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

Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs more - NorthJersey.com

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Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs more - NorthJersey.com:Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs moreSUNDAY JANUARY 1, 2012, 12:58 PMBY GEOFF MULVIHILLASSOCIATED PRESSASSOCIATED PRESSPAGES: 1 2 3 DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAILOne in a periodic series on efforts to remake New Jersey's education system.NEW BRUNSWICK — A scholar who studies and blogs about education finance says improving the state's urban schools will take more money — and that merit pay is not likely to help.Bruce ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: I Take a Day Off On Vouchers

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Jersey Jazzman: I Take a Day Off On Vouchers:I Take a Day Off On Vouchersby DukeWhy should I do battle yet again with Tom Moran and the Star-Ledger editorial page? So many others are knocking down today's ridiculous piece cheering on vouchers that I'm taking the day off!Here's NJ Parents Against Christie's School Cuts:The assertion that it's ok to hand public money to religious institutions for education as long as we let parents choose which ones is utterly wrongheaded. Why ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?

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Jersey Jazzman: Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?:Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?by DukeThe NY Times writes about merit pay in post-Rhee Washington, D.C.:“The most important role for incentives is in shaping who enters the teaching profession and who stays,” said Eric A. Hanushek, a professor of economics at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. “Washington’s incentive system will attract talented teachers, and it’ll help keep the best ones.” Under the system, known as Impact Plus, teachers rated “highly effective” earn bonuses ... more »

Profits before students with charter schools | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

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Letters: Profits before students with charter schools | Detroit Free Press | freep.com:Profits before students with charter schoolsKurt Strazdins/McClatchy-TribuneFILED UNDEROpinionLetters To The EditorCharter SchoolsRick SnyderGrosse PointeNow that Gov. Rick Snyder has lifted the cap on charter schools, we can expect to see a rise in for-profit companies running schools under the "authority" of universities.In case anyone thinks charter schools are still "public" because they are run by universities, read the print in Senate Bill 618, which lists the kinds of ... more »

School Tech Connect: Let's Get On With It

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School Tech Connect: Let's Get On With It:Let's Get On With Itby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney last night at Evanston SPACE. Another hilarious show. After the show, I raced back home before the fireworks started because they terrify the dog. Really, throughout the course of the year, there are any number of events that terrify the dog.Now back to another year of calling out Arne Duncan

New Year’s Day links. « Fred Klonsky

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New Year’s Day links. « Fred Klonsky:New Year’s Day links.by Fred KlonskyNew York Mayor Bloomberg kisses Lady Gaga. Ball drops. H/T Arthur Goldstein.500 Occupy Wall Street protesters briefly took back Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhanttan last night and this morning. “At least a dozen police officers charged into the park, plowing directly into a crowd of people, some of whom were trying to flee, pushing and shoving. One man was thrown down and pinned to the ground by several officers.”“We ... more »

PWCS “Debt” and Budget « PWC Education Reform Blog

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PWCS “Debt” and Budget « PWC Education Reform Blog:PWCS “Debt” and BudgetJanuary 1, 2012 — pwceducationreformEvery year about this time the school division begins preparing its budget for next year. The budget is a little confusing, and with over 100 pages of detail, kind of cumbersome. We’ll try to keep you aware of things we notice as the budget is released. Before we get into the details of the budget we wanted to review one item in particular which is ...more »

What Mayor Bloomberg Kisses When He isn't Kissing Lady Gaga #edreform #ows

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What Mayor Bloomberg Kisses When He isn't Kissing Lady Gaga

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 01.01.12. Lady Gaga and A Possum Greet You!

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Missouri Education Watchdog: The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 01.01.12. Lady Gaga and A Possum Greet You!:The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 01.01.12. Lady Gaga and A Possum Greet You!by stlgretchenWelcome to the Sunday Education Weekly Reader for 01.01.12. We are using a different logo today in honor of possums everywhere.Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Happy New Year!Did you stay up until midnight and celebrate the ushering in of a new year? Most folks at home probably had their televisions turned ... more »

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

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Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin (extended version)Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-0 seconds agoMoody Blues Nights In White Satin LyricsNights in white satin, never reaching the end,Letters I've written, never meaning to send.Beauty I'd always missed with these eyes before.Just what the truth is, I can't say anymore.'Cos I love you, yes I love you, oh how I love you.Gazing at people, some hand in hand,Just what I'm going through they can't understand.Some try to tell me, ... more »

Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin (extended version)

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Moody Blues Nights In White Satin LyricsNights in white satin, never reaching the end,Letters I've written, never meaning to send.Beauty I'd always missed with these eyes before.Just what the truth is, I can't say anymore.'Cos I love you, yes I love you, oh how I love you.Gazing at people, some hand in hand,Just what I'm going through they can't understand.Some try to tell me, thoughts they cannot defend,Just what you want to be, you will be in the end.And I ... more »

Amy Winehouse - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

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Schools Matter: Protect Your Children's Future by Saying No to High-Stakes Testing

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Schools Matter: Protect Your Children's Future by Saying No to High-Stakes Testing:Protect Your Children's Future by Saying No to High-Stakes Testingby Jim HornPlan for National Opt Out Day, January 7thA New Year is upon us. It is paramount that we make the most of it and organize and ACT to end corporate education reform. We must move out into our neighborhoods, our communities, and support others in understanding the absolute destruction surrounding the tactics of the corporate education reformers. Opting ... more »

The Few Like You Are Still The Few Like You « Cooperative Catalyst

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The Few Like You Are Still The Few Like You « Cooperative Catalyst:The Few Like You Are Still The Few Like YouPOSTED BY PAULA WHITE ⋅ JANUARY 1, 2012 ⋅ LEAVE A COMMENTFollowing up on Pam’s post, “Once Upon a Time We Put a Human on the Moon,” I have to say I agree with much of what she said. In the “olden days,” there were desks in rows, kids doing worksheets, very little choice in assignments, mostly the teacher ... more »

Weekly Address: Working Together in the New Year

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President Obama tells the American people that, by joining together, we can move past the tough debates and help to create jobs and grow the economy in the new year.

4LAKids - WE MUST PRESERVE PUBLIC EDUCATION

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4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: WE MUST PRESERVE PUBLIC EDUCATION:WE MUST PRESERVE PUBLIC EDUCATIONOP-ED BY PATRICE APODACA IN THE NEWPORT BEACH DAILY PILOT | HTTP://BIT.LY/RTOTZIDecember 31, 2011 | 6:49 p.m. :: By many measures, 2011 was a momentous year.Osama bin Laden was finally tracked down and killed. The Arab Spring uprisings toppled ruthless regimes. The Eurozone's unity was sorely tested. The Occupy protest movement swept across America.Closer to home, Costa Mesa became a key battleground in ... more »

Occupy Wall Street Ringing in the New Year (LIVE VIDEO) | The Dissenter #ows

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Occupy Wall Street Ringing in the New Year (LIVE VIDEO) | The Dissenter:Occupy Wall Street Ringing in the New Year (LIVE VIDEO)By: Kevin Gosztola Saturday December 31, 2011 10:19 pm Tweet15 Occupy Wall Street is celebrating the New Year in the streets. OccupyWallSt.org has posted a roundup on the website of what has happened thus far tonight. There have been multiple tents. A “tiny tent” went up in Zuccotti Park. People have been jumping barricades at Liberty Park. The police ... more »

Once Upon a Time We Put a Human on the Moon « Cooperative Catalyst

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Once Upon a Time We Put a Human on the Moon « Cooperative Catalyst:Once Upon a Time We Put a Human on the Moonby pamelamoranDespite complaints that NCLB has reduced classrooms to one-size-fits all test prep environments, my perspective is that our classrooms have mostly always been, with a few exceptions, one-size-fits all teaching spaces. In working at all three levels of Pk-12, elementary educators do seem more likely to create spaces where students have resource material choices, opportunities to ... more »

Walking to School: Dear NEA,

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Walking to School: Dear NEA,:Dear NEA,I have a New Year's Resolution for you: Man-up.That's what my students would say. That's much of what your membership seems to be saying. And that's what I implore you to do.I have been a teacher since 1978 and an NEA member for almost as long. But the fact of the matter is that, as I improved in my abilities to teach through an association with other professional organizations (the National Writing Project, The National ... more »

Schools Matter: Occupy the Schoolhouse! #ows

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Schools Matter: Occupy the Schoolhouse!:Occupy the Schoolhouse!by Kathleen LynchTime magazine has named the Protester as 2011’s Person of the Year. However, as I read the Time article reviewing the year in protests and revolutions, I found one critical protest missing from the narrative: the Save Our Schools movement. Aside from some limited coverage around the national march in July, the national media has largely ignored this important protest against the latest education “reform” movement . The Occupy movement, on the ... more »

Forging Ahead With Nutty Teacher Evaluation Plan by Carol Corbett - ParentAdvocates.org

Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org:

Forging Ahead With Nutty Teacher Evaluation Plan by Carol Corbett

New York State Commissioner John King is about to get tough with 10 school districts that have not finalized negotiations on their teacher evaluation plans. He threatened to take away their schools’ improvement grants if they do not comply. With little or no consideration of countervailing concerns, the commissioner’s approach illustrates the 'My way or the highway' mantra of Race to the Top reformers. The plan, of course, is to blame the unions that are wisely looking at evaluation mandates with a critical eye.

Posted at 10:45 AM ET, 12/30/2011
Forging ahead with nutty teacher evaluation plan
By Valerie Strauss
LINK

This was written by Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State.

By Carol Corbett Burris New York State Commissioner John King is about to get tough with 10 school districts that have

MY ENDORSEMENT OF A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE « Teachers Fight Back

MY ENDORSEMENT OF A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE « Teachers Fight Back:

MY ENDORSEMENT OF A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

by alkleen

My phone has been constantly ringing with calls from the campaign managers of the Republican presidential contenders. Given my large readership on this blog, all the candidates are vying for my endorsement. I’m getting really tired of this harassment, so here goes, these are my thoughts about the candidates and also which one I will endorse.

Michele Bachman – Sorry Michele, no endorsement for you. She needs to say more than constant chatter about following the Constitution if elected. I do feel her pain about politicians not following the Constitution. Here in Illinois the politicians have been violating the state Constitution for years by not meeting their state pension obligations.

Ron Paul – No endorsement for him. Not ALL government programs are evil, Ron. Can you imagine where our

4LAKids LAUSD TEACHERS TOP NATION IN NUMBER OF NEW NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS.

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LAUSD TEACHERS TOP NATION IN NUMBER OF NEW NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS.:

LAUSD TEACHERS TOP NATION IN NUMBER OF NEW NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS.

Rose ceremony at UTLA honors the 189 educators achieving the prestigious distinction this year.

FROM THE UTLA UNITED TEACHER | HTTP://BIT.LY/TURMBW

Dec 16, 2011 :: For the first time, LAUSD teachers have outpaced educators across the nation in the number of candidates achieving National Board certification.

With 189 successful candidates this year, the District topped the number of all schools district nationwide—and even beat most states’ overall totals.

UTLA honored the new NBCTs at our annual Rose Ceremony at LAUSD headquarters on December 8, where teachers celebrated with family and colleagues and reflected back on the many months they spent working on certification.

Calling the process a “roller coaster ride,” Fulbright Elementary teacher Laura Garcia said that the process made her try new teaching

Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble Lands Game Changing Endorsement in Iowa

Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble Lands Game Changing Endorsement in Iowa:

Jack Kimble Lands Game Changing Endorsement in Iowa

by Representative Kimble

Popout

In this day and age, it's hard to call any endorsement a game changer, but the Kimble Campaign picked up about the biggest possible endorsement this week in Iowa when God the Almighty appeared to Jack Kimble and threw his support behind him in the Iowa Caucuses. God explained his support for Jack as being based on good

Segregated Charter Schools Evoke Separate but Equal Era in U.S.

Segregated Charter Schools Evoke Separate but Equal Era in U.S.:

Segregated Charter Schools Evoke Separate but Equal Era in U.S.

December 28th, 2011 | Author: National Office

Comment by RachelPendergraft
The kids in the article below seem to be happy. Parents have been given a choice as to where to send their children and without government interference, many have selected schools with a student population that reflects the race of those children. In addition, many of these schools satisfy the children’s longing to identify with their racial history by incorporating cultural studies relating to their ethnicity. There is nothing wrong with this, yet some think it is terrible. In fact, the majority of people prefer to be around others who are like them. Even those who enjoy international travel and experiencing other cultures still, for the most part, live the rest of their life among those of similar racial background. Why does this make some social engineers so

Occupy’s Rose Parade Octopus Floats Down the Street Tomorrow! | La Figa #ows

Occupy’s Rose Parade Octopus Floats Down the Street Tomorrow! | La Figa:

Occupy’s Rose Parade Octopus Floats Down the Street Tomorrow!

Lisa Derrick Sunday January 1, 2012 10:57 am

Tweet

It’s really freaky to wake up New Year’s Day and not have the Rose Parade on because it’s a Sunday. Oh the tyranny of religion, which also interfered with my ability to grocery shop on December 25. And seriously, on Christmas Day, there’s always something you need at the last minute–duck fat, crèm

2011: the year Wisconsin fought back. SSWIDTMS's most viewed videos of the year #ows #edreform

2011: the year Wisconsin fought back. SSWIDTMS's most viewed videos of the year |:

2011: the year Wisconsin fought back. SSWIDTMS’s most viewed videos of the year

by bluecheddar

Arthur of the facebook page Shit Scott Walker is Doing to My State is a combination organizer, videographer, and facebook blogger who has traveled across the state and across the country this year to protest. If you’ve watched more than 1 Wisconsin protest video this year, chances are you’ve watched 1 of Arthur’s pieces. I was all set to just copy and paste his list of 2011 videos [which you'll see below] but I started watching his videos again, and then I had to write something. Certain moments in his videos are seared in joyous memory — like when people break out into the ‘Hey hey hey–goood bye’ chant in Beloit or the moment when I’m feeling the full

Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs more - NorthJersey.com

Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs more - NorthJersey.com:

Professor: Educating New Jersey's impoverished kids costs more

SUNDAY JANUARY 1, 2012, 12:58 PM

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PAGES: 1 2 3 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAIL

One in a periodic series on efforts to remake New Jersey's education system.

NEW BRUNSWICK — A scholar who studies and blogs about education finance says improving the state's urban schools will take more money — and that merit pay is not likely to help.

Bruce Baker, an associate professor at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, spoke with The Associated Press for an occasional series of interviews on public education reform in New Jersey.

Baker's work is more often cited by those skeptical about the so-called reform movement in education. He's skeptical about whether students' standardized test scores should be incorporated into decisions about which teachers should be laid off and which should make more money. Those are among ideas promoted by President Obama, Gov. Chris Christie and New Jersey Acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf.

Baker, a former middle-school science teacher and tennis coach, has done research funded in part by teachers unions. But he's also quick to point out that he once did consulting work for Texas Gov. Rick

Jersey Jazzman: I Take a Day Off On Vouchers

Jersey Jazzman: I Take a Day Off On Vouchers:

I Take a Day Off On Vouchers

by Duke

Why should I do battle yet again with Tom Moran and the Star-Ledger editorial page? So many others are knocking down today's ridiculous piece cheering on vouchers that I'm taking the day off!

Here's NJ Parents Against Christie's School Cuts:

The assertion that it's ok to hand public money to religious institutions for education as long as we let parents choose which ones is utterly wrongheaded. Why don't we just take money away from other government programs and let people give it to their houses of worship? Why stop at education? While we're at it, why don't we fund religion-based health care, public safety, and justice? Hey, as long as we let people choose which religion gets the money, it's all good, right?The fact that most kids in poor urban schools aren't succeeding doesn't justify a "try anything" approach. You seem to be saying, hey, why pay any attention to all the evidence that vouchers are ineffective and do more harm than good? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/01/school-vouchers-education-reform_n_843861.html)

Jersey Jazzman: Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?

Jersey Jazzman: Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?:

Who Gets a "Superstar" Teacher?

by Duke

The NY Times writes about merit pay in post-Rhee Washington, D.C.:

“The most important role for incentives is in shaping who enters the teaching profession and who stays,” said Eric A. Hanushek, a professor of economics at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. “Washington’s incentive system will attract talented teachers, and it’ll help keep the best ones.”

Under the system, known as Impact Plus, teachers rated “highly effective” earn bonuses ranging from $2,400 to $25,000. Teachers who get that rating two years in a row are eligible for a large permanent pay increase to make their salary equivalent to that of a

Cerf Charter Report Held Hostage: Day 300

by Duke

Let's check the Chris Cerf Charter Report Count-up Clock, shall we?



Oh dear: 300 days since ACTING NJDOE Commissioner Chris Cerf promised a real report on charter school effectiveness - a report that takes student characteristics into account - "as quickly as is humanly possible."