Monday, July 2, 2012

Report: Emails reveal damage-control effort by John White, Jindal officials over voucher program | NOLA.com

Report: Emails reveal damage-control effort by John White, Jindal officials over voucher program | NOLA.com:

Report: Emails reveal damage-control effort by John White, Jindal officials over voucher program

The Monroe News-Star has turned up a batch of emails between the state's top education official, John White, and officials in the Jindal administration as they scrambled to limit the fallout from a newspaper story about a dodgy-looking private school accepting hundreds of students as part of the state's new voucher program. In one email to Kyle Plotkin, the governor's spokesman, and Stafford Palmieri, a policy advisor, White wrote of an effort to "muddy up a narrative" and to "take some air out of the room" before a state Senate hearing in May, according to the News-Star.

Rusty Costanza, The Times-PicayuneState Superintendent of Education John White speaks to a group of St. Charles Parish teachers during a Teacher Town Hall at the Professional Learning Center in Luling, Louisiana, Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

The emails followed an earlier News-Star article that raised questions about the New Living Word School in Ruston, a private school hoping to take more than 300 students on publicly funded vouchers without having the teachers or facilities in

Fixing the Dropout Crisis, Part II | Mr. Teachbad

Fixing the Dropout Crisis, Part II | Mr. Teachbad:

Fixing the Dropout Crisis, Part II

by teachbad

About a month ago, Howard University and our local NPR station, WAMU, held a teacher town hall on the dropout crisis in the DC area. This was one of many similar events around the country. My first take on the event can be found here.

After listening to the whole thing again, my first thought was to retract much of what I said initially about the event being fairly uninspiring and underwhelming. After listening to most of it a third time, I’m a little less sure.

Let’s talk…

Four Things struck me as I listened again.

1) The entire system is being held hostage by the bottom, say, 10 percent. Many teachers in effect ended up turning on other teachers for sending kids up to the next grade when they should have been held back. Social promotion. A kid who was not ready for fifth grade in the first place is moved on to sixth. The sixth grade teacher then has to deal with the same problem, only now it is larger and less manageable.

Why do this? Why would a teacher send somebody up who clearly has not met even the minimum standards of the

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July)

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July):

Seattle Schools This Week (Reflecting on What Banda Should Do in July)

by Melissa Westbrook

This is last week of any public meeting for SPS until August.

There are two events this week, both on Tuesday.

First there is a required public hearing from 4-4:30 p.m. to hear testimony from the public about raising the amount the district will pay for the Associated Student Body fund. This was previously discussed at Board meetings. I still have not heard the explanation as to why this occurred and where. I may go review the Board meeting tapes to see if I missed something. The Action Report gives all kinds of policies and legal reasons why they can raise the amount but not why. It says this:

Expenditures are now at a higher percentage of the total annual expenditures than in any previous year, and may exceed the original estimate (adopted budget). (bold mine)

They exceeded the budget by more than $200k. How did that happen and when it started and it was apparent they were going over, did anyone do anything?

After that, there is the Board meeting at 4:15 p.m. The speakers list is not up yet so I don't know if it is full (I

Teachers' Union Calls For More Responsibility, Obama Support As Its Membership Declines

Teachers' Union Calls For More Responsibility, Obama Support As Its Membership Declines:

Teachers' Union Calls For More Responsibility, Obama Support As Its Membership Declines

by Joy Resmovits

Dennis Van Roekel, the president of the National Education Association, criticizes policymakers whom he calls "self-proclaimed 'reformers'" while promoting some of their policies.

After a few years of tremendous membership loss, the nation's largest teachers' union is reinventing itself.

"Instead of waiting for someone to tell us what to teach or how to do our jobs, let us be the change we are waiting for," Dennis Van Roekel, the president of the National Education Association, said in his Monday afternoon address to the group's national convention in Washington, D.C., according to prepared remarks provided to The Huffington Post. The convention includes a gathering of the NEA's state and local affiliates and votes on union policy.

"We are part of â€¦ a system that has not successfully addressed the dropout crisis and allows kids who are poor to be stuck in schools that do not meet their needs -- placed into classrooms year after year with the least qualified, least experienced teachers," Van Roekel said. "If there is even one classroom with a teacher who isnâ�™t prepared or qualified, we canâ�™t accept that."

John Thompson: Can Education Reformers Learn the Art of Compromise? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Can Education Reformers Learn the Art of Compromise? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Can Education Reformers Learn the Art of Compromise?

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by John Thompson.
My attempt to describe Common Core as an example of the old-fashioned "status quo," which contemporary "reformers" have sought to destroy, seems to have hit a nerve. In the past, educators of different stripes would battle, negotiate, and compromise. Corporate powers were well represented, but there was no effort to assert complete dominance over the field. I argued that the search for "transformative" change and "disruptive innovation" was a historical dead end. I speculated that Common Core and other standards-based reforms would have had a better potential for helping kids had we not just endured more than a generation of scorch and burn politics.
Perhaps I'm beating a dead horse, but I would like to try again, and to pose a thought experiment. What would have happened if accountability hawks had sought to work within the system, and not wipe the slate clean so they could impose their own preferences? What would have happened if the Gates Foundation had built upon

Superintendent John Kuhn’s Call to Action | Seattle Education

Superintendent John Kuhn’s Call to Action | Seattle Education:

Superintendent John Kuhn’s Call to Action

by seattleducation2011

An appropriate way to start off the summer, with an uplifting call to action by the Superintendent of Perrin-Whitt School District in Texas at the SOS March and National Call To Action last July.
With Bill Gates now spending $1M for a charter school initiative in the state of Washington, there is much to do this summer. Gates of course will disseminate this funding through the League of Education Voters and Stand for Children, making it appear that this is a grassroots effort when it is the exact opposite.
For now, a call for common sense and reason:
Popout

Funding Results: Charter School Revolving Loan Fund 2011-12 (CA Dept of Education)

Charter School Revolving Loan Fund 2011-12

Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991

Note: Recipients and funding amounts are subject to budget and administrative adjustments.

Charter School Revolving Loan Fund apportionment letters, schedules, and other fiscal details regarding funding information for fiscal year 2011-12.

Program Questions: Julie Briggs, e-mail: jbriggs@cde.ca.gov, tel. 916-322-1646

Fiscal Questions: Julie Briggs, e-mail: jbriggs@cde.ca.gov, tel. 916-322-1646

Apportionments

First Apportionment

More about Charter School Revolving Loan Fund 2011-12

Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock | NEA Today

Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock | NEA Today:

Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock

July 2, 2012 by twalker
Filed under Must Reads

“Democracy” in Chicago? « Diane Ravitch's blog

“Democracy” in Chicago? « Diane Ravitch's blog:

“Democracy” in Chicago?

by dianerav

A parent in Chicago wrote to explain how difficult it is for parents or anyone else to speak at a “public” hearing.

A true grassroots parent group in Chicago, 19th Ward Parents, attend every monthly meeting of the Board of Ed at CPS.

One of our parents was ejected by security because she dared to ask when public participation would be permitted.

It was already difficult to speak at a BoE meeting. But it has become more difficult since Emanuel has been mayor, and the Board pushed the public participation to the very end of the meeting.

For example, individuals can speak to the Board only every other month.

Speakers have only 2 minutes.

You must get up very early to sign in.

CPS works closely with Stand for Children, who recruited speakers in support of the longer day. CPS staff got up early to stand in line for the Stand speakers, who arrived at a more reasonable

Louisiana’s Vouchergate Scandal Erupts | Scathing Purple Musings

Louisiana’s Vouchergate Scandal Erupts | Scathing Purple Musings:

Louisiana’s Vouchergate Scandal Erupts

by Bob Sikes

Did Governor Bobby Jindal’s staff and Louisiana’s state education superintendent conspire to suppress a news story that the state had ”not performed site visits or extensive review of voucher applications?” It looks like it. From reporter Barbara Leader in the Monroe News-Star:

Emails between Louisiana Education Superintendent John White, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s spokesman Kyle Plotkin and Jindal’s policy adviser Stafford Palmieri show White devising a scheme to “muddy up a narrative” and to “take some air out of the room” after a news report about the new voucher program that was published before his Senate confirmation hearing in May.
In the email exchange, White proposes creating a news story about the “due diligence” process for school voucher approvals to counter the impact of a News-Star article that revealed the state Department of Education had not performed site visits or extensive review of voucher applications.
The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee was to consider recommending White’s position be

Shanker Blog » When Push Comes To Pull In The Parent Trigger Debate

Shanker Blog » When Push Comes To Pull In The Parent Trigger Debate:

When Push Comes To Pull In The Parent Trigger Debate

by Matthew Di Carlo

The so-called “parent trigger,” the policy by which a majority of a school’s parents can decide to convert it to a charter school, seems to be getting a lot of attention lately.
Advocates describe the trigger as “parent empowerment,” a means by which parents of students stuck in “failing schools” can take direct action to improve the lives of their kids. Opponents, on the other hand, see it as antithetical to the principle of schools as a public good – parents don’t own schools, the public does. And important decisions such as charter conversion, which will have a lasting impact on the community as a whole (including parents of future students), should not be made by a subgroup of voters.
These are both potentially appealing arguments. In many cases, however, attitudes toward the parent trigger seem more than a little dependent upon attitudes toward charter schools in general. If you strongly support charters, you’ll tend to be pro-trigger, since there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you oppose charter schools, on the other hand, the opposite is likely to be the case. There’s a degree to which it’s not the trigger itself but rather what’s being triggered – opening more charter schools – that’s driving the debate.

Jersey Jazzman: The New "Bargaining": Take This and Shut Up!

Jersey Jazzman: The New "Bargaining": Take This and Shut Up!:

The New "Bargaining": Take This and Shut Up!

by Duke

Roy Roberts invents a new definition for the term "collective bargaining":

DETROIT — The state-appointed emergency manager running the Detroit Public Schools imposed a contract Sunday on the district's teachers, the district has announced.
Roy Roberts is empowered by Michigan's emergency manager law to impose work terms on employees.
"This new collective bargaining agreement with our teachers provides the flexibility needed for our schools to be successful and to meet the educational needs of the children and families who come to us," Roberts said in a statement. "It also

Louisiana Educator: Jindal Choice Law: An Invitation to Fraud and Abuse

Louisiana Educator: Jindal Choice Law: An Invitation to Fraud and Abuse:

Jindal Choice Law: An Invitation to Fraud and Abuse

by Michael Deshotels

Note to readers: Soon this blog will carry a report on the voting records of all legislators relative to the Jindal school reform package. At that time I will include suggestions for approaching our legislators about possible repeals or other modifications needed in the laws. Again I am encouraging all readers to submit an email to louisianaeducator@gmail.com so you can be added to my DEFENDERS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION data base. Please include your name and preferred email address and home address so that I can classify all participants according to thier own legislative districts. We have much work to do to save our public education system from destruction. Please be part of this effort!

Key portions of the recently passed Jindal Education legislation are being challenged in court by the LFT, the LAE, and by the Louisiana School Boards Association. The student scholarship (voucher) program is being challenged on the basis that the state is not authorized by the Louisiana Constitution to fund student enrollment in private schools. These groups are attempting to prevent the implementation of this law before the beginning of the 2012 school year. At this point, the court challenges may be our best hope to prevent the new laws from doing serious damage to our educational system.

In addition to the questionable legality of paying for children to attend private and religious schools, in my opinion, the law is an open invitation to unscrupulous individuals to use our taxes for personal enrichment of a

What Is an ATR? « Diane Ravitch's blog

What Is an ATR? « Diane Ravitch's blog:

What Is an ATR?

by dianerav

New York City teachers who read this blog include a number of ATRs.
Readers from outside the city ask what an ATR is.
I have explained that it is a teacher who used to work in a school that was “phased out” and replaced by new schools. This is the Bloomberg administration’s central strategy of school reform: close and replace, close and replace, repeat and repeat.
The teachers who lose their jobs have not been evaluated. They may be great teachers. They just happened to have the bad luck to teach in a closing school. If they are experienced teachers, other principals may reject them because their salaries are too high. So they become wanderers in the school system. They become members of the Absent Teacher Reserve, floating from school to school, a week at a time in each. They are lost

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 7-2 AM Posts #soschat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

Theft of Public Education in Memphis « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago

Theft of Public Education in Memphis « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Theft of Public Education in Memphis by dianerav Jim Horn of Schools Matter pored through the 200-page document describing the plan for the immediate future of the Memphis public schools, and this is what he learned. The Memphis schools will be merged with the schools of Shelby County, allegedly for efficiency. But in fact, the plan is to implement a massive transfer of students to charter schools. By 2016, a mere four years from now, enrollment in charter schools will... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Chicago teachers now working without a contract CTU President Karen Lewis *“It is our responsibility to work toward a contract that is fair and equitable to our members and one that will help us give our students the high-quality, first-class education they deserve. While there has been progress in some areas, we remain far apart on many others.”* -- NBC News Chicago,CTU Contract to Expire Over Weekend Michelle Chen *After Katrina, the city became an incubator for non-unionized charter schools an... more »

Daily Kos: 115 degrees in the Heartland

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago

Daily Kos: 115 degrees in the Heartland: 115 degrees in the Heartland by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) HILL CITY, Kan. — This town on the parched plains, best known for its bountiful pheasant hunting and museum of oil history, recently earned a new, if unwelcome, distinction — the center of America’s summer inferno.For five days last week, a brutal heat wave here crested at 115 degrees. Crops wilted. Streets emptied. Farmers fainted in the fields. Air-conditioners gave up. Children even temporarily abandoned the municipal swimming pool. Hill City was, for a spell, in the ranks of ... more »

Emails reveal voucher scheme | The News Star | thenewsstar.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 minutes ago

Emails reveal voucher scheme | The News Star | thenewsstar.com: Emails reveal voucher scheme [image: White]Emails between Louisiana Education Superintendent John White, Gov. Bobby Jindal's spokesman Kyle Plotkin and Jindal's policy adviser Stafford Palmieri show White devising a scheme to "muddy up a narrative" and to "take some air out of the room" after a news report about the new voucher program that was published before his Senate confirmation hearing in May. In the email exchange, White proposes creating a news story about the "due diligence" process for school vouche... more »

This is what we’re paying for? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 minutes ago

This is what we’re paying for? - Wait, What?: This is what we’re paying for? by jonpelto Steven Adamowski is collecting $225,000 from Connecticut taxpayers to serve as “Special Master” of the Windham Schools. He has so much time on his hands, Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, made Adamowski the “Special Master” for New London too. Now comes the news that the roof at Windham’s Natchaug Elementary School is so unstable, the Windham Board of Education had to have an emergency vote to shift all the elementary students to the Windham Middle School when classes start thi... more »

Pearson Responds to Revelations of Its Massive Florida Lobbying Efforts; Silent on Ties to Jeb Bush | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 28 minutes ago

Pearson Responds to Revelations of Its Massive Florida Lobbying Efforts; Silent on Ties to Jeb Bush | Scathing Purple Musings: Pearson Responds to Revelations of Its Massive Florida Lobbying Efforts; Silent on Ties to Jeb Bush by Bob Sikes This WFTV story last week on FCAT administrator Pearson prompted a quick response from the testing giant which *WFTV *published as well: “Pearson’s government relations work, which includes work with lobbyists, is purely on substantive, policy matters. Our efforts are dedicated to educating elected officials and other policy makers on what is p... more »

First Year Highlights: Classroom Management Advice - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 38 minutes ago

First Year Highlights: Classroom Management Advice - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher: [image: Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo] First Year Highlights: Classroom Management Advice By Larry Ferlazzo on July 2, 2012 10:48 AM I'm taking the summer off from answering new questions while I work on my next book. Instead, over the next two months, I'll be posting "collections" bringing links together from previous posts on common topics (classroom management, instructional strategies, etc.). I've published almost fifty separate "answers" over the past year, and t... more »

Geaux Teacher!: I TOLD YOU SO #2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago

Geaux Teacher!: I TOLD YOU SO #2: I TOLD YOU SO #2 by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) I'm adding this to my I TOLD YOU SO series of blogs. ALL LEGISLATORS who voted for ACTS 1 and 2 are complicit in anything this rogue, unqualified, Teach For America OPERATIVE, and Jindal LACKEY has done to destroy public education in our state. Add to that the MEDIA that White was scheming to enlist in his cover up and that includes *The Times-Picayune *who has persisted in avoiding the hard questions put to it and has abandoned its journalistic duty to serve as a watch dog for the... more »

C. Cryn Johannsen: The Ones We've Lost: The Student Loan Debt Suicides

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago

C. Cryn Johannsen: The Ones We've Lost: The Student Loan Debt Suicides: The Ones We've Lost: The Student Loan Debt Suicides *This story was produced by the independent Economic Hardship Reporting Project, co-edited by Barbara Ehrenreich and Gary Rivlin.* One evening in 2007, Jan Yoder of Normal, Illinois noticed that her son Jason seemed more despondent than usual. Yoder had been a graduate student in organic chemistry at Illinois State University but after incurring $100,000 in student loan debt, he struggled to find a job in his field. Later that night, Jason, 35, left the family'... more »

Straight Up Conversation: New National Charter Alliance Chief Nina Rees :: Frederick M. Hess

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 53 minutes ago

Straight Up Conversation: New National Charter Alliance Chief Nina Rees :: Frederick M. Hess: Straight Up Conversation: New National Charter Alliance Chief Nina Rees *by Frederick M. Hess • Jul 2, 2012 at 8:36 am Cross-posted from Education Week* Print Send RSS [image: Share] Share Nina Rees has just been named the new president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the national organization of the country's charter schools. As of August 20, she'll take the reins from interim president Ursula Wright, who has impressively filled the job for nearly a year. Nina serve... more »

Why U.S. can’t get back to head of the class (because it was never there) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago

Why U.S. can’t get back to head of the class (because it was never there) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: Why U.S. can’t get back to head of the class (because it was never there) By Valerie Strauss This *was writtetn by David E. Drew, who holds the Joseph B. Platt chair at the Claremont Graduate University. His most recent book is “STEM the Tide: Reforming Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in America,” published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. He can be reached at david.drew@cgu.edu.* By David E. Drew Policy makers and politicians like to talk ... more »

NYC Educator: What Will a Teacher's "Bar Exam" Do?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago

NYC Educator: What Will a Teacher's "Bar Exam" Do?: What Will a Teacher's "Bar Exam" Do? by NYC Educator AFT President Randi Weingarten is proposing a "bar exam" for teachers. Weingarten thinks this will counter some of the stereotypical perceptions of teacher unions. You know--the stuff you see in the news, the comments you sometimes see on this blog, and the nonsense that emanates from the mouths of demagogues like Mayor4Life Michael Bloomberg. "They only care about themselves." "We put Children First." "Let's worry about the children in the system, and not the adults." "The bad ... more »

Can You Make a Difference? Yes, You can! - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Can You Make a Difference? Yes, You can! - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard: [image: Lily's Blackboard Rotating Header Image] Can You Make a Difference? Yes, You can! Jul 2nd, 2012 by Lily. *(Mayor of RA contestants please comment on this post)* In this world of grey cynicism and pale apathy, it’s easy to think that the big things have all been done. That we’re all at the mercy of Billionaire Big Brothers who will decide our collective fate and no vale la pena luchar – It’s not worth the struggle. It’s easy to think that if you didn’t know any better. *If you didn’t know what I... more »

They bow to this legend of the Academic Decathlon - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

They bow to this legend of the Academic Decathlon - latimes.com: They bow to this legend of the Academic Decathlon [image: Daniel Berdichevsky is an Academic Decathlon star and he is 35. As he strode into a hotel ballroom in Albuquerque, scores of high school students competing for the national decathlon title clamored for the chance to shake his hand] Daniel Berdichevsky is an Academic Decathlon star and he is 35. As he strode into the hotel ballroom in Albuquerque, scores of high school students swarmed the man they know as DemiDec Dan, a legend in their world. The students, compe... more »

YES on Protect Schools and Public Safety Act - California Teachers Association

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

YES on Protect Schools and Public Safety Act - California Teachers Association: [image: california education funding crisis] Our Schools Need New Revenue! In the past 4 years, more than *$20 billion* has been cut from public education in California. We rank *47th in the nation in per-student funding * and now have the *largest class sizes* in the country. This year an additional $8 billion in new cuts are being proposed. And without new revenue, an additional $6 billion will be cut* *from public education. It’s time to invest in our common future and put California back on track.... more »

Geaux Teacher!: THIS IS NOT A JOKE!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Geaux Teacher!: THIS IS NOT A JOKE!: THIS IS NOT A JOKE! by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) A new blog that I believe was inspired by the realization of a parent with gifted children in St. Tammany Parish that the opportunity for ALL CHILDREN IN LOUISIANA to receive a quality public education is teetering precariously on a precipice and put there by our own Governor Bobby Jindal. Take note teachers, parents and taxpayers in St. Tammny Parish. Our highest-performing-large-district-in-the-state status will not protect us from the "if-it-ain't-broke-break-it" mentalit... more »

Early full-term babies may face later school woes - Boston.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Early full-term babies may face later school woes - Boston.com: Early full-term babies may face later school woes By Lindsey Tanner AP Medical Writer / July 2, 2012 CHICAGO—Even for infants born full-term, a little more time in the womb may matter. The extra time results in more brain development, and a study suggests perhaps better scores on academic tests, too. Full-term is generally between 37 weeks and 41 weeks; newborns born before 37 weeks are called premature and are known to face increased chances for health and developmental problems. The children in the study were all full... more »

THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION CAUSES MORE INJUSTICE « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION CAUSES MORE INJUSTICE « Teachers Fight Back: THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION CAUSES MORE INJUSTICE by alkleen Four New York seventh-graders whose bullying of a bus monitor grandmother went viral on You Tube have been suspended for a year, a school district official said Friday. They must complete 50 hours of community service with senior citizens and will receive behavioral training, according to the Greece Central School District in upstate New York. The You Tube video showed four teens bringing Karen Klein, 68, to tears. Here we go again. Because a school ... more »

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 7-1 AM Posts #soschat #edreform

Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago

*BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS* Does Experience Matter? « Diane Ravitch's blog coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago Does Experience Matter? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Does Experience Matter? by dianerav One of the axioms of corporate reform in education is that experience doesn’t matter. Also, they say, degrees don’t matter. Certification doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except “performance” or “results,” and these are defined as the “measurables,” the test scores. If a teacher can get students to produce higher test scores, he or she is a good teacher. If they c... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: Believe It or Not - Practice Makes Perfect

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Teachers Don't Suck !: Believe It or Not - Practice Makes Perfect: Believe It or Not - Practice Makes Perfect by Walt S. *This letter brings to mind a story told to me by a colleague who was teaching physics in a neighboring community.* ** *After a classroom observation the *

My teacher voice: You keep your word. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

My teacher voice: You keep your word. « Fred Klonsky: My teacher voice: You keep your word. by Fred Klonsky Chicago teacher Adam Heenan has been asking teachers to use their teacher voice. Adam found me at the NEA RA in Washington D.C. For almost thirty years I used my teacher voice with kids, but I didn’t have to teach kids that breaking a promise is wrong. They knew something our legislators don’t: You keep your word. Here’s mine:

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP: A DRAFT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A COST ANALYSIS OF TESTING AND TEST PREP [image: Convention] *FORWARDED IN AN EMAIL DIRECTED TO THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS CONVENTION 2012 (7/27) - THANK YOU MELODY**Inspired by New Mexico State Audit of Testing**WHEREAS*, the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 increased accountability requirements necessitating an increase in assessments and requirements for disaggregated data; and *WHEREAS*, for nearly a decade, imple... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Educational Reform is Slavery and The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 07.01.12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Educational Reform is Slavery and The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 07.01.12: Educational Reform is Slavery and The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 07.01.12 by stlgretchen What does increased taxation mean for education "reform"? The Sunday Education Weekly Reader is reposting two blogs (rather than tweets this week) with serious questions about increased taxation and the results of this governmental power. Ponder these questions when thinking about the educational reforms and the increasing centralization of

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: JUNE POSTS that POPPED!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: JUNE POSTS that POPPED!: *Here are the top 5 "posts that popped" in June 2012!* I Have to Stop Reading Diane Ravitch's Blog! Why Can't We Hold Parents Accountable Anymore? Write On: Why I Love Kidblog! They Did Not Choose Their Parents! Digital Educators Needed for 21st Century Learners!

Controlling the Pace of Your Own Education | Lefty Parent

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Controlling the Pace of Your Own Education | Lefty Parent: Controlling the Pace of Your Own Education by Cooper Zale We need to rethink the conventional wisdom in our society that after age four, kids need to be in school, continuously (except for perhaps summertime) from kindergarten for at least seventeen years until they graduate from college. I think it is leaving too many of our young adults dazed and confused coming out the other end rather than feeling prepared and inspired to join the greater adult community. They’ve spent too much time endlessly preparing and practicing to... more »

I’m starting a new union. Send me your dues. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

I’m starting a new union. Send me your dues. « Fred Klonsky: I’m starting a new union. Send me your dues. by Fred Klonsky *John L. Lewis, leader of the mine workers union.* Maybe it’s the summer heat. Recently a small group of standardized test critics (which I am, by the way) have declared war on the National Education Association. Not just a war on the leadership, mind you. But on all 3 million members, minus themselves (or at least those that actually are members of the NEA or the AFT). Even though the national meeting of the NEA RA will produce a basketful of resolutions condemn... more »

According to NCLB half of Guilford County charters are not meeting AYP - Greensboro Charter Schools | Examiner.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

According to NCLB half of Guilford County charters are not meeting AYP - Greensboro Charter Schools | Examiner.com: According to NCLB half of Guilford County charters are not meeting AYP 1Email [image: Khem Irby's photo] Khem Irby Greensboro Charter Schools Examiner + Subscribe All charter schools and public schools in North Carolina must meet their Adequately Yearly Progress or AYP. According to No Child Left Behind (“NCLB”) students in grades 3-8 must not only pass their required state reading and math exams but each year they must make progress on these exams. If a school does no... more »

Bush-Scott “Choice” Rhetoric and Arguments For Status-Quo Testing Are Failing Apart | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Bush-Scott “Choice” Rhetoric and Arguments For Status-Quo Testing Are Failing Apart | Scathing Purple Musings: Bush-Scott “Choice” Rhetoric and Arguments For Status-Quo Testing Are Failing Apart by Bob Sikes The *Tampa Bay Times *Jeff Solochek reports on Rick Scott’s speech to Pasco County republicans. Knowing he was in the room with like-minded supporters, Scott let loose with predictable drivel on education: Scott opened his remarks by praising Pasco Republicans for helping to elect conservatives like Will Weatherford, the incoming speaker of the Florida House. He urged them to... more »

Does Experience Matter? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Does Experience Matter? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Does Experience Matter? by dianerav One of the axioms of corporate reform in education is that experience doesn’t matter. Also, they say, degrees don’t matter. Certification doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except “performance” or “results,” and these are defined as the “measurables,” the test scores. If a teacher can get students to produce higher test scores, he or she is a good teacher. If they can do it year after year, they are “great” teachers. Reformers say that you can’t know in advance who the great teachers are. You have to... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Prop 39 Co-Locations: STATEMENT FROM SUPERINTENDENT DEASY & THE BOARD OF ED RE: CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOL ASSOCIATION V. LAUSD + Court order

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Prop 39 Co-Locations: STATEMENT FROM SUPERINTENDENT DEASY & THE BOARD OF ED RE: CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOL ASSOCIATION V. LAUSD + Court order: Prop 39 Co-Locations: STATEMENT FROM SUPERINTENDENT DEASY & THE BOARD OF ED RE: CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOL ASSOCIATION V. LAUSD + Court order [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] *LAUSD NEWS STATEMENT* ** *For Immediate Release* June 28, 2012 Contact: Tom Waldman 11/12-239 *STATEMENT FROM LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT JOHN D... more »

A teacher’s perfect moment in the classroom (involving John Milton and John Mayer) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

A teacher’s perfect moment in the classroom (involving John Milton and John Mayer) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: A teacher’s perfect moment in the classroom (involving John Milton and John Mayer) By Valerie Strauss This *was written by Michele Kerr, a second-career teacher with a master’s in education from Stanford University, with credentials in math, history, and English. She will start her fourth year of teaching in the fall. This appeared on Larry Cuban’s blog, School Reform and Classroom Practice.* By Michele Kerr My best moment as a teacher — so far — came right a... more »

There's No Such Thing as a Super Teacher - Education - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

There's No Such Thing as a Super Teacher - Education - GOOD: There's No Such Thing as a Super Teacher by Liz Dwyer After 10 years in the classroom—teaching everything from elementary school to adult education classes—Roxanna Elden has seen it all. Now working as a writing teacher at Hialeah High School in Miami, Elden, who is the author of *See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers By Teachers* a humorous survival book for new teachers, is on a mission to bust the super teacher myth for good. In the TED-style talk above, Elden told attendees at the recent Education Writers Associati... more »

As private school vouchers expand in New Orleans, eyes turn toward state for accountability plan | NOLA.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

As private school vouchers expand in New Orleans, eyes turn toward state for accountability plan | NOLA.com: As private school vouchers expand in New Orleans, eyes turn toward state for accountability plan Since the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina, two public school systems have grown side by side out of the wreckage in New Orleans, one operated by the state, another by the local school board. Now, a third school system of sorts, still comparatively small but growing, is elbowing its way into the mix, not entirely public but subsidized by millions of taxpayer dollars. Th... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Teacher Evaluations: A Race To Nowhere

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Teacher Evaluations: A Race To Nowhere: Teacher Evaluations: A Race To Nowhere by Duke New York is rushing to change teacher evaluation, even if they're not ready for it: An important deadline in the state’s ongoing teacher evaluation process occurs Sunday, but most schools will be missing it. July 1 was set as the day for schools around the state to submit plans for their new teacher evaluations to the State Education Department. The evaluations are required in order to qualify for federal grant money that New York State won under the Race to the Top program. ... more »

Daily Kos: Being the person your dog thinks you are

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Daily Kos: Being the person your dog thinks you are: Being the person your dog thinks you are by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) [image: Be The Person Your Dog Thinks You Are] or since it has been years since we last had a canine, that your cats think you are. Let me explain why this thought occurred. My power has now been out for 37 hours. Latest word is we are not likely to get it back before tomorrow. So I have left Arlington for Capitol Hill, for a Starbucks with A/C and lots of outlets. As I do various things online I have been people watching, something I love to do. I have ... more »

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-23-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-16-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-9-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 6-2-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 7-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-30-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-29-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-28-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-27-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-26-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-25-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-24-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-23-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Big Education Ape Nite Cap 6-22-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, July 2, 2012

Report: Emails reveal damage-control effort by John White, Jindal officials over voucher program

Charter School Revolving Loan Fund 2011-12

Apportionments

First Apportionment

Van Roekel on Romney: Out of Touch and Turning Back the Clock