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Monday, November 7, 2011

Big Education Ape: 11-7-11 PM Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliff EDition #p2 #ows #EDreform

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now:

Published by Coopmike48 – 6 news spotters today

Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliff | Seattle Education

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliff | Seattle Education:Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliffby seattleducation2011Thank goodness that our state didn’t go aggressively after the Race to the Top b...

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Video

nypost.com - High schools serving the most challenging students were much likelier to get saddled with a bad grade from the Department of Education than schools that serve few high-needs kids, a Post analysis f...

leoniehaimson

The Common Core Will Be The Common Cure

laststand4children.blogspot.com - Back in 1979 when they used to actually make family movies, I remember seeing a wonderful movie called The Great Santini. The movie was about a Marine Lieutenant Colonel who is raising a family. ...

leoniehaimson

Paul Karrer: Bean counters and educational compliance

montereyherald.com - About 4,000 schools in California are in "failing" status. And of those, a measly 85 have managed to "unfail" themselves. That is just a squeak over 2 percent. What gets schools and even entire dis...

DianeRavitch

The myth of the progressive city

salon.com - If you’ve listened to a political pundit predict any election in the last 50 years, you’ve been told that there are Republican small towns whose politics are organized around the three G’s (guns, G...

DianeRavitch

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coopmike48 America Revealed: The Moral Force of #OWS is Tackling the Devastating War on the Poor - goo.gl/zPKl911 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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DianeRavitch Absolutely fascinating details on Murdoch affair:nymag.com/news/media/eli…11 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 New TV Report: INSIDE OCCUPY WALL ST | OWSnews.org -goo.gl/tKuUy #ows10 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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DianeRavitch Who is funding rightwing Republican in Wisconsin?eclectablog.com/2011/11/follow…9 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 #Occupy The Highway: The 99% March to Washington |OccupyWallSt.org #ows bit.ly/rVT2AF #Edu8 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 3 L.A. County teachers named among California's 5 best - latimes.com -goo.gl/5CxXd7 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Longer Hispanic Immigrants Live US. Likely Get Health Problems - Hispanically Speaking News - goo.gl/tiM0I7 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Confessions of a Partially Proficient Parent: Sexual harassment at school | EdNews Parent - goo.gl/uXj5Sabout 1 minute ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: If You Didn't Receive a Ballot, You May Not Be Alone -goo.gl/pUZWL5 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Internship Shortage Frustrates Psychology Students - NYTimes.com -goo.gl/bqY244 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Census’ Alternative Poverty Statistics Prove that Elderly Benefits Are Too Meager | FDL News Desk -goo.gl/pfa7X #ows3 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Live Blog for the #OccupyMovement: Day 51, Occupy Atlanta Continues to Confront City & Police | The Dissenter - goo.gl/u8vrT #ows3 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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leoniehaimson At NewsCorp Klein advised vs. indep investigation led chief counsel to quit; hired DC firm which wrongly cleared Brooks shar.es/bFPyB2 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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District edges toward state takeover

toped.svefoundation.org - By Many school districts are worried about running out of money this year. San Diego Unified, the state’s second largest district, is openly talking about it. But surprisingly, given the financial ...

DianeRavitch

Shanker Blog » Schedule Conflicts

shankerblog.org - As most people know, the majority of public school teachers are paid based on salary schedules. Most (but not all) contain a number of “steps” (years of experience) and “lanes” (education levels). ...

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Governor: Let U of ND dump Fighting Sioux nickname

boston.com - BISMARCK, N.D.—Gov. Jack Dalrymple asked North Dakota lawmakers Monday to reverse a decision they made eight months earlier and allow the University of North Dakota to drop its Fighting Sioux athle...

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Duncan praises push to help undocumented students

boston.com - WASHINGTON—Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday he's encouraged that some states are allowing the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public colleges.As an example, Dun...

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AFL-CIO president leads union push on Ohio vote

boston.com - CLEVELAND—AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka led organized labor's final push Monday in a fierce election battle over Ohio's collective bargaining law. Gov. John Kasich headlined election-eve rallies...

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Atlanta police arrest 5 people following protest

sfgate.com - David Goldman / AP A protestor tries to get away as he's arrested by police after Occupy Atlanta protestors and an officer clashed as he was driving through the crowd on a motorcycle Saturday, Nov....

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Freedom Waves to Gaza Boats November 6, 2011 « Bill Ayers

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Freedom Waves to Gaza Boats November 6, 2011 « Bill Ayers:Freedom Waves to Gaza Boats November 6, 2011by billayersThe take over of the Tahrir and the Saoirse was violent and dangerous. Despite very...

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Cool Ways to Make Meaning with Tag Clouds #teaching

coolcatteacher.blogspot.com - While preparing for my presentation on 50+ Fantastic Free tools to use in the classroom for the Georgia Independent Schools Association Conference tomorrow, I've been playing around with a new tech...

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#Occupy The Highway: The 99% March to Washington | OccupyWallSt.org #ows

Occupy The Highway: The 99% March to Washington | OccupyWallSt.org:

Occupy The Highway: The 99% March to Washington

Posted 2 hours ago on Nov. 7, 2011, 5:30 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

On November 3rd, the Congressional Deficit Reduction Super-Committee will meet to decide on whether or not to keep Obama's extension to the Bush tax-cuts - which only benefit the richest 1% of Americans in any kind of significant way. Luckily, a group of OWS'ers are embarking on a two-week march from Liberty Plaza to the Whitehouse to let the committee know what the 99% think about these cuts. Join the march to make sure these tax cuts for the richest 1% of Americans are allowed to die!

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More information:

The 20 mile a day/2 week march from Liberty Square to DC is set to leave this Wednesday, November 9 at noon. On Wednesday we'll be leaving Liberty Square and marching to the New York Waterway/Hudson River Ferry and onward to Elizabeth, NJ. This is our ļ¬rst stop. Every

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Missouri’s Top Educator Tells Imagine Charter Schools to Close; Could it Happen in Florida? | Scathing Purple Musings

Missouri’s Top Educator Tells Imagine Charter Schools to Close; Could it Happen in Florida? | Scathing Purple Musings:

Missouri’s Top Educator Tells Imagine Charter Schools to Close; Could it Happen in Florida?

by Bob Sikes

There’s more trouble for Dennis Bakke, the CEO of Imagine Schools. Missouri’s Commissioner of Education told Imagine’s state sponsor that the low performing and financially strapped schools should close. In response to a letter from Missouri Baptist University, Chris Nicastro wrote:

“We do not view it as the intent of the Missouri General Assembly that the department engage in intrusive regulatory oversight of charter schools, or to perform the administrative responsibilities of the sponsor. However, it appears from your public statement that MBU desires our recommendations in this matter. Let me be specific:

“1) Announce immediately that the Imagine charter schools will close at the end of the current

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Daily Kos: Finding Freedom in Handcuffs

Daily Kos: Finding Freedom in Handcuffs:

Finding Freedom in Handcuffs

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

is an absolute must read from Chris Hedges, written in the aftermath of his having been arrested at Occupy Wall Street. It was originally published today at Truthdig, and can be read here at Common Dreams.

I have few words of my own to add. And I find it difficult to excerpt, it is so superbly written.

To persuade you to read it, and pass it on, consider this, his opening paragraph:

Faces appeared to me moments before the New York City police arrested us Thursday in front of Goldman Sachs. They were not the faces of the smug Goldman Sachs employees, who peered at us through the revolving glass doors and lobby windows, a pathetic collection of middle-aged fraternity and sorority members. They were not the faces of the blue-uniformed police with their dangling cords of white and black plastic handcuffs, or the thuggish Goldman Sachs security personnel, whose buzz cuts and dead eyes reminded me of the East German secret police, the
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Being Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in School « Student Activism

Being Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in School « Student Activism:

Being Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in School

by Angus Johnston

There’s lots of important stuff in the AAUW’s new report on sexual harassment in American high schools and middle schools, but I do want to highlight one small finding that hasn’t yet drawn much attention.

The study asked students to identify which kinds of kids were at highest risk for harassment. Ranking second on the list, chosen by 41% of respondents, was “girls who are very pretty.” Fourth on the list, chosen by 32%, was

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Growing Resentment Toward Vouchers by State School Board Members « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Growing Resentment Toward Vouchers by State School Board Members « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Growing Resentment Toward Vouchers by State School Board Members

by millerlf

Legislators Challenged on Vouchers
Wisconsin School Board Members Dislike Private School Choice
by: Terrence Falk | Monday 11/7/2011

When the chairs of the Wisconsin senate and assembly education committees spoke before a state school board conference, they knew they were going to get tough questions.Senator Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) and Representative Steve Kestell (R-Elkhart Lake) limited their remarks to the impact of the new state budget. They told members of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) that cuts were necessary because previous state budgets were balanced through onetime monies, raids on other funds, and accounting tricks. There were no magic tricks left. Both recognized the “tools” given to school boards didn’t solve all the school
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ASCD Inservice: Casey―and ASCD―at Bat for Well-Rounded Ed. Policy

ASCD Inservice: Casey―and ASCD―at Bat for Well-Rounded Ed. Policy:

Casey―and ASCD―at Bat for Well-Rounded Ed. Policy

by David Griffith, ASCD Public Policy Director

The No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) narrow focus on student achievement in English language arts and mathematics has been a point of contention since the law's enactment, and has become especially problematic in more recent years with the increased interest in college, career, and citizenship-ready students.

That is why educators were so disappointed that the original Harkin-Enzi ESEA reauthorization bill did not include provisions to support other core academic subjects that result in a more well-rounded education. The exclusion was as disappointing as it was surprising given that the Obama administration's blueprint―upon which the Harkin-Enzi bill's framework was patterned―includes such a section.

Fortunately, this oversight was corrected thanks to a Senate Education Committee-approved amendment by Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) (with the strong backing of Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA)), which establishes a grant program for the arts, civics and government, economics, environmental education, financial literacy, foreign languages, geography, health education, history, physical education, and social studies.

The Casey amendment is a critical first step in greater federal recognition of the importance of all core academic

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California Teachers of the Year for 2012 - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

California Teachers of the Year for 2012 - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces
California's Five Teachers of the Year

Selects Burbank Teacher as Nominee to National Competition
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today officially announced the selection of California's five 2012 Teachers of the Year.
"This honor is afforded to teachers who have demonstrated a special ability to connect with their students, a zest for the classroom, a genuine passion for an occupation that is so demanding yet oh so rewarding, as these five talented individuals will attest," Torlakson said. "Like all teachers in California, they are struggling with budget challenges and cutbacks in programs. That is what makes them even more extraordinary; I appreciate their determination to overcome obstacles while ensuring their students are learning—no matter what."
The 2012 California Teachers of the Year:
Rebecca Mieliwocki teaches English to seventh graders at Luther Burbank Middle School in the Burbank Unified School District (Los Angeles County). Mrs. Mieliwocki also was selected by Torlakson to serve as the state's representative to the National Teacher of the Year Program.
Florence Avognon teaches English and is part of the Reading Intervention Specialists Teachers program, Central Juvenile Hall, Los Angeles County Office of Education (Los Angeles County). (Due to budget cuts, Ms. Avognon was transferred in September to another court school, The Phoenix Academy, a residential treatment program for adolescent substance abusers, where she continues to teach high school.)
Tom Collett teaches Science to eighth graders at Newark Junior High School in the Newark Unified School District (Alameda County).
Shari Ann Herout teaches kindergarten and provides Responsiveness to Intervention services at Foxboro Elementary School in the Travis Unified School District (Solano County).
Ken LaVigne teaches English at La Serna High School in the Whittier Union High School District (Los Angeles County).
Their profiles, a statement by Superintendent Torlakson, and contact information are attached.
The California Teachers of the Year Program began in 1972 to acknowledge the growing complexity of challenges faced by the profession and the need to promote collaboration among teachers to address challenges. The program is also designed to encourage new teachers to enter the field.
The competition is open to educators who teach prekindergarten through grade twelve. County offices of education nominate winners through their regional Teachers of the Year competitions. A state selection committee reviews candidates' applications and conducts site visits to evaluate the teachers' rapport with students, classroom environment, presentation skills, and teaching methods, among other criteria. The teachers are interviewed at the California Department of Education in Sacramento. The State Superintendent then selects the five awardees.
The 2012 California Teachers of the Year, the finalists, and semi-finalists will be honored by Torlakson at a gala to be held in February.
The 2012 California Teachers of the Year Finalists are:
Robert Brewer teaches Physics to eleventh and twelfth graders at Florin High School in the Elk Grove Unified School District (Sacramento County).
Mark Burroughs teaches a fourth/fifth grade combination class at San Pasqual Union School in the San Pasqual Union School District (San Diego County).
Nicoline Chambers teaches Science, Biology/Astrobio to ninth through twelfth graders at West High School in the Torrance Unified School District (Los Angeles County).
Alicia McBride teaches all subjects to ninth through twelfth graders at Reflections for San Diego County Office of Education (San Diego County).
Nicole Naditz teaches French to ninth through twelfth graders at Bella Vista High School in the San Juan Unified School District (Sacramento County).
Elaine Rosenfield teaches second grade at Bishop's Peak Elementary School in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District (San Luis Obispo County).
Peggy Walker teaches AP Social Science to ninth through twelfth graders at Newbury Park High School in the Conejo Valley Unified School District (Ventura County).
For information on the California Teachers of the Year program, please visit California Teachers of the Year.
Attachment

The 2012 California Teachers of the Year

Rebecca Mieliwocki
Seventh Grade, English
Luther Burbank Middle School
Burbank Unified School District
"If I accomplish anything with my students, I am proud to say it's that when they leave my classroom, they are better people than when they walked through my door."
—Rebecca Mieliwocki, from her 2012 California Teachers of the Year application
Rebecca Mieliwocki has been teaching for 13 years, including nine years at Burbank Middle School, where she teaches general education and Gifted and Talented Education classes. She is faculty chair and serves on the school leadership team. Her lessons are infused with a wide array of technical tools that, as her principal says, "brings lessons to life."
Superintendent Torlakson: "Mrs. Mieliwocki is an innovative, creative teacher with boundless energy and an enthusiastic spirit that spreads through each class and each student. Her phenomenal approach toward teaching and her unshakable faith in the potential of her students, led me to nominate her for the national Teacher of the Year title."
Mrs. Mieliwocki earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communication at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; and a Single Subject Professional Clear Credential in English at California State University, Northridge.
She may be reached Luther Burbank Middle School, 818-558-4646, or by e-mail at rebeccamieliwocki@burbankusd.org.
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Florence Avognon
High School, Reading/Reading Intervention
Central Juvenile Hall
(Recently transferred to The Phoenix School)
Los Angeles County Office of Education
"I teach incarcerated youth. I imagine I have landed where I was destined to be my entire professional career."
—Florence Avognon from her 2012 California Teachers of the Year application
Ms. Avognon has been teaching for 18 years, including nine years at Central Juvenile Hall, a detention facility for students going through the court system. She teaches high school English and history. (Due to budget cuts, Ms. Avognon was transferred in September to another court school, The Phoenix Academy, a residential treatment program for adolescent substance abusers, where she continues to teach high school.)
Part of her effectiveness as a teacher and mentor is to remind each new class of students that youth is fleeting. "I share with them that they were children longer than they will be teens, and that what they do for these brief six years can dictate what happens for the next sixty years of their lives," she wrote.
Superintendent Torlakson: "Ms. Avognon says teachers are simply partners for a better tomorrow. Such passionate, skilled, and dynamic teachers are able to take troubled and struggling young people and direct them to a brighter tomorrow, a more promising future."
Ms. Avognon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in African American Studies and a Master of Arts degree in U.S. History at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She also has a Master of Arts degree in Teaching from the Teachers' College at Columbia University.
She may be reached through the Los Angeles County Office of Education, 562-922-6360, or by e-mail atavognon_florence@lacoe.edu.
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Tom Collett
Eighth Grade, Science
Newark Junior High School
Newark Unified School District
"Students need to feel connected to their teacher, which makes them brave, enthusiastic, and eager to learn."
—Tom Collett, from his 2012 California Teachers of the Year application
Mr. Collett taught Earth Science for 17 years at Newark Memorial High School. The 2010-11 school year was his first at Newark Junior High School, where he currently teaches eighth grade science.
An eclectic mix of magician and scientist, Mr. Collett keeps his students actively engaged through a treasure trove of strategies that include hands-on learning and the use of new educational technology, like a student response system where responses to questions are sent directly to his computer.
Superintendent Torlakson: "Tom is a wonderfully effective teacher who employs a wide array of teaching techniques tailored to increase student motivation, achievement, and engagement. I appreciate his remarkable ability to prepare students for an increasingly competitive, scientific world."
Mr. Collett earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Performance with a minor in Biology from California State University, San Jose; and a Clear Single Subject Credential in Physical Education with Supplementary Authorization in Introductory Science.
He can be reached at Newark Junior High School, 510-818-3000, or by e-mail at tcollett@nusd.k12.ca.us.
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Shari Ann Herout
Kindergarten and RTI
Foxboro Elementary School
Travis Unified School District
"Once a child gets a taste of success, failure is no longer a measure of worth—strengths and successes are that measure and weaknesses are simply skills to be worked on."
—Shari Ann Herout, from her 2012 California Teachers of the Year application
Mrs. Herout has been teaching for 18 years, three of which have been at Foxboro Elementary School, where she teaches kindergarten and provides Responsiveness to Intervention. (RTI is defined as a process that schools can use to help children who are struggling academically or behaviorally.) Each school day, her young charges enter her world with a sense of wonder. They each are greeted personally with a handshake or elbow bump and they instantly know they are safe in a classroom where "we make room for everyone to shine."
Superintendent Tom Torlakson: "Mrs. Herout sees teaching is more than a job. She teaches with a multiage, one-room schoolhouse philosophy that empowers her students to seek knowledge with passion. She knows of the obstacles that face many children, yet she helps them work through them so success can be achieved and savored."
Mrs. Herout earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from California State University, Sacramento, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, and also a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction: Elementary School Mathematics.
She can be reached at Foxboro Elementary School, 707-447-7883, or by e-mail at sherout@travisusd.k12.ca.us.
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Ken LaVigne
Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Grades
OASIS and English
La Serna High School
Whittier Union School District
"My job is to determine the reasons for the lack of effort, anger, and defiance. Loneliness and desperation cut deeply into the spirit of a child. I am a medic. I have to first stop the bleeding, and then get to the business of healing."
—Ken LaVigne, from his 2012 California Teachers of the Year application
Mr. LaVigne has been a teacher and football coach for 27 years, the last 21 of which have been spent teaching English at La Serna High School. Within days of retiring from coaching in 2006, he was asked to help develop a program for the school's most at-risk students. He and Principal Martin Plourde created Organized Academic Support in School (OASIS) with amazing results. The average grade-point average of the inaugural class upon entering the program was 0.93. A year later the average GPA increased to 2.28. The first graduating class totaled a dozen students, last school year it doubled.
Superintendent Torlakson: "Mr. LaVigne brings to the classroom a unique blend personal and professional commitment. He is able to break through the anger, the hopelessness that many of his students feel. As a teacher, an advocate, a watchdog, a cheerleader, he helps them find a reason to excel and sticks with them until they do."
Mr. LaVigne earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master of Education from Azusa Pacific University.
He can be reached at La Serna High School, 562-698-8121, or by e-mail at Ken.LaVigne@wuhsd.k12.ca.us.
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# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
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Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliff | Seattle Education

Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliff | Seattle Education:

Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliff

by seattleducation2011

Thank goodness that our state didn’t go aggressively after the Race to the Top bribe although we had our own state PTA pushing for it along with the corporate backed Stand for Children and the League of Education Voters.

Now states that bought into the scam, whether they received the RTTT money or not, are stuck with an evaluation system that is failing on all levels and has overwhelmed principals, teachers, and worst of all, the

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