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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A big grant to revamp online publishing | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

A big grant to revamp online publishing | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:




A big grant to revamp online publishing

by Dale Mezzacappa on Aug 29 2012 Posted in Latest news
The Notebook will be revamping its publishing and implementing new digital strategies for reaching parents and other core audiences, thanks to a two-year, $202,000 grant just awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The grant, through Knight's Community Information Challenge, will help theNotebook build its audience by producing more multimedia content, expanding its use of social media, and making its content more accessible via mobile devices.
The main goal of this project is to do a better job of informing and serving Philadelphia public school parents, many of whom do not have broadband Internet access at home.
Notebook readership surveys have shown that the bimonthly print edition has a 
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My questions for Michael Williams, new TEA chief | The Education Front Blog

My questions for Michael Williams, new TEA chief | The Education Front Blog:


My questions for Michael Williams, new TEA chief

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My friend Bill McKenzie put out four questions yesterday for the state’s new public education chief, Michael Williams. Here are four more, from me:
1) What’s your reaction to Arne Duncan’s invitation to Texas to apply for NCLB waivers?
2) Will the agency step up enforcement on alleged cheating on state tests? (The reference point is the El Paso ISD scandal that the feds had to clean up.)
3) What elements of a school’s activities, outside of test scores, need to be reflected and measured in mapping out the new STAAR accountability system?
4) What’s your position on the mushrooming number of schools with oversized classes as the results of budget cuts? Is it hurting education, and does it need to be controlled?
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Jersey Jazzman: America, Now You Know What NJ Is Stuck With

Jersey Jazzman: America, Now You Know What NJ Is Stuck With:


America, Now You Know What NJ Is Stuck With

by Duke

So last night was the big debut on the national stage for Chris Christie. I'm actually surprised at the number of poor reviews - and not just from liberals:
Fox News host Chris Wallace had nothing but nice words for Ann Romney's speech at the GOP convention on Tuesday night, saying that it was "effective" and that "everyone afterward was buzzing" about it.
But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) convention speech? Not so much.
"I have to say, personally, I thought it was one of the most off-key keynote speeches I ever heard," Wallace said.
He noted that Christie said the word "I" 37 times, "Romney" seven times, and "jobs" 
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Ryan and Rahm. BFF? « Fred Klonsky

Ryan and Rahm. BFF? « Fred Klonsky:


Ryan and Rahm. BFF?

by Fred Klonsky

Paul Ryan and Rahm Emanuel – Friendlier than you might think?
That’s what Carol Felsenthal, Chicago Magazine’s political reporter, asks.
My answer is no. I am not the least bit surprised.
Felsenthal taps Emanuel as a Democratic version of a Rockefeller Republican.
She calls Emanuel a Rahm Republican.
The Rockefeller Republican that Felesenthal is referring to is Nelson Rockefeller, former Governor of New York State and appointed VP after Nixon’s resignation.
He is also noted for suffering a career-ending, actually a life-ending, heart attack while in bed with his mistress on the upper east side of Manhattan.
Felsenthal reports:

So what’s the relationship between the two go-getters? My hunch is that they’re 

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Study: Shrinking wages tied to decline in union membership | The Raw Story

Study: Shrinking wages tied to decline in union membership | The Raw Story:


Study: Shrinking wages tied to decline in union membership

By Stephen C. Webster
Wednesday, August 29, 2012 16:09 EDT
Union members at an immigrants rights march. Photo: Shutterstock.com.
 
Americans are working longer and harder for increasingly shrinking wages for a lot of reasons — but one of the most important is the decades-long decline in labor union membership, according toa study (PDF) published Wednesday by a non-partisan economic think tank.
The study found that union membership stood at 26.7 percent in 1973, but fell to just 13.1 percent in 2011. During that same period, wages paid to working people hit an all-time low as a percentage of the economy, even as corporate profits and executive pay set records.
Researchers at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) determined that union workers in 2011 still earn significantly more than non-union workers, with men gaining a union premium wage that’s 
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Empathy for a Teacher

Empathy for a Teacher:


Empathy for a Teacher

by Sam
In the airy, sun-filled space that will house my son’s foray into formal education, I watched as a tow-headed classmate named Thomas patrolled the edges of the room, choking back tears.
It was the first day of school – and my wife and I were already doing our best not to hover too closely over Leo, who was, thankfully, already hard at play in the newly discovered puzzle section. Leo’s co-teachers, Ms. Allison and Ms. Luz, were busy greeting (and consoling) parents, organizing materials, and helping the 28 children – each one their family’s own special miracle – find a way to feel comfortable amidst an unfamiliar world.
For a few moments, I noticed that Thomas was alone. He wandered purposelessly in search of ballast, his cheeks streaked with tears. Another boy in the class noticed, too – clearly a veteran of this multi-age classroom where children spend their first three years of school with the same teachers. Without any adult prompting, he went over to Thomas, took hold of his hands, and gave him a welcoming hug.
I felt as grateful as if Thomas had been my own child. Such compassionate behavior in someone so young was a 
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Bullying Prevention Summit: Peers Matter — Whole Child Education

Bullying Prevention Summit: Peers Matter — Whole Child Education:


Sean Slade

Bullying Prevention Summit: Peers Matter

August 29, 2012 by Sean Slade
What was the key takeaway from this year's Bullying Prevention Summit, hosted by the Department of Education?
Peers matter.
It's not a revelation that we need to focus on the big picture, not just the incident. We need to be deliberate about influencing the environment and culture that allows bullying behavior to take place.
As Phil Rodkin wrote in Educational Leadership after the 2011 Bullying Prevention Summit, "Peer relationships are like oxygen that allows bullying to breathe and spread; peers can use these relationships as a cudgel, a weapon of shame against victims."
'Bullying is a social event in the classroom and on the playground,' with an audience of peers in almost 90 percent of observed cases. This silent, mocking audience grows exponentially, in frightening anonymity, with cyberbullying. Thus, the problem of bullying is also a problem of the unresponsive bystander, whether that bystander is a classmate who finds harassment funny, a peer who sits on the sidelines afraid to get involved, or an educator who sees bullying as just another part of growing up.
How do we solve the problem of the unresponsive bystanders? Encourage kids to speak up during the 
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Creating Quality Jobs vs. Creating Quality Workers - Wait, What?

Creating Quality Jobs vs. Creating Quality Workers - Wait, What?:


Creating Quality Jobs vs. Creating Quality Workers

by jonpelto

Having completed the task of dropping my child off at college, I’m reminded of the challenge that faces our chief elected officials, whether in Washington, or here at home in Connecticut.
In particular, as the effects of the Great Recession continue to take its toll on the nation; those of us in the trenches are left to ponder about what is the proper balance when it comes to using public resources to create quality jobs versus creating quality workers.
In one of my old college economic textbooks, I found a definition of a public subsidy as, “the provision of economic value by a public entity to a private entity for purposes 
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Common Core Propaganda: Who Created the Standards Exactly? | Truth in American Education

Common Core Propaganda: Who Created the Standards Exactly? | Truth in American Education:


Common Core Propaganda: Who Created the Standards Exactly?

by Shane Vander Hart
Recently it came to my attention that the Common Core logo created for exclusive use by Smekens Education Solutions, Inc. appears on your website --  http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2012/08/common-core-propaganda-who-created.html.

This copyrighted image is owned by Smekens Education and was created by our graphic organizer.

Now that you are aware that this artwork is privately owned and copyrighted, I trust that you will immediately remove it from the website mentioned above and from any other print or digital media associated with your organization.

Thank you for your help with this. We appreciate your professional cooperation.


Brady Smekens
Smekens Education Solutions, Inc.

Propaganda has accompanied the Common Core State Standards, but now they it is being implemented expect it to come out even more.  I wanted to point out an example that was emailed to me yesterday.  From a piece written by Cammy Harbison at Voxxi.com.  She writes about the benefits of the common core state standards, and right in the her overview of the standards we see a glaring untruth.
These standards were developed by classroom teachers, school administrators and experts, in order to provide a consistent framework of instruction across the United States so that our children will be prepared for college and the workforce.
Wrong.  These standards were never developed by classroom teachers or school administrators.  The architect 
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Teachers For Social Justice: Labor Day Rally for Jobs, Dignity and a Fair Contract w/ CTU

Teachers For Social Justice: Labor Day Rally for Jobs, Dignity and a Fair Contract w/ CTU:


Labor Day Rally for Jobs, Dignity and a Fair Contract w/ CTU

by sarah-ji


Chicago teachers are approaching a showdown with the mayor and the Chicago Board of Education. The fight for a fair CTU contract reflects the current climate of scapegoating union workers in an attempt to force us all to accept contract givebacks. Public servants and the services we provide are under attack! Join the fight for better schools, libraries, parks, decent wages and public services. Sisters and brothers and comrades from Chicago’s unions will rally together. Members of all unions will dress to represent their locals. CTU members will wear our red. Let’s send a message, together, that “An Injury to One is an Injury to All.”
Monday, September 3
10:30am – 12:30pm
Daley Plaza
50 W. Washington
Contact AlixGuevara@ctuLocal1.com or
312-329-6247 for more information.
Click here to download the flyer.
Co-Sponsors include:
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 • American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 • National Nurses United (NNU) • United Electrical Workers (UE) Western Region • National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 11 • SEIU Local 1 • UNITE-HERE Local 1 • SEIU Health Care Illinois-Indiana • Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Chicago Lodge 7 • Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 241 • Teamsters Joint Council No. 25 • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Locals 134 and 9 • Ironworkers District Council of Chicago • United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1546 • International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local 126 • International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 150 • Sheet Metal Workers (SMW) • Chicago Laborers District Council • Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters • Painters District Council 15 • Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 •

Labor Day Rally for Jobs, Dignity and a Fair Contract w/ CTU

by sarah-ji


Chicago teachers are approaching a showdown with the mayor and the Chicago Board of Education. The fight for a fair CTU contract reflects the current climate of scapegoating union workers in an attempt to force us all to accept contract givebacks. Public servants and the services we provide are under attack! Join the fight for better schools, libraries, parks, decent wages and public services. Sisters and brothers and comrades from Chicago’s unions will rally together. Members of all unions will dress to represent their locals. CTU members will wear our red. Let’s send a message, together, that “An Injury to One is an Injury to All.”
Monday, September 3
10:30am – 12:30pm
Daley Plaza
50 W. Washington
Contact AlixGuevara@ctuLocal1.com or
312-329-6247 for more information.
Click here to download the flyer.
Co-Sponsors include:
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 • American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 • National Nurses United (NNU) • United Electrical Workers (UE) Western Region • National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 11 • SEIU Local 1 • UNITE-HERE Local 1 • SEIU Health Care Illinois-Indiana • Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Chicago Lodge 7 • Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 241 • Teamsters Joint Council No. 25 • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Locals 134 and 9 • Ironworkers District Council of Chicago • United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1546 • International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local 126 • International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 150 • Sheet Metal Workers (SMW) • Chicago Laborers District Council • Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters • Painters District Council 15 • Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 •
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    12:09 PM (27 minutes ago)

    Parents/Students Take Over Sojo Mtg-2 Teachers Fired

    by sarah-ji
    A SoJo HS Parent speaks during the public comment portion of the community forum.

    In a show of community unity, on Thurs. night Aug 23, 200 parents, teachers, students, and community members at Chicago's Social Justice High School (Sojo) denounced CPS-appointed interim principal and CPS Network staff for cutting AP classes and critical student programs, displacing core veteran teachers, disrespecting parents and community, destabilizing the school, and violating the values of the Hunger Strike that founded the school. Charging that CPS is trying to cut out the heart of Sojo's social justice mission, students led the parents and community members in chanting "where's the justice in social justice?"

    TWO TEACHERS FIRED
    At the end of the day on Friday, Aug. 24, the interim principal fired Angela Sangha and Katie Hogan, two veteran English teachers who have been with Sojo since the day it opened in Fall 2005.

    SUPPORT THE STRUGGLE TO DEFEND SOJO, ITS TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
    Parents, community members, students and teachers, backed by the CTU, are fighting back. Students are organizing to leaflet the community, starting Saturday (Aug 25). They need copying donated to distribute 1500 two-sided flyers. IF YOU CAN MAKE COPIES EMAIL TSJ ASAP. Stay tuned for next steps.

    Born out of struggle and the struggle continues!

    Check out article in Substance magazine on the meeting last night here. For more information, please download this flyer.

    Here are videos from the community forum:
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