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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Diane Ravitch Website

Diane Ravitch

Diane Ravitch, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (New York: Basic Books, 2010).
Buy/read more about this book:







Cartoons Inspired by Diane's New Book

Dan Wasserman







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The Washington Teacher: What Will Become Of DC's Excessed Teachers?

The Washington Teacher: What Will Become Of DC's Excessed Teachers?


What Will Become Of DC's Excessed Teachers?

by The Wash. Teacher

Inquiring minds want to know WTU's official position ?

I have received a number of emails of concern this summer from excessed teachers who have not yet been hired by the Rhee administration. Recently, a colleague copied me in on an email asking Washington Teachers' Union President George Parker (whose term ended June 30) what is the official status of excessed teachers as well as DCPS hiring practice on this matter (email featured below).

In an August 5 Wash. Post article written by Bill Turque, Rhee stated that "although "two
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NYC Public School Parents: Please sign our letter to Klein and Liu re federal jobs funds


NYC Public School Parents

Independent voices of New York City public school parents
NYC Public School Parents: Please sign our letter to Klein and Liu re federal jobs funds

Please sign our letter to Klein and Liu re federal jobs funds

Yesterday the President signed an education jobs bill that will provide $10 billion to save an estimated 160,000 teaching jobs nationwide

According to news reports, it will send about $608 million to NY State; and an estimated $200 million to NYC. Thanks to those of you that called or emailed the Congress about this critical bill. (You can see how your House member voted here.)

These funds are desperately needed to prevent the projected loss of 2,000 teaching positions in NYC schools this fall, which, along with a continued growth in enrollment, would otherwise lead to drastically increased class sizes.

As you know, class sizes have already risen on average for the last two years; and last year, more than half of Kindergarten students were in classes of 25 or more in many schools. This is simply unacceptable, especially as the city promised to reduce class sizes in all grades in return for receiving nearly a billion dollars in extra state funds.

Please sign onto our letter to Chancellor Klein below, urging him to use these new federal funds to avert the loss of any


Net Gain for Queens Students *August 11, 2010 (GBN News):* In an abrupt change of plans, a former tennis stadium, reportedly in line to be turned into condos, will instead be bought by the NY City Department of Education and used as a giant high school classroom. The historic ...
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CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Hope Academy Charter School

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Hope Academy Charter School

Hope Academy Charter School STATE SAYS SCHOOL FACING BUDGET WOES, June 14, 2010, Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - A Pine Bluff charter school is on shaky financial ground, according to a report presented Monday to the state Board of Education… Hope Academy Charter School in ...
Lotus School of Excellence Note: The Lotus School of Excellence is a Gulen charter school *STUDENTS PUT AT RISK, BUILDING CODE OFFICIAL CHARGES UNSAFE SCHOOL ALLOWED TO STAY OPEN, E-MAILS SAY,* June 16, 2007, Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) A state building code official told ...
Mystic Valley Regional Charter School SCHOOL NOT FORTHRIGHT WITH PAYROLL; GETTING MYSTIC VALLEY DATA A LENGTHY PROCESS, August 8, 2010, Boston (MA) Globe The Mystic Valley Regional Charter School says its mission is to provide its students a world-class education that incorporates ...
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Call It "Reform" & You Can Double Your Price - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Call It "Reform" & You Can Double Your Price - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Call It "Reform" & You Can Double Your Price

by Alexander Russo
Mayor Cermak: "You know I was elected as a reform candidate."
Frank Nitti: "What the hell does that mean, Tony?"
Mayor Cermak: "It means that the price is double."

This is apparently a favorite Saul Alinsky story about Anton Cermak and Capone lieutenant Frank Nitti discussing the cost of keeping prohibited liquor flowing in Chicago, as told in a new biography, according to



Seat Belts On School Buses -- Pro Or Con? Currently, only six U.S. states have laws that mandate seat belts in school buses - Illinois is not one of them. They are New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, Texas and Louisiana. (CNN: School Bus Seat Belt Debate Renewed After Fatal Missouri ...
What Next For "Edujobs" [image: ScreenHunter_10 Aug. 06 17.52.gif] Here's a helpful rundown from SSNS's Jim Broadway about what happens next for the $10B bailout passed by the House and signed into law yesterday. In short, the money is coming but not quite here yet, and will ...
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Gunmen kill 8-year-old Chicago girl as she plays

Gunmen kill 8-year-old Chicago girl as she plays

Gunmen kill 8-year-old Chicago girl as she plays

Wednesday, August 11, 2010
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(08-11) 05:58 PDT Chicago (AP) --
Police say two gunmen on bicycles killed an 8-year-old girl and wounded her younger cousin as the children were skipping rope in a Chicago neighborhood.
Deputy Police Superintendent Ernest Brown says the shooting happened Tuesday evening in Roseland onChicago's South Side.
Brown says the two men rolled up on bicycles, fired, then fled.
There is no word Wednesday on charges in the shooting.
Relatives say the girl killed was 8-year-old Tanaja Stokes. The Cook County medical


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/08/11/national/a055808D73.DTL&type=education#ixzz0wJf7ghno
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Dear Robert. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Dear Robert. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Dear Robert.

by preaprez

Dear Robert,
I remember the first time I took notice of you. It must have been back in 2008. You were on Fox doing battle with Sean Hannity. Hannity had just handed over his TV show to some wing-nut, who it turned out was a notorious anti-Semite. You just nailed that son-of-a-bitch Hannity. I remember turning to Anne and saying,
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The Educated Reporter: Thinking private.

The Educated Reporter: Thinking private.

Thinking private.

by Linda Perlstein
According to a new NCES survey, private school teachers with one to three years’ experience have an attrition rate more than double their public school peers. Who knew? And why?

Gets me thinking that in all this discussion about teaching quality, nobody ever addresses private schools. How
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NH city schools to remind teachers about Facebook - Boston.com

NH city schools to remind teachers about Facebook - Boston.com

NH city schools to remind teachers about Facebook


August 11, 2010
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MANCHESER, N.H.—Teachers and administrators in New Hampshire's largest city are going to be warned about what they post to social networking sites such as Facebook and to avoid online contact with students.
The policy being proposed by Manchester Superintendent Thomas Brennan would prohibit teachers from inviting students to be "friends" on social networking sites or agreeing to student friend requests.
Teachers would also be restricted from chatting, texting, e-mailing or instant messaging students "in an overly casual, unprofessional, inappropriate or

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Notes from the news, Aug. 11 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Aug. 11 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Aug. 11

by Erika Owens
Golden resigns as Philadelphia schools' safety chief The Inquirer
Golden abruptly left for another opportunity amid speculation that he was not consulted enough about safety issues, including the safety response at South Philly High.
See also: District's school-security chief quits Daily News
In wake of DN column, Ackerman locks down school salary data Daily News
Even though the salaries should be a matter of public record, Ackerman severely restricted staff access to the school salary data due to a "security breach."
US Department of Education Visits PSU Wednesday PSU blog
This afternoon PSU members will meet with Alberto Retana from the Dept. of Ed. as part of a National Youth Listening Tour to get students' perspectives on school turnaround.
A school choice governor? PA2010.com (opinion)
Corbett has made his feelings on vouchers known, but Onorato supports school choice via the EITC, which helps fund private and parochial schools.
House passes bill that saves thousands of teachers' jobs The Notebook blog
All it needs now is Obama's signature to send out $10 billion for teachers' jobs.
Philadelphia School District terminates longtime contract with CEP WHYY
Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.
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Notes from the news
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“10 Websites For Virtual Sightseeing With Travel Videos” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“10 Websites For Virtual Sightseeing With Travel Videos” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“10 Websites For Virtual Sightseeing With Travel Videos” 10 Websites For Virtual Sightseeing With Travel Videos is a nice list from The Make Use of blog. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Learning & Teaching Geography.
The Best Web Applications That Lets Multiple People Upload Their Photos To One Place This is an extremely short list, but one that I’m making primarily for myself. On field trips this year I want to try having students upload photos they take and very easily upload them to one site that they can use to create slideshows. I could ...
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Education Week: Cost of Cyber Charter Schools Going Up as Popularity Increases

Education Week: Cost of Cyber Charter Schools Going Up as Popularity Increases

Cost of Cyber Charter Schools Going Up as Popularity Increases

By Keith Paradise, Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa. (MCT)
Article Tools
In a couple of weeks, some students will be logging on for the first day of classes—instead of walking into school—as cyber schools take in more area students every year.
With each passing school year, cyber charter schools are becoming a bigger business across the state and U.S. The result is an increased cost for school districts, which fund a student's enrollment in the schools. The state reimburses a portion of those costs.
Tuscarora School District Business Manager Eric Holtzman said each regular education student that enrolls in cyber charter schools costs the district about $6,668 and special education students can cost around $14,000. About 30 percent of the costs for students that attend cyber schools are reimbursed by the state.
Holtzman said the total cost paid out by Tuscarora for cyber school students during the

Obama Signs Bill Aimed at Saving Teachers' Jobs
The $10 billion measure is aimed at keeping more than 160,000 teachers on the job, but it would cut funds for adolescent literacy and teacher training.(August 11, 2010) | Comments (3)
Arizona, Tucson At Odds Over Ethnic Studies
The state chief says ethnic studies classes violate a new law and threatens to cut aid to the district.(August 10, 2010) | Comments (13)
Texas Dems Vote for Jobs Bill That May Cost State
(August 11, 2010)
Chicago Mayor Wants to End City College Open Admissions
(August 11, 2010)
N.C. Schools to Ease 'Zero Tolerance'
(August 11, 2010)
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President Barack Obama highlights his education agenda in a speech to the National Urban League conference in Washington on July 29.
—J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Despite Pushback, Obama Stands Firm on Ed. Agenda
The Obama administration is standing by its aggressive education reforms despite concerns from key members of Congress and civil rights leaders. (August 10, 2010)
Cost of Cyber Charter Schools Going Up as Popularity Increases
(August 11, 2010)
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