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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 11-7-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

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Big win for schools as Prop 30 defies polls | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago
Big win for schools as Prop 30 defies polls | EdSource Today: Big win for schools as Prop 30 defies polls - by Kathryn Baron and John Fensterwald by Kathryn Baron and John Fensterwald California schools’ rendezvous with rock bottom is over. A massive grassroots campaign, an eleventh hour surge in advertising and strategic targeting of likely voters pulled Proposition 30 over the halfway mark yesterday, giving both Gov. Jerry Brown and California public schools and community colleges a victory. With all of the vote reported, Prop 30 led 53.9 to 46.1 percent. The initiative is ex... more »

If you want to see the two Georgias, look at map of where charter school amendment passed and failed | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 43 minutes ago
If you want to see the two Georgias, look at map of where charter school amendment passed and failed | Get Schooled: If you want to see the two Georgias, look at map of where charter school amendment passed and failed by Maureen Downey [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Wow. If you want to see the two Georgias in stark relief, take a look at the AJC map on which counties supported and which opposed the charter schools amendment. The amendment passed 58 percent to 42. (*Click on the charter amendment tab on top of the map.*) The amendment had its greatest sup... more »

Modern School: The Inconvenient Truth About Wages: They’ve Dropped 19% Since 1970 For Men and 6% for Women Since 2000

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago
Modern School: The Inconvenient Truth About Wages: They’ve Dropped 19% Since 1970 For Men and 6% for Women Since 2000: The Inconvenient Truth About Wages: They’ve Dropped 19% Since 1970 For Men and 6% for Women Since 2000 by Michael Dunn Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons I have written repeatedly in this blog about the declining wages and living standards for American workers over the past 30-40 years (see here, here, here and here). A new report out by Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney (both fellows at the Brookings Institution) adds some more data to support this conclusion (the rep... more »

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 52 minutes ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Wednesday, November 7, 2012* Panama-Buena Vista, Standard voters appear to authorize school bondsVoters in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District seemed headed Tuesday night toward approving a $147 million bond measure to upgrade the district's aging infrastructure. Chaffey Joint's $848M school bond gets thumbs up in early votingIf voters approve Measure P, district residents will pay an additional $19 annually per $100,000 of assessed value on their property tax bills. Proposition 30 wins: Gov. Jerry B... more »

How Sec. Duncan Helped the Teachers Unions Take Out Tony Bennett :: Frederick M. Hess

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 54 minutes ago
How Sec. Duncan Helped the Teachers Unions Take Out Tony Bennett :: Frederick M. Hess: How Sec. Duncan Helped the Teachers Unions Take Out Tony Bennett *by Frederick M. Hess • Nov 7, 2012 at 10:25 am Cross-posted from Education Week* Print Send RSS [image: Share] Share In Indiana, all-world superintendent Tony Bennett lost last night--53 to 47. I'd like to find an eloquent way to say it, but I'm a simple guy: Bennett is a stud. He's also a good friend, and I'm not even going to try to pretend to be objective or dispassionate here. He's smart, passionate, and relentless. And, giv... more »

Shanker Blog » The Educational Attainment Of Girls And Boys: Two Sides of the Same Coin

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 57 minutes ago
Shanker Blog » The Educational Attainment Of Girls And Boys: Two Sides of the Same Coin: The Educational Attainment Of Girls And Boys: Two Sides of the Same Coin by Esther Quintero Last month, Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old Pakistani girl, was shot in the head, in an attempted assassination by Taliban militants. Her “crime” was daring to advocate for girls’ education. In a *New York Times* column, Nicholas Kristof observes that we in the West find it “easy to dismiss such incidents as distant barbarities,” and uses the example of sex trafficking to illustrate that we “have a bli... more »

Results in key education races Posted by Valerie Strauss

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Results in key education races: Results in key education races Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 7, 2012 at 10:11 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Here are the results of some of the important races around the country that matter to public education: 1) *Florida* voters rejected a bid to allow the use of state funds to go to religious institutions, including religious schools. Had it passed, a statewide voucher program would have been likely. 2) *In Georgia* and *Washington*, it appears th... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Education Election Updates

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Education Election Updates: Public Education Election Updates by Melissa Westbrook [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] There are still one million ballots to count in Washington State so *I-1240 *is still in flux at about 51-49%. According to KUOW, the Yes group was very confident last night until the first numbers came in. (I do find it funny that they kept their "guests" from the media at their event. I don't get that.) Apparently a LEV spokesperson said their campaign kept things "factual". Factual? That's a... more »

The Educated Reporter: Election Results: Charter Schools Have Narrow Lead in Washington State, Missouri Says No To Tobacco Tax Hike for Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The Educated Reporter: Election Results: Charter Schools Have Narrow Lead in Washington State, Missouri Says No To Tobacco Tax Hike for Education: Election Results: Charter Schools Have Narrow Lead in Washington State, Missouri Says No To Tobacco Tax Hike for Education by Emily Richmond There will be plenty of discussion in the coming days and weeks about what a second-term Obama administration will mean for education. But first I wanted to follow up on some statewide initiatives and ballot contests mentioned here earlier in the week: - A ballot measure to allow charter schoo... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Walk Out over BEX IV Plan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Walk Out over BEX IV Plan: Student Walk Out over BEX IV Plan by Charlie Mas This story in the Seattle Times, Rainier Beach students protest lack of remodel plans for their school, about students demanding a remodel of their school building. Page 96 of this building condition report rates Rainier Beach as a 2.9 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the best condition and 5 being the worst. It was marked down some for having an enrollment far under capacity. From the report: "Rainier Beach is housed in a middle aged facility that has worn very ... more »

Daily Kos: some education related electoral good news from last night

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Daily Kos: some education related electoral good news from last night: some education related electoral good news from last night by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) In Indiana, the State Superintendent, Tony Bennett, was defeated by Democrat Glenda Ritz, a democrat who received heavy support from teachers unions. Bennett was a champion of more charter schools, even though those in Indiana do NOT perform better than public schools. He was a nationally known champion of what Pasi Sahlberg has labeled "GERM" - the Global Education Reform Movement - which includes heavy reliance upon ... more »

What Hurricane Sandy is Teaching Us About Students Under Stress - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
What Hurricane Sandy is Teaching Us About Students Under Stress - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: What Hurricane Sandy is Teaching Us About Students Under Stress by Anthony Cody This week as the East Coast cleans up after Hurricane Sandy, we are hearing from teachers how they are responding to the trauma and stress their students are bringing to class. From Brooklyn Heights Montessori teacher Launa Schweizer, we learn how her students are coping. As the day wore on, I discovered that the children who had spent the week without power, who were displaced by rising wate... more »

UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-7-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Teacher: Stop the Scripting! by dianerav A frustrated teacher writes: *I am in my 21st year of teaching and have been close to quitting every year for the last six years. The pressures to conform and follow a script even when I know it’s bad for kids have been really, really stressful. I am a creative teacher, and I feel like I’m fighting for the right to work 3 times harder than I have to. We now have teachers who are “script followers” telling those of us who aren’t standardized that we are sub-par bec... more »

Barack Obama's victory speech – full text | World news | guardian.co.uk

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Barack Obama's victory speech – full text | World news | guardian.co.uk: Barack Obama's victory speech – full text US president addresses supporters in Chicago after decisively winning a second term Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. (Sustained cheers, applause.)At a rally on Wednesday in his hometown of Chicago, Barack Obama delivers a victory speech Link to this video Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward. (Cheers, applause.) It moves forward because of you. It moves ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: California Billionaires Mostly Fail in Perth Amboy

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: California Billionaires Mostly Fail in Perth Amboy: California Billionaires Mostly Fail in Perth Amboy by Duke As I reported last week, a group of wealthy Californians and Coloradans - many affiliated with Rocketship Education, a charter management company - poured a ton of money into the Perth Amboy, NJ school board race. How they decided on Perth Amboy, a district 3,000 miles away, remains a mystery. The tens of thousands of dollars they spent got them one seat in the small city, even though they backed four candidates on the "Better Schools Now!" ticket. Anothe... more »

Students Last: Election Results: Public Education Loses

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Students Last: Election Results: Public Education Loses: Election Results: Public Education Loses by Students Last *New York City *- From their broadcast studios at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City, MSNBC called tonight's election. At 9:01pm EST, Rachel Maddow announced that public education had lost the election. "With only 1% of precincts reporting, MSNBC can confirm with a 0% margin of error that public education has lost." Citing the 100% likelihood that either President Obama or Mitt Romney would win Maddow said, "Given that both candidates support policies that promote... more »

SELF-DEFENSE FORM AGAINST THE LAUSD'S TEACHER WITCH HUNT - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
SELF-DEFENSE FORM AGAINST THE LAUSD'S TEACHER WITCH HUNT - Perdaily.com: SELF-DEFENSE FORM AGAINST THE LAUSD'S TEACHER WITCH HUNT by Leonard Isenberg [image: Constitution.jpg] *With hundreds of teachers being targeted and removed from their teaching positions with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) on trumped up charges without even basic constitutional guarantees of due process of law and in complete derogation of their rights as clearly laid out in applicable legal precedent, it is important that teachers so targeted seize the initiative, while not passively submittin... more »

Teacher Evaluation for Effectiveness — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Teacher Evaluation for Effectiveness — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Megan Wolfe]Teacher Evaluation for Effectiveness November 6, 2012 by Megan Wolfe Teachers know it, parents know it, and even students know it, but there seems to be no consensus across states, districts, and schools about how to measure it and ensure that it is measured fairly. I'm talking about teacher evaluations. Having an effective teacher at the head of the class is the most important in-school factor influencing student learning and teacher evaluation systems are supposed to assess just ... more »

Online Instruction Outsources Jobs | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Online Instruction Outsources Jobs | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Online Instruction Outsources Jobs by larrycuban Imagine the perfect online teacher Highly mobile, fully equipped, and ready at a moment’s notice to appear before a camera and teach. Humor aside, the “perfect online teacher” is also the efficient answer to spiraling education costs. In both higher education and K-12, fulltime permanent teachers are major budget items. To reduce labor costs, both colleges and universities and K-12 districts have resorted to outsourcing. Look at higher education... more »

School ‘Politicians’ In Mock Elections | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
School ‘Politicians’ In Mock Elections | toteachornototeach: School ‘Politicians’ In Mock Elections by aristotlethewise School ‘Politicians’ In Mock Elections Promise Good School Lunches, Less Homework As voters head to the polls today, groups of younger, not-quite-18 voters are taking part in democratic elections of their own. At a time when studies show that civic education — which includes lessons on citizenship, government, law and current events — is lacking in most school curriculums, students are taking advantage of this year’s election cycle to defy the trend. In a report fo... more »

School Tech Connect: Dear Illinois Legislature

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Dear Illinois Legislature: Dear Illinois Legislature by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Please note two things: *First, the people of Chicago have spoken *very clearly (over 86% of those voting) indicated that they want to vote for the members of their school board, like residents of every other town in the state. These people have utterly no faith in the politically appointed board's competence, especially with regard to the mayor's radical 100-school closure plan, which is accompanied by a bizarre, destructive, 60-charter school opening plan. So, while CP... more »

An Open Letter to President Obama from Bill Ayers | Education on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
An Open Letter to President Obama from Bill Ayers | Education on GOOD: An Open Letter to President Obama from Bill Ayers Dear President Obama: Congratulations! I’m sure this is a moment you want to savor, a time to take a deep breath, get some rest, hydrate, regain your balance, and take a long walk in the sunshine. It might be as well a good time to reflect, rethink, recharge, and perhaps reignite. I sincerely hope that it is, and I urge you to put education on your reflective agenda. The landscape of “educational reform” is currently littered with rubble and ruin and wreckage on ... more »

Major school reformer ousted by teacher as Indiana schools superintendent

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Major school reformer ousted by teacher as Indiana schools superintendent: Major school reformer ousted by teacher as Indiana schools superintendent by Valerie Strauss In a major upset that will delight school reform foes around the country, Indiana voters tossed out controversial state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett and elected veteran teacher Glenda Ritz in his place, the Indianapolis Star reported. The vote has resonance beyond Indiana because Bennett was a leader of the national market-driven school reform movement who pushed through a statewide voucher prog... more »

All Education Matters: Good News for Student Loan Debtors! Elizabeth Warren Wins in Massachusetts

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
All Education Matters: Good News for Student Loan Debtors! Elizabeth Warren Wins in Massachusetts: Good News for Student Loan Debtors! Elizabeth Warren Wins in Massachusetts by Cryn Johannsen Elizabeth Warren once said, long before she won this election this evening, that "student loan debt collectors have power that would make mobsters envious." As I write this short update, Senator Brown is giving his concession speech. With Warren on the Hill, I suspect we're going to see some good outcomes for people who are struggling or unable to pay back their loans. This is a *major *win fo... more »

In Bridgeport, Mayor Bill Finch’s anti-democracy ballot question defeated! - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
In Bridgeport, Mayor Bill Finch’s anti-democracy ballot question defeated! - Wait, What?: A Huge Victory for Public Education in Connecticut as Bridgeport Voters Shoot Down Attempt to Eliminate a Democratically Elected Board of Education by jonpelto So many important victories tonight – but one of the biggest was right here in Connecticut. The corporate “education reform” movement was stunned as the voters of Bridgeport stood up on behalf of public education and their democratic rights. Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, “education reformers” and elite members of the corporate communi... more »

Schools Matter: The Work Starts on November 7

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Schools Matter: The Work Starts on November 7: The Work Starts on November 7 by Jim Horn Make your celebrations brief. The work starts now to save our gains from the guy we just elected. Work continues tomorrow— to save Medicare and Social Security from Obama and the Wall Street Democrats; to boycott and kill high stakes standardized testing; to stop the spread and to shut down corporate welfare charter schools; to dump the Common Core testing delivery system; to kill teacher evaluation based on test scores; to save Title I from extinction; to replace NEA and AFT leadership... more »

10³ (My 1,000th Post and Running) | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
10³ (My 1,000th Post and Running) | The Jose Vilson: 10³ (My 1,000th Post and Running) by Jose Muhammad Ali, Running Last night starts off with you telling the world that you have no idea what you’re going to write for your 1,000th post. Do you bunt it and just write “This is my 1000th post?” Do you try to hit a homerun with a colossal montage of highlights and achievements since the first time you ever attempted hitting “Publish” on your WordPress screen? No. You post incessantly on your two Facebook pages and your Twitter page, play with your son, talk to your lady, and try to ig... more »

Milpitas to build satellite college building on high school campus - San Jose Mercury News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Milpitas to build satellite college building on high school campus - San Jose Mercury News: Milpitas to build satellite college building on high school campus By Sharon Noguchi snoguchi@mercurynews.com Posted: 11/06/2012 12:20:07 PM PST Updated: 11/06/2012 12:20:08 PM PST *WOOHOO!!!* MILPITAS -- In a collaboration born of necessity, Milpitas High School will get a new building on campus to offer community college courses for adults and to help high-schoolers get a jump on college. The facility, which will take a few years to build, fulfills a promise the San Jose-Evergreen Commun... more »

Kimble's Corner: Kimble and Romney Hopeful

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Kimble's Corner: Kimble and Romney Hopeful: ' Kimble and Romney Hopeful by Representative Kimble Both Jack Kimble and Mitt Romney remained extremely hopeful as voters rushed out to cast their ballots in today's huge election. Romney himself cast an early vote for the cameras while Jack Kimble, having neglected to register, cheered on voters at Heritage Valley High School before being chased off by an overzealous poll worker for electioneering. While Romney is in a tough race for President, Kimble has experienced smooth sailing in his bid against Glendale Valley attorney William F... more »

Merced teachers union backs controversial federal grant proposal - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Merced teachers union backs controversial federal grant proposal - latimes.com: Merced teachers union backs controversial federal grant proposal A Merced teachers union has voted to back a controversial federal grant program, but only after extracting district guarantees that student test scores would not be used to evaluate individual instructors. Sheila Whitley, president of the Merced Union High School District Teachers’ Assn., said Tuesday that 67.6% of 191 teachers surveyed said they would support the Race to the Top grant application as long as the district honored its pled... more »

International observers blocked from polls in nine states - POLITICO.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
International observers blocked from polls in nine states - POLITICO.com: International observers blocked from polls in nine states - 34 - Comments (4) By DONOVAN SLACK | 11/6/12 7:35 PM EST A group of international electoral observers has been blocked from polling places in nine states and has had to take precautions in the face of security threats. "We had to tell our people, don't approach a polling place within 100 feet," said Ambassador Daan Everts, who is leading the delegation from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, a division of the O... more »

UPDATE: Diane in the Evening 11-6-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Meet Glenda Ritz by dianerav Glenda Ritz upset Tony Bennett. She stands for genuine education reform. She believes in teachers. She was a teacher for 33 years. She opposes vouchers, merit pay, letter grades for schools, and evaluating teachers by test scores. She is a breath of fresh air. Georgia Charter Amendment Likely to Pass by dianerav With half the vote counted, Georgia voters are likely to pass an amendment to the state constitution re charters. The governor will be able to create a commission to approve charters, giving charters a way to bypass loc... more »

Open Letter; Governors Christie, Cuomo and Mayor BloombergSave Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Open Letter; Governors Christie, Cuomo and Mayor BloombergSave Our Schools: Open Letter; Governors Christie, Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg by Server An Open Letter to Governors Christie, Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg *By Denny Taylor* *Originally Published on November 4, 2012* *Hurricane Sandy; Research Findings on Children and Trauma Support the Halting of Testing in K-12 Public Schools* *Dear Governor Christie, Governor Cuomo, and Mayor Bloomberg,* I write to applaud your rapid response to Hurricane Sandy. You have been decisive in your decision making and tireless in your efforts to care ... more »

A baker’s dozen of races that matter to education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
A baker’s dozen of races that matter to education: A baker’s dozen of races that matter to education Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 6, 2012 at 3:18 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » There’s a lot at stake for public education in the 2012 elections including and well beyond the presidential choice. Seats on state boards of education are being contested in nine states, and there are gubernatorial races in eight states where governors appoint school board members, Education Week reports. A... more »

Teacher Evaluation for Effectiveness — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Teacher Evaluation for Effectiveness — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Megan Wolfe]Teacher Evaluation for Effectiveness November 6, 2012 by Megan Wolfe Teachers know it, parents know it, and even students know it, but there seems to be no consensus across states, districts, and schools about how to measure it and ensure that it is measured fairly. I'm talking about teacher evaluations. Having an effective teacher at the head of the class is the most important in-school factor influencing student learning and teacher evaluation systems are supposed to assess just ... more »

It’s NOT Paranoia « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
It’s NOT Paranoia « Deborah Meier on Education: It’s NOT Paranoia by debmeier When you read this I’ll be enjoying the Coalition of Essential School’s Fall Forum in Providence (8th/9th). By the time I return (Nov 17th) I’ll have been many places where I’ll get feedback on the elections and on teaching this side of the Mississippi–including breakfast with Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago AFT. But will it cure my “paranoia”? Thanks to Ann Cook for reminding me that my “paranoia” about teachers holding a special place in the hearts of the corporate establishment is well-founded.... more »

A letter from one Washingtonian (DC) to his west coast brethren: Reasons for rejecting charter school Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
A letter from one Washingtonian (DC) to his west coast brethren: Reasons for rejecting charter school Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education: A letter from one Washingtonian (DC) to his west coast brethren: Reasons for rejecting charter school Initiative 1240 by seattleducation2011 [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] *Charter Expansion (Ballot Initiative I-1240) Will Harm, Not Help, Public School Students in Washington State : Insights from the Other Washington , the Washington (DC) Public Schools* Charter Expansion (Ballot Initiative I-1240) Will Harm, Not Help, Public School St... more »

Education Inc. How private companies are profiting from Texas public schools | The Texas Observer

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Education Inc. | The Texas Observer: Education Inc.How private companies are profiting from Texas public schools. by Abby Rapoport Published on Tuesday, September 6, 2011, at 6:20 CST *IT’S NOT HARD TO IMAGINE* Pearson’s vision of utopia. Pearson is a London-based mega-corporation that owns everything from the *Financial Times* to Penguin Books, and also dominates the business of educating American children. The company promotes its many education-related products on a website that features an idyllic, make-believe town. It’s called Pearsonville, and it looks like the international... more »

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Wait, What?: “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. by jonpelto Here is a flyer that the Linda McMahon for U.S. Senate campaign has been handing out in Bridgeport. Of course, the piece is highly misleading. Neither McMahon, nor anyone associated with her campaign, did anything meaningful to support the effort to defeat Mayor Finch’s proposal to do away with Bridgeport’s democratical... more »








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Big win for schools as Prop 30 defies polls | EdSource Today

Big win for schools as Prop 30 defies polls | EdSource Today:


Big win for schools as Prop 30 defies polls - by Kathryn Baron and John Fensterwald

If you want to see the two Georgias, look at map of where charter school amendment passed and failed | Get Schooled

If you want to see the two Georgias, look at map of where charter school amendment passed and failed | Get Schooled:


If you want to see the two Georgias, look at map of where charter school amendment passed and failed

Wow. If you want to see the two Georgias in stark relief, take a look at the AJC map on which counties supported and which opposed the charter schools amendment. The amendment passed 58 percent to 42.
(Click on the charter amendment tab on top of the map.)
The amendment had its greatest support in metro areas. It had its least support in rural counties and south Georgia.  All along, rural legislators from both parties maintained that this was a metro battle, and the map shows they weren’t far off.
The amendment, which puts the state back in the business of approving and funding charter schools over the



Incumbents appear safe in Gwinnett, Clayton. So, are voters happy with direction of their schools?

The results of school board board elections show incumbents retaining their seats in Gwinnett and Clayton, suggesting that voters are not unhappy with the direction of their schools.
Or at least not unhappy enough to vote in change.
On the other hand, voters approved the controversial charter school amendment, which gives the state more power to get involved in local education decisions.
Clayton offers an interesting situation. In July,  dissatisfied Clayton residents voted out two incumbent county commissioners and the sheriff. So, you can’t argue that Clayton voters aren’t paying attention or willing to act. They have proven they will oust incumbents, who often retain their posts through Georgia due to voter inertia.

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:




Education Headlines

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Panama-Buena Vista, Standard voters appear to authorize school bonds

Voters in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District seemed headed Tuesday night toward approving a $147 million bond measure to upgrade the district's aging infrastructure.

Chaffey Joint's $848M school bond gets thumbs up in early voting

If voters approve Measure P, district residents will pay an additional $19 annually per $100,000 of assessed value on their property tax bills.

Proposition 30 wins: Gov. Jerry Brown's tax will raise $6 billion to prevent school cuts

Overcoming decades of anti-tax sentiment in California, Gov. Jerry Brown's Proposition 30 -- billed as a tax hike to rescue the state's schools -- emerged victorious Wednesday morning.

Voters reject North County school bonds

Voters across North County were not embracing school construction bonds on Tuesday's ballot, with four such measures appearing to fail based on unofficial election returns early Wednesday.

School bond measures fared well

Local school bond measures fared well at the polls. The bond measures will pay for facility upgrades and construction, as well as technology at area schools. To pass, the bonds needed at least 55 percent voter approval

Measure D a squeaker at just over 55 percent, race still too close to call

Measure D barely squeaked over the 55 percent threshold with all precincts reporting. But with so many vote by mail ballots yet to be counted, the race remains too close to call. The measure authorizes the San Ramon Valley school district to issue up to $260 million in bonds to finance 45 infrastructure and technology upgrades at San Ramon Valley district schools.

EdSource: Big win for schools as Prop 30 defies polls

California schools’ rendezvous with rock bottom is over. A massive grassroots campaign, an eleventh hour surge in advertising and strategic targeting of likely voters pulled Proposition 30 over the halfway mark yesterday, giving both Gov. Jerry Brown and California public schools and community colleges a victory.

Jerry Brown declares victory for his tax initiative

Gov. Jerry Brown declared victory after his tax initiative seized a narrow lead Tuesday night, calling Proposition 30 a "unifying force" that countered the "Kool-Aid of the market ideologues."
Tuesday, November 6, 2012

School numbers continue to shrink

Enrollment at most Tuolumne and Calaveras county school districts has dropped this fall, continuing a 15-year trend that has seen the number of students in the Mother Lode plummet dramatically.

North County school districts prepare for cuts

The outcome of a measure on Tuesday’s ballot could determine whether some local school districts will shorten their 2011-12 academic year, or dip into their reserves, to balance their budgets.

New programs help Greenfield students make big improvements

It's "universal access" time for students in the kindergarten class of Sydney Scott, a time when she dedicates a few minutes to her pupils in small groups to practice reading. Or phonics.

How Sec. Duncan Helped the Teachers Unions Take Out Tony Bennett :: Frederick M. Hess

How Sec. Duncan Helped the Teachers Unions Take Out Tony Bennett :: Frederick M. Hess:


Shanker Blog » The Educational Attainment Of Girls And Boys: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Shanker Blog » The Educational Attainment Of Girls And Boys: Two Sides of the Same Coin:


The Educational Attainment Of Girls And Boys: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Last month, Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old Pakistani girl, was shot in the head, in an attempted assassination by Taliban militants. Her “crime” was daring to advocate for girls’ education. In a New York Times column, Nicholas Kristof observes that we in the West find it “easy to dismiss such incidents as distant barbarities,” and uses the example of sex trafficking to illustrate that we “have a blind spot for our own injustices.” I agree. However, I am not sure we need to go so far to find domestic injustices.
How about a close look within this very area: The education of girls (and boys) in the U.S.? Stories about how girls have surpassed boys in educational attainment have become common, and are often linked to statements about how boys are forgotten and/or lost. This rhetoric is troubling for several reasons. First, it can be read to imply a zero-sum equation; that is, that the educational advancement of girls is the cause of boys’ educational neglect. Second, stories about girls’ “successes” and boys’ “failures” may obscure more than they reveal.
There are the “lost boys” of higher education and the

Results in key education races Posted by Valerie Strauss

Results in key education races:


Results in key education races

Here are the results of some of the important races around the country that matter to public education:
1) Florida voters rejected a bid to allow the use of state funds to go to religious institutions, including religious schools. Had it passed, a statewide voucher program would have been likely.
2) In Georgia and Washington, it appears that voters approved measures to permit charter schools to open. In both races, outside money was important. In Washington, Bill Gates gave more than $3 million and billionaires who don’t live in the state (Gates does) donated big money too. Washington voters had rejected such a measure three times earlier but appears to have approved it by just a few percentage points.
3) Idaho voters appear to have overturned the “Luna laws,” three school reform laws named for state schools Superintendent Tom Luna who made them the centerpiece of his agenda. Voters rejected his plan to require high school students to take two online courses and for the state to spend $180 million to lease laptops to make this happen. They also rejected merit pay for teachers that is linked to student standardized test scores and they opposed limits on the collective bargaining rights for teachers.
4) In Indiana, voters ousted Superintendent Tony Bennett, who has pushed an aggressiveagenda of privatization of public education, including charters and vouchers. They 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Education Election Updates

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Public Education Election Updates:


Public Education Election Updates

There are still one million ballots to count in Washington State so I-1240 is still in flux at about 51-49%.

According to KUOW, the Yes group was very confident last night until the first numbers came in.  (I do find it funny that they kept their "guests" from the media at their event.  I don't get that.)  Apparently a LEV spokesperson said their campaign kept things  "factual".   Factual?  That's a stretch.

It's wrong to not tell the truth.  But after not telling truth, telling half-truths is next in line and that's precisely what the Yes side did.

In Georgia, voters passed a constitutional amendment embed a charter commission into their Constitution.   It mirrored the race in Washington State in terms of the big money put into it.  The vote turned out to be 58% to 42%.   The issue was that event though 9 out of 10 charters that applied to school boards did get passed, it wasn't enough.  So they have create a state charter commission to be able to allow even more charters to be enacted (without local oversight).  Sounds familiar.

In Indiana a major blow to ed reform as Glenda Ritz, a Democratic challenger and a public school teacher, turned out Republican and ed reformer Tony Bennett as the Indiana superintendent of public instruction.  Bennett had a nearly 5-1 campaign war chest against Ritz.  This election was a great example of grassroots and social media.

Those teachers sent out about 100,000 post cards with hand-written messages to family and friends across the state, pleading with them to support Ritz. A group of teachers in heavily Republican Boone County launched a “Republicans for Ritz” site on Facebook, calling on party faithful to split their ticket and vote for the Democrat Ritz.

Ritz kept up the fight all the way through Election Day when she held a series of press availabilities around Central Indiana, while Bennett declined all media interview requests Tuesday.

The Educated Reporter: Election Results: Charter Schools Have Narrow Lead in Washington State, Missouri Says No To Tobacco Tax Hike for Education

The Educated Reporter: Election Results: Charter Schools Have Narrow Lead in Washington State, Missouri Says No To Tobacco Tax Hike for Education:


Election Results: Charter Schools Have Narrow Lead in Washington State, Missouri Says No To Tobacco Tax Hike for Education

There will be plenty of discussion in the coming days and weeks about what a second-term Obama administration will mean for education. But first I wanted to follow up on some statewide initiatives and ballot contests mentioned here earlier in the week:

  • A ballot measure to allow charter schools in Washington State held a narrow lead in what the Seattle Times said was one of closest races on the ballot. Washington is one of nine states that currently does not allow charter schools, which receive public funding but operate largely independently.  
  • In Missouri, it was a narrow defeat -- 51 percent to 49 percent -- for an initiative that would have raised the state's tobacco tax along with significant funding for public education.  Instead of jumping to 90 cents per pack, the tax will stay at 17 cents, the lowest in the nation. The additional revenue is earmarked for K-12 (50 percent) higher education, including expanding the University of Missouri's medical school (30 percent), and programs aimed at curbing tobacco use (20 percent). 
  • California Gov. Jerry Brown's controversial tax initiative survived Tuesday, with voters approving both an increase to the state's sales tax and income taxes on the wealthy. If Proposition 30 had failed, education officials were bracing to cut upward of $500 million each from the state's public colleges and universities.  
  • Alabama voters shot down Proposition 4, which would have removed antiquated language from the state's Constitution that allowed schools to be segregated. The state's teachers union had opposed the amendment on the grounds that it didn't go far enough, and that "any eventual rewrite should also eliminate phrasing that denies Alabamians' constitutional right to an education," the Alabama Live news site reported. 
  • In Wake County, N.C., school board members Deborah Goldman and Andrew Malone had traded allegations of bizarre behavior, a possible affair, and accusations of theft amidst their campaigns for higher state office. Goldman lost her bid to be the state's controller, while Malone was elected to the state House.
There was also some important news out of Maryland, with voters approving a version of the Dream Act. Children of undocumented immigrants will now have the chance to qualify for in-state tuition rates at colleges and universities. For more election roundups, I recommend Education Week's Politics K-12 blog, and the Chronicle of Higher Education

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Walk Out over BEX IV Plan

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Walk Out over BEX IV Plan:


Student Walk Out over BEX IV Plan

This story in the Seattle Times, Rainier Beach students protest lack of remodel plans for their school, about students demanding a remodel of their school building.

Page 96 of this building condition report rates Rainier Beach as a 2.9 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the best condition and 5 being the worst. It was marked down some for having an enrollment far under capacity. From the report:
"Rainier Beach is housed in a middle aged facility that has worn very well (with some good maintenance) The current enrollment is very low, resulting in many unused spaces in the school. The traditional layout is a rigid grid, but its efficiency and logic tie programs together fairly well. Most classrooms and program spaces are traditional size and configuration. The performing arts center is one of the District's finest."
This building condition report (see page 136) gives Rainier Beach a rating of 3.3 and says:
"Rainier Beach High School was constructed in 1961 as a single 2 - story concrete building. In 

Daily Kos: some education related electoral good news from last night

Daily Kos: some education related electoral good news from last night:


some education related electoral good news from last night

In Indiana, the State Superintendent, Tony Bennett, was defeated by Democrat Glenda Ritz, a democrat who received heavy support from teachers unions.  Bennett was a champion of more charter schools, even though those in Indiana do NOT perform better than public schools.  He was a nationally known champion of what Pasi Sahlberg has labeled "GERM" - the Global Education Reform Movement - which includes heavy reliance upon testing, tying teacher evaluation to student test scores, and so on.  HE may yet wind up in Florida.
In Colorado, 5 Republican candidates received support from Stand for Children for the state legislature.  All 4 were defeated.  Stand For Children, which was founded by Jonah Edelman, and which is one of a number players advocating on behalf of GERM, which of course is also hostile to teachers unions.
From the standpoint of those of us who are strong supporters of teachers union, the apparent defeat of California's Proposition32, which would have excluded unions from the political process while allowing