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Monday, February 20, 2012

Big Education Ape: 2-20-12 AM 'Tis a Shame, the Mastication of Education EDition #soschat

Big Education Ape: PARENTS CAN!:
Big Education Ape: PARENTS CAN!

Published by Coopmike48 – 5 news spotters today

'Tis a Shame, the Mastication of Education

oneteachersperspective.blogspot.com - In his 2006 memoir Teacher Man, the late, great Frank McCourt tersely wrote, “Teaching is the downstairs maid of professions.” Just six years later, McCourt’s proposition is already in need o...

DianeRavitch

Daily Kos: Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Why Authority Fails

dailykos.com - Let me begin by stating upfront that I have wonderful parents and by making the first point I am about to offer, I fear suggesting something far more negative about my father than I intend. But the...

DianeRavitch

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fklonsky profile

fklonsky Santorum's theology: more excited about contraceptives than pedophile priests.about 1 minute ago · reply · retweet · favorite

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 Read Damn Good Education Daily ▸ today's top stories via@cajacobson ▸ http://t.co/6wO7hXDz#SOSMARCH #soschat13 seconds ago · reply · retweet · favorite

coopmike48 profile

coopmike48 Would-be journalists face deadline of March 31 to seek scholarships - Sacramento Bee - http://t.co/MYFXegk28 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

EducationSee all

Imagine charter schools' expensive leases draw scrutiny

tampabay.com - Two Tampa Bay charter schools are part of a national chain that is drawing scrutiny for lease arrangements that absorb big chunks of taxpayer funding.The Imagine charter school near downtown St. Pe...

DianeRavitch

SocietySee all

Piccolo Elem. Chicago Parents Occupy AND WIN!

dailykos.com - Piccolo Elementary parents and supporters are declaring their occupation a success. After occupying a portion of the west side elementary school for close to 24 hours, parents have received a promi...

mikeklonsky

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky

preaprez.wordpress.com - The Piccolo Occupation celebrates a victory last night when the CPS agreed to actually talk to parents and teachers at the school before closing it down. Photo: Katie Osgood. The tactic of occupati...

fklonsky

Murdoch's Message to Staff at The Sun

mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com - Trying to stem the tide of anger and frustration at his British tabloid The Sun, Rupert Murdoch sent an e-mail to the staff on Friday assuring them of his commitment and support at a difficult time...

leoniehaimson

StoriesSee all

The Art of Distraction

nytimes.com - THE other day it occurred to me that I needed more exercise and should take up skipping. I obtained a smart leather rope with weights in the handles and, waiting until it was almost dark, went out ...

mikeklonsky

The Love of My Life is a "Clueless Liberal"

bluejersey.com - Usually I try not to engage the get off my lawn! folks. Partly that is because history has taught me how boring, how sometimes troubling those conversations can be. Part of it, dude, is that I live...

coopmike48

PoliticsSee all

In bid for N.J. school aid, sense of betrayal

articles.philly.com - And 4 p.m.: That's the time she got a call one day last month from an apologetic governor's aide, saying Christie would veto the bill she had shepherded through the Legislature at his suggestion."I...

leoniehaimson

The Democratic Promise of Occupy Wall Street

sacramentopa.blogspot.com - Published on The Nation (http://www.thenation.com)December 12, 2011Regular politics in Washington now resembles an ecological dead zone where truth perishes in a polluted environment. Democrats and...

coopmike48

Judge Absolves NJ Christie Political Target

dailycensored.com - Federal prosecutors wrongly indicted a New Jersey mayoral candidate for a second time on corruption charges, according to a Newark federal judge who dismissed all charges in a political prosecution...

coopmike48

Art & EntertainmentSee all

Up with Chris Hayes - Sunday's Show (Feb. 19)

upwithchrishayes.msnbc.msn.com - Yesterday Rick Santorum attacked President Obama by calling his agenda a "phony theology... not based on the Bible". Today we look at how these comments will affect his campaign, in addition to his...

coopmike48

HealthSee all

Building Self-Control, the American Way

nytimes.com - EACH year, it seems, a new book emerges to capitalize on the parental insecurities of Americans. Last year it was Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.” This time it’s Pamela Druckerman’s “B...

mikeklonsky

School as Abuse and Education as Art

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - School as Abuse and Education as Art:School as Abuse and Education as ArtFEBRUARY 19, 2012Very Important Article about School as Abuse and Education as Art. It is a must read even though it makes i...

coopmike48

Defining the 6 Subtypes of SPD

special-ism.com - Dr. Lucy J Miller poses there are 6 subtypes of SPD which help us better understand the children that we are working with. We all know about the 8 sensory systems with the newest system being inter...

coopmike48

#eduRead this paperSee all

#corpreformSee all

New teacher evaluation system is all flaws

nydailynews.com - On Thursday, the New York State Department of Education and the state teachers union came to an agreement on revising the teacher evaluation process to include students’ standardized test scores.Ea...

leoniehaimson

VideosSee all


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Missouri Education Watchdog: Will the Government Mandate Marriage so Childrens' Educational Outcomes are Enhanced?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Will the Government Mandate Marriage so Childrens' Educational Outcomes are Enhanced?:

Will the Government Mandate Marriage so Childrens' Educational Outcomes are Enhanced?

by stlgretchen

For Women Under 30, Most Births Occur Outside Marriage...

Does it Matter for the Children?


From the NY Times: Reviewing the academic literature, Susan L. Brown of Bowling Green State University recently found that children born to married couples, on average, “experience better education, social, cognitive and behavioral outcomes.”

Can and/or should the government mandate that children born must be to married couples, then, for better educational outcomes?

If there are mandates on student personal behavior taught in school (healthy eating stressed and food
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Students Learn Better with Engaged Parents - High School Notes (usnews.com)

Students Learn Better with Engaged Parents - High School Notes (usnews.com):

Students Learn Better with Engaged Parents

By LAURA MCMULLEN

February 20, 2012 RSS Feed Print

As kids get older and advance to high school, talking to them about their school life can become more difficult for parents. With younger children, parents may have been required to sign off on report cards and progress reports, attend more parent-teacher conferences, or simply drive their kids to school. But when students reach high school, connecting with children over school can become challenging.

Even if parent engagement in academics is hard, it's incredibly important, says Sherri Wilson, senior manager of family engagement at the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Wilson helped organize the recent National Take Your Family to School Week, designed to build partnerships between families

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Parents as Partners – Building Learning Networks | Connected Principals

Parents as Partners – Building Learning Networks | Connected Principals:

Parents as Partners – Building Learning Networks

by Shannon Smith


"fist bump" cc by Mark H. Anbinder on flickr

Many schools are beginning to use social media to send out information to parents. Examples include twitter feeds and facebook pages. These initial forays into social media are a first step. They provide parents and the community with greater access to information regarding the school and the learning happening within its walls.

A key facet of school leadership is developing relationships, both within staff and also with families and the community. This relationship building must include seeking feedback and listening. Most of this work is done

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Parents Feeling Ignored in School Reforms - Chicago News Cooperative

Parents Feeling Ignored in School Reforms - Chicago News Cooperative:

Parents Feeling Ignored in School Reforms

by REBECCA VEVEA

Chicago Public School officials are making big changes during their first year in office, but there’s a group of people feeling shut out once again — parents.

Despite a well-publicized commitment to involve parents in the city’s public education system, some of them are not happy with how Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his school team are following through. And some say they are still not familiar with the new Office of Community and Family Engagement.

“I’ve heard of the new department, but I quite honestly have no idea what they do,” said Jonathan Goldman, a parent and Local School Council member at Drummond Montessori School, a sought-after magnet program.

The district has long been accused of excluding parents from its decision-making process. “To be fair, C.P.S. has never, under any recent administration, been a bastion of parent engagement,” Goldman said.

To address that reputation, Jean-Claude Brizard, C.P.S. chief executive, created the office last July and said it would focus solely on parents and school communities. He said the new office would concentrate the responsibilities of several former departments — the Office of Local School Council relations, the Office of

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Happy President’s Day | Thoughts on Public Education

Happy President’s Day | Thoughts on Public Education:

Happy President’s Day

Posted on 2/20/12 • Categorized as Uncategorized

By Kathryn Baron

American Education Week, 1961

Proclamation 3422, by President John F. Kennedy

Whereas wide knowledge and the free interchange of thought are essential to the growth and vitality of our Nation; and

Whereas our political and social institutions depend for their perpetuation and strength upon an informed, responsible, and confident people; and

Whereas we are at a time of growth in our country which gives us not only greater means for the satisfaction of our material needs but also more opportunities for the cultivation of learning and wisdom; and

Whereas it is appropriate that a special period be set aside each year to mark the

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Privately owned public spaces: Guidance needed

Privately owned public spaces: Guidance needed:

Privately owned public spaces: Guidance needed

John King

PrintComments (45)Font | Size:
41

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

The seating area of Courtyard at the Infinity, 300 Spear St.

The Roof Terrace at One Kearny shows why we're lucky that San Francisco requires downtown developers to provide space in their projects that is accessible to the public at large.

It also is a case study in why the generation-old guidelines must be improved.

The snug terrace opened this winter as a comfortable perch that delivers the best free views downtown, whether it's the panoramic vista up Market Street to Twin Peaks or the adjacent red-tile mansard roof from 1906 that you can almost touch. But



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/18/MN3S1N8PUQ.DTL#ixzz1mvh8vaWn
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Daily Kos: How we're doing evaluation could destroy teaching

Daily Kos: How we're doing evaluation could destroy teaching:

How we doing evaluation could destroy teaching

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)
Steve Ball, executive principal at the East Literature Magnet School in Nashville, arrived at an English class unannounced one day this month and spent 60 minutes taking copious notes as he watched the teacher introduce and explain the concept of irony. “It was a good lesson,” Mr. Ball said.

But under Tennessee’s new teacher-evaluation system, which is similar to systems being adopted around the country, Mr. Ball said he had to give the teacher a one — the lowest rating on a five-point scale — in one of 12 categories: breaking students into groups. Even though Mr. Ball had seen the same teacher, a successful veteran he declined to identify, group students effectively on other occasions, he felt that he had no choice but to follow the strict guidelines of the state’s complicated rubric.

“It’s not an accurate reflection of her as a teacher,” Mr. Ball said.

That is how States Try to Fix Quirks in Teacher Evaluations begins, a story in today's New York Times begins.
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NYC Educator: Effective Teachers Make Kids Produce

NYC Educator: Effective Teachers Make Kids Produce:

Effective Teachers Make Kids Produce

by NYC Educator
Stuyvesant teacher and blogger Gary Rubenstein had a great op-ed yesterday in the Daily News. He says that any teacher who does not receive a favorable score on "objective measures," or VAM tests must be rated ineffective in NY state. Therefore, though VAM is stated to be 40% of evaluation, it actually counts for 100, unlike any other state that's jumped on the baseless BS bandwagon.

He also says, like Michael Winerip did in more detail, that a good teacher could easily receive a bad rating. I'm now getting email from people who seem to
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Interview with Larry Ferlazzo « InterACT

Interview with Larry Ferlazzo « InterACT:

Interview with Larry Ferlazzo

by David B. Cohen
Larry Ferlazzo

Larry Ferlazzo

Hey Larry –
Congratulations on reaching the five-year mark with your blog! As a reward for your hard work, I think it’s time to turn the tables and use the occasion of your 5-year blogiversary to interview you. I was thinking about doing this anyways at some point, and this is the perfect occasion. If you can spare the time, would you mind answering some questions?

David,

Sure — be happy to:
1. In the past five years, you’ve been incredibly prolific. We’re talking about five years because that’s how long you’ve been posting “Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day” – which has turned into a vast collection of resources that anyone would be proud to have produced. But on top of that, you have two
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The Educated Reporter: No School on Presidents Day: Would Washington and Lincoln Approve?

The Educated Reporter: No School on Presidents Day: Would Washington and Lincoln Approve?:

No School on Presidents Day: Would Washington and Lincoln Approve?

by Emily Richmond
The third Monday in February is better known for its association with good deals on sleeper sofas and sedans than for the presidential birthday supposedly being commemorated. For millions of American schoolchildren, it’s also a day off from class.

The official name of the federal holiday is Washington’s Birthday, although the nation’s first president was born on Feb. 22. However, the date is widely referred to as Presidents Day, and many states use it to recognize the Feb. 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln, as well. Legislation recently introduced by Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Virginia, would move the federal holiday to Washington’s actual birthday.

Given that school districts across the country have cut instructional days to make up for budget shortfalls, and
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Republican frontrunner Santorum said the idea of public school was “anachronistic.”
Rick Santorum
“It’s about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology,” he said. “But no less a theology.” -- N.Y. Times
Valerie Strauss
Jon Stewart tried to engage Education Secretary Arne Duncan on “The Daily Show” Thursday night, but the effort was an exercise in the futility of conversing with someone who won’t deviate from his
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Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Common Core: David Coleman is no Doug Lemov…

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Common Core: David Coleman is no Doug Lemov…:

Common Core: David Coleman is no Doug Lemov…

by alicemercer

This week, my student teacher and I were discussing questioning techniques during reading of texts to guide student learning, and boy this was timely with some recent discussions about Common Core ELA.

Thanks to Tom Hoffman, I’m learning more about Common Core standards than my district is sharing with me (even though a chunk of our districts $81M budget for consultants is for common core implementation). He has a recent post that refers to a number of posts from educators who seem to know what the heck they are talking about discussing a recent piece from David Coleman (Mr. Common Core ELA) on close reading. Basically, his take is that you are not supposed to provide students with pre-reading lessons when embarking on having students read a text. Instead, students should get meaning from multiple reads of the texts. Here is a videowhere he explains what students should be able to discern from the text.

Some folks are noting how this is in opposition to Doug Lemov’s approach. I have to say though, it’s not just

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