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Monday, March 14, 2011

Big Education Ape: 3-14-11, Special AM #wiunion Edition #recall8 #p2

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now, #wiunion

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now


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#wiunion
firedoglake.com - We have made big strides in setting up our membership group, the FDL Association. As the Chair of the Association, I have high hopes that it will provide opportunities for active participation in F...

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dekerivers.wordpress.com - Read this and tell me tell me that Republicans are not bat-crap crazy. Catching up on newspaper reading this afternoon leads me to this article from The Wall Street Journal concerning the collectiv...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Randy Turner: The Failure of American TeachersThe Failure of American TeachersFor a long time, I tried to fight it.Whenever someone had the temerity to criticize public schools and schoolteachers, ...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Two Weeks In Madison: A TributeTwo Weeks In Madison: A Tributeby Duane Campbell

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - 100,000 Welcome the Dem14 Home in Madison, Wisconsin | blue cheddar.100,000 Welcome the Dem14 Home in Madison, WisconsinBY BLUECHEDDARI’m going to say 100,000. I see reports of “over 85,000″ but as...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Assault on Collective Bargaining Illegal, Says International Labor Rights GroupAssault on Collective Bargaining Illegal, Says International Labor Rights GroupSunday 13 March 2011by: Jeanne Mirer an...

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huffingtonpost.com - Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has not exactly had the best relationship with the new crop of Republican governors that took over the Midwest in January.Both Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Wiscons...

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businessweek.com - By TODD RICHMOND MADISON, Wis. The largest crowd yet has descended on Wisconsin's Capitol to protest cuts to public worker collective bargaining rights day after Gov. Scott Walker signed the measur...

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host.madison.com - ANDREW G. BIGGS and JASON RICHWINE madison.com | | Posted: Sunday, March 13, 2011 10:52 am Amid the rage over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposals to shrink government worker compensation, one q...

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chicagotribune.com - Associated Press 1:10 p.m. CDT, March 13, 2011chibrknews-attempts-to-unseat-senators-could-be-historic-20110313 Now that legislators have voted on a controversial collective bargaining bill, Wiscon...

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kochwatch.org - You are hereMatthew Schauenburg: Hunger Striking for Democracy

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greenbaypressgazette.com - MADISON — Opponents of Gov. Scott Walker were back at work Sunday on recall efforts targeting Republican state senators who supported the new governor’s overhaul of public employee union rights.In ...

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kochwatch.org - You are hereTax the Rich: Madison Protest Time-lapse (Full Length)

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dccc.org - Copyright © 2011 Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Contributions or gifts to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are not tax deductible. P...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - shutterwi on Mar 12, 2011Gov. Walker protest rally. Rally was in Washburn Wi on the shores of Chequamegon Bay, Lake Superior. The crowd was estimate a 2000 plus protesters. Recall Walker and recall...

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poststar.com - SARATOGA SPRINGS -- MoveOn, a liberal political advocacy organization, announced it will hold a rally in solidarity with union workers in Wisconsin at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the corner of Broadway an...

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ikedacenter.org - By John Dewey Under present circumstances I cannot hope to conceal the fact that I have managed to exist eighty years. Mention of the fact may suggest to you a more important fact-namely, that even...

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firedoglake.com - Over the past few days, my colleagues here at Firedoglake have been inviting you to become FDL members – and already many of you have. There are certainly lots of reasons to join – whether it’s sup...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Rep. Kucinich Fires Up Madison Workers’ Rights Rally | www.kochwatch.orgRep. Kucinich Fires Up Madison Workers’ Rights Rally WATCH ON THE UPTAKE:Andrew Klavan: Behold! Your Public Sector Unions at ...

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host.madison.com - DOUG ERICKSON | derickson@madison.com | 608-252-6149 madison.com | | Posted: Sunday, March 13, 2011 8:30 am Now that legislators have voted on a controversial collective bargaining bill, Wisconsin ...

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defendwisconsin.org - Donate to TAA PAC at ActblueUW Teaching Assistants' Association [Info]Milwaukee Graduate Assistants AssociationContact us at defendwisconsin@gmail.com

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - How you can help defend Wisconsin | Defend WisconsinHow you can help defend Wisconsinby mkunovic1) Gather signatures for the recall of eight Republican SenatorsWe need your help to recall 8 Republi...

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boston.com - MADISON, Wis.—Thousands of pro-labor protesters undeterred by the success of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's plan to cut public workers' collective bargaining rights marched at the state's Capitol on...

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sheboyganpress.com - MADISON — Douglas Guyette always votes, but he has never campaigned for a candidates.MADISON – Defiant upon their return to the Capitol on Saturday, state Senate Democrats defended their self-impos...

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lacrossetribune.com - MADISON — The 14 Democratic state senators who spent three weeks in Illinois to stave off a vote on Gov. Walker’s budget repair bill said the tens of thousands of protesters who flooded the Capitol...

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solidaritywisconsin.com - The International Commission for Labor Rights (ICLR) sent a notice to the Wisconsin Legislature, explaining that its attempt to strip collective bargaining rights from public workers is illegal. .....

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salon.com - (AP Photo/Andy Manis) Union supporter Stanley Minnick of Madison, Wis., protests outside of the the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., Thursday morning in opposition to the governor's proposed budget ...

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criminaljusticedegreeschools.com - by James Madeiros on March 13, 2011 Local and national criminal justice professionals – specifically police officers – eyed the recent union battle in Wisconsin and the rest of the Midwest with gre...

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defendwisconsin.org - We are standing in the heart of Berlin but are with you in spirit in Madison and elsewhere in the United States where union rights are in danger. American Voices Abroad Berlin has been joined by De...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Wisconsin Farmers' Tractor Rally for Workers' Rights | www.kochwatch.orgWisconsin Farmers' Tractor Rally for Workers' Rights PART 1 WATCH ON YOUTUBE: read moreGreat Photo Gallery of Madison Protest...

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teacherreality.wordpress.com - March 14, 2011 by TeacherReality A Teacher Weeps for the Future of Wisconsin Schools by Vikki Kratz The morning after the Republicans stripped me of my rights, I stood in the hallway of my school, ...

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democurmudgeon.blogspot.com - With arrogance on display, Sen. Alberta Darling unintentionally proves conservative John Dean's thesis and warning that Republican authoritarians pose a danger to their own party and nation.Totally...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - WEACvideo on Mar 13, 2011Actor Tony Shalhoub addresses 100,000 labor supporters at a rally in Madison Wisconsin. March 12, 2011

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actblue.com - (since March 02, 2011) It's time to recall the Republican Senators who have stood with Scott Walker and pushed his partisan power grab that will strip thousands of middle ...

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dekerivers.wordpress.com - The first volume of the planned trilogy has remained a national bestseller since its release in November, 100 years after Twain’s death at the age of 74. There are nearly half a million copies in p...

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kochwatch.org - By CD - Posted on 13 March 2011

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - A teacher weeps for the future of Wisconsin schools - Isthmus | The Daily PageA teacher weeps for the future of Wisconsin schoolsVikki Kratz on Thursday 03/10/2011 3:25 pm, (8) Comments, (48) Likes...

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coopmike48 Marcos Breton: Republican city schools chief fights to bring GOP around on taxes - Sacramento News - Local ...http://bit.ly/fzR7xm #Edu4 minutes ago · reply

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Wisconsin Farmers Flood Madison – Tractor Parade March 12 | Defend WisconsinWisconsin Farmers Flood Madison – Tractor Parade March 12by jillhopkeMore union members and concerned Wisconsin residents...

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tweetdeck.com - Coopmike48#wiunion #recall8 #p2 We can all do this … write public servant on all cash, checks, credit card receipts… remind them all that we pay … and we count ! « Continuing Change - http://goo.gl...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Just say no to voucher expansion « Larry Miller's BlogJust say no to voucher expansionby millerlfBy Barbara Miner March 12, 2011 MJS CrossroadsMemo to all Wisconsin legislators. There is an easy wa...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - ThinkProgress » Madison Rally Bigger Than Biggest Tea Party RallyMadison Rally Bigger Than Biggest Tea Party RallyPolice estimated up to 100,000 people turned out in Madison, WI yesterday to protes...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com -

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presstv.ir - Union battleground shifts from Wisconsin to Ohio and ballot boxSun Mar 13, 2011 3:55PMMichelle Chen, These Times The movement has been set back for now, but the standoff in Madison captured labor's...

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schooltechconnect.com - Or lack thereof. I'm sorry but this Alberta Darling person simply does not seem very bright. She's demonstrating the phenomenon in which a Republican officeholder strings together a series of phra...

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dekerivers.wordpress.com -

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politics.gather.com - The 14 Wisconsin Democrats who fled the state weeks ago to prevent the passage of a union busting bill, returned to Madison on Saturday. The amassed protesters greeted the lawmakers with cheers and...

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smh.com.au - Demonstrators at Wisconsin’s State Capitol in Madison join 14 senators who left the state to protest a labour bill that curbs collective bargaining for public workers. Photo: Reuters WISCONSIN'S 14...

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democurmudgeon.blogspot.com - Fox News hosts are having a hard time defending their own fabricated talking points. After a couple of weeks of media interviews, the Wisconsin 14 are battle ready... In the video below, the Fox Ne...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Friday’s Wisconsin Solidarity School Walkouts — Media & Blog RoundupFriday’s Wisconsin Solidarity School Walkouts — Media & Blog RoundupMarch 13, 2011 in StudentsStudents in at least twenty states ...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Big Education Ape: Ed News Now, #wiunionBig Education Ape: Ed News Now as shared by 6 people on Coopmike48’s Twitter listNext update in about 12 hoursBack to front pageHEADLINESEDUCATIONPOLITICSART...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Part 2. 100,000 Welcome the Dem14 Home: The Press Conference | blue cheddar.Part 2. 100,000 Welcome the Dem14 Home: The Press ConferenceBY BLUECHEDDARI could say without exaggeration that I was riv...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Diane Ravitch: Eight Civics Lessons from Governor WalkerDiane Ravitch: Eight Civics Lessons from Governor Walkerby Diane RavitchBy Diane RavitchGovernor Scott Walker of Wisconsin has taught the nat...

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democurmudgeon.blogspot.com -

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Republicans Introduce Legistation to Weaken K12 Public Schools in Wisconsin | Defend WisconsinRepublicans Introduce Legistation to Weaken K12 Public Schools in Wisconsinby jillhopkeRepublican state...

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wdtv.com - Last Updated on Saturday, 12 March 2011 22:53 Written by Ashton Marra Saturday, 12 March 2011 22:39 "They automatically went in to just take it all away. That's not a way you're going to get a good...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Wisconsin fight goes national - Alexander Burns - POLITICO.comWisconsin fight goes national599 CommentsRSSEmailPrintThe first battle is over in Wisconsin, but the war may spill over to the rest of ...

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defendwisconsin.org - Reporting from Madison, Wis. The protests that rocked Madison over the last month drew union members and students — but some key figures in the mobilizations were both. Members of the Teaching Assi...

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Daily Kos: We're NOT Broke!

Daily Kos: We're NOT Broke!

We're NOT Broke!

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)
We’re not broke. Yes, nearly all levels of government face fiscal problems because of the economic downturn. But there is no crisis. There are many different paths open to fixing public budgets. And we will come up with wiser and more sustainable solutions if we approach fiscal problems calmly, realizing that we’re still a very rich country and that the wealthiest among us are doing exceptionally well.

Those words appear in this morning's Washington Post, in an op ed by E. J. Dionne titled What if we're not broke? As Dionne puts it succinctly,

A phony metaphor is being used to hijack the nation’s political conversation and skew public policies to benefit better-off Americans and hurt most others.

This is a must-read column. And before I explore it more, I want to offer a few remarks about Dionne.

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Marcos Breton: Republican city schools chief fights to bring GOP around on taxes - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Marcos Breton: Republican city schools chief fights to bring GOP around on taxes - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Marcos Breton: Republican city schools chief fights to bring GOP around on taxes

mbreton@sacbee.com

PUBLISHED SUNDAY, MAR. 13, 2011

It's not commonly known that Jonathan Raymond, superintendent of the Sacramento City Unified School District, was once a Republican congressional candidate who was anti-tax to the point of favoring tax breaks for the rich.
That was in 1996, in Raymond's home state of Massachusetts, when he was 35 and driven by the spirit of his Republican role models, Ronald Reagan and Orrin Hatch.
"Raymond pledges that he will never raise taxes except in time of war," wrote the Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Mass., when describing Raymond back then.
Today, it's a different story, a different context, and Raymond is a different man who doesn't have the luxury of holding fast to ideology when he has a payroll to make and thousands of schoolkids impacted by his decisions.
He is still Republican, maybe the only one in Sacramento who has openly supported Gov. Jerry Brown's bid to hold a June special election where voters would be asked to extend three different taxes that could prevent doomsday cuts to public education if enacted.
Time is almost up. Preliminary pink slips go out to teachers on Tuesday.
For Raymond, the 21st century public schools chief, reality means taking a stand that would have drawn the condemnation of Raymond the 20th century GOP candidate.
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Arne Duncan talks about stimulus spending, No Child and parental engagement | The Education Front Blog | dallasnews.com

Arne Duncan talks about stimulus spending, No Child and parental engagement | The Education Front Blog | dallasnews.com

Arne Duncan talks about stimulus spending, No Child and parental engagement

by William McKenzie/ Editorial Columnist

Editor's Note: Here is a telephone interview that I recently did with Education Secretary Arne Duncan. This excerpt originally ran in Sunday's DMN Points section:

What did spending $100 billion in the stimulus bill on education have to do with stimulating the economy?

We had dual goals: One was to save jobs. We didn't need teachers adding to the unemployment rolls. And we wanted to avoid an education crisis with big layoffs.

Teachers also help stimulate the economy. They do the dry cleaning. They pay mortgages. They buy cars.

The second goal was to use the money to drive reform. I can make a good case that we have seen more reform

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Sacramento Bee Interview With…Me | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Sacramento Bee Interview With…Me | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...
Sacramento Bee Interview With…Me Q&A: Books, blogs help teacher reach beyond Sacramento classroom is the headline of an interview with me that appeared in the Sacramento Bee today. It might be worth a look…
Short Excerpt From My Upcoming Book, “Helping Students Motivate Themselves” I thought readers might find it useful/interesting to read the short introduction to my upcoming book, *Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges.* You can see more information, including the table of contents, ...
“Story Time For Me” Story Time For Me is a new site offering free stories that are read aloud. As the stories are read, the words being spoken are highlighted. The site has about thirty stories now, and is adding a few more each month. I’m adding it to The Best Websites ...
“Story Time For Me” Story Time For Me is a new site offering free stories that are read aloud. As the stories are read, the words being spoken are highlighted. The site has about thirty stories now, and is adding a few more each month. I’m adding it to The Best Websites ...
Introducing A New Regular Feature: “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t” Today, I’d like to introduce a new regular feature I”m calling “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t.” I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not ...
Today’s Resources On Japan Here are the newest additions to Part Two of my “The Best…” list on the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (you can see Part One here): Teaching Ideas: The Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan comes from The New York Times Learning Network. CNN has many videos ...
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End Corporal Punishment in Schools: Grassroots Efforts Meet A Movement From the Fashion World

End Corporal Punishment in Schools: Grassroots Efforts Meet A Movement From the Fashion World

End Corporal Punishment in Schools: Grassroots Efforts Meet A Movement From the Fashion World

by CYNTHIA on MARCH 12, 2011

I’ve written before how I’m committed to non-violent parenting and use positive discipline with my own child. This is in part because I’ve experienced corporal punishment from my parents while growing up–much as probably 80% of my generation of parents has.

But why is it important to cultivate positive discipline among parents?Because if there is no spanking at home, corporal punishment in the schools becomes starkly inexcusable instead of mildly intolerable.

Even parents who do believe in physically punishing their children at home bristle when strangers–teachers or principals at school–administer this kind

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4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SHUTTING OUT PARENTS: Obama's Disappointing Blueprint for Reform

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SHUTTING OUT PARENTS: Obama's Disappointing Blueprint for Reform
SHUTTING OUT PARENTS: Obama's Disappointing Blueprint for Reform “Education is a public trust, and the very foundation of our democracy. Congress holds a great responsibility in its hands in the pending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. We are well aware that powerful corporate and ...
CALIFORNIA’S GAMBLE ON K-12 EDUCATION IS A GAMBLE ON OUR FUTURE by Robert Denham, Dean of the School of Education of the University of Redlands in the Huffington Post | http://huff.to/gjqQs0 March 11, 2011 - Predicating education financing on California's legislators busy posturing on the budget for re-election or on ...
HURRY UP, MR.PRESIDENT + IS ‘NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND’ CREATING TEST TAKING ROBOTS? By Doug Curlee | A two part series in the Santee, CA Patch Doug Curlee is a veteran of 42 years in the battlefield of television journalism, 33 of those years in San Diego County. With a population of 56,000 and located in eastern San Diego ...

DEMOCRATS STAND ALONE ON BUDGET CUTS: Difficult decisions must be made in the Legislature, but Republicans would rather cast blame than cast votes. By George Skelton, Capitol Journal/LA Times | http://lat.ms/erfU6M March 14, 2011 - From Sacramento - There's a common complaint voiced by disgruntled Californians, especially political conservatives: Sacramento's spending is out of control. That's ...
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Q&A: Books, blogs help teacher reach beyond Sacramento classroom - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Q&A: Books, blogs help teacher reach beyond Sacramento classroom - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Q&A: Books, blogs help teacher reach beyond Sacramento classroom

mgutierrez@sacbee.com

PUBLISHED MONDAY, MAR. 14, 2011

1M14TEACHER.JPG

Sacramento teacher Larry Ferlazzo uses the written word to share what he's learned in the seven years since he left his job as a community organizer to become an English teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento.

Ferlazzo, 51, has two successful blogs and an active Twitter account, and his third book – "Helping Students Motivate Themselves" – is due out next month.

He started a blog, Websites of the Day, four years ago to share best practices of using technology with English-language learners. The blog now has 25,000 daily subscribers. In this interview, he discusses his upcoming book and education issues.

When you got into teaching, did you know the kind of school where you wanted to teach?

I wanted to teach in an urban en- vironment. I was particularly interested in working with immigrant students. My parents were immigrants and most of my organizing career was in urban communities.

My father was from Italy and my mother from Trinidad … . My father actually began working as a linguistics professor at Rutgers, but he decided he wasn't making enough money to support a family so he worked for a big

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Beyond baking brownies | Thoughts on Public Education

Beyond baking brownies | Thoughts on Public Education

Beyond baking brownies

Parent activism moves from schools to Sacramento

Posted on 3/14/11 • Categorized as Parent activism

By Kathryn Baron

Cupertino is a fairly affluent city in Silicon Valley, so when the school district sent layoff notices to 107 teachers last year, a group of parents mobilized a massive fundraising effort to save those jobs. They raised more than $2 million in two months. But Hoi Yung Poon, who helped organize the campaign, realized that this type of fundraising wasn’t a long-termsolution. “It wasn’t a sustainable plan,” said Poon. “Our focus is targeting and mobilizing parents in Silicon Valley and partnering with parents in other parts of the state.”

A handful of PTA parents in San Francisco public schools organized a town hall meeting on education on Feb. 25, 2010. It featured legislators, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, and KQED Public Radio’s Michael Krasny as moderator. Despite that firepower, the moms expected

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Diane Ravitch: Eight Civics Lessons from Governor Walker #wiunion

Diane Ravitch: Eight Civics Lessons from Governor Walker

Diane Ravitch: Eight Civics Lessons from Governor Walker

by Diane Ravitch
By Diane Ravitch
Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin has taught the nation some very important civics lessons. The price is high, but we should pay careful attention to what he teaches by example.
The first lesson: Citizens should not be hoodwinked by rhetoric. Governor Walker said that the state was broke. He said that public sector workers had to make larger contributions to the cost of their pensions and healthcare, even as he handed out generous corporate tax breaks for the same amount. Doing a reverse Robin Hood, he took from the middle class to enrich the powerful. The unions promptly agreed to pay what the governor proposed, effectively cutting their compensation, but the governor would not take yes for an answer. He insisted on breaking the unions, even though no financial issues were involved.
Lesson two: It is really important to vote. Only 51.7% of eligible voters in Wisconsin cast a ballot last November, and they ended up with a governor and a legislature who are wreaking havoc on state government and decimating vital public services.
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How you can help defend Wisconsin | Defend Wisconsin #wiunion

How you can help defend Wisconsin | Defend Wisconsin

How you can help defend Wisconsin

by mkunovic

1) Gather signatures for the recall of eight Republican Senators

We need your help to recall 8 Republican Senators who stood with Scott Walker and rammed through his extreme agenda that ends 50 years of civil rights and strips teachers, nurses, librarians and other workers of their right to collective bargaining. The clock is ticking and we now have less than 60 days to collect the signatures we need to force a recall. Every day counts.

Please take a look at the volunteer schedule and sign up to help.

2) Make phone calls

Whether you have 30 minutes or 3 hours to spare, you can help by making phone calls to inform people across Wisconsin of events happening in their districts; to recruit volunteers for rallies, marches and events; to ask people to canvass for recall efforts; to thank past volunteers; and so on. Don’t worry if you don’t have experience.

There are numerous alternatives to austerity – one is a state bank

by kmatt

As states struggle to meet their budgets, public pensions are on the chopping block, but they needn’t be. States can keep their pension funds intact while leveraging them into many times their worth in loans, just as Wall Street banks do. They can do this by forming their own public banks, following the lead of North Dakota—a state that currently has a budget surplus.

Read more from Yes! magazine

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Open Letter To The Public Education Budget Cutters « InterACT

Open Letter To The Public Education Budget Cutters « InterACT

Open Letter To The Public Education Budget Cutters

by Kelly A. Kovacic

Dear Politician or Policy-Maker:

OK, I get it. You read stories about incompetent teachers being paid to do nothing and teachers unions preventing any improvement. You are embarrassed because students in Slovenia scored higher than U.S. students on an international multiple choice math exam. Even though you have probably never been a teacher and it has been years since you have spent any meaningful time in a classroom, you believe that teaching really can’t be that challenging. And, since everyone is saying that our public education system is “broken,” it must be.

On the other hand, however, because most of you don’t send your own children to a failing school, any personal experiences you have had with public education have been largely positive. Sure, there were times when you thought your child’s project deserved an A instead of the B. There was also the season when the coach who you thought clearly didn’t know what he was doing started someone’s else’s son at shortstop. But, all in all, the teachers were more than competent and your child knew much more at the end of the school year than at the

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Ravitch: Jon Stewart and other education heroes - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Ravitch: Jon Stewart and other education heroes - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post
Ravitch: Jon Stewart and other education heroes Education historian Diane Ravitch: “There really is a bipartisan consensus on education reform... .”
Why schools should try things not “research-based” A buzz phrase in schools across the country has become “research-based best practices” -- but sometimes schools may need to try things that have no evidence base.
Why schools should try things not “research-based” A buzz phrase in schools across the country has become “research-based best practices” -- but sometimes schools may need to try things that have no evidence base.
A Florida teacher tells Obama he disappointed her A Florida public school teacher explains how she told President Obama that he has disappointed teachers -- and what she wishes she had more time to tell him.
Teachers tell: One thing I wish I’d known Teachers answer this question: “What was one thing you wished you’d known when you started teaching?
Rheeform: How she fired teachers (with artistic license) Here’s an artist’s rendering, so to speak, of how Michelle Rhee worked when she was chancellor of D.C. schools. A video that will make you laugh and cry.
Why Bill Gates is wrong on class size A veteran teacher explains why a proposal by Bill Gates to selectively increase class size doesn’t make any educational or financial sense.
Pearls of wisdom from the Education Department In the “D-for duh” category, here is some of the advice that the Education Department spent time putting together as guidance just issued to governors on how to wisely spend federal money during these financially troubled times.
Why homework is counterproductive Here are four reasons from Alfie Kohn about why homework is a losing enterprise for teachers, parents and students.
Japan Earthquake: Facts, resources on quakes, tsunamis Here are facts and websites that teachers and parents can use to educate themselves and their children about earthquakes and tsunamis.
5 myths on zero tolerance policies Zero-tolerance disciplinary policies have been popular for years in school districts around the country, often implemented on a set of assumptions that research shows are not true. Here are five myths about zero-tolerance, and the reality.
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NYC Educator: NY Times' Kristof Tackles Pernicious Fallacies

NYC Educator: NY Times' Kristof Tackles Pernicious Fallacies

NY Times' Kristof Tackles Pernicious Fallacies

by NYC Educator
NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is demanding wepay teachers more. Sounds good, doesn't it? Which teacher couldn't use more money? It kind of makes you think he's pro-teacher. And it would be true, if it weren't for the fact that no one is actually offering teachers more money, and the priority in these United States is not compensation for teachers, but lowering taxes for Steve Forbes.

Nonetheless, you'd think the man who declared qualifications for teachers were so onerous that Meryl Streep and Colin Powell couldn't get classroom jobs(despite the fact that neither had expressed the remotest interest in them) had finally come to his senses.

But like the Republicans, who claim it's in the public's best interest to strip working people of bargaining rights, Kristof tosses out misleading headlines and
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Schools Matter: Let's blame (1) teachers (2) schools of education (3) the decline of the US (4) lack of a national education program (5) parents, but not the real cul

Schools Matter: Let's blame (1) teachers (2) schools of education (3) the decline of the US (4) lack of a national education program (5) parents, but not the real cul

Let's blame (1) teachers (2) schools of education (3) the decline of the US (4) lack of a national education program (5) parents, but not the real cul

by skrashen
Let's blame (1) teachers (2) schools of education (3) the decline of the US (4) lack of a national education program (5) parents, but not the real culprit: POVERTY

Stephen Krashen

Everybody seems to think that our educational system is broken, because of our "low" test scores on international tests.

The federal government and Bill Gates think that the solution is improved teaching and teacher education, and that we can force teachers and Schools of Education to get better by "raising standards" and by evaluating


Don't blame parents, blame poverty

by skrashen
Don't Blame Parents, Blame Poverty

Sent to the Indianapolis Star, March 13

"The problem with parents" (March 13) blames parents for problems in American education. There is, however, no evidence showing that parents today are any less or more committed to their children than in previous decades.

The real culprit is poverty. Children of poverty suffer from inadequate food and medical care, and lack of access to books. Each of these is associated with low school performance.

Our high level of child poverty is responsible for our less-than-spectacular performance on international

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