Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 6-14-13 AM Posts #edreform #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

Five Essential Schoolwide Conditions for Common Core Achievement | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago

Five Essential Schoolwide Conditions for Common Core Achievement | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Five Essential Schoolwide Conditions for Common Core Achievement by National Association of Secondary School Principals *By Mel Riddile, Associate Director of High School Services at the National Association of Secondary Principals(NASSP)* Principal leadership matters--perhaps now more than ever before. As much as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are changing instructional practice in the classroom, we must acknowledge that student learning under CCSS requires... more »

Daily Kos: BREAKING: StudentsFirst & ALEC group exploit Teacher of the Year to promote anti-union agenda

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago

Daily Kos: BREAKING: StudentsFirst & ALEC group exploit Teacher of the Year to promote anti-union agenda: BREAKING: StudentsFirst & ALEC group exploit Teacher of the Year to promote anti-union agenda byEclectablogFollow *This is offensive* In May of this year, Gary Abud, a science teacher at Grosse Pointe North High School, was chosen as Michigan's 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year by State Superintendent Mike Flanagan. It's an amazing accomplishment for a teacher who has only been at it for six years. Well-respected by both his students and his coworkers, Mr. Abud was a worthy choice. ...more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, June 14, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 35 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Fensterwald: State Board handed job of defining rules of new funding system * Education Headlines *Friday, June 14, 2013* Cause of Santa Ana Valley High School blast remains unknownFire and school officials have been unable to investigate the cause of an explosion at Santa Ana Valley High School because the building is too unstable to enter, officials said Wednesday. Natomas Unified trustee on campaign to videotape meetingsTrustee Ryan Herche wants Natomas Unified School Board meetings videotaped. He promised it when he campaig... more »

Why Don't We 'Fix' Poverty While We're at It? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago

Why Don't We 'Fix' Poverty While We're at It? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Why Don't We 'Fix' Poverty While We're at It? by Deborah Meier *Deborah Meier concludes her recent discussion with Michael Petrilli today. The two hope to launch a new blog conversation in the fall. Next week, Todd Sutler of the Odyssey Initiative joins Deborah on Bridging Differences.* Dear Michael, Poverty and global warming are alike, as you say, in the sense that both are in large man-made (and women-made). And neither is easy to "fix." Urgent pleas to be more environmentally conscious in one... more »

L.A. Unified philanthropy taps wealthy Angelinos for projects near to superintendent's heart | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

L.A. Unified philanthropy taps wealthy Angelinos for projects near to superintendent's heart | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: L.A. Unified philanthropy taps wealthy Angelinos for projects near to superintendent's heart by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez [image: LA Fund] *Philanthropist Megan Chernin in the Century City offices of the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education.; Credit: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez* The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education was created two years ago to tap wealthy, high profile donors to help the mostly low-income kids in Los Angeles Unified School District. Founded by district Supe... more »

Daily Kos: the importance of June 14

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Daily Kos: the importance of June 14: the importance of June 14 by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) is wrapped in irony. in 1777 the Continental Congress adopted the American Flag. On that same day the United States Army, which would fight under that flag, was official established. In 1916 Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation establishing Flag Day on this day, something affirmed by Act of Congress in 1949. The irony comes from perhaps the most important Supreme Court decision most Americans do not know, issued this date in 1943. That case involved the Pledge of Allegiance. It is West ... more »

6-14-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] #highered needs some consistency in its #MOOC concerns. Please. #AAUP by Chalk Face, PhD We don’t really cover MOOCs here all that much. Perhaps we need to get on it. But I was cued into a post on the Chronicle over the AAUP’s concern with intellectual property rights and MOOCs. I like the AAUP. It’s a relatively strong organization that seems to be the last really supporting academic freedom, […] @educationgadlfy reviews state science standards, but something’s missing #NGSS by Chalk Face, PhD For the record, a “gadfly” is... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Steve Zimmer Proposes Safety Lock for Parent Trigger by dianerav Steve Zimmer proposed the following resolution to the Los Angeles Board of Education. His goal is to make sure that parents are fully informed and protected against stealth campaigns to trick parents into handing their school over to a charter operator or firing the staff. BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District OPEN SESSION ITEMS Board... more »

State Board handed job of defining rules of new funding system | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

State Board handed job of defining rules of new funding system | EdSource Today: State Board handed job of defining rules of new funding system ** June 14th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on print More Sharing Services The Legislature will vote today on a bill establishing Gov. Brown’s historic school funding system that punts to the State Board of Education some key decisions on how dollars for disadvantaged students must be spent and accounted for. [image: The language for implementing the Local Control Funding Formu... more »

Ed Notes Online: IS YOUR CHILD’S PROMOTION IN DOUBT? Find out what you can do about it

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: IS YOUR CHILD’S PROMOTION IN DOUBT? Find out what you can do about it: IS YOUR CHILD’S PROMOTION IN DOUBT? Find out what you can do about it by ed notes online *Change the Stakes Provides NYC Parents With Resources on Convoluted DOE Promotion Policy.* *SO AMAZING!!!! Thank you! Thank you! --- NYC parent (and teacher)* As letters of horror rolled in from parents about threats to hold their kids back if they don't go to summer school, the CTS crew took on the immense task of collating lots of invaluable info. It takes a village and Change the Stakes is a VILLAGE. I... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The CPS Way? Really?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The CPS Way? Really?: The CPS Way? Really? by Mike Klonsky *“Here they are coming right back after they claimed they were going to save money [by closing schools] ... and yet they’re saying, ‘Oh by the way we didn’t save any money, now we’re going to have to slash the budget of every school in the system.”* -- CTU's Jackson Potter Chicago principals, including those in charter schools, are still in shock after getting a glimpse of their shrunken school budgets and hearing Board President*Vitale's* instructions to "do more with less." That's the new m... more »

Video of the Day: Investing in schools creates twice as many jobs as military spending | Parents United for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Video of the Day: Investing in schools creates twice as many jobs as military spending | Parents United for Public Education: Video of the Day: Investing in schools creates twice as many jobs as military spending by parentsunitedphila Popout Say what? UMass economist Bob Pollin argues against “austerity” and heightened militarism, saying that education is by far the better investment. “Spending on education is one of the best ways to create jobs, and it’s maybe the best way insofar as we already have an infrastructure in place called the system of public education at the state leve... more »

Teachers’ letters to Bill Gates

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Teachers’ letters to Bill Gates: Teachers’ letters to Bill Gates By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 14, 2013 at 6:00 amE-mail the writer 4 Comments More [image: (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)] Bill Gates (By Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg) Bill Gates is a central figure in the modern school reform movement, thanks to his willingness to spend billions of his own dollars for projects he likes. He, for example, spent $2 billion in an effort to break up large high schools and create a network of small schools, but he abandoned that when he decided it hadn’t w... more »

NYC Educator: My Secret Identity

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

NYC Educator: My Secret Identity: My Secret Identity by NYC Educator A lot of people ask me, "Hey, NYC Educator, who the hell do you think you are?" That's an interesting question. But it doesn't matter a whole lot who the hell I think I am. It matters more who the hell I am, I suppose. Whether or not I think I am that person is one of those things I'm too tired to contemplate right now. So here's the thing. If you actually want to know who the hell I am, or you'd like to meet me, or Patrick Sullivan, or Leonie Haimson, or Diane Ravitch, you can come to the Skinny Awardsnext Tuesda... more »

Teaching History Then and Now | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Teaching History Then and Now | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Teaching History Then and Now by larrycuban Suppose you could find someone who taught history in three different high schools in two cities between the 1950s through the early 1970s. Suppose further that this person had been trained as an historian and had kept personal records such as a journal, student grade books, scattered lessons, school yearbooks, and student letters from those year of teaching. Suppose even further that this person could reconstruct from those sources and official school ... more »

CPS budget bomb. Students will need to bring their own toilet paper. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

CPS budget bomb. Students will need to bring their own toilet paper. | Fred Klonsky: CPS budget bomb. Students will need to bring their own toilet paper. by Fred Klonsky [image: toilet-paper] There will be fewer dollars for art in Chicago schools. The promises by Rahm that a longer school day would expand the curriculum is a lie. Another Rahm Emanuel lie. There will be less money available for music. There will be no money for toilet paper. Over the past few days word has emerged about massive school budget cuts. Massive cuts. Amundsen High School’s 2013-14 budget is $780,000 lower than... more »

The Educated Reporter: How a St. Louis Story Became a Toronto Education Scandal

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

The Educated Reporter: How a St. Louis Story Became a Toronto Education Scandal: How a St. Louis Story Became a Toronto Education Scandal by Emily Richmond Aisha Sultan, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's parenting columnist, was searching the Nexis digital archive of newspaper articles last week when a troubling pairing caught her eye – her name, and the word “plagiarism.” Clicking on the link to the Toronto Star, Sultan learned she unwittingly had played a not-so-minor role in a major scandal for Canada’s largest school district. And it had all unfolded five months earlier, nearly 80... more »

Deasy and new board member Ratliff laud teacher report - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Deasy and new board member Ratliff laud teacher report - latimes.com: Deasy and new board member Ratliff laud teacher report by By Howard Blume Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy on Thursday broadly endorsed proposals from an outside group for attracting and retaining teachers, including more money for those who take on difficult assignments and deliver measurable academic gains. Positive reaction also came from newly elected school board member Monica Ratliff, who is leaving the classroom to join the Board of Education in July. Both were responding to recommendations in two repo... more »

After historic win, much collective work lies ahead | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

After historic win, much collective work lies ahead | EdSource Today: After historic win, much collective work lies ahead - by Ted Lempert by Ted Lempert [image: Picture of Ted Lempert] Ted Lempert California is about to embark on the most comprehensive reform to its school finance system in 40 years, putting local communities in the driver’s seat and making a historic investment of more than $10 billion in high-needs students. The compromise Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) to be voted on by the state Legislature by the June 15 deadline also fairly addresses the earlier “winner... more »

My Anti-Ed Reform in Louisiana, part 2 of??? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

My Anti-Ed Reform in Louisiana, part 2 of??? | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: My Anti-Ed Reform in Louisiana, part 2 of??? by crazycrawfish But before I get into some of the nitty-gritty details of where I am today as a small part of a grassroots rebellion, it’s important to note that none of this happened in a vacuum. I suppose I was a little like every little state worker bee for the first few years. I believed I was a simple civil servant, but that was ok. I had a job to do, just like everyone else, and we all wanted to work toward a common goal, and help our fellow citizens and our st... more »

Christine Quinn Panders To Educators Through NYC DOE Official Email southbronxschool.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

http://www.southbronxschool.com: Christine Quinn Panders To Educators Through NYC DOE Official Email by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) *NYC MAYORAL HOPEFUL CHRISTINE QUINN* Christine Quinn, along with city council education chair, Robert Jackson, sent the following through the NYC DOE Outlook email. Sadly, I didn't get it, but a select few did (However, we do believe this was just sent to administrators). Though we here at SBSB are curious. Just how did she get access to Outlook? Only someone more powerful, and much shorter, than God would allow their "heir apparent" such acces... more »

Having A Voice Isn't Free, Either (Inspiring Teacher Voice) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Having A Voice Isn't Free, Either (Inspiring Teacher Voice) - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: Having A Voice Isn’t Free, Either (Inspiring Teacher Voice) by Jose Vilson [image: lionroarbw] Today, it was brought to my attention just how costly teacher voice can be. The top-down management style of most schools lends itself to an undemocratic collective of adults and children in the building, all exacerbated by internal and external factors like poverty, personalities, and Charlotte Danielson. Autonomy is in the eye of the beholder, and the beholder is often fresh out of college a... more »

Ed Notes Online: The Worm Turns on Ed Deform in Indiana as the NEW Status Quo Comes Under Attack

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: The Worm Turns on Ed Deform in Indiana as the NEW Status Quo Comes Under Attack: The Worm Turns on Ed Deform in Indiana as the NEW Status Quo Comes Under Attack by ed notes online Indiana’s love affair with so-called school reform is cooling. Serious cracks are showing in the relationship between lawmakers and anti-labor, pro-privatization forces that have fueled the so-called reform with millions in campaign contributions.... Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette For the last decade we have been attacked as status quoers by the deformers, which was so funny given that some... more »

Isn’t it about TIME Chicago jailed a mayor? | Reclaim Reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Isn’t it about TIME Chicago jailed a mayor? | Reclaim Reform: Isn’t it about TIME Chicago jailed a mayor? by kenpreviti Rahm: Chicago Bulls#*t. [image: Rahmaganda] Rahm Emanuel is closing 50 public schools and devastating neighborhoods and the lives of children and their parents. Hi is also giving $100 million of education money to a private Catholic college to build a basketball arena. ( HERE) *Isn’t it about TIME Chicago jailed a mayor?* [image: moneyroll] Hey, Rahm! Dribble this!

My Problem With School Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Student Voice: My Problem With School by Miranda Hubbard Repost from Huffington Press Education. I have a problem with school and it is not just forcing myself out of bed every morning to go and sit through six hours of boringness. It’s not that I have to get ready just to see people whom I’m not too fond of and it’s also not fighting my way through the hallways like it’s The Hunger Games between every class. My problem with school is that you’re evaluated solely based on your weaknesses instead of your strengths. Albert Einstein said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fi... more »

High-profile spat shows how much at stake in education: Editorial - LA Daily News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

High-profile spat shows how much at stake in education: Editorial - LA Daily News: High-profile spat shows how much at stake in education: Editorial By Los Angeles News Group Posted: 06/12/2013 05:10:20 PM PDT Updated: 06/12/2013 05:11:29 PM PDT [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The details of the online spat between New York University education professor Diane Ravitch and Parent Revolution executive director Ben Austin aren't very interesting to anyone except an education wonk. The highlights: Ravitch ravaged Austin on her blog; Austin responded with an op... more »

The Whole Child Movement: A Journey Between Two Nations — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

The Whole Child Movement: A Journey Between Two Nations — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Dawn Imada Chan]The Whole Child Movement: A Journey Between Two Nations June 13, 2013 by Dawn Imada Chan I have often been asked about the differences between teaching in the United States and Canada. That's often a difficult question to answer because I now consider both countries "home" and doing so often elicits a predictable follow-up question of which educational system is better. This post is not an attempt to rank one over the other, as educational systems between co... more »

Shame on Congress. Restore Meals on Wheels | Reclaim Reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Shame on Congress. Restore Meals on Wheels | Reclaim Reform: Shame on Congress. Restore Meals on Wheels by kenpreviti Our children, our schools, our seniors, our entire middle class is being attacked and driven downward as America’s multinational mega-corporations and selective foundations receive tax money (incentives, grants, lower levels of taxation, etc.) to grow even larger and more powerful. Shame on Congress! [image: mow2] *Please go to this site to sign a petition to Congress to restore Meals on Wheels.* http://action.ourfuture.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=227

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: 'Wouldn’t it be nice if educational policy were driven by reality instead of snark hunts and iggernance...?/

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: 'Wouldn’t it be nice if educational policy were driven by reality instead of snark hunts and iggernance...?/: 'Wouldn’t it be nice if educational policy were driven by reality instead of snark hunts and iggernance...?/ by Mike Klonsky *I'm re-posting this piece from Maureen Downey's Get Schooled blog. -- M.K.* The Snark syndrome in educational policymaking By Peter Smagorinsky In 1993, Eileen Byrne published "Women and Science: The Snark Syndrome." Snarks have been around for some time, first appearing in 1874 in Lewis Carroll's "The Hunt... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Action Alert: call your Legislators now to protect your child's privacy!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Action Alert: call your Legislators now to protect your child's privacy!: Action Alert: call your Legislators now to protect your child's privacy! by Leonie Haimson A bill introduced by AM Cathy Nolan, A. 7872, was approved by the NYS Assembly Education Committee yesterday which would allow parents to opt out their children’s personal data from being shared with inBloom Inc. and for-profit vendors. As such, it represents a big step forward in protecting the privacy rights of children. Here is a pdf of an updated fact sheet to post or distribute in your ... more »

Daily Kos: I am excited about my new teaching job

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Daily Kos: I am excited about my new teaching job: I am excited about my new teaching job by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) and i thought I might explain why, after spending some time in the school yesterday, and having been in electronic communication with several teachers today. First let me note this: I do not go on the payroll until mid-August I am already doing work to plan and prepare for what I will teach Just remember that the next time people tell you teachers only work 9 months a year! Half of my students will be in AP US Government and Politics, a course I taught for 7 ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools and the Legislative Stand-Off

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools and the Legislative Stand-Off: Seattle Schools and the Legislative Stand-Off by Melissa Westbrook Updates from Olympia: From Crosscut, an article over what happens if our state doesn't have a budget by July 1. The article susses out what would be considered "legally required activities" which the state would continue to fund. *One question is how the Washington Supreme Court's ruling that the state must improve K-12 education will shield schools from the effects of any shutdown.* ***In a memo to state department heads and electe... more »

Diane in the Evening 6-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Lucy Calkins Gathers Feedback on Pearson Exams by dianerav Students in New York recently completed a battery of tests aligned with the Common Core and developed by Pearson. The tests remain secret though some bootleg copies have circulated. They should be released for public review. Although educators were not allowed to disclose the test questions, Lucy Calkins of Teachers College created a website where educators could register comments about the tests. She received over 1,000 comments. Some of them: Many teache... more »

Mother Crusader: Parent Advocacy Group With Ties To K12 Inc. Takes Me On

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Mother Crusader: Parent Advocacy Group With Ties To K12 Inc. Takes Me On: Parent Advocacy Group With Ties To K12 Inc. Takes Me On by darciecima I received a very interesting comment on my most recent post about K12 Inc. It came from Esthere Tolbert, the mom who testified before the Joint Committee on the Public Schools and participated in a demonstration for legislators. Tolbert participated as part of a group called NJPublicSchoolOptions.org. My post pointed out that this group is directly linked to K12 Inc.. It was widely reported that K12 Inc. hired Princeton Public Affairs G... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lies, spies, and videotape

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Lies, spies, and videotape: Lies, spies, and videotape by Mike Klonsky I guess the Sun-Times saw which way the wind was blowing in the surveillance society -- towards them. Now fascist-minded Rep. Peter King is calling for the jailing and prosecution, not only of whistle-blower Ed Snowden, but of journalists as well. Today's S-T editorial in support of the ACLU suit, is decent. *The American Civil Liberties Union took a step in the right direction Tuesday by filing a lawsuit in federal court. It may be the only way we find out exactly what was going... more »

Teacher Evaluation Program: Malloy, Pryor and General Assembly slam door on a locally developed plans - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Teacher Evaluation Program: Malloy, Pryor and General Assembly slam door on a locally developed plans - Wait, What?: Teacher Evaluation Program: Malloy, Pryor and General Assembly slam door on a locally developed plans by jonpelto Implementing Connecticut’s new “teacher evaluation program” will be the most costly initiative local boards of education will be facing over the next couple of years. No one dismisses the importance of developing more effective teacher evaluation efforts, but the convoluted and complex system being developed by Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor will h... more »

Shanker Blog » Charter School Authorization And Growth

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Shanker Blog » Charter School Authorization And Growth: Charter School Authorization And Growth by Matthew Di Carlo [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] If you ask a charter school supporter why charter schools tend to exhibit inconsistency in their measured test-based impact, there’s a good chance they’ll talk about authorizing. That is, they will tell you that the quality of authorization laws and practices — the guidelines by which charters are granted, renewed and revoked — drives much and perhaps even most of the variation in the performance of charters r... more »

With the Common Core, the Whole Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts « The Core Knowledge Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

With the Common Core, the Whole Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts « The Core Knowledge Blog: With the Common Core, the Whole Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts by Lisa Hansel [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] In a new *post on Diane Ravitch’s blog, Robert Shepherd* makes many insightful observations about the sad state of reading instruction: Back in 1984, Palinscar and Brown wrote a highly influential paper about something they called “reciprocal learning.” They suggested, in that paper, that teachers conducting reading circles encourage dialogue about texts by ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, June 13, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Schools are out — Drive safely* Education Headlines *Thursday, June 13, 2013* Schools pull plug on gift-card programCafeteria workers at the San Diego Unified School District will no longer receive gift cards, chocolates and movie passes using money from a program to feed needy children. School districts in wait-and-see modeThis year, districts have set their budgets based on a current funding system that almost certainly is about to be scrapped in favor of a version of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed Local Control Funding Formula,... more »

Racism Decried in Sacramento School Closings Courthouse News Service

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Courthouse News Service: *Racism Decried in Sacramento School Closings* Courthouse News Service SACRAMENTO (CN) - The Sacramento city school district ignored a report that recommended closing four schools in wealthy white neighborhoods and closed seven schools in poor minority neighborhoods instead, eight families and three PTA groups say in a constitutional complaint in Federal Court. The eight families, with 11 children in school, and PTAs from Joseph Bonnheim Elementary School, Clayton B. Wire Elementary School, and Maple Elementary School sued the Sacramento City Unifie... more »

The Common Core and the End of the World | Taking Note

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The Common Core and the End of the World | Taking Note: The Common Core and the End of the World by John Merrow In case you haven’t been paying attention, the arrival of the Common Core apparently means the end of the world as we know it. Below are some of recent apocalyptic warnings from people on the left and the right (with other earlier doomsday predictions interspersed). My own thoughts are in the final paragraphs. *From Senator Rand Paul (R, KY):* “There are few things more dangerous to our liberty and prosperity than allowing federal bureaucrats and politicians to control our... more »

6-13-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] CCSS, the Corporate Profit Black Hole by plthomasedd Unleash the Power!!!!! The power of corporate education reform to generate profit for textbook, program, and testing corporations while childhood poverty in the US skyrockets and children continue to be cheated out of rich educational experiences… Sounds about right: —– I think Education Week accidentally published the cover from an upcoming new young adult science […] Ask and receive: #Commoncore cereal! by Chalk Face, PhD Never too early to get college and career ready! ... more »

Top High Schools With the Most Minority, Disadvantaged Students - Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings (usnews.com)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Top High Schools With the Most Minority, Disadvantaged Students - Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings (usnews.com): Top High Schools With the Most Minority, Disadvantaged Students By ROBERT MORSE June 13, 2013 RSS Feed Print [image: California had more gold medal high schools with high proportions of low-income and minority students enrolled than any other state.] California had more gold medal high schools with high proportions of low-income and minority students enrolled than any other state. There were many gold medal public high schools – which ranked in the top 500 in the U.S... more »

All Things Education: Putting off rich curriculum means putting off reading proficiency

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

All Things Education: Putting off rich curriculum means putting off reading proficiency: Putting off rich curriculum means putting off reading proficiency by Rachel Levy Recently, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell proposed and the General Assembly approved a bill that allows elementary schools to apply for waivers from high-stakes science and social studies testing (aka SOLs) for third graders. So far this testing season, approximately twenty-five public elementary schools have availed themselves of this waiver. The idea is that before struggling readers can learn content they have ... more »

2nd Banana 6-1-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

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2nd Banana 4-20-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

2nd Banana 4-13-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 4-6-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

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Five Essential Schoolwide Conditions for Common Core Achievement | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Five Essential Schoolwide Conditions for Common Core Achievement | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Five Essential Schoolwide Conditions for Common Core Achievement

by National Association of Secondary School Principals

By Mel Riddile, Associate Director of High School Services at the National Association of Secondary Principals(NASSP)
Principal leadership matters--perhaps now more than ever before. As much as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are changing instructional practice in the classroom, we must acknowledge that student learning under CCSS requires a schoolwide transformation that transcends individual classrooms and requires the dedicated, continual attention of the principal. Consider how these five essential schoolwide conditions for CCSS will fundamentally shift the way principals go about leading schools.
1. A culture of college and career readiness. Culture reflects the mindsets and  expectations of everyone in the school and ultimately drives behavior. A CCSS culture reflects the universal expectation that all students will be prepared for life beyond high school, and it encourages students' capacity to imagine their long-term possibilities. In much the same way that a discipline policy becomes ineffective if only half the teachers enforce it, a culture of high expectations must pervade every meeting, every
read more

Daily Kos: BREAKING: StudentsFirst & ALEC group exploit Teacher of the Year to promote anti-union agenda

Daily Kos: BREAKING: StudentsFirst & ALEC group exploit Teacher of the Year to promote anti-union agenda:

BREAKING: StudentsFirst & ALEC group exploit Teacher of the Year to promote anti-union agenda

byEclectablogFollow

This is offensive

In May of this year, Gary Abud, a science teacher at Grosse Pointe North High School, was chosen as Michigan's 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year by State Superintendent Mike Flanagan. It's an amazing accomplishment for a teacher who has only been at it for six years. Well-respected by both his students and his coworkers, Mr. Abud was a worthy choice.

To reward him for his outstanding achievement, the anti-union corporatist Mackinac Center -- an ALEC and State Policy Network affiliate funded, in part, by the Koch brothers -- did a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to find out how much money Mr. Abud makes. Once they found out, they proceeded to use him along with details about his salary to promote passage of House Bill 4625, a bill I call the "'Teach to the Test' Teacher Pay Act".

Michelle Rhee's anti-teacher StudentsFirst group got in on the act, too.

I was curious about how Mr. Abud felt about this blatant exploitation of his position and award 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, June 14, 2013

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Fensterwald: State Board handed job of defining rules of new funding system

Education Headlines

Friday, June 14, 2013

Cause of Santa Ana Valley High School blast remains unknown

Fire and school officials have been unable to investigate the cause of an explosion at Santa Ana Valley High School because the building is too unstable to enter, officials said Wednesday.

Natomas Unified trustee on campaign to videotape meetings

Trustee Ryan Herche wants Natomas Unified School Board meetings videotaped. He promised it when he campaigned for his school board seat last year. But last night, the rest of the school board disagreed, Herche said. They said it is too expensive and would take too much staff time, said Herche, the only board member in support of the proposal.

New school funding formula 'largest change in 40 years'

It's being hailed as a historic shift in how California funds public schools, a new formula that will simplify an overly complex funding system, increase resources for the neediest of students and give local school districts greater control over how they allocate resources.

Ousted superintendent gets year's pay

A year's salary to be paid in monthly installments was the chief item in a retirement agreement approved for ousted San Ysidro School District Superintendent Manuel Paul. Details of the package were voted on shortly before midnight Friday at the regular school board meeting at the Multicultural Complex in San Ysidro.

West Contra Costa school district ratifies contract with teachers

The West Contra Costa school district board ratified a three-year contract with its teachers Wednesday evening, calling for 2 percent annual increases in compensation.

Group urges teachers' raises based on student achievement

A local advocacy group is pushing for teachers' raises and bonuses based on whether instructors are willing to take on difficult assignments and on whether they deliver measurable student achievement gains.

LAUSD students awarded cars, iPads for excellent attendance

Parked curb-side in front of LAUSD headquarters was the neon blue Sonic won by Vanessa Umana, who graduated last week with a 4.2 GPA from Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley. Although rules of the district's Attendance Challenge said students had to have perfect attendance only during their senior year to be eligible to win the car, Vanessa didn't miss a single day during four years of high school - not even when she was under the weather.

Fensterwald: State Board handed job of defining rules of new funding system

The Legislature will vote today on a bill establishing Gov. Brown’s historic school funding system that punts to the State Board of Education some key decisions on how dollars for disadvantaged students must be spent and accounted for.

Deasy and new board member Ratliff laud teacher report

Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy on Thursday broadly endorsed proposals from an outside group for attracting and retaining teachers, including more money for those who take on difficult assignments and deliver measurable academic gains.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Schools pull plug on gift-card program

Cafeteria workers at the San Diego Unified School District will no longer receive gift cards, chocolates and movie passes using money from a program to feed needy children.

School districts in wait-and-see mode

This year, districts have set their budgets based on a current funding system that almost certainly is about to be scrapped in favor of a version of Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed Local Control Funding Formula, or LCFF.

State budget deal overhauls K-12 school funding model

Seven months after his tax initiative refueled funding for California's beleaguered public schools, Gov. Jerry Brown has orchestrated what's being billed as a major overhaul of how the state funds K-12 education.

Why Don't We 'Fix' Poverty While We're at It? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Why Don't We 'Fix' Poverty While We're at It? - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Why Don't We 'Fix' Poverty While We're at It?

by Deborah Meier

Deborah Meier concludes her recent discussion with Michael Petrilli today. The two hope to launch a new blog conversation in the fall. Next week, Todd Sutler of the Odyssey Initiative joins Deborah on Bridging Differences.
Dear Michael,
Poverty and global warming are alike, as you say, in the sense that both are in large man-made (and women-made). And neither is easy to "fix." Urgent pleas to be more environmentally conscious in one's lifestyle choices are not the solution; neither is a plea to the poor to get (and stay) married or remain childless, read to their children at night, oversee homework, and on and on. Both require a seriousness of purpose we are not prepared to take—I fear. But looking to schools to "fix" the world's problems is flattering—and we sometimes fall for it—but essentially a distraction. We've tried—and come up with some good ideas as my colleague Todd Sutler will describe in next Tuesday's blog post. But every time the Big Boys (forgive the sexism) try to "scale it up" fast they abandon what we've learned and fall back on the ideas for schooling that they wouldn't want for their own children combined with a totally inappropriate approach to governance—the who decides what question. There is 

L.A. Unified philanthropy taps wealthy Angelinos for projects near to superintendent's heart | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

L.A. Unified philanthropy taps wealthy Angelinos for projects near to superintendent's heart | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC:

L.A. Unified philanthropy taps wealthy Angelinos for projects near to superintendent's heart

by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

Philanthropist Megan Chernin in the Century City offices of the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education.; Credit: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education was created two years ago to tap wealthy, high profile donors to help the mostly low-income kids in Los Angeles Unified School District.
Founded by district Superintendent John Deasy, the group has taken on two projects near to his heart: Breakfast in the Classroom and arts education. It has also attracted criticism from the teacher's union - which opposes many of Deasy's policies.
The breakfast program increased the number of elementary school students getting a morning meal by using the 

Daily Kos: the importance of June 14

Daily Kos: the importance of June 14:

the importance of June 14

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

is wrapped in irony.
in 1777 the Continental Congress adopted the American Flag.  On that same day the United States Army, which would fight under that flag, was official established.
In 1916 Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation establishing Flag Day on this day, something affirmed by Act of Congress in 1949.
The irony comes from perhaps the most important Supreme Court decision most Americans do not know, issued this date in 1943.
That case involved the Pledge of Allegiance.
It is West Virginia State Bd. of Educ. v. Barnette - 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
The opinion of the Court, by Robert Jackson, may be as well written as any opinion ever.  Sandra Day O'Connor 

6-14-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

#highered needs some consistency in its #MOOC concerns. Please. #AAUP

by Chalk Face, PhD

We don’t really cover MOOCs here all that much. Perhaps we need to get on it. But I was cued into a post on the Chronicle over the AAUP’s concern with intellectual property rights and MOOCs. I like the AAUP. It’s a relatively strong organization that seems to be the last really supporting academic freedom, […]

@educationgadlfy reviews state science standards, but something’s missing #NGSS

by Chalk Face, PhD

For the record, a “gadfly” is an annoyance, right? Something that buzzes around, maybe a thorn in the side or a stick in the craw? But this gadfly is the status quo, let’s be clear. Nothing revolutionary coming out of Fordham these days. Nothing subversive. All right. They gave the new Next Generation Science Standards […]

The Lies that Won’t Die (Despite the Evidence)

by plthomasedd

To embrace the claims and policies of the education reform movement requires ignoring a tremendous amount of evidence to the contrary. The education reform narrative goes something like this: Education is the one true way to overcome all of society’s ills, but our schools are failing, and thus we must take the standards-and-testing accountability reform […]

6-13-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] CCSS, the Corporate Profit Black Hole by plthomasedd Unleash the Power!!!!! The power of corporate education reform to generate profit for textbook, program, and testing corporations while childhood poverty in the US skyrockets and children continue to be cheated out of rich educational experiences… Sounds about right: —– I think Education Week accidentally published the cover from an upcoming new young adult science […] Ask and receive: #Commoncore cereal! by Chalk Face, PhD Never too early to get college and career ready! ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Public Education Is Not Failing, But NCLB and RTTT Are

by dianerav

Ron Berler has written about his year in a so-called “failing school” in Norwalk, Connecticut.
The school has a dedicated staff trying its best to raise the achievement levels of students who enter school far behind. Yet it is a “failing school” because no matter how much progress the students make,the children are still not as “proficient” as those in nearby affluent New Canaan.
Berler has a new book out, called “Raising the Curve,” explaining the utter failure of No Child Left Behind.
He wrote this note to me:
“The Title 1 school I wrote about — Brookside Elementary, in Norwalk, Conn. — is 0-for-NCLB. This past school 

Steve Zimmer Proposes Safety Lock for Parent Trigger

by dianerav

Steve Zimmer proposed the following resolution to the Los Angeles Board of Education. His goal is to make sure that parents are fully informed and protected against stealth campaigns to trick parents into handing their school over to a charter operator or firing the staff.
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District
OPEN SESSION ITEMS
Board Resolutions For Initial Announcement
1. Mr. Zimmer – Comprehensive Information for Parent Initiated School Transformation (For Action June 18, 2013, 

The Shame of Providence

by dianerav

Providence and the state of Rhode Island allowed a school to use developmentally disabled students to do manual labor for little or no pay.
Both the city and state received a stern letter from the Civil Rights Division of the U. S. Department of Justice.
“Both Providence and the state allowed the Harold H. Birch Vocational School to operate a “sheltered workshop” 

Steve Zimmer Proposes Safety Lock for Parent Trigger

by dianerav

Steve Zimmer proposed the following resolution to the Los Angeles Board of Education. His goal is to make sure that parents are fully informed and protected against stealth campaigns to trick parents into handing their school over to a charter operator or firing the staff.
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District
OPEN SESSION ITEMS
Board Resolutions For Initial Announcement
1. Mr. Zimmer – Comprehensive Information for Parent Initiated School Transformation (For Action June 18, 2013, 12 p.m.)
Whereas, The Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District recognizes the essential role of 

A Word from the Cripples

by dianerav

The state of Pennsylvania, the School Reform Commission, Governor Corbett, and the Legislature have decided to strip bare the publuc schools of Philadelphia. They are doing to these students what they would never do to their own. They are vandals.
This morning, i received this poem written by a student, Siduri Beckmann. Why is Siduri less deserving of a full 

Happy Birthday, EduShyster! One Year in Pursuit of Excellence

by dianerav

In this post marking the one-year anniversary of her blog, EduShyster interviews herself.
She answers such pressing questions as:
Do you really consume wine by the box?
Will the education reform movement survive the coming Zombie apocalypse? (I promise you will love this one, especially the illustration.)
If you were an education reform group, which one would you be? (Love the photo.)

Hey, Kids! $100 If You Enroll in This Charter School

from Diane Ravitch's blog by dianerav

David Safier writes here about a charter school in Arizona that offers students $100 to sign up. Arizona was once known as the Wild West of charter schools, but now other states are catching up as charter operators join the Gold Rush.

Crazy Crawfish Tells All: How He Became an Anti-Reformer

by dianerav

In this blog post, Crazy Crawfish reveals his true identity.
He was working inside the Louisiana Department of Education when Bobby Jindal took control.
The story he tells is alarming and shocking.
It all started with Katrina. That event created a massive shock and provided an opening for Jindal: “Jindal 

The Gates Foundation’s Strangest Grant

by dianerav

The Gates Foundation gave $10 million to the Discovery Institute.
This is a conservative public policy institute that promotes “intelligent design” and is skeptical of evolutionary theory.
It was founded by Bruce Chapman, an official in the Reagan administration.
The purpose of the grant is for research, advocacy, and transportation.
Presumably this mean the Gates Foundation wanted the Discovery Institute to do research about and advocacy 

Diane in the Evening 6-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: New York’s Evaluation Nightmare by dianerav Arthur Goldstein, aka Néw York Educator, describes the vain and convoluted effort to create a teacher evaluation system in Néw York. A pinch of this, a heavy dose of testing, and the computer will tell us which teachers are great and which are the stinkers. *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all* mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for al... more »