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Friday, January 13, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts 1-13 #ows #edreform #edchat


Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 1-12 #edreform #ows

NYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Address « EdVoxBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-42 minutes agoNYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Address « EdVox:NYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Addressby edvoxnyPopout(New York, NY – January 12, 2012) – Mayor Bloomberg delivered his State of the City address at Morris High School in the Bronx today, including several thousand words on education. Parent leader Zakiyah ...more »

Des Moines Education Association: Summary of Governor's Education Reform Proposals

Des Moines Education Association: Summary of Governor's Education Reform Proposals:Summary of Governor's Education Reform Proposalsby Mr. RThis summary of the education reform proposals was written by DMEA Executive Board member, Andrew Rasmussen:- The governor has now released his final proposals for education reform to the state legislature who will now craft the legislation to put the reforms into effect. You can read the full proposal at the following link…http://www.desmoinesregister.com/assets/pdf/D218358416.PDF- Among the proposals there are several that will have a major ... more »

School Tech Connect: You Could Do So Much Better With A 401 (k)

School Tech Connect: You Could Do So Much Better With A 401 (k):You Could Do So Much Better With A 401 (k)by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Pensions are a ripoff for teachers!I almost lost track of this "Guide For Legislators" that Ed Sector put online. It's written by this guy, who sounds charming and knowledgeable, and whose involvement in actual teaching rivals Arne Duncan's. Anyway, I mention it because it's really quite a piece of work. Here in Illinois, I'm used to being ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Massive Charter Malfeasance, Jersey Style

Jersey Jazzman: Massive Charter Malfeasance, Jersey Style:Massive Charter Malfeasance, Jersey Styleby DukeIn case you still wonder why so many people in New Jersey have so many doubts about charter schools, here's one more reason, courtesy of the Star-Ledger:Nearly 200 school board members must "immediately vacate their position" after failing to complete a background check mandated under a new state law, a state Department of Education spokesman said today .Under the state law enacted last year, the only one of its ... more »

Kimble's Corner: Congressman Kimble Investigates Islamic Caliphate in South Carolina

Kimble's Corner: Congressman Kimble Investigates Islamic Caliphate in South Carolina:Congressman Kimble Investigates Islamic Caliphate in South Carolinaby Representative KimbleI've been campaigning hard in South Carolina and I have definitely enjoyed the challenge of campaigning to African-Americans for the first time in my career. The number of black Republicans is small, but substantial and I've relied on everything that I learned from Michael Steele to reach out to them with an urban suburban vibe and good conservative values yo digity.I had ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg's State of the City address: an administration that has run out of education ideas -- even bad ones

NYC Public School Parents: Bloomberg's State of the City address: an administration that has run out of education ideas -- even bad ones:Bloomberg's State of the City address: an administration that has run out of education ideas -- even bad onesby Leonie HaimsonThe education proposals in Bloomberg’s State of the City address are being described as “ambitious” in the New York Times and GothamSchools. Not surprisingly, I see it differently. First he claimed that “By almost any measure, students are ... more »

ACLU warns Dallas ISD to "tread cautiously" on loosening restrictions to allow graduations in religious facilities | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com

ACLU warns Dallas ISD to "tread cautiously" on loosening restrictions to allow graduations in religious facilities | Dallas ISD Blog | dallasnews.com:ACLU warns Dallas ISD to "tread cautiously" on loosening restrictions to allow graduations in religious facilitiesby Tawnell Hobbs/ReporterThe American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is demanding that Dallas ISD reconsider a proposal that would no longer restrict graduations at churches and other religious buildings. Dallas school trustees are likely to discuss the proposal at Thursday's board briefing. It is ... more »

Modern School: Gates Right For Once? Of Course Not! #edreform

Modern School: Gates Right For Once? Of Course Not!:Gates Right For Once? Of Course Not!by Michael DunnA new study released last week by the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation found that rating teachers by watching them teach is possibly the best way to help them improve, the Los Angeles Times reported this week. It also found that observing teachers infrequently (once a year or less) is insufficient, and that the observers, generally school administrators, often don't know what to look for.Huck/Konopacki ... more »

Bush Foundation, Florida Chamber of Commerce Release Simultaneous Spin on State Ranking Drop | Scathing Purple Musings

Bush Foundation, Florida Chamber of Commerce Release Simultaneous Spin on State Ranking Drop | Scathing Purple Musings:Bush Foundation, Florida Chamber of Commerce Release Simultaneous Spin on State Ranking Dropby Bob SikesIf there was any real doubt that Jeb Bush’s faux education foundation and the Florida Chamber of Commerce weren’t in cahoots should be dispelled today by the groups choreographed release of statements in regards toFlorida’s slide in education rankings. The Tampa Bay Times actually found the Chamber to be “cheering.” ... more »

Schools Matter: Nine Years Before Ten Years After

Schools Matter: Nine Years Before Ten Years After:Nine Years Before Ten Years Afterby Jim HornI have been deliberately ignoring the 10th painful anniversary of NCLB-S. I appreciate the grisly work of Lisa Guisbond and Monty Neill in unearthing all those dead bodies and in reminding us that those who don't recall the past. . . .I know. I was looking for something else and came across a Bracey's (may he rest in peace) prophetic pieceposted on the Web on January ... more »

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Riverside Church Speech on April 4, 1967 – “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” | Mr. D's Neighborhood

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Riverside Church Speech on April 4, 1967 – “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” | Mr. D's Neighborhood:Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Riverside Church Speech on April 4, 1967 – “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”by ldorazio1 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the civil rights activist is well-known. Dr. King the anti-war, anti-poverty and class liberation activist is often overlooked.In many classrooms, Dr. King’s legacy is frozen in 1963, with his now ubiquitous ... more »

NYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Address « EdVox

NYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Address « EdVox:NYC’s Largest Parent Group Responds to Mayor’s State of the City Addressby edvoxnyPopout(New York, NY – January 12, 2012) – Mayor Bloomberg delivered his State of the City address at Morris High School in the Bronx today, including several thousand words on education. Parent leader Zakiyah Ansari of the Coalition for Educational Justice released the following statement in reaction. “Nearly every student in City public schools today ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform 1-12

The Charlotte Post - For-profit charter schools questionedBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-2 minutes agoThe Charlotte Post - For-profit charter schools questioned:For-profit charter schools questionedWith N.C. cap removed, companies apply for approval Published Thursday, January 12, 2012 7:21 amby Sommer Brokaw The emergence of for-profit charter schools is drawing fire in North Carolina.The Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP sent a letter to the North Carolina State Board of Education last month to block the application for Howard and Lillian Lee Scholars ... more »

The Uncertain Future of Public Schools in Florida | Florida Public Employees

The Uncertain Future of Public Schools in Florida | Florida Public Employees:The Uncertain Future of Public Schools in FloridaTopics: Amendment 7, Charter Schools, Ketty RodrĆ­guez, PrivatisacionYour Tax Dollars For Private UseJanuary 11, 2012Translated From Spanish Article Published January 10, 2012By Ketty RodriguezThe public school situation has become more complex and critical in 2012, especially when compared to last year. One only has to look at the laws that have come in to play, as well as the measures voters are ... more »

Why Accountants Should Not Run Schools | OurFuture.org

Why Accountants Should Not Run Schools | OurFuture.org:Why Accountants Should Not Run Schoolsby Jeff BryantThere's a reason why accountants traditionally wore green eyeshades. In their "vision-intensive, detail-oriented" work, they were prone to "eyestrain" caused by scrupulous attention to columns and rows of numbers on a ledger. Now, of course, the strain is lessened by the softer glow of a computer screen. But the accountant's job is the same, nevertheless.Historically, in fact, the practice of "accountancy" has not changed a lot ... more »

RheeFirst! » “Michelle Rhee” is to “Data” as “Counterfeiter” is to “Dollar Bill”

RheeFirst! » “Michelle Rhee” is to “Data” as “Counterfeiter” is to “Dollar Bill”:“Michelle Rhee” is to “Data” as “Counterfeiter” is to “Dollar Bill”by adminWritten by Guy Brandenburg for his blog. Read the entire post here.“There are very few public figures who have a looser connection with the truth, with facts, and with data, than Michelle Rhee.But she’s coming to DC next week as a featured panel member of something called the Data Quality Campaign, along with Arne Duncan, another educational ... more »

Turner Diaries vs Ron Paul — The Answers Revealed! « Student Activism

Turner Diaries vs Ron Paul — The Answers Revealed! « Student Activism:Turner Diaries vs Ron Paul — The Answers Revealed!by Angus JohnstonAbout a week ago I put up a quiz post asking folks to guess whether 25 quotes came from Ron Paul’s newsletters or from the Turner Diaries, a notorious racist novel from the late 1970s.In that original post I said that this:The worldview of the Ron Paul newsletters is the worldview of the late 20th century American rightwing fringe ... more »

Why Is Congress Redlining Our Schools? | The Nation

Why Is Congress Redlining Our Schools? | The Nation:Why Is Congress Redlining Our Schools?Linda Darling-Hammond January 10, 2012 | This article appeared in the January 30, 2012 edition of The Nation.Share|||Recommended by 0|Text Size A | A | AEmail|Print|Share|Single Page|Web Letter (0)|Write a Letter|Take Action|Subscribe NowRedlining was the once-common practice in which banks would draw a red line on a map—often along a natural barrier like a highway or river—to designate neighborhoods where they would not invest. Stigmatized and denied ... more »

Schools Matter: McIntyre's Austerity Plan for Cutting $7M Ignores $30M in the Bank

Schools Matter: McIntyre's Austerity Plan for Cutting $7M Ignores $30M in the Bank:McIntyre's Austerity Plan for Cutting $7M Ignores $30M in the Bankby Jim HornLast Fall Eli Broad's Tennessee transplant, Supt. James McIntyre, laid out his wish list for slashing teachers and privatizing services in Knoxville, Tennessee Schools, all based on a purported shortfall of $7 million from a $384+ million dollar budget:Facing a looming budget deficit of at least $7 million, Knox County Schools' Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre is ... more »

Check it OUT! Parent Organizer -- DPS Schools

Parent Organizer -- DPS Schools:Parent Organizer -- DPS SchoolsUpdated: Thursday, 12 Jan 2012, 11:47 AM ESTPublished : Thursday, 12 Jan 2012, 11:47 AM ESTmyFOX Job Shop - Job Title: Parent Organizer -- Reports To: Project Director Position Summary: The Parent Organizer will be responsible for working with allocated DPS schools to ensure there is a strong parent involvement plan to improve student achievement. Performance Responsibilities:Build and maintain relationships with allocated DPS schools’ principals Recruit and maintain relationships with parent leaders ... more »

NH Legislation Votes to Give Parents Control Over their Child’s Education « PWC Education Reform Blog

NH Legislation Votes to Give Parents Control Over their Child’s Education « PWC Education Reform Blog:

NH Legislation Votes to Give Parents Control Over their Child’s Education

Mother Crusader: Pants on Fire

Mother Crusader: Pants on Fire:

Pants on Fire

Tikun Olam lead applicant Sharon Akman responded to a reporter yesterday for the first time in months. Walt Kane from News Channel 12 did a Kane in Your Corner segment last night as a follow up to Michael Winerip's NY Times Column which detailed the misrepresentations in the application. I guess a guy at your door with a camera and a microphone is more intimidating than a disembodied print journalist sending emails or making calls, even if he is from the NY Times.


While she wouldn't be interviewed on camera, she did speak to him on the phone. When asked about the numerous misrepresentations in her application Akman stated:


"We're not misrepresenting anybody. If they subsequently changed their mind about

'Teach for America' overstates its classroom success | The Post and Courier, Charleston SC - News, Sports, Entertainment

'Teach for America' overstates its classroom success | The Post and Courier, Charleston SC - News, Sports, Entertainment:


'Teach for America' overstates its classroom success

BY PAUL THOMAS
Friday, January 13, 2012



A recent article in The Post and Courier announced "Struggling schools to get strong teachers" (Diette CourrƩgƩ, Dec. 13, 2011). The article, as well as commentaries and a subsequent article, suggests that Charleston's high-poverty schools struggle to attract and maintain high-quality teachers and that Teach for America (TFA) recruits are appropriate solutions to that problem.

South Carolina and Charleston, however, should heed the considerable evidence that challenges that claim.

First, we must acknowledge that teacher recruitment and retention are historical problems faced across S.C. and the U.S. in high-poverty schools, but we cannot gloss over that the high-quality teachers needed are certified teachers with many years of classroom experience -- characteristics research shows contribute strongly to student learning.

One of the hidden cultures of schools is that veteran and high-quality teachers often are "rewarded" with top students and elite courses such as Advanced Placement.

Money From Donors, iPads for Free: How Is it That Teach For America's Struggling Corps Are Broke? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Money From Donors, iPads for Free: How Is it That Teach For America's Struggling Corps Are Broke? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Money From Donors, iPads for Free: How Is it That Teach For America's Struggling Corps Are Broke?

Guest post by Barbara Torre Veltri, Ed. D.

The season of giving might be behind us, but non-profits continue to target donors. Teach For America, Inc., attracts major contributions, but TFA teachers (often referred to as corp members) are raising questions about where the money is being spent. Many TFA teachers take out hefty loans to cover their living expenses as they get trained and begin their placements. These loans must be repaid within thirty days if the teachers leave the program for any reason.

Philanthropists, corporate donors and foundations view Teach For America's as worthy of significant financial support (Ravitch, 2010). The non-profit register, Guide Star, lists TFA as a "public charity."

The Heckscher Foundation for Children notes on it's web site, "We continue to support Teach for America (TFA),

Another ailing school district may be forced to close - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Another ailing school district may be forced to close - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Another ailing school district may be forced to close

A Michigan newspaper reports that a cash infusion of $188,000 from the state is the only reason that the Highland Park School District in Illinois can meet its payroll today.

The Detroit Free Press also reported that in addition to providing the money, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) said he was appointing an emergency manager to oversee the long-troubled district in Highland Park, where Ford Motor Co.’s flagship factory once operated.

Read full article >>

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Stand for Children back in town to 'educate us' about turnarounds

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Stand for Children back in town to 'educate us' about turnarounds:

Stand for Children back in town to 'educate us' about turnarounds

Like Freddy Kreuger, he's baaack!

It could be time for a mic check as Jonah Edelman and his well-funded, out-of-town gang of professional union busters at Stand For Children, return to Chicago. On Wednesday, the group announced that it is launching a radio campaign to “educate Chicagoans about the value of public turnaround schools.” Thank goodness we have people from Portland here to educate us about how great these turnarounds are.

According to Catalyst,
[SFC director] Gonzalez is aware that the organization carries with it a negative weight, especially among unionized teachers and grassroots organizations. Stand for Children was a staunch supporter of Senate Bill 7, which limited teacher tenure and made it more difficult for teachers to

All Things Education: Opportunity to Develop Literacy

All Things Education: Opportunity to Develop Literacy:

Opportunity to Develop Literacy


On Monday, January 9th, Virginia Governor McDonnell announced his education agenda, entitled, "Opportunity to Learn." This has been covered by The Virginia Education Report, The Washington Post, as well as commented on by many throughout the state (For Chad Sansing's excellent commentary, read here. Or, for a partial listing of other reactions, see here.) I am going to offer my reactions in a series of posts starting with this one.

Before I comment on the agenda, I want to reiterate a point that Chad Sansing made in his piece:
McDonnell’s blueprint promises “a bold education proposal that will dramatically increase money for Virginia’s teachers and students by $480 million a year.” Meanwhile, his budget plans also include “hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts, including to child-care subsidies for low-income families and to health and parent-education programs for poor pregnant women.” Families who