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

Jersey Jazzman: Uncommon Ground

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 49 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: Uncommon Ground:Uncommon Groundby DukeSpeaking of B4K and Student First's "partnership":My blogging buddy Mike Lilley of B4K teamed up with Tim Shelton of Students First to write an op-ed that purports to show that corporate "reformers" and teachers unions are really all on the same page:From President Obama to Gov. Chris Christie to the New Jersey Education Association to Michelle Rhee, a national consensus is emerging that significant changes must come to public education.It would have been unthinkable as ... more »

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 49 minutes ago

Scum bags. « Fred KlonskyBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-10 minutes agoScum bags. « Fred Klonsky:Scum bags.by Fred KlonskyI received some interesting reactions to my post on pension abuse.This week the Illinois legislature, facing billions of dollars in unpaid pension obligations, took a bold stand and made it illegal in the future for someone to collect from the Teacher Retirement Fund based on earnings they would have received if they left the clasroom to work for a teachers union.That ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Did Bronxdale High School's John Chase Jr Try To Relieve His Guilt?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 49 minutes ago

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Did Bronxdale High School's John Chase Jr Try To Relieve His Guilt?:Did Bronxdale High School's John Chase Jr Try To Relieve His Guilt?by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)On November 18, the amazing powers that John Chase Jr, principal of Bronxdale High School were analyzed. Not only is he able to contort his wee wee into the strangest inanimate objects, how he prefers inanimate objects to human flesh, but amazingly whilst under investigation for sharing said information concerning his hoo ...more »

LEGAL WAIVER FORMS FOR TEACHERS « Teachers Fight Back

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LEGAL WAIVER FORMS FOR TEACHERS « Teachers Fight Back:LEGAL WAIVER FORMS FOR TEACHERSby alkleenI recently underwent a minor medical procedure, and before it happened I actually read every word of the legal waiver form. The form explained the chances of complications and or death occurring during or after the procedure. The form gave me an idea for something similar that should be used by schools and teachers at the beginning of the school year.Teachers should hand out legal waiver forms ... more »

Scum bags. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Scum bags. « Fred Klonsky:Scum bags.by Fred KlonskyI received some interesting reactions to my post on pension abuse.This week the Illinois legislature, facing billions of dollars in unpaid pension obligations, took a bold stand and made it illegal in the future for someone to collect from the Teacher Retirement Fund based on earnings they would have received if they left the clasroom to work for a teachers union.That was how they responded to their failure to meet their obligations.GOP Illinois ... more »

Blue Jersey:: Hey, Gov. Christie, are these kids drug mules too?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Blue Jersey:: Hey, Gov. Christie, are these kids drug mules too?:Hey, Gov. Christie, are these kids drug mules too?by Rosi EfthimYellow school buses were stacked up and down West State Street as far as the eye could see. Looks like NJ Spotlight called it right, predicting that the vast majority at today's pro-voucher rally at the State House steps were Catholic school students bused in for the day.I wonder. Do you think our pro-voucher, Catholic school parent Governor thinks these ... more »

Support PURE! » Stop the churn – give schools back to the community

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Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Stop the churn – give schools back to the community:Stop the churn – give schools back to the communityby adminChurn rate (sometimes called attrition rate), in its broadest sense, is a measure of the number of individuals or items moving into or out of a collective over a specific period of time…. The phrase is based on the English verb “churn”, meaning ‘to agitate or produce violent motion’. (Wikipedia)It’s great for ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Ellen McHugh: nothing dark but the intent of the DOE

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NYC Public School Parents: Ellen McHugh: nothing dark but the intent of the DOE:Ellen McHugh: nothing dark but the intent of the DOEby Leonie HaimsonHere is Ellen McHugh's account of the controversial Cobble Hill charter co-location hearing, more description and video of which is here. Ellen is head of Parent to Parent - NYS, and a member of the Citywide Council for Special Education:Another hearing another show. (with apologies to Cole Porter).Outside it really was a dark and rainy night ... more »

Eight Questions: On Teaching « Bill Ayers

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Eight Questions: On Teaching « Bill Ayers:Eight Questions: On Teachingby billayers1. What words of advice would you give a teacher who is struggling to incorporate reflective writing practices into his or her pedagogy? Recognize that aesthetics is at the heart of teaching—strive for beauty and something pleasing and lovely in your work—and remember that the opposite of aesthetic is anesthetic. Anesthetics put us to sleep, but an educated person is always striving to open her eyes, to pay attention, to ... more »

Arne on Teacher Salaries and Standardized Tests | ED.gov Blog

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Arne on Teacher Salaries and Standardized Tests | ED.gov Blog:Arne on Teacher Salaries and Standardized TestsPosted on December 1, 2011 by Cameron BrenchleyArne sat down recently to respond to a couple of questions he received on his Facebook page. Kenny commented on how teacher salaries make it difficult to stay in the teaching profession. Duncan noted that low salaries are a real challenge. “I’m out very publically saying that I think teachers need to make a heck of a lot ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Noah Gotbaum on the Mayor's defamation of our teachers

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NYC Public School Parents: Noah Gotbaum on the Mayor's defamation of our teachers:Noah Gotbaum on the Mayor's defamation of our teachersby Leonie HaimsonThe Mayor's statement that teachers represent the "bottom 20%" of our society is so outrageous, so disdainful and so demonizing of teachers and the teaching profession as to merit a defamation suit. And the policies which have been generated by these beliefs so destructive and demoralizing to those teachers, to our children, to our schools and to our ... more »

Schools Matter: Insanity: Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results

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Schools Matter: Insanity: Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results:Insanity: Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Resultsby Jim HornThat was Einstein's definition. In this commentary from Ed Week, Kevin Welner considers how long it might take the same reform repeated for decades to become the status quo:HOW MANY DECADES BEFORE "REFORM" BECOMES "STATUS QUO"?Education Week Commentary -- December 1, 2011By Kevin G. WelnerPause for a moment and warily inhale the ... more »

Jay Matthews of the Washington Post: Five reasons for profit colleges will survive | Dailycensored.com

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Jay Matthews of the Washington Post: Five reasons for profit colleges will survive | Dailycensored.com:Jay Matthews of the Washington Post: Five reasons for profit colleges will surviveWritten by Danny WeilBusiness, EducationDec 1, 20110diggShareOn November 27th, 2011 ‘education’ writer, Jay Matthews of the Washington Post, wrote a defense of for-profit colleges. One can only infer that his bosses, CEO Donny Graham and his sister Lally commanded Matthews to write the piece. This is how the paper works: journalists are tightly watched ... more »

All Things Education: Teaching Quality Series Part V: Parental Engagement

All Things Education: Teaching Quality Series Part V: Parental Engagement:

Teaching Quality Series Part V: Parental Engagement

by Rachel Levy

It's generally true that the more that parents are involved in their children's education, the more academically successful their children will be and the more effective the teachers will (at least appear to) be. I largely agree with Thomas Friedman's take on this.

That being said, the seemingly growing "parent accountability" movement troubles me. Moreover, the strategies (which are in many cases de facto requirements) some charter schools are using to engage parents are in some cases are worth emulating but in others amount to punishing kids for the failures of their parents.

Before I continue, I must acknowledge that I have almost exclusively taught students with parents who weren't very involved in their education, despite my varied efforts, and so some of my thinking on this may be colored by a certain fatalism. The parents could have been less involved because I taught secondary school and parents

Cheating the Gifted? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Cheating the Gifted? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:

Cheating the Gifted?

by Nancy Flanagan

It's an argument that seems to bubble up cyclically. It doesn't matter what the hot policy idea du jour is, someone is bound to assert: What we're doing right now does not serve the needs of the gifted!

The question was raised in the Rising Tide of Mediocrity era: What were we doing to nurture those promising leaders who would keep America #1? Debates about tracking have never gone away, pitting "low-achieving" students against "America's brightest." Even the recent flurry of interest in Finland's great results is accompanied by little yeah-but digs: "High-flying students might get neglected in a system set up to improve the bottom and the middle."

After a decade of federally mandated accountability, predicated on closing the achievement gap, Michael Petrilli

More Than the Mantra of "Mayoral Control" :: Frederick M. Hess

More Than the Mantra of "Mayoral Control" :: Frederick M. Hess:

More Than the Mantra of "Mayoral Control"

by Frederick M. Hess • Dec 2, 2011 at 8:34 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Yesterday, at the Fordham Institute's big conference on "Rethinking Education Governance in the 21st Century," I had the chance to chat about a new paper "More than the Mantra of 'Mayoral Control'" that I penned with Olivia Meeks. When it comes to district governance, Olivia and I argue that the back-and-forth about mayoral control has too often distracted us from the need to tackle entrenched routines.

We walk through the case for mayoral control (which I find fairly convincing when it comes to large urban districts) and the reasons for caution, then point out that the relative merits of elected v. appointed officials is hardly as exotic as the edu-debates might lead one to believe. When it comes to public utilities, extensive research suggests that elected officials are more responsive to community preferences but also less inclined to fiscal discipline. In short, there is no optimal model; both election and appointment have strengths and

Questions for Our Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield | Seattle Education

Questions for Our Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield | Seattle Education:

Questions for Our Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield

by seattleducation2011

There is an odd survey that is being circulated by the Seattle school board to determine how parents feel about our Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield.

I would highly recommend that everyone take the survey and as Sue has suggested, if you cannot answer a question in a way that reflects your opinion, send an e-mail to the board members telling them exactly what youdo think.

But in the vein of asking questions of the public, we have a few for and about Dr. Enfield.

1. The question that burns a hole in my brain is why Dr. Enfield was such a cheerleader for having Teach for America, Inc. recruits come into our school system when we have a large pool of qualified candidates who have

Mayor Michael Bloomberg: If I Had It My Way I'd Dump Half Of New York City's Teachers « CBS New York

Mayor Michael Bloomberg: If I Had It My Way I'd Dump Half Of New York City's Teachers « CBS New York:

Bloomberg: If I Had It My Way I’d Dump Half Of NYC’s Teachers

Mayor Stuns Many At MIT Speech, Says He'd Greatly Enlarge Class Size, Too

December 1, 2011 10:01 PM

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg (credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

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Cathie Black, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Mayor Michael Bloomberg,Michael Mulgrew, NYC schools, United Federation of Teachers

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — It’s a jaw-dropping prescription for fixing city schools.

“Professor” Michael Bloomberg said Thursday he would accomplish more with less by slashing the teaching staff in half — and that’s just the beginning, reports CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.

He looked like he was from another planet when he dressed as a hippie for a political show, but the mayor’s blueprint for fixing city schools have some asking “what was he smoking?”

“If I had the ability to just design the system and say ex cathedra this is what we’re going to do you would cut the number of teachers in half and weed out all the bad ones,” Bloomberg said.

That’s right. The mayor told people at a Massachusetts Institute of

Bloomberg Says Large Classes Are Fine By Him – SchoolBook

Bloomberg Says Large Classes Are Fine By Him – SchoolBook:

Bloomberg Says Large Classes Are Fine By Him

by Mary Ann Giordano

In the news on Friday, a statement by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that is — well, it’s difficult to characterize, so we’re going to just state it, ask the mayor’s office to respond and then open up to comments from readers.

The mayor, speaking at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this week, had a prescription for fixing city schools.

“If I had the ability to just design the system and say ex cathedra this is what we’re going to do you would cut the number of teachers in half and weed out all the bad ones,” Mr. Bloomberg said, according to a report by Marcia Kramer on CBS New York News. CBS has video of the mayor’s remarks.

The context of the statement is missing, but the mayor went on to make his point clear: “And double the class

Cookie Tray Theory Propels Student to D.C.

by Beth Fertig

Students from Stuyvesant High School are perennial entrants in the annual Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology. The Manhattan-based school produced a first-place winner eight years ago and a third-place prize two years ago.

This weekend, a 17-year-old Stuyvesant senior, Brian Kim, is traveling to Washington as one of six high school students who made it to the national finals in the individual category. The prestigious honor comes with a $100,000 scholarship.

WNYC Listen to Brian Kim explain his math project to WNYC Radio

Brian’s project is in math, and it is called “Packing and Covering With Centrally Symmetric Disks.” It sounds frighteningly complicated, but he says you can get the picture if you imagine packing cookies on a tray.

“Packing is like normal baking cookies; you try to place them in a tray so that they don’t touch each other,” he