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Friday, March 30, 2012

Big Education Ape: 3-30-12 PM PAA Action Parent Rita Solnet EDition @ritacolleen ROCKS!

Big Education Ape: PARENTS CAN!:
Big Education Ape: PARENTS CAN!

Published by Coopmike48 – 7 news spotters today

PAA Action News

archive.constantcontact.com - PAA and PAA founding member Rita Solnet honored in Florida! Watch the tribute by the Palm Beach County School Board here.   PAA in the mediaTwo PAA founders published columns in this week's Washing...
leoniehaimson

Flunking the Test  | American Journalism Review

ajr.org - The American education system has never been better, several important measures show. But you’d never know that from reading overheated media reports about “failing” schools and enthusiastic pieces...
DianeRavitch

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coopmike48 UFT sues Merrick charter school over alleged contract breach | GothamSchools bit.ly/H7N7L328 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite
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coopmike48 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: ADELANTO CAMPUS CALM AFTER 'PARENT TRIGGER' PETITION REJECTED: But pet... bit.ly/H7NlSk25 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite
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More Wisconsin News

jsonline.com - A federal judge in Madison on Friday ruled that portions of Act 10 - which removed most collective bargaining for most public employees - are unconstitutional. Seven major unions had challenged the...
fklonsky

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Preparing for Spring Break | Mr. Teachbad

teachbad.com - I’m mulling over the book club options. Maybe unhappy teach­ers don’t want to read about how teach­ing sucks. (But then, why would you be here in the first place?) Preach­ing to the choir, as is we...
coopmike48

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Another 'Parent Trigger' Effort Ends in Defeat

kcrw.com - Subscribe to this Podcast:Listen to/Watch entire show: First in Compton, now in Adelanto — out in the Mojave Desert — elected school boards have rejected petitions by parents to reform failing scho...
leoniehaimson

Looking Back at Our Nuclear Future

my.firedoglake.com - The Los Angeles Times heralds the nuclear age in January 1957. (photo via wikipedia)On March 11, communities around the world commemorated the first year of the still-evolving Fukushima Daiichi nuc...
coopmike48

With San Onofre Down, What's Up?

tomhayden.com - It may take a Fukushima-type nuclear disaster to force California away from its reliance on two aging, dangerous nuclear plants at San Onofre or Diablo Canyon. The Fukushima catastrophe has virtual...
coopmike48

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Protesters Wreak Havoc As Ten Arrested

huffingtonpost.com - A class meets in the auditorium building at Oakland Technical High School in Oakland, Calif., Friday, March 18, 2011. Oakland, Calif. (AP) -- Oakland's school board is planning to resume a meeting ...
mikeklonsky

Monster surf, dangerous rip tides forecast this weekend

latimesblogs.latimes.com - A large west swell is expected to bring monster surf and dangerous rip currents to the coast this weekend, stretching from the Bay Area to San Diego. The National Weather Service has issued a high ...
coopmike48

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Challenging Corporate Ed Reform

rethinkingschools.org - Spring 2012Illustration: Michael Duffy By Stan Karp This is a revised version of a speech given at the Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference in Seattle, October 2011. Corporate school re...
leoniehaimson

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(CREATE) Core Reforms Engaging Arts to Educate - Initiatives & Programs (CA Dept of Education)

(CREATE) Core Reforms Engaging Arts to Educate - Initiatives & Programs (CA Dept of Education):


(CREATE) Core Reforms Engaging Arts to Educate

Statewide coalition of agencies and organizational partners on an education reform movement that views arts education as an essential part of the solution to the problems facing California schools.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has partnered with a broad-based statewide coalition of agencies and organizational partners on an education reform movement, CREATE (Core Reforms Engaging Arts to Educate) CA, that views arts education as an essential part of the solution to the problems facing California schools.

In order to advance this effort, Superintendent Torlakson has appointed an arts education task force to draft a set of recommendations for him which will be included in a new publication: A Blueprint for Creative Schools: How the Arts and Creative Education Can Transform California’s Classrooms. This effort builds on Superintendent Torlakson’s Transition Advisory Team report, A Blueprint for Great Schools.

This task force effort will begin at the next CREATE CA forum at the Coronado School for the Arts on March 30-31, 2012.

The California Department of Education (CDE) is joined in CREATE CA by the California Arts Council (CAC), the California Alliance for Arts Education (CAAE), the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA), and many other groups statewide. It was inspired and launched through our state’s participation in the National Endowment for the Arts' Education Leaders Institute (ELI), which awarded California (through the CAC) one of five grants nationwide to attend an ELI convening in Chicago in May 2011.

The California delegation's ELI leadership team, comprised of representatives of the CAC, CDE, CCSESA, community, and industry returned from this rich and highly focused meeting to set in motion a series of forums, panels, and conversations to advance an arts education reform agenda.

These efforts are guided by the California Challenge identified by the ELI team:
Ensure each student reaches his or her full potential
by broadening California’s educational vision, policy, and practices
to promote innovation, economic development, and creativity.
The Task Force is expected to consider the following policy areas:
  • Curriculum and Assessment
  • Educator Quality and Professional Preparation
  • Equity and Access
  • Policy and Politics
  • Research and Evidence Building
  • Role of Business and Industry in Building the Creative Workforce
  • School Finance and Sustainability
  • Strengthening Collaborative Relationships
  • Teacher and School Development
For more information about this subject, please contact Craig Cheslog, Principal Advisor to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, by phone at 916-319-0554 or by e-mail at ccheslog@cde.ca.gov.
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An Urban Teacher's Education: A Teacher's Role

An Urban Teacher's Education: A Teacher's Role:


A Teacher's Role

by James Boutin
An individual's education is made up of much more than just the time they spend in school. Indeed, class time makes up only a very small portion of any person's education. The understanding one gains of the world and how to interact with it is shaped (in small or large part) by nearly every experience s/he has. The classroom is merely one of the places where society is deliberate about creating experiences designed to enhance desired understandings. School is, however, often the place where learning is most inauthentic, and subsequently boring. This is partly because the learning can often seem forced, but also because the classroom operates in a system that has a tendency to strangle individuality.

Two weeks ago during my staff's professional collaboration time, our principal asked the literacy team to consider an article in an ASCD publication on student similarities and differences. While I can't remember the title or author, I do remember the pages were laden with pictures of butterflies. The images were meant to remind 
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“Liberty and Justice for Some?” she asked. « Cooperative Catalyst

“Liberty and Justice for Some?” she asked. « Cooperative Catalyst:


“Liberty and Justice for Some?” she asked.

by educatedtodeath
Originally posted at educatedtodeath.com
A 7th grader asked me: “Why do we have to say the Pledge of Allegiance everyday?”
“Why do you ask?” I said.
“I don’t know what it means really. I don’t think anybody does. And, the part I kind of understand doesn’t really seem true for everyone.”
“Which part is that?”
“You know ‘Liberty and Justice for all’, it should be ‘Liberty and Justice for most’, or even ‘Liberty and Justice for some’. Trayvon Martin doesn’t have justice. And he doesn’t have any liberty anymore.”
“My friend got shot by a cop in front of my house a few years ago. He just had a bag of chips and it was dark. He 
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Game-Based Learning and a Whole Child Approach — Whole Child Education

Game-Based Learning and a Whole Child Approach — Whole Child Education:


Game-Based Learning and a Whole Child Approach

by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers
Andrew Miller
Post submitted by Andrew Miller, a national faculty member for the Buck Institute for Education as well as for ASCD. He is also a regular blogger for Edutopia. Connect with Miller on Twitter @betamiller.
Game-based learning (GBL) is a current trend in education reform and, as it becomes more widely implemented, we must make sure we are not simply focusing on the tools. Using games for learning is a great tool, but only if the use is intentional and aligned to best practices for student learning. GBL can, in fact, be aligned to the Whole Child Tenets—healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged—further leveraging it as a legitimate instructional model to reach all students.

Healthy

Each student enters school healthy and learns about and practices a healthy lifestyle.
There are many games for learning out there that promote health and well-being. Superbetter was just released 
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Support PURE! » Congressman Davis: Noble discipline policy a “striking, systemic problem”

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Congressman Davis: Noble discipline policy a “striking, systemic problem”:


Congressman Davis: Noble discipline policy a “striking, systemic problem”

by admin
Students protest Noble's "secret sauce" discipline policy
Coming on the heels of State Senator William Delgado’s bill calling for an end to charter school discipline fees isthis opinion piece by Congressman Danny Davis in today’s Catalyst.
Last summer I met with Congressman Davis’s education aide, Jill Hunter-Williams, as part of Parents Across America’s Lobby Day, the day before the SOS March. Among other things, I raised the issue of charter schools. She told me that they were aware of the unimpressive results of charter schools in general, but that they were very impressed with Noble Network of Charter Schools, which made the Congressman think that it made sense to expand such “good” charter schools. I told her what we knew at the time about Noble’s discipline policy . She was very interested and wanted more information, which I sent on to her.
It’s great to see that Congressman Davis has done his own investigation into Noble and found, as we did, that 
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NEA - Letter to Senator Harkin Supporting his Middle Class Bill

NEA - Letter to Senator Harkin Supporting his Middle Class Bill:


Letter to Senator Harkin Supporting his Middle Class Bill

March 29, 2012
Dear Senator Harkin:
On behalf of the more than three million members of the National Education Association, we would like to offer our support for your proposals to help strengthen the middle class.  We thank you for your leadership in introducing this legislation and in particular for your focus on investments in education. 
Today’s middle class is struggling and many previously financially secure families are finding themselves falling into poverty.  The faltering economy, the housing crisis, rising food and gas prices, and attacks on workers’ rights have combined to undermine and destabilize the middle class. 
Public education is the greatest tool we have to maintaining, increasing and strengthening the middle class.  Every day in schools across the country, hard working educators give children the skills they need to become successful learners, agile problem solvers, and creative thinkers, preparing them not only to enter the workforce but to think and act as citizens.
Investments in education make both good fiscal sense and good public policy.  Funding targeted to quality public schools will see the greatest return on taxpayer money and will strengthen the entire economy. When we invest in public education, lower and middle incomes grow even more than upper incomes, positively impacting businesses’ bottom line as lower-income people spend their new income on consumer goods and services.   In a typical state, investing two percent more in public education generates 3,900 new jobs and $92 million in new personal income. An equal tax cut generates less than half those gains — 1,500 new jobs and $41 million in new personal income. (Richard Sims, NEA Research, previously Director, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 2011).  The real rate of return on investments in education and training programs — in terms of payoff to lifetime earnings relative to the upfront costs — is 5 to 15 percent per year. (Jason Bendor, Jason Bordoff and Joshua Furman. “An Education Strategy to Promote Opportunity, Prosperity, and Growth,” The Brookings Institution, 2007).
Your legislation focuses on several areas critical to helping the middle class.  We particularly support your proposals to:
  • Modernize schools and campuses.  Targeted resources for school and campus repair and modernization will jump start the economy and ensure students the learning environments so essential to their success.  Our children deserve manageable class-sizes and modernized and energy-efficient school buildings.  Yet, on average, our public schools are more than 40 years old and need an estimated $500 billion in repairs and upgrades.

    Your bill will make sure students have the learning environments they need and deserve.  In addition, it will help create good jobs to put Americans back to work.  Construction and building repair such as that funded under your bill generally create 9,000-10,000 jobs per billion dollars spent.  We are very pleased that your legislation includes funding to modernize community college facilities.  Community college enrollments continue to rise as workers seek to enhance their skills in order to find employment in this tough economy or advance in their careers.  Modernization of facilities is critical to accommodate these record numbers of students.
  • Invest in early childhood education and child care.  It is clear that high quality education before a child turns five yields significant long-term benefits.  Children’s learning begins well before they enter elementary school, and the transition to school must be founded on strong school readiness.  Quality early childhood education is a key predictor of a child's future educational achievement and emotional development.  Children need proper stimulation and education from birth through age six in order to ensure full development and adequate preparation for the rigors of school.  Research shows that children who participate in quality early education programs perform better academically and exhibit better cognitive and social skills—on both a short-term and long-term basis—than similar children who do not participate in such programs.
  • Provide resources to save educator and first responder jobs. The situation in schools across the nation is unacceptable, as layoffs and budget cuts create ballooning class sizes and elimination of programs that help students succeed.  We are sending our children a message that they do not matter and are not a priority for the nation.  When educators lose their jobs, students lose too.  Each fall, fewer dedicated professionals are there to greet and care for students — fewer teachers, teachers’ aides, librarians, bus drivers, food service workers, counselors, and nurses.
  • Fund professional development on college and career ready standards.  We are pleased that your proposal creates a grant program to assist school districts in providing additional professional development opportunities for teachers as they transition to college and career ready standards. Teacher quality is the single most critical factor in maximizing student achievement.  Ongoing, quality professional development is essential to ensure that educators stay up-to-date on the skills and knowledge necessary to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century.
Again, we thank you for your leadership and focus on strengthening America’s middle class.  We look forward to working with you as your legislation move through Congress.
Sincerely,
Kim Anderson
Director, Center for Advocacy
Mary Kusler
Director of Government Relations
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Weekly Update: Opting out Texas style, the World Peace Game and who IS going to fix the plumbing? | Seattle Education

Weekly Update: Opting out Texas style, the World Peace Game and who IS going to fix the plumbing? | Seattle Education:


Weekly Update: Opting out Texas style, the World Peace Game and who IS going to fix the plumbing?

by seattleducation2011
First up, the parents are taking back their schools in Chicago.
One of the steps in corporate ed reform is mayoral control of the school board through appointments rather than elections. This way, the moneyed few who influence the mayor can then also have influence over how the schools are run. This has worked very well for Eli Broad in Los Angeles where he has been great buddies with  Mayor Villaraigosa for many years. In Chicago where there has been mayoral control for 17 years, parents and concerned citizens are fighting to take back control of their schools by demanding an elected school board.
From Stan Karp at Rethinking Schools, a great article Challenging Corporate Ed Reform, And 10 hopeful signs of resistance. Here are two excerpts:
Teacher Evaluation as a Weapon
Teachers and schools, who in many cases are day to day the strongest advocates and most 
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A Bright Future for Family and Community Engagement? | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

A Bright Future for Family and Community Engagement? | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:


A Bright Future for Family and Community Engagement?

by obriena
On a webinar yesterday hosted by the National Education Association’s (NEA) Priority Schools Campaign, Anne Henderson* offered a hopeful vision for the future of family and community engagement in public education. She predicted that the time is coming where schools really understand that engaging families and communities is a core strategy for school improvement. It will no longer be considered an extra, something to address after we’ve taken care of academic issues. In other words, it will be an integral piece of the puzzle.
Research from the past thirty years certainly supports this vision. And so do countless individual stories. On that same webinar, representatives from Oklahoma’s Putnam City West High Schoolshared how family and community engagement lead to academic gains at their school.
Putnam City West serves a rapidly changing student population. In 2004, 10% of the student body was Hispanic. This year, 25% is. Thirteen percent of students are
read more
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Harry Bridges: Life and Legacy - What a GUY!

Harry Bridges: Life and Legacy:


Harry Bridges: Life and Legacy
Harry Bridges Photo Archive This is a sample of historical photographs. Links below lead to photo collections, videos, primary source documents, digitized newspaper articles, links to related materials, and more.
This page is an introduction to the life and work of longshoreman Harry Bridges. Below you will find a  brief biographical sketch and to the right are links to videos, photos, speeches and lectures, primary source documents and other resources.
Harry Bridges was one of the most influential labor leaders in US history.  Frequently at odds with conservative elements in the labor movement, and often vilified by employers and government officials, Bridges made the International Longshore and Warehouse Union into a progressive pillar of US trade unionism.
Bridges’ most remarkable contribution to labor history comes through his involvement in the Great Maritime Strike of 1934.  He was a much respected rank and file leader of the ’34 strike, a strike that shut down west coast ports, led to an unprecedented three-day general strike in San Francisco, and violent confrontations on the docks.  It also established the ILWU as a largely democratically controlled union, a powerhouse able to confront employer transgressions.   In subsequent years Bridges was hounded by accusations of Communist Party membership and persecuted in a series of government deportation and perjury 
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Democurmudgeon: Voucher's Fail Racine Unified School District. Rep. Robin Vos says give it 5 to 10 years!!

Democurmudgeon: Voucher's Fail Racine Unified School District. Rep. Robin Vos says give it 5 to 10 years!!:


Voucher's Fail Racine Unified School District. Rep. Robin Vos says give it 5 to 10 years!!

by Democurmudgeon

While voucher proponents have tantrums about how flawed the testing results were for Milwaukee Public, charter and voucher schools (they were not), an even more dramatic example of privatization failure is taking place in the Racine Unified School District that cannot be ignored:
Journal Times: Students who attended privateschools on vouchers, instead of Racine Unified schools … performed more poorlythan their district peers on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. In Math, Racine Unified public students averaged61.5 percent, as opposed to the voucher student average of 50.8 percentproficient or advanced on the WKCE math tests. The statewide average was 78percent, and for economically disadvantaged students it was 64.7 percent.   
In reading, the private school choice students from Unifiedaveraged 55.7 percent proficient or 
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A Tale Of Three Teachers | Taking Note

A Tale Of Three Teachers | Taking Note:


A Tale Of Three Teachers

by John Merrow
Observations of three teachers lead to one major takeaway about the current model of developing new entries into the profession.

The young teacher started right off making a rookie mistake in the opening minutes of his first class, on his very first day. “How many of you know what a liter is?” he asked his high school math class. “Give me a thumbs up if you know, thumbs down if you don’t.” None of the kids responded, so he entreated, “Come on, I just need to know where you are. Thumbs up if you know, thumbs down if you don’t.”
An experienced teacher would not have asked students to volunteer their ignorance. An experienced teacher might have held up an empty milk carton and asked someone to identify it. Once someone had said, “that’s a quart of milk,” the veteran might have pulled out a one-gallon container to be identified. Only then would she have shown them a liter container, explaining that most countries in the world use a different measuring system, et cetera.
But the rookie didn’t know any better. He’d graduated from Yale that spring, had a few weeks of training that summer, thanks to Teach for America, and then was given his own classroom.
Another first year teacher made a rookie mistake in the spring. “How many of you dislike poetry,” he 
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Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Urban Prep “miracle” – loses 50% of students, still reaps praise

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Urban Prep “miracle” – loses 50% of students, still reaps praise:


Urban Prep “miracle” – loses 50% of students, still reaps praise

by admin
The Urban Prep Charter School marketing band wagon rolls on.
Once again, the school is pulling out all the stops (and, apparently, Governor Quinn) to congratulate itself for having once more gotten “100%” of its students into college.
Problem is, Urban Prep once more forgot to mention that it lost about half of its students along the way. This class started out with 165 students freshman year and yet only 85 are graduating.
At least this year some in the media are asking the question I first asked two years ago, when Urban Prep 
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