The Answer Sheet - David vs. Goliath: The battle over public education

The Answer Sheet - David vs. Goliath: The battle over public education:

David vs. Goliath: The battle over public education

By Valerie Strauss

This was written by Rita M. Solnet, a nonpartisan businesswoman, parent, and Florida education activist.

By Rita M. Solnet
It wasn’t just the type of slingshot or the shape of rock David used when he defeated Goliath. David’s determination was steadfast, his belief system strong, when, with a do or die mindset, he fought Goliath and won. But why did he succeed when others just as determined and just as brave do not?

This question dominated my thoughts this weekend as I watched events unfold in Wisconsin, where teachers are protesting efforts to strip them of collective bargaining rights, and elsewhere: What helps you win when all the power and the money and legislative rule is stacked against you?

My search began. I discovered that despite the odds, "Davids" win

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

Daily Kos: Healing the Heart of Democracy

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

Daily Kos: Healing the Heart of Democracy:Healing the Heart of Democracyby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) In memory of Christina Taylor Green (2001-2011) Addie Mae Collins (1949-1963) Denise McNair (1951-1963) Carole Robertson (1949-1963) Cynthia Wesley (1949-1963) Christina died when an assassin in Tucson, Arizona, opened fired at a public event hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously wounded. Addie Mae, Denise, Carole, and Cynthia died when violent racists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. When we forget that politics ... more »

Rhee, former D.C. schools chief, busy lobbying, helping Right wing politicians– USATODAY.com

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

Rhee, former D.C. schools chief, busy lobbying – USATODAY.com:Former D.C. schools chief busy lobbying, helping politiciansBy Greg Toppo, USA TODAYUpdated 7h 2m agoCommentsReprints PermissionsMore than a year after she resigned as chancellor of Washington, D.C., Public Schools — and nine months after her successor asked D.C.'s inspector general to investigate high erasure rates on standardized tests during her tenure —Michelle Rhee remains as high-profile as ever.By Charlie Nye, The StarMichelle Rhee's non-profit is lobbying statehouses.EnlargeBy Charlie Nye, The StarMichelle Rhee's ... more »

NYC Educator: The Ratings Game

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

NYC Educator: The Ratings Game:The Ratings Gameby NYC EducatorYou'd think we were a TV station seeking Nielsons, but actually we're the largest school system in the country. An emergency headline from vacationing Gotham Schools blares that we're going to lose a ton of money, but the story doesn't bother to inform readers of the limited uses for which the money can be used. This, of course, leaves readers with the impression the evil UFT is obfuscating so that the lazy ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Boo-Friggin'-Hoo

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

Jersey Jazzman: Boo-Friggin'-Hoo:Boo-Friggin'-Hooby DukeRegrets... I've had a few...Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday said that not getting his proposed public education overhaul through the Legislature is his biggest regret of 2011.The governor wants to implement merit pay for teachers, take away some of the job protections provided by tenure and to use publicly funded scholarships to send children in failing public schools to private schools. None of those measures has picked up much traction in the Legislature.“The biggest disappointment is that ... more »

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

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

Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report findsBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-5 minutes agoGreat Lakes Center For Education Research Practice:Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report finds Study finds more questions than answers about the benefit of full-time virtual schoolsEAST LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 25, 2011) — Full-time virtual schools are expanding despite no high-quality evidence that they are effective, according to a new report released today.Cash-strapped states and ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Schools starve despite Michigan's billion-dollar surplus

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

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Schools starve despite Michigan's billion-dollar surplus:Schools starve despite Michigan's billion-dollar surplusby Mike KlonskyT-Party Gov. Snyder says:"Let 'em eat cake."Michigan is ending the year with an estimated $1.2 billion budget surplus. But T-Party Gov. Rick Snyder issitting on the money rather than funding the state's cash-starved public schools and rehiring laid-off teachers.Democrats and some Republicans want public schools to get a major share of any surplus. The State Board of Education has also called for a ... more »

Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report finds

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Great Lakes Center For Education Research Practice:Full-time cyber schools expanding despite no evidence of their effectiveness, new report finds Study finds more questions than answers about the benefit of full-time virtual schoolsEAST LANSING, Mich. (Oct. 25, 2011) — Full-time virtual schools are expanding despite no high-quality evidence that they are effective, according to a new report released today.Cash-strapped states and school districts are using online education — including full-time virtual schools with no face-to-face contact between students and teachers — ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Bring Democracy To Jersey City

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Bring Democracy To Jersey City:Bring Democracy To Jersey Cityby DukeHey, Jersey City! If you're good, maybe ACTING Lord High Executioner Cerf will give you a hint about who he will install to run your schools:Some 40 people were stuck on the outside looking in for more than an hour on Dec. 22 when acting state education commissioner Christopher Cerf met with the school board in a closed session to discuss the ongoing superintendent search.Cerf and board members conferred ... more »

Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plate | Dailycensored.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plate | Dailycensored.com:Reforming Higher Education at $1400 a Plateby Adam BessieAre you a hedge fund manager or venture capitalist feeling guilty about being in the 1%?Do you need a philanthropic investment to help polish the image of your brand, sullied by the Occupy protests?Or are you a seeking a way to make huge profits off of the government you love to hate?If so, on January 12th in New York City, you’ll have an exciting ... more »

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - Anu Partanen - National - The Atlantic

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - Anu Partanen - National - The Atlantic:What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School SuccessDEC 29 2011, 3:00 PM ETThe Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.Sergey Ivanov/FlickrEveryone agrees the United States needs to improve its education system dramatically, but how? One of the hottest trends in education reform lately is looking at the stunning success of the West's reigning education superpower, Finland. Trouble is, when ... more »

DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of Funding

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of Funding:DCPS Achievement Gap Blamed on Officials, Demographics, Lack of FundingDOROTHY ROWLEY THURSDAY, 29 DECEMBER 20110diggNational Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data shows the efforts of former D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Michelle Rhee and current Chancellor Kaya Henderson failed to reduce achievement gaps, or guarantee to that children would receive at least an adequate, "average" education, regardless of the school they attended.The report also concluded that in the DCPS system which ...more »

Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’ | PolitickerNY

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’ | PolitickerNY:Manhattan BP Scott Stringer: ‘The Incompetence of The Department of Education is Simply Staggering’By Hunter Walker 3:42pmScott Stringer (Photo: Facebook)Manhattan Borough President and possible 2013 mayoral candidate Scott Stringer blasted the New York City Department of Education at a press conference today following the publication of a New York Times report documenting the DOE’s failure to claim millions of dollars in federal Medicaid reimbursements for ... more »

That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken? « At the Chalk Face

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken? « At the Chalk Face:That @alexanderrusso, kind of a knucklehead, perhaps a pouting baby as well? That right @teacherken?December 29, 2011I wish I could take credit for the pouting baby meme, but I think that’s Firedoglake. But I think SA’s Alex Russo gets the pouting baby merit award this week for starting a little online cat fight. So, the original catalyst was here, where in ... more »

Larry Ferlazzo: Education-Related Predictions for 2012

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Larry Ferlazzo: Education-Related Predictions for 2012:Larry FerlazzoEnglish teacherGET UPDATES FROM LARRY FERLAZZO Education-Related Predictions for 2012Posted: 12/29/11 03:40 PM ETI recently posted The Best (and Worst) Education News of 2011, and thought I'd take a stab at some prognostication for 2012.I think I batted close to 50 percent in last year's predictions -- that can't be that much worse than those made by professional pundits.Feel free to add your own predictions in the comments section -- and don't hesitate to ... more »

Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 day ago

Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken System - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Lopsided Debate over Education Reform Reveals a Broken Systemby Anthony CodyAlexander Russo has done an excellent job stirring the pot with his column yesterday asserting that "reform critics" like myself are "winning" the online debate.As I tried to point out yesterday, the online debate is rather meaningless if the real decisions about our schools continue to be made based on misinformation, bribery and political ... more »

2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacic « InterACT

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 day ago

2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacic « InterACT:2011 at InterACT – Kelly Kovacicby David B. CohenKelly KovacicContinuing to wrap up 2011 at InterACT, today I highlight a few of the great posts that Kelly Kovacic contributed this year. (Prior installments include best guest posts and best posts by Martha Infante). As a result of her time as a California Teacher of the Year, Kelly has kept quite busy not only here in California, but also participating in national, and even ... more »

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 day ago

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!:Be a new person in 2012: It all starts with you!by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)I've been writing, working on my blog, experimenting, doing this for Flat Classroom but I'd like to share my favorite 5 posts for looking at yourself this 2012 in the common retrospection that we have this time of year. I don't make resolutions, I make appointments with myself to ... more »

2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left Behind - US News and World Report

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 day ago

2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left Behind - US News and World Report:2011 Policy Progress Report: No Child Left BehindIt was a big year for the nation's central K-12 education policyBy MALLIE JANE KIMDecember 28, 2011 RSS Feed PrintThe nation's now unpopular key education policy saw more action in Washington this year than it did since it passed in 2001.No Child Left Behind has been overdue for a rewrite since 2007, and education experts agree final reform needs to ...more »

The Education Optimists: Whose Race to the Top?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 day ago

The Education Optimists: Whose Race to the Top?:Whose Race to the Top?Posted by Sara Goldrick-RabA new investigation into the charter schools run by Joe Biden's brother Frank, a self-proclaimed "PT Barnum" of charters, raises interesting implications for the Obama Administration's educational policy known as Race to the Top.As many, including the U.S. Department of Educationwhich oversees RTTT, have pointed out, states that embrace charter schools are winning the race. As DOE materials put it, "President Obama has called upon states ... more »

The 1% and Education Policy « Nashville Jefferson: A Nashville Education Blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 1 day ago

The 1% and Education Policy « Nashville Jefferson: A Nashville Education Blog:The 1% and Education PolicyDECEMBER 29, 2011tags: ALEC, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Billionaires' Boys Club, Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Barkan, Matthew McKnight, obligatory Occupy Wall Street reference, philanthrophy, private dollars, Sara Goldrick Rab, The Broad Foundation, The Education Optimists, The New Yorker, Walton Family FoundationLook, it’s no secret that an elite club of education dilettantes philanthropists have been throwing money at various educational causes for a good while, and ... more »

Big Education Grants Threatened By Teacher Spats : NPR

Big Education Grants Threatened By Teacher Spats : NPR:

Big Education Grants Threatened By Teacher Spats

Teachers and school districts say they agree that better teacher evaluations are needed, but they can't agree on the details. Now, those disputes threaten federal grants meant to encourage education reform.

Take New York state, which has a lots of failing schools. Those schools got more than $100 million in federal School Improvement Grants. In exchange, districts promised to phase in new evaluation systems.

But John King, state Commissioner of Education, says districts haven't followed through. So he may have to take drastic action. "Their grants would be suspended. There ought to be a process in place to evaluate teachers and principles. They understood that at the time they applied for the grants," King says.

The unions say they back the idea in principle of finding a better way to evaluate effective teachers.

But Carl Korn with New York State United Teachers says the plans would link teachers' future to how students do on a standardized test. "I don't think anybody out there would want their career

Our Top 10 Blog Posts in 2011 « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

Our Top 10 Blog Posts in 2011 « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:

Our Top 10 Blog Posts in 2011

December 30th, 2011 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

In the past year, experts and practitioners in the field, whole child partners, and ASCD staff have shared their stories, ideas, and resources to help you ensure that each child, in each community, is healthy, engaged, supported, and challenged and is college-, career-, and citizenship-ready. These are the top 10 posts you read in 2011:

Five Dysfunctions of a Professional Learning Community

A professional learning community can bring educators together as a collaborative team committed to the success of each learner. But, as with any other transition process, moving from teaching in isolation to forming a PLC involves overcoming several common hurdles. Educator Steven Weber shares how to spot what he refers to as the five dysfunctions of a PLC—from a lack of norms to a lack of trust—and connect with strategies for addressing each one