Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts 1-24 #ows #edreform #edchat

The facts that school reformers ignore - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

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

The facts that school reformers ignore - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:The facts that school reformers ignoreby Valerie StraussThis was written by Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit organization created to broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers. From 1999 to 2002 he was the national education columnist of The New York Times, and he is the author of several books, including “Grading Education: ... more »

RheeFirst! » Why Rhee is wrong on collective bargaining and teachers’ unions

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RheeFirst! » Why Rhee is wrong on collective bargaining and teachers’ unions:Why Rhee is wrong on collective bargaining and teachers’ unionsby adminRhee claims to support the right of teachers to collectively bargain. She says she supports their rights to bargain base compensation and professional development. “But they should not actually be co-managing school systems, and many decisions do not belong on the bargaining table. For example, it would present a huge conflict of interest for unions to be negotiating performance ... more »

Washington State Bill Proposals HB 2427/SB 6203 and HB 2451: Teacher evaluations based on test scores. Parents around the country respond with their own experiences. | Seattle Education

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Washington State Bill Proposals HB 2427/SB 6203 and HB 2451: Teacher evaluations based on test scores. Parents around the country respond with their own experiences. | Seattle Education:Washington State Bill Proposals HB 2427/SB 6203 and HB 2451: Teacher evaluations based on test scores. Parents around the country respond with their own experiences.by seattleducation2011These are the three bills that I am referring to as described by WSSDA:HB 2427/SB 6203 would make student growth data a significant factor in the evaluation process ... more »

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Tuesday edition. « Fred Klonsky

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Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Tuesday edition. « Fred Klonsky:Life in Rahm’s Chicago. Tuesday edition.by Fred KlonskyRahm’s Town Hall Meeting from Westinghouse College Prep:The event started at 6:30 p.m. and ended at 7:15 p.m. The whole town hall was super managed, super protected, super promotion. While I value the mayor’s attempt to engage with the public, I question the value of these virtual town hall

Secretary Duncan to Join White House Officials in Live Panel Discussion of President's State of the Union Address | U.S. Department of Education

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Secretary Duncan to Join White House Officials in Live Panel Discussion of President's State of the Union Address | U.S. Department of Education:Secretary Duncan to Join White House Officials in Live Panel Discussion of President's State of the Union AddressContact: Sara Gast, (202) 401-1989, sara.gast@ed.gov Event Date 1: January 24, 2012 09:00 pm - 11:00 pmU.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will join several White House officials tonight in a live, interactive panel discussion following the President’s State of the Union ... more »

Undercover UK Police Fathered Children With Activists They Were Spying On « Student Activism

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Undercover UK Police Fathered Children With Activists They Were Spying On « Student Activism:Undercover UK Police Fathered Children With Activists They Were Spying Onby Angus JohnstonAn astounding story of police misconduct has been unfolding in Britain over the last year, as the press and the public have learned new details of the government’s decades-long infiltration of various political activist groups. Police officers, embedded in these organizations with false identities, are now known to have initiated sexual and romantic relationships with ... more »

Modern School: The Rise and Fall of Arlene Ackerman

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Modern School: The Rise and Fall of Arlene Ackerman:The Rise and Fall of Arlene Ackermanby Michael DunnFormer Philly school Superintendent Arlene Ackerman gave a $7.5 million no-bid contract to cronies at IBS Communications to install surveillance cameras. IBS was given the no-bid contract despite previous work with the district that involved cost overruns 12 times what they had originally estimated. She then scapegoated underlings for the scandal and squeezed the Philadelphia school board for a $900,000 buyout package to get ... more »

As Thousands of American Teachers Face Pink Slips, Teaching Is China's Hottest Job - Education - GOOD

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As Thousands of American Teachers Face Pink Slips, Teaching Is China's Hottest Job - Education - GOOD:As Thousands of American Teachers Face Pink Slips, Teaching Is China's Hottest Jobby Liz DwyerOn recent shopping trip to Trader Joe’s, I discovered that the guy bagging my groceries was a laid-off elementary-school teacher. He'd taught for eight years and planned to be a teacher for life until the budget cuts that have raised class sizes and sent pink slips to tens of thousands ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Stop Biting That Pencil!

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Jersey Jazzman: Stop Biting That Pencil!:Stop Biting That Pencil!by DukeIn the brave, new reformy world, teachers will not be allowed to make excuses for a child's difficulty in learning. Which means teachers will have to work around the problems of poverty, poor parenting, hunger, homelessness and the environment.The environment? Yep.But one compelling thesis stands out, as bizarre as it may appear. It has to do with lead. Kevin Drum has been harping on this point for a while now, and ... more »

Parents Across America/Seattle’s letter to SEA representatives about the MOU | Seattle Education

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Parents Across America/Seattle’s letter to SEA representatives about the MOU | Seattle Education:Parents Across America/Seattle’s letter to SEA representatives about the MOUby seattleducation2011Below is a letter that is being handed out this evening by members of Parents Across America-Seattle to teachers before the vote on the MOU regarding the Creative Approach Schools.Hi educators,We are parents of children at Seattle Public Schools who are concernedabout the defunding and privatization of our schools. As you decidewhether to approve the MOU on “Creative ... more »

School Tech Connect: iDon't Need an iPhone That Badly

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School Tech Connect: iDon't Need an iPhone That Badly:iDon't Need an iPhone That Badlyby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)I'm so over Apple products. I was once their biggest fan, too. I guess if I thought the people of China had any chance whatsoever of leveling the field, I'd feel slightly less guilty for my decades of being a groupie. But they don't.It's weird that with all the modern technology, we don't have webcams available where we can watch the workers on their 12 ... more »

An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nomination - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

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An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nomination - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nominationBy Katy MurphyMonday, January 23rd, 2012 at 6:13 pm in charter schools, school closures,teachers.Education news kept right on happening in the last two weeks. Here are some of the developments I missed while I was visiting old temples and dodging motorbikes:THE OAKLAND SCHOOL BOARD REJECTED the charter ... more »

Support PURE! » FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parents

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Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parents:FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parentsby adminCongratulations to our powerful, tireless Parents Across America member, Rita Solnet, and other parents in Florida for taking a lemon of a bill (promoted as “parent empowerment”) and making it into something a lot more like lemonade!According to the Tampa Bay Times,Heading toward its first hearings, Florida’s proposed “Parent Empowerment Act” came uderblistering criticism from parent ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeper

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NYC Public School Parents: On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeper:On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeperby Leonie HaimsonThe mainstream media has contributed heavily to the rampant public confusion over the teacher evaluation debate in recent weeks. Most recently, on Sunday the NY Times featured two superficial accounts of this issue. The first, by Nick Kristof, told a familiar if touching story about an Arkansas school librarian named ... more »

Florida "Charter School Empowerment" bill gets revision before first committee stop | Tampa Bay Times

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Florida "parent empowerment" bill gets revision before first committee stop | Education articles blog on schools in Florida Tampa Bay: the Gradebook | Tampa Bay Times:Florida "parent empowerment" bill gets revision before first committee stop Heading toward its first hearings, Florida's proposed "Parent Empowerment Act" came uder blistering criticism from parent groups saying the initiative was a "scheme" to hand neighborhood schools over to private entities. Many parent groups immediately disavowed any input in the bill that supposedly is for ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 1-23 Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

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Life in Rahm’s Chicago. « Fred KlonskyBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-4 minutes agoLife in Rahm’s Chicago. « Fred Klonsky:Life in Rahm’s Chicago.by Fred KlonskyOnly in Rahm’s Chicago would it be news that the teachers expect to be paid if they work a longer day.Rahm’s paid supporters show up at school closing hearings and pick a fight with parents and teachers.Rahm’s go-to person for the NATO and G8 meetings is said to use a “velvet fist.”The weekend saw more ... more »

Making waves. Backing good guys. « Fred Klonsky

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Making waves. Backing good guys. « Fred Klonsky:Making waves. Backing good guys.by Fred KlonskyWill Guzzardi in the 39th House District in Chicago.The Chicago Democratic Machine has been famous for promoting the theory of, “Don’t make no waves. Don’t back no losers.”What is surprising is how often those who I would expect to be principled and savvy fall for this.I’ve posted before about how frustrating it is when IPACE, the political arm of the IEA, endorses candidates out of a sense ... more »

President Obama Wants Our Questions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

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President Obama Wants Our Questions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:President Obama Wants Our QuestionsBy Anthony Cody on January 23, 2012 5:54 PMIt has been a busy week for the internet Goliaths -- education tweeters who have enjoyed turning Michelle Rhee's #sixwordessay contest on its head. Perhaps we can shift our focus to our President, whose education policies leave a great deal to be desired.Tomorrow evening President Obama will take to the air to make his State of ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: How To Rule New Jersey From California

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Jersey Jazzman: How To Rule New Jersey From California:How To Rule New Jersey From Californiaby DukeApparently, Eli Broad's got it all figured out - which is why he appears to have pretty much taken over the search for a superintendent in Jersey City:Several members of the public commented that the two search firms selected to find candidates for the position have close ties to the Broad Superintendents Academy, which trains business executives to run urban school districts, and that the ... more »

Best Questions: Assessment « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

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Best Questions: Assessment « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Best Questions: Assessmentby Molly McCloskeyDespite the rumors, school improvement is hard. It’s not about a single passionate leader. It’s not about “fixing” teachers and teaching or parents and parenting. It’s not about poverty. It’s not about money. And it’s not about standards. It’s about all of them. And more.In this column, I’ll take on the real deal of school improvement—for all schools, not just certain kinds. And for all ... more »

Jay Greene (Inadvertently?) Argues for a 23% Funding Increase for Texas Schools « School Finance 101

Jay Greene (Inadvertently?) Argues for a 23% Funding Increase for Texas Schools « School Finance 101:

Jay Greene (Inadvertently?) Argues for a 23% Funding Increase for Texas Schools

by schoolfinance101

I was intrigued by this post from Jay Greene today, in which he points out that public schools can learn from charter schools and perhaps can implement some of their successes. Specifically, Greene is referring to KIPP-like “no excuses” charter schools as a model, and their strategies for improving outcomes including much extended school time (longer day/year). As the basis for his argument, Greene refers specifically to Roland Fryer’s updated analysis of Houston’s Apollo 20 schools – which are – in effect, models of no excuses charters applied in the traditional public district. Greene opines:

Traditional public schools can get results like a KIPP school without having to actually become

Schools Matter: Testing Band and Music is on its Way

Schools Matter: Testing Band and Music is on its Way:

Testing Band and Music is on its Way

by Judy Rabin

If anyone thought for a moment music and band would be the one area that wouldn't be measured or tested, think again.

Michael Winerip of the New York Times once again brings us to the front line where teachers continue to do the "dirty work" of corporate reformers who are seeking new and creative ways to make a buck off of children and teachers:

The Education Department will spend about $5 billion on the program, and even if you’re thinking, hey, I could use $5 billion, consider this: New York won the largest federal grant, $700 million over the next four years. In that time, roughly $230 billion will be spent on public education in the state. By adding just one-third of one percent to state coffers, the feds get to implement their version of education reform.

The facts that school reformers ignore - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The facts that school reformers ignore - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

The facts that school reformers ignore

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit organization created to broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers. From 1999 to 2002 he was the national education columnist of The New York Times, and he is the author of several books, including “Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right” and “Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap.” This appeared on the institute’s website.

Read full article >>

Newt Gingrich’s ‘elite’ PhD topic

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago

*Correction: An earlier version of this post said Gingrich earned a master’s degree at Emory. He earned a bachelor’s there and a master’s and PhD at Tulane University.* Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich likes to use the word “elites” as a pejorative when he talks about things and people whom he considers liberal. But the former House speaker himself is in pretty elite company when it comes to his PhD. Read full article >>

Dear Michelle Rhee: About that teacher evaluation study

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago

* Dear Michelle Rhee, former D.C. schools chancellor and current leader of StudentsFirst:* I just wanted to dash off a quick note about that commentary you wrote in *Education Week *about the big value-added teacher evaluation study that made headlines this month. Read full article >>

Hawaii teachers reject contract in ‘blow’ to Race to the Top

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 3 days ago

*Correction: An earlier version misstated the number of people who voted on the contract. It is 9,000.* * Public school teachers in Hawaii have rejected a contract that called for a move to a performance-based evaluation and compensation system, as required by the Race to the Top grant that the state won from the Obama administration. Read full article >>

NCLB waivers: The devil is in the details

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 3 days ago

* This was written by Jack Hassard, professor emeritus of science education at Georgia State University and a former high school teacher. He is the author of these books: The Whole Cosmos Catalog of Science , Science Experiences , Adventures in Geology , The Art of Teaching Science (2009), and most recently, Science As Inquiry . Specialities include science teaching & learning, global thinking & education, geology, web publishing, blogging, writing, and antiquing. This essay was originally posted at his blog, The Art of Teaching Science, * * and on Anthony Cody’s Living i...more »

RheeFirst! » Why Rhee is wrong on collective bargaining and teachers’ unions

RheeFirst! » Why Rhee is wrong on collective bargaining and teachers’ unions:

Why Rhee is wrong on collective bargaining and teachers’ unions

by admin

Rhee claims to support the right of teachers to collectively bargain. She says she supports their rights to bargain base compensation and professional development. “But they should not actually be co-managing school systems, and many decisions do not belong on the bargaining table. For example, it would present a huge conflict of interest for unions to be negotiating performance evaluations when unions have to represent effective and ineffective teachers alike. Districts should be able to create evaluations, reward teachers’ success, empower parents with more choices, and run the school system while held to high standards for accountability and success.”

Nonsense. Unassailable research [here, here and here] directly refutes Rhee’s false dichotomies and strawmen. Peer Review and Assistance has been shown to work and indeed, teachers are the toughest critics of their