Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts 1-24 #edreform #ows

An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nomination - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nomination - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nominationBy Katy MurphyMonday, January 23rd, 2012 at 6:13 pm in charter schools, school closures,teachers.Education news kept right on happening in the last two weeks. Here are some of the developments I missed while I was visiting old temples and dodging motorbikes:THE OAKLAND SCHOOL BOARD REJECTED the charter ... more »

Support PURE! » FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parents

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parents:FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parentsby adminCongratulations to our powerful, tireless Parents Across America member, Rita Solnet, and other parents in Florida for taking a lemon of a bill (promoted as “parent empowerment”) and making it into something a lot more like lemonade!According to the Tampa Bay Times,Heading toward its first hearings, Florida’s proposed “Parent Empowerment Act” came uderblistering criticism from parent ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeper

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeper:On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeperby Leonie HaimsonThe mainstream media has contributed heavily to the rampant public confusion over the teacher evaluation debate in recent weeks. Most recently, on Sunday the NY Times featured two superficial accounts of this issue. The first, by Nick Kristof, told a familiar if touching story about an Arkansas school librarian named ... more »

Florida "Charter School Empowerment" bill gets revision before first committee stop | Tampa Bay Times

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Florida "parent empowerment" bill gets revision before first committee stop | Education articles blog on schools in Florida Tampa Bay: the Gradebook | Tampa Bay Times:Florida "parent empowerment" bill gets revision before first committee stop Heading toward its first hearings, Florida's proposed "Parent Empowerment Act" came uder blistering criticism from parent groups saying the initiative was a "scheme" to hand neighborhood schools over to private entities. Many parent groups immediately disavowed any input in the bill that supposedly is for ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 1-23 Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. « Fred KlonskyBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-4 minutes agoLife in Rahm’s Chicago. « Fred Klonsky:Life in Rahm’s Chicago.by Fred KlonskyOnly in Rahm’s Chicago would it be news that the teachers expect to be paid if they work a longer day.Rahm’s paid supporters show up at school closing hearings and pick a fight with parents and teachers.Rahm’s go-to person for the NATO and G8 meetings is said to use a “velvet fist.”The weekend saw more ... more »

Making waves. Backing good guys. « Fred Klonsky

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Making waves. Backing good guys. « Fred Klonsky:Making waves. Backing good guys.by Fred KlonskyWill Guzzardi in the 39th House District in Chicago.The Chicago Democratic Machine has been famous for promoting the theory of, “Don’t make no waves. Don’t back no losers.”What is surprising is how often those who I would expect to be principled and savvy fall for this.I’ve posted before about how frustrating it is when IPACE, the political arm of the IEA, endorses candidates out of a sense ... more »

President Obama Wants Our Questions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

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President Obama Wants Our Questions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:President Obama Wants Our QuestionsBy Anthony Cody on January 23, 2012 5:54 PMIt has been a busy week for the internet Goliaths -- education tweeters who have enjoyed turning Michelle Rhee's #sixwordessay contest on its head. Perhaps we can shift our focus to our President, whose education policies leave a great deal to be desired.Tomorrow evening President Obama will take to the air to make his State of ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: How To Rule New Jersey From California

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

Jersey Jazzman: How To Rule New Jersey From California:How To Rule New Jersey From Californiaby DukeApparently, Eli Broad's got it all figured out - which is why he appears to have pretty much taken over the search for a superintendent in Jersey City:Several members of the public commented that the two search firms selected to find candidates for the position have close ties to the Broad Superintendents Academy, which trains business executives to run urban school districts, and that the ... more »

Best Questions: Assessment « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

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Best Questions: Assessment « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Best Questions: Assessmentby Molly McCloskeyDespite the rumors, school improvement is hard. It’s not about a single passionate leader. It’s not about “fixing” teachers and teaching or parents and parenting. It’s not about poverty. It’s not about money. And it’s not about standards. It’s about all of them. And more.In this column, I’ll take on the real deal of school improvement—for all schools, not just certain kinds. And for all ... more »

CEA Ad January 2012

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

The Connecticut Education Association is airing a two-week advertising campaign to highlight its comprehensive education plan -- A View from the Classroom: Proven Ideas for Student Achievement. Read the plan here:http://www.cea.org/viewfromclassroom/

A Student Proposal Could Make a University of California Education Affordable Once Again - Education - GOOD

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A Student Proposal Could Make a University of California Education Affordable Once Again - Education - GOOD:A Student Proposal Could Make a University of California Education Affordable Once Againby Liz DwyerBack in the golden days of the 1960s and 1970s, students could attend one of the 10 University of California campuses for almost nothing. They graduated without crippling debt, enabling them to buy homes, start families, and live the California dream.Today, the system is balancing its budgets on out-of-state tuition ...more »

Jersey Jazzman: Know Your Charter Reviewers

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Jersey Jazzman: Know Your Charter Reviewers:Know Your Charter Reviewersby DukeI always find it funny when reformy types insist that charters are public schools. If they were, you'd think the people who review charter applications would have lots of experience in public education and running public schools.In New Jersey, you'd be wrong. From NJ Parents Against Gov. Christie's School Budget Cuts [all emphases mine]:The reviewers' "range of experiences" seems to include very little in the way of education experience, very much ... more »

Applications for 2012-2013 Teaching Ambassador Fellowship Now Open | ED.gov Blog

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Applications for 2012-2013 Teaching Ambassador Fellowship Now Open | ED.gov Blog:Applications for 2012-2013 Teaching Ambassador Fellowship Now OpenPosted on January 23, 2012 by Guest Blogger“We have a set of amazing teachers each year who spend a year with the Department and help drive our policy discussion…I have come to rely on the Teaching Ambassador Fellows for their invaluable feedback and their ability to facilitate dialogue with teachers across the country.” – Secretary Arne DuncanApplications for the U.S. Department of Education’s ... more »

Mayor 13% Failed Me « EdVox

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Mayor 13% Failed Me « EdVox:Mayor 13% Failed Meby edvoxnyby Jazmine MillerStudent leader, New York Communities for ChangeThis blog post was originally published on the Huffington Post and can be found here.PopoutIn 2005, after a lot of hard work and sacrifices, I graduated from Herbert Lehman High School in the Bronx with a B average and an SAT score that made me and my family proud. I was ready for the next step, on track to get my college degree, ... more »

MomsRising Celebrates the Year of the Dragon: Lunar New Year Blog Carnival « MomsRising Blog

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MomsRising Celebrates the Year of the Dragon: Lunar New Year Blog Carnival « MomsRising Blog:MomsRising Celebrates the Year of the Dragon: Lunar New Year Blog CarnivalGloria Pan at MomsRising Blog - 5 minutes agoJanuary 23 marks the Lunar New Year, a time for many Asian communities to gather in celebration. Some may don new clothes and exchange gifts or red envelopes, while others may light firecrackers, throw water and participate in lion dances and parades. Whatever the variation in Lunar ... more »

Broad In or Out in The Jersey City

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At Latest Superintendent Search Meeting, Residents Voice Concerns About State Control | The Jersey City Independent: "Broad "At Latest Superintendent Search Meeting, Residents Voice Concerns About State ControlBy Steve Gold • Jan 23rd, 2012 • Category: Featured, NewsShare/SaveThe latest public meeting held on the ongoing superintendent search took place at School 11 on Friday with the prospect of a snowstorm looming.School Board Member Marvin Adames presided over the nearly two-hour forum. Two of the three board members on the ad-hoc ... more »

Join the Conversation During the State of the Union | ED.gov Blog

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Join the Conversation During the State of the Union | ED.gov Blog:Join the Conversation During the State of the UnionPosted on January 23, 2012 by Cameron BrenchleyPresident Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 25, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)Save the date for Tuesday January 24, at 9 pm EST, when President Obama will give his annual State of the Union address, with ... more »

Life in Rahm’s Chicago. « Fred Klonsky

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Life in Rahm’s Chicago. « Fred Klonsky:Life in Rahm’s Chicago.by Fred KlonskyOnly in Rahm’s Chicago would it be news that the teachers expect to be paid if they work a longer day.Rahm’s paid supporters show up at school closing hearings and pick a fight with parents and teachers.Rahm’s go-to person for the NATO and G8 meetings is said to use a “velvet fist.”The weekend saw more protests of Rahm’s plan to

Bloomberg Businessweek Reports Lucrative Real Estate Investments in Milwaukee Charter Schools « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

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Bloomberg Businessweek Reports Lucrative Real Estate Investments in Milwaukee Charter Schools « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Bloomberg Businessweek Reports Lucrative Real Estate Investments in Milwaukee Charter Schoolsby millerlfProperty Investors Bet on Rising Demand for U.S. Charter SchoolsJanuary 19, 2012, BusinessWeek By Brian LouisJan. 11 (Bloomberg) — A warehouse where workers once shaped and cut steel on Milwaukee’s north side is getting a second life. It’s being transformed into a charter school that’s scheduled to open in August.A joint venture ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Polar Monitors Used to Track Student Depression, Suicide, Cancer, Alcohol/Drug Use, Sexual Activity? Public Student Data Stored on polargofit.com website

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Missouri Education Watchdog: Polar Monitors Used to Track Student Depression, Suicide, Cancer, Alcohol/Drug Use, Sexual Activity? Public Student Data Stored on polargofit.com website:Polar Monitors Used to Track Student Depression, Suicide, Cancer, Alcohol/Drug Use, Sexual Activity? Public Student Data Stored on polargofit.com websiteby stlgretchenPolar Monitors may not only measure and provided data to schools about physical activity and heart rates in PE classes, there may also be assessments relating to student suicide, depression, cancer and diabetes risk. It can even track ... more »

School Tech Connect: iDon't Need an iPhone That Badly

School Tech Connect: iDon't Need an iPhone That Badly:

iDon't Need an iPhone That Badly

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

I'm so over Apple products. I was once their biggest fan, too. I guess if I thought the people of China had any chance whatsoever of leveling the field, I'd feel slightly less guilty for my decades of being a groupie. But they don't.

It's weird that with all the modern technology, we don't have webcams available where we can watch the workers on their 12 hour shifts, or monitor the goings-on in the dormitories. We could have parimutuel wagering on which worker will off himself next. The technology is there-- and the market is there, I have no doubt.

Anyway, the world is just going to hell. Last night, I was re-reading parts of A Good Scent From A Strange Mountain, and the Buddhist idea that desire causes suffering is right underneath every story. It makes me think

An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nomination - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nomination - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:

An old news recap: charter school decisions, mutual matching, blue ribbon nomination

By Katy Murphy
Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 6:13 pm in charter schools, school closures,teachers.

Education news kept right on happening in the last two weeks. Here are some of the developments I missed while I was visiting old temples and dodging motorbikes:

THE OAKLAND SCHOOL BOARD REJECTED the charter school conversion petitions submitted by the faculties of ASCEND and Learning Without Limits, elementary schools in the Fruitvale area. While the district’s charter schools office recommended approval, Superintendent Tony Smith took a different stance, saying that allowing schools to break away from the district would undermine the district’s strategic plan. Both schools have since appealed the decision to the Alameda County Board of Education.

This whereas seems to sum up the superintendent’s position:

“WHEREAS, the District can not succeed at its strategic plan to create a Full Service Community School District that serves the whole child, provides each child with a

Support PURE! » FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parents

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parents:

FL “parent trigger” bill turned around by parents

by admin

Congratulations to our powerful, tireless Parents Across America member, Rita Solnet, and other parents in Florida for taking a lemon of a bill (promoted as “parent empowerment”) and making it into something a lot more like lemonade!

According to the Tampa Bay Times,

Heading toward its first hearings, Florida’s proposed “Parent Empowerment Act” came uderblistering criticism from parent groups saying the initiative was a “scheme” to hand neighborhood schools over to private entities. Many parent groups immediately disavowed any input in the bill that supposedly is for them.

“They try to sell it as a piece of grassroots legislation,” said another parent about the so-called “parent trigger” law, but “It’s more astroturf.”

In a change that Illinois legislators and the Chicago school board ought to pay attention to, the Florida proposal

NYC Public School Parents: On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeper

NYC Public School Parents: On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeper:

On teacher evaluation: the responsibility of the media to dig a little deeper

by Leonie Haimson

The mainstream media has contributed heavily to the rampant public confusion over the teacher evaluation debate in recent weeks. Most recently, on Sunday the NY Times featured two superficial accounts of this issue.

The first, by Nick Kristof, told a familiar if touching story about an Arkansas school librarian named Mildred Grady, who bought some books by a favored author and slipped them onto the shelves to appeal to one particular at-risk student who later became a judge--to prove the notion that good teachers can change lives. This story was apparently first told in a Story Corps 2009 piece on NPR radio.

Kristof concludes that this example reveals how “we need rigorous teacher evaluations, more pay for good teachers and more training and weeding-out of poor teachers.”

Not so fast. The so-called “rigorous” system currently being promoted by the