Big Education Ape

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, EFL: New Year CelebrationsLarry FerlazzoatLarry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...-4 minutes agoI recently updated The Best Sites For Learning About New Year Celebrations. Additional suggestions are always welcome…..The Best “Fun” Sites You Can Use For Learning, Too — 2011Larry FerlazzoatLarry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...-23 hours agoThe websites on this list were not designed with education in mind, but which can easily be used for learning purposes — particularly, ... more »

School Tech Connect: Heather Steans' Corrupt Commission

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 33 minutes ago

School Tech Connect: Heather Steans' Corrupt Commission: Heather Steans' Corrupt Commissionbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim)Mike Klonsky has more details about thecorrupt charter scambeing operated by the hustlers that have secured an unfettered pipeline to public tax money courtesy of my state senator, Heather Steans.I'm still sick over it. I was going to pour through the records to see if anywhere in the discussion of this commission, it was pointed out that it was going to be funded by the Waltons, but I'm just ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: A Bronx Student Thanks Mayor Bloomberg For The Education He Has Received

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 33 minutes ago

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: A Bronx Student Thanks Mayor Bloomberg For The Education He Has Received: A Bronx Student Thanks Mayor Bloomberg For The Education He Has Receivedbynoreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)The crack team would like to welcome a guest blogger tonight, a student in the NYC DOE by the name of Throckmorton. Throckmorton plans to share with us how much Uncle Mike has done for his education. So without further adieu, please welcome Throcky.Hi, I would like to thank Bronx Teacher and ...more »

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 33 minutes ago

Balanced Assessment: Improving Student Achievement and Standardized Test Results « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child EducationBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-32 minutes agoBalanced 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, ...more »

Letter from Council of Elders to Trinity Church | OccupyWallSt.org

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 33 minutes ago

Letter from Council of Elders to Trinity Church | OccupyWallSt.org: Letter from Council of Elders to Trinity ChurchPosted 38 minutes ago on Dec. 16, 2011, 9:43 p.m. EST byOccupyWallStDecember 16, 2011Dear Rev. Dr. James Cooper,We are veterans of the Civil Rights, Women’s, Peace, Environmental, LGBTQ, Immigrant Justice, labor rights and other movements of the last 60 years. Many of us have been or continue to be leaders of religious congregations and organizations, so we are deeply understanding of the need ... more »

“Tiger Moms” Now Usurped by “Wolf Dads”

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 33 minutes ago

“Tiger Moms” Now Usurped by “Wolf Dads”: “Tiger Moms” Now Usurped by “Wolf Dads”byCYNTHIAonDECEMBER 17, 2011Corporal punishment is the unspoken dark side of Asian and Asian Pacific American parenting, and if the whirlwind created by Amy Chua’s sardonicTiger Mommemoir wasn’t enough to roil the interwebs, the much less funnyWolf Dadwill.A Chinese writer publishing aprovocative essay in the English-languageDiplomatsays that “Wolf Dads,” or yet another distorted form of sado-masochistic pressuring of kids to be Harvard-ready, has found its latest expression in ... more »

Education angst bared at JBC hearing | EdNewsColorado

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 33 minutes ago

Education angst bared at JBC hearing | EdNewsColorado: Education angst bared at JBC hearingbyTodd EngdahlHopes, fears and frustrations about public schools, reform and state finances were at the boiling point Friday during the Joint Budget Committee’s hearing on the Department of Education’s proposed 2012-13 budget.Deputy Education Commissioner Diana Sirko and Commissioner Robert HammondThe hearing was part of the end-of-year routine during which the JBC is briefed by staff analysts on proposed budgets for state agencies and compile questions for department ... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Parent Group Files Lawsuit Charging LAUSD With Misuse of $2.5 Billion in Federal Title I Funds

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 33 minutes ago

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Parent Group Files Lawsuit Charging LAUSD With Misuse of $2.5 Billion in Federal Title I Funds: Parent Group Files Lawsuit Charging LAUSD With Misuse of $2.5 Billion in Federal Title I Fundssmfat4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit-22 minutes agopress release FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert A. Brown, Esq. 213-596-5992 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Parent Group Files Lawsuit Charging LAUSD With Misuse of $2.5 Billion in Federal ... more »

Obama Administration Officials to Hold National Press Call on the Race to Top-Early Learning Challenge | U.S. Department of Education

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 33 minutes ago

Obama Administration Officials to Hold National Press Call on the Race to Top-Early Learning Challenge | U.S. Department of Education: Obama Administration Officials to Hold National Press Call on the Race to Top-Early Learning ChallengeDECEMBER 16, 2011Contact:Press Office, (202) 401-1576,press@ed.govEvent Date 1:December 16, 2011 12:20 pm - 01:20 pmDomestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes will join U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius for a national press call on the Race ... more »

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

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 »

Reconnecting McDowell: New Hope for a Struggling Community | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Reconnecting McDowell: New Hope for a Struggling Community | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Reconnecting McDowell: New Hope for a Struggling Community

by obriena

Yesterday I wrote about Mark Schneider’s belief that to significantly raise student achievement in this nation, we need to “shock” the system. Today, I learned about apartnership aiming to do just that in a rural West Virginia district.
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, State Board of Education Vice President Gayle Manchin and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have announced Reconnecting McDowell, a public-private partnership with more than 40 partners aimed at enhancing educational opportunity for children in McDowell County, a district that has ranked lowest in the state in academic performance for most of the past decade.
As a community, McDowell County faces a number of challenges in addition to a low-performing educational

ONE OF THE GREATEST POSTS ON YOUTUBE SO FAR!

NAACP, VOCES AND 12 INDIVIDUALS FILE LAWSUIT UNDER STATE CONSTITUTION TO OVERTURN PHOTO ID LAW « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

NAACP, VOCES AND 12 INDIVIDUALS FILE LAWSUIT UNDER STATE CONSTITUTION TO OVERTURN PHOTO ID LAW « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

NAACP, VOCES AND 12 INDIVIDUALS FILE LAWSUIT UNDER STATE CONSTITUTION TO OVERTURN PHOTO ID LAW

by millerlf

The Milwaukee Branch of the NAACP and Voces de la Frontera today filed a lawsuit in Dane County Wisconsin Circuit Court challenging Wisconsin’s Photo ID Law. The lawsuit, which is attached, asks the court to declare the law unconstitutional because it violates the right to vote under the Article III, Section 1 of the Wisconsin Constitution which – unlike the U.S. Constitution– explicitly guarantees all eligible Wisconsin residents the right to vote.
The NAACP/Voces lawsuit follows the same roadmap that Missouri voters used to successfully overturn the Missouri photo ID law in 2006, when the Missouri Supreme Court invalidated photo ID under the State of Missouri Constitution’s right to vote.
NAACP President James Hall stated: “Hundreds of thousands of otherwise eligible Wisconsin voters lack

Is Gerard Robinson Too Cozy with Jeb Bush and His Financiers? | Scathing Purple Musings

Is Gerard Robinson Too Cozy with Jeb Bush and His Financiers? | Scathing Purple Musings:

Is Gerard Robinson Too Cozy with Jeb Bush and His Financiers?

by Bob Sikes

Lee County superintendent of schools Joseph Burke was granted a guest column in this morning’s Naples Daily News. In the column, Burke details the nature and specifics of the disagreement between Florida’s educators and education commissioner Gerard Robinson:

…..the state convened a group of more than 300 educators from across Florida (a standards-setting committee) and then a reactor panel of superintendents from across the state to critically examine the current FCAT. When the dust settled, both groups recommended bringing the minimum standards up at the lower grade levels so they were more in line with those at high school.
We thought we were all set with the recommendations, but it appears Florida’s education commissioner has now decided to increase the high school cut scores. By making those adjustments, it’s not only going to adversely affect the alignment through all grade levels, but, more

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Moving On After Enfield's Announcement

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Moving On After Enfield's Announcement:

Moving On After Enfield's Announcement

by Melissa Westbrook

I saw an interview that Dr. Enfield did with KING-5 news yesterday. She was quite cheerful and said:

- Might she leave the door open, if the board were to make her a good offer? “This work is too important and I have too much respect for this community to play games like that, this was a genuine and as I said, much deliberated decision on my part that I made for reasons that are right for me and the time is right for me to move on,” Enfield says.
- She "will be a superintendent " at another district.
- She also said the Board elections had nothing to do with her decision.
- She declined to give her reasoning, either from the professional side or personal side.

So we move on. Speculation is moot at this point. What's next?

The Board will have to decide - in the next couple of weeks - what kind of search to launch. Given that so many people are concerned, I wouldn't be surprised if some entity (the Alliance, donors, etc), gave them money for the

Saturday coffee + Old school . « Fred Klonsky

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:

Saturday coffee.

by Fred Klonsky

Cairo.
We woke to a beautiful snowy morning. We brushed about an inch off the car as we went to get Saturday Coffee.
Anne said, “Let’s drive down the boulevard. It’s so pretty.” So instead of taking the shorter route down Fullerton, we headed down Logan as big Lake Effect flakes floated to the road and instantly melted.
Last night I heard that the great soul singer, Etta James is near death.
This is sad news.
It brought back a memory from around 18 years ago. I was trying to convince Leigh that U of I was a fine school. She wanted to go to Madison. But in-state was cheaper and thought that a drive down to Champaign on a

Old school.

by Fred Klonsky

Curtis Mayfield.

Modern School: America Eats Its Young (And Some Of Its Old)

Modern School: America Eats Its Young (And Some Of Its Old):

America Eats Its Young (And Some Of Its Old)

by Michael Dunn

One out of every 13 California seniors aged 50 or older is at risk of hunger, according to a recent report the AARP Foundation (American Association of Retired Persons) reviewed in the Bay Citizen. However, according to the Columbus Dispatch, a similar number (7.5%) of seniors is at risk of hunger nationally. There has been a 79% increase in elder hunger over the past decade, with the greatest increase occurring between 2007 and 2009.

The seniors who are most at risk, not surprisingly, are the poor, blacks and Latinos, and those with few family connections. According to the Dispatch, only 2% of white seniors faced constant hunger, while 7% of black seniors did.

As disturbing as these numbers are, it is important to place them into the proper context. According to the USDA, 85.5% of American households were food secure throughout the

Some Thoughts on Teaching and Music (Kenneth Bernstein) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Some Thoughts on Teaching and Music (Kenneth Bernstein) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Some Thoughts on Teaching and Music (Kenneth Bernstein)

by larrycuban

From his profile as a blogger at Daily Kos : “Kenneth J. Bernstein is now proudly 65 years young, teacher in DC metro area, Quaker liberal – and still passionate about learning with his students.”
Some thoughts on teaching which were occasioned by a recent conversation where I was asked if I thought teaching more of an art rather than a science. I responded that the question was a false frame, and was asked to explain.
My explanation comes in part from my background and formal education in music.
I think what we are seeing in education is neither art nor science, but the attempt to turn education into an engineering problem. In engineering, it is of course important to have rigorous standards. In manufacturing the

Finally Unmasking a Two-Year Deception: Florida Republicans Never Intended to Fund Merit Pay | Scathing Purple Musings

Finally Unmasking a Two-Year Deception: Florida Republicans Never Intended to Fund Merit Pay | Scathing Purple Musings:

Finally Unmasking a Two-Year Deception: Florida Republicans Never Intended to Fund Merit Pay

by Bob Sikes

The Palm Beach Post’s editorial page editor, Randy Schultz, has joined the drum line across the state in excoriating Florida’s republican policy-makers on just about every issue on education. But Schultz is onto to the fact that state republicans never intended to fund its own merit pay program.

Last Monday, though, Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson met with The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board. We asked who would pay for merit pay. The state? Nope. “It will be up to local school districts,” Mr. Robinson said. “It always was going to be state and local.”
In other words, school districts that already face budget cuts for next year – about $53 million, in Palm Beach County’s case – will have to find money for a program they didn’t want. If the districts

Daily Kos: for me an unusual Saturday morning

Daily Kos: for me an unusual Saturday morning:

for me an unusual Saturday morning

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

I am totally disconnected from my normal tasks - grading papers, planning, doing house work. Went to sleep at around 8 for 3.5 hours, then headed to Union Station to catch a 3:15 AM train to NYC for Netroots New York, where this afternoon I am leading a panel on privatization of education.
I dozed for most of the way up, so my biological clock is somewhat discombobulated, but that still does not prevent my normal process of Saturday morning reflection. Only this morning it is different, and not merely because I write this sitting on the floor outside the auditorium where the opening plenary will occur, ostensibly within the hour.
We have a 3-day week starting Monday, before breaking for the holiday. I really do not want to start a unit, break for 12 days, and expect my students to remember much when they come back. So I am doing different things.
One of which is taking time to let students explore how we can change what we are doing in order to make it more effective for them.
Let me explain.