Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 2-28 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform

The Narrative of Poverty - Dana Goldstein

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

The Narrative of Poverty - Dana Goldstein:The Narrative of Povertyby Dana GoldsteinWhen I was reading Katherine Boo's Beyond the Beautiful Forevers, about day-to-day life in the Mumbai slum of Annawadi, I couldn't stop thinking about how much the book had in common with one of my all-time favorites,Random Family, Adrian Nicole Leblanc's masterpiece about love and the drug trade in the South Bronx of the 19080s and 90s. So I wrote an essay for The Daily Beast about the two ...more »

Safe at School and Ready to Learn | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

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

Safe at School and Ready to Learn | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:Safe at School and Ready to Learnby NEA Health Information NetworkQuestion: What is found throughout the school meal program that can be deadly dangerous?If you answered food allergens, you would be right. Six percent of students have a food allergy and the big eight of food allergies (soy, eggs, milk, fish, wheat, shellfish, tree nuts, and peanuts) are found throughout school meal programs and family ... more »

Modern School: Fox Guarding Hen House: Rhee Buddies Up to Duncan During Investigation of DC Cheating Scandal

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

Modern School: Fox Guarding Hen House: Rhee Buddies Up to Duncan During Investigation of DC Cheating Scandal:Fox Guarding Hen House: Rhee Buddies Up to Duncan During Investigation of DC Cheating Scandalby Michael DunnMichelle Rhee was the chancellor of Washington, D.C. schools from 2007 to 2010, during the time D.C. school officials cheated to raise test scores. The Office of the Inspector General in Arne Duncan’s Education Department has been investigating the case for the past six months. Considering how much ... more »

Schools Matter: Why Bill Gates Makes Me Throw Up

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

Schools Matter: Why Bill Gates Makes Me Throw Up:Why Bill Gates Makes Me Throw Upby Jim HornThe chart above shows market capitalization trends for Apple and Microsoft over just two months in 2010.To show that this trend of Microsoft's failing hegemony is not a fluke, here is another showing operating income

How to Demoralize Teachers - Bridging Differences - Education Week

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

How to Demoralize Teachers - Bridging Differences - Education Week:How to Demoralize Teachersby Diane RavitchDear Deborah,Two weeks ago, New York state's highest court ruled that the New York City Department of Education could release for public scrutiny the value-added ratings of teachers of mathematics and English in grades 4-8. Rupert Murdoch's New York Post, joined by other media, had filed a "freedom of information" request to obtain the testing data, and the United Federation of Teachers opposed their release, saying ... more »

IRS targeting charter schools? (OneNewsNow.com)

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

IRS targeting charter schools? (OneNewsNow.com):IRS targeting charter schools?Bob Kellogg - OneNewsNow - 2/28/2012 3:45:00 AMA school choice advocate says the Internal Revenue Service's proposed changes to the definition of "governmental plans" could make school teachers ineligible for participation in state pension systems. The IRS' "Determination of Government Plan Status" would force states to prohibit public charter school teachers from participating in state retirement plans. Todd Ziebarth, vice president for state advocacy and support for the National Alliance for Public Chart... more »

NY principal: Teacher scores inaccurate at my school - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

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

NY principal: Teacher scores inaccurate at my school - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:NY principal: Teacher scores inaccurate at my schoolby Valerie StraussThe information below comes from Elizabeth Phillips, principal of P.S. 321 in Park Slope, N.Y., about how badlythe newly released rankings of New York City public school teachers reflect the reality at her school. Phillips wrote that she is “absolutely sick” about the public release of the Teacher Data Reports (TDR) of some 18,000 teachers based ... more »

solidaridad: Please come battle New West Charter on Tuesday!

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

solidaridad: Please come battle New West Charter on Tuesday!:Please come battle New West Charter on Tuesday!by Robert D. Skeels * rdsatheneJoin hundreds of community members, students, teachers and parents are going to City Hall in force to protect West LA from the effects of that the relocation of New West Charter could cause, namely:Insane traffic at all hours of the dayUse of public funds to gain a rent subsidy just because they are near a Title 1 Elementary schoolPossible continued ... more »

Virtual Lobby Day Tuesday. School board members can do it too. « Fred Klonsky

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

Virtual Lobby Day Tuesday. School board members can do it too. « Fred Klonsky:Virtual Lobby Day Tuesday. School board members can do it too.by Fred KlonskyThe IEA may not be mobilizing people to go to Springfield. But teachers in this area want to go anyway. So we’re looking into getting a bus (maybe two) and heading down to the Capitol after Spring break.Sometimes things are too important to be left to those in charge.But today is today. Time to send ... more »

NEA Read Across America promotional videos Dr. Seuss' The Lorax movie ...

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

The stars of the Lorax are shining the spotlight on NEA's Read Across America. The cast, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Betty White, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms and Rob Riggle are this year's honorary Co-chairs and took time from their busy schedule to record two promotional videos for NEA. Zac Efron will join NEA President Dennis Van Roekel in New York for the March 2 national kickoff.

My Friends, The Cops | The Jose Vilson

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

My Friends, The Cops | The Jose Vilson:My Friends, The Copsby JoseBefore the turn of the century, my friends and I took spring walks from school to home, following the route of the M14D, which runs all the way down 14th Street from West to East and back again. Along the way, there was a little deli / convenience store along the way with the usual characters, including an dark-skinned man stocking up groceries in the back. While I searched ... more »

State board re-examines statewide rights for charters | California Watch #soschat

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

State board re-examines statewide rights for charters | California Watch:State board re-examines statewide rights for chartersFebruary 9, 2011 | Corey G. JohnsonThe State Board of Education will hold a public hearing today to discuss what has become a thorny question: Under what circumstances should a charter school company be allowed to bypass local district control and operate statewide?The board has granted statewide status to three charter school organizations since 2006: High Tech High, Pacific Technology School and Aspire Public Schools.The ... more »

Enforcement Chief at Postsecondary Bureau to Resign - The Bay Citizen

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Enforcement Chief at Postsecondary Bureau to Resign - The Bay Citizen:Enforcement Chief at Postsecondary Bureau to ResignResignation comes after The Bay Citizen revealed the bureau failed to properly oversee state's for-profit schoolsTEXT SIZE A A ABy JENNIFER GOLLAN on February 27, 2012 - 6:34 p.m. PSTstart discussionScreen shot from California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools Annual ConferenceKaren Newquist speaks to the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools' Annual Conference in Oct. 2011.The administrator in charge of policing the state’s for-profit... more »

Schools in the U.S Teaching Spanish With New Method - Hispanically Speaking News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Schools in the U.S Teaching Spanish With New Method - Hispanically Speaking News:Schools in the U.S Teaching Spanish With New MethodLearning Spanish is becoming more important for Americans every day, so the pilot launch of an interactive learning program in schools is being carried out to create a new model for introducing the United States’ second-most-spoken language into the country’s educational system.E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington has been the first to employ the new program that enables students ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-27 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

The Neighborhood as Curriculum - Dana GoldsteinBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-8 minutes agoThe Neighborhood as Curriculum - Dana Goldstein:The Neighborhood as Curriculumby Dana Goldstein Between periods at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, May 2011.The role of the curriculum in school "turnaround" efforts is not often acknowledged, which is why I wanted to writethis piece, about Crenshaw High School in South L.A. The school has struggled with difficult demographics, constant administrative turnover, and persistently low test scores. But ... more »

Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Law | Learn More About Teacher Evaluations

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Law | Learn More About Teacher Evaluations:Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation LawBy Richard Iannuzzi, President, New York State United TeachersThe ink hadn’t dried on the agreement between NYSUT and the State Education Department before the press, blogs, e-mails and airwaves were filled with diatribes on what the new law does and does not do. While there were a lot of comments and reactions that understood ... more »

The Lake Wobegone Effect « Bill Ayers

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

The Lake Wobegone Effect « Bill Ayers:The Lake Wobegone Effectby billayersThe crazies driving the noisy, corporate-sponsored “school reform movement” exposed by my old friend Mike Klonsky—take a look:I rarely take statistics seriously when it comes to teacher evaluation. Especially when they’re based on student test scores and published in the New York Times. But this one is too good to pass up.At Public School 234 in TriBeCa, where children routinely alight for school from luxury cars, roughly one-third of the ... more »

Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Option « Continuing Change

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Option « Continuing Change:Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Optionby gatorbonbcRegarding the investigation into Michelle Rhee and cheating in DC schools, Justin Hamilton, spokesman for Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, says:.“It’s irresponsible for a New York Times columnist to presume guilt before we have all the facts,” (NY Times article).Well, see, now… finally, w

Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdown | Seattle Education #soschat

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 11 hours ago

Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdown | Seattle Education:Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdownby seattleducation2011Seattle Protest and March for Public EducationMarch 1 National Day of Action for EducationBanks got bailed out, students and teachers got sold out!Thursday, March 12:45pm – Gather at Westlake Park3:30pm – March to the Gates Foundation Headquarters (5th Mercer)4:15pm – Rally, teach-in, and grade-in led by ... more »

Family & Peers Essential, Mexican-American College Student Success - Hispanically Speaking News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Family Peers Essential, Mexican-American College Student Success - Hispanically Speaking News:STUDY: Family and Peers Essential to Mexican-American College Student SuccessHispanics are enrolling in the higher education system at a greater rate than ever, yet they are less likely than their non-Hispanic peers to enter college or earn degrees, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. A new study by a University of Missouri researcher found that Mexican-American college students’ family and peer attachments are associated with prosocial and physically aggressive behaviors ... more »

Occupy the DOE in DC - ALL DETAILS HERE - Perdaily.com

Occupy the DOE in DC - ALL DETAILS HERE - Perdaily.com:

Occupy the DOE in DC - ALL DETAILS HERE

by Leonard Isenberg

http://unitedoptout.com/event/we-endorse-occupy-wall-street-with-action/

- Please read entire post -

« Back to Events

Event:

Occupy the DOE in DC - ALL DETAILS HERE - Please read entire post

Start:

March 30, 2012

End:

April 2, 2012

Organizer:

Occupy the DOE in DC - ALL DETAILS HERE - Please read entire post

Updated:

December 9, 2011

Venue:

U.S. Department of Education

Address:
Google Map

400 Maryland Ave, SW , Washington, DC, 20202, United States

United Opt Out National endorses Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together by creating ACTION in solidarity. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POST FOR ALL INFORMATION ON THE OCCUPATION. WE OPT OUT OF CORPORATE EDUCATION REFORM.

It is time to end Wall Street Occupation of Education.

We asked - they said NO. We wrote - they said NO. We sent them research - they said NO. We say NO. We opt out. We will put a screeching halt to corporate education by saying NO to the test.

We will occupy the Department of Education in DC from March 30^th to April 2^nd. On-going planning can be found at our Facebook Occupy the DOE page.

It's time to put the public back in public education. Occupy the DOE and show them who education REALLY BELONGS to.

Join United Opt Out National & #OCCUPYDOE in Washington D.C.

April Fools!
No Child Left Behind - Fool Me Once.
Race to the Top - We Won't be Fooled Again.

Join us. In solidarity with Occupy Movements everywhere.

See SCHEDULE.

Download summary of schedule.

Share this letter to promote Occupy the DOE in DC.

See here for Occupy the DOE in DC posters created by Jay Rivett from Occupy ART: Indiana.

Wondering where to stay? (free places and/or hotels)

Check the map here for hotel locations and more. Where are WE/United Opt Out Administrators staying? We are staying at the Washington Hilton, also known as the Dupont Circle Hilton, address: 1919 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20009, 1.202.483.3000

Where to stay for free? We have reserved sleeping space for our group at St.Stephen and the Incarnation. We can be in the building during these times:

March 29th to March 30th, Thursday 9 pm - Friday 8:30 am
March 30th to 31st, Friday 9pm - Saturday 11am
March 31st to April 1st, Saturday 5pm - Sunday 7am
April 1st to April 2nd, Sunday 9pm - Monday 11am

Here is the information on sleeping arrangements: http://saintstephensdc.org/Sleeping_Info.html

Here is directions to St. Stephen http://saintstephensdc.org/directions.html

At St. Stephen there is street parking only. It can be tight; folks will simply have to look. Or pay for parking in the garage at 14th and Park Road NW -- a five minute walk away.

Additional housing information from NOWDC.

See here for Occupy DOE Rules of Engagement

See here for permit/guidelines/route to Capitol Hill on March 30th. See here for map.

Useful information from occupationeducationca.org regarding interaction with police.

Useful information from occupationeducationca.org regarding your rights to demonstrate and protest.

Information from National Lawyers Guild. We will have a legal observer on site during the daytime.

Pamphlet from National Lawyers Guild on Knowing Your Rights

Performance Ratings for Charter School Teachers Is Made Public – SchoolBook

Performance Ratings for Charter School Teachers Is Made Public – SchoolBook:

Performance Ratings for Charter School Teachers Is Made Public

by Anna M. Phillips

Performance ratings for 217 New York City charter school teachers were made public on Tuesday but city officials cautioned that because of missing information, the reports cannot be used to objectively compare the quality of a public school versus charter school education.
The controversial ratings cover math and English teachers of grades four to eight at 32 charter schools. These schools receive public funding, but are privately managed, and unlike traditional public schools, they voluntarily participated in the city’s teacher data initiative, believing that the information would remain confidential.
Some of the schools that volunteered for the assessment are part of established charter management organizations like KIPP or Uncommon, while others are independent schools, commonly called mom-and-pops.
The release of these ratings marks the end of the city’s fulfillment of a court order to make them public. On

The Case for Large High Schools

by Susan Crawford

With upward of 60 more schools on the New York City Department of Education’s chopping block this spring, and with eighth-grade students about to learn their high school assignments, this is a good time to reflect on whether the school system has reached Alvin Toffler’s point of “overchoice.”
As he described it in his 1970 book “Future Shock,” that is “the point at which the advantages of diversity and individualization are cancelled by the complexity of the buyer’s decision-making process.”
In its push to close comprehensive high schools in particular, and replace them with campuses of multiple, 

What did it get us? « Fred Klonsky

What did it get us? « Fred Klonsky:

What did it get us?

by Fred Klonsky

The email came from our elections chair today. Who is in running for delegate to the NEA RA?

This year it will be in DC.

Over July 4th, as usual.

I will retire by July, but I can run one more time as an active teacher.

I will.

It is still early to know what will be the hot button issues. But there will be plenty. There always is.

My first convention a dozen years ago we battled over merger with the AFT.

Since then there have been a thousand New Business Items.

Many of them will inevitably cause someone to go to the microphone and ask, “What does this have to do with

School Tech Connect: Report From The Virtual Front

School Tech Connect: Report From The Virtual Front:

Report From The Virtual Front

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

I had some communication with my state representative, Kelly Cassidy, about SB 512 and other pension questions."I still am firmly against the ideas put forth in the original bill," is one of the things that she said.
Of course, she left herself plenty of wiggle room with the usual language about all parties needing to come to the table. I'm going to press her next on the ideas in Glen Brown's great post--- about slowing down the ramp-up to 2045, about increasing revenues, and about the exaggeration of the problem. Very reasonable, responsible people agree on these matters--- it's just that the GOP business-climate hysteria is driving every conversation.
I'm endorsing her. She's always answered my questions, and that's hugely important to me. She'll probably vote in the end for something I completely disagree with. Her opponent, Paula Basta, has been pretty generic about education. Here she is in the Sun-Times:

On school funding, Basta says “schools in Illinois require adequate funding but they also need to