Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

Teacher tenure at issue in improving education | Deseret News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

Teacher tenure at issue in improving education | Deseret News: Teacher tenure at issue in improving educationPublished: Monday, Dec. 19, 2011 11:42 p.m. MSTByMercedes White,Deseret News1 commentPRINT|FONT+-Page:123Next In 2007 the educator Michelle Rhee was charged with a mammoth task: turn around public education in the District of Columbia, which included some of the most troubled school districts in the country. Though D.C. ranked third nationally in education spending, their students were some of the lowest performing, with less than 10 ... more »

Is Education the Next Industry That Will Be Killed by the Internet? - Forbes

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

Is Education the Next Industry That Will Be Killed by the Internet? - Forbes: Is Education the Next Industry That Will Be Killed by the Internet?+ Comment nowI’d say that it probably will be, yes, and I’ve been saying so for some time. Think about it for a moment, we still use the educational techniques of the Early Middle Ages.I first saw this point atBrad DeLong’splace. When books are hand written, extremely expensive (as in, more than a year’s wages ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Throwing Angels Under a Bus

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: Throwing Angels Under a Bus: Throwing Angels Under a BusbyDukeEveryone working in a schools knows the hardest job is teaching special education - especially to the most challenging children. Like all elementary music teachers, I work with special education teachers every day, and I have to tell you that they constantly amaze me with their sympathy, intelligence, insight, and patience. As far as I am concerned, anyone who devotes their career to teaching these deserving but demanding children ... more »

African American drivers in Milwaukee are seven times more likely to be pulled over by police than their white counterparts « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

African American drivers in Milwaukee are seven times more likely to be pulled over by police than their white counterparts « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: African American drivers in Milwaukee are seven times more likely to be pulled over by police than their white counterpartsbymillerlfNational Coalition of Black American Men, Inc.2727 N 67th StreetMilwaukee, WI 53210414-763-4545/ 414-915-5297Wendell J. Harris, Presidentwharris38@aol.comwendellharris-mke.comRACIALLY BIASED POLICE STOPSWhoever said that Milwaukee is the “Home of the Free?” Racial profiling in Milwauke... more »

Real Concerns About Costly Virtual Schools « City School Stories

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

Real Concerns About Costly Virtual Schools « City School Stories: Real Concerns About Costly Virtual SchoolsbyfmurphyNotes from the FieldSubmitted by Frank Murphy on December 20, 2011The state of Pennsylvania spends a large amount of taxpayers’ money financing the operations of cyber charter schools. In the 2009- 2010 school year, justfour of these virtual schools received more than $231 millionfrom the state’s education budget. This sum is about eighty percent of the amount of money that the School District of Philadelphia ... more »

A Push to Have Students Factor Into Teacher Evaluations - Chicago News Cooperative

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

A Push to Have Students Factor Into Teacher Evaluations - Chicago News Cooperative: A Push to Have Students Factor Into Teacher EvaluationsbyREBECCA VEVEAThe Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union opened negotiations earlier this month on a state-mandated requirement about what should–and should not–be included in teachers’ performance evaluations.CPS and the union have until March to grapple with the specific terms, such as what tests to use for measuring academic growth, how much the results should factor into the ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

FOOL ME TWICE...LAUSD board OKs agreement giving all schools freedom of charters -- but with accountability - LA Daily NewsBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-2 hours agoLAUSD board OKs agreement giving all schools freedom of charters -- but with accountability - LA Daily News: LAUSD board OKs agreement giving all schools freedom of charters -- but with accountabilityDaily NewsPosted:12/19/2011 04:21:00 PM PSTUpdated:12/19/2011 04:21:33 PM PSTThe Los Angeles Unified Board of Education unanimously approved Monday a landmark agreement that gives ... more »

From the men who gave us the pension killer SB512, tax breaks for firing workers. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

From the men who gave us the pension killer SB512, tax breaks for firing workers. « Fred Klonsky: From the men who gave us the pension killer SB512, tax breaks for firing workers.byFred KlonskyTom Cross is the Illinois House GOP leader.Ty Fahner is the head of the Civic Committee. He represents corporate public policy issues in Illinois. The two of them tagged teamed with Democratic Speaker Mike Madigan to try to pass the pension killing bill SB512 this past session. ... more »

A first for linking foster youth and academics | Thoughts on Public Education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 minutes ago

A first for linking foster youth and academics | Thoughts on Public Education: A first for linking foster youth and academicsShareNew study offers most detailed insights to datePosted on 12/20/11 • Categorized asFoster care,ResearchByKathryn BaronA first-of-its-kindstatewide longitudinal study comparing students in foster care with similar students who were never in the foster system isunderway, usinga unique linking of data systems that protects students’ privacy while identifying the barriers to academic success for foster youth.Of the more than 59,500 foster youth ... more »

Schools Matter: Occupy Education Growing in The Nation #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Schools Matter: Occupy Education Growing in The Nation: Occupy Education Growing in The NationbyJudy RabinOCCUPY EDUCATIONThe Nationby Liza FeatherstoneMic check! MIC CHECK! Let the Puppet show begin! LET THE PUPPET SHOW BEGIN!” The demonstrators who held the floor at a December 14 meeting at Newtown High School in Corona, Queens, were part of Occupy DOE (Department of Education), a mix of veteran teachers, parents and Occupy Wall Street activists that is bringing the language and tactics of OWS to the grassroots ... more »

Last Stand for Children First: In Kim Jung Il Education Reform Has Lost a Friend

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Last Stand for Children First: In Kim Jung Il Education Reform Has Lost a Friend: In Kim Jung Il Education Reform Has Lost a FriendbyLast Stand for ChildrenIn our country, we pride ourselves on our meager attempts to bring common core standards to the American education system. In North Korea, 10,000 school girls will cry for 48 hours in tribute to their fallen leader. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il was a despot, but the education reform movement owes a ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Evening Posts #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Temper Tantrum on Capitol HillBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-2 minutes agoaflcio.org - America's Union Movement: I just got a message from our Government Affairs director, Bill Samuel, telling me about a temper tantrum on Capitol Hill.It’s flat-out heartless for lawmakers to go home and enjoy the holidays, while their political posturing causes millions of families across America to suffer anxiety and heartbreak. But House Speaker John Boehner is threatening to do just that.He says he’ll block unemployment aid ... more »

FOOL ME TWICE...LAUSD board OKs agreement giving all schools freedom of charters -- but with accountability - LA Daily News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

LAUSD board OKs agreement giving all schools freedom of charters -- but with accountability - LA Daily News: LAUSD board OKs agreement giving all schools freedom of charters -- but with accountabilityDaily NewsPosted:12/19/2011 04:21:00 PM PSTUpdated:12/19/2011 04:21:33 PM PSTThe Los Angeles Unified Board of Education unanimously approved Monday a landmark agreement that gives the district's individual campuses the freedom of charters, but also holds them accountable for how well students perform.The board endorsed the deal during a special meeting Monday. ... more »

Yong Zhao » The Difference between a $10,000 Education and a $10 Education #EDreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Yong Zhao » Blog Archive » The Difference between a $10,000 Education and a $10 Education: The Difference between a $10,000 Education and a $10 EducationbyYongZhaoAmanda Ripley recently picked on DianeRavitch over the issue of how much poverty matters in educational achievement,accusingRavitchof distorting the reality. By playing withthe PISA data, Ripleytries to prove that poverty should not be considered a big problem or excuse for the poor quality of American education.That was what I thought at first, then upon reading ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What to Do about the Superintendent Situation?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What to Do about the Superintendent Situation?: What to Do about the Superintendent Situation?byMelissa WestbrookSo I have been hearing a lot of different things over the last couple of days. We are truly in a unique and difficult situation. But there are two things I would like input on from all of you (between now and the end of next week).First, there seems to be some hope that Dr. Enfield wants to be wooed. Many out ... more »

Peg with Pen: Indianapolis: The New Feeding Ground for Corporate Education Reformers

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Peg with Pen: Indianapolis: The New Feeding Ground for Corporate Education Reformers: Indianapolis: The New Feeding Ground for Corporate Education ReformersbyPeggyIndianapolis, Indiana, home of the Hoosiers, is getting ready for the fight of a lifetime. The Crossroads of America will need us to rally and support them as a corporate education takeover makes its way into their public schools.Mind Trustis preparing to overhaul the Indianapolis Public Schools using strategies similar to those used inNew Orleansand New York. Mind Trust proudlystates, ... more »

A Closer Look at Charter Practices | Edwize

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

A Closer Look at Charter Practices | Edwize: A Closer Look at Charter PracticesbyChristina CollinsWill Dobbie and Roland Fryer’snew study of 35 New York City charter schoolsattempts to find a preliminary answer to the question of how different practices within charters are correlated with student progress on math and ELA tests. In general, this study’s premise and methods represent a promising shift away from just looking at test scores to measure school quality; it acknowledges variations between charters and gets ... more »

Teachers For Social Justice: Call President Obama to Veto Indefinite Detentions Without a Trial

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Teachers For Social Justice: Call President Obama to Veto Indefinite Detentions Without a Trial: Call President Obama to Veto Indefinite Detentions Without a Trialbysarah-ji(This post is taken from an urgent call to action email sent byMuslim Peace Coalition USA.)The President has neither vetoed the NDAA bill nor he has signed it yet. Which means there is still opportunity to ask him to veto it.The NDAA bill passed by Congress contains some of the most dangerous provisions we’ve ever seen: it ... more »

In Case You Missed It: Poorer Districts Could Get More Money; Success Network Gets Its Cobble Hill School; Just 1-in-3 NYers Think Walcott Gets It, Period « EdVox

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

In Case You Missed It: Poorer Districts Could Get More Money; Success Network Gets Its Cobble Hill School; Just 1-in-3 NYers Think Walcott Gets It, Period « EdVox: In Case You Missed It: Poorer Districts Could Get More Money; Success Network Gets Its Cobble Hill School; Just 1-in-3 NYers Think Walcott Gets It, PeriodbyedvoxnyHere on EdVox we’re excited to bring you the latest news about education issues and policies affecting our communities. It can be hard to keep up with ... more »

Support PURE! » Parents! Need help with special education problems?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Parents! Need help with special education problems?: Parents! Need help with special education problems?byadminPURE’s Wanda Hopkins has been a special education advocate for over 10 years. Her knowledge is so deep that she is often asked if she is a lawyer (although she is always clear who she is and what her role is!)Wanda goes above and beyond to help special education students and their families. Sheis the expert you want

SAT Scores By Ethnicity « PWC Education Reform Blog

SAT Scores By Ethnicity « PWC Education Reform Blog:

SAT Scores By Ethnicity

by pwceducationreform

PWCS students under perform their peers on the SAT in US, VA, Fairfax, and Loudoun Counties in just about every ethnicity.

Various officials in PWCS have asserted that the reason PWCS lags behind the US, VA, and our neighboring jurisdictions on the SAT is our diversity.  PWCS just posted SAT scores for the district by ethnicity to the district web site, and we pulled those scores in an effort to verify that “defense”.  We do not have SAT scores for economic groups, only for ethnic groups.  The financial stability of a student’s family does play a role in their performance on tests like the SAT, and approximately 1/3 of PWC students are defined as “Economically Disadvantaged”, but we don’t have access to SAT scores for students by their families financial standing.

The data show that while PWCS’s ethnic diversity plays a role in our overall SAT scores as we do have a higher 

The Troubling Links Between Imagine’s Failing Charter Schools in St. Louis and Florida | Scathing Purple Musings

The Troubling Links Between Imagine’s Failing Charter Schools in St. Louis and Florida | Scathing Purple Musings:

The Troubling Links Between Imagine’s Failing Charter Schools in St. Louis and Florida

by Bob Sikes

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Elisa Crouch writes that Imagine’s sponsor is pulling the plug on two of the company’s six city schools. The mayor wants all six closed.

James French, chairman of Missouri Baptist University’s education division, notified each school’s governing board by letter. At the school year’s conclusion, the university will revoke the charter that Imagine Academy of Academic Success and Imagine Academy of Cultural Arts operate under. Closures may come sooner if the two schools do not address student safety issues by 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Turnaround cronyism at Collins High

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Turnaround cronyism at Collins High:

Turnaround cronyism at Collins High

by Mike Klonsky

Be sure and read Matt Farmer's excellent Huffington post on Chicagoturnarounds. He lays bare the crony relationship between venture capitalist Mike Koldyke's Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) and the mayor. It ends up with AUSL being handed Collins High for their very own. 

That's when the money started to roll in. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation quickly ponied up $1 million to the heavy-hitters at AUSL for the Collins turnaround effort. That same 

New major test cheating scandal revealed in Georgia - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

New major test cheating scandal revealed in Georgia - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

New major test cheating scandal revealed in Georgia

by Valerie Strauss

A new investigative report details a second major standardized test cheating scandal in a Georgia school system, implicating 49 educators, including 11 principals. A key reason for the “disgraceful” cheating, investigators said, was pressure to meet No Child Left Behind requirements.
The probe (see here and here) by the Georgia governor’s Special Investigators team into cheating in the Dougherty County School System concluded that “hundreds of school children were harmed by extensive cheating.”
Read full article >>

On Women and Guilt « MomsRising Blog

On Women and Guilt « MomsRising Blog:

On Women and Guilt

Misty McLaughlin at MomsRising Blog - 26 minutes ago

Another smart post from our friends at Role/Reboot. -Eds. I’m on the board of a small, parenting-related nonprofit organization, a board comprised of smart, thoughtful women who are mostly mothers of small children (and one dad, though our father pool is growing). In addition to our full-time parenting jobs, pretty much all of us have [...]

Stand Up for REAL Food – Twinkies Aren’t Breakfast

Lisa Frack at MomsRising Blog - 1 hour ago

Of course you don’t serve your kids Twinkies or Chips Ahoy! cookies for breakfast. But many of us are serving our kids just as much – or more – sugar every day in the good ol’ American cereal bowl. How much? See how bad it really is in Environmental Working Group’s new report, Sugar in [...]

What’s Safe and What’s Not? How Toys Stack Up

Rachel Sarnoff at MomsRising Blog - 1 hour ago

by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff Executive Director/CEO Healthy Child Healthy World www.healthychild.org Have you checked your toy list twice? Wait, let me rephrase that: Have you checked the list of what’s in your toys twice? I just discovered the toy database at HealthyStuff.org, which ranks more than 20,000 toys or toy components, organized from “none” to [...]

We Can Do Better When it Comes to the Overmedication of America’s Children

Shadi Houshyar at MomsRising Blog - 1 hour ago

Overmedication of America’s children is a real and growing problem. The rate at which powerful antipsychotic drugs are being administered to kids has increased by an alarming 500% over the last 15 years, and there is not enough research to understand all the physical and behavioral consequences for kids’ health. What we do know is [...]

The Safe Patient Project: Why I’m Involved

Mary E. Mannix at MomsRising Blog - 3 hours ago

I am a member of Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project. Why? My son died from poor medical care when he was just 11 days old. There were many lapses in my son’s medical care. Now, I work for safe care to reach the newborn bedside. After all, the infant mortality rate is a common measure of a country’s health. [...]

My Holiday Wish: Labeling on Genetically Engineered Foods

Robyn OBrien at MomsRising Blog - 5 hours ago

The holidays can be like candy canes-they’re sticky, they’re sweet, with a whole lot of little surprises. But worrying about the ingredients in candy canes is the last thing any parent wants to have to think about at this time of year. Yet with the growing number of children with diabetes, obesity, allergies, and [...]

Non-toxic Tips for Winter Coughs & Colds

Claire Moshenberg at MomsRising Blog - 5 hours ago

I used to catch every cold that came into town. Office colds? Check. Office colds from my boyfriend’s office? Colds from family/friends/strangers schools/offices/jousting tournaments? Check, check, check. My winters were a series of tissue boxes, cough syrups, and congested mutterings that could be summed up as “This again?” or “Oh come on nose. Get it [...]

The Holiday Season: A Survival Guide

Joan C. Williams at MomsRising Blog - 19 hours ago

For years I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning every Black Friday, leaving the kids with my mother-in-law, and get to the mall by 6:15 am. Every year, I would return six or seven hours later, loaded down with presents, and my mother-in-law would say, “There you are! I took care of your [...]

Call Today to #Extend UI!

Monifa Bandele at MomsRising Blog - 19 hours ago

Can You Call Congress Today to #ExtendUI!? Time is short. Unless Congress acts now to renew federal unemployment insurance, nearly 2 million people will be cut off in the month of January alone. Millions more would have this critical lifeline cut off in the near future – over 6 million would lose these benefits during [...]

Power on our plates

Kristin Schafer at MomsRising Blog - 4 days ago

When my daughter was in kindergarten, she would inspect her friends’ strawberries at lunchtime. “No no, you don’t want to eat that,” she would solemnly inform them. “It’s not organic. It might have yucky chemicals on it.” Yucky chemicals indeed. Studies continue to pile up showing how pesticides on food can be harmful, especially to [...]

Toward a Two-Generation Strategy: Voices of American Families

Anne Mosle at MomsRising Blog - 5 days ago

Focus Group Results on Low-Income Parents’ Aspirations for Themselves and Their Children As America struggles to regain its economic footing, the nation’s most vulnerable families — parents of young children who live at 200% of poverty or less — express strong feelings of frustration and disappointment with their lives today, but they are working hard [...]

American Moms: Unsung Heroes of a Bad Economy

Leslie Bennetts at MomsRising Blog - 5 days ago

American mothers are hard-hit by the tough economy, with 42 percent more women than men living in poverty and single moms especially vulnerable. Yet women work valiantly to sustain families, and remain thankful that they can manage at all. In a new study on American families released today, the toll of tough times is painfully [...]

Snow, Sparkles, and…MomsVote 2012!

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner at MomsRising Blog - 5 days ago

Snow, sparkles, winter light, and… voting? Wait a minute. What does voting have to do with the holidays?! This holiday season at MomsRising we’re announcing the launch of…. drum roll please…. …MomsVote 2012! And we need your support, your help, your good wishes, and all of your holiday cheer to help launch MomsVote 2012 [...]

5 Green Shipping Tips for Your Holiday Gifts

Claire Moshenberg at MomsRising Blog - 5 days ago

Wrapping up your holiday shopping? It’s time to start wrapping and sending out those gifts! Try these top five green (and easy!) shipping tips: Green shipping options: When you’re shopping online, pay close attention to your shipping options. Many companies now give you the option to ship goods with less packaging and to bundle packages [...]

Thanks Health Care Law! 2.5 Million Young Adults Gain Health Coverage Through the Affordable Care Act

Thao Nguyen at MomsRising Blog - 5 days ago

It’s not hard to understand why the recent announcement that 2.5 million young adults have gained coverage through the Affordable Care Act is a big deal (this large gain is due to a provision in the law that went into effect on September 23, 2010 and allows adult children without access to job-based coverage the [...]

Your urgent action needed in Mass!

Ruth Martin at MomsRising Blog - 5 days ago

Guess what? Right now state legislators are meeting in Boston to determine their legislative priorities for the New Year. That makes right now the perfect time to send your state legislators a quick note urging them to resolve to pass the Mass paid sick days bill in 2012! http://action.momsrising.org/letter/ma_psd_12_14/ The MA paid sick days bill [...]

The heroes among us.

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner at MomsRising Blog - 6 days ago

Something really amazing has been happening. Amidst the bickering in Washington D.C., some voices are rising above the din. And guess what? They’re ours!! MomsRising members from around the country have been raising our voices, sharing our personal stories, sending in messages to leaders, and… even winning! Moms like Desiree Rosado from Connecticut who shared [...]

Play the Game of Obamacare

Serena Woods at MomsRising Blog - 6 days ago

A few weeks ago, I wrote about our Thanks, Obamacare campaign and why exactly we are saying Thanks, Obamacare! Today, I am writing to tell you that we launched an exciting new feature on our website, the Game of Obamacare! As you spin the wheel to advance through life, you’ll be asked to make important decisions [...]

I’m Volunteering My Story

Jackie Norris at MomsRising Blog - 1 week ago

As I pecked away at my laptop on a 6:30am flight to Atlanta, I took a moment to reflect on the three tasks I just completed long before I landed to start my day job. First, I reviewed the budget projections for Lafayette Elementary School’s 2nd grade class to assess if we were on track [...]

A Glimmer of Good News for California’s Kids

Michael Odeh at MomsRising Blog - 1 week ago

With the state’s unemployment rate hovering above 11 percent, impending state budget triggers that are inciting rallies across the state, and 52% growth in health insurance premiums for California families over nearly the past decade, it’s hard to find truly good news…but here’s some: at a time when the economic recession hit hardest (2008 to [...]