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Sunday, November 7, 2010

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Blame teachers union, Christie tells kids - NorthJersey.com

2010-Nov-6

Blame teachers union, Christie tells kids - NorthJersey.comBlame teachers union, Christie tells kidsSaturday, November 6, 2010LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2010, 10:39 AMBY MATT FRIEDMAN AND JESSICA CALEFATISTATE HOUSE BUREAUSTATE HOUSE BUREAUGovernor Christie took his fight with the state's largest teachers union directly to the kids Friday, telling a room full of Trenton students their schools were short on supplies because of greedy teachers union officials — not state aid cuts.AP FILE PHOTO"There's a lot of really great teachers in ...

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The Answer Sheet - Margaret Spellings: The last NCLB defender?

2010-Nov-4

The Answer Sheet - Margaret Spellings: The last NCLB defender?Margaret Spellings: The last NCLB defender?These days it’s hard to find a strong supporter of No Child Left Behind.Rep. John Kline, the Republican in line to take over the education committee in the House, thinks the law that ushered in a destructive era of high-stakes testing and phony accountability is a mess. He wants to rewrite it.Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who has been a big supporter, has nevertheless labeled as "utopian" ...

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So Much Hype, So Little Mindfulness: The Practical Importance of Knowing the Logic of a Reform-Driven Policy � Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

2010-Nov-4

So Much Hype, So Little Mindfulness: The Practical Importance of Knowing the Logic of a Reform-Driven Policy � Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom PracticeSo Much Hype, So Little Mindfulness: The Practical Importance of Knowing the Logic of a Reform-Driven Policyby larrycubanImage via WikipediaGetting behind the brand names of school reform is hard work. Few of us try. KIPP, Green Dot, Teach for America, and One Laptop Per Child are all reform brands. Some are untarnished, well known and ...

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The Canadian Press: AP Interview: US education secretary upbeat about agenda despite election blow

2010-Nov-4

The Canadian Press: AP Interview: US education secretary upbeat about agenda despite election blowAP Interview: US education secretary upbeat about agenda despite election blowBy Angela Charlton (CP) – 1 hour agoPARIS — The U.S. education secretary is hopeful that this week's Republican election victories won't derail ambitious school reforms, which he argues are crucial to keeping up in an ever-smarter global economy."We used to be at the top of the world" in education rankings, Arne Duncan told The Associated Press ...

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Post-election breakdown: how union, charter backers fared | GothamSchools

2010-Nov-4

Post-election breakdown: how union, charter backers fared | GothamSchoolsPost-election breakdown: how union, charter backers faredby Anna PhillipsA day after an election that saw most of the union-backed candidates win their races, New York City teachers union president Michael Mulgrew was still celebrating. “We had a very good night,” he told me.In total, 157 of the 170 candidates the United Federation of Teachers supported were victorious on Tuesday, union officials said.Mulgrew said he was pleased to see former City Councilman Tony ...

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Find your school’s new state rating | EdNewsColorado

2010-Nov-4

Find your school’s new state rating | EdNewsColoradoFind your school’s new state ratingby Nancy MitchellState officials this week unveiled the ratings for 2,080 schools or programs under the Education Accountability Act of 2009. Only those ratings agreed upon by state and district officials have been released. Another 99 campuses are still being reviewed.Ratings possible are Performance, Improvement, Priority Improvement and Turnaround. To learn more about the

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Why Did the “4.7% of Blacks Voted” Myth Spread So Fast? � Student Activism

2010-Nov-4

Why Did the “4.7% of Blacks Voted” Myth Spread So Fast? � Student ActivismWhy Did the “4.7% of Blacks Voted” Myth Spread So Fast?by Angus JohnstonTuesday evening, as the polls were closing in most of the country, a young black Milwaukeean named Andre Douglas tweeted that only 4.7% of blacks had voted in his home state. It’s still not quite clear where he got this incorrect information — my best guess is that he or someone he knew misread a ...

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Controversial “Teach for America” Back on the Agenda for Seattle’s Schools | Seattle Education 2010

2010-Nov-4

Controversial “Teach for America” Back on the Agenda for Seattle’s Schools | Seattle Education 2010Controversial “Teach for America” Back on the Agenda for Seattle’s Schoolsby seattleducation2010Teach for America, Inc. was back on the agenda at last night’s Seattle Public School Board meeting.The district already has an undated (draft? final?) contract between TFA, Inc. and Seattle Public Schools ready to be signed by TFA, Inc.’s Managing Director Janis Ortega and Seattle Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson.Community input? Zero.Public demand for short-term new college ...

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The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for Parents (And Everyone Else)

2010-Nov-4

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for Parents (And Everyone Else)Has Ravitch hurt 'Superman’s' Oscar ambitions?Millions of words have been written about Davis Guggenheim’s “Waiting for Superman” and the education policies it promotes, but now we have a new line of analysis about its impact: What are the chances that the education documentary could win an Academy Award?In a piece on Movie Line’s Web site, editor S.T. VanAirsdale asked whether education historian Diane Ravitch’s scathing review of Superman ...

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The Answer Sheet - Margaret Spellings: The last NCLB defender?

2010-Nov-4

The Answer Sheet - Margaret Spellings: The last NCLB defender?Margaret Spellings: The last NCLB defender?These days it’s hard to find a strong supporter of No Child Left Behind.Rep. John Kline, the Republican in line to take over the education committee in the House, thinks the law that ushered in a destructive era of high-stakes testing and phony accountability is a mess. He wants to rewrite it.Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who has been a big supporter, has nevertheless labeled as "utopian" ...

Hide10.0

So Much Hype, So Little Mindfulness: The Practical Importance of Knowing the Logic of a Reform-Driven Policy � Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

2010-Nov-4

So Much Hype, So Little Mindfulness: The Practical Importance of Knowing the Logic of a Reform-Driven Policy � Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom PracticeSo Much Hype, So Little Mindfulness: The Practical Importance of Knowing the Logic of a Reform-Driven Policyby larrycubanImage via WikipediaGetting behind the brand names of school reform is hard work. Few of us try. KIPP, Green Dot, Teach for America, and One Laptop Per Child are all reform brands. Some are untarnished, well known and ...

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New Statesman - The myth of US charter schools

2010-Nov-3

New Statesman - The myth of US charter schoolsThe myth of US charter schoolsPosted by Mehdi Hasan - 03 November 2010 13:01Don't buy the hype from Michael Gove - or Arne Duncan.Arne Duncan, Obama's education secretary and the man who invited the US military to run local schools during his controversial tenure as chief executive of the Chicago state school system, is in London visiting our very own Michael Gove. The latter, of course, has been ultra-keen to push his ...

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A first for NJEA: Acting N.J. education commissioner declines to speak at convention | NJ.com

2010-Nov-3

A first for NJEA: Acting N.J. education commissioner declines to speak at convention | NJ.comA first for NJEA: Acting N.J. education commissioner declines to speak at conventionPublished: Wednesday, November 03, 2010, 6:07 PM Updated: Wednesday, November 03, 2010, 6:24 PM Jessica Calefati/The Star-Ledger FollowShare this storyStory toolsThe Star-LedgerActing Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks, left, announced today she will not be attending the teacher union's convention, headed by NJEA President Barbara Keshishian, right.18Share 61 CommentsThe state’s largest teachers union has been rebuffed ...

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NYC Public School Parents: The importance of class size reduction, and how to counter the corporate reformers who oppose it

2010-Nov-2

NYC Public School Parents: The importance of class size reduction, and how to counter the corporate reformers who oppose itThe importance of class size reduction, and how to counter the corporate reformers who oppose itby Leonie HaimsonCheck out my latest column on Huffington Post, on the importance of class size, and the truth about the seven myths propounded by the corporate reformers like Bloomberg and Bill Gates, who argue against class size reduction while sending their own kids to private ...

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Parent Political Picks by the Big Education Ape

2010-Oct-30

SAC City DAC Editor Mike Simpson recommends parents join me and vote forParent Political Picks by the Big Education ApePlease check back often. I will add more names in more races as I speak with other parents.Vote for Community!Go to the DAC SCUSD Board of Education Web Page2010 SCUSD Board of EducationElectionMake Parent Voices HeardVOTE!SAC CITY UNIFIED: SCHOOL BOARD RACESAREA 1Land Park, downtown,midtown, Curtis Park.AREA 2East Sacramento, Tahoe Park,College

Last Week’s Best Posts on Parents 4 Democratic Schools � PostRank � Parents 4 democratic Schools

Last Week’s Best Posts on Parents 4 Democratic Schools � PostRank � Parents 4 democratic Schools

All Posts Good Posts Great Posts Best Posts

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Sac State engineering students tops in U.S. – Sacramento News – Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

2010-Nov-5
Sac State engineering students tops in U.S. Sacramento News Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee. Sac State engineering students tops in U.S. Share By Laurel Rosenhalllrosenhall@sacbee.com Published: Friday, Nov. 5, 2010 11:37 am A team of four Sacramento State students has won a national engineering competition, beating out teams from UC [...]
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Sac State engineering students tops in U.S. – Sacramento News – Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

2010-Nov-5
Sac State engineering students tops in U.S. Sacramento News Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee. Sac State engineering students tops in U.S. Share By Laurel Rosenhalllrosenhall@sacbee.com Published: Friday, Nov. 5, 2010 11:37 am A team of four Sacramento State students has won a national engineering competition, beating out teams from UC [...]
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The Surprising Way One U.K. School Ended Bullying | Education | Change.org

2010-Nov-4
The Surprising Way One U.K. School Ended Bullying Education Change.org. The Surprising Way One U.K. School Ended Bullying by Carol Scott Dramatic. Sea change. Made me a better person. That’s how teachers and students in the U.K. are describing the effects of a curriculum that focuses on human rights. Bullying, ostracism, fights and yelling on [...]
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Cliffhanger in (Where Else?) Florida – State EdWatch – Education Week

2010-Nov-3
Cliffhanger in (Where Else?) Florida State EdWatch Education Week. Cliffhanger in (Where Else?) Florida The Florida governor’s race should be over by now, but we’re still waiting. The last reports are that Republican Rick Scott holds a very narrow lead over Democrat Alex Sink. What’s giving Sink hope, however, is that results from [...]
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Election 2010: Big three, district bonds | EdNewsColorado

2010-Nov-3
Election 2010: Big three, district bonds EdNewsColorado. Election 2010: Big three, district bonds by Nancy Mitchell and Todd Engdahl Results reported are as of midnight and will be updated Wednesday. Opponents of ballot measures 60, 61 and 101 far outspent supporters. Colorado voters on Tuesday were handing the “big three” – ballot measures 60, 61 [...]
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Former WEAC chief to lead Milwaukee teachers union – JSOnline

2010-Nov-2
Former WEAC chief to lead Milwaukee teachers union JSOnline. Former WEAC chief to lead Milwaukee teachers union By Erin Richards of the Journal Sentinel Nov. 1, 2010 (11) COMMENTS The Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association announced its new executive director Monday: Stan Johnson, a former president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council. Tom Morgan, the MTEA’s [...]
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Gov Chris Christie criticizes President Barack Obama – Video | NJ.com

2010-Nov-2
Gov Chris Christie criticizes President Barack Obama Video NJ.com. NJ.com: The Star-Ledger Videos New Jersey News Videos » Gov Chris Christie criticizes President Barack Obama Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger Follow New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had harsh words for President Barack Obama before receiving a standing ovation at an Indiana Republican Party dinner [...]

The China education boom on US campuses

The China education boom on US campuses

The China education boom on US campuses

New York: In her ballroom dance class, Li Wanrong has learned to tango and cha-cha. At lunch one day, she tried a strange mix of flavors -- pepperoni pizza, the spicy sausage and oozing cheese nearly burning her tongue. Then there was that Friday night before going clubbing for the first time when new friends gave her a makeover, and she looked in the mirror to see an American girl smiling back wearing a little black dress, red lipstick and fierce eyeliner.

"I say 'wow' a lot," says Ms Li, a freshman at Drew University, a small liberal arts school in Madison, New Jersey.

Against her parents' wishes, she studied for and took the SAT in Hong Kong, a three-hour bus

Democurmudgeon: Homophobic resistance to Anti-bullying in schools a legitimate Reason to take them seriously?

Democurmudgeon: Homophobic resistance to Anti-bullying in schools a legitimate Reason to take them seriously?

Homophobic resistance to Anti-bullying in schools a legitimate Reason to take them seriously?

Let’s start with the terrorizng premise of homophobia:

NY Times: Alarmed by evidence that gay and lesbian students are common victims of schoolyard bullies, many school districts are bolstering their anti-harassment rules with early lessons in tolerance … Many educators and rights advocates say that official prohibitions of slurs and taunts are most effective when combined with frank discussions, from kindergarten on, about diverse families and sexuality.
Sounds logical, fair and an equal rights issue. But in today’s debate, all points of view, no matter how