Sunday, September 11, 2011

U.S. Education chief Arne Duncan: Double teacher salaries - Chicago Sun-Times

U.S. Education chief Arne Duncan: Double teacher salaries - Chicago Sun-Times:

U.S. Education chief Arne Duncan: Double teacher salaries

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter/rrossi@suntimes.com September 9, 2011 9:16PM

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (from left), U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Gov. Pat Quinn, CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and Mayor Rahm Emanuel listen to a reporter's question during a press conference following a panel discussion to emphasize the importance of education (as part of Duncan's "Back to School" bus tour) at Schurz High School, 3601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Friday, Sept. 9, 2011, in Chicago. | John J. Kim~Sun-Times

Updated: September 10, 2011 6:30AM

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Friday that teachers have been “beaten down for too long” and endorsed “doubling’’ their salaries.

“We need to elevate teachers,’’ Duncan told a gathering of officials and educators in the fresco-ceiling library of Carl Schurz High School.

“I think we need to double salaries for teachers. We need to start them at a much higher level.”

Teachers “shouldn’t have to take a vow of poverty,’’ Duncan said. “Great teachers should have the chance to make — pick a number — $130,000, $140,000, $150,000.’’

But if President Obama’s new American Jobs Act is not passed, Duncan said, waves of teachers could be laid off

Teachers union president says Mayor Emanuel ‘exploded’ at her

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter/rrossi@suntimes.com September 9, 2011 11:44AM

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said Friday that Mayor Rahm Emanuel "exploded" at her during a meeting about a longer school day for Chicago Public Schools.

Updated: September 10, 2011 6:30AM

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis says Mayor Rahm Emanuel “exploded” at her during a conversation in his office about his signature longer-school-day effort, pointing his finger at her, yelling and telling her, “F--- you, Lewis.”

“I just want to call it immense disrespect for me and the Chicago Teachers Union,’’ Lewis told the Chicago Sun-Times Friday. “I didn’t appreciate the way he talked to me.

“My father never talked to me like that. My husband’s never talked to me like that.”

Emanuel — long known for his salty rants — would not go into specifics Friday about the exchange, and said the meeting weeks ago ended with a hug from Lewis.

“I’m not going to get into a he-said, she-said. We had a good meeting. It was not a long meeting.

Engaging Parents In School… - Reorganizing This Blog A Bit

Engaging Parents In School… - Reorganizing This Blog A Bit:

Reorganizing This Blog A Bit

September 10th, 2011 by Larry Ferlazzo

Most of you are familiar with the nearly 800 “The Best…” lists I’ve posted at my main blog.

Here, at this blog, I haven’t gotten around to “curating” my hundreds of posts into many useful “The Best…” lists, other than every six months I publish two types of lists: My choices for the Best Posts in the previous six months, and another listing the most popular oneswith readers.

I’m not making any promises when I’ll get around to doing it, but I plan on “curating” the resources I’ve posted about related to parent engagement into the following lists:

The Best Research Available On Parent Engagement

The Best Resources On Making Home Visits

The Best Advice For Teachers Around Parent Engagement

The Worst Parent Engagement Ideas

The Best Examples Of Parent Engagement Through Community Organizing

The Best Parent Engagement Resources From Outside The United States

The Best & Worst On Parent Engagement Public Policy

The Best Resources For Parents To Engage In Schools

I might come up with a few more, but these are the ones I’ll be working on organizing over the next year.

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Big Race To Top investor involved in the Solyndra "green energy" scandal

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Big Race To Top investor involved in the Solyndra "green energy" scandal:

Big Race To Top investor involved in the Solyndra "green energy" scandal

by Mike Klonsky

George Kaiser

I'm following a brewing Enron-type scandal involving the White House and Solyndra, one of the many corporations getting in on the so-called green-energy (new meaning for that word green) gold rush and the recipient of more than $500 million in Dept. of Energy taxpayer supported, loan guarantees. Solyndra was touted by President Obama as the model for government investment in green technology.

An FBI raid on solar-panel maker Solyndra Inc. may signal the escalation of a probe into the Obama administration’s entire clean- energy program. Solyndra recently shut its factory and fired 1,100 people and said in its filing for bankruptcy protection that it had liabilities of $783.8 million.

I'm particularly interested in the Solyndra scandal, not only because of the ease in which a politically connected,

Schools Matter: 9/11 and the Slow Death of Public Education

Schools Matter: 9/11 and the Slow Death of Public Education:

9/11 and the Slow Death of Public Education

by Judy Rabin

In the aftermath of that fateful day on September 11, 2001, an 1,100 page bill that would forever alter the course of American education was passed by Congress. No Child Left Behind was the first piece of domestic legislation to pass in the wake of 9/11. At the time, few members of Congress took the time to read through the legislation. The corporate blood suckers finally were handed the public school system on a silver platter. Anyone who voted for this legislation was either clueless about education and what was in the bill, or part of the school privatization agenda.

Here we are 10 years later, significant damage, possibly irreversible damage has been done not only to public education, but to all area of the public good. We still don't have health care,

Daily Kos: 3 paragraphs worth reading

Daily Kos: 3 paragraphs worth reading:

3 paragraphs worth reading

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

are from Time to leave 9/11 behind by E. J Dionne in today's Washington Post. Before I get to them, let me note the final sentence of his 1st paragraph. After telling us that many of the lessons we learned from that tragic day 10 years ago were wrong, he writes "The last decade was a detour that left our nation weaker, more divided and less certain of itself."

I was very much struck by his final three paragraphs, which I will quote without interruption before I offer my thoughts below the fold.

A 9/11 hero's epic love is brought to life in opera

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

My wife informed me of this Newark Star Ledger story about an opera that premiered this week in San Francisco. It is based on the book by James B. Stewart titled Heart of a Soldier: A Story of Love, Heroism, and September 11th and is titled simply enough "Heart of a Soldier."

Allow me to quote the beginning of the story:

SAN FRANCISCO — Act 2, Scene 6: Just before his morning commute from Morristown to the World Trade Center, a man wraps his wife in his arms. He wears work clothes and she wears a bathrobe as they practice the tango. An orchestra’s angular rhythms match the swivel of their hips.
"Must you leave, when September gives us such a sky?" she sings beseechingly, in a plush

Why Environmental Policies Don't Kill Jobs - in FORBES!!!

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

I quote from this Fortune Magazine piece by contributor Mindy Lubber.

Clean policies not only offer necessary protections, they stimulate jobs.
Quite simply, the naysayers are wrong on clean tech potential—and here’s why:
From Scotland to Shanghai to Sao Paolo, the world is moving decisively toward a clean technology

another ordinary day of national and global gluttony

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

I was looking back at what I had written on previous anniversaries of 9/11. 4 years ago I wrote on that day, but did not post it until the next morning. It was in reaction to a column written by Derrick Jackson. As I reread it this evening I found much of what I wrote still relevant, so I decided that I would repost it now, before the actual anniversary. I will not be offended if you choose to ignore it. I hope it speaks to at least some.

SIX YEARS after Sept. 11, America has yet to turn somber remembrance into sober reflection.
Yesterday, we rightfully condemned the terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 of us and praised the

Your Take: Bill a Threat to Poor Students | The Defenders Online | A Civil Rights Blog

Your Take: Bill a Threat to Poor Students | The Defenders Online | A Civil Rights Blog:

Your Take: Bill a Threat to Poor Students

Posted By The Editors | August 5th, 2011 | Category: Education | No Comments »

Print This Post

Source: The Root

While some of the gridlock among policymakers today can be chalked up to principled differences in political philosophy, some political stalemates are the result of policies that defy common sense. This most often happens when politicians ignore basic realities in order to further their own ideologies. This behavior is frustrating in any instance but is particularly galling when the needs of kids are involved.

The latest example of this phenomenon is a bill deceptively named the State and Local Funding Flexibility Act. A product of the Republican stronghold on the House Education Committee, the bill is less about “flexibility” than it is a conscious attempt to dismantle many of the rules within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that direct federal funding to groups of disadvantaged students. ESEA was reauthorized under the name No Child Left Behind in 2002.

Originally enacted in 1965 at the height of the civil rights movement, ESEA is the landmark education law championed by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the War on Poverty to “bridge the gap between helplessness and hope” for millions of educationally deprived children. The law was designed not only to address the needs

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Babble.com | Mominations | Rita Solnet

Babble.com | Mominations | Rita Solnet:

MOMINEE

Rita Solnet

category EDUCATION
websitehttps://www.facebook.com/TestingIsNotTeaching

twitter ritacolleen

Rita volunteered her time and talents over 15 yrs to the Palm Beach County School District in leadership roles. She's testified on behalf of parents and teachers locally and statewide. She accomplished this despite working full time for IBM and being widowed at an early age. Although her youngest is in college, she's more involved than ever. Rita was instrumental in organizing the Save Our Schools Rally July 30 in DC and assists in maintaining several Education related sites. Recently named one of FL's Top Political Tweeters, Rita continuously communicates the need for education reform. She organizes town halls w/US Congressmen, brings in authors to raise awareness, frequently speaks at meetings around the state, writes articles for Huffington Post and the Washington Post and serves as a lifeline of information for all parents. She recently co founded a dynamic organization, Parents Across America, which has grown to 26 states Rita is selflessly making a difference for all our nation's children. I'm proud to know her. She is selflessly dedicated to putting public education back on track in our nation and is most deserving of this honor. Another link is here: http://youtu.be/vNLtKgrAE1M and here: http://youtu.be/B-CyiGj-ahI and here: http://youtu.be/acZKIz4f9II

Big Education Ape - PostRank Today's 10 - PM 9-10-11

Big Education Ape - PostRank Today's 10

Representative Toni Berrios. Ripe for picking. « Fred Klonsky's blog Representative Toni Berrios. Ripe for picking. « Fred Klonsky's blog: Representative Toni Berrios. Ripe for picking. by Fred Klonsky *Green Party candidate Jeremy Karpen got a surprising 34% against the Machine last time.* I live in the 39th ...

Friday Afternoon Maps: New Orleans, Race & School Locations « School Finance 101 Friday Afternoon Maps: New Orleans, Race & School Locations « School Finance 101: Friday Afternoon Maps: New Orleans, Race & School Locations by schoolfinance101 A few weeks back, I noticed several tweets about this recent article in Harvard Education ...

The Status Quo Is Always Changing | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice The Status Quo Is Always Changing | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: The Status Quo Is Always Changing by larrycuban Sorting out the hype of reform rhetoric from the substance is a fulltime job. No one has yet applied for the post. ...

Support continues to pour in backing American Jobs Act Senator Robert Menendez Backs American Jobs Act by The White House Release Time: For Immediate Release September 8, 2011 WASHINGTON– US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s joint address to ...

Schools Matter: How to come up with $60 billion (or more) for education Schools Matter: How to come up with $60 billion (or more) for education: How to come up with $60 billion (or more) for education by skrashen Posted on: ...

THE RICH GET RICHER « Teachers Fight Back THE RICH GET RICHER « Teachers Fight Back: THE RICH GET RICHER by alkleen Good news ! I finally found a school district that is giving its teachers a raise! Bad news ! It’s the only one I can find and it’s one that always gets a raise no matter what. ...

Chicago Teachers Union files complaint to block schools from lengthening day - chicagotribune.com Chicago Teachers Union files complaint to block schools from lengthening day - chicagotribune.com: Chicago Teachers Union files complaint to block schools from lengthening day - [image: Email] - [image: print] - Comments 3 - - ...

An Open Letter to National Conservative Groups from Wisconsin’s Liberal Bloggers | An Open Letter to National Conservative Groups from Wisconsin’s Liberal Bloggers |: An Open Letter to National Conservative Groups from Wisconsin’s Liberal Bloggers by bluecheddar Note: For backstory: Conservative Wisconsin Bloggers Ask Outside ...

SRCL Meeting Agenda, September 22, 2011 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education) SRCL Meeting Agenda, September 22, 2011 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education): Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy (SRCL) Team Meeting Agenda *September 22, 2011, 10:00 a.m.* *California Department of Education 1430 N Street, Suite ...

Opinion | Time for new strategies to create a sustainable vision for American education | Seattle Times Newspaper Opinion | Time for new strategies to create a sustainable vision for American education | Seattle Times Newspaper: Time for new strategies to create a sustainable vision for American education Enough debating No Child Left Behind and charter schools, ...

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Value Added Dating Goes With Standardized Testing

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Value Added Dating Goes With Standardized Testing:

Value Added Dating Goes With Standardized Testing

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

Back in my single days, long before I met my wife, I had many rules on dating. Not all were hard and true, most were guidelines, but there were some rules that I felt that were non negotiable.

One of these rules that I always adhered to was concerning the first date. The first date, if dinner was involved, never at any time was to take place at a pricey, high falutin' restaurant. Nothing more than, well I am going back to the early 90's, $40. And even at that price, it was expensive.

Now mind you, I did not do this because I was cheap, but rather it was all about expectations. If I took my date to some expensive, fancy place, what would happen if on the next date we went to the Ground Round? You see, you would start as near the bottom

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Death, Taxes, and the Poison Pen

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Death, Taxes, and the Poison Pen:

Death, Taxes, and the Poison Pen

by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)

Don't write when you're tired. Don't write when you're upset. Don't write when you'll regret what you said later.

I'm all of those things.

September 11th makes us all sad.
Business taxes are due Thursday and the headache is unbelievable this year w/ Flat Classroom, Cool Cat Teacher and my old hosting business.
The Flat Classroom book is so close and in final copy editing mode but a last minute glitch with some

Merrill Middle School community fights collocation – you can help | DeFENSE

Merrill Middle School community fights collocation – you can help | DeFENSE:

Merrill Middle School community fights collocation – you can help

by defensedenver

From concerned parents and community at Merrill Middle School:

Merrill Middle School

Merrill is in jeopardy of losing valuable space for our middle school students. Through the joint efforts of a group of Cory and Merrill parents, a master plan, which will soon be presented, is in the works for an incredible neighborhood community-oriented middle school right on our campus. Having C3 move into the building and take away our computer labs, gym space, art space, outdoor space, etc., we will no longer have the opportunity to use our middle school building for its intended purpose, and we will not have the chance to implement our

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Sunday, September 11, 2011