Saturday, June 8, 2013

by ed notes online

People -- some even in MORE -- have branded me as a "crazy" due to my constant assault on the UFT leadership.

Thus I was surprised to get this email from a parent activist, fairly newly minted (a year) activist -- someone who is enormously respected on so many levels -- who I had no idea read this blog who sent this.

Norm, I have to confess that when I first read your writings (only a little over a year ago), I was impressed but thought you might be a little bit of a wild-eyed radical. Now I see you as a paragon of reason and common sense and have absolute faith in your vision. I wish you were a wild-eyed radical, because that would mean the world we're actually in made more sense than it does. Thank you and keep writing always!

Glad to have another "crazy" on board.

Albany Rally on Testing Draws 25,000 and some Pineapples and Hares

by ed notes online

I didn't go because I ain't a-marching anymore -- this week.*

Leonie has some reports, the first with text of her speech and a video.

http://bcove.me/ltvtqi55

Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech

The rally in Albany was massive today; with estimates of 25,000. You can get a sense of the size from the video

Black Agenda Report - Bill Thompson: The powerful lobbyists and their clients are making sure that Bloombergism will continue without Bloomberg

by ed notes online

Freedom Rider: Et tu Bill Thompson?

Wed, 06/05/2013 - 00:03 — Margaret Kimberley

Gates Foundation looking to make nice with teachers | Education | The Seattle Times

Gates Foundation looking to make nice with teachers | Education | The Seattle Times:

Gates Foundation looking to make nice with teachers

Five years into the second phase of its mission to overhaul America’s public schools, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is moving to work more closely with teachers, generating interest but also wariness because of past hostilities.

By Linda Shaw

Seattle Times education reporter

Bill Gates, tempering his views on teachers?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Hamilton for Next Year from Superintendent Banda

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Hamilton for Next Year from Superintendent Banda:

Hamilton for Next Year from Superintendent Banda

by Melissa Westbrook

Thank you to Grey Watch for putting this up (bold mine). I would say, from the Superintendent's statements, that Hamilton is going to be a lot like Eckstein for next year.

June 7, 2013

Dear Hamilton International Middle School community,

As many of you are aware, enrollment is on the rise throughout our school district, including at Hamilton International Middle School. At every school we must balance the safety and security of our students with the need to ensure all of our students receive a high quality education.

For the 2013-14 school year, we are planning for 1,100 students at HIMS – an increase over our current enrollment of 975. We believe we can serve this number of students in our current space. We are not

Peg with Pen: Get the Message Clear re: #commoncore #highstakestesting

Peg with Pen: Get the Message Clear re: #commoncore #highstakestesting:

Get the Message Clear re: #commoncore #highstakestesting

by Peggy

The common core and high stakes testing must both go down. It cannot be one or the other. Very concerned that the message I hear today is asking for more time to implement the core, more time to make better tests, more time for teachers to get accustomed to the common core. This is not good enough for our children. This is exactly what the corp. ed. reformers want us to say. We have an opportunity to end this - but if we accept any part of their equation we lose. Our children lose. Do not believe - for one second - that the common core is manageable - it is developmentally inappropriate, it is not field-tested, and it is going to encourage lockstep curriculum in our most needy schools - and - if you think they will give you the CC without the HST think again. They need them both to privatize our public schools. We must get our message clear. Teachers know how to

THE 99 CENTS STORE EDUCATION FOR THE 99% - Perdaily.com

THE 99 CENTS STORE EDUCATION FOR THE 99% - Perdaily.com:

THE 99 CENTS STORE EDUCATION FOR THE 99%

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

In the old world from which most of our ancestors came, America served as a beacon, because unlike the stratified world of our origin, America was a place where if you worked hard both you and your family could prosper.

Fundamental to this ability to prosper was the availability of having your children educated at public expense to their highest potential. This gave access to the same high level of critical thinking skills education that in the old country had been reserved only to the rich and upper class. Vindication of this revolutionary idea has been the unparalleled economic and intellectual achievement that the United States has been able to attain up until now, which has made us the leading society- both economically and

Special Episode of At the Chalk Face w. Sara Wottawa 06/08 by Chalk Face | Blog Talk Radio

Special Episode of At the Chalk Face w. Sara Wottawa 06/08 by Chalk Face | Blog Talk Radio:

Special Episode of At the Chalk Face w. Sara Wottawa

Chalk Face

3 hours ago

Listen to internet radio with Chalk Face on BlogTalkRadio

6.8.13: Before we go on a brief hiatus, we're going out with a bang. Parent activist Sara Wottawa is going to join us and tell us all how she keeps it real. Come and get some advice on parent activism, Saturday, 6PM EST. Chat's open, live tweet @thechalkface, and call ins welcome and encouraged.

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:

Bill Introduced: H.R.2237 DIPLOMA Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To strengthen student achievement and graduation rates and prepare young people for college, careers, and citizenship through innovative partnerships that meet the comprehensive needs of children and youth.

Bill Introduced: S.1062 Educator Preparation Reform Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to improve quality and accountability for educator preparation programs.

Bill Introduced: S.1052 Growing Education Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to create and expand innovative teacher and principal preparation programs known as teacher and principal preparation academies.

Bill Introduced: S.1033 Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to authorize a grant program to promote physical education, activity, and fitness and nutrition, and to ensure healthy students, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: S.1063 Effective Teaching and Leading Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to improve teacher quality, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2196 Growing Education Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To create and expand innovative teacher and principal preparation programs known as teacher and principal preparation academies.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2159 21st Century STEM Competitive Jobs Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a STEM grant program.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2172 Educator Preparation Reform Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To improve quality and accountability for educator preparation programs.

Bill Introduced: S.1036 Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a partnership program in foreign languages.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2195 Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2013

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To support Promise Neighborhoods.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2161 Assisting Students with Loans Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the reduced interest rates for Federal Direct Stafford Loans.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2178 Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To authorize a grant program to promote physical education, activity, and fitness and nutrition, and to ensure healthy students, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: S.1067 Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to establish within the Department of Education the Innovation Inspiration school grant program, and for other purposes.

Bill Introduced: S.1043 English Learning and Innovation Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

A bill to promote innovative practices for the education of English learners and to help States and local educational agencies with English learner populations build capacity to ensure that English learners receive high-quality instruction that enables them to become proficient in English, access the academic content knowledge needed to meet State challenging academic content standards, and be prepared for postsecondary education and careers.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2160 Promoting Health as Youth Skills In Classrooms And Life Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 10 minutes ago

To support and encourage the health and well-being of elementary school and secondary school students by enhancing school physical education and health education.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2170 Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 1 day ago

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a partnership program in foreign languages.

Bill Introduced: H.R.2173 Effective Teaching and Leading Act

Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 1 day ago

To improve teacher quality, and for other purposes.

Examining My Core Values | Connected Principals

Examining My Core Values | Connected Principals:

Examining My Core Values

by Dave Meister

I sometimes become frustrated about administrating in a public school. I guess it is especially easy to be frustrated at the end of a school year. The students are burnt out. The teachers are ready for some time off to recharge. People get testy at the end of a school year. In these austere times, school personnel wonder about next year as it looms on the horizon. There are openings to fill, school program changes to be made, and assignments to be given. The end of this year is different though. Not only are there positions to fill, and life changing decisions to be made, along with those, Board members and administration are being forced to make tough decisions about our new school building as our budget is not big enough to cover everything we want. A quote that runs through my mind in times like these comes from John Kennedy when he examined his authorization of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, “Victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan.” When things go well and there are not tough messages to give to people, it is easy to take credit.

NYC Public School Parents: Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech

NYC Public School Parents: Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech:

Video of massive rally in Albany today and my speech

by Leonie Haimson

The rally in Albany was massive today; with estimates of 25,000. You can get a sense of the size from the video below. I was honored and
excited to be a part of it. Let's hope it is just the beginning of a real movement to rescue public education, led by teachers, parents, administrators and students, to take back our schools. Here is my speech:

We are here today to call upon the Governor and the Legislature to do what is right for the children of New York.

Children need good schools. Children need small class sizes. Children need experienced and caring teachers…But instead of giving New York's children what they need, the Governor, the Legislature and the Regents are intent on giving our kids more tests.

Nikhil Goyal on fire at One Voice rally in Albany today

by Leonie Haimson

Here was one of the best speeches in Albany today, by teenage rock star/pundit Nikhil Goyal, announcing he will lead a statewide boycott of testing next year.

Good afternoon. My name is Nikhil Goyal. In January 2013, I graduated from Syosset High School on Long Island. I am a member of the No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top generation. My generation has been tested to an extent that is unprecedented in the history of this country, many experts have said. My entire school career has dominated by endless testing and a culture of "drill, kill, bubble fill."

My friend and educator Marion Brady once said, "Even if standardized tests didn’t cost billions, even if they hadn’t narrowed the curriculum down to joke level, even if they weren’t driving the best teachers out of the profession, they should be abandoned because they measure the wrong thing."

My fellow peers, from Portland to Seattle to Providence to Chicago to Newark to Philadelphia, have been walking out of school, protesting, and rallying against high-stakes testing, budget cuts, and the assault on public education. Whether it is gay rights, voting rights, civil rights, women's rights, in every successful social movement, it is always young people taking charge, leading the way, lighting the fire out of

Revisiting the Chetty, Rockoff & Friedman Mole Hill | School Finance 101

Revisiting the Chetty, Rockoff & Friedman Mole Hill | School Finance 101:

Revisiting the Chetty, Rockoff & Friedman Mole Hill

by schoolfinance101

My kids and I don’t watch enough Phineas and Ferb anymore. Awesome show. I was reminded just yesterday ofthis great device!

This… is the Mountain-Out-Of-A-Molehill-INATOR! The name is rather self-explanatory – but here’s the official explanation anyway:

The Mountain-out-of-a-molehill-inator turns molehills into big mountains. It uses energy pellets to do so. It was created because all his life he was told “Don’t make mountains out of molehills”.

Now, I don’t mean to belittle the famed Chetty, Rockoff and Friedman study from a while back, which was quite the hit among policy wonks. As I explained in both my first, and second posts on this study, it’s a heck of a study, with lots of interesting stuff… and one hell of a data set!
What irked me then, and has all along is the spin that was put on the study, and that the spin was not just a matter of interpretation by politicos and the media, but that the spin was being fed by the study’s authors.
I figured that would eventually die down. I figured eventually cooler heads would prevail. But alas, I was wrong. Worst of all, we still have at least some of the study’s authors prancing around like Doofenschmirtz (pictured above) with their very own Mountain-out-of-a-molehill-inator!
So what the heck am I talking about? This! is what I’m talking about. This graph provides the basis for the oft-

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-8-13 #thankateacher #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

No Learning Without Feeling - NYTimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago

No Learning Without Feeling - NYTimes.com: No Learning Without Feeling Jon Han By CLAIRE NEEDELL HOLLANDERPublished: June 8, 2013 - FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - SAVE - E-MAIL - SHARE - PRINT - SINGLE PAGE - REPRINTS “IT’S sad,” the kid at the far table told me, “but it’s my favorite poem we worked on.” He was talking about “The Weary Blues,” by Langston Hughes, and although his emotional language was rudimentary, his response was authentic. “So we should read literature that makes us sad?” I asked. He laughed. “Well, sadness, Ms. Hollander, is something ... more »

Professional Development Goes Rogue | InterACT

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Professional Development Goes Rogue | InterACT: Professional Development Goes Rogue by David B. Cohen Robert Pronovost (@pronovost) shows off his #brewcue sign (photo by the author). [image: pronovost]My last professional development experience occurred at a bar, with a pitcher of beer passed among participants at the table. Don’t worry – no district funds were misspent. It was my second time joining an informal evening*tweet-up* (i.e., organized on Twitter) of Computer-Using Educators (CUE) in the San Francisco Bay Area. These gatherings go by hashtag *#brewcue*. There’s an occasio... more »

Blue Jersey:: NJ Education News Round-Up, 6/8/13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Blue Jersey:: NJ Education News Round-Up, 6/8/13: NJ Education News Round-Up, 6/8/13 by Jersey Jazzman Let's get right to it:*Debunking Propaganda on Teacher Evaluation* I have a post over at Jersey Jazzman on how the rhetoric out of NJDOE on teacher evaluation is becoming increasingly like propaganda: ** *Again: I am not going to criticize the motivations of any of the members of EPAC. But this op-ed piece is not helpful: it evades addressing the central concerns with AchieveNJ, and it asks teachers to happily sign on to a system of evaluation that has no support in research. Unl... more »

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: Why Failing Charters in Michigan Are Not Closed by dianerav This comment was posted in response to a report by Education Trust Midwest about Michigan’s expansion of low-performing (and failing) charter schools. The irony is that the original theory of charters was that they would either meet their goals or lose their charter. twenty plus years ago, no one considered the possibility that for-profit and even nonprofit charters would make political contributions and assemble a political base that outweighed the q... more »

More tweets from the weird mind of Park Ridge school board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

More tweets from the weird mind of Park Ridge school board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno. | Fred Klonsky: More tweets from the weird mind of Park Ridge school board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno. by Fred Klonsky [image: home-dr-paterno] *Park Ridge District 64 board member, Dr. Dathan Paterno.* Park Ridge psychologist Dr. Dathan Paterno was recently elected by a huge number of Park Ridge residents*who didn’t vote.* Paterno, who frequently represents parents in cases against the Park Ridge school district, loves Twitter. It is there that he reduces his right-wing rants and goofy scientific ... more »

That Way Madness Lies - Reformy-to-English Dictionary, Volume Two

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

That Way Madness Lies - Reformy-to-English Dictionary, Volume Two: Reformy-to-English Dictionary, Volume Two *[Note: for an introduction and Volume One, please see the previous post.]* Accountability *(noun)*: The act of holding children responsible for choosing to be born into the wrong families or in the wrong geographic locations. Alternately, the act of penalizing teachers who do not advise at-risk students to quit school quickly and avoid wasting everyone’s time and money. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) *(noun)*: A number pulled out of a hat by a politician or political app... more »

Daily Kos: words on a Saturday from two Black men I admire

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Daily Kos: words on a Saturday from two Black men I admire: words on a Saturday from two Black men I admire by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) As I write this, I am working the bookstore at the Shirlington Village (in Arlington VA) branch of Busboys and Poets, the chain of restaurants named for Langston Hughes. As it happens I was just, as is my wont, rereading an older post, written in response to Mitt Romney saying some things should be discussed only in "quiet rooms." I am proud of this post from January 2012. In it I found occasion to quote two of the poems of Hughes - "Let A...more »

Philly fires nearly 4,000 teachers and district employees. What will Weingarten do? | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Philly fires nearly 4,000 teachers and district employees. What will Weingarten do? | Fred Klonsky: Philly fires nearly 4,000 teachers and district employees. What will Weingarten do? by Fred Klonsky [image: segment_9080_460x345] *Good statement. What will she do?* Philadelphia has announced the lay-offs of 3,700 school district employees. AFT President Randi Weingarten issued this statement: *“What was Superintendent Hite brought in to do? Mass close schools even though it makes the corridors and streets less safe for kids and destabilizes neighborhoods? Make draconian budget cuts t... more »

"There are no new taxes" - Governor Dannel Malloy 6/6/13 - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

"There are no new taxes" - Governor Dannel Malloy 6/6/13 - Wait, What?: “There are no new taxes” – Governor Dannel Malloy 6/6/13 by jonpelto On Thursday, Governor Malloy and Lt. Governor Wyman held a press conference to address issues surrounding the newly adopted state budget. Malloy told reporters, “I think that there are no taxes in this budget that were not present previously…There are no new taxes.” That is, the Governor is suggesting that the following are not “new taxes”… - The largest gas tax increase in Connecticut history that will take effect on July 1, 2013. At... more »

Thinking About Schools: Reform "WarGames"-style

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Thinking About Schools: Reform "WarGames"-style: Reform "WarGames"-style tick, tick, tick.... The opening scene of "WarGames." Two men in the missile silo. The alert comes in. One man refuses to comply launching a missile, the other pull out his gun and orders, “Turn your key.” A subsequent scene shows the furniture being removed from the silo and the men replaced by robotics. All missiles would all be controlled centrally based on running infinite global conflict scenarios of data into the WOPR. Enter Matthew Broderick, a high school kid searching for games, only to find ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: A look at Philly layoffs from Lisbon

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: A look at Philly layoffs from Lisbon: A look at Philly layoffs from Lisbon by Mike Klonsky At Lisbon University: "General Strike"It's a strange feeling sitting here in Lisbon, reading about austerity in Philly. *Philadelphia Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. announced Friday that the School District had begun mailing layoff notices to 3,783 employees, informing them they will lose their jobs July 1 because of the district’s financial crisis. The list includes 676 teachers, 283 counselors, 127 assistant principals, and 1,202 noontime aides.* -- In... more »

NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education: *NPE News Briefs* In L.A. a shift at the top of school takeover group | Schooling in the Ownership Society Outgoing Mayor Villaraigosa pulled a fast one on newly-elected mayor Eric Garcetti. He brought in a new manager, trained by the Broad Foundation, to run the corporate reform/school privatization group, Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, less than a month before Garcetti was to be sworn in as mayor. Joan Sullivan, currently Villaraigosa’s deputy mayor for education ...read moreThe post In L.A. a 31min mark as read /... more »

‘Stop this Madness’: rap video on school reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

‘Stop this Madness’: rap video on school reform: ‘Stop this Madness’: rap video on school reform By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 8, 2013 at 1:12 pmE-mail the writer 1 Comments More [image: ssssssssssss] Jeremy Dudley (www.originalrap.com) Teachers in Albany, New York, are rallying today against what the organizers call “the madness” of corporate-influenced school reform that is based on high-stakes standardized tests and that many say has demonized teachers. It is the latest in a series of rallies and protests of one kind or another in a growing backlash nationwid... more »

The Fixation With Standardized Test Scores | JD2718

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

The Fixation With Standardized Test Scores | JD2718: The Fixation With Standardized Test Scores by jd2718 *Lynne Winderbaum takes down the new NYC Teacher Evaluation System and standardized test scores* I wish Governor Cuomo [link] and Mayor Bloomberg [link] were not on record as wanting to fire teachers. I wish that Race to the Top did not force unproven reforms on states in order to compete for a piece of the pie or be left empty-handed. Although some may disagree, there is a disquieting feeling among teachers that the goal of all of these changes to evaluation is to be able to ... more »

Rebutting (again) the Persistent Flow of Disinformation on VAM, SGP and Teacher Evaluation | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Rebutting (again) the Persistent Flow of Disinformation on VAM, SGP and Teacher Evaluation | School Finance 101: Rebutting (again) the Persistent Flow of Disinformation on VAM, SGP and Teacher Evaluation by schoolfinance101 This post is in response to testimony overheard from recent presentations to the New Jersey State Board of Education. For background and more thorough explanations of issues pertaining to the use of Value-added Models and Student Growth Percentiles please see the following two sources: - Baker, B.D., Oluwole, J., Green, P.C. III (2013) The legal conseque... more »

SCUSD DAC Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 11, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

*SCUSD DAC Regular Meeting Tuesday, June 11, 2013* * * Hello fellow DAC members. The June Regular meeting is our last meeting for the Academic year 2012-2013. The DAC has had a very intense meeting schedule. We have dealt with major issues from the preposed High School Graduation Requirements, to the CORE (Title 1) Waiver, and most certainly the District’s School Closure proposal (aka rightsizing). During our November 2012 April 2013 meetings we enjoyed a presentations regarding our single most important reason for being a parent advisory council…The ConApp. On this agenda (se... more »

My Year Volunteering As A Teacher Helped Educate A New Generation Of Underprivileged Kids vs. Can We Please, Just Once, Have A Real Teacher | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago

My Year Volunteering As A Teacher Helped Educate A New Generation Of Underprivileged Kids vs. Can We Please, Just Once, Have A Real Teacher | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: Point POINT/COUNTERPOINT • Education • Opinion • Jul 17, 2012 My Year Volunteering As A Teacher Helped Educate A New Generation Of Underprivileged Kids By Megan Richmond, Volunteer Teacher When I graduated college last year, I was certain I wanted to make a real difference in the world. After 17 years of education, I felt an obligation to share my knowledge and skills with those who needed it most. Afte... more »

Victory for Seattle Teachers against High Stakes Education Testing | Dissident Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Victory for Seattle Teachers against High Stakes Education Testing | Dissident Voice: Victory for Seattle Teachers against High Stakes Education Testing by Dylan Murphy On Monday, May 13, Seattle Schools Superintendent Jose Banda announced that “High schools may opt out of MAP [Measures of Academic Progress Test] in 2013-14.” This announcement was greeted with spontaneous celebrations by teachers and students at Garfield High School where the boycott of MAP tests began in January. Garfield High School’s librarian, Janet Woodward summed up the meaning of the MAP test boycott for Ga... more »

Teacher Inquiry Gives Students a Voice Too - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Teacher Inquiry Gives Students a Voice Too - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Teacher Inquiry Gives Students a Voice Too by Anthony Cody Teachers in Oakland, California, continue to shed light on what happens when you give them autonomy and support for deep, open-ended professional growth. I have written before about the work of the Mills Teacher Scholars, a program that has been in existence for a decade. With guidance from Mills College education professor Anna Richert, the program has expanded, and a few weeks ago I joined hundreds of people as we viewed research proj... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Teacher: Reflections on Deborah Gist’s New Contract by dianerav This post was sent to me by a teacher in Rhode Island who uses the nom de plume Horace Manic. Mr. Manic writes: The recent renewal of the contract of Deborah Gist, the Commissioner of Education in Rhode Island, brings to light some interesting political dynamics. Considering the recent, well-publicized conversion of Rhode Island Governor, Lincoln Chafee, to the Democratic party of President Obama, it ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher Explains Common Core Data Collection Factually and Creatively

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: A Teacher Explains Common Core Data Collection Factually and Creatively: A Teacher Explains Common Core Data Collection Factually and Creatively by stlgretchen Connecticut teacher Paul Bogush wrote an article explaining the connection between Common Core and data collection. It is a multi-layered issue and difficult to understand. The puzzlement (and the derision of those thinking there is a connection) of readers on this subject is apparent. I picked this up from twitter: My time on #*stopcommoncore* tells me kids will get iris scans? What? #*ccss... more »

6-8-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] A Revenue First Agenda: Open Commentary to Triggermen Ben Austin and Bruce William Smith by rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels These myths falsely portrayed desegregation’s failures as the product of autonomous individual choice. Meanwhile, these myths obscured inequalities in desegregation. A new, but parallel, kind of mythmaking about choice is underway in today’s charter school efforts. — Ansley T. Erickson Parent Revolution’s executive director, wealthy white Beverly Hills lawyer Ben Austin, has made himself out […] *All Wee... more »

solidaridad: @TCFKSM: A Revenue First Agenda: Open Commentary to Triggermen Ben Austin and Bruce William Smith

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

solidaridad: @TCFKSM: A Revenue First Agenda: Open Commentary to Triggermen Ben Austin and Bruce William Smith: @TCFKSM: A Revenue First Agenda: Open Commentary to Triggermen Ben Austin and Bruce William Smith First published on @TCFKSM on June 8, 2013 ------------------------------ *These myths falsely portrayed desegregation's failures as the product of autonomous individual choice. Meanwhile, these myths obscured inequalities in desegregation. A new, but parallel, kind of mythmaking about choice is underway in today's charter school efforts. — Ansley T. Erickson* [image: Ben Austi... more »

Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky [image: speigelsumm_2066340b] No time to sit over the coffee this morning. Anne and I are headed to the Printers’ Row book fair. I think it is named for that daily rag in the tower up Michigan Avenue. But I still call it by the original name. We have tickets to hear a talk with Art Spiegelman at the Harold Washington Library. Spiegelman is the cartoonist who drew the graphic novel, *Maus.* As readers know, I have played with cartoons here over the past year. But I am not even in the farm system of the league Spiegelman ... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 6-8-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Education Research Report *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * New Study Looks at Discrimination African-American Adolescents Face in Schools Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 17 hours ago Nearly 60 years after the Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation in public schools, African-American adolescents of all socioeconomic backgrounds continue to face instances of racial discrimination in the classroom. A new study sheds light on that and points to the need for students of color to rely on personal and cultural assets to succeed academically. The study “Afri... more »

All Week 6-8-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] A Revenue First Agenda: Open Commentary to Triggermen Ben Austin and Bruce William Smith rdsathene * Robert D. Skeels at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 6 hours ago These myths falsely portrayed desegregation’s failures as the product of autonomous individual choice. Meanwhile, these myths obscured inequalities in desegregation. A new, but parallel, kind of mythmaking about choice is underway in today’s charter school efforts. — Ansley T. Erickson Parent Revolution’s executive director, wealthy white Beverly Hills lawyer... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 6-7-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE* * * *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* My experience at a #TFAListen event by Gary Rubinstein TFA has two new co-CEO’s, Elisa Villanueva-Beard and Matt Kramer. Since they have started a few months ago, they have been going on a ‘listening’ tour around the country. Based on Tweets I had read about the tour and also from a montage video I had seen, the tone of the meetings could best be described as ‘chipper.’ To me this meant that either there was an effort to get a pro-TFA audience, or that TFA was just choosing to share the least content... more »

My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me | Diane Ravitch's blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me | Diane Ravitch's blog: My Reply to Ben Austin’s Open Letter to Me by dianerav [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Earlier today, Ben Austin wrote an open letter to me on Huffington Post. He expressed dismay about my characterization of him and his group Parent Revolution. Read his letter here. Here is my reply. Dear Ben Austin, Thank you for your invitation to engage in dialogue in your letter posted on Huffington Post. You probably know that I have been writing a daily blog for the past fourteen months and during that ti... more »

Do I need to stop the car and come back there? - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Do I need to stop the car and come back there? - Wait, What?: Do I need to stop the car and come back there? by jonpelto Let’s just say it wasn’t one of Connecticut Legislature’s finest moments. As two news stories today make pretty clear, a “he said/he said” situation has put $127 million in early childhood funding in jeopardy. The CT Mirror’s article is entitled *Childcare providers worry their money held hostage by politics, while *CTNewsjunkie’ s story is called *Did Early Childhood Bill Fall Victim To Sunday Bow Hunting?* *Here’s the PROBLEM (as reported by CTMirror): * “The ... more »

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress 6-7-13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: H.R.2170 Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 25 minutes ago To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a partnership program in foreign languages. Bill Introduced: H.R.2173 Effective Teaching and Leading Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 25 minutes ago To improve teacher quality, and for other purposes. Bill Introduced: H.R.2184 Working to Encourage Community Action and Responsibility in Education Act Open Congre... more »

Ed Notes Online: Parents Present Pearson With $38 Million Invoice for Use of Child Labor for Field Tests

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Parents Present Pearson With $38 Million Invoice for Use of Child Labor for Field Tests: Parents Present Pearson With $38 Million Invoice for Use of Child Labor for Field Tests by ed notes online *Press Contacts:* Kemala Karmen Janine Sopp Tel. 917-807-9969 Tel. 917-541-6062 optout@parentvoicesny.org janinesopp@gmail.com *For Immediate Release* *Parents Create Invoice to Showca... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Finally - What Might Happen with NCLB

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Finally - What Might Happen with NCLB: Finally - What Might Happen with NCLB by Melissa Westbrook Ed Week has a great chart showing the different ideas in Congress around NCLB. I'll have to sit down, read it and ponder it but it would be something of a game changer. I look forward to more dissection from the experts. I'd love to hear what teachers think. (One peeve: so once again, Director Martin-Morris, after seeing a packed house during the School Board testimony and listening to impassioned speakers on Special Ed, the Center School issue, e... more »

One Voice United Rally | NYSUT.org

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

One Voice United Rally | NYSUT.org: [image: one voice united] We encourage NYSUT members, parents, students and community activists to come to Albany on June 8 to speak with one voice to fight for the future of public education. LEARN MORE. - About the Rally [image: support public education] Everything you need to know about fighting for the future of public education June 8 in Albany. Learn More - VIDEO: Why We Rally [image: one voice united video testimonials] Watch these video testimonials to find out why these educators and parents will be in Alba... more »

Gray sends D.C. Council a proposal to give chartering authority to schools chancellor - The Washington Post

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Gray sends D.C. Council a proposal to give chartering authority to schools chancellor - The Washington Post: Gray sends D.C. Council a proposal to give chartering authority to schools chancellor [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] It’s official: Mayor Vincent C. Gray on Friday transmitted legislation to the D.C. Council that would give Chancellor Kaya Henderson the authority to approve new charter schools. Gray (D) announced his intention to seek chartering authority for Henderson during his weekly radio address Sunday, and the bill has been under legal revi... more »

NPE Stories: Michelle Strater Gunderson on standardized testing | The Network For Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

NPE Stories: Michelle Strater Gunderson on standardized testing | The Network For Public Education: NPE Stories: Michelle Strater Gunderson on standardized testing by admin I remember watching my fourth grade students at Goudy Elementary (Uptown, Chicago) take the state reading test the year my twin daughters were also in fourth grade. I knew that Kate and Sarah were going to score off the charts on this test. Were my daughters brilliant? No — they were middle class, spoke English at home, were read to constantly, self-confident, well fed, and loved. Here’s what was on the Illinoi... more »

NCLB Bills: A Side-By-Side Comparison - Politics K-12 - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NCLB Bills: A Side-By-Side Comparison - Politics K-12 - Education Week: NCLB Bills: A Side-By-Side Comparison By Alyson Klein on June 7, 2013 4:33 PM Can't keep the three bills put out in Congress this week on the long-stalled reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act straight? Here's your cheat sheet: *Senate* *Senate* *House* *Category* Democrat Republican Republican *Accountability* Maintains the NCLB law's testing schedule, and states that have federal waivers could stick with those plans. States that don't already have federal waivers would have to come up wi... more »

Uncovering the Truth About Education Reform | The Network For Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Uncovering the Truth About Education Reform | The Network For Public Education: Uncovering the Truth About Education Reform by admin Webinar Available This week, the Network for Public Education held our latest webinar, featuring two experts on finding out the truth about education reform. We heard from statistician and teacher Mercedes Schneider from Louisiana, and private investigator Michael Corwin of New Mexico. Mercedes shared how we can critically analyze the often flawed “research” being used to justify education reform. Michael described the nuts and bolts of getting info... more »

Delivering on the Promise of Technology to Accelerate Educational Improvements | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Delivering on the Promise of Technology to Accelerate Educational Improvements | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Delivering on the Promise of Technology to Accelerate Educational Improvements by International Society for Technology in Education *Editor's note: This post was scheduled to go up today long before we knew of yesterday's announcement of President Obama's ConnectEd initiative, which calls on the FCC to leverage the E-Rate program to have 99 percent of students connected to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 year... more »

Ben Austin: A Kids First Dialogue: Open Letter to Dr. Diane Ravitch

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Ben Austin: A Kids First Dialogue: Open Letter to Dr. Diane Ravitch: A Kids First Dialogue: Open Letter to Dr. Diane Ravitch*Stand ON Children First: New AstroTurf from Teacher in the Box* *Dear Professor Diane Ravitch:* Parents, educators, and education advocates have a lot in common when it comes to a kids-first first agenda. But we can never seize that common ground if those with whom we disagree are deemed to be "evil" and sentenced to Hell, as you did last week in your nowinfamous blog post. If we can't start from that basic premise, then we are no more mature than the children... more »

Three Common Factors in High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Three Common Factors in High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]Three Common Factors in High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools June 7, 2013 by Klea Scharberg ASCD authors William Parrett and Kathleen Budge frame some of the factors found in high-performing, high-poverty schools. In these schools, community members are engaged in shifting the culture to one of possibility by acknowledging positive change, teachers are making instructional adjustments to meet the challenges of complex texts, and all are focused on rela... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Jonah Rockoff Testifies at NJBOE: Part I

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Jersey Jazzman: Jonah Rockoff Testifies at NJBOE: Part I: Jonah Rockoff Testifies at NJBOE: Part I by Duke I've been given a remarkable piece of audio that I think has to be shared widely. Jonah Rockoff, a professor of finance and economics, testified at the New Jersey State Board of Education this past Wednesday on the topic of teacher evaluation. There is no arguing with Dr. Rockoff's academic qualifications or intellect; still, it speaks volumes about where we are in our education debate that an economics professor is brought before the NJBOE as an expert in education policy. ... more »

UPDATE: The Real Truth About the Common Core State Standards | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The Real Truth About the Common Core State Standards | Truth in American Education: “State-Led” Common Core Primarily Had Only Five Writers by Shane Vander Hart Joy Pullmann at School Reform News wrote an excellent piece that helps to further demonstrate that the Common Core State Standards were not state-led. While there were many people who served on various committees and work groups all of the feedback was filtered by only five people. After giving a brief history of what led to the development of the Common Core, Pullman writes: By July 1, 2009, NGA and CCSSO had formed more ... more »

Meanwhile, Is Special Master Adamowski trying to destroy Windham’s School System? - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Meanwhile, Is Special Master Adamowski trying to destroy Windham’s School System? - Wait, What?: Meanwhile, Is Special Master Adamowski trying to destroy Windham’s School System? by jonpelto Windham Connecticut has about 3,400 public school students, of which about 62 percent are Latino. In total, 7 in 10 Windham public school students are minority. More than 75 percent of the students come from families that qualify for free or reduced priced lunches. One in four aren’t fluent in English and nearly 40 percent go home to households where English is not the primary language. In... more »

NEA Director Appointed to Suburban D.C. School Board - Teacher Beat - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NEA Director Appointed to Suburban D.C. School Board - Teacher Beat - Education Week: NEA Director Appointed to Suburban D.C. School Board by Stephen Sawchuk The Prince George's County public schools, a 124,000-student district that abuts the District of Columbia, has a new school board chairman familiar to the national education scene: He's Segun Eubanks, the director of teacher quality for the 3 million-member National Education Association. Mr. Eubanks has two children in the Maryland district. He'll keep his NEA job while chairing the board; the position began June 1. [image: Seg... more »

Arne Duncan To Launch 'High School Redesign' Competition

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Arne Duncan To Launch 'High School Redesign' Competition: Arne Duncan To Launch 'High School Redesign' Competition by Joy Resmovits In his 2013 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama promised to bring America's high schools into the future. "I'm announcing a new challenge to redesign America's high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy," Obama said at the time. "We'll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math –- the skills ... more »

The Woman Upstairs and the Pedagogy of Love - Dana Goldstein

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The Woman Upstairs and the Pedagogy of Love - Dana Goldstein: The Woman Upstairs and the Pedagogy of Love by Dana Goldstein [image: Screen Shot 2013-06-07 at 11.36.40 AM]Like, I think, a lot of women readers, I have lately been discomfited by Nora Eldridge, the protagonist of Claire Messud’s *The Woman Upstairs. *Nora is pushing 40, single, and childless. She has several close friends, throws fun birthday parties, and makes “serious” art in her spare bedroom. She is also a devoted caretaker of her elderly relatives, and quite good, even excellent, at her elementary school teaching j... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Now That Data Mining is on the Public's Radar....

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Now That Data Mining is on the Public's Radar....: Now That Data Mining is on the Public's Radar.... by stlgretchen ...let's revisit a MEW column on student data mining first published on December 28, 2011 via Emmett McGroarty and Jane Robbins of American Principles Project. From *The Department of Education Just Won The Data Jackpot:* *Emmett McGroarty, executive director of the Preserve Innocence Initiative of the American Principles Project and Jane Robbins, a senior fellow with the APP, wrote a great opinion piece that was featured in today's New Y... more »

StudentsFirst rescinds Ragan's 'Reformer of the Year' recognition » Knoxville News Sentinel

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

StudentsFirst rescinds Ragan's 'Reformer of the Year' recognition » Knoxville News Sentinel: StudentsFirst rescinds Ragan's 'Reformer of the Year' recognition [image: State Rep. John D. Ragan, R-Oak Ridge] State Rep. John D. Ragan, R-Oak Ridge NASHVILLE — Responding to an online petition drive launched by an 11-year-old Oak Ridge boy, StudentsFirst has rescinded its designation of state Rep. John Ragan as a ‘reformer of the year” because he sponsored a so-called “the don’t say gay bill.” “His introduction of ill-conceived and harmful legislation including HB 1332 — which would have c... more »

Closing the Broadband Gap for Students and Teachers | ED.gov Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Closing the Broadband Gap for Students and Teachers | ED.gov Blog: Closing the Broadband Gap for Students and Teachers by Richard Culatta [image: President Barack Obama views student projects created on laptops during a tour at Mooresville Middle School in Mooresville, N.C., June 6, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)] President Barack Obama views student projects created on laptops during a tour at Mooresville Middle School in Mooresville, N.C., June 6, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) Yesterday, President Obama and Secretary Duncan launched the Connect... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, June 7, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Friday, June 7, 2013* MORENO VALLEY: Residents challenge school board member’s appointmentA petition was filed to remove the Moreno Valley school board member appointed to replace Mike Rios. Residents are seeking to void the appointment of Gary Baugh and force an election. They have about 2,000 signatures and believe they need about 1,500. Deputy Mayor Joan Sullivan named CEO of Partnership for LA ShoolsJoan Sullivan, the education deputy to outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has been named CEO of the 2... more »