Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts #ows #edreform

School Tech Connect: Not Actuarially Sound

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Not Actuarially Sound:Not Actuarially Soundby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Even if you've already called, call again. And get your Republican colleagues to call, too. They're the ones who could have some influence on their peeps.There's been a lot of great coverage about the sudden amendment to SB512, and really, it comes down to this: SB512 ain't ready for prime time. In other words, it's just the sort of thing that would pass. You gotta call.The bill increases the employer contribution ... more »

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Being Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in School « Student ActivismBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-5 minutes agoBeing Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in School « Student Activism:Being Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in Schoolby Angus JohnstonThere’s lots of important stuff in the AAUW’s new report on sexual harassment in American high schools and middle schools, but I ... more »

#Occupy The Highway: The 99% March to Washington | OccupyWallSt.org #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Occupy The Highway: The 99% March to Washington | OccupyWallSt.org:Occupy The Highway: The 99% March to WashingtonPosted 2 hours ago on Nov. 7, 2011, 5:30 p.m. EST by OccupyWallStOn November 3rd, the Congressional Deficit Reduction Super-Committee will meet to decide on whether or not to keep Obama's extension to the Bush tax-cuts - which only benefit the richest 1% of Americans in any kind of significant way. Luckily, a group of OWS'ers are embarking on a two-week march from Liberty ... more »

Missouri’s Top Educator Tells Imagine Charter Schools to Close; Could it Happen in Florida? | Scathing Purple Musings

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Missouri’s Top Educator Tells Imagine Charter Schools to Close; Could it Happen in Florida? | Scathing Purple Musings:Missouri’s Top Educator Tells Imagine Charter Schools to Close; Could it Happen in Florida?by Bob SikesThere’s more trouble for Dennis Bakke, the CEO of Imagine Schools. Missouri’s Commissioner of Education told Imagine’s state sponsor that the low performing and financially strapped schools should close. In response to a letter from Missouri Baptist University, Chris Nicastro wrote:“We do not view it as the intent ... more »

Daily Kos: Finding Freedom in Handcuffs

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Daily Kos: Finding Freedom in Handcuffs:Finding Freedom in Handcuffsby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)is an absolute must read from Chris Hedges, written in the aftermath of his having been arrested at Occupy Wall Street. It was originally published today at Truthdig, and can be read here at Common Dreams.I have few words of my own to add. And I find it difficult to excerpt, it is so superbly written.To persuade you to read it, and pass it on, consider this, his opening paragraph: ... more »

Being Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in School « Student Activism

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

Being Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in School « Student Activism:Being Too Pretty, Not Pretty Enough Mark Girls as Targets for Sexual Harassment in Schoolby Angus JohnstonThere’s lots of important stuff in the AAUW’s new report on sexual harassment in American high schools and middle schools, but I do want to highlight one small finding that hasn’t yet drawn much attention.The study asked students to identify which kinds of kids were at highest ... more »

Growing Resentment Toward Vouchers by State School Board Members « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

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

Growing Resentment Toward Vouchers by State School Board Members « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Growing Resentment Toward Vouchers by State School Board Membersby millerlfLegislators Challenged on VouchersWisconsin School Board Members Dislike Private School Choiceby: Terrence Falk | Monday 11/7/2011When the chairs of the Wisconsin senate and assembly education committees spoke before a state school board conference, they knew they were going to get tough questions.Senator Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) and Representative Steve Kestell (R-Elkhart Lake) limited their remarks to... more »

ASCD Inservice: Casey―and ASCD―at Bat for Well-Rounded Ed. Policy

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

ASCD Inservice: Casey―and ASCD―at Bat for Well-Rounded Ed. Policy:Casey―and ASCD―at Bat for Well-Rounded Ed. Policyby David Griffith, ASCD Public Policy DirectorThe No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) narrow focus on student achievement in English language arts and mathematics has been a point of contention since the law's enactment, and has become especially problematic in more recent years with the increased interest in college, career, and citizenship-ready students.That is why educators were so disappointed that the original Harkin-Enzi ESEA reauthorization bill ... more »

California Teachers of the Year for 2012 - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

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

California Teachers of the Year for 2012 - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education):State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson AnnouncesCalifornia's Five Teachers of the YearSelects Burbank Teacher as Nominee to National CompetitionSACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today officially announced the selection of California's five 2012 Teachers of the Year."This honor is afforded to teachers who have demonstrated a special ability to connect with their students, a zest for the classroom, a genuine passion for an occupation that ... more »

Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliff | Seattle Education

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Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliff | Seattle Education:Race to the Top is a Race Off a Cliffby seattleducation2011Thank goodness that our state didn’t go aggressively after the Race to the Top bribe although we had our own state PTA pushing for it along with the corporate backed Stand for Children and the League of Education Voters.Now states that bought into the scam, whether they received the RTTT money or not, are stuck with an evaluation ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts #ows #edreform

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

NCLB Waivers are not Worthy Reforms in California - Living in Dialogue - Education Week TeacherBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-25 minutes agoNCLB Waivers are not Worthy Reforms in California - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:NCLB Waivers are not Worthy Reforms in Californiaby Anthony CodyA slightly abbreviated version of this post ran as an op-ed column in yesterday's Sacramento Bee.No Child Left Behind has put the schools of California in a vise. Next year, the vast majority ... more »

Public Policy Blogger: Inevitable consequences of too much standardization and testing in our public schools

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

Public Policy Blogger: Inevitable consequences of too much standardization and testing in our public schools:Inevitable consequences of too much standardization and testing in our public schoolsby Anne GeigerThis is my story and I'm stickin' to it. Criticism of education reform shaped more and more by standardized test scores. Yes, a narrowed focus on standardization and testing is an easier path for politicians and pundit to measure the "return on investment" in our public classrooms. They can boil down "performance" of ... more »

OWSnews.org #OWS #OccupyWallStreet

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

OWSnews.org:Roger Waters: The Tide Is Turning (#OccupyWallStreet Music Video)admin at OWSnews.org - 50 minutes agoEditor’s Note: Thank you for this Roger, much respect! Roger Waters on #OccupyWallStreet The Tide Is Turning: #OWS Music VideoFinding Freedom in HandcuffsChris Hedges at OWSnews.org - 50 minutes agoCross-posted from TruthDig Faces appeared to me moments before the New York City police arrested us Thursday in front of Goldman Sachs. They were not the faces of the smug Goldman Sachs employees, who peered at us ... more »

All Things Education: Will Flat NAEP Reading Scores Mean More Flat Reading Instruction?

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All Things Education: Will Flat NAEP Reading Scores Mean More Flat Reading Instruction?:Will Flat NAEP Reading Scores Mean More Flat Reading Instruction?by Rachel LevyAt first I was annoyed with Matthew Di Carlo of the Shanker Blog for criticizing people for things they hadn't yet said. Speaking of the NAEP, he predicted, "People on all 'sides' will interpret the results favorably no matter how they turn out." But, he was right.The results in my state of Virginia, were reported in The ... more »

Grumpy Educators: Florida: Bringing Parent Activism Out of the Shadows

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Grumpy Educators: Florida: Bringing Parent Activism Out of the Shadows:Florida: Bringing Parent Activism Out of the Shadowsby SandraIn Brevard County, Florida, parents are fighting to keep the public schools in their communities open as the School Board looks for cost savings by closing schools that are considered too under capacity and moving the students to schools considered with room but not in the "under capacity" definition. These closures have nothing to do with the performance of the schools, teachers, or ... more »

PURE testimony on teacher evaluation in Chicago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PURE testimony on teacher evaluation in Chicago:

PURE testimony on teacher evaluation in Chicago

by admin

November 7, 2011

To the Illinois Performance Evaluation Advisory Council

PURE believes that an effective assessment and accountability system is essential to an excellent public education for all children. We support assessment and accountability systems which are built on high-quality learning standards, incorporate multiple measures of student progress over time, value local assessment, respect parental rights, are transparent to the public, and demonstrably support improved teaching and learning.

Unfortunately, we are moving farther and farther away from establishing such a system. The federal No Child Left Behind Act created a massive explosion of testing in our nation, exacerbating the misuse and overemphasis on standardized tests across the U.S. Despite campaign rhetoric about reducing the amount of standardized testing, the Obama administration’s

Slow down the “hilarity” in Illinois – hearing today

by admin

“This would all be hilarious except that it can cost people their jobs.”

- Michael Winerip in yesterday’s New York Times

Today is the local Chicago hearing on a proposed new teacher and principal evaluation plan. The meeting begins at 5 pm at Lane Tech (details here).

To help you get a feeling for what’s at stake, read this NYT article by Michael Winerip about the mess in Tennessee, a Race to the Top “winner” which has already implemented its new system. Like the system Illinois is proposing, Tennessee school principals must use student test scores to judge teachers:

(T)he state is requiring teachers without test results to be evaluated based on the scores of

NYC Educator: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Prouder

NYC Educator: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Prouder:

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Prouder

by Miss Eyre

Miss Eyre had to go home sick a few days ago, something that throws quite a bit of a monkey wrench into one's day when one is a teacher. At an office job, most likely you'd just tell the boss, send an e-mail, maybe cancel an appointment or two, and be out the door. But here's my "oh God I can't take it anymore I HAVE to go home" routine:

1.) Send a note to the secretary to see who's available to cover;

2.) Hide anything interesting in my classroom;

3.) Track down two reliable students from my afternoon classes to serve as student aides for the unfortunate ATR

Get to the Core: A Common Core Webinar Series « Whole Child Education

The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:

Get to the Core: A Common Core Webinar Series

November 7th, 2011 by Klea Scharberg

Are you looking for a straightforward explanation that lays out the benefits of the Common Core State Standards? This November, get to the core of the Common Core State Standards with ASCD’s newest free webinar series.

This series of three webinars will provide an overview of the new standards and address how to implement them effectively to serve the needs of the whole child.

• Wednesday, November 9: Common Core 101 with author John Kendall
• Tuesday, November 15: Common Core Policy and Implementation with ASCD’s David Griffith and Efrain Mercado
• Tuesday, November 22: The Common Core of a Whole Child Approach with ASCD’s Molly McCloskey

Now that the Common Core State Standards are coming to just about every school, what every school leader needs is a straightforward explanation that lays out the benefits of the common core in plain English and gets everyone thinking about how to transition to this promising new paradigm.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011, 3:00 p.m. eastern time
Register now!

In the first installment of the Common Core State Standards webinar series, John Kendall, author of Understanding Common Core State Standards, will overview the new standards in English language arts/literacy and mathematics, highlighting their key aspects. He will also suggest transition activities for teachers and districts to consider, including

• Creating a crosswalk, which compares the content of the common core with your current standards.
• Developing transition documents that support deeper understanding of the Common Core State Standards by using current standards as a bridge.
• Taking the longer view of implementing the common core systemically.

You can find forthcoming and archived ASCD webinars at www.ascd.org/webinars.

Charter School Plan Stirs Debate - Chicago News Cooperative

Charter School Plan Stirs Debate - Chicago News Cooperative:

Charter School Plan Stirs Debate

by DAN MIHALOPOULOS

The newest battleground in the citywide conflict between the teachers’ union and charter schools has emerged at a parcel of vacant land near Chicago’s far northwest edge. And on Tuesday evening, rookie Ald. Nicholas Sposato (36th Ward) will find himself in the middle of the fight over a new charter school proposal for the site from one of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s most prominent allies.

The United Neighborhood Organization, led by Emanuel mayoral campaign co-chairman Juan Rangel, wants to buy the land in the Galewood neighborhood and build a new school that would open next year. UNO first would need a zoning change from the City Council, which traditionally has deferred to the wishes of a site’s alderman.

Sposato said Monday he would withhold judgment on the plan until receiving feedback from constituents at a public hearing on the zoning change proposal. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Shriners

School Tech Connect: Faxed To Springfield

School Tech Connect: Faxed To Springfield:

Faxed To Springfield

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Round up your colleagues and drag them to the phones.

This is the message I just faxed to my senator:

November 8, 2011

Dear Sentaor Steans,

I hope you are as alarmed as I am by the report from Buck Consultants regarding the impact of SB512. It describes the linkage of the state’s contribution to state revenue as “actuarially unsound.”

There’s a reason that no other pension system links the state’s contribution to revenue: it’s a terrible idea. It actually codifies the practice of underfunding the pension systems and would set them on a course of certain extinction.

We can’t have a pension system in which one of the funding legs decides its policies on an ad hoc basis; it is the mark of a banana republic.

Please vote “NO!” on SB 512. It’s a terrible bill, written with ill intent.

Tim Furman,

Rogers Park

Election day in Ohio and Michigan and a Springfield vote. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Election day in Ohio and Michigan and a Springfield vote. « Fred Klonsky's blog:

Election day in Ohio and Michigan and a Springfield vote.

by Fred Klonsky

Local public radio station WBEZ says teachers have hounded legislators.

In Chicago, where elections usually compete with the Bears and (most years) the Bulls for November attention, there is no election today.

But in Ohio there is. And in Michigan. And they’re voting in Springfield, Illinois.

In Ohio there is Issue 2. If the voters of Ohio defeat the Issue, Ohio Governor Kasich’s attempt to deny public

In New York, teaching the occupation curriculum.

by Fred Klonsky

Florida Charter Schools are a “Costly Extravagance” | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida Charter Schools are a “Costly Extravagance” | Scathing Purple Musings:

Florida Charter Schools are a “Costly Extravagance”

by Bob Sikes

Public education activist and parent Julie Delegal has a letter the edition in this morning’s Florida Times-Union in which she effectively maps out two main points. First, the governor and legislature are not doing its constitutionally duty to fund its schools. Second, the state’s current unchecked path to charter school expansion is a perious one:

The Florida Constitution demands adequate funding.

When it comes to examining a charter school’s application to open in Florida, performance history simply doesn’t matter. The Florida Times Union’s Topher Sanders reported that, on the subject of evaluating the academic performance of charter school organizations, Education Commissioner