Saturday, December 17, 2011

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


Peg with Pen: A New Year's Resolution. Opt Out of State Testing. January 7th.

Peg with Pen: A New Year's Resolution. Opt Out of State Testing. January 7th.: A New Year's Resolution. Opt Out of State Testing. January 7th.byPeggyUnited Opt Out Nationalhas declared January 7thto beNational Opt Out Day. It is our goal that students, teachers and community members will express their dislike for corporate education reform and will use various means to demonstrate how they plan to OPT OUT.There are many ways to opt out. You can explore these ideas at ourwebsite. Today ... more »

Diverse: Issues In Higher Education

Higher Education News and Jobs: A Man of Many Parts: Computer Science Professor Juan Gilbert Excels as a MentorLatest articles-24 minutes agoDr. Juan Gilbert is also a researcher, scholar, teacher and entrepreneur in the field of Human-Centered Computing, which is a fairly young discipline that applies computer-based solutions to real-world problems. in NewsInspire Scholarships Help Boost Delaware State's In-State EnrollmentLatest articles-24 minutes agoThis school year, Delaware State’s in-state freshman student enrollment is up 43 percent to 433 from 302, the ... more »

This Day in History 12/16: The Boston Tea Party | Mr. D's Neighborhood

This Day in History 12/16: The Boston Tea Party | Mr. D's Neighborhood: This Day in History 12/16: The Boston Tea Partybyldorazio1Image via WikipediaToday’s story is not about 342 chests of tea dumped into a harbor.It is not about Sons of Liberty, Samuel Adams or John Hancock.It is not about Committees of Correspondence, Mohawks or tarring and feathering.And it sure as hell isn’t about anyAmerican Revolution.Instead, this is about how a seemingly insignificant everyday citizen helped resurrect a central moment ... more »

Teachers For Social Justice: MIC CHECK: Teachers, Parents, Community Take Over Board of Ed Meeting

Teachers For Social Justice: MIC CHECK: Teachers, Parents, Community Take Over Board of Ed Meeting: MIC CHECK: Teachers, Parents, Community Take Over Board of Ed Meetingby sarah atlasOn December 14, parents, teachers, community members, and the CTU Community Board (Coalition of the CTU and community groups, including TSJ), w/ support from Occupy Chicago, shut down the Board of Education meeting. A big shout out to TSJ members who attended the vigil in front the Board on Dec. 13, slept out ... more »

New Orleans Liberation Academy: Youth Led Social (R)evolution

New Orleans Liberation Academy: Youth Led Social (R)evolution:Youth Led Social (R)evolutionby New Orleans Liberation AcademyRemember when that loud, unruly kid was a punk? Remember when that quiet girl doing art in the back of the room was weird? Remember when the kids who were leaders were predictable and understandable? What a cool world that we live in that none of that is true anymore!Over the last 100 years our society has been busy birthing new realities, thrusting itself forward into ... more »

Balanced Assessment: Improving Student Achievement and Standardized Test Results « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

Balanced Assessment: Improving Student Achievement and Standardized Test Results « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Balanced Assessment: Improving Student Achievement and Standardized Test ResultsDecember 16th, 2011 by Klea ScharbergAssessing student knowledge, understanding, and skills is something that educators must master to teach properly. Test and quiz results help teachers assess, but they need to look at other factors to get a complete and accurate assessment. Educators must look at virtually every part of the learning process to understand ... more »

Miami – Charter Schools… Tell the corporations… Separate is still not equal. Never was… Never Will Be #Education @SaveOurSchools « Continuing Change

Miami – Charter Schools… Tell the corporations… Separate is still not equal. Never was… Never Will Be #Education @SaveOurSchools « Continuing Change:Miami – Charter Schools… Tell the corporations… Separate is still not equal. Never was… Never Will Be #Education @SaveOurSchoolsby gatorbonbcWhy are Miami charters segregating out the minorities again and offering a lesser program? “These school networks are all managed by Academica, Florida’s largest charter school operator. Miami-Dade charter schools also enrolled a smaller share of poor students: 54 percent, ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A great charter school hustle

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A great charter school hustle:A great charter school hustleby Mike KlonskyRichmondI've got to hand it to charter school authorizer and former lobbyist, Greg Richmond for coming up with this great hustle. A law recently pass by the Illinois state legislature created his new charter school agency called the Illinois State Charter School Commission which has the power to create new charter schools even when local school districts oppose them. The commission also has the power to ... more »

Duncan's Dilemma: What will be Done to States without NCLB Waivers? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Duncan's Dilemma: What will be Done to States without NCLB Waivers? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Duncan's Dilemma: What will be Done to States without NCLB Waivers?by Anthony CodyAs No Child Left Behind becomes an ever bigger disaster, Secretary Duncan faces a major dilemma. How can he continue to enforce this law he has declared a train wreck?Last spring, in an attempt to goad Congress into accepting his formula for revising No Child Left Behind, Education Secretary Arne ... more »

U. Of Phoenix founding family sells $127 million in stock while less than 7% of Phoenix students graduate in DC metro area | Dailycensored.com

U. Of Phoenix founding family sells $127 million in stock while less than 7% of Phoenix students graduate in DC metro area | Dailycensored.com:U. Of Phoenix founding family sells $127 million in stock while less than 7% of Phoenix students graduate in DC metro areaby Danny WeilAs Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings ramps up his investigation of for-profit college CEO pay, stock options and stock sales and their relationship to student outcomes, he may want to pay particular attention to the ... more »

Jon Stewart takes on Obama’s school reform — again - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Jon Stewart takes on Obama’s school reform — again - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Jon Stewart takes on Obama’s school reform — againby Valerie StraussJon Stewart showed considerable restraint this week when he welcomed Melody Barnes, President Obama’s chief of domestic policy, on The Daily Show and she spoke about the administration’s education reforms in a way that revealed how out of touch the White House is on the subject.Stewart asked Barnes, who is leaving her post as ... more »

Early Learning Challenge Grant - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

Early Learning Challenge Grant - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education):California Wins Federal "Race to the Top" Early Learning Challenge GrantSACRAMENTO—Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that California has been awarded a $52.6 million federal Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge Grant (Outside Source)."Local education leaders have developed solid proposals for improving early childhood education, which have now been recognized by the Obama administration," said Governor Brown."This grant will help more ... more »

HechingerEd Blog | Winners of the Early Learning Race to the Top competition

HechingerEd Blog | Winners of the Early Learning Race to the Top competition:Winners of the Early Learning Race to the Top competitionby Sarah GarlandThe announcement of nine winners in the Obama administration’s latest version of its “Race to the Top” education competition will push forward reforms that early learning advocates have lobbied heavily for over the past several years.The winners are California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington state. To win, they promised to increase ... more »

Norris to require parents sign residency form - Bakersfield.com

Norris to require parents sign residency form - Bakersfield.com:Norris to require parents sign residency formThe Bakersfield Californian | Thursday, Dec 15 2011 06:24 PMLast Updated Thursday, Dec 15 2011 06:27 PMThe Norris School District board on Wednesday approved an updated form some parents must sign declaring under perjury they live within Norris boundaries.It's in response to new language in a state law that takes effect Jan. 1 intended to get new students into schools quickly. When new parents register their ... more »

Protesters occupy Department of Ed lobby, demand charter school reform - NorthJersey.com #OWS #EDREFORM

Protesters occupy Department of Ed lobby, demand charter school reform - NorthJersey.com:Protesters occupy Department of Ed lobby, demand charter school reformFRIDAY DECEMBER 16, 2011, 12:53 PMBY CHRISTOPHER BAXTERSTATE HOUSE BUREAUPRINT | E-MAILTRENTON - Protesters angry about the Christie administration's charter school initiatives briefly occupied the lobby of the state Department of Education this morning, chanting, "charter reform now!"The group of about 50 people from Highland Park, Edison, New Brunswick, Teaneck, Montclair, Cherry Hill, Voorhees and South Orange said the stat... more »

Modern School: Mayor Calls #OWS Terrorists, Congress Calls On Military To Arrest U.S. Citizens

Modern School: Mayor Calls OWS Terrorists, Congress Calls On Military To Arrest U.S. Citizens:Mayor Calls OWS Terrorists, Congress Calls On Military To Arrest U.S. Citizens0diggTerrorist or CEO? (Image by puuikibeach)Oakland Mayor Jean Quan called OWS protestors economic terrorists for shutting down the Oakland Port on Monday. Such bombast would be laughable if we weren’t currently slaughtering thousands of people throughout the world, assassinating, torturing and incarcerating suspects in secret prisons without trial, all in the name of fighting terrorism.Her comment ... more »

Yes, Our Urban Kids Is Learning | Mother Jones

Yes, Our Urban Kids Is Learning | Mother Jones:Yes, Our Urban Kids Is Learning—By Kevin Drum| Thu Dec. 15, 2011 11:57 AM PST16I didn't write about this when the results were announced last week, but we now have another year's worth of data from the NAEP's Trial Urban District Assessment, a measure of academic progress in big-city school districts. So how are our urban kids doing? Bob Somerby summarizes the results from 2003 through 2011:Fourth grade math: According to those ... more »

If I Were A White, Male Middle Aged Forbes Columnist… « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

If I Were A White, Male Middle Aged Forbes Columnist… « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:If I Were A White, Male Middle Aged Forbes Columnist…by millerlfAkiba Solomon hits back at Forbes Magazine writer who wrote racist piece “If I Were a Poor Black Kid.”Colorlines 12/14/2011In a reaction to President Obama’s big, pragmatic, race-free economic inequality speech in Osawatomie, Kansas, “Forbes” tech writer Gene Marks crafted a recklessly condescending column called “If I Were a Poor Black Kid.” In just ... more »

Yo: UPDATE IMPORTANT CALL TO ACTION DAC meeting this Saturday Law Suit Briefing DAC gives LAUSD A Wack

Big Education Ape: DAC gives LAUSD A Wack - District Advisory Committees:DAC meeting this Saturday Law Suit BriefingThis Saturday 17th December at 10am our lawyer Robert A Brown will be debrieifing parents and community about our law suit.I hope that some of you who are DAC members and Chairs from other districts will be able to attend to hear first hand what this law suit is about and whethersome of the same issues are taking place in your district!!!!!The address ...more »

Shaun Johnson: Corporate Education Reform and ALEC's Definition of Acceptable Risk

Shaun Johnson: Corporate Education Reform and ALEC's Definition of Acceptable Risk:Shaun JohnsonAssistant Professor of Elementary Education, Towson UniversityGET UPDATES FROM SHAUN JOHNSON Like40Corporate Education Reform and ALEC's Definition of Acceptable RiskPosted: 12/15/11 05:17 PM ETThe left-leaning political blog Think Progressrecently reported on a comment from a top-executive with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that some children eating rat poison is "an acceptable risk." Thus, there is no justification for the government to regulate these kinds of product...more »

Education Research Report: Bullying in Schools

Education Research Report: Bullying in Schools:


Bullying in Schools

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has released Peer Victimization in Schools: A Set of Quantitative and Qualitative Studies of the Connections Among Peer Victimization, School Engagement, Truancy, School Achievement and Other Outcomes, 

Conducted by the National Center for School Engagement in 2007, the OJJDP-funded study focused on the connection between bullying, truancy and low academic achievement and examined whether engaging students in academics or extracurricular activities mediates these factors.

Bullying does not directly cause truancy, researchers found. A caring school community where students are 

Duncan’s dilemma: What happens to states that don’t get NCLB waiver? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Duncan’s dilemma: What happens to states that don’t get NCLB waiver? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:


Duncan’s dilemma: What happens to states that don’t get NCLB waiver?

This was written by educator Anthony Cody, who worked for 24 years in the Oakland schools, 18 years teaching science at a high-needs school and six years as a mentor and coach of teachers. He is a National Board-certified teacherThis post appeared on his Education Week Teacher blog, Living in Dialogue .
Read full article >>

The Innovative Educator: Could The Key to Teacher Effectiveness Mean Dropping Certification Requirements?

The Innovative Educator: Could The Key to Teacher Effectiveness Mean Dropping Certification Requirements?:


Could The Key to Teacher Effectiveness Mean Dropping Certification Requirements?


Teachers Matter: Rethinking How Public Schools Identify, Reward, and Retain Great EducatorsMarcus A. Winters explained that there is no correlation between certification and teacher effectiveness at a recent Manhattan Institute for Policy Research event held to announce the publication of his new book, “Teachers Matter.” Winters went on to propose the idea of  removing the barriers to becoming a teacher, suggesting that since there is no correlation between certification and teacher effectiveness, anyone with a college degree should be given the opportunity to teach if they are able to find someone to hire them. The fact is that many of us who went through teacher preparation and certification programs know they were not very helpful when it comes to the realities of the classroom. It is no surprise then that such certification has little impact on student success.

I think Winter’s idea deserves some attention, particularly in the case of secondary studies, but I wonder why he




What's Popular This Week on The Innovative Educator?

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 hour ago
Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog this week. Below you’ll see my top weekly posts along with the number of pageviews in the past 7 days. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you. If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired, share and/or leave a comment. 10 Reasons Cell Phones Should Be Allowed In School... Aug 24, 2010, 19 comments *1783* Pageviews Cure ADHD without Drugs with These Resources from ... Feb 5, 2011, 22 comments *1719* Pageviews Teachers Union Advice Protects Teachers Rather Than... Dec 11, ... more »

10 Talking Points to Lift the Ban on Cell Phones

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 hour ago
If you want to begin the process necessary to lift bans on cell in your school or district, create responsible use agreements, and change school policy these talking points will help. These are the talking points you'll need to be prepared whether you are talking with (or happen to be) your building principal, classroom teacher, district administration, school board, policy review committee, or any combination of these. Ten Talking Points to Lift The Ban and Begin Using Cell Phones for Learning 1. Harness the power of the tools already in student's pockets - The ubiqu... more »

What's Popular This Week on The Innovative Educator

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 hour ago
Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog this week. Below you’ll see my top weekly posts along with the number of pageviews in the past 7 days. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you. If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired, leave a comment. 15 Key Facts about Homeschool Kids in College Dec 2, 2011, 18 comments 2,320 Pageviews 10 Reasons Cell Phones Should Be Allowed In School... Aug 24, 2010, 18 comments 1891 Pageviews The history of the cell phones for learning movement... Dec 4, 2011 ... more »

Facebook Timeline: The 21st Century Resume - Available Now!

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 hour ago
Educators who are up to the task of preparing our students with the essential tools for success today will want to know that starting now, Facebook Timeline is available to all, so if you haven't gotten it, now's the time to get it. Timeline provides an easy way to rediscover the things you shared, and collect all your best moments in a single place. It is a tremendous resource for any school admission counselor or human resource executive interested in seeing if a candidate is a good match. It's the job of today's innovative educator to ensure their students know how to create an... more »

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 hour ago
Know someone who is questioning if Twitter is worth their time? Show them this video which highlights why Twitter is a powerful tool that should be given consideration. It also addresses the importance of regulating your social media diet. The video features powerful conversations that happen on Twitter like those in #edchat. It also questions learner's use of Twitter and if students are tweeting about subjects. (by the way, they are tweeting about AP courses) It shares some good ideas about using Twitter with students (Find additional ways to do that here). The video goes o... more »

Teachers Union Advice Protects Teachers Rather Than Prepares Students to Use Real World Tools

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 hour ago
In a recent story on NPR, New Jersey teachers union spokesman Steve Wollmer became the latest to completely miss the point and give bonehead advice suggesting a variety of policies for teachers to follow when using social media. His advice: "Don't ever friend or follow your students on Facebook or Twitter, never post during work hours or use work materials such as a school computer, and certainly never post anything about your job online, especially about students," Wollmer says. "I think that's where some of these teachers have found themselves in difficult situations." Ignor... more »

Find Great EdTech Blogs and Vote for Your Fav Edublog Awards Nominee!

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 week ago
It's time for the annual Edublog awards! This is a great way to find blogs for those interested in educational technology. You can vote for the nominees in this category at this link. Here are the nominees in alphabetical order. - 140+: In the Moment - Anseo - ArturoGoga - Ask A Tech Teacher - CanadianTechEd - Cindy L. Meester's Blog - Cool Cat Teacher Blog - CristinaSkyBox - Ed Tech Ideas - edSurge - EdTech in High School - Edudemic - eLearning Blog Dont Waste Your Time - Electric Educator - Free Technology for Teachers ... more »

Live Thursday: An "Out of the Box" Conversation on Education with Me and Steve Hargadon

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 week ago
Join me today, Thursday, December 8th, for a live and interactive FutureofEducation.com webinar as Steve Hargadon and I discuss a variety of "out of the box" topics, including using cell phones to enhance learning, child-centered and customized learning, the changing role of teachers, "hacking" education, learning without teachers or grade levels, schooling that hurts children, opting out of school, home education, and more! DETAILS Date: Thursday, December 8th, 2011 Time: 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / 12am (next day) GMT (international times here) Duration: 1 hour Location: In... more »

Prepare Students for Success in the World with a 1-Page Proposal

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 week ago
Although school should prepare students for success in today’s careers, in many classrooms students are being prepared for yesterday’s job search. If they’re lucky, their school may take a break from test-prep and help students create a paper-based, one dimensional resume, but for many jobs that is an outdated form of displaying accomplishments and does nothing to set students apart from the rest as I wrote about in the story of this frustrated and jobless college grad. Armond McFadden is another student anxious to find work that taps into his talent for photography, videography, ... more »

SCHOOL ON A SWINGSET (Instead of a classroom)

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 week ago
*Guest post by Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell* *Editor's note: This is another article in my effort to dispel myths about learning and showcase ways people are thriving and learning without being "schooled." The purpose being that educators discover alternative ways to foster learning that may be more effective for some children.* Distracted and bored Twenty-one years ago, my parents were faced with a dilemma about where to send my brother and me to school. The small private school we attended didn’t offer middle school, and the public schools in our rural Georgia county were at the bot... more »

FREE Teaching Generation Text Webinar Today!

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 week ago
To register for this webinar for FREE, Either go to SimpleK12 where you can register for any webinar, or use this direct attendee registration link, which is only good for our webinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/975369746

The history of the cell phones for learning movement

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 week ago
Are you going to follow the pack or be an education pioneer? When it comes to using cell phones for learning, if you're not on board yet you'll be left in the dust. Here's a timeline that outlines how schools have gone from banning to embracing these powerful learning tools. WhenWhat Early 1990sSchools banned all electronic devices, (pagers, beepers, cell phones) which tended to be associated with drug dealing or gangs. Late 1990sCell phones became commonplace, smaller, and cheaper. Text messaging became popular, especially with teens. 1999 - 2002After the Columbine High School... more »

What's Popular This Week on The Innovative Educator.

noreply@blogger.com (The Innovative Educator) at The Innovative Educator - 1 week ago
Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog this week. Below you’ll see my top weekly posts along with the number of pageviews in the past 7 days. I hope there's something that looks of interest to you. If it does, check it out. If you’re inspired, leave a comment. 5 Ways to Use Cell Phones To Combat Bullying Nov 27, 2011 *2,110* Pageviews 20 Reasons Why Standardized Testing Is Crap Nov 29, 2011 *1741* Pageviews 5 Things Students Want Teachers to Know abt Online Learning... Nov 15, 2011, 5 comments *1593* Pageviews 20 Ways to Get... more »

New Orleans Liberation Academy: First Make a Revolution*

New Orleans Liberation Academy: First Make a Revolution*:


First Make a Revolution*


To be revolutionary teachers and learners, we must first make a revolution in education.

To a gathering of medical students and health workers on August 19 of 1960 (in Che Guevera Talks to Young People*), just shortly following the August 6 decree expropriating the property of major U.S. corporations in Cuba, he urged that the isolated effort, the individual effort, the purity of ideals, the desire to sacrifice an entire lifetime to the nobelist of ideals -- all that is for naught if the effort is made alone, solitary in some corner of the world, fighting against conditions that are most often hostile and oppressing and permit no progress. A revolution, he says needs what they had in Cuba, an entire people who were mobilized, who have learned the practice of unity by coming together through shared struggle in both victory and loss.
Are Teachers Activists?  No. Not inherently. Spending a couple of years after college teaching black and brown kids math, helping recent immigrants learn English, and marginally increasing the number of poor kids who passthe test are not radical acts, even though some may lead you to believe that its the "blueprint for the new Civil 

Charter school accountability debate - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

Charter school accountability debate - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:


Charter school accountability debate

Friday, December 16th, 2011 at 5:54 pm in charter schoolstest scoresNo Comments
Yesterday, the California Charter Schools Association caused a stir. The pro-charter group came out with a list of 10 independently-run schools it deemed underperforming — and encouraged their respective school districts to close them when their 5-year contracts expire!
That list included West County Community High in Richmond, as my colleague Hannah Dreier reported in today’s paper. Leadership High in San Francisco was also on it.
The complete list included 31 schools, but the association only published the names of those that are nearing the end of their 5-year terms and seeking a charter renewal.
Here’s the reasoning behind the mov, from the news release:
“We cannot have an honest discussion about education reform and increasing accountability without closing the charters that have demonstrated an inability to meet the challenge of excellence–granted to us by law–and chronically underperform. Our accountability framework has 

Jon Stewart takes on Obama’s school reform – Sir, can you hear us now? « Continuing Change

Jon Stewart takes on Obama’s school reform – Sir, can you hear us now? « Continuing Change:


Jon Stewart takes on Obama’s school reform – Sir, can you hear us now?

Valerie Strauss writes,
“The takeaway? Administration officials either are oblivious to the opposition to their education policies — which is significant enough that the host of a news satire television show knows about it — or they are willfully ignoring it. Either way, we’ve got a problem. ”
Ain’t that the truth…
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-december-14-2011/melody-barnes

Schools Matter: These are Our Children Not Corporate Products

Schools Matter: These are Our Children Not Corporate Products:


These are Our Children Not Corporate Products

On December 14, 2011 Parents, community members, and educators took over the monthly Chicago Board of Education meeting. After years of not being heard, they stood up and took it back.