Education programs funding - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education programs funding - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: S.758 Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 7 minutes ago

A bill to establish a comprehensive literacy program.

Bill Introduced: S.756 Helping Schools Protect Our Children Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 7 minutes ago

A bill to allow funds under title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to be used to provide training to school personnel regarding how to recognize child sexual abuse.

Bill Introduced: H.R.1525 Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 7 minutes ago

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to comprehensively reform immigration law, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: H.R.1436 JOBS Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 7 minutes ago

To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish a pilot program to facilitate education and training programs in the field of advanced manufacturing.

Bill Introduced: S.758 Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 2 hours ago

A bill to establish a comprehensive literacy program.

Bill Introduced: S.756 Helping Schools Protect Our Children Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 2 hours ago

A bill to allow funds under title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to be used to provide training to school personnel regarding how to recognize child sexual abuse.

Bill Introduced: S.707 Student Loan Affordability Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 2 hours ago

A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the reduced interest rate for Federal Direct Stafford Loans.

More on the RESPECT Blueprint: Attracting the Desperate and the Naive – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

More on the RESPECT Blueprint: Attracting the Desperate and the Naive – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

More on the RESPECT Blueprint: Attracting the Desperate and the Naive

by Jim Horn

“. . . attracting a high-performing and diverse pool of talented individuals to become teachers and principals is a critical priority” (p. 5). 

For all the Arne-talk about attracting the best and the brightest, the chart from p. 24 of this Orwellian version of teacher respect shows us a different vision.  Click on it to enlarge (my red inserts).  ”Beginning teachers” and “professional teachers,” who must be certified, will earn no more than they earn now, depending on whether they are in Mississippi or Massachusetts.  The big difference is that they can be fired at any level when their test scores don’t pass muster, and raises will be based on test scores, rather than a salary schedule (my bold):

Salaries for Professional teachers might range from $65,000 to $120,000, depending on teachers’ skills and continued effectiveness over time. Professional teachers may remain in this role for their entire careers, assuming that they continue to demonstrate effectiveness through their evaluations, or they may choose to advance into leadership roles (p. 25).

There is a big move afoot in this Gates plan to bully teacher education programs 

I need to set the record straight | Opine I will

I need to set the record straight | Opine I will:

I need to set the record straight

I teach my students that their reputation is the most important asset they own. Your reputation is determined by your actions, your deeds, and also how you are viewed by others. Therefore, it is vital that  you understand that your reputation ultimately defines you. Success is not judged by how much you make, but rather, real success is judged by your character and how others view your actions and deeds.  I believe this with my heart and soul.

Unfortunately, my character was questioned by an unproven allegation. Ultimately it was determined I did no wrong and the allegation was unfounded. I write this posting today as a record of what has transpired over the last two days. I also owe my students and their parents an accurate representation as to what occurred so that they may be fully informed.

My views on the Common Core and high stakes testing,  are well documented on this blog as well as on other web sites including Facebook and Twitter. I  assumed that one day, I would be challenged for my beliefs, and I have even commented that teachers live in fear of retribution for their beliefs. Well this week it was my turn to be 

RPNPS Voices: Scenes From The Uptown Rally and March Today

RPNPS Voices: Scenes From The Uptown Rally and March Today: "Rogers Park Neighbors For Public Schools"

Scenes From The Uptown Rally and March Today

Here's a bit of a slide show from today's event in Uptown.

It was a terrific rally and march--- we made banners, listened to the Stewart band, had a press conference, and marched around the various parts of Uptown that are struggling to survive. "The stations of gentrification," is how I referred to it.  Stewart Elementary, The Men's Hotel, the former Hull House, and Stockton Elementary.

Karen Zaccor and Stavroula Harrisis from Northside Action put it together; the whole thing was the product of the ridiculous CPS community meeting for Stewart, where Tim Cawley and the new French procurement guy sat on the stage during trying not to text during the extended silence.  Instead of bothering to pretend to be in a dialogue with CPS, we planned 

Mexico’s border schools deal with an influx of English-speaking students | The Raw Story

Mexico’s border schools deal with an influx of English-speaking students | The Raw Story:

Mexico’s border schools deal with an influx of English-speaking students

by The Christian Science Monitor

Schoolchildren scamper across the border to waiting parents in

 the Mexican town of Palomas in May 2009.(Tony Avelar/The Christian Science Monitor/File)

Elementary students at Lamberto Hernández School in this northern Mexican city were long gone by the time teachers sat down recently to learn about the growing population of English-speaking students in their classrooms.

At the teacher training workshop, facilitator Laura Guadalupe Zatarain asked the educators in English to fill out a simple form written in German. The teachers looked at her, puzzled.

"This gives you an idea how these children feel when we start speaking too fast and they have trouble understanding," Ms. Zatarain says, switching to Spanish. "Especially about a subject like math, or history, or President Benito Juárez, someone they have never heard about."

State education officials point to Lamberto Hernández, a school named after a late educator from the region, as a model for working to create an environment that embraces students and parents arriving from the United States with little or no knowledge about Mexico's school system. Thousands of school children have arrived in Mexican schools from the US in the past several years amid a record number of deportations and a foundering US economy. [Read The 

Bush Foundation Hides Behind Parent Revolution in Faux Parent Group Flap | Scathing Purple Musings

Bush Foundation Hides Behind Parent Revolution in Faux Parent Group Flap | Scathing Purple Musings:

Bush Foundation Hides Behind Parent Revolution in Faux Parent Group Flap

by Bob Sikes

Two separate revelations this week further unmasked the political scam that has become Florida’s Parent Trigger legislation.
The first involves evidence that the petition that Michelle Rhee furnished Lakeland Senator Kelli Stargel is filled with people who never signed it. Scathing Purple Musings reported on the other that concerns the existence of a faux parent group called The Sunshine Parents.  The “group” has been circulating a video around Tallahassee and linking to a support petition on the website of Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education. Miami Herald reporter Kathleen McGrory has the entire story now:

The high-quality Sunshine Parents video and a shorter “sneak peek” surfaced last week, along with a host of questions about who had produced it.
In the videos, the Sunshine Parents described themselves as “an active and engaged group of 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-27-13 #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

Education in America: right or privilege? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 30 seconds ago

Education in America: right or privilege? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Education in America: right or privilege? by Kuhio Kane So, is schooling in America a right or privilege? Do we hold sacrosanct our hopes and wishes that what still remains is a free and public right to education in America? Or, has the division of inequity in America, driven by the leverage gained by banks too big to fail who are responsible for the shaping of opportunity create education as privilege? I was told recently that schooling in America is a right because it is taxpayer funded. I... more »

Cage-Busting Skunks Disrupting the Status Quo - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 30 seconds ago

Cage-Busting Skunks Disrupting the Status Quo - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Cage-Busting Skunks Disrupting the Status Quo by Nancy Flanagan ** *"When you wage war on the public schools, you're attacking the mortar that holds the community together. You're not a conservative, you're a vandal."* ~Garrison Keillor~ This is a blog about innovation--that is, innovation in public education. More specifically, creating catchy memes to push "pioneering" thinking while simultaneously attacking the "status quo" (painted as bad, very bad) in American education. Und... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Why do the media nearly always frame education issues as the UFT vs. the Mayor; and Ben Chapman's response

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

NYC Public School Parents: Why do the media nearly always frame education issues as the UFT vs. the Mayor; and Ben Chapman's response: Why do the media nearly always frame education issues as the UFT vs. the Mayor; and Ben Chapman's response by Leonie Haimson [image: Corporate Media = Corporate Lies] One of my particular gripes is how the politics of education in NYC is usually framed by the media in simplistic terms as a battle between the teachers union vs. the mayor, without any reference to the views of parents, advocates or other members of the community. This is especially ... more »

Students organizing Georgia integrated prom: Governor’s silence is ‘political suicide’ | The Raw Story

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Students organizing Georgia integrated prom: Governor’s silence is ‘political suicide’ | The Raw Story: Students organizing Georgia integrated prom: Governor’s silence is ‘political suicide’ by Arturo Garcia [image: Georgia Governor Nathan Deal via Wikimedia Commons] Two of the student organizers of the first integrated prom for a Georgia high school told Democracy Now anchors Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez that Gov. Nathan Deal’s (R) reluctance to back them could come back to haunt him politically. “It really shocked me,” Wilcox County High School student Brandon Davis said in an... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Perth Amboy Schools Circus Update

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Jersey Jazzman: Perth Amboy Schools Circus Update: Perth Amboy Schools Circus Update by Duke So what's new in Perth Amboy, The Reformiest District in New Jersey™? The superintendent of the city's schools says that a board member is lying about where he lives, the most recent salvo in an ongoing public-education battle. *Janine Caffrey said at a school board meeting Thursday night that the state is investigating whether Israel Varela lives on Lewis Street in the city or 40 miles away in Hunterdon County*. School board members are required to live in the school district. *"He needs... more »

Bennett: #commoncore because Exxon-Mobile said so. – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Bennett: #commoncore because Exxon-Mobile said so. – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Bennett: #commoncore because Exxon-Mobile said so. by Timothy D. Slekar Thanks to Bob Sikes for bringing us a new defense for the common core. It seems that the Sun Sentinel was present at the Broward Workshop’s State of Our County forum on April 12 and got the pleasure of listening to Tony Bennet defend the federally imposed/market driven common core curriculum. You know the #commoncore? - The standards that are really a curriculum that will usher in an era of testing never before ... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: John Thompson: What Did the Billionaires Know and When Did They Know It? by dianerav John Thompson understands that the big money has been betting heavily on testing and accountability. When did the billionaires realize that test score gains were the result of cheating? Did they care? Will they learn? Or will they continue to promote the same failed policies? Why? What do they hope to accomplish? *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all* mike simp... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Revenge Against Those Who Question "Reform"

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Revenge Against Those Who Question "Reform": Revenge Against Those Who Question "Reform" by Duke Back in November - before Chris Christie declared that poor black people in Camden weren't capable of running their schools like rich white people in the 'burbs - the Camden school board actually wielded a little power. And last year enough members of the board banded together to exercise that power and stop South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross from bringing the national charter chain KIPP into Camden to establish a quasi-charter where a new *public* school was... more »

PAA leader helps expose Parent Revolution carpetbagging | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

PAA leader helps expose Parent Revolution carpetbagging | Parents Across America: PAA leader helps expose Parent Revolution astroturfers by pureparents Rita Solnet, PAA founding member and leader of PAA Florida affiliate Testing is not Teaching, reports that she and others have helped expose Parent Revolution’s carpetbagging. PR (an apt acronym) is a California group funded by Gates, Walton and the usual gang to promote charter schools and the parent trigger. No Florida parent group has come out in favor of the parent trigger, but Parent Revolution’s astroturfers have staged a... more »

Ed Notes Online: Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman at AERA Conf Sunday in San Francisco

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman at AERA Conf Sunday in San Francisco: Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman at AERA Conf Sunday in San Francisco by ed notes online We were asked to make our real reform film available as a counterpoint to the ed deform WFS. Note they are showing another ed deform film after ours, followed by a panel discussion. NOT FAIR - 2-1. Unfortunately, Brian Jones and Diana Zavala will be heading to AERA on Tuesday for a panel and will miss this. Would have been great to have them rep us in the context of the bookend... more »

Tony Bennett’s Desperate, Disengenuous Defense of Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

Tony Bennett’s Desperate, Disengenuous Defense of Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings: Tony Bennett’s Desperate, Disengenuous Defense of Common Core by Bob Sikes *Indiana Deals Major Blow to National Education Standards — American Principles in Action* *Sun Sentinel *reporter Anthony Man was in attendance when Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett made a speech to Broward Workshop’s State of Our County forum on April 12. Bennett focused his speech on the sudden and unexpected debate that’s emerged on Common Core Standards. “I would like to start my comments today around ...more »

A dozen things teachers won’t tell parents (e.g., ‘Kids dish on your secrets all the time’)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

A dozen things teachers won’t tell parents (e.g., ‘Kids dish on your secrets all the time’): A dozen things teachers won’t tell parents (e.g., ‘Kids dish on your secrets all the time’) Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 27, 2013 at 12:22 pm 0 Comments More [image: http://thesecretsjourney.blogspot.com/2012/09/secrets.html] (thesecretsjourney.blogspot.com) Interviews with teachers by Reader’s Digest yielded a list of more than 30 things that teachers think but would not tell their students’ parents. Here are a dozen of them, and you can find the rest here. 1. *Kids dish on your secret... more »

A ‘parent trigger’ mystery solved in Florida

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

A ‘parent trigger’ mystery solved in Florida: A ‘parent trigger’ mystery solved in Florida Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 27, 2013 at 11:06 am 0 Comments More [image: parent-trigger1]Every major parents group in Florida, including the PTA, has long been vocally opposed to the “parent trigger” legislationnow before the state legislature. Recently, a new group called Sunshine Parents was formed, this one in support of parent trigger — laws allowing parents at a failing school the right to change the school’s structure. What seemed unusual about the group wasn’t that some parents ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: New Advanced Learning Policy

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: New Advanced Learning Policy: New Advanced Learning Policy by Charlie Mas At the May 1 Board meeting we will see the introduction of the new Advanced Learning policy. There is a LOT wrong with it. A LOT. This is the public's chance to speak up and ask the Board to fix it. It is time to get active. Let's start with the Board Action Report. *"Policy D12.00 was adopted in 1992 and describes services and options for highly capable students that are out-of-date in 2013. A review of Advanced Learning programs conducted in 2007 by nationally recognized... more »

Kelli Stargel’s Fake List of Parent Trigger Supporters that MIchelle Rhee Provided | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Kelli Stargel’s Fake List of Parent Trigger Supporters that MIchelle Rhee Provided | Scathing Purple Musings: Kelli Stargel’s Fake List of Parent Trigger Supporters that MIchelle Rhee Provided by Bob Sikes Earlier this week, Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland), was asked by constituents and members of the media for the list of supporters she’s been touting during her advancement of the Parent Trigger bill she’s sponsoring. The list came from Michelle Rhee’s organization, StudentsFirst. Scathing Purple Musings has a copy of the list, but more importantly, Mary McGrory of the *Miami... more »

Online education is mostly a fantasy | The Raw Story

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Online education is mostly a fantasy | The Raw Story: Online education is mostly a fantasy by Pando Daily [image: Fashion man and laptop, via Shutterstock][image: computer_bored_pd] If you listen to the advocates of online learning, MOOCs and Internet-based courses will cure all of our education problems. Just hand out some Android tablets, stream some courses in Python, and sit back and watch as everyone magically becomes a highly productive knowledge worker propelling the United States to new heights of economic prosperity. But this vision of online learning is so ridiculous I... more »

TALLAHASSEE: Parent trigger bill spawns mystery video from supposed supporters - Florida - MiamiHerald.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

TALLAHASSEE: Parent trigger bill spawns mystery video from supposed supporters - Florida - MiamiHerald.com: Parent trigger bill spawns mystery video from supposed supporters [image: A video that features South Florida moms praising the parent-trigger bill was attributed to a mysterious group known as the Sunshine Parents. But it was actually produced by a California-based advocacy group.] A video that features South Florida moms praising the parent-trigger bill was attributed to a mysterious group known as the Sunshine Parents. But it was actually produced by a California-based ad... more »

Jack Whelan: Can Humanism Prevail Over the Technocracy? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Jack Whelan: Can Humanism Prevail Over the Technocracy? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Jack Whelan: Can Humanism Prevail Over the Technocracy? by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Jack Whelan.* [W]hat is at issue here is evaluating the danger of what might happen to our humanity in the present half-century, and distinguishing between what we want to keep and what we are ready to lose, between what we can welcome as legitimate human development and what we should reject with our last ounce of strength as dehumanization. I cannot think that choices of this kind are unimp... more »

Airplanes are taking off and landing on time again; America’s 7.4 million public school students deserve the same support and swift action

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

NEA - Ed Flight: *Airplanes are taking off and landing on time again; America’s 7.4 million public school students deserve the same support and swift action. Tell Congress to make students and public education a priority, too.* *Instructions on how to send a paper airplane message to Congress:* 1. *Click here to download* a printable paper airplane template. 2. What education fixes would you like to see take flight? Write your answer(s) on your paper airplane. 3. Take a photo of your paper airplane and post it to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or another website of your ch... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Rhee’s StudentsFirst Honored Anti-Gay Legislator in Tennessee by dianerav As Laura Clawson writes at The Daily Kos, Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst honored an anti-gay legislator in Tennessee as its “legislator of the year.” Last year, the organization picked a Georgia legislator known for his strident anti-immigrant views. Rhee supported 105 candidates in 2012. 90 were Republicans. Her organization spent nearly $1 million in Tennessee legislative races to make s... more »

Guest column: Metairie attorney dissects the post-Katrina, ALEC-inspired politicalization of Louisiana public education | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Guest column: Metairie attorney dissects the post-Katrina, ALEC-inspired politicalization of Louisiana public education | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Guest column: Metairie attorney dissects the post-Katrina, ALEC-inspired politicalization of Louisiana public education April 26, 2013 by tomaswell ** * * * * *EDITOR’S NOTE:* LouisianaVoice *traditionally addresses state political events as they occur. Our posts generally run between 1,000 and 1,500 words in length. Recently, however, attorney Nancy Picard, a Metairie law firm partner, submitted the following 4,000-word essay that examines... more »

The Diploma’s Vanishing Value | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

The Diploma’s Vanishing Value | toteachornototeach: The Diploma’s Vanishing Value by aristotlethewise The Diploma’s Vanishing Value Bachelor’s degrees may not be worth it, but community college can bring a strong returnBy JEFFREY J. SELINGO May 1 is fast approaching, and with it the deadline for high-school seniors to commit to a college. At kitchen tables across the country, anxious students and their parents are asking: Does it really matter where I go to school? When it comes to lifetime earnings, we’ve been told, a bachelor’s degree pays off six times more than a high-school dipl... more »

UPDATE: Some thoughts on teaching Daily Kos: A mental meandering of no great importance

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Daily Kos: A mental meandering of no great importance: Some thoughts on teaching by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) for reasons probably not worth explaining, I just had occasion to reread the Press Release put out by Prince George's County Public Schools when I won my Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher award. It reminds me again of why I wanted to be in a classroom, so I thought I would share them here. Do with them what you want. Peace. “I believe that unless the United States can maintain vibrant and viable public schools, we run a real risk that our experiment in democracy will fa... more »

UPDATE: Dear NYS Parents, – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Dear NYS Parents, – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Why Are We in “the Age of Infinite Examination”? by plthomasedd Within the perpetual education and education reform debates, the topics of poverty and testing are central themes (poverty is no excuse, and better tests are always being promised), but we too often are missing the key elements that should be addressed in the dynamic that exists between poverty and testing. Please read the full discussion about poverty and testing HERE. Dear NYS Parents, by Chris Cerrone Here is another terrific guest post from Bianca Tani... more »

Displaced Sac City elementary students stay closer to home - Education - The Sacramento Bee

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Displaced Sac City elementary students stay closer to home - Education - The Sacramento Bee: Displaced Sac City elementary students stay closer to homelkalb@sacbee.comPUBLISHED SATURDAY, APR. 27, 2013 Hundreds of students at schools soon to close in the Sacramento City Unified School District have pushed for transfers to nearby schools rather than pursue the most sought- after campuses in the district, open enrollment data show. And most students, regardless of whether they were affected by school closure, were successful in getting their first or second choice through open enroll...more »

UPDATE: Opened the Door for Public Common Core Discussion Missouri Education Watchdog: The Lone Reporter Gets the Scoop: People Want Answers CC

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Lone Reporter Attending the Common Core Chesterfield Presentation Gets the Scoop: People Want Answers to Common Core Implementation/Ramifications: The Chesterfield City Hall Common Core Panel Has Opened the Door for Public Common Core Discussion by stlgretchen Common Core has become a hot topic of discussion in Missouri. Linked below is an article from the Eureka-Wildwood Patch about the recent panel presentation centering on CCSS adoption, implementation, ramifications, data retrieval and legislative update on SB210 and HB616. Unfortunately the... more »

“Good” Schools Seminar: Gleanings from a Class | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

“Good” Schools Seminar: Gleanings from a Class | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: “Good” Schools Seminar: Gleanings from a Class by larrycuban For at least a decade I have taught a seminar for graduate students at Stanford called “‘Good’ Schools: Policy, Research, and Practice.” The masters and doctoral students who take the course are committed, for the most part, to school improvement and reducing social injustices. They have scored high on the Graduate Record Exam and bring a strong record of prior academic achievement to the seminar. Many have spent time... more »

Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky [image: IMG_0320] *Photo: Fred Klonsky. Pension rally at Harper College.* It has been a busy week. This morning is no exception. I’m drinking my coffee early. Scrambled an egg. Toasted a slice of multi-grain bread. And out the door heading for suburban Oak Brook for the Spring Conference of the Illinois Education Association Retired. Rumors and official responses have been circulating for a couple of weeks that the IEA and the other public employee unions have been *at the table *with state senate leaders discussing... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 4-27-13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* STUDY WARNS THAT GRAD RATES WILL DIP WITH A-thru-G COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 day ago By Tom Chorneau, SI&A Cabinet Report | http://bit.ly/17Zsr53 Thursday, April 25, 2013 :: Requirements that high school students complete college prep courses as a condition of graduation may upgrade the value of the diploma and make some quick inroads on federal goals to produce college and career ready students. But new research released Thursday suggest... more »

Top Content this Week - 4-27-13 The Educator's PLN Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN:

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: Rick Wormeli: How Much Should Homework Count?]Rick Wormeli: How Much Should Homework Count? Added by Shawna Hixson on April 4, 2013 2[image: Cyberbullying]Cyberbullying Posted by Nicole Olbrish on October 27, 2012 3[image: Fellowship of Open Spokes -- Education in 5 Years #openspokes]Fellowship of Open Spokes -- Education in 5 Years #openspokes Added by Sheri Edwards on April 22, 2013 4[image: What is the Collaborative Classroom?]What is the Collaborative Classroom? Added by Lacey Smith on April 23, 2013 5[image: Prep Hour Praise... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 4-27-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Education Research Report* * *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * Shaping Professional Development to Promote the Diffusion of Instructional Expertise Among Teachers Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 hour ago This study examines how high-quality professional development can promote the diffusion of effective teaching strategies among teachers through collaboration. Drawing on longitudinal and sociometric data from a study of writing professional development in 39 schools, this study shows that teachers’ participation in professional development is associat... more »

Teacher Appreciation Week Webinar

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Teacher Appreciation Week Webinar: Teacher Appreciation Week Webinar by Server Teacher Appreciation Week Webinar*Stand Up for a Teacher…Teachers!* May 5, 2013 – 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT} *Please Join Us as We Appreciate Our Teachers for a Day, Week, and Years!!!* *Download a Flyer* and Share It With a Friend. During this Save Our Schools hosted Webinar, Teachers Jesse Hagopian, Sonya Romero Smith, David Wilson, Nadia Zananiri, Okaikor Aryee-Price, Becca Ritchie, Margo Murray, and Lauren Cohen will speak to the struggle in their schools. In addition each will share how we mi... more »

Indiana Deals Major Blow to National Education Standards — American Principles in Action

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Blog — American Principles in Action: *Indiana Deals Major Blow to National Education Standards* *INDIANAPOLIS, IN* – Late last night, the Indiana General Assembly passed HB1427 and, in so doing, dealt a major blow to the controversial national Common Core Standards program. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Mike Pence. Senator Scott Schneider and Representative Rhonda Rhoads are the chief sponsors of the bill, which orders a qualitative review of the Common Core Standards and a cost analysis on its implementation. "Sen. Schneider and Rep. Rhoads are true heroes," said *Emmet... more »

Future of schools breakfast program has become a “power struggle” | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Future of schools breakfast program has become a “power struggle” | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: Future of schools breakfast program has become a “power struggle” by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez [image: Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy sp] *Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy wants the school board to decide whether to keep Breakfast in the Classroom.; Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images* In the latest power struggle in the nation's second-largest school district, Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy is putting the future of a breakfast program for students up for a school board vote. Brea... more »

NYC Educator: The United Federation of Retired Teachers

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

NYC Educator: The United Federation of Retired Teachers: The United Federation of Retired Teachers by NYC Educator BREAKING--Today I was at 52 Broadway conducting business, and I ran into a particularly loquacious union rep, who shall remain unnamed. We discussed the UFT election, and he confided union leadership's plan for the future. I surreptitiously recorded the whole thing on my iPhone. "As you know, 53% of our voters were retirees. Some people criticize us for that, but the fact is, these are reliable votes for Unity. As we move into our fifth year without a raise in salary, ... more »

Daily Kos: An important book about education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Daily Kos: An important book about education: An important book about education by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) is by Mike Rose of UCLA, and is titled *Back to School: Why Everyone Deserves A Second Chance at Education.* What follows is a cross-posting of this review which went live yesterday. ------------------------ In all our discussions about education policy, too often we do not consider what happens to those students who do not “make it” in K-12 but later in life are prepared to undertake responsibility for their education. After what is listed as the title of his latest ... more »

Daily Kos: StudentsFirst's Tennessee 'reformer of the year' coauthored anti-gay bill

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Daily Kos: StudentsFirst's Tennessee 'reformer of the year' coauthored anti-gay bill: StudentsFirst's Tennessee 'reformer of the year' coauthored anti-gay bill byLaura ClawsonFollowforDaily Kos Labor - - - 9 Comments / 9 New Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst is putting together quite the record as far as legislators it selects as "reformer of the year." Last year, StudentsFirst came under fire from immigrant groups angry that Georgia state Sen. Chip Rogers, author of severalharshly anti-immigrant bills, including one that would have kept DREAMers out of public sch... more »

Teachers React to the News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Teachers React to the News: Teachers React to the News An honest reaction to the news from a teacher POV. A brainchild of Teachers for Education Reform. ArchiveSubmit a Reaction Search April 26th, 2013 at 10:56AM [image: Teachers’ reaction to Florida’s education chief saying that Florida is thinking about not using the PARCC tests.] Teachers’ reaction to Florida’s education chief saying that Florida is thinking about not using the PARCC tests. 2 notes#parcc#tests#teachers#confused April 26th, 2013 at 10:50AM [image: Teachers’ reaction to learning that there are more black men in col... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Want to Hear Some Frank Talk on Bullying?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Want to Hear Some Frank Talk on Bullying?: Want to Hear Some Frank Talk on Bullying? by Melissa Westbrook This just came on my radar so sorry for the late notice. On Monday, the 29th, Town Hall is presenting Emily Bazelon of Slate (and author of *Sticks and Stones*) in a discussion with Dan Savage of The Stranger (and creator of the *It Gets Better* program) about "*Defeating the Culture of Bullying*." I think it will be fascinating to listen in. I do want to note that Dan can speak quite frankly so you are warned. From Town Hall: [image: Sticksa... more »

California's 2013 Classified Employees of the Year - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

California's 2013 Classified Employees of the Year - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces California's 2013 Classified School Employees of the Year SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced the selection of six outstanding classified school employees in recognition of their exceptional efforts that contribute hugely to school operations and student success. "The caliber and commitment of these employees are remarkable. They are not only dedicated and motivated workers, but sources of inspiration to ... more »

Parents call CPS primary testing cutback a good, small step Parents United for Responsible Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Parents call CPS primary testing cutback a good, small step: Parents call CPS primary testing cutback a good, small step by admin From More Than a Score [image: MTAS Play-In last week: parents have been demanding an end to standardized testing of primary students] MTAS Play-In last week: parents have been demanding an end to standardized testing of primary students Press release: For immediate Release April 26, 2013 CONTACT: Kirstin Roberts: 312-316-2636 Cassie Cresswell, 716-536-9313 Chicago IL: More Than a Score (MTAS), a co... more »

Our Positive Agenda | The Network For Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Our Positive Agenda | The Network For Public Education: [image: The Network For Public Education -] Our Positive Agenda by admin The Network for Public Education has received a very positive response, and we are building alliances with grassroots groups across the nation. If you know of any who have not signed up, please tell them how to find us. You know what we oppose: High-stakes testing; privatization of public education; mass school closures to save money or to facilitate privatization; demonization of teachers; lowering of standards for the education profession; for-profit m... more »

2nd Banana 4-20-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

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