Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Big Education Ape: 3-20-12 AM In Defense of Facing Reality EDition #SOSCHAT

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

Published by Coopmike48 – 6 news spotters today

Diane Ravitch: In Defense of Facing Reality

huffingtonpost.com - I recently wrote two review articles for the New York Review of Books about the teaching profession. The first was a review of Pasi Sahlberg's Finnish Lessons, about the exceptional school system o...
Mike Klonsky

Go Rudy! Beat Jonah! « Fred Klonsky

preaprez.wordpress.com - In the race for the 21st Illinois House District the names on the ballot may say Rudy Lozano and Sylvana Tabares. The race is really between Rudy and Jonah Edelman and tens of thousands of dollars ...
Mike Klonsky

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coopmike48 Read Damn Good Education Daily ▸ today's top stories via @KenMLibby@fklonsky @shankerblog ▸paper.li/coopmike48/bir…12 seconds ago · reply · retweet · favorite
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EducationSee all

NAICU - Round Two of Teacher Neg Reg

naicu.edu - The first meeting of the Department of Education rulemaking panel on teacher education in January was largely characterized by negotiators holding their cards.  In February's second session, though...
Diane Ravitch

United Opt Out National

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

SocietySee all

Jersey Jazzman: War Against Teachers = War Against Women

jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com - War Against Teachers = War Against Women Digby has been on a tear over the last couple of weeks about this idiotic battle conservatives are waging against women's health and reproductive rights. An...
Mike Klonsky

Chicago Teachers Union | March 2012 Endorsements

ctunet.com - Fifty-two candidates who pledged to work with teachers, parents and school leaders to provide students with the high-quality education they deserve have been endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union ...
Mike Klonsky

BusinessSee all

Big Education Ape: Jersey Jazzman: Where My Head Explodes

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Jersey Jazzman: Where My Head Explodes Jersey Jazzman: Where My Head Explodes: Someone please save us from education "experts" like Laura Waters: Over the past few months, the Christie Administrati...
Coopmike48

PoliticsSee all

The Illinois Progressive Out To Put A ‘Blue Dog’ Down

2012.talkingpointsmemo.com - If this election year represents a potential crossroads for Democrats — wherein the party must choose to either embrace progressive principles or espouse moderation in the name of electability — Tu...
fklonsky

The Illinois Progressive Out To Put A ‘Blue Dog’ Down

2012.talkingpointsmemo.com - If this election year represents a potential crossroads for Democrats — wherein the party must choose to either embrace progressive principles or espouse moderation in the name of electability — Tu...
Mike Klonsky

HealthSee all

Cinnamon Challenge Replaces Planking as Danger Du Jour

educationnews.org - Following on from tangoing and planking, the new YouTube craze sweeping schools is called ‘the cinnamon challenge’, in which kids try to swallow a spoonful of cinnamon without water. Unfortunately ...
Coopmike48

Education Research Report: Diagnosis of ADHD on the Rise

educationresearchreport.blogspot.com - Diagnosis of ADHD on the Rise ฮฉ Ten million American children diagnosed with ADHD during doctors’ visits The number of American children leaving doctors’ offices with an attention deficit hyperacti...
Coopmike48

StoriesSee all

School Tech Connect: On a Positive Note...

schooltechconnect.com - On a Positive Note... For all the slamming of the IEA I do around here, I'm going to give them props for this. Of course, I disagree with the some of the narrative (meaningful reforms? like the one...
Coopmike48

Remarks by the First Lady at a Campaign Event

whitehouse.gov -         MRS. OBAMA:  Wow!  (Applause.)  This looks like it was so much fun.  (Applause.)  How many people did some bowling?  (Applause.)  They asked me if I wanted to throw a ball.  I told them, bo...
Coopmike48

More About Mike Daisey, This Time with George Clooney!

insidehighered.com - I’ve been thinking about Mike Daisey’s lies, about the seemingly small details that alerted reporter Rob Schmitz’s bullshit detector and put him on the trail, namely Daisey’s lies about the guards ...
Coopmike48

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The IEA? $24,000. Tim Furman? Priceless. « Fred Klonsky

The IEA? $24,000. Tim Furman? Priceless. « Fred Klonsky:


The IEA? $24,000. Tim Furman? Priceless.

by Fred Klonsky
I went to the organization to which I pay over $400 a year (plus NEA and local dues) with an New Business Item that would direct our state’s Board of Directors to create an opt-in, password protected data base of grass roots political activists for members to access. IEA members in common legislative districts could then hook up and work together on education and union issues.
“Can’t do it. It would cost $24,000,” the leadership said.
But to no one’s surprise, technology educator, activist and blogger Tim Furman at SchoolTechConnect will have the very same database up and running in a view days.
The cost? Nothing but his time.


Tuesday Lobby Day: Vote Will, Rudy, Kenny and Ilya.

by Fred Klonsky

Of course you should contact your legislators today about pensions. Do it here.
But if you live in their districts, be sure to vote for these three State House Representatives.
Will Guzzardi in the 39th.
Rudy Lozano in the 21st.
Kenny Johnson in the the 26th.
All have the support of the teachers unions.
Lozano and Johnson face candidates that are bought and paid for with thousands of dollars contributed by the anti-union Stand for Children.
Good luck to Will, Rudy and Kenny.
And teachers who live in the 10 Congressional District should be voting for the progressive Ilya Sheyman. We can finally get a good guy in the old Mark Kirk district.
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California's Education Crisis and the Need for New Revenues | California Progress Report

California's Education Crisis and the Need for New Revenues | California Progress Report:


California's Education Crisis and the Need for New Revenues

by megan
By Duane Campbell
California, like most states, needs additional revenue to fund schools and to invest in the future. A tax plan known as The Millionaires Tax has been proposed by the California Federation of Teachers and the Courage Campaign to increase revenues to pay for vital services. It was assigned the official title "Tax To Benefit Public Schools, Social Services, Public Safety, And Road Maintenance."
On March 15, Governor Jerry Brown agreed to modify his proposed tax plan to make it more like the more progressive plan of CFT, the Courage Campaign and others.
read more


Occupy Targets Corporate Giant Monsanto in Global Day of Action

by megan
By Julia MacKenzie
Occupy Los Angeles
On Friday March 16th Occupy groups from all over the nation joined with Millions Against Monsanto in a global day of action against agricultural biotechnology giant Monsanto. The Organic Consumers Association also reported solidarity actions in Spain, Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. In Los Angeles, Occupy Los Angeles affinity group Occupiers for Animal and Earth Liberation staged a protest at Monsanto International Trading Corporation located on Wilshire Blvd.
read more
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Calif. schools lead nation in Hispanic enrollment | California Watch

Calif. schools lead nation in Hispanic enrollment | California Watch:


Calif. schools lead nation in Hispanic enrollment

America Redefined/Flickr
California enrolls the most Hispanics in K-12 schools in the country: nearly 3.4 million in 2010, according to an analysis of census data released yesterday by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Hispanics made up 51 percent of all K-12 students in the state – the second-highest proportion of overall enrollment in the nation, behind New Mexico's 57 percent.
The analysis, based on data from the 2010 American Community Survey, also found that Hispanics attained lower levels of education than their non-Hispanic white and black peers.
About 3 out of 10 Californians ages 25 and older held a bachelor's degree or more. That figure was higher among whites (38.9 percent) and lower among blacks (21.4 percent) and Hispanics (10.6 percent). More than 42 percent 
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Izzy Gardon makes statement as Sacramento schools' student board member - Education - The Sacramento Bee

Izzy Gardon makes statement as Sacramento schools' student board member - Education - The Sacramento Bee:


Izzy Gardon makes statement as Sacramento schools' student board member

mgutierrez@sacbee.com

PUBLISHED TUESDAY, MAR. 20, 2012

2M20IZZY.JPG 
Izzy Gardon embraces his double life.
The Sacramento City Unified School District student board member is part polished politician, suiting up for school board meetings where he has become a vocal contributor on controversial discussions.
Gardon, 17, is also part quirky kid, bouncing around McClatchy High School off Freeport Boulevard wearing a snug V-neck shirt and thrift store pants he cut off into shorts.
With a stiff back, he can wax poetic on the city school board dais about the state's mixed priorities when it comes to underfunding education. Yet, he easily lets his guard down in smaller settings, exposing an introspective side and sensitivity atypical of a teenage boy.
The senior is a two-time student body president at the 2,200-student McClatchy High, yet remembers feeling lost during his first two years walking the school's corridors. He describes his upbringing as middle class, but recalls childhood years when his family relied on welfare and community programs.
"I feel like I'm always living between two worlds," Gardon said. "Growing up in a divorced household, transition has always been easy for me."
Each week, Gardon shuttles between his father's home in Curtis Park and the Carmichael home of his mother and her wife. His parents 
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Seattle schools create ombudsman position to help parents | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | Seattle schools create ombudsman position to help parents | Seattle Times Newspaper:


Seattle schools create ombudsman position to help parents

Parents are cautiously optimistic that Ronald McGlone's appointment is a good step for a school district often criticized for not providing enough services.

By Brian M. Rosenthal
Seattle Times education reporter
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"to help parents understand its large and complicated bureaucracy" How... (March 20, 2012, by Gou Wei II) MORE
Much needed role. Parents have a tough time advocating for their rights and the... (March 19, 2012, by sea schools) MORE
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At the beginning of this school year, a parent approached the Seattle Public Schools administration with a problem:
Her son, a middle-schooler, had been suspended and needed to complete a behavior-modification course before being allowed back into school.
But when she contacted the people running the course, she found out it was full. Not knowing what to do, she figured her son would have to wait.
Eventually, the mother ran into Deputy Superintendent Noel Treat, who was able to clear space for her son. But the random nature of their meeting led Treat to wonder how many other parents had similar needs that were not being met.
Several months later, Treat's concerns have translated into a new position in the administration
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The Innovative Educator: When we stop stealing dreams, what do we do instead?

The Innovative Educator: When we stop stealing dreams, what do we do instead?:


When we stop stealing dreams, what do we do instead?

by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen)

Editor’s note: My friend Penelope Trunk did a provocative review of Seth Godin’s new book, “Stop Stealing Dreams” where she calls him out on his ideas about education reform and homeschooling. The following post is my comment on her blog. You can read her response here.

Seth Godin does a good job of pointing out many of the flaws with institutionalized, compulsory schooling, but he does little to move the conversation toward a vision of what a school should or could look like today. It’s ironic, for example, that he picks Harlem Village Academies as a beacon of what a “good school” is. Despite Godin’s criticism of standardization rather than customization, and his disdain for testing, he highlights a school that has an “About me” page that celebrates students standardized test scores!

Why isn’t Godin pointing to models that solve the issues he addresses but our government refuses to fund for those who choose public school? The answers already exists with places like Democratic Schools, North Star Teens, Nuestra Escuela, Raw Learning or models like Schoolwide Enrichment that are being pushed aside by our multi-billion dollar testing industry.  The fact that Godin comes out against home education spewing mainstream myths and misconceptions was also disappointing.
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Play Dead - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Play Dead - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:


Play Dead

by Nancy Flanagan
A group of folks I greatly respect, over at Cooperative Catalyst, has been blog-bouncing the concept of play around: the loss of play from ordinary early-childhood curricula, the diminishing role given to play in an era of test-based accountability, the common lack of understanding of the vital importance of play in making learning stick. It's a big, juicy topic. And of course, I want to play.
Here's my thinking: Play is not just for little kids. And it's not just about recess (although eliminating recess is a bone-headed policy that's not only mean-spirited but counterproductive on all meaningful indicators of academic success).
Another thought: Everyone says play is a great thing. Create! Invent! Put a ping-pong table in your lobby! But once the classroom doors close, many teachers are fearful of play. And rightfully so. Not only because their professional evaluations and livelihood are now legally linked to a mandate to produce satisfactory hard numerical data-- but open-ended play is not generally The Way We Do Things.
Unless they're teaching pre-school (and sometimes not even then), any teacher who focuses on play as regular pedagogical strategy is suspect. So much core knowledge to be absorbed and squeezed back out, so many 
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Daily Kos: Uncle Tom's Cabin

Daily Kos: Uncle Tom's Cabin:


Uncle Tom's Cabin

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)
was published this day in 1852.  Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, herself an ardent abolitionist one can legitimately argue that the book was an influential as any novel ever written.  Consider only this:
1.  The population of the US in the Census of 1850 waas just over 23 million.
2.  The book sold more than 300,000 copies in its first year.
Proportional to the 2010 population of just under 309 million, an equivalent sales rate nowadays would project to more than 4 million copies.
Stowe did not create her tale out of whole cloth.  She relied in part upon the 1849 publication of The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself , who lived in North Bethesda, Md, and a history of slavery written jointly by the Grimke sisters and Theodore Dwight Weld.
The book first appeared as a serialized publication in 1851 in National Era.  Stowe was convinced to put it out as a book.
There is the tale, perhaps apocryphal, that when President Lincoln met Mrs. Stowe in 1862 he greeted her as "the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war" - except that the book was published in 1852, 
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All Black Everything [Our Professional Selves] | The Jose Vilson

All Black Everything [Our Professional Selves] | The Jose Vilson:


All Black Everything [Our Professional Selves]

by Jose

In school, I’ve developed the mannerism of using “sir” and “miss” (or misses) when greeting colleagues and, to some extent, students. The greeting puts a small distance between me and the person I address. People might take this as a sign of deference or even subservience, yet my stature and demeanor reveals nothing of the sort. Anytime people mistake my courtesy for tenderness or servitude, they quickly find my discourteous side, the one that won’t go the extra mile to meet both of our needs, the one that won’t stay extra hours, the one that will play directly into the Angry Black Man stereotype.
Because, as a Black man, there’s little worse for one’s professionalism than being told you’re a “Yes man.”
The same goes for the term “groupie,” or for those who think they can keep their insulted coded, “sycophant.” In 
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Schooling in the Ownership Society: If anyone had doubts... TFA reveals itself in deal with Imagine Schools, Inc.

Schooling in the Ownership Society: If anyone had doubts... TFA reveals itself in deal with Imagine Schools, Inc.:


If anyone had doubts... TFA reveals itself in deal with Imagine Schools, Inc.

by Mike Klonsky
Imagine Prep in Sunrise, Arizona
"The major problem with our government-operated public schools is best understood by comparing the government monopolies that operate public elementary and secondary schools in this nation and our public university systems." -- Dennis Bakke, founder of Imagine Schools, Inc.
I'm sure Wendy Kopp will say, it's "all about the kids." But some think it's more about real estate. WaPo's Valerie Strauss thinks it's about expansion of the TFA empire.

Whatever it's really about, Teach for America is partnering with the nation’s largest for-profit charter school network, Imagine Schools, Inc. Writes Strauss:
Imagine is based in Arlington, Virginia, with some 75 schools in more than a dozen states, including Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The for-profit charter operator has been 
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The Educated Reporter: When Mayors Take Over, Do Schools Get Better?

The Educated Reporter: When Mayors Take Over, Do Schools Get Better?:


When Mayors Take Over, Do Schools Get Better?

by Emily Richmond
The success or failure of a community often rests heavily on the strength of its public education system.

So, when schools fail, should the mayor take over?

This question is playing out in several cities right now, including Bridgeport, Conn., and Kansas City, Mo., where mayoral takeovers have been proposed as a means of turning around failing public schools.

In some major urban districts, including New York City, Boston and Chicago, mayoral takeovers have resulted in improved student achievement and better relations between teachers and management. But such drastic measures are far from a silver bullet and come with significant risks – both for the mayor who seizes the reins, and the communities that might find themselves disenfranchised from the school management process.

Kansas City’s public school system had its accreditation yanked by the state on Jan. 1. Mayor Sly James 
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LAUSD SURVEY: EITHER THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE OR THEY DON'T CARE - YOU DECIDE (ENCUESTA LAUSD: YA NO TIENEN UNA PISTA O no les importa - USTED DECIDE) - Perdaily.com

LAUSD SURVEY: EITHER THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE OR THEY DON'T CARE - YOU DECIDE (ENCUESTA LAUSD: YA NO TIENEN UNA PISTA O no les importa - USTED DECIDE) - Perdaily.com:


LAUSD SURVEY: EITHER THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE OR THEY DON'T CARE - YOU DECIDE (ENCUESTA LAUSD: YA NO TIENEN UNA PISTA O no les importa - USTED DECIDE)

by Leonard Isenberg
Survey.jpg
(Mensaje se repite en Espaรฑol)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)
Until March 23rd, you have the dubious honor of taking an LAUSD survey online at the LAUSD website dealing with homework, A-G requirements, and standards based promotion. Regrettably, what this survey shows is that LAUSD administration not only doesn't have a clue as to what the problems are, they don't even know what questions to ask to determine how to proceed in a manner that might actually improve things.

For starters, the survey presupposes student abilities that are objectively not there, because of a longstanding LAUSD policy of socially promoting students irrespective of their mastery of prior grade-level standards. This while doing little or no remediation to actually address these deficits in a timely manner, before they become conclusively undermining to the education process at the secondary level (middle and high school). Here single-subject credentialed teachers have neither the training nor time to address these permissive deficits that LAUSD administration is responsible for never having addressed earlier.

Initial questions on the survey presuppose that students have the ability to do assigned homework and the 
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