Wednesday, March 27, 2013

by Kris Nielsen

Third graders in New York (and probably elsewhere) were treated to a very special edition of TIME For Kids today. The cover says it all!

Free space goggles with every test!

That’s right! You will soon be taking tests on computers and tablets!
Inside, we learn that our friends Education Week are grading our states. Which has nothing to do with the kids.

The Parallel Postulate and an unfortunate Pedagogical Shortcut | JD2718

The Parallel Postulate and an unfortunate Pedagogical Shortcut | JD2718:

The Parallel Postulate and an unfortunate Pedagogical Shortcut

by jd2718

the text goofs, big, and two freshmen are able to do what the book says cannot be done

I teach very little Geometry. It is my least favorite high school course*. But I am teaching Geometry this term. Two sections. Advanced freshmen, who took Algebra in the Fall.
I do lots of “reasoning” preparation before we get to points, lines, planes, postulates, and proof…
So here we are, in March, delayed start (delayed by choice), following our text (Jurgenson Brown Jurgenson) pretty closely, and the text goofs, big, and the kids have enough preparation that they do what the book implies cannot be done. Well, two of them do. But they’re 9th graders, right?
What the hell is the Parallel Postulate?
When I was in school, I thought it was “given a line and a point not on that line, there is exactly one line parallel to the given line passing through the given point.” According to our textbook, the postulate they offer is “given two parallel lines cut by a transversal, corresponding angles are congruent.” And then there’s Euclid. Strange

Ruiz Raises 'Severe Concerns' About Administration's Teacher Evaluation Program - NJ Spotlight

Ruiz Raises 'Severe Concerns' About Administration's Teacher Evaluation Program - NJ Spotlight:

Ruiz Raises 'Severe Concerns' About Administration's Teacher Evaluation Program

Chief architect of tenure reform cautions against putting too much importance, too soon, on student performance on state tests

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email |

By John Mooney, March 28, 2013 in Education |Post a Comment

Credit: NJ Senate Democrats

Sen. Teresa Ruiz

As the Christie administration’s new regulations for teacher evaluation near a critical juncture, the prime author of the landmark tenure reform law behind the proposed rules said the administration may be moving too aggressively in some places.

State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), the legislator most credited for the new tenure law, said yesterday in some of her first public comments on the regulations that the administration’s plans to base 35 percent of certain teachers’ evaluations on state test scores, starting next year, may be too ambitious.

“If we are going to roll out regulations in the first year with the 35 percent component, I have severe concerns with that,” Ruiz said in an interview.

Ruiz, usually fairly circumspect in her public comments, said she is not

Jersey Jazzman: Michelle Rhee Book Failure Watch: Final Update

Jersey Jazzman: Michelle Rhee Book Failure Watch: Final Update:

Michelle Rhee Book Failure Watch: Final Update

by Duke

This, ladies and gentlemen, will be my final update on the sales of Michelle Rhee's reformy screed, Radical, which was released on February 5, 2013. I tracked the book's sales on Amazon over the past several weeks; let's relive the memories together, shall we?

2/24/13:

3/3/13:

3/10/13:

(Ooo, a bounce back! Thank Bill Maher for that!)

And now, today, 3/27/13:

Forget about the Top 100; Radical isn't even in the Top 10,000.

The Daily Show, This Week, Charlie Rose, Bill Maher... I mean, J. K. Rowling couldn't have asked for a better book tour. But Rhee never made it past the Top 1,000 on Amazon, let alone on to the NY Times bestseller list.

Those of you in the credulous, reformy press - yeah, you guys, the ones who go on about how Rhee is leading a "grassroots movement":

Do you think that maybe you could start to question that claim a little?

Does this mean no one's interested in buying the movie rights?

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rheeis proudly sponsered by

(Just Like Michelle Rhee's Students first only BETTER)

Former-TFAers-Gone-LDOE-Leaders: Incompetence at a Premium | deutsch29

Former-TFAers-Gone-LDOE-Leaders: Incompetence at a Premium | deutsch29:

Former-TFAers-Gone-LDOE-Leaders: Incompetence at a Premium

by deutsch29

If only I could turn back the clock, discard much of my legitimately earned formal education and resulting experience, and qualify as one of those young, “talented,” “true” reformers John White is so fond of hiring at LDOE, I might just have that six-figure, bestowed salary many former TFAers (Teach for America alumni) aregroomed to believe is a birthright.
Indeed, TFA “talent” is making a killing all over the country: They raid public school finances and leave school districts in disarray. Perhaps the most (im)famous is Michelle Rhee, but she is certainly not alone. Lawyer Joel Klein is responsible for launching TFA leadership incompetence. Furthermore, in Dallas, there’s former TFAer-become-human-resources-director Charles Glover (click on the Glover link to read about Dallas’ reformer-induced

In Chicago, Dozens Arrested As They Protest School Closures : The Two-Way : NPR

In Chicago, Dozens Arrested As They Protest School Closures : The Two-Way : NPR:

In Chicago, Dozens Arrested As They Protest School Closures

Chicago announced it would close 53 elementary schools to mitigate a $1 billion budget deficit. The protesters were demanding that the city walk back that plan.

A Chicago police officer takes several protesters into custody on Wednesday, during an act of civil disobedience during a march and demonstration of opponents to a plan to close 54 Chicago Public Schools.

Hundreds of demonstrators, along with the Chicago Teachers Union, marched through the city today demanding that City Hall walk back its plan to close 53 elementary schools and one high school in response to a $1 billion budget deficit.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

" 'People have a right to the neighborhoods in which they live,' [Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis] said. 'Children have the right to a safe, nurturing, loving environment.'
"During the sit-in, crowds of people on the sidewalk and on northbound LaSalle continued to wave signs and chant 'save our schools' as some of the crowd sat down. The sit-in, including the plan for potential arrests, was part of an itinerary put out by CTU before the rally began.
"Police soon began making arrests, leading more than 50 people away one by one to a holding area outside a building just south of Washington Street. Those in the holding area stood with their hands behind their backs chanting, 'Hey, hey, ho, ho, Rahm Emanuel's got to go.' "

Vote For Julie Cavanagh and the MORE Slate in UFT Elections.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Vote For Julie Cavanagh and the MORE Slate in UFT Elections

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

It is getting to be that time of the year. On April 3, the ballots will be mailed to all UFT members for the UFT elections in which we will decide whether or not to keep Michael Mulgrew as UFT president and Unity in control.

We here at SBSB, myself and The Crack Team, endorse the entire MORE (Movement of Rank and File Educators) slate and Julie Cavanagh as president. This endorsement does not come just because yours truly is on the ballot for executive board, but because I truly feel that a change, and a
worthwhile change at that, is needed in the UFT leadership.

Ask yourself a very simple question. Are you better off now than you were three years ago (the last Union election)? Are you better of now since October 31,

Daily Kos: A point that should have been raised in DOMA arguments today

Daily Kos: A point that should have been raised in DOMA arguments today:

A point that should have been raised in DOMA arguments today

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

My set-up is from this Washington Post story on the oral arguments:

Paul D. Clement, representing Republican House leaders who are defending the law, said Congress was not discriminating but simply staying out of experiments by the states on same-sex marriage.The law does not punish states that allow such unions, he said, but simply lets the federal government decide how it wants to allocate its benefits.

Remember this: DOMA denied the recognition of same-sex marriage under more than 1,000 Federal laws.Clement is arguing that if states want to experiment with the terms of marriage, the Federal government should not be required to grant recognition to what they did.
Now let me take you back to 1967, to just before Loving v. Virginia overturned bans on interracial marriage. 16

Schools Matter: Dr. Jon Saphier and the Lie That Keeps on Paying Off for His Company

Schools Matter: Dr. Jon Saphier and the Lie That Keeps on Paying Off for His Company:

Dr. Jon Saphier and the Lie That Keeps on Paying Off for His Company

by Jim Horn

Massachusetts is just one state that has approved Jon Saphier as a licensed vendor to peddle his "Research for Better Teaching" (RBT) to teachers and school leaders across the state. Saphier's consultants, in fact, are in action tomorrow in at the RBT Conference Center in Acton, MA. Big bucks.

At the tap root of Saphier's expensive advice is a very old and withered lie that Saphier keeps alive, told so often by Saphier, himself, that it is impossible to know if he has come to actually believe it. From the preface of The Skillful Teacher . . . (2008):

Of all the things that matter for having good schools, nothing is as important as the teacher and what that person knows, believes, and can do. . . . Teacher effects dwarf all others on student learning.

Below is a more recent YouTube video where he says the same thing within the first 60 seconds:

Chicago! March 27th, 2013. | Fred Klonsky

Chicago! March 27th, 2013. | Fred Klonsky:

Chicago! March 27th, 2013.

by Fred Klonsky

See more pictures Chicago! March 27th, 2013. | Fred Klonsky:

Modern School: Is The Ed Tech Bubble Ready to Burst?

Modern School: Is The Ed Tech Bubble Ready to Burst?:

Is The Ed Tech Bubble Ready to Burst?

by Michael Dunn

For anyone who still believes the Ed Deform movement is entirely motivated by compassionate individuals who just want what’s best for our children, a recent article on the burgeoning Ed Tech Bubble posted on Geekwire.com ought to set them straight.

The push to get more technology into the classroom started almost immediately with the advent of inexpensive personal computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with high tech magnet schools sprouting up in many districts. I even attended one of these early adopters in middle school and have fond memories of playing the primitive fantasy game, Adventure, during class time. However, I have no memory of learning anything practical and didn’t even own a computer until after I graduated from college. More disturbingly, this magnet school was located in a poor, African-American neighborhood with a few middle class white kids bussed in to take advantage of its new computers and science equipment. During my time at that school, it was only these middle class carpetbaggers who had access to the new technology, perhaps a consequence of the naïve assumption that only middle class students could bring

Ed Notes Online: UPDATE - Video: IS 49 SI Asst Principal Illegally Stops and Frisks Student

Ed Notes Online: UPDATE - Video: IS 49 SI Asst Principal Illegally Stops and Frisks Student:

UPDATE - Video: IS 49 SI Asst Principal Illegally Stops and Frisks Student

by ed notes online

See new info below. This info was sent to OSI and they did nothing. When a video about a teacher is out there they pull the teacher and try to fire them. See what was sent to OSI.
And where is the press on this double standard?

How long will the DOE protect the administrators at this school?

http://youtu.be/UR0-MKVZeiA

sent OSI and SCI and they did nothing. From teachers to osi:

Other Allegations submitted 4 months ago about the same assistant principal:

On 9/9/11 AP _______ was seen grabbing student _______ by front desk at dismissal and pushing him back and forth shaking and holding him by his wrists yelling

AP ________ was seen grabbing student _____ in the main staircase on 1st floor by the neck and shaking her. Beginning of 5th period (approx 11:20-11:30) on 12/30/11

AP _______ was observed pulling the hoody strings around the neck of District 75 student____ outside room 228 around 7pm on February 28, 2012

From anonymous staff member submitted on my UFT online suggestion site:

“ On the day (June 6, 12) of the incident, with Student A Ms. ______shielded student A with her body so that she would not get cuffed by School Safety. Student A was pinned against the wall by her AP, her body up against Student A and her two arms against the wall so that she had leverage to move her body if anyone tried to get to Student A.School safety tried on several occasions to try and secure Student A to be cuffed, but Ms. ______ moved her body to and fro and and school safety was not able to cuff Student A. It was absolutely disgusting to see _____’ body up against a student. All of this can be verified by the video tape from the security cameras, she was next to Rm 131. Hill (principal) called in school safety agents and tried to say that they were responsible for allowing Student A to get in building. School safety, at dismissal, is usually relieved by Hill or AP (when they were checking staff out for day) so that an agent can go to the doors to make sure they are closed.______was checking out staff for that day, but she did not go early to relive level 3, because she wanted staff to wait for making complaints about having to wait to check out. By the time _____ got to relieve level 3 was the same time that _____sneaked through the doors.

There are no suggestion because no matter what we do nothing is ever done about it… ”

NY Times Attack on Quinn Part of Plan to Make Lhota Mayor by Making Thompson Dem Choice?

by ed notes online

So I am a suspicious sort. I agree that Quinn is awful and believe everything in the NY Times article and would never vote for her. But something is fishy. Note this quote from a 2010 Wayne Barrett piece:

Friends of Thompson expect him to try, like loser Rudy Giuliani did in 1989, to stay in play on the sidelines and run for mayor again in four years, when a departing Bloomberg might throw him an endorsement or some checks.... Thompson often looked like a befuddled shadow-boxer, tied to Bloomberg at the hip while serving up obligatory campaign lip.

See Perdido St. comments:

NY Times: Christine Quinn Is A Petulant, Tantrum-Prone Child

and Backlash Against Quinn Grows. RBE at Perdido has often branded Thompson as the worst candidate in

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 3-27-13 #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

Comply or be Punished – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

Comply or be Punished – @ the chalk face: Comply or be Punished by Chris Cerrone As we inch closer towards spring, most states are heading into the traditional state assessment season. This means OPT OUT time is coming soon as well. In New York the ELA and math state exams start April 16 and run until May 1st. Recently a great deal of facebook chatter has developed over a memo from the NYSED Office of State Assessment that basically states that all students in grades 3-8 must be tested in ELA and math. The facebook opt out group for New York had a good number people asking quest... more »

Schools Matter: Haslam and Insurance Execs Hold 150,000 Poor Tennesseans Hostage

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago

Schools Matter: Haslam and Insurance Execs Hold 150,000 Poor Tennesseans Hostage: Haslam and Insurance Execs Hold 150,000 Poor Tennesseans Hostage by Jim Horn At stake for the greedy bastards who made and control Bill Haslam? A billion dollars in Medicaid that these corporate socialists want to turn into private insurance premiums, rather than offering the poorest Tennesseeans healthcare under the state TennCare program. From the * News-Sentinel*: NASHVILLE — Gov. Bill Haslam told the General Assembly today that he is rejecting an expansion of Medicaid for now because the feder... more »

CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FOR AGE AND DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LAUSD - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago

CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FOR AGE AND DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LAUSD - Perdaily.com: CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FOR AGE AND DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LAUSD by Leonard Isenberg [image: Class Action.jpg] *If you would like to get involved in something that Superintendent John Deasy, and LAUSD cannot ignore with impunity, do yourself and your colleagues a favor and fill out the form below.* * * *Last night I had a meeting with a lawyer who is connected to one of the biggest law firms in L.A. They are very interested in going after LAUSD for age and maybe even disability discrim... more »

CPS School Closings Protest: 150 Arrests After Thousands Jam Loop Streets - DNAinfo.com Chicago

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago

CPS School Closings Protest: 150 Arrests After Thousands Jam Loop Streets - DNAinfo.com Chicago: CPS School Closings Protest: 150 Arrests After Thousands Jam Loop Streets Updated 2 mins ago Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130327/loop/cps-school-closings-protestors-plan-for-150-arrests#ixzz2OmeuLHpu [image: CPS School Closing Protest][image: CPS School Closing Protest][image: CPS School Closing Protest] CHICAGO — Thousands of demonstrators poured into Daley Plaza Wednesday afternoon to protest the proposed closings of 54 CPS schools, and about 150 were arrested when ... more »

What Has the Gates Foundation Brought to Memphis? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

What Has the Gates Foundation Brought to Memphis? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: What Has the Gates Foundation Brought to Memphis? by Anthony Cody Yesterday I voiced concerns about Randi Weingarten's decision to co-sign an article on teacher evaluation with Vicki Phillips of the Gates Foundation. The reason I am so concerned is because we are now more than a decade into Gates-sponsored education reform, and the substance of the change they are driving is profoundly destructive. We can remain in dialogue with them, but we cannot get anywhere by smoothing over core... more »

The problem with New Jersey’s takeover of Camden schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

The problem with New Jersey’s takeover of Camden schools: The problem with New Jersey’s takeover of Camden schools Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 27, 2013 at 4:38 pm [image: Gov. Chris Christie (By Lucas Jackson / Reuters)] Gov. Chris Christie (Lucas Jackson — Reuters) Something had to be done for the 16,000 kids in Camden’s very low-achieving public schools, but there are big questions about whether the takeover by the state government of New Jersey will do much to help. After all, the state has in the past few decades taken over three other ailing public school districts, and t... more »

Rahm Lies to Privatize Daily Kos: Chicago Public School Closings to Cost Taxpayers $1 Billion

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Daily Kos: Chicago Public School Closings to Cost Taxpayers $1 Billion: Chicago Public School Closings to Cost Taxpayers $1 Billion byTristero 312Follow - - - 10 Comments / 10 New Mass closings of public schools by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Board of Education will cost Chicago Public Schools (CPS) nearly $1 billion, according to Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) analysis of the CPS FY2013 budget, Capital Improvement Program (CIP) data and Board of Education reports. CPS has claimed a “utilization crisis” and $1 billion budget deficit to justify adversely aff... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Breaking News: A Desperate Message from Memphis by dianerav I received this email from a high school teacher in Memphis. Please read it and understand that we must organize against the destruction of public education in America. This, plus the court approval of vouchers in Indiana yesterday sends an ominous message: the radical reactionaries are determined to destroy public education. We must fight back. We must awaken parents and civic leaders. This comes from Memphis: “Diane, “Public education in Memphis/... more »

Destroying Public Education in Chicago - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Destroying Public Education in Chicago - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Destroying Public Education in Chicago by Stephen Lendman It’s on the chopping block for elimination. It’s happening nationwide. Chicago perhaps reflects the epicenter of what’s wrong. Mayor Rahm Emanuel spent years waging war on progressive politics. He’s a former investment banker. He’s a corporate predator turned politician. He’s an unindicted war criminal. He belongs in prison, not City Hall. He’s Obama’s former White House Chief of Staff. Becoming Chicago’s ... more »

Mike Klonsky...: Al Jazeera, Inside Story on Chicago School Closings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Mike Klonsky...: Al Jazeera, Inside Story on Chicago School Closings: Al Jazeera, Inside Story on Chicago School Closings by Mike Klonsky PopoutMarch 26, 2013

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Adoption/Implementation. "This is the Hotel California that Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia Built"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Adoption/Implementation. "This is the Hotel California that Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia Built": Common Core Adoption/Implementation. "This is the Hotel California that Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia Built" by stlgretchen Private trade organizations NGA/CCSSO say:* This is the house that we built via our specifications that you have to pay for and live in.* *Just call it the "Hotel California"* Think of Common Core standards and adoption this way. States can check in but they can never leave. (At least not without the ap... more »

Daily Kos: A Baby Boomer on Social Security

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Daily Kos: A Baby Boomer on Social Security: A Baby Boomer on Social Security by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I was born in May of 1946, in the first year of the generation that became known as the Baby Boomers, the last of whose members were born in 1964. Thus the last three American Presidents have been members of our generation, Clinton and the younger Bush, like me, on the leading edge, and Obama, born in 1961, near its tail. In June I will attend my 50th high school reunion, Mamaroneck High School class of 1963. I was one of the younger members, with most of my classmate... more »

Education: The Invisible Profession | the becoming radical

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Education: The Invisible Profession | the becoming radical: Education: The Invisible Profession Posted on March 27, 2013 by plthomasedd “I am an invisible man,” announces the unnamed narrator of Ralph Ellison’s*Invisible Man*, adding: I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me….When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, of figments of their imaginations—indeed, everything and anything except me….That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact….you often doubt ... more »

UPDATE: Courant focuses attention on Malloy’s nominee for State Board of Education - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Courant focuses attention on Malloy’s nominee for State Board of Education - Wait, What?: OMG! Good thing our Education Commissioner is a lawyer and not an educator… by jonpelto *Otherwise known as, “What do you mean we can’t get paid for work provided after our contract end date has occurred, but you promised!”* Today’s “*MUST READ*” news article comes via CTNewsjunkie and is entitled “*Lawsuit: State Still Owes About $235,000 to Education Reform Consultants”* As Christine Stuart explains; “Three education consulting firms sued the state this week claiming the Department of Educa... more »

SBE allows higher student/teacher ratio for online charter schools SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *SBE allows higher student/teacher ratio for online charter schools* *By Kimberly Beltran* Wednesday, March 27, 2013 California’s State Board of Education approved waiver requests this month increasing the pupil-to-teacher ratio for independent study students at several online charter schools. The actions, said board members, are consistent with the many routine waiver approvals traditional public schools have received allowing for increased class sizes since the onset of the state’s fiscal crisis. “With the steadily decreasing per pupil rates... more »

UPDATE: SB 5242 - Just Say No Seattle Schools Community Forum: Odds and Ends

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Odds and Ends: SB 5242 - Just Say No by Melissa Westbrook You'd think that our state legislators would have their hands full trying to figure out how to fully fund education per the McCleary ruling. Apparently not. We have the "give every school a letter grade" bill and now we have SB 5242. It's short and to the point and I agree with the WEA on this one - it's nothing but a distraction and gives principals too much power. (It also ties the hands of school boards because they have to follow this directive in all collective bargaining agreements.... more »

Schools Matter: Resistance to High Stakes Testing Blossoming

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Schools Matter: Resistance to High Stakes Testing Blossoming: Resistance to High Stakes Testing Blossoming by Jim Horn Compilation by Bob Schaeffer at FairTest: Parents Agree: Standardized Tests Should Not Have This Much Power http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/03/22/parents-agree-standardized-tests-should-not-have-power High-Stakes Testing is the new "March Madness" http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-opinion/ci_22859295/their-view-educational-testing-new-march-madness Arizona House Votes to End Grad Test; Governor Likely to Sign Bill http://azstarnet.com/news/local/education/p... more »

Do School Districts Matter? | Brookings Institution

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Do School Districts Matter? | Brookings Institution: Do School Districts Matter? By: Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, Matthew M. Chingos and Michael R. Gallaher - Email - - - Share - inShare - StumbleUpon - Print * * * * *EXECUTIVE SUMMARY* School districts occupy center stage in education reform in the U.S. They manage nearly all public funding and are frequently the locus of federal and state reform initiatives, e.g., instituting meaningful teacher evaluation systems. The most charismatic leaders over the last decade, people such as Michelle Rhee and Joel Kl... more »

L.A. Now Live: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee takes on teachers' unions - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

L.A. Now Live: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee takes on teachers' unions - latimes.com: L.A. Now Live: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee takes on teachers' unions - [image: print] - Comments 0 - Email Share 6 - By Joseph Serna March 27, 2013, 8:25 a.m. Former District of Columbia schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has partnered with Republicans and Democrats to challenge teacher union power and use student test scores in union negotiations. Join us at 9 a.m. as we discuss Rhee's policies and effect on educators in California and beyond with Tim... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, March 27, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: Stop Closing Schools] Education Headlines *Wednesday, March 27, 2013* California schools chief Tom Torlakson to deliver annual address in LawndaleState Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson will deliver his annual "State of the State of California Education" address Thursday at the Centinela Valley Center for the Arts auditorium in Lawndale. Grover Heights Elementary School teachers opt out of district training programTeachers at one elementary school in the Lucia Mar Unified School District have voted to ... more »

Student Voice: Situational? Optional? Or Essential?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Student Voice: Student Voice: Situational? Optional? Or Essential? by Editor Admin The Huffington Post will be promoting various Student Voice articles prior to the *Student Voice Live! *summit on April 13th. The following is from *Clement Coulston*: At the beginning of our existence, we grew quickly through the stages of maturity until we became the people we are today. During early development we acquire understanding of the freedoms, choices, and rules that structure how our society functions, through hands-on exploration, curiosity and questioning, and a desire to model behavi... more »

Chicago Public Schools Memo Instructs on How to Handle Civil Disobedience Against School Closings | The Dissenter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Chicago Public Schools Memo Instructs on How to Handle Civil Disobedience Against School Closings | The Dissenter: Chicago Public Schools Memo Instructs on How to Handle Civil Disobedience Against School Closings by Kevin Gosztola Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) currently intend to close fifty-four schools before the year is over. This means Chicago is likely to have the largest number of school closures in any city in America this year. Students and parents from Lafayette School protest school closing (Creative Commons-licensed Photo by chicagopublicmedia) Presi... more »

All Things Education: Mend, Don't End, the Easing of the War on Drugs

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

All Things Education: Mend, Don't End, the Easing of the War on Drugs: Mend, Don't End, the Easing of the War on Drugs by Rachel Levy *Blogger's note:* *This is the fourth (and final) in a series of posts that I wrote in February of 2012 as part of a writing fellowship application. See the introduction to this series here. The War on Drugs (and my objections to it--it's been an abject policy failure) are always on my mind, though recent coverage of marijuana legalization/decriminalization efforts (yes, I know they're not the same thing) across the country and particularly in Colo... more »

Common Core Assessments Must Be Used to Guide – Not Punish – Teachers, Says Eskelsen | NEA Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Common Core Assessments Must Be Used to Guide – Not Punish – Teachers, Says Eskelsen | NEA Today: Common Core Assessments Must Be Used to Guide – Not Punish – Teachers, Says Eskelsen by twalker *By Tim Walker* The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are scheduled to be in place by fall of 2014, and the enormous changes they’ll bring to every classroom will be felt just as efforts to overhaul teacher evaluations systems pick up steam. Is it any wonder that educators have what National Education Association Vice President Lily Eskelsen calls not a “love/hate” relationship with the Co... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Camden Takeover: So, Now What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Camden Takeover: So, Now What?: Camden Takeover: So, Now What? by Duke So, the state is taking over Camden's schools. Because "*for too long the public school system in Camden has failed its children.*" OK... *What's the plan?* What is the state going to do that cannot be done under a local school board that was already appointed by the mayor and monitored closely by the state? Looking at the intervention plan, it seems that the state has no other proposals right now other than... taking over the district. Over and over, the plan finds fault with the Camden City ... more »

NYC Educator: Smaller Class Sizes or Increased Pay?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

NYC Educator: Smaller Class Sizes or Increased Pay?: Smaller Class Sizes or Increased Pay? by NYC Educator There's a lot of talk from demagogues like Arne Duncan and Mike Bloomberg about values. While many of us, parents and teachers, demand smaller class sizes, Duncan will say things about teacher quality being more important, echoing the AFT's partner, Bill Gates. Bloomberg, whose mayoral control we've supported twice for reasons that elude me utterly, gets up and says he'd rather fire half of working teachers and 70 kids in a class. Class sizes in NYC have remained static since ... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-27-13 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] Mississippi Retreats from Public Education, Back to the Dark Ages by dianerav In Mississippi, the speaker of the House of Representatives announced that he was appointing a proponent of charter schools to the state board of education that oversees public education. The nominee was home-schooled. Is Mississippi moving boldly forward into a world without public schools or dumbly backward into a world that predates the establishment of public education? Should H... more »

U.S. Ed Department agrees to review 9 districts’ plan for NCLB waiver | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

U.S. Ed Department agrees to review 9 districts’ plan for NCLB waiver | EdSource Today: U.S. Ed Department agrees to review 9 districts’ plan for NCLB waiver - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald The nine California districts seeking a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Law have got their foot in the door. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it has accepted their waiver application and will treat it as they would an application from other states, with a formal review. [image: Screen Shot 2013-03-26 at 11.12.43 PM]Given that the districts “co... more »

House expected to give final approval to high school testing and graduation bill | Education Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

House expected to give final approval to high school testing and graduation bill | Education Blog: House expected to give final approval to high school testing and graduation bill by Terrence Stutz/Reporter The House is expected to give final approval Wednesday to a bill that establishes a new array of high school graduation rules and calls on students to pass fewer tests to get a diploma. Tentatively approved Tuesday on a 145-2 vote, the measure … [visit site to read more] Dallas ISD investigating unsecured STAAR tests at Carter High School by Tawnell Hobbs Dallas ISD is ... more »

Daily Kos: I rarely say this, but Maureen Dowd is a must-read!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Daily Kos: I rarely say this, but Maureen Dowd is a must-read!: I rarely say this, but Maureen Dowd is a must-read! by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Her *New York Times* column is appropriately titled as Courting Cowardice, because she nails several of the Justices on their apparent reluctance to seize or even recognize the historical moment before them. In between Alito comparing gay marriage's existence to that of the internet and Roberts bloviating about labels on friends, she offers this paragraph starting with Kennedy then nailing the Court: Swing Justice Anthony Kennedy gru... more »

UPDATE: SAY THE WORD SOLIDARITY SEVEN TIMES A DAY. – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

SAY THE WORD SOLIDARITY SEVEN TIMES A DAY. – @ the chalk face: SAY THE WORD SOLIDARITY SEVEN TIMES A DAY. by Barbara Madeloni Today the people of Chicago take to the streets to let the plutocracy know that public schools are OUR schools and will not be shut down by fiat. Schools are being defended in Philadelphia and New York. Parents and students are saying no to high stakes testing and yes to opting out. Teachers boycott and strike. The energy is high for next week’s Occupy the DOE 2.0—when we will raise our voices in a great roar of outrage right outside Arne’s house. Afte... more »

Can parents trust the state with control of their schools? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Can parents trust the state with control of their schools? | Get Schooled: Can parents trust the state with control of their schools? by Maureen Downey [image: charterart]Many people in DeKalb and other counties are losing faith in the ability of local education leaders to responsibly manage their schools. Can they trust state leaders to govern more responsibly? That’s a question more Georgia parents may be asking if Gov. Nathan Deal wins greater control over local schools systems. And that, reports the AJC’s Greg Bluestein and Ty Tagami, is Deal’s intent. In 1989, New Jersey became ... more »

Schools Matter: Kurt Vonnegut: "my dream of America with great public schools"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Schools Matter: Kurt Vonnegut: "my dream of America with great public schools": Here We Go Again: Misleading Charter Praise by P. L. Thomas *The Post and Courier* (Charleston, SC) offers yet another in a series of misleading claims in order to promote charter schools: "It’s still difficult for some educators to say “charter schools” without sneering. But in Charleston County, charter schools are delivering on promises," adding: Monday, the once wary Charleston County School Board renewed the Charleston Charter School for Math and Science’s contract for 10 years and approved its ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: 'Throwing money at it'

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: 'Throwing money at it': 'Throwing money at it' by Mike Klonsky I actually put on a tie and went on English Language Al Jazeera last night with *Jitu Brown* and a smarmy wing-nut from the Heritage Foundation,*Jason Richwine*. They didn't tell me up front that there would be three of us sharing about 20 minutes of air time. My intention was to plug the CReATE Research Brief on School Closings. But I didn't get much of a chance to do that. I had to shout out the address,createchicago.blogspot.com as the show was winding down, and probably got it wrong. I... more »

The Educated Reporter: Balancing the Equation for Boys and Girls in Math

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

The Educated Reporter: Balancing the Equation for Boys and Girls in Math: Balancing the Equation for Boys and Girls in Math by Emily Richmond When I was in the fifth grade, Fridays always meant math drills. Our teacher stood over us with a stopwatch in one hand and a gym whistle in the other. At the first piercing blast, we would rush to solve as many of the equations as we could before time was up. Our names and rankings (a rainbow scale starting at purple and progressing up to red) were posted prominently on the wall, and the top achievers won prizes. It didn’t take me long to ... more »

Barricades erected before mass protest against Chicago school closings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Barricades erected before mass protest against Chicago school closings: Barricades erected before mass protest against Chicago school closings Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 26, 2013 at 11:53 pm [image: closed-300x2331]Here’s how you know that Chicago authorities are expecting a rowdy turnout at a mass rally called for Wednesday afternoon to protest the announced closings of more than 50 schools this year: Security staff have already erected barricades around the Board of Education in downtown Chicago, and authorities sent a memo to school principals telling them to report on... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 3-26-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* *CORPORATE ED REFORM* The Suppression of Dissent In Chicago by Duke Earlier today, I wrote a post comparing how our credulous press ate up the Bush administration's lies in the run-up to the Iraq war with how easily they swallow the spin of the corporate "reform" movement these days. Well, it looks like more of the old hits from 2003 keep coming back: Apparently officials at the Board of Education (BOE) are getting the message: The parents, educators and clergy of more than 30,000 Chicago Public School (CPS) students do not want their... more »

Malloy’s Nominee for Connecticut’s State Board of Education Makes National Blog - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Malloy’s Nominee for Connecticut’s State Board of Education Makes National Blog - Wait, What?: Malloy’s Nominee for Connecticut’s State Board of Education Makes National Blog by jonpelto [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Diane Ravitch, the leading voice of the pro-public education movement in the United States, re-posted yesterday’s Wait, What? blog on one of the controversies surrounding Governor Malloy’s nominee to the Connecticut State Board of Education. Ravitch wrote; “Jonathan Pelto reminds us of the national publicity about a homeless woman who was arrest... more »

Versión en español de Common Core / Spanish Version Common Core Standards Available - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Spanish Version Common Core Standards Available - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Announces Spanish Version of Common Core Standards Now Available SACRAMENTO—As California moves toward full implementation of the Common Core State Standards, a separate effort underway to translate the English-language arts standards into Spanish has now been completed, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today. "Common Core en Español" [image: External link opens in new window or tab.] is a joint effort between the San Diego County Office of Ed... more »

SPECIAL Mid Day Banana Break EXTRA 3-26-13 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* * * EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA *CORPORATE ED REFORM* And in Bridgeport, the winner is Finch’s Campaign Treasurer, Kenneth Moales, Jr. by jonpelto As expected, the five members of the Bridgeport Board of Education voted last night to elect Kenneth Moales Jr. the new chairman of the board. Moales is the well-connected insider who not only served as Mayor Bill Finch’s campaign treasurer but was appointed to the illegal Board of Education by the Malloy Administration and then [...]*(Read more...)* Department of Education Statement on Request for F... more »