. 
"These new assessments will provide our schools with a way to measure how ready students are for the challenges of a changing world," Torlakson said. "That's why, despite the budget and other challenges, California must move forward now so that all children—no matter where they come from or where they live—receive a world-class education."
The assessments proposed for suspension do not include those that are specifically mandated by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act or used for the Early Assessment Program. This would suspend Standardized Testing and Reporting Program's (STAR) testing of second graders and end-of-course exams at the high school level.
The list of assessments proposed for suspension is attached. 
Torlakson's proposal is one of 12 that were in his January report to the Governor and Legislature—Recommendations for Transitioning California to a Future Assessment System—that would fundamentally change the state's student assessment system, replacing the paper-and-pencil based STAR Program assessments with computerized assessments developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium starting in the 2014‒15 school year. The state's existing STAR Program assessments are scheduled to sunset July 1, 2014.
Recommendations for Transitioning California to a Future Assessment System can be found on the Statewide Pupil Assessment System Web page. More information on California's efforts to implement the Common Core State Standards can be found on the California Department of Education's Common Core State Standards Web page.
Attachment:

Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program
Assessments that would be suspended during the 2013-14 school year 

(Not Required for Elementary and Secondary Education Act or Early Assessment Program)
Grade-Level Assessments
  • Grade 2 ELA and Mathematics (CST and CAPA). 
  • Grade 8 History–Social Science (CST). 
  • Grade 9 ELA (CST, CMA, and CAPA). 
  • Grade 9 Math (CAPA). 
  • Grade 10 ELA (CST and CMA). 
  • Grade 11 U.S. History (CST). 
  • Grade 11 ELA (CMA and CAPA). 
  • Grade 11 Math (CAPA). 
  • Grade 2–11 Reading/Language Arts (STS). 
  • Grade 2–7 Mathematics (STS).
End-of-Course Assessments 
Algebra I (CST and CMA) (for grades 9-11).
Algebra II (CST) (for grades 9-10).
General Mathematics (CST) (grade 9).
High School Summative Math (CST) (for grades 9-10).
Geometry (CST and CMA) (for grades 9-11).
Integrated Mathematics 1 (CST) (for grades 9-11).
Integrated Mathematics 2 (CST) (for grades 9-11).
Integrated Mathematics 3 (CST) (for grades 9-11).
Biology (CST).
Chemistry (CST).
Earth Science (CST).
Physics (CST).
Integrated/Coordinated Science 1 (CST).
Integrated/Coordinated Science 2 (CST).
Integrated/Coordinated Science 3 (CST).
Integrated/Coordinated Science 4 (CST).
World History (CST).
Algebra I (STS).
Geometry (STS). 
Notes: 
EAP: Early Assessment Program.
ELA: English-Language Arts.
CAPA: California Alternate Performance Assessment.
CMA: California Modified Assessment.
CST: California Standards Test.
STS: Standards-based Tests in Spanish.
# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
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Pass / Fail : States to consider financial literacy requirements for K-12 students | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : States to consider financial literacy requirements for K-12 students | 89.3 KPCC:


States to consider financial literacy requirements for K-12 students

by Vanessa Romo
piles of cashCredit: Photo by 401K via Flickr Creative Commons
Schools have long tried to impart money management skills to students through a variety of programs: elective classes in partnership with banks and nonprofit groups, after-school programs that teach economic basics and “life-skills” to round out a student’s academic education.
Now a nonprofit promoting financial education, the Council for Economic Education, will be unveiling financial literacy standards next month, pegged to "financial literacy" month. They establish benchmarks for what kids show know about money by the end of 4th, 8th and 12th grade.  The group said it will be going state by state to get them implemented.
The lessons include:
  • Earning income: Not just collecting a paycheck, but also collecting rent, stock dividends and interest on bonds. It also includes a discussion of the labor market and how education may lead to higher wages.
  • Buying goods and services: How to plan, compare, budget and making choices in the marketplace.
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Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-13-13 #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



The Washington Teacher: Save Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago
The Washington Teacher: Save Our Schools: Save Our Schools by noreply@blogger.com (Candi Peterson) *COME MAKE HISTORY WITH US AS WE STOP DC SCHOOL CLOSURES! ***** *JOIN EMPOWER DC & THE WARD 8 EDUCATION COUNCIL & THE WARD 7 EDUCATION COUNCIL AT THE:***** *Save Our Schools Summit***** *Information Session & Rally building Support for Empower DC’s Lawsuit to STOP the planned closure of***** *15 DC Public Schools impacting over 2,700 students of color** ***** *Thursday, March 14th 2013***** *6:30-8:30 PM***** *****Temple**** of Praise**** – 700 Southern Ave, SE***** *To Include:***** *... more »

AWESOME #optout letter. – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 minutes ago
AWESOME #optout letter. – @ the chalk face: AWESOME #optout letter. by Timothy D. Slekar Dear Dr. Lane,Pursuant to Pennsylvania Code Title 22 Chapter 4, section 4.4 (d)(5) I am hereby exercising my right as a parent to have my child excused from any State standardized testing because of religious and philosophical beliefs. During the time when other students are taking State standardized PSSA tests (including make-ups), I would like my child, Ayden Harbin, to be provided with real learning opportunities at his school during test time (I have my clearances and would be willing to... more »

Daily Kos: now making the rounds on the 'net about the new Pope

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 24 minutes ago
Daily Kos: now making the rounds on the 'net about the new Pope: now making the rounds on the 'net about the new Pope by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) is this Guardian piece from 2+ years ago in which we read .What one did not hear from any senior member of the Argentine hierarchy was any expression of regret for the church's collaboration and in these crimes. The extent of the church's complicity in the dark deeds was excellently set out by Horacio Verbitsky, one of Argentina's most notable journalists, in his book El Silencio (Silence). He recounts how the Argentine navy with ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle School District Boundaries - A New Thought?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle School District Boundaries - A New Thought?: Seattle School District Boundaries - A New Thought? by Melissa Westbrook From the NY Times, a story about a quiet young man who, single-handedly, came up with the idea that will now drive the Boston School District enrollment plan. Quite a feat. *While school officials and parents here were debating how to assign students to Boston’s public schools, a lanky young man was quietly observing their public proceedings. * *He quickly saw the Rubik’s Cube-like puzzle: How could the school system de... more »

Is the World Ready for a God-Embracing Atheist? | Lefty Parent

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 33 minutes ago
Is the World Ready for a God-Embracing Atheist? | Lefty Parent: Is the World Ready for a God-Embracing Atheist? by Cooper Zale [image: Many Religions]They teach you that when in a job interview if asked whether you have a particular skill or experience and you must honestly say no, it is best to say “no but…” followed by sharing some other skill or experience you do or have had that is arguably comparable or at least applicable. For example, “No, I don’t have experience as a manager, but I do have a great deal of experience chairing committees in my congregation and leading volunt... more »

Charters drain funds from other students, board chairwoman says | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Charters drain funds from other students, board chairwoman says | The Tennessean | tennessean.com: Charters drain funds from other students, board chairwoman says [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Charter schools are expected to siphon about $40 million from the Metro Nashville school budget next year, school board Chairwoman Cheryl Mayes said, leaving the district with a shortfall close to $30 million. The Metro school board spent several hours Tuesday discussing charter schools in two separate meetings, and the discussion in both centered on the financial... more »

Children Lose With House Budget | First Focus

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Children Lose With House Budget | First Focus: *Children Lose With House Budget* *March 12, 2013* [image: First Focus - Making Childen and Families the Priority] Washington — The bipartisan children’s advocacy organization First Focus expressed concern that the House Budget Committee’s proposed federal fiscal year 2014 budget resolution puts billions in federal funding for critical children’s initiatives at risk. A review of materials released by the committee shows that the proposal puts children’s health, child nutrition, education, child abuse and neglect prevention and response,... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A r-r-r-radical 10-year plan for new tests

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A r-r-r-radical 10-year plan for new tests: A r-r-r-radical 10-year plan for new tests by Mike Klonsky In a report that was set for release this week, a panel of top education research and policy experts has come up with a 10-year plan for states to develop a "radically" different systems of assessments that supposedly "go beyond identifying student achievement for accountability purposes and toward improving classroom instruction and giving greater insight into how children learn." Edweek's headline reads: *"Commission Calls for 'Radically Different'... more »

Cullerton’s forced choice pension plan gets attacked by corporate interests. It doesn’t go far enough! | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Cullerton’s forced choice pension plan gets attacked by corporate interests. It doesn’t go far enough! | Fred Klonsky: Cullerton’s forced choice pension plan gets attacked by corporate interests. It doesn’t go far enough! by Fred Klonsky [image: Illinois Concealed Carry] Crain’s Greg Hinz is reporting that Chicago business and corporate interests are attacking Democratic Party Senate President John Cullerton’s SB0001. The Cullerton bill is a mash-up of the Nekritz/Biss/Cross bill and his own forced choice between a COLA and heath insurance. Cullerton doesn’t believe the Nekritz bill... more »

Greedy Teachers vs Altruistic Billionaires | Reclaim Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Greedy Teachers vs Altruistic Billionaires | Reclaim Reform: Greedy Teachers vs Altruistic Billionaires by kenpreviti [image: Colbert for our children future]There is a parallel universe where experienced, qualified teachers are known for being non-teachers unable to teach and billionaires are known for giving away their money. It’s the Media Universe of infomercials and propaganda-as-truth. It calls stealing from retirees “sequestration compromise.” It calls profitization of public services “public-private partnerships.” It calls school closings a method of “securing the future of... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-13-13 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: [image: The Network for Public Education (click picture)]THE NETWORK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION Who Is Behind the Corporate Smear Machine? by dianerav I posted earlier about a web attack on the integrity of the distinguished scholar Gene Glass. Dr. Glass had the nerve to write a critical review of virtual charter schools, based on research and evidence. Observant readers discovered who created the domain name of the attack website. First, Sherman Dorn tracked down the domain owner. Then another reader added this commen... more »

Anchor Standards Approved - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Anchor Standards Approved - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Adoption of Anchor Standards SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that the State Board of Education approved anchor standards for English-language arts and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects (ELA and Literacy). This completes California's adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) that spell out clearly the broad skills students need to succeed in college and careers. "The College and Caree... more »

The Pineapple Question Redux - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
The Pineapple Question Redux - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.: The Pineapple Question Redux *The assessment has become the curriculum.* - Michael Guerriero * Overthinking? * Remember last year's pineapple test question controversy? Well, it's kind of baaack via a post by Michael Guerriero in *The New Yorker*: *Those with a mind for controversy or whimsy may recall the outrage last year over a certain talking pineapple on the New York State eighth-grade reading exam. The unfortunate pineapple passage was sliced, diced, and served up as an example of all that is w... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 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. A Controversial Consensus on KIPP Charter Schools Best of the Ed Blogs Matthew Di Carlo March 13, 2013 The Day the Teachers Said No Best of the Ed Blogs Diane Ravit... more »

Latino Students Attending Increasingly Segregated Schools in Virginia | NewsTacoNewsTaco

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Latino Students Attending Increasingly Segregated Schools in Virginia | NewsTacoNewsTaco: Latino Students Attending Increasingly Segregated Schools in Virginia by NewsTaco [image: classroom] By Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post Latinos, the largest minority group in Northern Virginia, are attending increasingly segregated schools, according to a report released Tuesday that examines enrollment patterns across the state during the past two decades. Nearly four out of five Latino students were enrolled in predominantly minority schools in 2010, according to the Civil Rights Pro... more »

SEIU 21LA in New Orleans Leading the Way | The IDEA Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
SEIU 21LA in New Orleans Leading the Way | The IDEA Blog: SEIU 21LA in New Orleans Leading the Way by Dana Bennis in *Blog* * * * * A powerful new report out by the SEIU Local 21LA of New Orleans surveyed school service workers and students, revealing the poor conditions they face every day, and proposes valuable changes that would make schools better and more inspiring places both for learning and working. The research and report itself is a model of democratic community-led change: led by SEIU Chief of Staff and IDEA Senior Fellow Jayeesha Dutta, a diverse group of students and se... more »

Due Process and My Skelly Rights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
My Skelly Rights: ** *What Are My “Skelly Rights”?* In the late ‘70’s, the California Supreme Court established your “Skelly Rights.” This means that public employees must be provided a “pre-disciplinary hearing” with management *before *they may be suspended (for five days or more,) demoted or terminated. The Court decided that this right is rooted in the federal constitution which says that a citizen cannot be deprived of property without due process. In other words, when a governmental agency threatens to take income from one of its employees, this threat to his “property” req... more »

The problem with high-tech ‘personalized’ learning tools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
The problem with high-tech ‘personalized’ learning tools: The problem with high-tech ‘personalized’ learning tools Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 13, 2013 at 7:00 am [image: tech]SWSXedu was a big hit in Texas last week, where technology companies (such as Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify Education) hawked their new education gadgets that they promised would help kids learning by providing “individualized” instruction. Really? Here’s a skeptical view on that notion from educator Sabrina Joy Stevens, who attended SWSXedu and came away disturbed. Stevens is a teacher-turned-education acti... more »

Chris Christie - Yelling Match Over Education in Paterson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Chris Christie - Yelling Match Over Education in Paterson *Chris Christie's Message: Competition Works *

FairTest to honor Jonathan Kozol with Deborah W. Meier Hero in Education Award in May | FairTest

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest: [image: Home] The National Center for Fair & Open Testing The *National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) *works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students, teachers and schools is fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial. Learn more about us and our mission. Spotlight FairTest to honor Jonathan Kozol with Deborah W. Meier Hero in Education Award in May *Date: *Thursday May 9, 2013; 6:00 – 8:30 pm *Place:* Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second Street, Cambridge, ... more »

UPDATE: Poor performing, high-profit virtual charter chain + ALEC member, Naperville legislator sponsors Illinois parent trigger law Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » ALEC member, Naperville legislator sponsors Illinois parent trigger law: Updates to Illinois General Assembly school closing moratorium by admin [image: Bill - Congressional]Bill numbers for school closing moratorium legislation in the Illinois Senate and House (info from Jackie Leavy): SB 1571: As of now, Sen. Delgado plans to call the bill for debate and a vote in the Senate Education Committee on TUESDAY, MARCH 19th, 1:00 PM in Springfield. HB3283: Chief Sponsor State Rep. Elgie R. Sims, Jr, Chief Co-Sponsor State Rep. ... more »

Two Alabama State Senators Flip Flopped on SB190 | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Two Alabama State Senators Flip Flopped on SB190 | Truth in American Education: Two Alabama State Senators Flip Flopped on SB190 by Shane Vander Hart No sooner than I published on Dr. Tommy Bice’s press conference yesterday a reader in Alabama informed me that there were two State Senators on the Alabama Senate Education Committee had changed their positions. They were evidently swayed by Dr. Bice’s comments their actions effectively killed SB190 in committee. The State Senators in question were identified by this reader as: - Senator Bill Holtzclaw (R-Madison): bill.holtzclaw... more »

Gifted and Talented Academy leaves Latino and Special Education Students out - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Gifted and Talented Academy leaves Latino and Special Education Students out - Wait, What?: Gifted and Talented Academy leaves Latino and Special Education Students out by jonpelto [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Fellow columnist and pro-public education blogger, Wendy Lecker, and I have both written about the plan to open “gifted and talented” academies next fall in Windham, New London and Bridgeport. The three new schools will be called Renzulli Academies and modeled after the school in Hartford by the same name. Details about the plan can be found by... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, March 13, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Fensterwald: Brown’s school funding formula lauded, then picked apart at hearing* Education Headlines *Wednesday, March 13, 2013* Bolinas, Stinson Beach voters will face school tax increaseVoters in Stinson Beach and Bolinas will soon be asked to renew an annual $250-per-parcel schools tax and increase it by $50 after officials voted to place an initiative on the June 4 ballot. Desert Sands Unified School District board member, Matt Monica, lashes outA school board meeting escalated to a shouting match last week when a group in... more »

The Best and Worst of Times | Taking Note

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
The Best and Worst of Times | Taking Note: The Best and Worst of Times by John Merrow [image: The Network for Public Education (click picture)] With apologies to Charles Dickens, “It is the best of times (to be an education reporter); but it is the worst of times (to be in a classroom).” Why a field day for reporters? Let me count the ways: The ‘war’ that I wrote about in The Influence of Teachers in 2011 is far hotter today. Michelle Rhee and her non-profit advocacy organization, Students First, have been instrumental in persuading 25 states to use test scores to evaluate teachers... more »

Leadership Profile: Eli Broad | Scholastic.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Leadership Profile: Eli Broad | Scholastic.com: Leadership Profile: Eli BroadThe impatient philanthropist. By Alexander Russo - PRINT - EMAIL *Broad Strokes* *1991* Endows Michigan State University’s business school *2002* Launches $1M Broad Prize for Urban Education; launches Superintendents Academy and Residency in Urban Education *2007* Launches $60M “ED in ’08” campaign with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation *2008* Provides $6M to launch the Education Innovation Laboratory at Harvard *2010* Pledges to give away 75 percent of his money as part of Warren Buffett’s Giving Pledg... more »

Modern School: Why Weingarten Got Arrested

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Modern School: Why Weingarten Got Arrested: Why Weingarten Got Arrested by Michael Dunn This week, Valarie Strauss (Answer Sheet) interviewed American Federation of Teachers boss Randi Weingarten about why she went to Philadelphia and got arrested. Weingarten correctly noted that the people of Philadelphia, who had asked for a one-year moratorium on school closures, have been repeatedly ignored by the mayor. She also correctly pointed out that the push to close the schools is largely the initiative of the mayor, governor, the city’s School Reform Commission (SRC) and an outside co... more »

Where does a teacher’s dues check go? | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Where does a teacher’s dues check go? | Hechinger Report: Where does a teacher’s dues check go? by Sarah Darville Every two weeks, $49.89 is taken out of teachers' paychecks as UFT dues. Other jobs have different dues amounts, ranging from $24.95 for paraprofessionals to $51.08 for psychologists and social workers, but union dues are a flat fee determined by position, not salary. Of course, the union doesn't spend all of its money every year, or immediately, but since member dues and fees are spent on all facets of the union's operation, it's reasonable to track dues to spending. I... more »

UPDATE: Even the Trib calls it “fraud.” + North suburban retiree hell raisers. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
North suburban retiree hell raisers. | Fred Klonsky: Even the Trib calls it “fraud.” by Fred Klonsky [image: Focus_on_Fraud] Chicago Tribune editorial: *Monday’s humiliating accusation that state officials intentionally misled investors about a ruinous pension debacle easily justified the Tribune’s front-page headline: “Illinois is guilty of fraud, SEC says.” But that narrow accusation by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission underplays the far more damning tale that unfolds on page after page of the agency’s cease-and-desist order.* *The order documents how Illinois poli... more »

Privatization. Naked. |

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Privatization. Naked. |: Privatization. Naked. by Angus Johnston I’m running out to teach, but you really do need to read this NY Times piece on a bill that’s going to be introduced in the California state legislature today … and is expected to pass. The bill would require the state’s public colleges and universities to grant academic credit to online courses not provided by those institutions, including those offered by for-profite private companies. For-profit higher education in the United States has long depended on public money — providers make most of their revenue from gov... more »

Ed Notes Online: PEP Videos: Support for Moratorium on School Closings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: PEP Videos: Support for Moratorium on School Closings: PEP Videos: Support for Moratorium on School Closings by ed notes online I have a lot to say about the Panel for Educational Policy "close every school you can" March 11 meeting other than to say that many MOREs spoke, some UFT/Unity honchos were present. Other than the fact that the UFT charter helped cause the closing of one school - my alma mater - and is joining its elementary charter by taking 21 rooms from JHS 292, whose parents and students and teachers protested vociferously. I interviewed the PTA presi... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Database in Common Core Explained. Segregation Revisited?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Database in Common Core Explained. Segregation Revisited?: Database in Common Core Explained. Segregation Revisited? by stlgretchen We shared Mark Garrison's written testimony yesterday supporting MO SB 210 and HB 616 which calls for the halting of Common Core implementation. Garrison writes in* An Irrational $170 Million Database We Most Certainly Don’t Need* about the data to be gathered on students via databases and Common Core standards: ********************************************** While some folks have been warning the public about this for... more »

Louisiana Educator: What is Section LRS 17:416 and Why is it Important to Teachers?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: What is Section LRS 17:416 and Why is it Important to Teachers?: What is Section LRS 17:416 and Why is it Important to Teachers? by Michael Deshotels Last week Lafayette Parish teacher, Abby Breaux, went before her school board and read a letter describing the conditions in many of our schools that are driving good teachers out of the profession. That letter was printed in the Washington Post and got rave reviews from teachers all over the country who are confronted each day by the same demoralizing conditions. Breaux's letter focused on two major issues. One w... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-13-13 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] What You Need to Know About Your Child’s Privacy Rights by dianerav Sheila Kaplan is one of the leading authorities on privacy rights of children. She was invited to testify on the issue in Missouri, but was unable to appear due to the weather. She shares here her testimony with readers of this blog. Here is a key point that she makes: “Given this new landscape of an information and data free-for-all, and the proliferation of data-driven education reform initia... more »

Brown’s school funding formula lauded, then picked apart at hearing | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Brown’s school funding formula lauded, then picked apart at hearing | EdSource Today: Brown’s school funding formula lauded, then picked apart at hearing - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald To a person, every Assemblymember at a committee hearing Tuesday and the six superintendents who testified at it praised the principles behind Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed school finance reforms: simplicity, clarity and equity ­­– more money for the state’s neediest children. But there were also sharp disagreements over the components of Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula that would det... more »

All Education Matters: Moral Fables: Free Will Vs. Destiny

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
All Education Matters: Moral Fables: Free Will Vs. Destiny: Moral Fables: Free Will Vs. Destiny by Cryn Johannsen These pieces are not related to student loan debt, but I still wanted to share them with my readers here. While I am working on my book,* Higher Ed, Great Debt*,* *which I just sold to* Seven Stories Press*, I have begun to explore, in writing, bigger philosophical and religious topics that I've discussed and contemplated for years. Here is the first of a new series on important, life themes, such as lies and truth, love and hate, forgiveness and revenge, etc. Below ... more »

NYC Educator: Should Retirees Vote?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
NYC Educator: Should Retirees Vote?: Should Retirees Vote? by NYC Educator There's a very thoughtful piece at Gotham Schools discussing the power of retired UFT teachers. It notes that most unions do not allow their retirees to vote. Now I hope to be a retiree one of these days, and I personally vote every chance I get. But I wonder whether or not this is a good idea. For one thing, as crazy as I am now, by the time I retire I might be crazier still. Of course, given American politics, being crazy is no obstacle to anyone's vote anyway. I remember vividly the 2005 contract, the th... more »

Daily Kos: Above the law

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Daily Kos: Above the law: Above the law by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) The laws, Cicero wrote in the days of the Roman Republic, “are silent in time of war.” But what if the war has no end, no defined enemy, no defined territory? How can markets work if the financial behemoths are too big to fail and too big to jail?If the national security state has the power of life or death above the law, and Wall Street has the power to plunder beyond the law, in what way does this remain a nation of laws? Those are the final two paragraphs of Above the law, an op ed in today's *Washington ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Ignoring the Voices of a Community, a Mayor Seeks to Destroy an Iconic Public School

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Ignoring the Voices of a Community, a Mayor Seeks to Destroy an Iconic Public School: Ignoring the Voices of a Community, a Mayor Seeks to Destroy an Iconic Public School by Leonie Haimson * The following is by Tony Kelso, a parent and a member of Community Education Council in District 6, Upper Manhattan.* * So this is the way education works under mayoral control.* At what was billed as a public hearing to determine the fate of P.S. 132, an elementary school in New York City’s Washington Heights, speaker afte... more »

UPDATE: The day some Seattle teachers said ‘no’ to standardized tests + Lawsuit charges Ed Department with violating student privacy rights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Lawsuit charges Ed Department with violating student privacy rights: The day some Seattle teachers said ‘no’ to standardized tests by Valerie Strauss It all started with one teacher who got fed up. Teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle recently banded together to boycott mandated standardized district tests called the Measures of Academic Progress because, they say, the exams are bad measures … Continue reading → Lawsuit charges Ed Department with violating student privacy rights Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 13, 2013 at 4:00 am 5 Comments More [image: (shutterstock)] ... more »

Court Ruling Puts Part of Parent Trigger at Risk | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Court Ruling Puts Part of Parent Trigger at Risk | Scathing Purple Musings: Court Ruling Puts Part of Parent Trigger at Risk by Bob Sikes Within current parent trigger legislation is a provision which requires parents be notified if their child’s teacher has been rated as “ineffective” for two straight years. But a Tallahassee circuit court judge’s ruling yesterday raised doubts about using the value-added data which would make such determinations. *Florida Times-Union*reporter Topher Sanders has this: A circuit judge in Tallahassee has ruled that Florida’s value-added teacher da... more »

UPDATE: Schools Matter: Third Graders Face Retention in 13 States for Failing a Test

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Schools Matter: Time for Weingarten to Go: Third Graders Face Retention in 13 States for Failing a Test by Jim Horn In 2000, Louisiana became the first state in the Nation to require elementary school children (4th graders), to pass a test to move on to 5th grade. Since then hundreds of thousands of poor children have learned failure at an early age, with many of them now entering the "correctional" system of Louisiana, which is a major employer in the state. Research shows that failing a grade is as traumatic to 3rd graders as losing a parent, but with the help of Jeb Bush's team... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning - It's Time for Change

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning - It's Time for Change: Advanced Learning - It's Time for Change by Melissa Westbrook Do you hear that Superintendent Banda and members of the School Board? Enough well-meaning talk. I myself have been through this now, with two children, and I truly despair (and that's the right word) that this district will ever get it right. What's most distressing is that there has been a lot of talk and hand-wringing and paper shuffling and yet, the program is confusing, uneven and frankly, something of a joke. *First, the director of the p... more »

Riot When You’re Black, Angry Need Not Apply | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Riot When You’re Black, Angry Need Not Apply | The Jose Vilson: Riot When You’re Black, Angry Need Not Apply by Jose Vilson [image: Riot] 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 sho... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
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 Supe... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
“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 [image: Ferlazzo200(1)] 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 t... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
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. - More education news: - States draw a hard line, holding back third graders who struggle to read - D.C. teacher admits sending explicit texts to students - McDonnell achieves mixed results in trying to reform schools The Answer Sheet - - School Custodian wins award for helping kids - What is 'T... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
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... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day 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 - 1 day 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 - 1 day 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 day 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 day 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 - 1 day 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 »




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