Charters experiment with evaluations | Thoughts on Public Education

Charters experiment with evaluations | Thoughts on Public Education

Charters experiment with evaluations - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

With $60 million over seven years from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, four charter school organizations in California are carrying out a teacher evaluation system that bears watching. Their collaboration is known as The College Ready Promise. The evaluation process they’ve created after a year of piloting will combine detailed, intensive classroom observations with student [...]

12:04 AM (5 hours ago)

Aspire CEO James Willcox on charter schools’ new teacher evaluations - by admin

by admin

There’s Now a Second Failing Charter Operator Who Was on Rick Scott’s Education Transition Team | Scathing Purple Musings

There’s Now a Second Failing Charter Operator Who Was on Rick Scott’s Education Transition Team | Scathing Purple Musings

There’s Now a Second Failing Charter Operator Who Was on Rick Scott’s Education Transition Team

by Bob Sikes

A Florida Today story about the failing Imagine school in West Melbourne revealed some troublesome financials. Here’s my post. While Imagine made close to $10 million in the sale of the property to a management company, its on the hook for $1.4 million a year back to the same company. Imagine’s property outlay is twice what charter schools normally pay.

It appears that the Imagine school has friends in high places. It’s CEO was on Rick Scott’s education transition

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Duncan's biggest fan

“I’m a fan,” said Margaret Spellings, Duncan’s immediate predecessor, who was education secretary during President George W. Bush’s second term and an architect of Bush’s signature No Child Left Behind policy. “He’s a good man who I think is doing the best job he can.” -- Politico

Petrilli agrees

He has “used his power responsibly for the most part,” said

The Drawbacks of a Technophobic Education - Dana Goldstein

The Drawbacks of a Technophobic Education - Dana Goldstein:

The Drawbacks of a Technophobic Education

by Dana Goldstein

The Times reports from a Waldorf model private school in Silicon Valley, where the elementary school offspring of Google and Apple engineers are prevented from using cell phones, computers, and iPads, and instead encouraged to knit, bake, and write by hand.

I'm generally skeptical of technophilic education reform, since I believe curriculum and quality teaching are far more important than whizz-bang gadgetry. But I don't think technophobic classrooms would work nearly as well for a less priveleged student population. Consider this statement from Alan Eagle, a Waldorf parent and Google executive who brags that his fifth-grade daughter doesn't know how to perform a Google search.

“It’s supereasy. It’s like learning to use toothpaste,” Mr. Eagle said. “At Google and all these places, we make technology as brain-dead easy to use as possible. There’s no reason why kids can’t figure it out

Awake the State November 1st, 2011 Florida – Find or organize a rally today. « Continuing Change

Awake the State November 1st, 2011 Florida – Find or organize a rally today. « Continuing Change:

Awake the State November 1st, 2011 Florida – Find or organize a rally today.

by gatorbonbc

Awakethestate.com

Inspiring Quotes – STEM and Aristotle … Its all relevant.

by gatorbonbc

Aristotle 384 BC, 322 BC wrote:
“Hence poetry is something more philosophic and of graver import than history, since its statements are rather of the nature of universals, whereas those of history are singulars.”

Yo, Aristotle, haven’t you heard of STEM? This is

"Where Do We Go From Here?" | OccupyWallSt.org #ows

"Where Do We Go From Here?" | OccupyWallSt.org:

"Where Do We Go From Here?"

Posted Oct. 23, 2011, 9:32 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

On the one month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, Ed David went to Liberty Plaza to find out where the movement will go next.

Director ED DAVID
Producer DANA SALVATORE
Cinematography ED DAVID & ANDREW MCMULLEN
Editors LILY HENDERSON & ED DAVID
Assistant Producer JILLIAN MASON

Music: "I Drive" by Cliff Martinez

ED - kittyguerrilla.com
ANDREW - andrewmcmullen.com
LILY - thinplacepictures.com

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Nurses arrested in Chicago- Call Mayor Rahm Emanuel #ows

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Nurses arrested in Chicago- Call Mayor Rahm Emanuel:

Nurses arrested in Chicago- Call Mayor Rahm Emanuel

by Duane Campbell

Nurses Arrested for Providing First Aid at Occupy Chicago CALL MAYOR Rahm Emanuel Chicago police also tore down the first aid station, and arrested scores of others who had peacefully assembled to support the station. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been one of the most aggressive mayors in the nation in response to the Occupy Wall Street movement with mass arrests on at least two occasions. Read the press release. TAKE ACTION! CONTACT Mayor Emanuel’s office 312.744.5000 Demand they drop all charges against the nurses and other protesters, and stop harassing and arresting people who are peacefully exercising their free speech rights! (or) EMAIL Mayor Emanuel’s office PROTEST MONDAY 10:00 a.m. Join nurses for a picket outside the mayor’s office at City Hall 121 North LaSalle Monday, 10:00 a.m. SIGN UP FOR RNRN Volunteer RNs are needed as we set up nurses' first aid stations throughout the nation. NNU first aid station in Chicago just before the arrests Saturday night. “Even in wartime, combatants respect the work of nurses and other first responders. Yet Mayor Emanuel and Chicago seem to care as little about that tradition as they do in protecting the constitutional rights of free speech and assembly,” said NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro. “These RNs are exercising their community health nursing duty toward an at-risk population. These arrests are only strengthening our resolve and will not deter nurses from continuing this mission, setting up the station again, and continuing to support the protests.” NNU also has first aid stations now established at Occupy protests in New York’s Zuccotti Park, site of the first Occupy Wall Street protests, as well as Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Detroit. Others will be opening up in the coming days. Thanks for your continued support, Jean Ross, Karen Higgins, and Deborah Burger Registered Nurses and NNU Co-Presidents National Nurses United RN Response Network 8630 Fenton Street, Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD 20910 www.NationalNursesUnited.org www.RNResponseNetwork.org

School Tech Connect: Damned Luddites!

School Tech Connect: Damned Luddites!:

Damned Luddites!

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

I suppose I should chime in on the Waldorf piece in the Times, so here goes.

In case you didn't read it, Waldorf schools eschew a lot of technology. Good for them. My feeling is that you can do anything well, and you can do anything poorly. I've known people who've taught in Waldorf schools. As in all of education, they've had the whole range of opinions about their schools, but the general feeling is that they do what they do well.

I live near a Waldorf school, and therefore I'm a huge expert. My only observations are these:

1. Waldorf parents shop at Urban Outfitters and Banana Republic. It's upscale granola, running a range from

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top PM Posts

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top PM Posts

Official Google Reader Blog: Upcoming changes to Reader: a new look, new Google+ features, and some clean-up

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

Official Google Reader Blog: Upcoming changes to Reader: a new look, new Google+ features, and some clean-up:Upcoming changes to Reader: a new look, new Google+ features, and some clean-upPosted by Alan Green, Software EngineerIn the next week, we’ll be making some highly requested changes to Google Reader. First, we’re going to introduce a brand new design (like many of Google’s other products) that we hope you love. Second, we’re going to bring Reader and Google+ closer together, so you can ... more »

Watching math videos for credit « JD2718

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

Watching math videos for credit « JD2718:Watching math videos for creditby jd2718A question. For my freshmen algebra classes.I love the Vi Hart videos. I like that Vi looks like the VI at the bottom of some clocks, or like the VI in VI Lenin. But mostly I like how fast she talks and how much she makes fun of math class while talking about nothing but math (and interesting tangent) and how cleverly she drops in cultural references and bad ... more »

The American Nightmare: Student Debt Will Be A Long-Term Drag On The Economy - Forbes

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

The American Nightmare: Student Debt Will Be A Long-Term Drag On The Economy - Forbes:The American Nightmare: Student Debt Will Be A Long-Term Drag On The EconomyWith the Occupy Wall Street protests entering their fifth week and growing, one issue that’s frequently brought up is the crushing student debt burdensthat many face. In an era of high unemployment and stagnant wages, student loan defaults have reached their highest level in more than a decade. Outstanding student loan debt is projected ... more »

Declining numbers of blacks seen in math, science - Boston.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

Declining numbers of blacks seen in math, science - Boston.com:Declining numbers of blacks seen in math, scienceBy Jesse WashingtonAP National Writer / October 23, 2011E-mail|Print|Comments (0)Text size – +With black unemployment reaching historic levels, banks laying off tens of thousands and law school graduates waiting tables, why aren't more African-Americans looking toward science, technology, engineering and math -- the still-hiring careers known as STEM?Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!ShareThisThe answer turns out to be a complex equation of self-doubt, ... more »

A Teacher’s Voice « My Island View

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

A Teacher’s Voice « My Island View:An Educator’s Voiceby tomwhitbyYesterday, I participated in a wonderful public discussion on Education. The best part about this discussion was that it was with predominantly real educators, people who actually teach, volunteering their time and expertise on the subject of education. They discussed real issues of education and the real impediments to reform from a real educator’s point of view. There were representatives of: teachers, administrators, IT people, school board members, and parents. Dell ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Murdoch's horrifying vision of public education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Murdoch's horrifying vision of public education:Murdoch's horrifying vision of public educationby Mike KlonskyRupert Murdoch (r) shakes hands with former New York City schools chief and now News Corp. employee Joel Klein during Murdoch’s keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesJulianne Hing writes for Colorlines:Banish the image of a classic American classroom from your mind—chalkboard, desks and all. The future of education has arrived, and next-era classrooms look like, well, ... more »

When charter schools get too picky - Class Struggle - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

When charter schools get too picky - Class Struggle - The Washington Post:When charter schools get too pickyBy Jay MathewsThe Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz, Calif., is a public charter school. It must hold a random lottery when it has more applicants than vacancies. It is not supposed to be selective.Yet somehow its average SAT score has risen to the top tenth of one percent among all public schools nationally. Less than ten percent of its students are low-income, ... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - The Best Resources To Help Students Learn About Occupy Wall Street #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - The Best Resources To Help Students Learn About Occupy Wall Street:The Best Resources To Help Students Learn About Occupy Wall Streetby Larry FerlazzoIt seems to me that Occupy Wall Street has grown so much over the past few weeks that it’s pretty difficult to not discuss it in the classroom. I thought readers might find a list of related resources useful.Two previously posted “The Best..” lists might also be helpful:The Best Sites For ... more »

The Vindication Of P.S. 84 Part I | Gary Rubinstein's TFA Blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

The Vindication Of P.S. 84 Part I | Gary Rubinstein's TFA Blog:The Vindication Of P.S. 84 Part Iby Gary RubinsteinI was inspired to get to the bottom of the New York City school progress report grades after reading this story from the New York Times Schoolbook website about P.S. 84 which was one of the thirty F rated schools this year despite seeming to be a very good school.To understand and analyze the accuracy of the 26 calculations that go ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 25 minutes ago

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM PostsSOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Eva Moskowitz Whines About Others Lack Of EthicsBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-2 minutes agoSOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Eva Moskowitz Whines About Others Lack Of Ethics:Eva Moskowitz Whines About Others Lack Of Ethicsby noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)Oh poor little Eva Moskowitz. I feel so sorry for her. I am sure right now she is pouting, whining, wondering why no one, except her emasculated husband Eric Grannis loves or cares for ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Eva Moskowitz Whines About Others Lack Of Ethics

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Eva Moskowitz Whines About Others Lack Of Ethics:Eva Moskowitz Whines About Others Lack Of Ethicsby noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)Oh poor little Eva Moskowitz. I feel so sorry for her. I am sure right now she is pouting, whining, wondering why no one, except her emasculated husband Eric Grannis loves or cares for her.Anna Phillips, since she is now in the employ of the New York Times and actually doing reporting and not aggregating, reported this past Wednesday, October ... more »

ESEA "Did You Ever Have to Make up Your Mind?" #EDreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite PostsSave Seattle Schools Community Blog: Times Picks Up on Pledge Stance at JSISBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-20 minutes agoSave Seattle Schools Community Blog: Times Picks Up on Pledge Stance at JSIS:Times Picks Up on Pledge Stance at JSISby Melissa Westbrook(Update: It is with great sorrow that I pass on the news of the sudden death of Senator Scott White who was found dead in a hotel room while attending ... more »

Making Clear What Works: The Best Talk on the Finland Phenomenon Yet and What It Means For US « Cooperative Catalyst

Making Clear What Works: The Best Talk on the Finland Phenomenon Yet and What It Means For US « Cooperative Catalyst:

Making Clear What Works: The Best Talk on the Finland Phenomenon Yet and What It Means For US

by Adam Burk

Education is a big conversation. The narrative is filled with buzz words: teacher accountability, AYP, NCLB, high-stakes tests, charter schools, and on and on. Sometimes it gets so heady and academic that I believe that no one truly understands what is being said anymore. The conversation has moved so far away from the basic interaction of adults and children trying to do their best together, that to me it is often meaningless.

Thankfully, every once in awhile (and far more often here on the Co-op) people come along and make sense of

Beware The Calculator | The Jose Vilson

Beware The Calculator | The Jose Vilson:

Beware The Calculator

by Jose

As a math coach, people always want to catch my ear about the use of a calculator. I ought to put my voice into the argument since … well, that’s what I do here. The two sides to the argument go as follows:

1) Students should use calculators because the machine can already do it for them.
2) Students shouldn’t use the calculators because computers (big and small) make

Oregon City School District walks away from $2.54 million grant for performance pay | OregonLive.com

Oregon City School District walks away from $2.54 million grant for performance pay | OregonLive.com:

Oregon City School District walks away from $2.54 million grant for performance pay

Published: Sunday, October 23, 2011, 4:00 PM

By Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian 

The Oregon City School District has decided to reject a $2.54 million federal grant meant to reward top educators, partly because of philosophical concerns over performance-based pay.

When the district won the money last September through a group application with six other districts and the non-profit Chalkboard Project, Oregon City's union and administration at first insisted they could devise a way to tap the federal government's "Teacher Incentive Fund" without offering merit-based pay incentives.

A year later, after failing to agree on a plan for individual bonuses, the 8,100-student district has decided to abandon the program.

Performance-based compensation models in education, especially those using student test scores, are the subject of vigorous debate across the country.

Opponents say studies offer little evidence that performance-based pay improves student