Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Big Education Ape: 7-28-11 PM Why I'm Marching in DC This Weekend #SOSMarch EDition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Published by Coopmike48 – 4 news spotters today

School colour-codes pupils by ability | Education

guardian.co.uk - Students with purple ties are gifted and talented. All the children at Crown Woods college in Greenwich, south London, know that. They are taught in separate colour-coordinated buildings, play in f...

DianeRavitch

Why I'm Marching in DC This Weekend

anurbanteacherseducation.com - As I wait in the airport for my flight to Washington, it strikes me that it might be worth taking the time to flesh out some of the reasons I decided to blow nearly $600 on a weekend in DC. At firs...

leoniehaimson

The Bane of My Existence

schooltechconnect.com - Actually there are several banes. However, lately it's been 2.0 video editing. With the recent transformation/demise/whatever of Jaycut, I've been trying to find a video editor that works reliably....

tbfurman

Teachers set to rally in D.C. for education reforms

palmbeachpost.com - By Allison RossPalm Beach Post Staff WriterUpdated: 4:19 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, 2011 Posted: 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, 2011A Palm Beach County face will be sharing the stage with actor Matt D...

leoniehaimson

Live Twitter stream on

@coopmike48/big-edu-ape-news-11

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 Reform Symposium 29-31 July 2011 - The Educator's PLN -http://goo.gl/uPgB95 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 Former Oakland teacher a lead organizer for Save Our Schools #SOSMarch| The Education Reporthttp://bit.ly/n5p23G #Edu3 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 ETS finds cheating took place on AP tests at Skyline | The Education Report - http://goo.gl/J3bVI2 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 We Party Patriots » Whole Foods Employee Bashes Company’s Anti-Worker, “Faux Hippy Wal-Mart” Policies -http://goo.gl/mgKxc #coopabout 1 minute ago · reply · retweet · favorite

EducationSee all

Voucher Advocacy Shifting Focus, Report Says

edweek.org - Published Online: July 27, 2011Voucher proponents have shifted their advocacy efforts from extolling the academic achievement of voucher participants to focusing on the value of school choice as a ...

leoniehaimson

PoliticsSee all

Robert Reich (The Empty Bully Pulpit)

robertreich.org - How did we get into this mess? I thought I’d seen Washington at its worst. I was there just after Watergate. I was there when Jimmy Carter imploded. I was there during the government shut-down of 1...

coopmike48

Sheila Jackson Lee | Radical Islam Hearing | Right Wing

mediaite.com - Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee raised some eyebrows today at Republican Congressman Peter King’s Muslim Radicalization hearings. While King and the other members of the House Committee...

coopmike48

Art & EntertainmentSee all

ansel adams' manzanar book: born free and equal

blog.angryasianman.com - Several people have sent this my way... Originally published in 1944, legendary photographer Ansel Adams' book Born Free and Equal is a collection of photographs taken at the Manzanar Relocation Ce...

coopmike48

Movies for the Classroom: Culloden (1964)

mrdsneighborhood.com - Recently, as I was packing for the Save Our Schools March this weekend, I ran into some clips of a film I haven’t seen in many years. Looking at it now, the film still shocks and absorbs me, especi...

coopmike48

LivingSee all

Muddying the Waters | CREW

citizensforethics.org - July 26, 2011By Jeremy Miller Today, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime held a hearing on legislation that would, among other things, provide critically needed amendments to the federal crim...

coopmike48

Kaiser Permanente Earns High Marks for LGBT Healthcare

baycitizen.org - For the third year in a row, 19 Bay Area Kaiser Foundation hospitals were ranked amongst the nation’s leaders in healthcare equality for their lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender patients, accord...

coopmike48

StoriesSee all

The Willful Child

rickackerly.com - Janet Lansbury showed her stuff again this week with her post about parenting willful two-year-olds.A battle of wills with a child is one of the classic challenges of parents and teachers. In my fi...

coopmike48

For Republicans Who Hate Taxes & Government

queensteacher2.blogspot.com - Found a great comment that I had to shareSo, you’re a Republican that hates taxes? Well, since you do not like taxes or government, please kindly do the following.1. Do not use Medicare.2. Do not u...

coopmike48

HealthSee all

Work Is A Debilitating Disease

modeducation.blogspot.com - digg_url="http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/07/work-is-debilitating-disease.html"; Image by GDS InfographicsI was visiting a friend recently and noticed a sphygmomanometer on his dining room...

coopmike48

Blog posts on this issue

whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release July 27, 2011 WORLD HEPATITIS DAY, 2011BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATIONAcross our Nation, millions ...

coopmike48

Brown defends veto of adult day healthcare legislation

latimesblogs.latimes.com - Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday defended his veto of legislation that would have provided a replacement for an adult day healthcare program cut in the latest state budget, saying that alternative servi...

coopmike48

#sosmarchSee all

#realreformSee all

Media0

    Photos0

      Posted by at

      Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: The Teacher's Curriculum & Duties Plate

      Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: The Teacher's Curriculum & Duties Plate

      The Teacher's Curriculum & Duties Plate

      by Dr. Tom
      Ever wonder why teaching is so much harder today? It's never been easy, of course.

      But take a look how more and more is required of those who teach our kids. And then we want to measure teacher effectiveness with the test scores of the kids they teach.

      If you can't hug a teacher, thank him or her profusely!
      =====

      The Ever Increasing Burden on America’s Public Schools

      BY JAMIE ROBERT VOLLMER

      America’s public schools can be traced back to the year 1640. The Massachusetts Puritans established schools to: 1) Teach basic reading, some writing and arithmetic skills, and

      Posted by at

      Former Oakland teacher a lead organizer for Save Our Schools #SOSMarch | The Education Report

      Former Oakland teacher a lead organizer for Save Our Schools March | The Education Report

      Former Oakland teacher a lead organizer for Save Our Schools March

      By Katy Murphy
      Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 at 10:55 pm in NCLB, Obama, achievement gap,initiatives, school reform, students.

      Anthony Cody (courtesy photo)

      Anthony Cody, an Education Week blogger and former math and science teacher and coach in OUSD, is one of the organizers of Saturday’s Save Our Schools March in Washington, D.C. March participants don’t like the direction in which education reform is headed; among other demands, they are calling for an end to the practice of using student test scores as the basis for decisions about school closures, layoffs and pay.

      I reached Cody on Tuesday for this story about the movement. I also talked to Molly Servatius, from San Francisco’s Paul Revere Elementary, who is about to

      Posted by at

      Karen Heller: After Ackerman, school district needs a new type of leader - Philly.com

      Karen Heller: After Ackerman, school district needs a new type of leader - Philly.com

      Karen Heller: After Ackerman, school district needs a new type of leader

      July 27, 2011|By Karen Heller, Inquirer Columnist
      • Pamela Williams of Family Networking for Peace exhorted a small gathering of supporters of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman during a rally at the school district headquarters last week.
      Pamela Williams of Family Networking for Peace exhorted a small gathering of supporters… (CLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer)

      Forget 2014. Imagine 2012. Or, even, September 2011. Imagine the city school district with a new chief, a fresh start.

      Embattled Superintendent Arlene Ackerman -embattled now part of her name - is surely going and most likely soon.

      She's got barely a friend in Pennsylvania. A pariah in Harrisburg, which provides a majority of the district's funding, she's lost most local supporters, primarily Mayor Nutter, who penned a lengthy public rant during June's budget debate.

      A recent anemic support rally, with uniform professional signs, showed the handiwork of her overpaid communications staff. How overpaid? The communications chief earns $170,000, and three deputies

      Posted by at

      white house webinar on taking action against bullying and harassment, july 28 | angry asian man

      white house webinar on taking action against bullying and harassment, july 28 | angry asian man

      white house webinar on taking action against bullying and harassment, july 28

      The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, is holding a webinar on how to file complaints for bullying and harassment in schools.

      It's happening Thursday, July 28 at 3:00pm EST, and you can join in from anywhere. Here are some more details on the call and how to participate:
      WHO: Akil Vohra, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
      Mehgan Sidhu, U.S. Department of Justice
      Kay Bhagat, U.S. Department of Education

      WHEN: Thursday, July 28 at 3:00pm EST

      DIAL IN: Toll Free: 888-324-8021 Toll number: 1-415-228-4847

      PASSCODE: 8539598

      TO JOIN ONLINE AND VIEW THE SLIDE PRESENTATION:
      Posted by at

      #SOSMarch Teachers Converging on Washington for 4-Day Schools Rally - Politics K-12 - Education Week

      Teachers Converging on Washington for 4-Day Schools Rally - Politics K-12 - Education Week

      Teachers Converging on Washington for 4-Day Schools Rally

      by Michele McNeil

      By guest blogger Nirvi Shah

      Today kicks off the four-day Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action, a gathering and rally in Washington, D.C., organized by teachers who say they are fed up with test-driven accountability for public schools—and, increasingly, for teachers.

      The group, which maintains that it is a grassroots, from-the-ground-up organization, hopes to send a message to national and state policymakers about their displeasure, as well as highlight a variety of principles for improving public education. The group has developed a series of position papers outlining its views on high-stakes testing, equitable funding for all schools, unions and collective bargaining, and changes to curriculum, among other issues. For the most part, the position papers aren't yet at the level of detail of formal policy prescriptions, and it remains to be seen whether such proposals will emerge from the gathering.

      As part of a pre-march conference to be held today and tomorrow, teachers, education professors, and others will gather at American University to share ideas about a variety of topics. sosrally-tmb.gifAccording to the conference guide, they include sessions about how to reform public education, become community activists, engage parents—especially black and Hispanic parents—

      Posted by at

      The Corporate Education Act Becomes Law: Good bye liberal arts colleges | Dailycensored.com

      The Corporate Education Act Becomes Law: Good bye liberal arts colleges | Dailycensored.com

      The Corporate Education Act Becomes Law: Good bye liberal arts colleges

      By Luke Hiken


      Republican lawmakers were ecstatic today to announce passage of the Corporate Education Act (CEA). The President expressed his support for the Act because the Republican sides of both the House and the Senate had backed it, and that meant it was certainly good enough for Obama. Democrats went along with the Act because they didn’t want to lose the potential financial support of the corporations that would benefit from the CEA.

      The first order of business after the passage of the CEA will be to close all of the existing “liberal arts” colleges in the country. As Senator Boner pointed out, the whole concept of “liberal” is passé, and “art” has nothing to do with good job performance. Instead, the CEA will ensure that all education is geared towards employment with America’s leading corporations, and graduates will have been properly trained and groomed to serve these corporate interests. He chuckled at the thought that “liberal

      Congressional Criminal Conspiracy! Defaulting when you don’t need to is a crime

      by Michael Collins
      If we defaulted on our debt when we were perfectly capable of paying it, we would be be prosecuted for fraud. But when Congress does it, they call it politics. The crazies in the United States House of Representatives would have you believe it were so. They say fix that budget before we’ll raise the [...]
      Posted by at

      The Best Posts, Articles & Videos About Learning From Mistakes & Failures | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

      The Best Posts, Articles & Videos About Learning From Mistakes & Failures | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...
      Another Special Edition Of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t” (NOTE: I usually publish this kind of post once-a-week. However, even more links than usual accumulated during the past few days) I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time ...
      The Best Posts, Articles & Videos About Learning From Mistakes & Failures One of the chapters in my book, Helping Students Motivate Themselves, talks about strategies and lessons to use with students about learning from mistakes and failures. I thought I’d put together a “The Best…” list that shares some additional ...
      The Best Posts, Articles & Videos About Learning From Mistakes & Failures One of the chapters in my book, Helping Students Motivate Themselves, talks about strategies and lessons to use with students about learning from mistakes and failures. I thought I’d put together a “The Best…” list that shares some additional ...
      The Best Sites (& Videos) For Learning About Jazz Chants Many teachers of English Language Learners have used “jazz chants” (originally developed by Carolyn Graham) in the classroom, and I thought I’d put together a quick list of useful related resources: Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto has written an excellent ...
      I’m A Little Behind “Curating” My “The Best…” Lists As regular readers know, I place links to all my “The Best…” lists in two different places — they’re listed chronologically at “Websites of The Year,”and they’re categorized by subject at “My Best Of Series.” Those pages are up-to-date until July ...
      “Emergency Team Of 8th-Grade Civics Teachers Dispatched To Washington” “Emergency Team Of 8th-Grade Civics Teachers Dispatched To Washington” is the headline of a hilarious “news” report from The Onion: *At press time, an unruly House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) had noisily stormed out of a lecture on bipartisan ...
      Posted by at

      President Obama Statement on the Passing of Richard Estrada Chavez | The White House

      President Obama Statement on the Passing of Richard Estrada Chavez | The White House

      President Obama Statement on the Passing of Richard Estrada Chavez

      Michelle and I were saddened to learn of the passing of Richard Estrada Chavez yesterday. Richard spent his life in the service of others alongside his brother Cesar and his wife, Dolores Huerta, co-founders of the United Farm Workers. It was Richard who designed the UFW's iconic eagle, a symbol of hope that has helped carry the struggle for the rights of farm workers forward for almost five decades.

      Throughout his years of service, Richard fought for basic labor rights but also worked to improve the quality of life for countless farm workers. And beyond his work, Richard was a family man. I was honored to have Richard visit the Oval Office last year on Cesar Chavez Day with other family members, and will never forget the stories they shared. Richard understood that the struggle for a more perfect union and a better life for all America's workers didn't end with any particular victory or defeat, but instead required a commitment to getting up every single day to keep at it.

      Our thoughts and prayers are with Richard's family and loved ones. We take comfort in knowing that the work he was passionate about will be continued by all he helped to inspire.

      Posted by at

      Poll: Parents see educational value in digital skills but wary of social media - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

      Poll: Parents see educational value in digital skills but wary of social media - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

      Poll: Parents see educational value in digital skills but wary of social media

      by Valerie Strauss

      A national poll by the nonprofit Common Sense Media reveals that a wide majority of parents believe that it is just as important for their children to know digital media skills as traditional learning skills, but remain wary about the role social networks play in young people’s lives.

      The poll, according to the organization, underscores the challenge that social networking sites face in addressing concerns of parents about the products they market to young people.

      Common Sense Media, which provides information, education and advice to families about media and technology, has created a new education ratings and review program for digital media aimed at helping parents and educators evaluate digital medial products in terms of their learning value. The organization also rates and reviews all forms of media, including videogames and mobile apps, for their educational content.

      Read full article >>
      Posted by at

      The elusive big fix on School Improvement Grants | Thoughts on Public Education

      The elusive big fix on School Improvement Grants | Thoughts on Public Education

      The elusive big fix on School Improvement Grants

      Schools still waiting for guidance from feds

      Posted on 7/28/11 • Categorized as State Board of Education, Turning around failing schools

      By Kathryn Baron

      The first day of school is just over two weeks away in San Francisco Unified School District and they still don’t know whether they’ll get their second year of funding under the federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) program. That’s the program that awards up to $2 million per year to the lowest-achieving, highest-poverty schools.

      Nine of the district’s ten SIG schools were cited by the State Department of Education for not meeting all the requirements for renewal of their grants. (The tenth SIG school was shut down). Two weeks ago, the State Board of Education (SBE) voted not to distribute year 2

      Posted by at

      Shanker Blog » Underestimating Context (But Selectively)

      Shanker Blog » Underestimating Context (But Selectively)

      Underestimating Context (But Selectively)

      by Esther Quintero

      Imagine that for some reason you were lifted out of your usual place in society and dropped into somebody else’s spot — the place of someone whose behavior you have never understood. For example, you are an anarchist who suddenly becomes a top cabinet member. Or you are an environmentalist who is critical of big business who suddenly finds yourself responsible for developing environmental policy for ExxonMobil or BP.

      As systems thinker Donella Meadows points out in her book Thinking in Systems, in any given position, “you experience the information flows, the incentives and disincentives, the goals and discrepancies, the pressure […] that goes with that position.” It’s possible, but highly unlikely, that you might remember how things looked from where you were before. If you become a manager, you’ll probably see labor less as a deserving partner, and more as a cost to be minimized. If you become a labor leader, every questionable business decision will start to seem like a deliberate attack on your members.

      How do we know?

      The best psychological experiments ask

      Posted by at

      NYC Educator: There Is Power In A Union

      NYC Educator: There Is Power In A Union

      There Is Power In A Union

      by reality-based educator
      I went to see Billy Bragg last night at Lincoln Center's Big Busk.

      The show, courtesy of corporate sponsors Bloomberg and Pepsico, was quite good, with lots of people playing their own guitars and singing along to great busking material like "Tracks Of My Tears" and "Cecilia".

      In the middle of all the busking music, Billy threw in his own "There Is Power In A Union," a song with the following lyrics:

      There is power in a democracy, power in the land
      Power in the hands of a worker
      But it all amounts to nothing if together we don't stand
      There is a power in a Union

      Now the lessons of the past were all learned with workers' blood
      Posted by at

      Schools Matter: The Power and Failure of Coercion

      Schools Matter: The Power and Failure of Coercion

      The Power and Failure of Coercion

      by P. L. Thomas
      When my daughter Jessica entered the same school system where I had spent my career as a teacher—my hometown school system as well—I was faced with the challenge of how to balance my role as her father with being a colleague of the teachers she encountered over twelve years. One incident from her years in high school has remained with me and speaks directly to the accountability era that has overlapped with my teaching career begun in the early 1980s.

      Jessica’s first high school English teacher had been a member of the high school English department when I was chair (I left teaching high school after 18 years and entered teacher education just before my daughter entered high school). Throughout my career as a high school English teacher, I had focused on teaching writing in authentic ways—emphasizing student choice, the writing process, and holistic approaches to literacy. My pedagogical commitments did not match most of my colleague’s traditional views of teaching literacy—practices
      Posted by at

      Save Our Schools #SOSMarch and National Call to Action « City School Stories

      Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action « City School Stories

      Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action

      by fmurphy
      Save Our Schools March & National Call to Action

      Notes from the Field

      by Frank Murphy on Jul 28, 2011

      This Saturday, the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action will take place in Washington D.C. The rally, which will be staged at the ellipse, starts at noon. Around 1:30 p.m., participants will march to the White House where the demonstration will continue.

      Many readers will recognize that most, if not all, of the issues that we regularly discuss in the comments of theNotebook blog are represented in the march’s guiding principles.

      In an earlier post on City School Stories, I wrote about the significance of this event and how it relates to the education reform turmoil currently occurring in the School District of Philadelphia.

      Participating in this national demonstration is just one more way for public school parents, teachers, and

      Posted by at
      Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)