Big Education Ape

Sunday, January 9, 2011

It was with an unbelievable sense of shock and sadness that the California Council for the Social Studies Board of Directors, of which I am a part, received information about the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords while conducting business in its January board meeting. Our business was being conducted in the historic courthouse in Ontario, CA, in a building over 100 years old. That morning, Social Studies leaders from all over the state flew in to participate in the democratic process of leading, guiding and debating the issues pertaining to our discipline, as time-consuming and grinding as the process can sometimes be.

Due to the age of the building, we were not connected to wireless internet during the all-day meeting, but reports of the tragedy soon trickled in via Blackberries and iPads. Stunned silence followed the news announcement by CCSS President Greg Spielman, followed by cries of disbelief and shock. How could this be possible?

As social scientists, it is in our nature to place events on a timeline of a history, to look for patterns or changes

Re-thinking AP: Thank Goodness, but will it be enough? | Connected Principals

Re-thinking AP: Thank Goodness, but will it be enough?

by Jonathan Martin

In my own effort to lead a 21st century school, I am finding no issue more difficult than determining the appropriate role of the AP exam and AP exam preparation curriculum.

It cannot be ignored that the AP is an important symbol and signifier to many families of a high caliber academic college prep secondary curriculum, and I can’t simply ignore or override the priority and value current and prospective families may place on an AP program. To its credit, over a period of several decades, the College Board’s AP curriculum did indeed assist valuably in raising the rigor and academic standards of many unfortunately academically mediocre high schools across the nation.

The AP provides a tremendous challenge to many high school students, and I use that term, challenge, in

Damn Good Education Daily

Sarah Palin Statement On Arizona Shooting Involving Democrat Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

huffingtonpost.com - 3:35 PM ET Members Of Congress Avoiding Mass Town Hall Meetings HuffPost's Howard Fineman:Members of Congress and other politicians in embattled Arizona -- torn over immigration and issues of the s...

mikeklonsky

Representative Gabrielle Giffords on Violent Political Rhetoric, March 2010 « Student Activism

studentactivism.net - “Are you afraid? Are you fearful today?” “You know, I’m not. We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of protesters over the course of the last several months. Our office corner has become a place where the...

studentactivism

"My Father Died for Pakistan"

dailykos.com - Sat Jan 08, 2011 at 09:00:14 PM PSTTWENTY-SEVEN. That’s the number of bullets a police guard fired into my father before surrendering himself with a sinister smile to the policemen around him. Salm...

teacherken

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

larryferlazzo.edublogs.org - Jan 09 2011 Larry Ferlazzo eJournal USA is a regular publication of the United States Department of State. I’m not entirely clear who the intended audience is for the publication, but the issues se...

Larryferlazzo

Did Time.com just publish the longest disclosure statement ever?

poynter.org - Romenesko Letters That’s what Alexander Russo asks after reading the 146-word disclosure below Andrew Rotherham‘s Jan. 6 Time.com column, “Michelle Rhee: The Radical.” || Russo’s own disclosure: “I...

alexanderrusso

Last Stand for Children First: Ryan Wilson on poverty and other excuses

Ryan Wilson on poverty and other excuses

by Last Stand for Children

G'day! When you've been in the education reform game for awhile you start noticing trends. You see all these figjam teachers who know why the little ankle biters aren't learning right and you know what--it's never their fault.

I don't know how often I've been touring a school and asked a teacher about their dismal test scores and they immediately come the raw prawn with me telling me that their students are poor, or still learning English as a second language, or have learning disabilities that leave them unable to meet or exceed on standardized tests at their grade level. They immediately expect me to just rack off and defer to their low opinion of their own students.

I like to think all the students can learn if properly motivated and if not most can be

The Best Resources For Learning About The Role Of Private Foundations In Education Policy | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“Big Marker” Looks Good For Online Conferencing Big Marker lets you create an online conference, and is free. It seems pretty straight-forward and usable. I’m adding it to The Best Online Tools For Real-Time Collaboration.

The Best Resources For Learning About The Role Of Private Foundations In Education Policy Several major foundations, including Gates and Walton, are playing an increasing large role in education policy. I thought that readers might find a short list of related resources useful, and I would appreciate additional suggestions. Here are my ...

Meeting and greeting the next Chicago mayor. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Meeting and greeting the next Chicago mayor.

by Fred Klonsky

Our family was proud to host a meet and greet for Miguel Del Valle on Sunday afternoon. A large turn-out of friends and neighbors filled the place. People opened their check books and asked challenging questions ranging from the issue of closing neighborhood schools (he’s against it), to the militarization of city high schools (he’s

Modern School: National Guard Can’t Save California’s Schools

National Guard Can’t Save California’s Schools New California schools chief Tom Torlakson declared a “state of financial emergency,” saying, “The law won’t allow me to call in the National Guard, so I’m saying to every Californian: ‘Your schools need your help and they need it now.’” Well, they ...

Fox News Makes You Dumber You are probably already dumb, or lazy, if you enjoy watching Fox News or consider it an accurate source of information. Or maybe you just enjoy hearing angry men raving inanely about matters they know little about. Therefore, it should be no surprise ...

Gates’ Boy Deasy to Run LAUSD Bill Gates protégé John Deasy is set to replace Ramon Cortines for superintendent of LAUSD. Deasy has a sleazy history of associating with felons. He has a bogus doctorate degree. He flees from low income districts when the going gets tough. And best ...

The Answer Sheet - How to be taken seriously as a reformer (don't be an educator)

How to be taken seriously as a reformer (don't be an educator)

This was written by Gregory Michie, who teaches in the Department of Foundations, Social, Policy and Research at Concordia University Chicago. He is the author of "Holler If You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students" and co-editor of "City Kids, City Schools: More Reports from the Front Row." By Gregory Michie In the current upside-down world of education policy, there's one foolproof strategy for being taken seriously as a reformer: Make sure you're not an educator. Urban districts nationwide, with Chicago leading the way, have hired those with business or legal backgrounds to head their school systems. Major voices in the reform conversation such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and philanthropist Eli Broad have never been teachers. And when Oprah wants to talk about schools, she invites Bill Gates or Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg -- all the while reminding her audience how much she loves

Banned student play will go on!

Two high school principals who banned a student-written play critical of New York City reform -- and Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former chancellor Joel Klein -- have reversed themselves and will allow the work to be staged after all. The play, titled “Declassified: Struggle for Existence (We Used to Eat Lunch Together)” and based on the Greek tragedy "Antigone," was written by 14 students from two New York City schools -- Jamaica High and Queens Collegiate, which share the same building.

School Tech Connect: The Things People Say

The Things People Say

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Okay, that was a nightmare of film reviewing but I found it.   Here’s where Robin Steans of Action Illinois makes the claim about teacher effectiveness being twenty times more important than poverty.

Popout

I’m not trying to demonize her; she’s an effective advocate for the things she believes in, and she wants effective

Honoring the Dead « Student Activism

Honoring the Dead

by Angus Johnston

Who died yesterday in Tucson?

A trial-level federal judge, John Roll, on the bench for twenty years. A lawyer who gave up the much higher salaries of the private sector for the rewards of sitting behind a bench doing justice every day.

A congressional staffer, Gabe Zimmerman. Not just any congressional staffer, but a director of public outreach. The guy whose job it is to meet with constituents, wrangle local issues, set up events like the one he was attending yesterday morning.

A nine-year-old kid, Christina Taylor Green, just elected to her lets-pretend school council. A kid who jumped at

Respecting your Adversary | Lefty Parent

Respecting your Adversary

by Cooper Zale

In response to my piece yesterday attempting to call out the dysfunctional rhetoric of both sides in the current Congressional debates, the most incisive criticism I received on the Daily KOS version of my post was essentially that I was making a false equivalency between the critique of conservatism from progressive voices like MSNBC and the critique of progressives from conservatives like Fox News. The former being based on a mostly responsible analysis of the facts while the

So what was precalculus, again? « JD2718

So what was precalculus, again?

by jd2718

As the first math teacher in a brand new school (9 years ago), I’ve had a bunch of time to consider that question. It’s sort of a mess.

There is no branch of mathematics called “Precalculus” (there is Algebra, there is Geometry, there is Trigonometry. Hmm, there’s not really Calculus, except for The Calculus, but there is Analysis. Maybe we

Queens Teacher: Money Drives Education "Reform"

Money Drives Education "Reform"

by Queens Teacher

The Ultimate $uperpower • Supersized Dollars Drive Waiting for ‘Superman’ Agenda
By Barbara Miner

In 1972, two young Washington Post reporters were investigating a low-level burglary at the Watergate Hotel and stumbled upon a host of unexplained coincidences and connections that reached to the White House.

One of the reporters, Bob Woodward, went to a high-level government source and complained: “The story is dry. All we’ve got are pieces. We can’t seem to figure out what the puzzle is supposed to look like.”

To which the infamous Deep Throat replied: “Follow the money. Always follow the money.”

Sidestepping Democracy

For nearly 40 years, “follow the money” has been an axiom in both

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links.