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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Big Education Ape: 6-30-11 PM This is a stick-up. Your pension or your job Edition #NEARA11

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Published by Coopmike48 – 6 contributors today

About a Bard

slate.com - ASPEN, Col. -- This isn't news, but neither is most of what people write about Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.* So: indulge me.That is a photo of some of America's leading public intellectuals dr...

DianeRavitch

Shame on you!” —-> US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Shame on you!” —-> US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan labeled Detroit “ground zero” in education reform by video conference.” great article by Detroit attorney Tom Stephens « Continuing ChangeSh...

coopmike48

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coopmike48 More Latinos, Fewer California Residents and White Students in UC's Freshman Class - The Bay Citizen -http://goo.gl/GxrqX3 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 UC Berkeley sees big increase in nonresident students - Inside Bay Area -http://goo.gl/8HEPY2 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Blog U.: #ISTE11 - #EdTechStudents Learning - Student Affairs and Technology - Inside Higher Ed -http://goo.gl/ZBJ3p53 seconds ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Senate Reforms Confirmation Process | CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington -http://goo.gl/04YgS9 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

EducationSee all

Diane Ravitch on the Teaching Profession

educationnation.com - Diane Ravitch is an education historian, a Brookings fellow, and a member of the faculty of New York University. She’s also a former drag car racer and something of an education rock star (how many...

DianeRavitch

Commuting to the NEA RA. « Fred Klonsky's blog

preaprez.wordpress.com - It’s a Windy City RA. Although there will not be much wind tomorrow as the temperature threatens to hit triple digits. Outside McCormick Place. Inside it might get hotter. Merit pay, teacher perfor...

fklonsky

PoliticsSee all

The Watson Institute for International Studies

watsoninstitute.org - June 28, 2011 Nearly 10 years after the declaration of the War on Terror, the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan have killed at least 225,000 people, including men and women in uniform, contr...

mikeklonsky

Minnesota Braces for Government Shutdown

democraticunderground.com - Source: NYTWith only hours remaining before most Minnesota services will shut down if the state does not approve a new budget, political leaders met behind closed doors on Thursday but emerged agai...

coopmike48

Art & EntertainmentSee all

ART ON THE BORDER Do You Know English? Ron English?

hispanicallyspeakingnews.com - Published at 3:06 pm, June 30, 2011 Photo Credits: Ron English's Border Art Ron English says he “liberates” the surfaces he does art on. Has the U.S.-Mexico border been liberated, then?Ron English ...

coopmike48

Latin American Summit Cancelled, Chávez Will Stay in Cuba

hispanicallyspeakingnews.com - Published at 10:48 am, June 30, 2011 Photo Credits: CALC Summit Cancelled due to Chave'z Health The Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry announced the postponement of the Latin American Summit, due ...

coopmike48

StoriesSee all

Hotel housekeeping: Do you tip?

articles.cnn.com - Survey data shows that about 30% of U.S. hotel guests leave tips for hotel housekeepers, according to Michael Lynn, a professor at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.Since housek...

tbfurman

Today's Verdict - Todays Verdict

bronxnet.org - BronxNet | Bronx Legal | Todays VerdictDo you know your rights? Do you know the law? You don't have to be an expert but in these difficult financial times, knowledge is power. Bronx Legal is a live...

leoniehaimson

NYC Educator: Getting Away With Murder

nyceducator.com - It must be great to be Dennis Walcott. You ride around the city in a limo and the New York Times writes puff pieces about what a great guy you are. You've changed the tone, apparently. People like ...

leoniehaimson

LivingSee all

This is a stick-up. Your pension or your job.

michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Mugging in MilwaukeeSupt. Thornton just fired 519 city teachers. Now he is threatening massive lay-offs unless the 5,600 members of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association would agree to pay ...

mikeklonsky

Shanker Blog » What Do State And Local Governments Do?

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Shanker Blog » What Do State And Local Governments Do?What Do State And Local Governments Do?Posted by Matthew Di Carlo on June 30, 2011Those who wish to dismantle public services in the U.S. seem ...

coopmike48

CrimeSee all

California Supreme Court rules in overtime case

latimesblogs.latimes.com - The California Supreme Court decided unanimously Thursday that out-of-state residents who work for California-based companies are protected by the state's overtime laws during business trips here. ...

coopmike48

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#neara11See all

Commuting to the NEA RA. « Fred Klonsky's blog

preaprez.wordpress.com - It’s a Windy City RA. Although there will not be much wind tomorrow as the temperature threatens to hit triple digits. Outside McCormick Place. Inside it might get hotter. Merit pay, teacher perfor...

fklonsky

Hotel housekeeping: Do you tip?

articles.cnn.com - Survey data shows that about 30% of U.S. hotel guests leave tips for hotel housekeepers, according to Michael Lynn, a professor at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.Since housek...

tbfurman

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      Protect Opportunity. Save Pell Grants. « MomsRising Blog

      Protect Opportunity. Save Pell Grants. « MomsRising Blog

      Protect Opportunity. Save Pell Grants.

      by Aaron Smith

      As students pack their bags and pick their college courses for the fall semester, a sense of uncertainty hangs in the air. Can students actually afford this?

      In hacking away at the budget, Washington is debating drastic cuts to the Pell Grant program, which helps the nation’s lowest income students pay for college. Nearly 10 million students rely on Pell to help them finance their post-secondary education, and the program helps to eliminate ever-present inequalities in higher education and the economy. We cannot pretend that the cost of college is not prohibitive for many, especially minority students. Almost half of African-American students and 40% of Hispanic students rely on Pell Grants to help them finance their education. Still, low-income and minority students are the least likely to have a college degree. By the age of 24, children of the wealthy are 10 times more likely to have a college degree than children of the poor.

      College tuition and fees have grown at more than four times the rate of inflation, and the lowest income students continue to bear the heaviest burden. The typical low-income college student must finance college costs

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      Cameron Diaz film insults teachers, school board member says - latimes.com #NEARA11

      Cameron Diaz film insults teachers, school board member says - latimes.com

      Cameron Diaz film insults teachers, school board member says

      Ln4ajqnc
      The Los Angeles School Board on Thursday was supposed to discuss whether teachers with special skills should be rehired after layoffs, but board member Richard Vladovic had another idea.

      After apologizing in advance for veering off-topic, Vladovic launched into a lengthy complaint about the new Cameron Diaz movie "Bad Teacher."

      The film, which finished second at the box office last weekend and brought in $31 million, focuses on a foul-mouthed teacher (Diaz) who berates her students, does drugs and throws balls at children. Billboards featuring Diaz apparently sleeping at a desk with an apple and an "Eat Me!" sticker are featured throughout town.

      Vladovic, a former teacher and administrator who represents the San Pedro area, said the movie studio should remove the ads because they demean the teaching profession and could influence

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      Family Engagement: Four Great Ways to Get Involved | ED.gov Blog

      Family Engagement: Four Great Ways to Get Involved | ED.gov Blog

      Parent Involvement In Jamaica Improving Parental Involvement in Children’s Education is the title of a series of online presentations and discussions among Jamaican educators and parents. It seems pretty interesting, and you can see a list of the topics they’ve been covering on ...
      Protesting Chicago Parents Meet With Superintendent The ongoing parent protest demanding a school library, which I’ve posted about several times previously, has resulted in a meeting with the new Chicago Superintendent. You can read a Chicago Tribune story about what happened here.



      Family Engagement: Four Great Ways to Get Involved

      Posted on June 30, 2011 by Guest Blogger
      To ensure our nation’s students reach their full potential, parents must be fully engaged participants in their children’s education. Last week, ED held a family engagement forum that featured Michelle Kibbles a parent involvement coordinator who led effective family engagement efforts in the diverse Beaumont, Texas Independent School District. The forum also included Hillsborough County, Florida PTA President Melissa Erikson, as well as North Carolina PTA Parent Involvement Initiative administrators Debra Horton, Kim Shaffer, and Ashley Perkinson. These PTA leaders have fostered unprecedented growth in family involvement at both the local and state levels. Below are just a few of their successful strategies for parents and guardians.
      1. Build meaningful and collaborative relationships with teachers and principals.
        2. Many school districts hold special events to foster these relationships. If your child is having a problem in school, having a solid rapport with your child’s teacher may make it easier to work together on a solution.
      2. Be a part of your child’s support system by extending his or her classroom experience to your home.
        3. Ask teachers about your child’s course of study, the teacher’s expectations, and the school’s academic standards. By doing so, you will be prepared to help your child with his or her homework and ensure that your assistance supplements what your child learned at school.
      3. Talk to or join your local PTA.
        4. These organizations serve as a conduit between parents and teachers and have district-specific initiatives to improve communication. For example, the North Carolina PTA organized a home visit program in which PTA members organized and mediated meetings in parents’ homes that included parents, teachers, and students. Becoming active in your local PTA may help ensure your interests are represented at the district or state level.
      4. Become a leader in your community.
        5. Many school districts or PTAs offer leadership programs designed to prepare parents to be effective advocates for the community’s children. These programs also provide valuable resources for parents who foster communication between teachers, other parents, and public officials.
      The next briefing in the family engagement series will be on September 29 at ED headquarters. The panel will be composed of a grandparent, a parent of a child with special health care needs, and a parent of an armed service member.
      Ben Firke and Sam Barnett are interns in the Office of Communications and Outreach at the Department of Education
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      Pre-Convention: NEA Executives Amend Evaluation Proposal - Teacher Beat - #NEARA11

      Pre-Convention: NEA Executives Amend Evaluation Proposal - Teacher Beat - Education Week

      Pre-Convention: NEA Executives Amend Evaluation Proposal

      by Stephen Sawchuk

      Even before its delegates get a chance to vote on the measure, the National Education Association's board of directors has modified the union's teacher-evaluation policy proposal—qualifying what had been a seeming openness to the use of standardized-test scores as one possible gauge of teacher effectiveness.

      The original statement said that high-quality standardized tests could be used as one of several indicators of a teacher's contribution to student learning. The amended statement keeps that language, but adds a new paragraph. It reads:

      "Unless such tests are shown to be scientifically valid and reliable for the purpose of measuring both student learning and a teacher's performance, such tests may not be used to support any employment action against a

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      Back from the first day of the RA. Signs of resignation, opposition and goofiness. « Fred Klonsky's blog #NEARA11

      Back from the first day of the RA. Signs of resignation, opposition and goofiness. « Fred Klonsky's blog

      Back from the first day of the RA. Signs of resignation, opposition and goofiness.

      by Fred Klonsky

      I’m back from the first day of the NEA RA. For me it just consisted of a two-hour Illinois Caucus meeting.

      There was nothing of substance done in the meeting. Just rules and protocols.

      But the hallway discussion was full of resignation, opposition and just plain goofiness.

      About the controversial Obama endorsement:

      There will be no floor debate at the RA. There will be debate in the state caucus meetings and then a secret ballot vote. I can’t recall, but I’ve been told this is not new procedure. And somebody may challenge it from the floor of the RA. But I doubt that will get far.

      Secret ballots votes can be tricky for leadership. Ten years ago NEA President Bob Chase thought he had the votes for the proposal to merge the NEA and the AFT. He barely got 30% in support of the merger in a secret ballot vote.

      I’ve been told DVR needs 58% to endorse. I’m a betting man, but I wouldn’t bet on the outcome of that vote

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      EJ DIonne: Supreme Court and privilege, perfect together - NorthJersey.com

      EJ DIonne: Supreme Court and privilege, perfect together - NorthJersey.com

      EJ DIonne: Supreme Court and privilege, perfect together

      FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2011
      BY EJ DIONNE
      THE WASHINGTON POST
      THE RECORD

      THE UNITED STATES Supreme Court now sees its central task as comforting the already comfortable and afflicting those already afflicted.

      If you are a large corporation or a political candidate backed by lots of private money, be assured that the court’s conservative majority will be there for you, solicitous of your needs and ready to swat away those pesky little people who dare to contest your power.

      This court has created rules that will have the effect of declaring some corporations too big to be challenged through class actions, as AT&T consumers and female employees at Wal-Mart discovered.

      And remember how sympathetic conservatives are supposed to be to the states as “laboratories of democracy,” pioneering solutions to hard problems?

      Tell that to the people of Arizona.

      They used a referendum to establish a highly practical system of financing political campaigns designed to reduce corruption and give a fighting chance to candidates who decide to forgo contributions from

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      Quest to build a better data system lands teacher in hot water | GothamSchools

      Quest to build a better data system lands teacher in hot water | GothamSchools

      Quest to build a better data system lands teacher in hot water

      by Philissa Cramer

      A teacher who left the system to peddle a program he created to make up for shortcomings in the education department’s data system was fined this month by the city’s ethics board.

      In 2009, Jesse Olsen was a teacher at Validus Preparatory Academy in the Bronx when he realized the school wasn’t accurately recording students’ attendance patterns. Realizing that the city’s school data clearinghouse, ARIS, couldn’t help, Olsen created a data system of his own, called Impact Solutions. The data system was one of several created around the same time by educators who were frustrated with ARIS.

      By September 2010, Impact Solutions had already been picked up for use in 21 city schools, which were paying between $10 and $25 per student per year for the program, and Teach for America had started using it

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      ASCD Inservice: Third State's a Trend

      ASCD Inservice: Third State's a Trend

      Third State's a Trend

      Well that didn’t take long. A week after we noted here that Idaho was joining Montana in refusing to increase their AYP targets for next year as required by NCLB and wondered if a third state would do likewise to make the movement a trend, South Dakota state secretary of education Melody Schopp informed local superintendents throughout the state that she was doing just that. (Like their north central neighbors, South Dakota is also a Smarter Balanced state).

      Schopp cited many of the same arguments as Denise Juneau and Tom Luna about the number of schools identified for

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      White House to Host Twitter @TOWNHALL | The White House

      White House to Host Twitter @TOWNHALL | The White House

      White House to Host Twitter @TOWNHALL

      Today, the White House announced through its official Twitter account, @whitehouse, that it will host its first ever Twitter town hall on Wednesday, July 6 at 2PM ET in the East Room of the White House. Twitter co-founder and Executive Chairman Jack Dorsey will moderate a conversation between President Obama and Americans across the country about the economy and jobs. Starting today, twitter users can submit questions using the hashtag #AskObama. More information from Twitter can be found at the event’s homepage:http://askobama.twitter.com .

      Today, the White House also announced its first “Tweetup.” A portion of the Twitter town hall’s live audience will be drawn from people who follow @whitehouse and visit whitehouse.gov/tweetup to sign up. This “Tweetup” will be the first one the White House hosts; future Tweetups will provide @whitehouse followers with the opportunity to attend events, engage with Administration officials, and share their ideas with other @whitehouse followers.

      The White House primarily uses its Twitter account, @whitehouse, to share breaking news and other updates with its 2.25 million followers. White House officials also use Twitter to engage with the American public and take questions directly from Twitter users on issues ranging from the economy and immigration to health care and the First Lady’s Let’s Move! @letsmove and Joining Forces @joiningforces initiatives. White House officials who use Twitter accounts include White House Communications Director, Dan Pfeiffer @pfeiffer44, White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney @PressSec, White House Director of Digital Strategy, Macon Phillips @macon44, Chief Official White House Photographer and Director of the White House Photography Office, Pete Souza @petesouza, and Director of Progressive Media & Online Response, Jesse Lee @jesseclee44.

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