Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts 1-30 #edreform #ows

Kick In The Door, Wavin’ The 44 [On Writing To Kick Ass] | The Jose Vilson

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Kick In The Door, Wavin’ The 44 [On Writing To Kick Ass] | The Jose Vilson:Kick In The Door, Wavin’ The 44 [On Writing To Kick Ass]by JoseBiggieOne of the questions people ask me is how I do this. Whatever this is. I’m reminded of this every semester or so when a random professor asks students to read my blog for their course or pick a teacher blog that best exemplifies their core beliefs. While privileged to have people read ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 1-29 #edreform #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice. « Fred KlonskyBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-32 minutes ago“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice. « Fred Klonsky:“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice.by Fred KlonskyNew York music teacher Eric Shieh:If you ask me what needs to happen, ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Brilliant Mike Daisey

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

School Tech Connect: The Brilliant Mike Daisey:The Brilliant Mike Daiseyby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Riveting, funny, horrifying story-telling here. I may just go to New York to see it live. Anyway, in my mind, I'm pretty sure that I had a similar fantasy going on in my head about how all these gadgets were being built by robots, I'm embarrassed to admit. Listen to the whole thing--- I couldn't stop.This all has to be dealt with by educators. We really can't be advocating ... more »

January’s Best Tweets | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

January’s Best Tweets | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:January’s Best Tweetsby Larry FerlazzoEvery month I make a short list highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. Now and then, in order to make it a bit easier for me, I may try to break it up into mid-month and end-of-month lists (and sometimes I’m a bit late).I’ve already shared in earlier ... more »

Sabrina Stevens Shupe: Why the #EdSOTU Matters

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Sabrina Stevens Shupe: Why the #EdSOTU Matters:Sabrina Stevens ShupeTeacher-turned-activist; WriterGET UPDATES FROM SABRINA STEVENS SHUPE Like12Why the #EdSOTU MattersPosted: 01/29/2012 6:25 pmOr, A Tale of Two Speeches)Over at Teacher in a Strange Land, Nancy Flanagan asked, ""Who speaks for public education?"I'd answer that a lot of people do (for better, and for worse) but we don't all get the same kind of microphone, or the same airtime.After watching the State of the Union address Tuesday night, I found myself thinking ... more »

Oakland Bail Fund | OccupyWallSt.org #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Oakland Bail Fund | OccupyWallSt.org:Oakland Bail FundPosted 5 hours ago on Jan. 29, 2012, 12:16 p.m. EST by OccupyWallStOCCUPY OAKLAND NEEDS BAIL FUNDS! (click here to donate) Police Chief Howard Jordan has been quoted in AP saying there were almost 400 people arrested yesterday. There are many people who were arrested that need urgent medical attention, people who have been injured by the police or do not have their medication with them that they need to treat prior conditions. We ... more »

A Look Back at the League of Education Voters | Seattle Education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

A Look Back at the League of Education Voters | Seattle Education:A Look Back at the League of Education Votersby seattleducation2011I’ve been following issues in education since 2009 when my daughter entered the Seattle Public School system and therefore don’t have any previous history with the League of Education Voters (LEV) before that time. I can only tell you what I have observed in the last few years.LEV is an education advocacy group. They do not have members and rely ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 1-29 Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Sunday links. « Fred KlonskyBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-34 minutes agoSunday links. « Fred Klonsky:Sunday links.by Fred KlonskyMoney Talks Too Much, Josh MacPhee, Just Seeds.Just when we thought our kids were safe, “Fast Eddie” Vrydolyak is back. The convicted felon and former Machine alderman has sold polluted industrial land in his old ward to CPS to build a new school. Any student or teacher would face health risks. The deal smells in more ways than one.Haven’t they heard? ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Getting Desperate over at LEV

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Getting Desperate over at LEV:Getting Desperate over at LEVby Melissa WestbrookEvery week, LEV's leader, Chris Korsmo does a column at their webpage. She tries pretty hard to be funny but it usually falls somewhat flat. (If you are not a naturally funny writer, efforts to be funny just don't work.) This is part of what she had to say this week on charter legislation:I don’t know about you, but if one more person tells me that ... more »

“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice. « Fred Klonsky

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

“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice. « Fred Klonsky:“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice.by Fred KlonskyNew York music teacher Eric Shieh:If you ask me what needs to happen, I have a few suggestions. First, unions need to widen their discourse beyond bread-and-butter issues like compensation and work environment. Teachers must be able to engage seriously and ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: One More Piece to the PTA Fundraising Discussion

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

Seattle Schools Community Forum: One More Piece to the PTA Fundraising Discussion:One More Piece to the PTA Fundraising Discussionby Melissa WestbrookBrian Rosenthal had one more small article on this subject and it, again, is about McGilvra.In 2000, SPS and McGilvra had a contract to allow McGilvra a way to hold the line on their class sizes. To whit:The oddity started in 2000, when parents at the small and then-low-performing school in Madison Park negotiated a unique contract: The PTA would ... more »

Mother Crusader: Students Take On Cerf. And Win.

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

Mother Crusader: Students Take On Cerf. And Win.:Students Take On Cerf. And Win.by darciecimaToday Jersey Jazzman pointed out that while ed reformers use students to bolster their weak arguments or show numbers at their protests, many of the kids don't seem to know what school they supposedly want to see closed down or why they are protesting. In contrast, check out these intrepid high school reporters in Cherry Hill and Highland Park. They are all over this charter thing, and ... more »

An L.A. teacher reviews her review Teaching: Obstacles in the classroom - latimes.com

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

Teaching: Obstacles in the classroom - latimes.com:An L.A. teacher reviews her reviewEvaluations don't take into account the real world of today's Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms.Comments19Share59Members of the Cleveland High School forensic team are seen enjoying a humorous monologue by one of their fellow students. (Los Angeles Times)By Coleen BondyJanuary 29, 2012For the first time this year, LAUSD has prepared reports for teachers that rate their effectiveness. When I received an email saying I could now view my own ... more »

Daily Kos: On certain momentous occasions

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

Daily Kos: On certain momentous occasions:On certain momentous occasionsby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)we can acknowledge them without giving full specifics.Some prefer their exact age not be disclosed, even when it is a birthday divisible by 5.I will defer to Leave on the Current on that detail.But I will not let the day go by without acknowledging the occasion.We have been together for more than 3 decades, married for more than 2. We have been together for more than half of my life, ... more »

How Reform Lost Seth Lavin | District 299: The Inside Scoop on CPS

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

How Reform Lost Seth Lavin | District 299: The Inside Scoop on CPS:How Reform Lost Seth Lavinby Alexander RussoThere were no kids in class on Friday, for better or worse. During the week ahead, there are more hearings about school closings and turnarounds. Then report cards get sent home and it's February. Most of you who comment here are angrily (or, it seems, gleefully) opposed to most everything Emanuel and Brizard are trying to do. (It's much the same at ... more »

Petition to Repeal the Arizona Government Ruling Outlawing Teaching ethnic/racial StuCoalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

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

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:The Actual Arizona Ruling Banning Ethnic Studies in the state's public schoolsThis the complete ruling: TUSD’s Mexican American Studies classes violated state law, a state administrative law judge ruled Tuesday, ruling that 10 percent of the district’s funding be withheld.In issuing his decision, Judge Lewis D. Kowal found that the Tucson program promoted “social or political activism against the white people.” Specifically it included at least one class that 1) promoted “racial resentment” ... more »

Blue Jersey:: Star Ledger misses the mark on Urban Hope Act

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

Blue Jersey:: Star Ledger misses the mark on Urban Hope Act:Star Ledger misses the mark on Urban Hope Actby Marie CorfieldI'm disappointed to see the Star Ledger Editorial Board miss another opportunity to set the record straight on education 'reform'. I've written previously about their lack of fact-checking, as has Blue Jersey staff writer, Jersey Jazzman. Yes, editorials are opinions, but they are not the same as water cooler arguments. In order to have validity, the facts supporting the case ... more »

Bill in Colorado legislature puts state-testing call in parents' hands without penalizing schools - The Denver Post

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

Bill in Colorado legislature puts state-testing call in parents' hands without penalizing schools - The Denver Post:Bill in Colorado legislature puts state-testing call in parents' hands without penalizing schoolsPOSTED: 01/29/2012 01:00:00 AM MSTBy Yesenia RoblesThe Denver PostA bill introduced in the state legislature this session aims to give parents the freedom to decide whether their children should take standardized state tests, without it hurting their schools.The bill's sponsor, Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, is not getting her hopes up too high ... more »

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is sponsoring “Good for Wall Street—Bad for Students,” a panel discussion and national webcast on the dangers of for-profit colleges | Dailycensored.com

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

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is sponsoring “Good for Wall Street—Bad for Students,” a panel discussion and national webcast on the dangers of for-profit colleges | Dailycensored.com:Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is sponsoring “Good for Wall Street—Bad for Students,” a panel discussion and national webcast on the dangers of for-profit collegesfrom Dailycensored.com by Danny Weil For-profit colleges–such as The Art Institutes, Argosy University, Brown Mackie College, and South University–generate millions in profits for Wall Street. Meanwhile students ge... more »

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky

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

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky:Sunday links.by Fred KlonskyMoney Talks Too Much, Josh MacPhee, Just Seeds.Just when we thought our kids were safe, “Fast Eddie” Vrydolyak is back. The convicted felon and former Machine alderman has sold polluted industrial land in his old ward to CPS to build a new school. Any student or teacher would face health risks. The deal smells in more ways than one.Haven’t they heard? You don’t throw money at schools. An article in this morning’s NY ... more »

NYC Educator: Mayor Bloomberg and Merit Pay

NYC Educator: Mayor Bloomberg and Merit Pay:

Mayor Bloomberg and Merit Pay

by NYC Educator

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, after denying educators the 8-plus percent all other city employees got for the 2008-2010 bargaining period, is now touting a $20,000 raise for those teachers who can manage to be rated "highly effective" two years in a row. There are caveats, of course, including the fact that the evaluation system on which this is based does not yet exist, the tests that would help determine the evaluation do not yet exist, and the agreement with the union on which this would be based does not yet exist.

But none of those things matter to the papers, who plaster headlines about Bloomberg's big raise for teachers all over the place. You see how that works? You give away nothing and the whole world praises you for your generosity. It beats the hell out of actually

solidaridad: Schools Matter: Peas in a pod: Koret Foundation, The Hoover Institution, and Democrats for Education Reform

solidaridad: Schools Matter: Peas in a pod: Koret Foundation, The Hoover Institution, and Democrats for Education Reform:

Schools Matter: Peas in a pod: Koret Foundation, The Hoover Institution, and Democrats for Education Reform

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

"I tell you, my friends, the trouble with this whole country is that so many are selfish! Here's a hundred and twenty million people, with ninety-five per cent of 'em only thinking of self, instead of turning to and helping the responsible business men to bring back prosperity! All these corrupt and self-seeking labor unions! Money grubbers! Thinking only of how much wages they can extort out of their unfortunate employer, with all the responsibilities he has to bear!" ... "Then was revealed the New American Education, which, as Sarason so justly said, was to be ever so much newer than the New Educations of Germany, Italy, Poland, or even Turkey." — Sinclair Lewis [1]

It's no secret that the malicious types running Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) hold the same

Robert D. Skeels: How Administration Tries to Cow Teachers Into Submission

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

Talk by PESJA/CEJ activist and District 2 LAUSD Trustee Candidate Robert D. Skeels at the Support Cadre Resisting Administrative Maltreatment (SCRAM) Caucus Meeting at CTA State Council of Education on January 29, 2012.

Special thanks to John Cromshow of KPFK and SCRAM for arranging the event.

Echo Park Businesses Support LAUSD Adult Education

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

"I am dismayed, disappointed, disturbed by your recommendation to terminate the Adult Education Program! — Dr. William Johnson, Former LAUSD Superintendent, 1971-1981"

The consequences of decades of regressive tax injustice combined with the economic crash engineered by Wall Street mortgage derivative malefactors, have allowed for the neoliberal dream of carving public education to the bone.

Using the budget shortfall in Sacramento as cover, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board President Monica Garcia and LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy have recommended a draconian budget that cuts off the veritable lifelines for immigrant families, impoverished communities, and students of color. Unconscionable in any circumstances, their proposed budget is even more grievous given the hundreds of

Should we switch to weighted student funding and do it now? | Thoughts on Public Education

Should we switch to weighted student funding and do it now? | Thoughts on Public Education:

Should we switch to weighted student funding and do it now?

Share

Posted on 1/30/12 • Categorized as Equity issues, Finance, Student spending,Uncategorized

By forum

In next year’s budget, Gov. Jerry Brown proposes to rearrange school funding based on a weighted student formula – a concept that State Board of Education President Michael Kirst fleshed out in a 2008 brief. Beyond a flat grant for all students, districts with large concentrations of English learners and low-income students would get a premium of potentially thousands of dollars more per student. Districts would decide how the money would be used. Under the initial plan, Brown would phase in the new system over five years but would not hold districts financially harmless; doing so would require new money or a

Schools Matter: Robert D. Skeels: How Administration Tries to Cow Teachers Into Submission

Schools Matter: Robert D. Skeels: How Administration Tries to Cow Teachers Into Submission:

Robert D. Skeels: How Administration Tries to Cow Teachers Into Submission

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

Talk by PESJA/CEJ activist and District 2 LAUSD Trustee Candidate Robert D. Skeels at the Support Cadre Resisting Administrative Maltreatment (SCRAM) Caucus Meeting at CTA State Council of Education on January 29, 2012.

Special thanks to John Cromshow of KPFK and SCRAM for arranging the event.

When Did Physical Education Become An Issue of Social Justice?

Missouri Education Watchdog: When Did Physical Education Become An Issue of Social Justice? Do School Districts Using Polar Bracelets Understand the Goals of Producing Fit Workers for the System?:

When Did Physical Education Become An Issue of Social Justice? Do School Districts Using Polar Bracelets Understand the Goals of Producing Fit Workers for the System?

by stlgretchen

The Suburban Journal wrote about Polar bracelets in use at the Parkway School District (suburban St. Louis area) and questioning privacy issues involved in wearing them not only in PE classes, but also about the plan to have the students wear them 24/7 for one week and tracking activity from home. We followed up on the story and included the video from the School Board meeting in December where the

Jeb Bush Takes His Ed Privatization Show on the Road Again | Scathing Purple Musings

Jeb Bush Takes His Ed Privatization Show on the Road Again | Scathing Purple Musings:

Jeb Bush Takes His Ed Privatization Show on the Road Again

by Bob Sikes

Former governor Jeb Bush continues his US tour that’s bankrolled by education corporations and billionaires toLouisiana today and New Jersey on Thursday. Whether or not Bush receives speaking fees is not known. He’s never asked about that or who pays for his travel. Bush prefers to be seen as a pure reformer whose vision is based on data accountability, but his foundation has developed a pattern in supporting legislation in Florida which slowly shifts public schools to private:

• Private school vouchers – including those for religious schools
• Mandatory online education
• Charter school legislation which includes provisions that local school boards can be overruled by political

Rick Scott’s FCAT Rankings Release a Propoganda Ploy

by Bob Sikes

Writing in the Pensacola News Journal, Escambia county school board member Jeff Bergosh writes:

……..but according to the press portrayals of this FDOE data, one could easily reason that the higher the district ranking, the better the school district, period.

And therein lies the problem.

The release of data like this without thoughtfully conceived disclaimers, explanations and footnotes can and does lead to incorrect and negative public perceptions. This is because data alone does not tell the whole story. And Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson’s five-second blurb about

Jersey Jazzman: Big Questions About Charter Applications in NJ

Jersey Jazzman: Big Questions About Charter Applications in NJ:

Big Questions About Charter Applications in NJ

by Duke

So I'm still left wondering how exactly Pastor Amir Khan got his charter school approved when the community clearly doesn't want it. To help figure out this mystery, I made a timeline of the events that led up to the approval:


January, 2010: Pastor Amir Khan and his wife, Aughtney Khan, are featured in a video produced by the Star-Ledger that shows the couple demonstrating against same-sex marriage legislation (2:47):

Popout

May, 2010: The Attorney General of New Jersey, Paula Dow (a Christie appointee), praises Khan's Nehemiah Group for their program reintegrating ex-offenders back into the community.

September, 2010: Khan signs a lease-purchase agreement with the Diocese of Camden for the former Holy

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Jesse Jackson

Keep your finger in your pocket," Gov. Brewer. -- Sun-Times

Richard Rothstein

Education “reformers” have a common playbook. First, assert without evidence that regular public schools are “failing” and that large numbers of regular (unionized) public school teachers are incompetent. --‘Reformers’ playbook on failing schools fails a fact check

Warren Buffet

"If this is a war, my side has had the nuclear bomb," Buffett

California Education Update « InterACT

California Education Update « InterACT:

California Education Update

by David B. Cohen

California State Senator Joe Simitian represents the 11th Senate District in our state (which is where I live and work), and a couple of times each year, he hosts education town hall meetings. These meetings provide a useful opportunity for various stakeholders in the community to hear from the Senator, and for him to hear from all of us. Senator Simitian is a particularly good person to hear from on education issues, as he entered state politics by way of our local school board, and has been on the education committees in both houses of our legislature. His most recent meeting was Saturday, January 28, with a crowd was slightly larger than I’ve previously seen at one of these events, probably in the range of 200-300 people.

What follows is my attempt to capture his comments and the information he provided, with occasional interjections of my own thoughts or questions in parentheses and italics.

The big theme for 2012 education funding is uncertainty, as so much depends on the fate of tax-increases going