Saturday, April 6, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-6-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Why I Apologized for Something I Did Not Say by dianerav A number of readers have written to ask why I wrote an apology to Michelle Rhee when I had not been the one to speak the offending words (“Asian bitch”). I wasn’t even present when the words were spoken. Frankly, the story focused on the negative, rather than the reasons that the rally was happening. The story presented a false, demeaning, and hostile portrait of the rally. It was akin to the stories ab... more »

California courts familiar with gay parent issues - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
California courts familiar with gay parent issues - latimes.com: California courts familiar with gay parent issues [image: Jon W. Davidson]Gay rights lawyer Jon W. Davidson (Los Angeles Times / April 5, 2013) By Maura Dolan April 6, 2013, 7:05 a.m. SAN FRANCISCO -- When the California Supreme Court struck down a same-sex marriage ban in 2008, the majority ruling reflected a series of decisions the court had already reached in disputes involving gay parents. Gay rights lawyers said this week that those cases were critical to the court’s historic marriage ruling — later partly over... more »

Send me your stories and I will share them | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
Send me your stories and I will share them | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Send me your stories and I will share them by crazycrawfish [image: imagesCAEE22RF]From time to time I get stories from folks who have had the unpleasant experience of working with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) under John White, or Paul Pastorek. If you feel you have a story that needs to be told please contact me and I will do my best to explain your side of the story, and I will keep your identity anonymous to the extent possible. If you are the only person that possesses the information you share... more »

Daily Kos: Millennials are driving social - and political - change

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
Daily Kos: Millennials are driving social - and political - change: Millennials are driving social - and political - change by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) The surge of generational change continues in this country, altering the cultural landscape with a speed and intensity that has rarely — if ever — been seen before. . So begins Charles M. Blow in a *New York Times* column titled The Young are the Restlessnew Pew Poll released Thursday notes that for the first time a majority of Americans favor legalizing marijuana, by a 52-45 margin. Note the following changes in percentag... more »

Teacher’s resignation letter: ‘My profession … no longer exists’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
Teacher’s resignation letter: ‘My profession … no longer exists’: Teacher’s resignation letter: ‘My profession … no longer exists’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 6, 2013 at 4:00 am 20 Comments More [image: i-quit]Increasingly teachers are speaking out against school reforms that they believe are demeaning their profession, and some are simply quitting because they have had enough. Here is one resignation letter from a veteran teacher, Gerald J. Conti, a social studies teacher at Westhill High School in Syracuse, N.Y.: Mr. Casey Barduhn, Superintendent Westhill Central School Dist... more »

Schools Matter: More evidence corroborating Professor Krashen and exposing the contrived skills and STEM crises

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
Schools Matter: More evidence corroborating Professor Krashen and exposing the contrived skills and STEM crises: More evidence corroborating Professor Krashen and exposing the contrived skills and STEM crises by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene *"...the impending shortage of scientists and engineers is one of the longest running hoaxes in the country" — Gerald W. Bracey* [image: Dr. Krashen has long been a critic of the fact-free Myth: STEM and skills crises]*Schools Matter*'s Professor Stephen Krashen has been a long time critic of the media promulgated mythology that there's a shortag... more »

Modern School Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
Modern School: Today In Labor History: April 6 Michael Dunn at Modern School - 1 hour ago *April 6, 1712* - New York City saw its first slave revolt, which occurred just north of Wall Street, in response to the execution of twenty-one blacks for killing nine whites. Conditions were ideal for a revolt, as black slaves and freemen worked in proximity to each other, making communication and planning easier. In the aftermath of the revolt, 70 black men were jailed, with six “committing suicide” in custody. Twenty of those arrested were executed by burning and one was executed on the “br... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: More Common Core Spin from Missouri DESE

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: More Common Core Spin from Missouri DESE: More Common Core Spin from Missouri DESE by stlgretchen Missouri Commissioner of DESE took to youtube to deliver a pro common core message. What the Commissioner said: Common Core standards are now called "Missouri Learning Standards" of which Common Core is a part of. I guess the 15% of standards Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia "allows" Missouri to adopt in addition to CCSS supersedes the mandated 100% of standards Missouri has contracted with SBAC to follow. The Commissioner fails to tell her... more »

Louisiana Educator: Jindal Reforms Based on Disrespect of Teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago
Louisiana Educator: Jindal Reforms Based on Disrespect of Teachers: Jindal Reforms Based on Disrespect of Teachers by Michael Deshotels Please take the time to view this video of part of the House Education Committee that took place almost exactly one year ago. This occurred when part of Governor Jindal's education reform package was being introduced in the House of Representatives. The bill (HB 974) at that time by Rep. Carter on behalf of the Governor was designed to destroy teacher tenure just like the bill now being introduced by Senator Appel described in the previous post. ... more »

Rog Lucido: Forgiving Learning: Reform Begins in the Classroom - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 31 minutes ago
Rog Lucido: Forgiving Learning: Reform Begins in the Classroom - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Rog Lucido: Forgiving Learning: Reform Begins in the Classroom by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Rog Lucido* It seems like education is on a never ending quest to be 'reformed'. The message continues today: 'American students are behind those of many countries. Our dominance of military and economic strength is on the decline. We are losing our competitiveness.' The root cause of this supposition is laid at the feet of our schools by the corporate world. With many studies de... more »

Ex-charter official testifies on school's shortcomings - Philly.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 33 minutes ago
Ex-charter official testifies on school's shortcomings - Philly.com: Ex-charter official testifies on school's shortcomings By Martha Woodall, Inquirer Staff WriterPOSTED: April 05, 2013 A former administrator at Truebright Science Academy Charter School testified Thursday that the school lacked a curriculum, provided no services for students whose first language was not English, and told the Philadelphia School District it offered advanced courses that did not exist. During a hearing to determine whether Truebright deserves to have its charter renewed, Susan Farley-Ellison detai... more »

Reprint: From The Nation. A new Chicago Freedom Ride. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago
Reprint: From The Nation. A new Chicago Freedom Ride. | Fred Klonsky: Reprint: From The Nation. A new Chicago Freedom Ride. by Fred Klonsky Reprint from The Nation Magazine: *Alderman Bob Fioretti speaks in front of an condemned building along the new route schoolchildren will walk. (Rick Perlstein.)* Yesterday morning twelve-year-old Jasmine Murphy, a red fabric flower woven into her hair, stood in front of a bus full of reporters, TV news correspondents and their cameramen, Chicago Teachers Union officials and other activists, congressmen and aldermen, and told them what it was ... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-30-13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago
*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* PARENT TRIGGER GROUP RECOMMENDS LAUSD TAKES OVER FAILING LAUSD SCHOOL smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 21 hours ago ●●smf: This article is a-little-more-than-somewhat misleading - sometimes the spin makes the reporters dizzy. The recommendation of the 24th St Parents Union is a “recommendation” – not the final parent vote. The LA Parent Union is an unholy owned subsidiary of ®eform Inc., the Broad/Gates/WalMart/Charter School Kool-Aid is dispensed by the hogshead at eve...more »

Top Content this Week - 4-6-13 The Educator's PLN Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN:

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: a message to parents from your child's teacher]a message to parents from your child's teacher Added by Thomas Whitby on March 23, 2013 2[image: 20 Quick Actions You Can Do Today To Set Your Classroom Up For Massive Success]20 Quick Actions You Can Do Today To Set Your Classroom Up For Massive Success Added by Tess Pajaron on March 19, 2013 3[image: 50 Ways to Integrate Art Into Any Lesson]50 Ways to Integrate Art Into Any Lesson Added by Tess Pajaron on March 25, 2013 4[image: If Twitter Is Not PD, What Is It?]If Twitter Is Not P... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 4-6-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Education Research Report: THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago
Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * Collective Pedagogical Teacher Culture Results in Higher Mathematics Achievement Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 day ago Scholars have not adequately assessed how organizational cultures in schools differentially influence students’ mathematics achievement by race and socioeconomic status (SES). This study focuses on *collective pedagogical teacher culture*, highlighting the role of professional communities and teacher collaboration in influencing mathematics achievement. Using cross-classif... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 4-6-13 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL *LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY* *LOOK FOR MY BOOK IN MARCH, 2013*[image: Ferlazzo200(1)] "Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation" will be a sequel to"Helping Students Motivate Themselves" Special Edition Of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t” Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago (Usually, I just post a weekly version of this regular feature. However, sometimes I post an extra “Special Edition” when I have more good links than usual) I hav... more »

A ‘kissing cousin’ of segregated proms: segregated high school reunions. Are they common? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
A ‘kissing cousin’ of segregated proms: segregated high school reunions. Are they common? | Get Schooled: A ‘kissing cousin’ of segregated proms: segregated high school reunions. Are they common? by Maureen Downey A reader of the segregated prom blog sent me a note about something that DeKalb school chief Michael Thurmond referenced in a recent speech, racially segregated class reunions. Thurmond said that his high school graduating class — he attended high school in Athens and was among the first black students to attend high school with white students — holds two reunions divid... more »

Schools Matter: Another chapter in the online testing boondoggle

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Schools Matter: Another chapter in the online testing boondoggle: Another chapter in the online testing boondoggle by skrashen [image: Mum chance] The situation described here is not a problem for computer companies. In fact, it is good news. More computer sales! They are not worried how Union Local will find the money: they are sure that the local community, enchanted with technology thanks to massive propaganda in the media, will find a way. A bond issue, a tax increase, benefits, raffles and lotteries, all ways of taking money from the needy and giving it to the greedy. And th... more »

BREAKING NEWS!!!! Former NYC Principal Caught On Audio!!!.southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: BREAKING NEWS!!!! Former NYC Principal Caught On Audio!!! by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) Way back in June of 2012 I reported on my former principal at PS 154, Marsha Elliott, lack of true Christianity. She repeated a lie, and repeated it repeatedly. But first a little back story. In May of 2011 I was teaching character education, which is basically citizenship. I gave up being dean and SAVE room coordinator due to a senior teaching whining and kvetching about filing a grievance. Honestly it is a fantastic curriculum. But needs to be kept a... more »

Activists Re-Launch Campaign to Repeal Louisiana’s Creationism Law | Repealing the Louisiana Science Education Act

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Activists Re-Launch Campaign to Repeal Louisiana’s Creationism Law | Repealing the Louisiana Science Education Act: Activists Re-Launch Campaign to Repeal Louisiana’s Creationism Law Posted on March 18, 2013 by Zack Kopplin ** Activists Re-Launch Campaign to Repeal Louisiana’s Creationism Law Posted on March 18, 2013 by Zack Kopplin *Since 2008, the Louisiana Science Education Act Has Been the Subject of National and International Criticism and Ridicule* *For Immediate Release* *Baton Rouge, LA — (March, 18, 2013) — *Senator Karen Carter Peterson (D-New Orleans) recently filed SB 26... more »

9th grade is still where most fall off track | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
9th grade is still where most fall off track | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: 9th grade is still where most fall off track by thenotebook Sub Title: Giving students personalized attention in large high schools continues to be a challenge. Author: by Paul Jablow Author Bio: Paul Jablow is a regular freelance contributor to the *Notebook*. Sheila Hernandez was 15 when she quit Frankford High School in the 9th grade. There was a lot of fighting in the school, and Hernandez, a slight girl with her hair cut short, was also bullied over her appearance. When she had problems acade... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Leonie Haimson: American Hero

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Leonie Haimson: American Hero: Leonie Haimson: American Hero by Duke [image: animated waving flag, very cool] Since critical thinking is in such short supply these days (thanks, in part, to the growing bubble test obsession in our public schools), let me explain why the smear against Leonie Haimson is both slimy and illogical: Regular readers here know I have great respect for Haimson, both as a champion for New York City's public schools and for the work she has done with her group, Class Size Matters. She advocates tirelessly for reduced class sizes, a broad an... more »

Obama Tobacco Tax To Fund Preschool Faces Industry Resistance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Obama Tobacco Tax To Fund Preschool Faces Industry Resistance: Obama Tobacco Tax To Fund Preschool Faces Industry Resistance by Joy Resmovits Though President Barack Obama's administration hasn't formally released its 2014 budget, one component is already facing resistance from the tobacco industry. That's because the president plans to foot the bill for a major new pre-kindergarten program in part with an increase in tobacco taxes, The New York Times first reported Friday and the White House confirmed to HuffPost. The proposal would expand pre-K access to all 4-year-olds whose f... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: When Will Bill Gates Leave Public Education Alone?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: When Will Bill Gates Leave Public Education Alone?: When Will Bill Gates Leave Public Education Alone? by Melissa Westbrook There can be no doubt that Bill Gates is a smart guy. What I have a tough time with is that because he is smart AND has lots of money that somehow that makes him an expert on anything he decides is important. Mr. Gates, like Eli Broad and the Waltons, have created a playbook (probably via our friends at ALEC) for ed reform. Just to be fair, I'm sure it is as frustrating to them as it is to all American citizens at the stubb... more »

Public Education Justice Alliance of Minnesota(PEJAM): Defending Public Education in Minneapolis: An Interview on the DTOE Talk Show

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Public Education Justice Alliance of Minnesota(PEJAM): Defending Public Education in Minneapolis: An Interview on the DTOE Talk Show: Defending Public Education in Minneapolis: An Interview on the DTOE Talk Show *DTOE Talk Episode 7 (04.05.13) – Robert Panning-Miller, Minneapolis Teacher, Former MFT President, and Co-Founder of the Public Education Justice Alliance of Minnesota (PEJAM)* *I had a chance to talk with Francesco Portelos on his on-line talk show, Don't Tread on Educators. We discussed many of the various corporate reforms affecting Minneapolis and Minnesota in gen...more »

Are you an IEA Retired member who has not received a mailed ballot? | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Are you an IEA Retired member who has not received a mailed ballot? | Fred Klonsky: Are you an IEA Retired member who has not received a mailed ballot? by Fred Klonsky I’m out of town for a family wedding this weekend. I wasn’t going to say much. But I have received messages from some IEA Retired members saying that they have not received their ballots for NEA RA delegate. The deadline for getting them back is April 24th. They are contacting me because they want to vote for me. I appreciate that. But I can’t get them a ballot. Only the IEA can. But since these are votes for me, I have ... more »

Chinese Investing Big Bucks in Florida Charter Schools | Crooks and Liars

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Chinese Investing Big Bucks in Florida Charter Schools | Crooks and Liars: Chinese Investing Big Bucks in Florida Charter Schools By karoli ENLARGE [image: rickscottcharterschool.jpg] United States immigration laws met Florida charter schools, and it was love at first sight. Via Miami Today News: Investment money is pouring into Florida from wealthy Chinese who find that Florida has exactly what they are looking for — and what they need to secure US green cards. Chinese investors are taking advantage of the EB-5 investment visa program, the so-called "green card via red carpet," by... more »

Chicago Schools Segregation Then and Now

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
*Chicago Schools Segregation Then and Now* * * *A look at the strained race relations in Chicago under Mayor Richard J. Daley and Mayor Rahm Emanuel* * * * *

Oakland Unified Chief Tony Smith resigns to be with family in Chicago - San Jose Mercury News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Oakland Unified Chief Tony Smith resigns to be with family in Chicago - San Jose Mercury News: Oakland Unified Chief Tony Smith resigns to be with family in Chicago By Angela Woodall Oakland Tribune Posted: 04/05/2013 12:00:05 PM PDT Updated: 04/05/2013 12:43:52 PM PDT Click photo to enlarge Oakland School District Superintendent Tony Smith speaks during an Oakland Unified School... From the Education Report blog - Smith: "This is our work over the next 10 years " OAKLAND -- Oakland Unified School Superintendent Tony Smith announced his resignation today after nearly four ye... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Diane Ravitch points the finger of blame at the DOE during day 1 of OCCUPY DOE 2. Three more days to go. Come in down, up, or over to join us. Here is Mitzi by dianerav I don’t know how to import photos to the blog. Maybe someone will tell me how. So I took her picture, emailed it to Twitter, and copied the link. http://twitter.com/DianeRavitch/status/320168597035036674/photo/1 Another Photo of Mitzi by dianerav Mitzi was rescued from a kill shelter. http://t.co/IBP5PS8MHN John White’s Deputy Stays Five Months ... more »

CESAR CHAVEZ DE MARZO - MIEMBROS SCUSD COMUNIDAD DE MARCHA "LA EDUCACIร“N PรšBLICA PARA TODOS", ESPECIALMENTE EN NUESTRAS ESCUELAS pequeรฑo barrio DIRIGIDA AL ABANDONO DE

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
VIERNES, 05 DE ABRIL 2013 CESAR CHAVEZ DE MARZO - MIEMBROS SCUSD COMUNIDAD DE MARCHA "LA EDUCACIร“N PรšBLICA PARA TODOS", ESPECIALMENTE EN NUESTRAS ESCUELAS pequeรฑo barrio DIRIGIDA AL ABANDONO DE Favor considere unirse al contingente del MIEMBROS DE LA COMUNIDAD SCUSD MARCHA DE "EDUCACIร“N PรšBLICA PARA TODOS", EXPECIALLY EN NUESTRAS ESCUELAS pequeรฑo barrio DIRIGIDAS PARA CERRAR EL Aร‘O QUE VIENE O EN UN Aร‘O SIGUIENTE: Por favor, รบnase a nosotros en el esfuerzo de *recuperar, restaurar y renovar* la educaciรณn pรบblica. Es hora de *levantarse* y exigir la * rescisiรณn* de los votos pa... more »

CESAR CHAVEZ MARCH - SCUSD COMMUNITY MEMBERS MARCHING FOR “PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL”, ESPECIALLY IN OUR SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS TARGETED FOR CLOSING

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING THE CONTIGENT OF SCUSD COMMUNITY MEMBERS MARCHING FOR “PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL”, EXPECIALLY IN OUR SMALL NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS TARGETED FOR CLOSING NEXT YEAR OR IN A FOLLOWING YEAR: Please join us in the effort to *Reclaim, Restore and Renew* public education. It is time to *Rise*up and demand the* Rescission* of the vote to close seven neighborhood schools. On the occasion of his recent birthday anniversary, Cesar Chavez's son-in-law and current UFW president shared: "... To give true meaning to his life and work, we — you and I — must be directly ... more »

Theresa Soares – Imagining Students as the Solution: Redefining Youth, Starting With ‘Our’ Stories Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Student Voice: Theresa Soares – Imagining Students as the Solution: Redefining Youth, Starting With ‘Our’ Stories by Editor Admin The Huffington Post will be promoting various Student Voice articles prior to the *Student Voice Live! *summit on April 13th. The following is from *Theresa Soares*: In this world, everyone has a story. In the United States of America, everyone who has a story has the right to tell it. Our stories are the culmination of our social experiences which influence our future actions. For many, the voicing of their personal stories is the initiation of their ... more »

Will religious schools bring our public education system to its knees? On Grothman's private school tax credit and other repugnancies : blue cheddar

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Will religious schools bring our public education system to its knees? On Grothman's private school tax credit and other repugnancies : blue cheddar: Will religious schools bring our public education system to its knees? On Grothman’s private school tax credit and other repugnancies by bluecheddar “… no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be f... more »

April is School Library Month! — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
April is School Library Month! — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Kristen Pekarek]April is School Library Month! April 5, 2013 by Kristen Pekarek [image: AASL - School Library Month] School libraries are critical to every child's education and career—with nearly 31 million elementary, middle, and high school students relying on school library services each week. This April, join whole child partner American Association of School LibrariansSchool Library Month. The month-long celebration will showcase the vital role and resources school libraries provide to student... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Updates

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Updates: Seattle Schools Updates by Melissa Westbrook A story from KPLU about the Rainier Beach High School's new IB program. It's a good one. From SPS: Seattle Public Schools is seeking applicants for a newly formed Native American Advisory Committee. The committee will advise Superintendent Josรฉ Banda on implementing Native American Education in Seattle Public Schools. It will be composed of Native families, Native community representatives, Native SPS staff, Native higher education representatives and Native students who re... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: PARENT TRIGGER GROUP RECOMMENDS LAUSD TAKES OVER FAILING LAUSD SCHOOL

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: PARENT TRIGGER GROUP RECOMMENDS LAUSD TAKES OVER FAILING LAUSD SCHOOL: PARENT TRIGGER GROUP RECOMMENDS LAUSD TAKES OVER FAILING LAUSD SCHOOL ●●smf: This article is a-little-more-than-somewhat misleading - *sometimes the spin makes the reporters dizzy.* The recommendation of the 24th St Parents Union is a “recommendation” – *not * the final parent vote. The LA Parent Union is an unholy owned subsidiary of ®eform Inc., *the Broad/Gates/WalMart/Charter School Kool-Aid is dispensed by the hogshead at every meeting!* BY BEAU YARBROUGH | SAN... more »

Georgia students fight segregated proms

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Georgia students fight segregated proms: *Georgia students fight segregated proms* Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 5, 2013 at 11:09 am [image: (Credit: WSAV)] Students from Wilcox County High School who are fighting to have an integrated prom. (Screengrab from a video by WSAV) This seems hard to believe in 2013, but students at Wilcox County High School in Georgia have long held segregated proms — one for blacks and one for whites. This year a group of black and white teens who have been friends for years are fighting for a fully integrated prom. But it hasn’t been easy. Chann... more »

What is it about Teachers that makes them targets? | My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
What is it about Teachers that makes them targets? | My Island View: What is it about Teachers that makes them targets? by tomwhitby People who know me understand that I have hot buttons that set me off when it comes to certain topics of education. That would actually encompass a huge number of topics including the rights of teachers. As I scanned the news channels last week, I came upon a story covering a teacher strike in one of the urban districts of the U.S. The reporter covering the event kept repeating and repeating a single line during his coverage that just set me off. “The... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, April 5, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Fensterwald: Brown’s funding plan faces vigorous review – and speed bump Education Headlines *Friday, April 5, 2013* Natomas district bus driver takes autistic boy to wrong schoolA Sacramento mother said she felt panic Tuesday after learning that a substitute bus driver for the Natomas Unified School District dropped her 6-year-old autistic son at the wrong elementary school. Claremont school district could send layoff notices to five classified employees; denies charter school requestClaremont Unified School District board membe... more »

Seven moments in UFT history possibly more pivotal than this one | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Seven moments in UFT history possibly more pivotal than this one | Hechinger Report: Seven moments in UFT history possibly more pivotal than this one by Sarah Darville [image: Seven moments in UFT history possibly more pivotal than this one] Even as many unions nationwide are struggling to retain their clout, the United Federation of Teachers is still flexing considerable muscle in New York City. But with a teacher evaluation deal still up in the air and Mayor Michael Bloomberg's last months in office approaching, the teachers union is nonetheless at a crossroads. Just how much the ... more »

Wrecking physical ed: Ohio’s P.E. assessment for kids

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Wrecking physical ed: Ohio’s P.E. assessment for kids: Wrecking physical ed: Ohio’s P.E. assessment for kids Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 5, 2013 at 10:06 am [image: gym]On the list of absurdities connected to the national trend of evaluating teachers by student achievement are situations where, for example, teachers are assessed on the standardized test scores of students they didn’t have. Here’s an addition to the list: The physical education assessment tool that Ohio physical education teachers will use to evaluate their students. Students had been evaluated in the past in ... more »

Christian Roots of School Voucher Movement Still Pretty Obvious | Mother Jones

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Christian Roots of School Voucher Movement Still Pretty Obvious | Mother Jones: Christian Roots of School Voucher Movement Still Pretty Obvious —By Kevin Drum | Thu Apr. 4, 2013 10:20 AM PDT 121 - - The hits just keep coming from the Tennessee legislature. This time it's the sudden realization that if you provide state money to religious schools, you can't just limit it to Christian schools: In Tennessee, [] a plan to transfer taxpayer money to religious academies is running into trouble as GOP lawmakers slowly realize that all religions will be eligible for public f... more »

UPDATE: Whoa there…Let’s try telling the truth… + The Dan to Dannel transformation on the most important education lawsuit in Connecticut history - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Dan to Dannel transformation on the most important education lawsuit in Connecticut history - Wait, What?: Whoa there…Let’s try telling the truth… by jonpelto *The CTMirror has a “must read” follow up story about Governor Malloy’s “request” to interview and select a finalist for the position of President of the Connecticut Board of Regents.* In the article, the CTMirror reports that, “The governor’s spokesman, Andrew Doba, said the interviews aren’t unusual. He noted that the University of Connecticut trustees in late 2010 allowed then-Governor-elect Malloy to interview final... more »

The Intersection Between the Common Core and School Culture | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Intersection Between the Common Core and School Culture | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: The Intersection Between the Common Core and School Culture by National Association of Elementary School Principals *By Gail Connelly, Executive Director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)* Communications scholar Marshall McLuhan once said, "We don't know who discovered water, but we know it wasn't the fish." Water shapes a fish's existence so profoundly — and, swimming right in the middle of it, the fish can't grasp how water impacts th... more »

“your very existence is an act of rebellion” – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
“your very existence is an act of rebellion” – @ the chalk face: “your very existence is an act of rebellion” by Barbara Madeloni [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] We’ve been clanging the warning bells in higher education for years, maybe this story about computer scoring of essays as a way to *improve *students’ writing will get the attention of our colleagues in the academy. Like all of the data driven, computer based instruction that is being sold to us/imposed on us, this is dangerous in so many ways. We know that this eliminates jobs while increasing profits for corporations. ... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Anthony Cody: Can We Trust Bill Gates? by dianerav Anthony Cody read Bill Gates’ article in the Washington Post, in which he said it is time to reduce the emphasis on high-stakes testing. Anthony wondered if Gates means it. Anthony writes: “No one in America has done more to promote the raising of stakes for test scores in education than Bill Gates….You can read his words…, but his actions have spoken so much more loudly, that I cannot even make sense out of what ... more »




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LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-6-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch






The Myth of Charter Waiting Lists

One of the arguments advanced to expand charter schools is that they have long waiting lists.
Or so they say.
But no one knows how many are on those lists.
This reporter in Chicago started digging and discovered that the list is not real. The Chicago charters say there 


Best Comment of the Day (So Far)

The comment below draws attention to a debate that followed Dr. Mercedes Schneider’s methodological dissection of Patrick Wolf’s Milwaukee study. Wolf holds an endowed chair in school choice in the “department of education reform” at the University of Arkansas. The Wolf study initially reported a staggering attrition rate of 75% from the voucher schools, which was later altered to a merely astonishing rate of 56%.
Dr. Schneider then was peppered with criticisms from someone who signed only as JB, preferring anonymity 


Is This Even Possible?

A reader writes:
“Yes, a lawyer is the acting interim Superintendent, Joe. His name is Dorsey Hopson. Before coming to Memphis, he was general counsel for the Atlanta Public School system (during the same time as the cheating scandal).”
Yes, it is true
Will he be called to testify about the organized cheating and the inflated s ores and the unwarranted bonuses that occurred when he was general counsel to the Atlanta Public Schools.
Accountability begins at the top, as it should.



FairTest: An All-New, Improved SAT, “With Tail Fins?”

FairTest has been a watchdog for the testing industry for many years.
The latest news is that the SAT will be overhauled (again), this time to align it with the Common Core standards.
No big surprise, since the head of the College Board, David Coleman, was the lead player in developing the 


Why I Apologized for Something I Did Not Say

A number of readers have written to ask why I wrote an apology to Michelle Rhee when I had not been the one to speak the offending words (“Asian bitch”). I wasn’t even present when the words were spoken.
Frankly, the story focused on the negative, rather than the reasons that the rally was happening. The story presented a false, demeaning, and hostile portrait of the rally. It was akin to the stories about Occupy Wall Street that presented a peaceful assemblage of citizens exercising their First Amendment right to assemble as if they were a dangerous mob. Perhaps we should ask the reporter Michele McNeil of Education Week to apologize for her misrepresentation of the parents and teachers who assembled peaceably to protest school closings, high-stakes testing, privatization, and other abuses, while ignoring our positive message about the importance of providing every school with the resources it needs to succeed–with small classes, librarians, guidance counselors, social workers, the arts, physical education, a full curriculum, and professional working 

Cody: Time to Hold Bill Gates Accountable

For the past several years, three billionaires have foisted untested, unreliable, metrics-driven, in humane teacher evaluation policies onto our nation’s teachers.
In this misguided effort to find a yardstick to reduce teacher quality to a number, no one has been more energetic than Bill Gates.
As the anti-high-stakes testing movement grows, and as the wreckage piles up (see Atlanta, El Paso, and DC, for example), the metrics movement looks more ineffectual and more harmful.
Anthony Cody says it is time to hold the authors of this debacle accountable.


Methodological Flaws in Milwaukee Voucher Study?

School choice advocates now stand on shaky ground. Their own funded evaluations show that students in voucher schools do not get higher test scores than their peers in public schools.
So they fall back to the next line of defense, which is to say that the voucher students have a higher graduation rate.
In the case of Milwaukee, the graduation rate is muddied by a very high attrition rate, either 75% or 56%,

Keeping an Eye on Reform Leader ALEC

ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, is the key organization today in education reform.
Forget party labels. ALEC–funded by big corporations and enrolling some 2,000 state legislators–is calling the shots on charter schools, vouchers, right-to-work legislation, online charter schools, and many other topics that are at the forefront of “reform” in such far-right states as Louisiana, Tennessee, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, and many others.
ALEC had a p.r. problem a year ago when a black teenager, Trayvon Martin, was shot and killed in Florida by a man who used the ALEC legislation “stand your ground” as his defense. The publicity was so intense and negative that many corporations dropped their sponsorship. But most did not.
If you want to peek inside their closed doors, read this comment from an informed observer:
ALEC has finally named a private chair to their Education Task Force, Jonathan Butcher from the Goldwater 

California Father | @califather Califather all spiffed up and ready to stream Occupy the DoE! #edchat #soschat #uoodc13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
California Father | Educating Sullivan: [image: California Father] califather on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free - ON DEMAND - ABOUT OCCUPY THE DEPT OF ED - HOW TO CHA

Diane in the Evening 4-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: An Apology to Michelle Rhee by dianerav Yesterday I participated in the first day of Occupy the DOE, where parents and teachers spoke out against DOE policies that demand high-stakes testing and school closings. In my own presentation, I urged the DOE to stop its punitive policies and instead to follow the positive agenda of the Network for Public Education. According to an account I read later, an earlier speaker used offensive language, calling Michelle Rhee an “Asian bitch.” I was not there to hear it, but ... more »

California courts familiar with gay parent issues - latimes.com

California courts familiar with gay parent issues - latimes.com:


California courts familiar with gay parent issues



Jon W. Davidson
Gay rights lawyer Jon W. Davidson (Los Angeles Times / April 5, 2013)


 By Maura Dolan
SAN FRANCISCO -- When the California Supreme Court struck down a same-sex marriage ban in 2008,  the majority ruling reflected a series of decisions the court had already reached in disputes involving gay parents.
Gay rights lawyers said this week that those cases were critical to the court’s historic marriage ruling — later partly overturned by Proposition 8 -- and lamented the fact that theU.S. Supreme Court has little experience in dealing with gay family litigation.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has never decided a lesbian or gay parenting case,” said Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal. “And it’s really important for them to be understanding that same-sex couples have children ….. and to be thinking about actual children, as opposed to hypothetical children.”
In one case, California’s  high court considered the parental rights of a woman who donated her eggs to her partner,  who was artificially inseminated and gave birth to twins. The gestational mother was infertile, and the genetic mother had a diseased uterus.
That case brought to the court’s attention the myriad ways gay couples were having children.
One same-sex male couple each donated sperm to a 

Send me your stories and I will share them | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

Send me your stories and I will share them | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:


Send me your stories and I will share them

imagesCAEE22RFFrom time to time I get stories from folks who have had the unpleasant experience of working with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) under John White, or Paul Pastorek.  If you feel you have a story that needs to be told please contact me and I will do my best to explain your side of the story, and I will keep your identity anonymous to the extent possible.  If you are the only person that possesses the information you share, bear in mind that complete anonymity from White and his band of brigands is probably unrealistic (for instance they know who I am even if you don’t), but I still may be able to use what you tell me to back into your information from other sources.
Before I publish anything I will be happy to run my piece by you for your approval.  This call goes out to past and present employees of the Louisiana Department of Education, RSD (The Recovery School District) our LEAs (Local Education Authorities) charter operators, vendors who worked with or tried to work with LDE, teachers, students, parents, child welfare and activist groups, non-profits, etc.
I am working, or have worked,with numerous folks already.  If you have a story to tell that you feel the local media is not covering, let me know.  I was in the same boat, which I why I started this blog.  Occasionally folks in the national mainstream media contact me about stories I’ve written and will use parts in their own pieces or conduct their own research.
Thanks,
CCF
You can send me an e-mail to: crazycrawfish@yahoo.com
website: www.LouisianaBelievesAnything.com (use the “contact me” form)
or on twitter: @crazycrawfish

UPDATE: Gail Collins is a must-read today Daily Kos: Millennials are driving social - and political - change

Daily Kos: Millennials are driving social - and political - change:



Gail Collins is a must-read today

So I will enable you to get past the pay firewall without using up any of your monthly quota of ten articles to readA New Era in Political Corruption.
It starts with her opening paragraph:
Have you ever noticed how high the bar is when it comes to getting arrested for political corruption? Really, you practically have to go around with a sign that says “Will Trade Influence for Cash.”
  And that is just the start of a column inspired or provoked (you choose) by the arrests for political corruption etc. in New York this week.  She says the politicians involved have acted in such a stupid way
it shatters our longstanding confidence that taking money was the one thing they know how to do well.
Please keep reading for more snips. Unless you are going to go to her column right now, in which case the rest of this post is unnecessary.


Millennials are driving social - and political - change

The surge of generational change continues in this country, altering the cultural landscape with a speed and intensity that has rarely — if ever — been seen before.
.   So begins Charles M. Blow in a New York Times column titled The Young are the Restlessnew Pew Poll released Thursday notes that for the first time a majority of Americans favor legalizing marijuana, by a 52-45 margin.  Note the following changes in percentages favoring by generation, with the latter figure the new pollgeneration        
Silents  from 17 in 2002 to 32            
Boomers    from 24 in 1994 to 50        
Generation X  from 28 in 1994 to 54
Millennials  from 36 in 1994 to   65
Blow writes
The millennial generation is the generation of change. Millennials’ views on a broad range of policy issues are so different from older Americans’ perspectives that they are likely to reshape the political dialogue faster than the political class can catch up.

Teacher’s resignation letter: ‘My profession … no longer exists’

Teacher’s resignation letter: ‘My profession … no longer exists’:


Teacher’s resignation letter: ‘My profession … no longer exists’

i-quitIncreasingly teachers are speaking out against school reforms that they believe are demeaning their profession, and some are simply quitting because they have had enough.
Here is one resignation letter from a veteran teacher, Gerald J. Conti, a social studies teacher at Westhill High School in Syracuse, N.Y.:
Mr. Casey Barduhn, Superintendent
Westhill Central School District
400 Walberta Park Road
Syracuse, New York 13219

Dear Mr. Barduhn and Board of Education Members:

It is with the deepest regret that I must retire at the close of this school year, ending my more than twenty-seven years of service at Westhill on June 30, under the provisions of the 2012-15 contract. I assume that I will be eligible for any local or state incentives that may be offered prior to my date of actual retirement and I trust that I may return to the high school at some point as a substitute teacher.

As with Lincoln and Springfield, I have grown from a young to an old man here; my brother died while we were both employed here; my daughter was educated here, and I have been touched by and hope that I have touched hundreds of lives in my time here. I know that I have been fortunate to work with a small core of some of the finest students 

Schools Matter: More evidence corroborating Professor Krashen and exposing the contrived skills and STEM crises

Schools Matter: More evidence corroborating Professor Krashen and exposing the contrived skills and STEM crises:


More evidence corroborating Professor Krashen and exposing the contrived skills and STEM crises

"...the impending shortage of scientists and engineers is one of the longest running hoaxes in the country" — Gerald W. Bracey
Dr. Krashen has long been a critic of the fact-free Myth: STEM and skills crisesSchools Matter's Professor Stephen Krashen has been a long time critic of the media promulgated mythology that there's a shortage of qualified workers, particularly those in the Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) fields. A quick survey of his posts here reveal his ongoing work to counter the skills/STEM propaganda that is most often used to justify some of the most pernicious corporate education reforms.
Whenever I see more evidence proving these skills/STEM myths wrong, I'm quick to forward them to Dr. Krashen for him to add to his burgeoning catalog of documentation. NPR's recent Are There Too Many Ph.D.s And Not Enough Jobs? is an example of the evidence contradicting all the outrageous lies by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, David Welch, Reed Hastings, Arne Duncan, et al. The NPR piece, which cites The 


Education "Reform" with David Sirota

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YouTube IntroductionWhat's really happening in education politics? Would you believe it's a battle between greedy school teachers and corporate CEOs who want what's best for the children? Well, not so much. Charter schools backed by these so-called "education reformers" aren't necessarily better than standard public education - it's actually been proven that they aren't. Charter schools do however make sense as a business strategy, allowing corporations to make big money off school children. How does this strategy work? David Sirota explains.