Big Education Ape: Apr 24, 2013

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Shocker: Hartford Superintendent proposes another Achievement First Inc. Charter School - Wait, What?

Shocker: Hartford Superintendent proposes another Achievement First Inc. Charter School - Wait, What?:

Shocker: Hartford Superintendent proposes another Achievement First Inc. Charter School

by jonpelto

Joined by the Chairman of the Hartford Board of Education, Hartford Superintendent of Schools and “education reformer protégé,” Christiana Kishimoto, began her annual “State of the Schools” speech by presenting Governor Malloy with the Hartford State of the Schools Award “to thank him for education reform and its impact on Hartford.”

Then, Kishimoto announced that she was throwing her support behind the creation of yet another Achievement First charter school for Hartford.

What a surprise! The company co-founded by Stefan Pryor, Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, has the support of Hartford’s superintendent, despite the fact that Achievement First, Inc. has completely failed to educate its fair share of non-English speaking students, students who go home to households where English is not the primary language

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Schooling in the Ownership Society: The city that works

Schooling in the Ownership Society: The city that works:

The city that works

by Mike Klonsky

Rauner

Back in the early '70s, Chicago earned the nickname, the city that works. Then, like now, the phrase always required the addendum, works for whom? The same question might also be asked about the city's public schools. Under mayoral control, Chicago has been reconstructing a two-tier system of public schools: selective enrollment schools for top scoring students and those with well-connected parents, and under-resourced neighborhood schools for the majority.

Today that notion was reinforced by the news that billionaire union hater, corporate school reformer and Rahm Emanuel's patron, Bruce Rauner, used his political clout to wrangle a seat for his own kid at Walter Payton College Prep High School. Payton is ostensibly at public school, even though a third of its entering freshman students come from private schools. 98 % of its graduates

John Thompson: Education Reform Party is Over -- What a Mess! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Education Reform Party is Over -- What a Mess! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Education Reform Party is Over -- What a Mess!

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by John Thompson.
Back when "Dandy Don" Meredith was host of Monday Night Football, when the game was all over but the shouting, he would break into song. We need a 21st century way of saying the obvious. Test-driven school "reform" failed. To borrow a phrase regarding "closing time," test-driven "reformers"do not have to go home, but they can't stay here in our children's schools.
In the short run, educators can read the tea leaves and speculate how and when the big boys will pull the plug on Michelle Rhee. D.C.'s local school system, such as it is, does not seem curious about the extent of cheating in its schools. Maybe, it will be the billionaires who say that she is no longer the face they want to put on "reform?" Could it be Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who calls for an investigation of Rhee's disinterest in the "smoking gun" memo describing the possible extent of cheating under her watch? If Rhee is subpoenaed, the chances are that she will again have to reinvent herself. This time, I suspect that Rhee will be reborn as a Fox News analyst.
Now is the time to discredit the technocrats' theories by showcasing the sheer absurdity of another bit of

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg's education legacy in The Nation

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg's education legacy in The Nation:

Bloomberg's education legacy in The Nation

by Leonie Haimson

Diane Ravitch and I have an article in this week's The Nation about Michael Bloomberg's damaging legacy for our schools; and how his policies widened inequities rather than narrowed them. Here is the introduction:

In 2008, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his schools chancellor at the time, Joel Klein, testified before Congress that their policies had led to a substantial narrowing of the racial achievement gap, meaning the gap in test scores between white students and those of color: “Over the past six years, we’ve done everything possible to narrow the achievement gap—and we have. In some cases, we’ve reduced it by half,” said Bloomberg. He repeated that claim in 2012, saying, “We have closed the gap between black and Latino kids and white and Asian kids,” he said. “We have cut it in half.”

The notion that there had been a great improvement in the public schools, leading to sharp increases in achievement among minority children—the

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Scope and Sequence, Alignment and Walk-Thru, Oh My

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Scope and Sequence, Alignment and Walk-Thru, Oh My:

Scope and Sequence, Alignment and Walk-Thru, Oh My

by Melissa Westbrook

I have been to many, many Work Sessions. This current one, Teach and Learning: Part One of Curriculum and Instruction, takes the cake.

A dense, voluminous presentation with more edu-speak than you can shake an eraser at. Department head Shauna Heath is a master of this verbage. Right now, the directors are struggling to get this verbage understood. At one point she said they still needed to define "curriculum." She also said this:
"We are systemitizing our systems to compare apples to apples."

I have no idea what she means but it sounds very busy.

Staff also had a comparison of FTE for their department compared to other districts - nationally and regionally - and Director DeBell asked about Bellevue. It turns out for that particular slide (21 but you won't find the numbering because they stopped numbering the slides after 20) staff only looked at websites and did not call the districts themselves. So our staff was making an visual assessment of another district's org chart and deciding

Jersey Jazzman: How Every Kid Could Go To Bill Gates's Private School

Jersey Jazzman: How Every Kid Could Go To Bill Gates's Private School:

How Every Kid Could Go To Bill Gates's Private School

by Duke

I'd rather not...

There are times when I'm not sure that even EduShyster could parody the musings of Bill Gates. For example:

After almost two decades of pursuing improvements in U.S. education through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates maintains a sweeping and grand ambition. His goal for the next 20 years, he says, is to graduate roughly twice as many kids from college, move the United States up in the international rankings,and do so without spending more money. It's as if Gates wants to apply a version of Moore's law (in which the number of transistors that can fit on an integrated circuit double every two years) to education.

[...]

Gates: In K-12, we're in an era where, unfortunately, we're not going to be able to increase the amount of resources, because state budgets are tight and

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-24-13 #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 Effective Principal — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago

The Effective Principal — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]The Effective Principal April 24, 2013 by Klea Scharberg The topic of principal effectiveness and its role in comprehensive, sustainable school improvement has been on our minds as we bring our ASCD Forum discussion to a close. We asked readers of *ASCD SmartBrief*, a free daily e-mail news service that provides summaries and links to major education stories and issues, what best defines effective principals. More than a third (34 percent) of readers agree that the most important standard i... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Happy Blog Birthday, Diane!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: Happy Blog Birthday, Diane!: Happy Blog Birthday, Diane! by Duke On the one year anniversary of her eponymous Wordpress site, let us raise a glass to Diane Ravitch - blogger. There's no point in my retelling yet again how much Diane means to the real reform movement for her tireless advocacy, her books, her speeches, her media appearances, and everything else she has done to turn back the billionaire-powered tide of reforminess. We all know what she's done; we all know what she means to us. But I think it's worth giving Diane special praise for her blog. It's beco... more »

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race - LA Daily News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race - LA Daily News: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates another $350,000 to LAUSD race by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who contributed $1 million to a slate of reformers in the LAUSD primary election, has now donated $350,000 to support a candidate facing a runoff for a school board seat in May.According to statements filed today on the city Ethics Commission website, Bloomberg made the $350,000 donation on Tuesday to the Coalition for School Reform, which is backing... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday: Big Fight at Nova/World School Yesterday by Melissa Westbrook From the Stranger Slog: *A Central District high school was locked down yesterday afternoon as police responded to reports that a former student and suspected gang member had assaulted several peers and had allegedly pulled a gun on one student. * ***Students from Nova High school and the World School, a multilingual school for newly arrived immigrant and refugee students that shares space with Nova, were locked into the building at around 2:30 ... more »

NYC Educator: Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

NYC Educator: Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns: Reclaiming Our Precious Nouns by NYC Educator Michael Fiorillo wrote a great piece about the "choices" city residents have for their kids. The corporate geniuses who make all the decisions about education have determined, since vouchers have never been popular anywhere, to get into the charter business. Of course, by the sole criterion with which they are measured, test scores, they aren't really any better than the neighborhood schools they displace. But everyone wants Choice. You can go to the neighborhood school, if they haven't clos... more »

Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program - San Jose Mercury News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program - San Jose Mercury News: Stanford nonprofit questions success of Advanced Placement Program By Theresa Harrington Contra Costa Times Posted: 04/24/2013 06:24:10 AM PDT Updated: 04/24/2013 06:24:34 AM PDT STANFORD -- A nonprofit organization in the Stanford Graduate School of Education is reporting that the Advanced Placement program -- which offers college level courses in high schools and is a factor considered by many colleges in making admissions decisions -- may not live up to its claims. In a report release... more »

Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula | EdSource Today: ' Brown fights back, responds to critics of his funding formula - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Gov. Jerry Brown emphatically vowed Wednesday “to fight with everything I have and whatever we have to bring to bear” for passage this year of his school finance reform, as proposed. Back from a trip to China and re-engaged on a priority issue, Brown spoke at a news conference a day after Senate Democrats announced they would propose a bill that would delay action on the governor’s Local Control ... more »

State sued for lacks of services to students learning English - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

State sued for lacks of services to students learning English - latimes.com: State sued for lack of services to students learning English by By Howard Blume [image: Mark Rosenbaum]Mark Rosenbaum, chief counsel of the ACLU of Southern California, which is suing California over lack of services to students who are not fluent in English. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press / May 30, 2012) The state education department has ignored its obligation to make sure that thousands of students learning English receive adequate and legally required assistance, according to a lawsuit filed W... more »

Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests: Students in D.C. region can’t formally ‘opt out’ of standardized tests Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 24, 2013 at 3:51 pm 5 Comments More [image: test]Though parents in some other states are formally “opting out” of high-stakes standardized tests and keeping their children at home on test days, officials in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia say it is not permitted in their jurisdictions. A movement by parents to opt out of standardized tests and keep their children home on test day — without penalty fo... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Citizens of WHAT World? Charter's recruiting tactics and leaked documents

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Citizens of WHAT World? Charter's recruiting tactics and leaked documents: Citizens of WHAT World? Recruiting tactics and leaked documents by Leonie Haimson ** *For more on this issue, see the DNA article here.* Williamsburg and Greenpoint parents have been fighting what we see as a real threat to re-segregate public schools in our neighborhood through Citizens of the World Charter Schools (CWC), a Los Angeles-based chain of schools imposed upon District 14 as well as District 17 in Crown Heights. *CWC's Core parent group = "Predominantly white"* From ... more »

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan | Truth in American Education: McMillin Amendment Halts Common Core in Michigan by Shane Vander Hart [image: michigan-state-capitol] Breaking…. big move in the Michigan House of Representatives! The Michigan House today approved the Department of Education budget (HB4328) on a 59-51 vote with an amendment which does not allow them to implement Common Core State Standards or “Smarter Balanced Assessments”. The amendment was sponsored by State Rep. Tom McMillin, the amendment is similar to House Bill 4276 which is currently before t...more »

Diane in the Evening 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Mayor Bloomberg Tries Again to Buy the Los Angeles School Board by dianerav NYC Mayor Bloomberg just dropped $350,000 into the campaign to beat Monica Ratliff in a runoff for the LA school board. A few weeks ago, Bloomberg gave $1million to the coalition of billionaires, who assembled a $4 million war chest, mostly to defeat Steve Zimmer. Bloomberg’s million was enhanced by fat gifts from Rupert Murdoch, Michelle Rhee, Eli Broad, and the John Thompson: Who Will the Billionaires Kick Down Next? by dianerav Vetera... more »

UPDATE: Missouri Education Watchdog: Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Tracking Students: Remember Parkway School District and the Polar Go Fit Bracelets?: Common Core Gag Order: Teacher Told to Not to Question Common Core Implementation by stlgretchen Teacher not allowed to question CCSS implementation in Wyoming Following is an amazing story from Truth in American Education and a Wyoming teacher who was threatened by her administrator for questioning the CCSS implementation and ramifications of the standards in terms of privacy and loss of local control. Please share with other teachers and parents. Where is the "criti... more »

Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: Editorial: Keep backroom dealings out of the classroom Gov. Rick Snyder says education in Michigan — and in the nation — is broken, and badly in need of reform. We couldn’t agree more. So, let’s talk about it. But let’s do so without a “skunk works group” that’s meeting independently and clandestinely to develop a sweeping school reform program. That’s disrespectful of the voters who sent Snyder to Lansing. And it’s disrespectful of the parents, teachers and students who depend on our public ... more »

Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum - DailyCensored.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News | DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Resist Corporate Domination: Eat More Kale; Refuse Corporate Curriculum Years ago, Chick-fil-A used some of its $4.5 billion to claim a Vermont artist’s T-shirt phrase infringes on its trademarked “eat mor chikin.” The corporation told Associated Press, the Vermont T-shirt “is likely to cause confusion of the public and dilutes the distinctiveness of Ch... more »

Maria Puolakkainen – #StuVoice Finland Shares the ‘Characteristics of an Effective Teacher’ Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Student Voice: Maria Puolakkainen – #StuVoice Finland Shares the ‘Characteristics of an Effective Teacher’ by Editor Admin *Fair, Dedicated, and Inspiring.* Originally posted to Penn-Finn Learning 2013. I am a seventeen year-old IB high school student in my penultimate year from Helsinki, Finland. Embodying a kind of bicultural identity, I am a product of two different cultural upbringings, Finnish and American.*** *Having spent a few of my years of elementary school in Seattle, Washington, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of both school envi... more »

National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient'

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient': National Assessment Of Educational Progress In Economics Finds Less Than Half Of 12th Graders 'Proficient' by Joy Resmovits [image: National Assessment Of Educational Progress Econom] Fewer than half of high school seniors are proficient in economics, according to the results of the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress exam released Wednesday. This statistic is causing alarm among educators and advocates, especially in an era marked by economic crisis. "I was sh... more »

Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students | Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Milwaukee Vouchers Students Test Lower Than MPS Students by millerlf Wisconsin voucher students lag in latest state test By Erin Richards and Andrea Anderson of the Journal Sentinel April 23, 2013 Students attending private voucher schools in Milwaukee and Racine scored lower than their public-school counterparts in Milwaukee Public Schools and the Racine Unified School District on the latest state standardized achievement test, according to results released by the state Tuesday.... more »

Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Marc Cohen]Our Expectations Are (and Should Be) High April 24, 2013 by Marc Cohen I am a principal. I knew I wanted to become a principal soon after I began my teaching career almost twenty years ago and I count myself as among the fortunate few who can honestly say they are making a living doing what they always dreamed of being able to do. Seven years ago, when I began this phase of my career, a colleague, herself a retired principal, asked me if I understood the difference between bein... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, April 24, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Wednesday, April 24, 2013* Hawthorne schools pilot use of palm scanners to speed lunch linesThe project is happening on a trial basis at Hawthorne Middle and Ramona Elemenary schools, where students - once they reach the front of the lunch line - place a hand on a digital reader in the shape of a palm. Guevara's hiring in Monterey district on holdMonterey Peninsula Unified’s decision to hire Lake Elsinore Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Alain Guevara as superintendent there was delayed Mond... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oversight of Teaching and Learning

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Oversight of Teaching and Learning: Oversight of Teaching and Learning by Charlie Mas This afternoon we will finally get a management oversight work session for teaching and learning, you know, the school district's core mission. Here is the presentation that will be made to the Board. Here are some questions that the presentations makes me want to ask: *Slide 1:* Why is this Part 1? How many parts will there be? What is included in each part? *Slide 3:* The Slide is titled Department Functions but the divisions and groupings are odd. They are... more »

You, Me, and AGT – Part 2 | InterACT

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

You, Me, and AGT – Part 2 | InterACT: You, Me, and AGT – Part 2 by Lisa Alva Wood Last week, my classroom children took the California Standards Test. This is about as thrilling as walking the plank during Shark Week. In February, John Deasy announced that he wants 30% of my evaluation based on these test scores. And then, later in the same week, came an email from my principal asking for my Stull Initial Planning Sheet. Now, I don’t mind being evaluated and I like that being next door to my principal’s office means that he’s always in and out. I like that he was a fellow teacher... more »

Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings « CBS Chicago

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings « CBS Chicago: Students Skipping Mandatory Test To Protest School Closings *UPDATED: 4/24/2013 10:50 a.m.* *CHICAGO (CBS)* — They are supposed to be taking a mandatory state test today, but about 100 CPS students instead were protesting school closings outside Wednesday’s school board meeting. They are upset over planned school closings, but it will come at the expense of some of their own academic careers. Students on Wednesday are required to take a state PSAE exam that will promote them to senior year and make them eligib... more »

‘Lunch Lady’ Author: Let’s Celebrate School Lunch Superheroes on May 3 | NEA Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

‘Lunch Lady’ Author: Let’s Celebrate School Lunch Superheroes on May 3 | NEA Today: ‘Lunch Lady’ Author: Let’s Celebrate School Lunch Superheroes on May 3 April 24, 2013 by twalker Filed under Education Support Professionals, Featured News, Top Stories Leave a Comment [image: Email][image: Share] *By John Rosales* After publishing his first book, *Good Night, Monkey Boy*, author and illustrator *Jarrett Krosoczka*returned to his old elementary school in Worcester, Massachusetts to talk to students about writing, illustrating, and publishing books. While walking the halls at Gates L... more »

Day of the Teacher 2013 - California Teachers Association

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Day of the Teacher 2013 - California Teachers Association: DAY OF THE TEACHER 2013 *Hover mouse over poster to share.* To download a wallpaper of the California Day of the Teacher poster, select your screen resolution width:1024, 1280, 1600, 1920, 2048. California Teachers: Honoring our past. Guiding the future. On May 8, 2013 we will mark the 31th anniversary of California’s Day of the Teacher. To honor teachers and the 150th anniversary of CTA, we have chosen “*California Teachers: Honoring the Past, Guiding the Future*” as this year’s theme. CTA has been making a positive impact ... more »

Dartmouth Cancels Wednesday Classes After Threats to Activists |

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Dartmouth Cancels Wednesday Classes After Threats to Activists |: Dartmouth Cancels Wednesday Classes After Threats to Activists by Angus Johnston [image: "What's wrong with just not admitting LBGTQ and unappreciative minorities...?"] Last Friday a group of about fifteen Dartmouth students staged an action at an event for prospective students, chanting “Dartmouth has a problem!” The group interrupted the gathering in the middle of a welcome skit, detailing a number of recent anti-gay and racist incidents and sexual assaults, and criticizing the college’s responses to them. As word... more »

UPDATE: Do TRS members need to worry + The Illinois Charter Commission, less democratic oversight than the CPS board. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

The Illinois Charter Commission. An über committee with even less democratic oversight than the CPS board. | Fred Klonsky: Rauner called Arne and got his kid into Walter Payton. Isn’t that special? by Fred Klonsky Popout. Bruce Rauner, GOP gubernatorial candidate and Rahm best friend is back in the news today. Greg Hinz reporting again. Last week it turns out that Rauner couldn’t decide if he lived in Chicago or the north shore. He votes here. Pays property taxes on his primary residence in wealthy Winnetka. Today Hinz reports that Rauner was one of those *special interests* that go... more »

Let My People Go: Public Education, Jewish Separatism, and School Vouchers | The American Conservative

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Let My People Go: Public Education, Jewish Separatism, and School Vouchers | The American Conservative: Let My People Go: Public Education, Jewish Separatism, and School Vouchers By SAMUEL GOLDMAN • April 22, 2013, 3:18 PM - - - - - - [image: Jukie Bot / Flickr] Jukie Bot / Flickr *New York *magazine has a disturbing story on relations between Ultra-Orthodox Jews and the rest of the population in the western part of Rockland County, New York. The Ultra-Orthodox began moving to the area in the 1970s. Since then, they’ve grown to a majority in the town of Rama... more »

'Nation at Risk' warnings about shortcomings in US education 30 years ago still resonate today | StarTribune.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

'Nation at Risk' warnings about shortcomings in US education 30 years ago still resonate today | StarTribune.com: 'Nation at Risk' warnings about shortcomings in US education 30 years ago still resonate today - Article by: PHILIP ELLIOTT , Associated Press - Updated: April 24, 2013 - 2:34 AM WASHINGTON - U.S. students are falling behind their international rivals. Young people aren't adept at new technology. America's economy will suffer if schools don't step up their game. "A Nation at Risk," the report issued 30 years ago by President Ronald Reagan's Education Depart... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-24-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Shameless StudentsFirst Tries to Buy Iowa by dianerav Even though Michelle Rhee suffered multiple embarrassments in the past few weeks–with John Merrow reporting her refusal to investigate the cheating scandal that occurred on her watch and the Broader Bolder Approach reporting the failure of her “reforms”—her organization continues to push her failed “reforms” on states across the nation. StudentsFirst pumped over $317,000 into legislative races in Iowa to ensur... more »

School-to-Prison Pipeline: Wrong Lessons From Sandy Hook

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

School-to-Prison Pipeline: Wrong Lessons From Sandy Hook: School-to-Prison Pipeline: Wrong Lessons From Sandy Hook by Jeff Bryant By now, there have been plenty of negative reactions to last week’s defeat of sensible gun regulation in the U.S. Senate due to the power of the gun lobby to have more sway with senators than popular opinion has. In his Rose Garden address, President Obama was incredulous that legislation favored by90 percent of Americans couldn’t get 60 votes in the Senate. News stories about the bill’s defeat invariably referenced the origin of the bill in the “trage... more »

John White’s crumbling house of cards – From VAM to worse | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

John White’s crumbling house of cards – From VAM to worse | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: John White’s crumbling house of cards – From VAM to worse by crazycrawfish These days John White might be needing a hug. It appears all the ill-will he has sown over the past year is coming home to roost on his doorstep, all at the same time. Support the Louisiana Student Privacy ActRecently we called out White for lying to everyone in the state of Louisiana over carelessly and needlessly exposing all of our school children to unnecessary risks by handing over their some of their most private data ... more »

A Wyoming School’s Common Core Gag Order | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

A Wyoming School’s Common Core Gag Order | Truth in American Education: A Wyoming School’s Common Core Gag Order by Shane Vander Hart [image: wyoming flag]I received this email from a 6th grade teacher in Wyoming whose school placed a gag order on her regarding her opposition to the Common Core State Standards. I’m withholding her name to protect her privacy (and career). I am currently a teacher in a smaller district in Wyoming. I attended a Wyoming Department of Education training for the ELA Common Core Standards in July, prior to starting the 2012/2013 school year. I came to t... more »

UPDATE: #blogtalkradio: A primer of sorts + Thinkers or Test Takers? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Thinkers or Test Takers? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: At the Chalk Face on #blogtalkradio: A primer of sorts by Chalk Face, PhD We have to brag a little bit. The weekly radio show makes us unique because it supports the commentary we do, and vice versa. We work our BEE-hinds off to bring everyone stories and conversations that don’t get covered, related to education and public schools. In addition to our weekly shows at 6PM EST on [...] The palpable racism of school closures by Chalk Face, PhD There I said it. School closure policies are racist. Not necessarily bigo... more »

How private money is driving public education policy

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

How private money is driving public education policy: How private money is driving public education policy Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 24, 2013 at 5:00 am 2 Comments More [image: cash]In this era of school reform, private foundations and wealthy philanthropists have used their money to play a big role in helping to shape public education state and federal policy. Here’s an interesting piece that describes the history of such giving and considers whether it is a good idea. It was written by Stanley N. Katz, who teaches public and international affairs at the Woodrow Wilson Sc... more »

Has Jeb Bush’s Foundation Created a Faux Parents Group to Support Parent Trigger? | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Has Jeb Bush’s Foundation Created a Faux Parents Group to Support Parent Trigger? | Scathing Purple Musings: Has Jeb Bush’s Foundation Created a Faux Parents Group to Support Parent Trigger? by Bob Sikes *Scathing Purple Musings *discovered last August that Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future (FFF) had created a petition to support its efforts to pass Parent Trigger. Not many had signed the petition and many of the one’s who did were employees of one of Bush’s two foundations. At the time of the post, top Bush advisor Patricia Levesque even signed the petition twice. Shor... more »

One Teacher's Perspective: Dittoing Diane on School Vouchers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

One Teacher's Perspective: Dittoing Diane on School Vouchers: Dittoing Diane on School Vouchers by Imagine Wisconsin ** *Yesterday's release of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) choice school data is ditto to what Diane Ravitch has been reporting on Wisconsin's voucher program for some time.* * * *America's premier education historian, Diane Ravitch has been building the case that Wisconsin’s “voucher schools perform no better than public schools.” * * * *For the third straight year since being required to pony up test scores, Wisconsin's voucher schools trail neighb... more »

We Are Chicago Students, and We are Here to Save Our Schools! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

We Are Chicago Students, and We are Here to Save Our Schools! - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: We Are Chicago Students, and We are Here to Save Our Schools! by Anthony Cody [image: briansturgis.jpg] *Today many Chicago students will not be in their schools. One of them has written this, explaining the reasons why.* * Guest post by Brian Sturgis.* I'm a senior at Paul Robeson high school, and I'm an organizer with Chicago Students Organizing to Save Our Schools (CSOSOS). We are led by students from across Chicago in 25 different high schools and we believe in justice an... more »

Cartoons on Preschool | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Cartoons on Preschool | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Cartoons on Preschool by larrycuban Recently, I posted two pieces on preschools. In writing those pieces, I began collecting cartoons. Cartoonists exaggerate key ideas–thus, the humor–driving the national passion for starting school earlier and earlier, collecting credentials in the race to get into college, pushing toddlers up the ladder of financial success, and giving Mommy and Daddy a break from racing around. Often, they poke at the pretentiousness of middle- and upper-middle class parents seeking t... more »

Why We Need Principals | Connected Principals

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Why We Need Principals | Connected Principals: Why We Need Principals by sleibowitz There are questions that resonate, holding our imaginations and keeping us wondering. There are questions that activate our learning, causing us to reflect and helping us to grow. Do We Need Principals? asked Josh Stumpenhorst in a blog post last May. Do We Need (Great) Principals? responded George Couros replying to a question with a question in a blog post published shortly thereafter. Recently Josh Stumpenhorst may have answered his own question with another post, this time an affirmation rather... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Newark Says "Enough!"

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Newark Says "Enough!": Newark Says "Enough!" by Duke Ruh-roh: *The Newark Schools Advisory Commission this evening issued a unanimous no-confidence vote in the leadership of Schools Superintendent Cami Anderson.* The vote was 9-0. The board earlier this month rejected the budget Anderson submitted, and tonight reiterated its assessment that Anderson has not fostered a relationship with board members. The board again complained about what it cited as Anderson's lack of transparency regarding her

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-23-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE* *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* Resolve by Jose Vilson *[image: dark-classroom]* This morning, after a few sips of my coffee and getting ready for class, a cold sweat developed in the palms of my hand. I rubbed my hands a few times before I put the marker to the whiteboard, hoping the few examples of problems I do today serve less as a lesson and more as a fine tuning. Pacing the room 30 minutes before class made my feet ache, but I didn’t realize it until a few hours after, when my first three periods of class would be done. Besides... more »

Democratic Senators propose alternative to Brown’s local control formula | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Democratic Senators propose alternative to Brown’s local control formula | EdSource Today: Democratic Senators propose alternative to Brown’s local control formula - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Democratic leaders of the state Senate want to delay Gov. Jerry Brown’s sweeping plan for changing how schools are funded by a year and will recommend significant changes to it in a bill that they will reveal on Thursday. In a news release Tuesday, Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg and chairs of the Senate Budget and Education Committees stated they agree with t... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Who "Created" Michelle Rhee? John Merrow Did.

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Who "Created" Michelle Rhee? John Merrow Did.: Who "Created" Michelle Rhee? John Merrow Did. by Duke *It's alive! And soon, it will run an urban school district!* John Merrow, education reporter for PBS, has blown the lid off of the Washington, D.C. cheating scandal. It's quite clear that then-chancellor Michelle Rhee was informed that there were potentially large-scale problems across the district with test scores, and that she did little to address the problem. Merrow is to be commended for his dogged pursuit of the truth; *but it's also true that he, perhaps mor... more »

Guest post. 35 Springfield politicians oppose fair taxation. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Guest post. 35 Springfield politicians oppose fair taxation. | Fred Klonsky: Guest post. 35 Springfield politicians oppose fair taxation. by Fred Klonsky [image: Guns Illinois][image: Illinois Legislature.jpg] Guest post by MiC. In Glen’s post today I read about thirty-five Springfield politicians opposing even the idea of putting an Illinois graduated income tax to a vote of Illinois residents. Writing legislation to oppose something that hasn’t even be put before Illinois’ voters? That seemed odd. So I read the text of the bill. Follow me through this laughable legislation: WHE... more »

Professional Development on Effective Utilization of Google Drive Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Student Voice: Professional Development on Effective Utilization of Google Drive by Student Voice Toolkit Organizer *Online Collaboration* With the recent surge in embracing technology to aide our leadership endeavors, many students, teachers, parents and business leaders have shifted in using Online Collaboration Tools as a means to support their work. Clement Coulston, a Student Voice Organizer, is also a Youth Leader with the National School Climate Center. He recently hosted a Google Hangout On Air Professional Development Opportunity in making the case for online collaboratio... more »

Broken Promises for Parents of Autistic Children in CA « MomsRising Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Broken Promises for Parents of Autistic Children in CA « MomsRising Blog: Broken Promises for Parents of Autistic Children in CA by Angelique Roche *http://www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov/Home/default.aspx* *Posted On Behalf of Jennifer, San Mateo County (CA)* As a parent of a child with autism, the most important thing I can do is make sure that my daughter continues to receive critical early-intervention therapy. Medical research clearly shows that early and consistent therapy can make a dramatic difference in the kind of future autistic children can lead. My family, and our whole co... more »

Students Give Back to Local Elementary School University of Minnesota Morris

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

University of Minnesota Morris | News & Events | Students Give Back to Local Elementary School: Students Give Back to Local Elementary School Posted by Cassie Hall '13, Brookings, South Dakota on Tuesday, Apr. 23, 2013 On April 13, more than 30 volunteers from the University of Minnesota, Morris gathered at St. Mary’s School to complete an “Outreach to Teach” project. Students from the Education Minnesota Student Program (EMSP) chapter and the Studio Art Discipline renovated the school’s teacher’s lounge and painted a mural in a small tunnel connecting the school to Assumption Cat... more »

Senators offer alternative to Brown's LCFF SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *Senators offer alternative to Brown's LCFF* *By Tom Chorneau* Tuesday, April 23, 2013 Senate Democrats have offered an alternative restructuring of state funding for public schools that would kick in a year later than Gov. Jerry Brown’s Local Control Funding Formula. In an announcement made late Tuesday, Senate leader Darrell Steinberg noted the funding bill reflects much of what Brown has already proposed in terms of creating a more streamlined and equitable system. But based on public hearings and a number of closed door study sessions, Sen... more »

Parent Trigger Hits “Local Control” Roadblock in Florida Senate | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Parent Trigger Hits “Local Control” Roadblock in Florida Senate | Scathing Purple Musings: Parent Trigger Hits “Local Control” Roadblock in Florida Senate by Bob Sikes From Kathleen McGrory of the *Times/Herald*: As expected, Sen. *Kelli Stargel*‘s parent trigger bill won the support of the Senate appropriations panel Tuesday — and is now headed to the Senate floor. There was, however, one plot twist. At a previous committee stop, Sen. *David Simmons* added language that would give school districts the final say in determining how to improve a struggling school. (That is, they cou... more »

Too Bad For You (and your Child) if You Picked one of these CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: *Got Choice? Ubetcha! **Celebrating School Choice * *National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Group: 1 in 5 charter schools not doing well enough to stay open* A group that oversees more than half of the nation's 5,600 charter schools said as many as *one in five U.S. charter schools should be shut down because of ** poor academic performance. * *http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019784379_charterschools29.html* *CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITE* CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS Texas charter school proposals (content copied) The Perime... more »