Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 6-16 AM Posts #soschat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: ' Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky The joke each June as school ends is that every day is Saturday. This is not quite true since it takes a week or two for my internal clock to reset. To stop waking up at 5AM. To stop making me sleepy at 9:30 PM. Years ago I would build something the first week of summer break. Like a planter box. I’m no handyman. But with a drill and a saw I can build things that have straight lines and corners. This is a perfect skill for building planter boxes for our backyard. And once I had built one, I was done for the summer.... more »

Reformers vs. Democracy « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago

Reformers vs. Democracy « Diane Ravitch's blog: Reformers vs. Democracy by dianerav One thing reformers don’t like is to hear from teachers or parents or the public. We see the same pattern repeated again and again. Reform can only be successful when power is consolidated in the hands of the mayor, preferably when the mayor has a puppet board appointed by him and that serves at his pleasure. (See New York City.) Reform can only be successful when it is rammed through the Legislature with a minimum of public notice and a minimum of public hearings. Fast action means no public delibe... more »

Blue Jersey:: Tenure Agonistes

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago

Blue Jersey:: Tenure Agonistes: Tenure Agonistes by A New Jersey Farmer *Great post from a couple days ago - promoted by Rosi*I understand at this point that Governor Christie is competing only against himself, but how many misleading, incomplete ideas can one person have? If he had more than his ALEC talking points we might be able to have a conversation, but his comments yesterday were truly, amazingly wrong. In case you missed them: The Christie push came at one of his town hall meetings, this one before more than 600 people in a Haddonfield middle school. He again invoked the ... more »

Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through "perceptive and acerbic" observations about Connecticut Government and Politics

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 minutes ago

Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through "perceptive and acerbic" observations about Connecticut Government and Politics: Hey Bridgeport; Vallas Has Your Credit Card and He’s Going Wild (Part I of II) by jonpelto Faced with a 1.5 percent school budget deficit this year, Bridgeport’s Mayor Bill Finch traded the democratic rights of his constituents for a $3.4 million “loan” from Stefan Pryor, Governor Malloy’s education commissioner. Meanwhile, few are even aware that Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s part-rime, interim superintendent of schools, is locking the tax... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 6-16-12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 minutes ago

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: BELVEDERE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER DEFENDS HIS TEACHING AFTER ROCKY SUPERINTENDENT VISIT smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 14 hours ago By Tami Abdollah, Pass / Fail, KPCC 89.3 | http://bit.ly/M7VWac Tami Abdollah/KPCC :: Superintendent John Deasy walks through an economics classroom at Los Angeles High School during a surprise visit. Jun 12, 2012 :: Remember Carlos Tejada? He's the 7th-grade teacher whose classroom Superintendent John Deasy angrily walked out of during a surprise visit to Belvedere Middle School in C... more »

This Week's Answer Sheet 6-16-12 - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 minutes ago

The Answer Sheet - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] Has Title IX, now 40 years old, harmed male athletics? Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago A new report on Title IX, the landmark civil rights law passed 40 years ago that barred gender discrimination in education for all students, says that a great deal of progress in improving educational opportunities for girls has been made, but more work needs to be done. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 6-16-12 #SOSCHAT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG * *Diane Ravitch's blog* [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Idaho Has A Great Teacher dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 13 minutes ago I got a comment from an elementary school teacher in Idaho. She sounds like the kind of teacher I would want for my grandchild, who starts first grade this September. She knows what matters most. She reminds me of Mrs. Ratliff, the high school English teacher whom I wrote about in my last book. I [...] A Parent’s Advice to the CTU dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 4 hou... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 6-16-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 30 minutes ago

Education Research Report: This Week's Education Research Report Early learning about spatial relationships boosts understanding of numbers Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 22 hours ago Children who are skilled in understanding how shapes fit together to make recognizable objects also have an advantage when it comes to learning the number line and solving math problems, research at the University of Chicago shows. The work is further evidence of the value of providing young children with early opportunities in spatial learning, which contributes to their abilit... more »

Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago

Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: Top Content Rank1[image: Are you attending ISTE12? Who else will be there?]Are you attending ISTE12? Who else will be there? Posted by Thomas Whitby on May 16, 2012 2[image: Skype in the Classroom]Skype in the Classroom Posted by Liz Anderson on May 27, 2012 3[image: Who Else Dreams About Creating a New Reality for Public Education?]Who Else Dreams About Creating a New Reality for Public Education? Added by Nikki Stansfield on June 3, 2012 4[image: BYOD in the 21st Century]BYOD in the 21st Century Added by Marc-André Lalande on June 6, 2012 5... more »

NYC Educator: Something Worth Considering

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

NYC Educator: Something Worth Considering: Something Worth Considering by NYC Educator Please take a few minutes to watch this, and feel free to comment on it. If anything, it would appear the "reform" movement is exacerbating the situation. Popout

Florida Charter School’s Aren’t Being Held Accountable | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Florida Charter School’s Aren’t Being Held Accountable | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida Charter School’s Aren’t Being Held Accountable by Bob Sikes A memorable exchange took place in February 2011 between two powerful Florida senators during a committee debate on Senate Bill 736, which ushered in Florida’s new teacher-evaluation system. Nan Rich, a Sunrise Democrat, suggested it might be more prudent to wait for the results of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded pilot program to develop effective teachers in Hillsborough County public schools before surging blindly forwa... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning Programs Taskforce and Its Work

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Advanced Learning Programs Taskforce and Its Work: Advanced Learning Programs Taskforce and Its Work by Melissa Westbrook When you get asked (or you apply) to be on one of these committees, it's always important to remember that it's not about you. Being on a committee means trying to be part of a team and find like-minded options and solutions to bear on the problem you are trying to solve (or at least help). Many times it means biting your tongue and yes, even sometimes, going along to get along. It has been my experience that a key to succ... more »

Education: The Past, the Present and the Future « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Education: The Past, the Present and the Future « Cooperative Catalyst: Education: The Past, the Present and the Future by Paula White Recently I read an article from District Administrator magazine entitled, “The Three New Pillars of 21st Century Learning” What happens when our basic assumptions about schooling no longer apply? and it began: *The textbook, The lecturer and the classroom are three pillars of modern-day schooling that date back hundreds of years. Each was invented to solve a problem. The t... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: “Learning 2 Spell” Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 hour ago Learning 2 Spell is a new free site that provides a series of spelling tests that learners can take. Teachers or parents can enroll individual children and track their progress. There’s a limited amount of content on the site now, … Continue reading → Research Studies Of The Week Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago I often write about research studies from various field and how they can be a... more »

School Tech Connect: Good Advice From Monty Neil

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Good Advice From Monty Neil: Good Advice From Monty Neil by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Monty Neil just advised everyone in this testing webinar to see *From August To June. * Haven't seen it myself but it's on my list now. Popout

OUR Children OUR Classrooms: Is teacher churn undermining real education reform in D.C.?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

OUR Children OUR Classrooms: Is teacher churn undermining real education reform in D.C.?: Is teacher churn undermining real education reform in D.C.? By Mark Simon, Friday, posted in The Washington Post, June 15, 5:02 PM I suppose the leaders of D.C. Public Schools want me to be happy that social studies teacher Kerry Sylvia won’t be coming back to Cardozo Senior High next year. The sound bite sounded appealing when DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced recently in her new strategic plan that one way to improve graduation rates is to focus on teacher talent — to remove bad ... more »

Daily Kos: "The only question is, Whose morality?"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Daily Kos: "The only question is, Whose morality?": "The only question is, Whose morality?" by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Those words are from Economics and Morality, Paul Krugman's Framing a Common Dreams piece by George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling, who in part are promoting an interest in a book they have just authored, and in part responding to Another Bank Bailout by Paul Krugman, which appeared online June 10 and in a slightly different version (to which the authors refer) as an op ed the next day. In his piece Krugman had criticized the policy elites who are focused ... more »

California Files NCLB Waiver - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

California Files NCLB Waiver - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): California Officially Files Waiver Seeking Relief From 'No Child Left Behind' Mandates SACRAMENTO—Supported by many of California's leading educators and school advocates, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and State Board of Education (SBE) President Michael Kirst today officially submitted California's request to set aside specified requirements of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as ‘No Child Left Behind.' California is requesting that the federal government allow the ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Class size limits and Cuomo finally picks a parent for his Commission, but very carefully...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Class size limits and Cuomo finally picks a parent for his Commission, but very carefully...: Class size limits and Cuomo finally picks a parent for his Commission, but very carefully... by Leonie Haimson Southern Regional Education Board just came out with their recommendations on class size reduction: *Maintain rigorous and enforceable classsize policies in the early grades: * *Policymakers and education leaders should resist the urge to relax small-class policies for early grades students, even when budgets are tight. * **Too bad NYC DOE is now mandat... more »

School Tech Connect: The Stories We Tell Ourselves

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

School Tech Connect: The Stories We Tell Ourselves: The Stories We Tell Ourselves by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) You have to admit, the power of myth and narrative is interesting. We have all of these stories we tell ourselves, and in the end the important thing to do, as Joseph Campbell used to say, is to "follow your bliss." Which is why people tell themselves what they want to hear. For example, in one version of a particular story, this is a school that should be burned to the ground and have its students dispersed far and wide. The teachers at this school should be excori... more »

 

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-9-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-2-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-15-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-14-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-13-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-11-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-10-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-9-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-7-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-6-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-5-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-4-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-2-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:

'

Saturday coffee.

by Fred Klonsky

The joke each June as school ends is that every day is Saturday.
This is not quite true since it takes a week or two for my internal clock to reset. To stop waking up at 5AM. To stop making me sleepy at 9:30 PM.
Years ago I would build something the first week of summer break. Like a planter box.
I’m no handyman. But with a drill and a saw I can build things that have straight lines and corners. This is a perfect skill for building planter boxes for our backyard. And once I had built one, I was done for the summer. And if I was asked what I was doing with my time, I could honestly answer, “Oh. I’ve been doing a little construction around the house.”
This was not true when I first began teaching.
In those days financial need required me to teach summer school.
Back in the mid-80′s Chicago had one of those God-awful summers – just miserably hot and muggy. For days 

Reformers vs. Democracy « Diane Ravitch's blog

Reformers vs. Democracy « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Reformers vs. Democracy

by dianerav

One thing reformers don’t like is to hear from teachers or parents or the public. We see the same pattern repeated again and again.
Reform can only be successful when power is consolidated in the hands of the mayor, preferably when the mayor has a puppet board appointed by him and that serves at his pleasure. (See New York City.)
Reform can only be successful when it is rammed through the Legislature with a minimum of public notice and a minimum of public hearings. Fast action means no public deliberation. Reformers say, “We can’t afford to wait,” but what they mean is, “Our collective mind is made up, and we don’t have to waste time listening to those who don’t agree.” (See Louisiana.)
Reform can only be successful if the governor and the state commissioner get to make all the decisions. That way, they can circumvent and ignore public opinion in the districts that they control. (See Connecticut or Idaho or many other states).
Reform can only be successful if the governor controls the state board of education and its members do what he

Idaho Has A Great Teacher

by dianerav

I got a comment from an elementary school teacher in Idaho. She sounds like the kind of teacher I would want for my grandchild, who starts first grade this September. She knows what matters most.
She reminds me of Mrs. Ratliff, the high school English teacher whom I wrote about in my last book. I dedicated a chapter in the book to her. It was called “What Would Mrs. Ratliff Do?” She taught her students to read, to write, and to think. She had high standards, the standards she set. She had high expectations. She had a red pencil and she knew how to use it. She cared about her students and we knew it.
This teacher sounds like Mrs. Ratliff for the elementary grades. I hope that Tom Luna, the state superintendent of Idaho, doesn’t ruin her classroom by putting her students online. It would benefit the companies that got him elected, but it would cheat the kids. He should trust the professional judgment of teachers like this one.
Diane

I am an elementary education teacher in Idaho. I have taught both 2nd and 4th grades, and have been in the A Parent’s Advice to the CTU by dianerav During these stressful times, teachers sometimes think they are alone in their struggle to maintain the dignity of their profession. They may get the impression by listening to politicians and the media that no one cares about them or about public education. This is wrong. The American public does not want to turn its schools over to inept amateurs or Wall Street financiers. And the overwhelming majority remembers its teachers warmly and respects their work. I recently wrote a blog about the Chicago Teachers Union’s overwhelming decision to authorize a strike. This decision received the affirmative vote of 90% of the members (actually it was 98%, because non-votes were counted as negative). Less than 2% opposed the strike resolution. This is quite a stunning rebuke to the bully tactics of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. And it is a stunning rebuke as well to Jonah Edelman, the civil-rights-activist turned corporate-reformer, who predicted (and boasted) that the teachers would never get 75% of its members to Race from the Axe by dianerav A reader sent this animation. I think most everyone who reads this blog will find it humorous yet too true to be funny. It depicts the way teachers are evaluated now. Being “very good” is not good enough. Being “perfect” is not good enough. In what line of work are people expected to go higher and higher until they hit the top and are washed up because they can’t get any better? Enjoy. Diane

Blue Jersey:: Tenure Agonistes

Blue Jersey:: Tenure Agonistes:

Tenure Agonistes

by A New Jersey Farmer

Great post from a couple days ago - promoted by RosiI understand at this point that Governor Christie is competing only against himself, but how many misleading, incomplete ideas can one person have? If he had more than his ALEC talking points we might be able to have a conversation, but his comments yesterday were truly, amazingly wrong. In case you missed them:

The Christie push came at one of his town hall meetings, this one before more than 600 people in a Haddonfield middle school. He again invoked the example of just 17 teachers facing tenure charges as ineffective in the past decade, out of more than 100,000 in the classroom."Do we really believe there are only 17 ineffective teachers in New Jersey?" he asked the receptive audience.

No, we don't, and that includes those of us in education. What the governor misses is that hundreds of potentially ineffective tenured teachers are weeded out in the first three years of employment. More leave the 

Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through "perceptive and acerbic" observations about Connecticut Government and Politics

Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through "perceptive and acerbic" observations about Connecticut Government and Politics:

Hey Bridgeport; Vallas Has Your Credit Card and He’s Going Wild (Part I of II)

by jonpelto

Faced with a 1.5 percent school budget deficit this year, Bridgeport’s Mayor Bill Finch traded the democratic rights of his constituents for a $3.4 million “loan” from Stefan Pryor, Governor Malloy’s education commissioner.

Meanwhile, few are even aware that Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s part-rime, interim superintendent of schools, is locking the taxpayers of Bridgeport and Connecticut into spending millions, perhaps tens of millions of dollars, and as a result of a series of no-bid contracts he has given to companies he has done business with in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and elsewhere.

Readers may recall that last week, What, What?, reported that Vallas had dropped the 

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 6-16-12

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

BELVEDERE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER DEFENDS HIS TEACHING AFTER ROCKY SUPERINTENDENT VISIT

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 14 hours ago

By Tami Abdollah, Pass / Fail, KPCC 89.3 | http://bit.ly/M7VWac Tami Abdollah/KPCC  ::  Superintendent John Deasy walks through an economics classroom at Los Angeles High School during a surprise visit. Jun 12, 2012  ::  Remember Carlos Tejada? He's the 7th-grade teacher whose classroom Superintendent John Deasy angrily walked out of during a surprise visit to Belvedere Middle School in

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE APPROVES MAIN BUDGET BILL: S&P, Moody’s threaten to lower ratings

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 14 hours ago

Reuters: Reporting by Jim Christie; Editing by David Brunnstrom | http://reut.rs/Md2Zwy SAN FRANCISCO | Fri Jun 15, 2012 6:33pm EDT  ::  (Reuters) - California's legislature on Friday approved the main bill in a state budget plan advanced by its Democratic leaders to close a $15.7 billion shortfall despite opposition from Democratic Governor Jerry Brown. The votes by the Assembly and state

LEGISLATURE ERASES GOVERNOR’S EDUCATION REFORMS: Weighted funding out, science mandate in

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 17 hours ago

Package would allow K-12 schools to cut 15 additional days from the next two school years. By Kathryn Baron, Thoughts on Public education |  http://bit.ly/MEOHD8 John Fensterwald co-authored this article. Posted on 6/14/12   ::  The Legislature’s budget package is missing many of Gov. Brown’s controversial education initiatives. A joint Senate and Assembly plan outlined yesterday protects

CALIFORNIA'S BUDGET IS FULL OF GIMMICKS …including delaying payments to schools

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 17 hours ago

By DAN WALTERS, Sacramento Bee | http://bit.ly/LSD3JK 6-15-12 – SACRAMENTO  ::  The California Legislature's Democratic leaders insist that their new state budget is balanced, honest and contains an adequate reserve. "Our budget contains no additional borrowing or so-called gimmicks," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said as details were unveiled. Not. It's "balanced" only with

LAUSD FACILITIES CHIEF RESIGNING TO TAKE JOB AT UCLA + smf’s 2¢

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 18 hours ago

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/NsYxid 6/15/2012 12:07:24 PM PDT  ::   Kelly Schmader, an engineer who's headed LAUSD's Facilities Division for two years, is leaving his $218,000-a-year post to take the top facilities job at UCLA. His last day is June 29. << Kelly Schmader (Photo courtesy of LAUSD) In a phone interview Friday, Schmader described his move to the

The conditional: L.A. SCHOOL CUTS COULD BE REVERSED IF JERRY BROWN'S TAX PLAN PASSES + smf’s 2¢

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 18 hours ago

by Anthony York in Sacramento, LA Times LA Now | http://lat.ms/LqLPvV June 14, 2012 | 11:45 am  ::  Citing a $360-million budget deficit and more cuts coming from Sacramento, the Los Angeles Unified School District has voted to shorten the school year by one week. But a district spokesman said that could change if voters pass Gov. Jerry Brown's tax initiative in November. Brown is hoping to

VOTE EXPECTED TO FINISH TODAY ON DRAFT LABOR AGREEMENT WITH 10 FURLOUGH DAYS FOR LAUSD TEACHERS

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 20 hours ago

City News Service, from LA Daily News |  http://bit.ly/MvQ7mR 6/15/2012 09:53:11 AM PDT  ::  LOS ANGELES - Teachers are expected to finish voting today on a draft labor agreement that provides for them to take 10 furlough days during the coming school year to save the jobs of thousands of employees. Superintendent John Deasy said earlier this week that the agreements the Los Angeles Unified

Daily News on Test Scores: MOST LAUSD SCHOOLS AMONG STATE’S WORST, SOME VALLEY SCHOOLS ARE THE BEST!

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 20 hours ago

Most LAUSD schools among state's worst on key tests By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/LatyEP San Fernando Valley campuses among LAUSD schools with test scores ranking in state's top 10% City News Service from LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/MXNScX 6/14/2012 07:48:19 PM PDT  ::

L.A. TEACHERS FACE NEW EVALUATIONS

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 21 hours ago

By ERICA E. PHILLIPS and STEPHANIE BANCHERO, The Wall Street Journal |  http://on.wsj.com/MvIIUL Michal Czerwonka for The Wall Street Journal June 14, 2012, 8:27 p.m. ET   ::  Los Angeles teacher April Bain says she backs using tests to evaluate teachers, something her union opposes. In the past three years, at least 30 states have begun to use student achievement to evaluate teachers,

Breaking: WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES RELIEF FOR UNDOCUMENTED YOUNGSTERS

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 21 hours ago

white house e-mail Friday, June 15, 2012 Friends, In keeping with its efforts to enforce our nation’s immigration laws in a firm and sensible manner, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that effective immediately, young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key

LAUSD’S BIG TEST: A judge says the district and union must find a way to use student progress in teachers' evaluations.

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 day ago

LA Times Editorial | http://lat.ms/MumaDD Pensive: Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent John Deasy is seen at his Beaudry headquarters office in March. Deasy has repeatedly said that he wants to use the state's annual standards tests in teacher evaluations by measuring the growth in students' scores year to year. (Los Angeles Times / March 15, 2012) June 14, 2012  ::  Now that

K-12 ARTS EDUCATION NEWS: RIFs/Possible Rescissions

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 2 days ago

by e-mail from UTLA Arts Education Committee Chair Ginger Fox 13 June 2012 Dear Awesome K-12 Arts Teachers and Arts Education Advocates, (Please forward on to your colleagues as I do not have all secondary arts teacher contact information.) I am writing to you today as the Chair of the UTLA Arts Education Committee. I want to share with you the information that I know about the current K-12

The famous 1984 Macintosh Super Bowl ad warned us: MAYBE BILL GATES IS “BIG BROTHER”

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 2 days ago

$1.1 million-plus Gates grants: ‘Galvanic’ bracelets that measure student engagement By Valerie Strauss , Washington Post |  http://wapo.st/M0rxdT 1984 v. 3.0? Please see update to this post by below 07:00 AM ET, 06/11/2012  ::  In the ‘you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff’ category, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is spending about $1.1 million to develop a way to physiologically measure how

LAUSD ORDERED TO USE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN JUDGING TEACHERS

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 days ago

A court finds that L.A. Unified violated state law requiring measurements of pupils' progress be used to evaluate instructors. But he gives the district wide latitude on how to measure learning. By Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/OzLHvl June 13, 2012  ::  Over the objections of teachers and administrators groups, the Los Angeles Unified School District was ordered Tuesday to

CRITICS DECRY LATEST SHRINKAGE OF L.A. UNIFIED'S SCHOOL YEAR

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 days ago

All sides agree that the tentative agreement to trim 5 instructional days in 2012-13 is a bad outcome for students, but some defend it as a necessity. L.A. Unified Board President Monica Garcia and Supt. John Deasy attend a board meeting in March. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times / June 12, 2012) By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/M35dhT June 13, 2012  ::  A tentative

9AM TODAY - L.A. NOW LIVE CHAT W/HOWARD BLUME: LAUSD's shortened school year

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 days ago

L.A. Times: June 13, 2012 |  6:30 am | http://lat.ms/KBzQe2 The Times' education reporter Howard Blume will join City Editor Shelby Grad to discuss the deal between L.A. Unified and its teachers to cancel up to five instructional days in the 2012-13 school year. The live chat is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday. smf: I’ve never done this either, but apparently you go HERE at

Realtime Coverage: EDVOICE/STULL LAWSUIT RULING

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 4 days ago

  LA teacher reviews should include student achievement, judge says Los Angeles Times - 3 hours ago In a tentative ruling that could potentially transform California teacher evaluations, a Los Angeles judge ordered the LA Unified School District to use student academic progress in reviewing instructors. LA County Superior Court Judge James C. [ click on headlines for complete stories ]  

LAUSD STATS SHOW LINK WITH SPORTS, BETTER ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE + smf’’s 2¢

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 4 days ago

By Eric Sondheimer, Varsity Times Insider - LA Times reporters blog about high school sports across the Southland | http://lat.ms/LlUYHF June 8, 2012 |  8:31 am :: School boards that are quick to cut sports budgets might want to look a little closer. New statistics from the Los Angeles Unified School District given to the City Section athletics office show evidence that participating in high

SUIT CHALLENGING PROP 98 ALLOCATION FORMALLY REJECTED, REDUCING EDUCATION ‘GUARANTEE’ BY $2 BILLION

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 6 days ago

By Kimberly Beltran, SI&A Cabinet Report | http://bit.ly/K9inwI Wednesday, June 06, 2012  ::  A San Francisco Superior Court judge has made final his ruling rejecting claims by a coalition of school groups that last summer’s state budget illegally diverted tax revenue from the General Fund, reducing by some $2 billion what districts were guaranteed under Proposition 98. Judge Harold Kahn

JUDGE OKs PROP 98 SHELL GAME: More manipulations if November tax fails

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 6 days ago

By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess |  http://bit.ly/MjCmaP 6/08/12  ::  A Superior Court judge last week lopped a limb off Proposition 98. Fans of Monty Python might have been amused; school districts will not be. The three-paragraph ruling by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harold Kahn simply reaffirmed a tentative ruling he issued in March. Back then he ruled that nothing prevents the

L.A. UNIFIED MAKES HEALTH CLASS OPTIONAL

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 6 days ago

District will allow high schools to offer alternatives as a way of meeting the requirement to teach about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. 4LAKids News original coverage and Deasy’s smoking gun memo: DEASY FLIP-FLOPS ON HEALTH ED: It’s a Graduation Requirement, not an Elective …but it’s optional By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/LnamlK

This Week's Answer Sheet 6-16-12 - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post

The Answer Sheet - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:

Has Title IX, now 40 years old, harmed male athletics?

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago

A new report on Title IX, the landmark civil rights law passed 40 years ago that barred gender discrimination in education for all students, says that a great deal of progress in improving educational opportunities for girls has been made, but more work needs to be done. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

To Morning Joe: About that charter school segment

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago

This is just a quick note to Morning Joe and his crew to tell them something they may not have realized when talking this week to Deborah Kenny, the founder of the charter schools called the Harlem Village Academies. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

How to improve college student aid disclosure

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago

This* was written by Robert Massa, vice president for communications at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the college.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

10 ways to oppose high-stakes standardized tests

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago

I’ve written several times in recent months about a growing movement by parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, students and others to protest the use of standardized tests for high-stakes purposes. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

How to integrate literacy with STEM

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago

This *was written by Chris Roe and Ralph Smith. Roe is chief executive officer of the California STEM Learning Network; Smith is managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading*. By Chris Roe and Ralph Smith Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Text of letter protesting UVA president ouster

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago

Here is the full text of the open letter that 33 department chairs and program directors at the University of Virginia signed and released to protest the forced resignation of the popular President Teresa Sullivan. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Fairfax asleep on high school start time

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 3 days ago

This just can’t be so hard. Eight times in the last 24 years, the Fairfax County School Board has studied whether to let high school students start school later than 7:20 a.m. because teens are biologically programmed for a late-to-bed and late-to-rise schedule. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

The biggest problem with traditional schooling

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 3 days ago

This *was written by Marion Brady, veteran teacher, administrator, curriculum designer and author.* By Marion Brady Fairtest, Parents Across America, Save Our Schools, United Opt-Out National, and regional groups such as Fund Education Now, are fighting to stop the corporate takeover of public education. It’s a David-Goliath match. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Gates changes Galvanic bracelet grant description

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 3 days ago

*Update: Foundation provides info on how website error occurred* Yesterday, I wrote about $1.1 million in grants that Bill Gates’s foundation made to develop bracelets that could measure how engaged students were in class. Today, the foundation said that one of the descriptions of the grants that I included in my post was actually wrong on its Web site and that it is fixing it. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

U-Va. board: Tell us why you pushed out president

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 4 days ago

The University of Virginia’s governing board seems to have gone out of its way to avoid explaining directly to the public why it pushed out the popular President Teresa Sullivan after only two years. It’s time it says exactly what happened. Now. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Is the power of intuition overrated? — Willingham

The Answer Sheet - 4 days ago

This *was written by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” His next book, “When Can You Trust The Experts? How to tell good science from bad in education,” will be published in July. This appeared on his Science and Education blog.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Will Congress compound its error on ‘highly qualified’ teachers?

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 4 days ago

Back in late 2010, Congress approved legislation that defined “highly qualified teachers” as including students still in teacher training programs. Now, instead of admitting that the definition doesn’t make much sense, Congress is on the road to passing new legislation to keep that definition on the books (even though a federal appellate court has ruled that it violates the No Child Left Behind law). Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

$1.1 million-plus Gates grants: ‘Galvanic’ bracelets that measure student engagement

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 5 days ago

*Please see update to this post by clicking here* . In the ‘you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff’ category, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is spending about $1.1 million to develop a way to physiologically measure how engaged students are by their teachers’ lessons. This involves “galvanic skin response” bracelets that kids would wear so their engagement levels could be measured. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Challenging Eli Broad’s school memories

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 5 days ago

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.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Michael Lewis tells Princeton grads: You are the ‘lucky few’ — and don’t let it go to your heads

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 5 days ago

Here’s the commencement speech that best-selling author Michael Lewis delivered at the recent Princeton University commencement ceremonies. This (full text below) was published on the school’s website, provided courtesy of Princeton University Office of Communications. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

The Answer Sheet - 5 days ago

Amid a flurry of misspellings, test yourself

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 6 days ago

In the past 10 days or so, we’ve seen some pretty embarrassing misspellings. Mitt Romney’s team was behind the now famous misspelling of the word “America” on an iPhone app (though it is hard not to wonder how many people at Apple missed “Amercia” during the app approval process). Then we learned that diplomas distributed at a Maryland high school featured a misspelling of the word “program” and had to be reprinted. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]