Friday, September 30, 2011

Symbols are important Thank you First Lady Michelle Obama At Target (PHOTOS)

Michelle Obama Shops At Target (PHOTOS):

Michelle Obama Shops At Target (PHOTOS)

The Huffington Post Erin Clements
First Posted: 9/29/11 06:29 PM ET Updated: 9/30/11 12:03 AM ET

Two of our favorite subjects -- FLOTUS and Target -- collided today, when Michelle Obama headed to the cheap-chic chain's Alexandria, Va. outpost for some retail therapy.

The first lady wore a floral shirt and lemon-hued tank, putting a sporty spin on the casual-cool ensemble with a Nike baseball cap. Judging by the two shopping bags she's toting, it looks as if she had a successful visit.

While Michelle's known to support high-end designers like Jason Wu, she's also given to stepping out in fast fashion. (Here she is in a Target frock two summers ago.)

Here, take a closer look at her Target trip.

Photos by AP

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Passions on charter schools surface quickly at ed finance commission - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post

Passions on charter schools surface quickly at ed finance commission - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post:

Passions on charter schools surface quickly at ed finance commission

by Bill Turque

There was certainly nothing energizing about the venue--a windowless, stifling basement room beneath the MLK Library. But this was where the 13 members of the new D.C. Public Education Finance Reform Commission met Tuesday evening to begin their complex and politically fraught mission: sorting out questions of equity and fairness around the $1 billion that taxpayers spend annually on schools.

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Mentor Helps Native American Student Overcome Prejudice | ED.gov Blog

Mentor Helps Native American Student Overcome Prejudice | ED.gov Blog:

Mentor Helps Native American Student Overcome Prejudice

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Guest Blogger

"My passion lies in coming back to help," says Nellie Two Elk, a political science student at South Dakota State U.

Nellie kept a room full of 450 Indian Educators captivated as she shared what it was like to spend her first 5 years of life in Washington, DC and then move back to the Rosebud Indian Reservation as her father’s job changed.

At the South Dakota Indian Education Summit in Chamberlain, S.D. in late September, she explained, “In Washington, DC I never felt the effects of racial prejudices, but when I moved back to South Dakota, I felt that prejudice from my Native American peers, even though I am Native American.”

According to Nellie, her lighter toned skin and her lack understanding of their challenges set her apart as an “apple” and “white,” so she was not accepted by her classmates. Her pain was apparent as she shared, but what really struck me was how Nellie was able to triumph over her difficulties through the support and mentoring of her father.

“My father taught me that pride in my identity is a good thing and instilled many virtues in me,” she said. The importance of a mentor role in the lives of young people was heard repeatedly throughout the Summit, and Nellie’s story gave a first-hand account of the impact that relationship can have on young lives.

The theme for this year’s Summit was “Supporting Culture, Building Expectations, Creating Partnerships.” Participants celebrated this theme partly by adopting the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards that were created earlier this summer by the state Board of Education. This work will provide the roadmap for educators all across the state to teach the culture and history of South Dakota’s Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people to promote understanding of the culture to help students like Nellie. Teachers spoke about how these Essential Understandings will help our Native American youth to develop the pride in identity that Nellie spoke so eloquently about.

Nellie, now 20 years old, is studying Political Science at South Dakota State University, and although she is away from the Reservation while in college, her goal is to return and try to help in whatever ways she can. “My passion lies in coming back to help,” Nellie shared.

After hearing her moving story, I look forward to seeing what this amazing young woman will do during her life.

Sharla Steever

Sharla is a 2011-2012 Classroom Teacher Ambassador Fellow from Hill City, S.D.

Read another post by Sharla about Indian education and the Rosebud Reservation.

ED’s Office of Indian Education

Bureau of Indian Education

Why I don't repost OnlineSchools stories

Education Debate at OnlineSchools.org:

This Week In Education: Research: Who's To Blame For The Chicago Illusion?

This Week In Education: Research: Who's To Blame For The Chicago Illusion?:

Research: Who's To Blame For The Chicago Illusion?

by Avi Wolfman-Arent

A new study out of the University of Chicago finds that reported test score increases over 20 years of decentralization and mayoral control were largely illusory, produced by changes in testing, minimum requirements, and other statistical gimmicks rather than any real dramatic improvements that were being claimed at the time. Reading scores in particular have been stagnant, and the acheivement gap has gooten worse. Who's to blame for the poor

Banning the First Amendment | Dissident Voice

Banning the First Amendment | Dissident Voice:

Banning the First Amendment

by Walter Brasch

Parents demanded it be banned.

School superintendents placed it in restricted sections of their libraries.

It is the most challenged book four of the past five years, according to the American Library Association (ALA).

“It” is a 32-page illustrated children’s book, And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, with illustrations by Henry Cole. The book is based upon the real story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins, who had formed a six-year bond at New York City’s Central Park Zoo, and who “adopted” a fertilized egg and raised the chick until she could be on her own.

Gays saw the story as a positive reinforcement of their lifestyle. Riding to rescue America from homosexuality were the biddies against perversion. Gay love is against the Bible, they wailed; the book isn’t suitable for the delicate minds of children, they cried as they pushed libraries and schools to remove it from their shelves or at the very least make it restricted.

The penguins may have been gay—or maybe they weren’t. It’s not unusual for animals to form close bonds with

Modern School: Global Student Protests Continue

Modern School: Global Student Protests Continue:

Global Student Protests Continue

by Michael Dunn

Over the past year, students have been protesting throughout the world against cuts to public education and privatization schemes. Here’s a roundup for September, from the International Student Movement website:

Greek students have occupied more than 224 facilities since September 1^st. They also occupied the state television network this week and succeeded in getting a public statement read over the air. They have been protesting increasing tuition and attacks on their student organizations.
In Chile, students have been demonstrating in the streets for months against the privatization of the education system and increased student fees.
On September 6, student protesters confronted Cabinet Ministers in Galway, Ireland, over the closure of Roscommon hospital’s emergency department and increasing tuition.
100 students occupied a grammar school overnight in Bremen, Germany, this month to

Duncan Introduces Plan to Reform and Improve Teacher Prep | ED.gov Blog

Duncan Introduces Plan to Reform and Improve Teacher Prep | ED.gov Blog:

Duncan Introduces Plan to Reform and Improve Teacher Prep

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Cameron Brenchley

“America’s teachers and America’s children deserve world-class preparation programs that prepare teachers for today’s classrooms and students for today’s information age,” said Secretary Duncan earlier today as he announced ED’s proposed reforms to improve teacher preparation programs and better prepare educators for classroom success.

The Department’s plan has three core elements:

ED is proposing to reduce the reporting burden on schools of education and states. The Department wants states to identify the best teacher preparation programs and encourage others to improve by linking student test scores back to teachers and their schools of education.
The Department has proposed a $185 million Presidential Teaching Fellows program to support rigorous state-level policies and provide scholarships for future leaders to attend top programs.
ED’s plan will provide more support for institutions that prepare high-quality teachers from diverse backgrounds.

For additional information, read Our Future, Our Teachers: the Obama Administration’s Plan for Teacher Education Reform and Improvement.

Study Explodes CPS Progress Claims | District 299: The Inside Scoop on CPS

Study Explodes CPS Progress Claims | District 299: The Inside Scoop on CPS:

Study Explodes CPS Progress Claims

By Alexander Russo, today at 9:56 am

All of you University of Chicago haters might have to rethink your feelings with this new UofC study showing that most of the progress claimed by school leaders since 1988 has been an illusion. This isn't a big surprise among those who pay attention to cut scores and testing changes, but may be a surprise to the general public:

Assessments of Chicago schools are flawed report says NYT: A discouraging new University of Chicago study on academic performance across three eras of reform efforts contradicts impressions created by Chicago Public Schools testing data.

U. of C. report says CPS reforms have failed many students Tribune: For the last two decades, Chicago's public school system has been a laboratory of

The “The” in The Jose Vilson … and You | The Jose Vilson

The “The” in The Jose Vilson … and You | The Jose Vilson:

The “The” in The Jose Vilson … and You

by Jose

Thank you, and you, and you.

I know I don’t say it enough, but all the RTs, shares, and praise keeps me going at times when I’ve wanted to stop writing. This blogging, written from one’s gut instead of one’s throat, takes a certain amount of people power to fuel the writers’ engines. This writer in particular. If only one person reads this, and they felt it necessary to tell their circles about it, then I’ve made a dent.

A discussion about my blog’s name between Michael Doyle and John T. Spencer prompted my thanks. I didn’t have the words to reply to any of them on first read. Now that I do have the words, I’ll start off by saying that the “The” in “The Jose Vilson” came from an early need to claim my place in the vast blogosphere. I went from having a well-defined space in a network that didn’t grow with me to this independent space where I didn’t know how I’d generate any interest in what I had to say. Harmony, Amber, and a few others encouraged me to get my own space because they thought I could. I think the general consensus was that, if I wanted to become a writer that

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