BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS
Why Florida’s High School End of Course Exam Regime May Cause a New Surge in Drop Outs | Scathing Purple Musings
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Why Florida’s High School End of Course Exam Regime May Cause a New Surge in Drop Outs | Scathing Purple Musings: Why Florida’s High School End of Course Exam Regime May Cause a New Surge in Drop Outs by Bob Sikes Looking to curry favor with skeptical voters, Rick Scott’s been going around telling everybody that there won’t be any new tests for a while. He’s right, but the decision was in place before he became governor. In Florida high schools, the transition away from FCAT to course specific end-of-course exams was made during Charlie Crist’s governorship. Kids entering high s... more »
Cyber-charter schools: Are they making the grade? - News
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Cyber-charter schools: Are they making the grade? - News: Cyber-charter schools: Are they making the grade? Spending school days online, not in classroom Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... By MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT and CHIP SMEDLEY Staff Angela Altrichter home-schooled all three of her sons through eighth grade. But as her boys got older, Altrichter realized she didn't want to teach high school. She looked for a program with a low student-to-teacher ratio and eventually chose 21st Century Cyber Charter School in Exton. Altrichter's youn... more »
Should this school be saved? The fight over Chicago's Dyett High | Reuters
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Should this school be saved? The fight over Chicago's Dyett High | Reuters: Should this school be saved? The fight over Chicago's Dyett High (Reuters) - By just about any definition, Walter H. Dyett High School has failed. Just 10 percent can pass the state math exam; barely one in six is proficient in reading. The technology lab is so ancient, some of the computers still take 3-inch floppy disks. More teens drop out than graduate. Yet when the Chicago Board of Education announced plans to shut the place down, it sparked a community uprising. Students, parents and teachers have sta... more »
#mozfest: Open schools for open societies « Cooperative Catalyst
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
#mozfest: Open schools for open societies « Cooperative Catalyst: #mozfest: Open schools for open societies by Chad Sansing #mozfest began a conversation about schooling that I hope continues over the course of the next year. I hope that in our care and commitment to raising a generation of webmakers who write the world, we increase kids’ access to writable experiences inside school, as well as outside school. While it’s mostly true that to a teacher every problem looks like a school, it’s worth noting that 81.5 million children are enrolled in schools in the United States alone. ... more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-11-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Don’t Forget the Hurricane Victims by dianerav Robert Pondiscio writes movingly about a school that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. PS 333 was a Core Knowledge school, exemplary in many respects. It was unprotected from the ferocity of the storm surge. It had 578 students before the storm. It has 30 or so now, and they have been relocated to a school more than an hour and a half away. The principal is distraught, while the city administration pretends that what matters most is to get back to the routines o... more »
Daily Kos: Today we honor veterans of military service - but that is not enough
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Daily Kos: Today we honor veterans of military service - but that is not enough: Today we honor veterans of military service - but that is not enough by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) and it is appropriate because there is something about those who give up some of their freedoms and potentially put themselves at risk of life and limb on behalf of the ideal of this nation. Some may have served involuntarily in the days when we still had conscription. Others, like me, volunteered, even if we might have objected strongly to the military conflict of our era as I did to Vietnam. I volu... more »
NYC Educator: Role Reversal
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
NYC Educator: Role Reversal: Role Reversal by NYC Educator
Chicago Voters Overwhelmingly Support an Elected School BoardSave Our Schools
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Chicago Voters Overwhelmingly Support an Elected School BoardSave Our Schools: Chicago Voters Overwhelmingly Support an Elected School Board by Server Chicago Voters Overwhelmingly Support an Elected School BoardYesterday, voters in 327 precincts throughout 35 wards of the city had the opportunity to vote on the referendum question regarding whether Chicago should have an elected school board, as opposed to the current mayoral appointed school board. Voters overwhelmingly voted yes to an elected school board, with 86.6% voting yes. The final tally amounted to 65,763 people voting ... more »
Going Down The Quality Review Tubes at PS 154x.southbronxschool.com
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Going Down The Quality Review Tubes at PS 154x by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) In 1974, or maybe 1973, Senator Howard Baker then the ranking minority member of the then Senate Watergate Committee asked this famous question during the Watergate hearings; *"What did the President know and when did he know it?"* Well we here at SBSB are asking the same question of Yolanda Torres, Superintendent of District 7 in regard toPS 154 being put on the closure list, *"What did Yolanda Torres know and when did she know it?"* What has Yolanda Torres know... more »
David Frum: Republicans Have Been Fleeced, Exploited, and Lied To by Rig...
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
[image: Corporate Media = Corporate Lies] Conservative columnist David Frum had some choice words on Morning Joe for the industry that has swelled to basically steal money from republican voters. Republicans have been fleeced, exploited and lied to by a conservative entertainment complex...there are too many to name. Because the followers, the donors and the activists are so mistaken about the nature of the problems the country faces...just a simple question, and I went to Tea Party rallies and asked this question, have taxes gone up or down in recent years? They can't answer ... more »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes on 1240 Declares Victory
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes on 1240 Declares Victory: Yes on 1240 Declares Victory by Melissa Westbrook *Update at 4:40 pm: * I still think the trend is not enough to say No to 1240 but it will end up being as close as it can be. At this time the Yes has dropped to 50.78% and No is at 49.22%, a difference of 1.56% and less than 42K. From their press release: *After comprehensively reviewing ballot returns to date, The YES on 1240 Coalition announced today that Initiative 1240, the Washington Public Charter Schools Initiative, will be approved by a majority of Washingto... more »
High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools | toteachornototeach
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools | toteachornototeach: High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools by aristotlethewise *High Teacher-Absentee Rates Hurt Schools* By Francesca Duffy Thirty-six percent of teachers nationwide missed more than 10 days of school during the 2009-10 year, according to an analysis of federal data by the Washington-based Center for American Progress. Rhode Island had the highest percentage of teachers missing more than 10 days with 50.2, while Utah had the lowest with 20.2. The analysis, based on data collected by the U.S. Department of Education’s Offic... more »
Are EDU conferences meeting our needs? « My Island View
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Are EDU conferences meeting our needs? « My Island View: Are EDU conferences meeting our needs? by tomwhitby Today I attended the 39th Annual Conference for the Association of Middle Level Education in Portland, Oregon. I actually presented for this group for a couple of times about 25 years ago when it was The National Middle Schools Association. That was back in the day when we had far fewer middle schools. The model most often employed back then was the Junior High School. Junior high schools were 7-9 mini high schools. Little kids, little problems (what were we thinking?). Th... more »
Schools Matter: Schools As Ecosystems Lessons from Sandy
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Schools Matter: Schools As Ecosystems Lessons from Sandy: Schools As Ecosystems Lessons from Sandy by Judy Rabin Teachers, who are the first responders when it comes to children, are doing their job here in New York. Despite no help from the Department of Education and the aftermath of the most devastating storm since Katrina, teachers are now free to bring the joy, caring and love to learning essential for success in nurturing the "whole child". Education reform is happening where it matters, on the ground in real classrooms, with or without lights, electricity, heat or building... more »
Jersey Jazzman: Ronnie Greco of Jersey City: A Real Union Leader
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Ronnie Greco of Jersey City: A Real Union Leader: Ronnie Greco of Jersey City: A Real Union Leader by Duke Teachers union leaders across America, pay heed to Ronnie Greco, President of the Jersey City Education Association. This is what a real fighter for students, parents, and teachers looks like: Dear colleagues, I need to bring you up to date on a recent development. Several weeks ago, the administration contacted the JCEA and asked us to review an application that the district was planning to submit for a grant under the Race to the Top program. As you may know... more »
Washington charter initiative STILL undecided — update
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Washington charter initiative STILL undecided — update: Washington charter initiative STILL undecided — update Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 8, 2012 at 4:40 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » We STILL don’t know the outcome of Washington’s initiative to allow charter schools to open in the state. Pro charter forces spent more than $10 million to win approval from voters, who had rejected approving charter schools three times before. Bill Gates alone donated more than $3 million, Alice ... more »
Daily Kos: Saturday Morning reflection on reflection and living
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Daily Kos: Saturday Morning reflection on reflection and living: Saturday Morning reflection on reflection and living by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I have always been a reflective person. Starting in pre-adolescence I used to carry notebooks around and jot down observations, thoughts, perceptions. I would "think aloud' on paper. I would step back from what i was doing and try to understand it, and would apply the same technique to things around me as well. For almost a decade, blogging in various forms has taken the place of those notebooks, although a few months ago, as the... more »
Must Teachers Shut Down Our Compassion to Survive Education Reform? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Must Teachers Shut Down Our Compassion to Survive Education Reform? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Must Teachers Shut Down Our Compassion to Survive Education Reform? by Anthony Cody Yesterday I received a message from a reader. She wrote: I am convinced that educators in this country have lost their senses. At least, they seem to have lost their consciences. I sent your blog - What Hurricane Sandy is Teaching Us About Students Under Stress - to my fellow teachers this week. No one responded to the post via e-mail. I can understand that, since our school e-mails ... more »
Fiscal Accountability? Oh you meant Fiscal Accountability… - Wait, What?
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Fiscal Accountability? Oh you meant Fiscal Accountability… - Wait, What?: Fiscal Accountability? Oh you meant Fiscal Accountability… by jonpelto Back around 2009, Governor Jodi Rell and her Office of Policy and Management had a tendency to misrepresent the state’s revenue and expenditure data in order to make it appear that the state budget was more balanced than it actually was. Some recall this was the time period when Rell allowed the Democratic Legislature’s budget to become state law without her signature, while claiming that she opposed the budget. Rell even went so far as... more »
$tudent$ for Education Reform | EduShyster
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
$tudent$ for Education Reform | EduShyster: $tudent$ for Education Reform by edushyster2012 Members of Connecticut chapters of Students for Education Reform. $FER spent more than $15,000 to bus 60 members to a rally in support of CT Governor Malloy’s education reform bill. Reader, today we revisit what has become perhaps my very phavorite rephorm group: Students for Education Reform. As you are no doubt aware, students are on the march from Chile, where they are demanding equal access to higher education, to Quebec, where striking students recently brought down the government for ... more »
Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: Return on our investment. by Fred Klonsky Illinois’ public employee unions spent a huge amount of member dollars in the last campaign. - *American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees: $645,787* - *Illinois Federation of Teachers: $1,098,219* - *Illinois Education Association: $1,080,700* - *Service Employees International Union: $919,598* What will we get in return? Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky Funny thing about elections. Except in the case of a rare tie, there are no do-overs. Sure. You can try to steal it like when... more »
Teachers Unions: Scourge of the Nation? « School Finance 101
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Teachers Unions: Scourge of the Nation? « School Finance 101: Teachers Unions: Scourge of the Nation? by schoolfinance101 Let me start by stating that I, myself am somewhat agnostic when it comes to the questions around whether I believe teachers unions are generally good or bad for the overall quality of our education system and for educational equity. In my personal experiences as a young teacher in the early 1990s, I had my issues with my local teachers unions (in New York State in particular), resulting in some pretty heated battles with local and regional union officials [an... more »
The Illinois teacher strike wave continues. Geneva teachers may walk on a cold Tuesday morning. « Fred Klonsky
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Illinois teacher strike wave continues. Geneva teachers may walk on a cold Tuesday morning. « Fred Klonsky: The Illinois teacher strike wave continues. Geneva teachers may walk on a cold Tuesday morning. by Fred Klonsky PopoutThe wave of teacher strikes in Illinois appears to continue as negotiators for the Geneva Education Association and Geneva board members meet one last time tomorrow, Sunday. Picketing is planned for Tuesday, when the temperatures in the Chicago area will drop into the 30s. Sitting on a $30 million budget surplus, the board demanded a one year hard salary f...more »
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-10-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] What Grades Do You Give to a First Grader? by dianerav This rural teacher says his head is about to explode. The state says he has to give test after test after test to his first graders. Then he has to convert those scores into a letter grade. This doesn’t make any sense to him. The children are just beginning to make sense of letters and words. Rhee’s Organization Vindicates Rhee’s Reforms by dianerav Michelle Rhee founded The New Teacher Project. Rhee, of course, was then chancellor of the DC school sys... more »
Louisiana Educator: More Jindal Coersion
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Louisiana Educator: More Jindal Coersion: More Jindal Coersion by Michael Deshotels Governor Jindal intimidated his way to another win over the Legislature and the voters by turning over the administration of group benefits health insurance to Blue Cross Blue Shield. See the excellent post on this travesty in the Louisiana Voice blog. All employee groups participating in OGB programs spoke against the privatization move. The groups opposing included the Retired Teachers' Association, the LAE, LFT, AFSME, and the School Boards Association. These groups remained in opposition even ... more »
School Lunches From Around The World | toteachornototeach
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
School Lunches From Around The World | toteachornototeach: School Lunches From Around The World by aristotlethewise School Lunches From Around The World School lunch has been a contentious issue this year, ever since First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack rolled out their new school lunch initiative last spring. But the attention on what schools are serving isn’t unique to the States. Scotland’s 9-year-old Martha Payne garnered international headlines for her school lunch blog that chronicled dismal school meals. The blog drew so much attention that local of... more »
Daily Kos: Lincoln
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: Lincoln: Lincoln by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) we have just returned from seeing the new Steven Spielberg film, "Lincoln." It has a superb cast - Daniel-Day Lewis, David Straithaim, Sally Field, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, Tommy Lee Jones. It is based to a large degree on the book *Team of Rivals* by Doris Kearns Goodwin, with the script written by playwright Tony Kushner. It is about politics, about character, about history, focusing on the first few months of 1865 and the attempt to pass the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery through the House of Representativ... more »
Ann Coulter vs. the Jesuits: A college invite is rescinded | Get Schooled
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Ann Coulter vs. the Jesuits: A college invite is rescinded | Get Schooled: Ann Coulter vs. the Jesuits: A college invite is rescinded by Maureen Downey [image: Pundit Ann Coulter]Pundit Ann Coulter I have written this blog now for several years, and only mentioned acidic pundit Ann Coulter once. Three weeks later, I am bringing her up again because this incident demonstrates a sensible way to handle controversies over college speakers. Coulter was invited to Fordham University in New York to speak on Nov. 29 by the College Republicans. The planned appearance triggered protests and a... more »
An easy trick to reduce cheating
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
An easy trick to reduce cheating: An easy trick to reduce cheating Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 10, 2012 at 6:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » (University of Nebraska-Lincoln website) What can teachers do to help stem pervasive cheating among students? Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham has a suggestion. Willingham is a professor and director of graduate studies in psychology at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” His newly publishe... more »
Schools Matter: D. Ravitch: the President sends out mixed messages about education.
coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Schools Matter: D. Ravitch: the President sends out mixed messages about education.: D. Ravitch: the President sends out mixed messages about education. by skrashen Quoted in the Huffington Post, Diane Ravitch commented on President Obama’s future education policies (http://tinyurl.com/amyjkne). "My worst fear is it'll continue to be the same. His education policy is indistinguishable from Mitt Romney's, aside from vouchers. It's based on test test test test." She also noted that "The president sends out mixed messages. He says he doesn't want teachers teaching to the test, and... more »
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