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Friday, April 15, 2011

Big Education Ape: 4-15-11 Failing State Edition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

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niemanwatchdog.org - Miracle schools, vouchers and all that educational flim-flam ASK THIS | April 13, 2011 Former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch tells reporters to dig deep when states or school distri...

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9news.com - DENVER - For the past 13 months, teachers, community leaders, business professionals, and others worked together to come up with a plan for Colorado's first-ever statewide system designed to produc...

DianeRavitch
nysun.com - The Bloomberg administration, having decided that the small school movement is the wave of the future, has opened nearly 100 small high schools and plans to open another 100 next year. Each of thes...

DianeRavitch
federaleducationpolicy.wordpress.com - April 14, 2011 · 3:07 pm Politics is about many things—power, money, authority, values, ideas… It also is about language. In current school reform debates, the phrase “failing school” and its plur...

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blogs.edweek.org - NBC --the originator of the idea that education in America would be improved by a giant national hurricane, to sweep everything clean and let the reformers have at it--is sponsoring a Teachers Town...

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coopmike48 The Improving America’s School’s Act of 1994 | Federal Education Policy History - http://goo.gl/HqXD454 seconds ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Hillsboro School District listening session doesn't draw its expected lively crowd | OregonLive.com -http://goo.gl/qBO4g8 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

#edu Read this paper39 MORE ARTICLES
schooltechconnect.com - I got nuthin'.Traditional art teacher Fred has said it all here, and here, and here. It's a sad day in Illinois, but at least the Queen of Illinois Education, Robin Steans, is happy. Steans, who wa...

tbfurman
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Modern School: CTA’s State of Emergency Misses the Mark, But Come Anyway, The Occupation Will Be FunCTA’s State of Emergency Misses the Mark, But Come Anyway, The Occupation Will Be Fun0diggEven af...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers | ReutersDetroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachersA child colors a Chinese mask in Elementary School, April 11, 2011.Credit...

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Education153 MORE ARTICLES
house.state.tx.us - * The Texas House of Representatives has more than 40 committees and sub-committees that meet in public hearings. It is the goal of House Video/Audio Services to provide live broadcasts/web-casts o...

DianeRavitch
modeducation.blogspot.com - digg_url="http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/04/hey-liberals-democrats-are-evil-too.html"; The left press and blogosphere have been ranting about the crazy, evil, greedy and/or stupid Republi...

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democraticunderground.com - Source: Think ProgressKUCINICH: Let me ask you about some of the specific provisions in your proposals to strip collective bargaining rights. First, your proposal would require unions to hold annua...

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Politics30 MORE ARTICLES
defendwisconsin.org - Electoral irregularities and promises of recounts have thrown into question the final outcome of the hotly contested race over a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. Yet, these complications notwithstandi...

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defendwisconsin.org - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will be among friends today when he testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Nearly half the Republican committee members receive funding...

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defendwisconsin.org - Gov. Scott Walker defended his school of union hobbling as a route to fiscal discipline to budget-weary Washington on Thursday, telling a House committee that protracted, nail-biting negotiations i...

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Living12 MORE ARTICLES
democraticunderground.com - Source: Colombia ReportsRiot police sent to National University in Bogota Thursday, 14 April 2011 15:27 Jim Glade Anti-riot police were dispatched Thursday to break up protests in a Bogota universi...

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slog.thestranger.com - The top federal prosecutors in Washington sent a stern warning to Washington State that a medical-marijuana law passed by the legislature this week, which would license dispensaries and growers, co...

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womensenews.org - A male labor shortage in Mexico has opened the door for more women to join the country's mining industry. Despite widespread superstitions deterring women from entering mining, one industry officia...

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Stories8 MORE ARTICLES
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Daily Kos: The last day before Spring BreakThe last day before Spring Breakby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)and normally I would be looking forward to the end of the school day. I cannot.Yesterday ...

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mrsdbarron.blogspot.com - Refilling Your Pitchers & Recharging Your Batteries by Mrs. Dorothy Barron“It does not matter how large a problem one has; nature is much larger and has a way of allowing one to put t...

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sacbee.com - About 60 Sacramento State students are still holding a sit-in inside the lobby of the university's administration building, some of them having camped out overnight after yesterday's protest agains...

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Business4 MORE ARTICLES
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Sacramento Press / Region's $9.6 billion education cluster threatened by 'all cuts' state budgetRegion's $9.6 billion education cluster threatened by 'all cuts' state budgetby Hal Silliman, publish...

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my.firedoglake.com - Today’s Initial Unemployment Claims report for last week is out and the intial claims have jumped back up over 400k. Via Reuters:A second report from the Labor Department showed initial claims for ...

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blogs.forbes.com - Apr. 14 2011 - 5:00 pm | 0 views | 0 recommendations | By E.D. KAIN Will Wilkinson writes: It’s rather less intuitive that fairness demands that the wealthy not only pay more in taxes, but pay a la...

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hispanicallyspeakingnews.com - These pauses in speech alert toddlers to pay attention, researchers say.Parents who say “um” and “uh” when speaking to their toddlers aren’t setting a bad example; they’re actually helping the chil...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Paying Doctors on the Basis of Patient Outcomes | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom PracticePaying Doctors on the Basis of Patient Outcomesby larrycubanA doctor described to a colleague a ...

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hispanicallyspeakingnews.com - Published at 1:12 pm, April 14, 2011 Photo Credits: Inactive overweight parents = inactive overweight children “Lead by example.” A new study is showing that Hispanic children are following in thei...

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The myths of standardized testing - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The myths of standardized testing - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The myths of standardized testing

By Valerie Strauss

Are the following statements true or false?

*Students’ knowledge and skills can be assessed by a sample of content that makes up a 45-question test.

*High test scores of students at any particular school prove that there is high student achievement and quality teaching at the institution.

*Punishments or rewards to teachers or students based on test scores motivate them to do better.

*A standardized test score is a better reflection of student learning any any other form of assessment.

*If the stakes to a test are high enough, people will work harder and

Teacher tells kids to ‘oink’ at messy classmate

by By Valerie Strauss

A kindergarten teacher in Roane County, Tenn., reportedly told students in her class to make a circle around a classmate who was messy, call him a pig and say “oink,” according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

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Teachers' Union Launches 'Emergency' Campaign for Tax Extensions - The Bay Citizen

Teachers' Union Launches 'Emergency' Campaign for Tax Extensions - The Bay Citizen

Teachers' Union Launches 'Emergency' Campaign for Tax Extensions

Even if tax measures get on the June ballot, it may be too late to save teachers' jobs

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By JENNIFER GOLLAN on April 14, 2011 - 8:04 p.m. PDT
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© iStockphoto/R Rob M Ferguson

One of Gov. Jerry Brown’s biggest supporters during the 2010 gubernatorial election is now gearing up to help rescue his tax plan.

But it may be too late.

The California Teachers Association this week announced a "State of Emergency" campaign to lobby legislators for a special election in June to extend income and sales taxes and the vehicle registration fee. Without those extensions, the state’s public schools could face an additional loss of $4.5 billion, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Brown needs the support of four Republicans--and a special exemption from the Legislature--to add the tax measures to the June ballot. The

Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12h4z)

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Koch OUT News | www.kochwatch.org

News | www.kochwatch.org
CMD PR Watch: Koch-Fueled Controversy Lands in Washington *April 14, 2011-* On Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Darrell Issa (R-California), held a hearing on state and municipal debt where the key question was State Budget Cuts: Choice or Necessity? Chairman Issa ...
The Hill: Fireworks expected as Gov. Walker heads to Hill to talk unions *April 14, 2011-* Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) could be in for a rowdy welcome from unions and liberal groups when he comes to Capitol Hill on Thursday to testify about his work on reducing the state’s budget deficit. A coalition of liberal groups ...
Madison.Com: Judge to decide fate of lawsuit challenging collective bargaining law by week's end *April 14, 2011-* A Dane County judge will decide by the end of the week whether to dismiss Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk’s lawsuit over a new state law limiting collective bargaining for most public employees. Falk’s lawsuit challenges the law ...
Bernie Sanders: Robin Hood in Reverse WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Thom Hartmann: Democracy is hanging by a thread because of plutocrats and their paid ass-kissers WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
People For the American Way: Issa’s Sham Hearings: Brought to You by the Koch Brothers *For Immedate Release: 04/13/11:* Issa’s Sham Hearings: Brought to You by the Koch Brothers On Thursday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Darrell Issa (R-CA), will hold a hearing on state and municipal debt. Parading ...
Cornel West: "We're At A Situation Now Where We Have A Predatory Capitalism" WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Wisconsin State Journal: State investigating vote irregularities in Waukesha County going back 5 years *April 14, 2011-* The state's investigation into vote irregularities in Waukesha County will stretch back at least five years, the head of the Government Accountability Board said Thursday. Questions over vote totals in Waukesha have lingered over ...
Talking Points Memo: WI GOP Senator: Supreme Court Race 'Took The Wind Out' Of Union Sails *April 12, 2011-* Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told a gaggle of bloggers at the Heritage Foundation Tuesday that the controversial results of the state Supreme Court race in the Badger State surprised him, and indicate that Wisconsin isn't as pro-union as ...
The Nation: Scandal in Fitzwalkerstan: Top Donor Pleads Guilty in Money-Laundering Scheme to Aid Governor Walker *April 12, 2011-* Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker claims the state is broke. That, he says, is why it is necessary to enact draconian anti-labor laws and to restructure state government to dramatically increase the governor’s power.   Yet, despite ...
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Democrat on Waukesha County vote panel speaks out Kitzinger 'shocked' in retrospect not to have been told of major error *April 11, 2011-* The Democrat on the Waukesha County Board of Canvassers who was widely quoted as endorsing the county clerk's official ballot count that flipped the state ...
WisPolitics: Walker marks 100 days in office *April 12, 2011-* Gov. Scott Walker says he may have to again consider laying off state employees if his collective bargaining law remains tied up in the courts for much more than the next week or two. “(But) for now, we’re still ready to implement ...
Press Release: NGOs Call Upon JoAnne Kloppenburg to Petition Court for Hand Recount *NGOs Call Upon JoAnne Kloppenburg to Petition Court for Hand Recount of All Votes Cast in the April 5 Wisconsin Supreme Court Election* *WASHINGTON, April 13, 2011* /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NGOs VelvetRevolution.us and ProtectOurElections.org, ...
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April’s Best Tweets — Part One | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

April’s Best Tweets — Part One | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...
April’s Best Tweets — Part One Every month I make a short list highlighting my choices of the best resources I shared through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog. Now and then, in order to make it a bit easier for me, I may try ...
“In pictures: The early days of spaceflight” “In pictures: The early days of spaceflight” is a slideshow from the BBC. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Planets & Space.
Magisto Seems Like A Cool Online Video Editor Magisto is a new Animoto-like service that lets you upload several short videos and it then somehow “recognizes” the most important parts and turns it into a magically-produced one minute video. You can read more about it at Go2Web2.0. It’s still ...
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John Merrow on undervalued teachers | Thoughts on Public Education

John Merrow on undervalued teachers | Thoughts on Public Education

John Merrow on undervalued teachers

New book offers hope for teaching profession

Posted on 4/14/11 • Categorized as Uncategorized, Video, Video of the week

By Kathryn Baron

When I first met John Merrow he was in his element, wearing a tuxedo and doing his best imitation of Alex Trebek – if Trebek had a sense of humor, that is – leading a room full of education reporters in a rollicking game of Education Jeopardy. If your table had too many points, he’d give you an impossible, possibly unquestionable, answer. “He was the brother-in-law of the firefighter who lived next to this state’s education secretary.” If your table was low on points, you’d get a no-brainer to get you back in the game. “Its initials are NCLB.”

It wasn’t long before I got to know the other John Merrow. Smart, creative, and indefatigable. Don’t take my word for it; read his bio. The guy is a prolific writer, and his production company, Learning Matters, has produced some of the most important and influential reports in education. First to Worst, which aired seven years ago this month, presented a dramatic

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ASCD Inservice: Change—and the Junior High (1965)

ASCD Inservice: Change—and the Junior High (1965)

Change—and the Junior High (1965)

In the 1960s, when educators sought to revamp the junior high school concept by replacing it with a middle school model that was designed for children in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, they closely analyzed several important issues related to adolescent education and development. In an editorial in the December 1965 issue of Educational Leadership, Gordon F. Vars, then director of the Junior High School Project at Cornell University, offers a glimpse into the debate.

Vars also discusses the various arguments around expanding junior high to as early as 5th grade and as late as 9th—and the fears such change engendered in educators and society.

While establishing grades 7 and 8 as junior high has led, in the view of many, to "more challenging subject matter" and

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Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers | Reuters

Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers | Reuters

Detroit to send layoff notices to all its public teachers

A child colors a Chinese mask in Elementary School, April 11, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

A child colors a Chinese mask in Elementary School, April 11, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

CHICAGO | Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:38pm EDT

(Reuters) - The emergency manager appointed to put Detroit's troubled public school system on a firmer financial footing said on Thursday he was sending layoff notices to all of the district's 5,466 unionized employees.

In a statement posted on the website of Detroit Public Schools, Robert Bobb, the district's temporary head, said notices were being sent to every member of the Detroit Federation of Teachers "in anticipation of a workforce reduction to match the district's declining student enrollment."

Bobb said nearly 250 administrators were receiving the notices, too.

The district is unlikely to eliminate all the teachers. Last year, it sent out

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School Tech Connect: To Tell The Truth...

School Tech Connect: To Tell The Truth...
To Tell The Truth... ...You have to retire. At least in the Republican party. I forgot to chime in here last week-ish when former Republican Governor Jim Edgar commended lawmakers today for making the "tough" decision to hike the state's tax rate -- a measure supported by ...
We're Still At The Table! I got nuthin'. Model demonstrating a typical ed reform posture. Traditional art teacher Fred has said it all here, and here, and here. It's a sad day in Illinois, but at least the Queen of Illinois Education, Robin Steans, is happy. Steans, who was ...
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Jersey Jazzman: Politboro Jr. High, NJ

Jersey Jazzman: Politboro Jr. High, NJ

Politboro Jr. High, NJ

by Duke
So I've had a chance to look at the education "reform" bill Christie proposed; it's as insane as you would imagine.

Christie says:
"Let me be clear," Christie said in a press conference in his outer office yesterday. "We don’t want to see the elimination of tenure, but the elimination the tenure system we have now."
Another day, another lie. This bill clearly eliminates tenure.

All tenure does is prevent a teacher from being fired without holding a hearing before someone outside of the school district. If a teacher doesn't have tenure, they can be fired at will by school officials and/or administrators.
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“You’ve failed this Association.” « Fred Klonsky's blog

“You’ve failed this Association.” « Fred Klonsky's blog

“You’ve failed this Association.”

by Fred Klonsky

Jerry Mulvihill’s comment.

Dear Ken,

When you called for Lobby Day to be an annual event, I was there. Every year.

When members walked around the capitol building, I was inside, calling my legislator off the floor to speak to him about quality schools and teacher rights.

When IEA Government Relations called for rank and file members to meet personally with their Legislators to get to” know them on a first named basis”, I did. In fact I met with them over

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NYC Educator: All in All, No Change at All

NYC Educator: All in All, No Change at All

All in All, No Change at All

by NYC Educator
Newly christened chancellor Dennis Walcott is very smart. He thinks on his feet and speaks very well. He is comfortable before the press and speaking to community members. He's certainly better equipped for the job of chancellor than his immediate predecessor, a preposterous figure.

Walcott will not make idiotic utterances about using birth control to control overcrowding, as both Black and Klein did. You won't see him making juvenile noises at PEP meetings. He's a seasoned politician, and not prone to blatant stupidity. In fact, for Mayor Bloomberg, he's a huge improvement over both Black and Klein.

I know you're waiting for a "but." Here it is--Walcott is wedded to Mayor4Life's policies, which are abysmal
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Queens Teacher: Great List!

Queens Teacher: Great List!

Great List!

The Parents Union wants the following reforms to ensure ALL our kids receive a quality education.

1.Smaller Class Sizes
2.Excellent Community Public Schools for ALL Children
3.More Teaching – Less Testing
4.Parent and Teacher Empowerment and Leadership
5.Equitable Funding for ALL Schools
6.Moratorium on school closings and charter co-locations
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Paying Doctors on the Basis of Patient Outcomes | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Paying Doctors on the Basis of Patient Outcomes | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Paying Doctors on the Basis of Patient Outcomes

by larrycuban

A doctor described to a colleague a long-term patient who he had seen earlier in the week. She has diabetes that can be controlled but has failed to come into his office regularly even though he has contacted her many times. The doctor is highly ranked on quality measures that the local health insurer has laid out for evaluating and paying physicians to improve medical care and cut costs. Yet the doctor asked this colleague about his infrequently seen diabetic patient: “She just can’t afford to take that much time off from work. Does that make me a worse doctor?”

In pay-4-performance plans established by Medicare and private health insurers, the basic assumption is that,

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Daily Kos: The last day before Spring Break

Daily Kos: The last day before Spring Break

The last day before Spring Break

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

and normally I would be looking forward to the end of the school day. I cannot.

Yesterday a former student was walking by my room during my planning period. The door was open and music was playing. He stopped. He commented that it was nice music, and I told him what it was. He seemed down, and mentioned that things were hard for him right then. He did not explain why.

When I glanced at my Facebook page in the evening I found out why - he had sent me an invitation - to his father's funeral tomorrow morning.

Later the event was updated to include the viewings this afternoon, for which most at school will not be able to come. The first is 2-4, the second, 5-9 (which will overlap with Coffee House, where student groups perform, and in which he has often been active). His mother said it would be okay to stop by in between.

I can think of nothing more important to do than to stop by - I can get to the end of the first viewing, and I am attempting to arrange my schedule to be able to attend the funeral tomorrow morning.

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