Saturday, April 16, 2011

Some of Last Week's Best Posts on Big Education Ape » PostRank #WeAreWI #WIUnion #p2 #pfla #AwakeFL #1u

Last Week's Best Posts on Big Education Ape » PostRank


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SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Staying Power (Statement on Friday evening from the Sac State student protesters)

2011-Apr-15
SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Staying Power (Statement on Friday evening from the Sac State student protesters)Staying Power (Statement on Friday evening from the Sac State student protesters)Posted on April 16, 2011 by sacstatesqeWe have had a fantastic Friday with all the love and support shown to Sac State, thank you everyone! We had students come in from San Jose State, SF State, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Davis you guys are awesome. Our faculty continued to stop by with their classes ...
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Bill de Blasio: An Open Letter on Behalf of Public School Parents to Chancellor Dennis Walcott

2011-Apr-15
Bill de Blasio: An Open Letter on Behalf of Public School Parents to Chancellor Dennis WalcottBill de Blasio: An Open Letter on Behalf of Public School Parents to Chancellor Dennis Walcottby Bill de BlasioTo Chancellor Walcott:For the past nine years our schools have been run by a top-down bureaucracy that too often alienates public school parents. To your great credit, you have said that you want to engage parents and communities more than in the past. But you have also ...
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US Uncut & Yes Lab on CNN: Explaining the 4/13 GE Tax Hoax

2011-Apr-15
On the morning of Wednesday, April 13, 2011, a group of cyber-activists from US Uncut working in collaboration with the Yes Lab sent out the following press release (http://yeslab.org/archive/pr-gerelease.html):GE Responds to Public Outcry - Will Donate Entire $3.2 Billion Tax Refund to Help Offset Cuts and Save American JobsFairfield, CT, 13th April, 2011 - GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt has informed the Obama administration that the company will be gifting its entire 2010 tax refund, worth $3.2 Billion, to the US ...
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A College Education Should Not Result in Crushing Debt - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes

2011-Apr-15
A College Education Should Not Result in Crushing Debt - E.D. Kain - American Times - ForbesA College Education Should Not Result in Crushing Debtby E.D. KainThere have been some interesting pieces about the value of a college degree lately. The first is from Peter Thiel, the hedge fund investor behind the financing of Facebook. The second is from Dana Goldstein.Thiel argues that we are in the midst of a ‘higher-education bubble’ and that kids today aren’t getting their money’s ...
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Eye On Education New Product Updates

2011-Apr-15
Eye On Education New Product UpdatesHelping Students Motivate Themselves:Practical Answers to Classroom ChallengesByLarry FerlazzoA comprehensive outline of common classroom challenges, this book presents immediately applicable steps and lesson plans for all middle and high school teachers looking to help students motivate themselves. With coverage of brain-based learning, classroom management, and using technology, these strategies can be easily incorporated into any curriculum.Learn to implement solutions to the following challenges:How do you motivate students?How do you help students see the importance of ...
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Student Body Presidents: Budget Cuts Threaten Dream of a Higher Education | California Progress Report

2011-Apr-15
Student Body Presidents: Budget Cuts Threaten Dream of a Higher Education | California Progress ReportStudent Body Presidents: Budget Cuts Threaten Dream of a Higher Educationby meganBy Eming PiansayNew America MediaWith public universities in California being targeted for drastic budget cuts, college-bound students are bracing for a now uncertain future. How many students will be able to secure financial aid? Will universities be offering scholarships and fellowships to low-income students? Which courses and departments will be cut out of the curriculum? ...
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Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: TFA News and Facts

2011-Apr-15
Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: TFA News and FactsTFA News and Factsby Charlie MasI'm not sure if some of these facts have yet been spelled out on the blog. Maybe they have; maybe they haven't. Even if they have, they merit repetition.1. Seattle Public Schools has hired a recruiter who is a former Teach for America corps member. There is reason to believe that this person views TfA favorably and may promote TfA corps members to schools making hiring decisions. ...
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This Week In Education: Thompson: Rating Schemes Get Rid Of Top Performers, Too

2011-Apr-15
This Week In Education: Thompson: Rating Schemes Get Rid Of Top Performers, TooThompson: Rating Schemes Get Rid Of Top Performers, Tooby john thompsonAs Dana Goldstein explains in The Test Generation, it' not hard to identify the least effective teachers. Test score-driven evaluation can kill two birds with one stone, however, by getting rid of the worst performers as well as veteran teachers who are not on board with education's brave new world. Goldstein reports that the Harrison District in Colorado ...
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Michelle Rhee nominated for award by group connected to Tea Party backers

2011-Apr-15
Michelle Rhee nominated for award by group connected to Tea Party backersMichelle Rhee nominated for award by group connected to Tea Party backersby adminOriginally posted April 10, 2011, on Blue Virginia.Believe it or not, this is not a parody (at least not intentional), it really happened.Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli won the Public Servant of the Year Award presented by the Sam Adams Alliance and announced Friday evening in Chicago.[...]AG Cuccinelli won the Public Servant Award for challenging the constitutionality ...
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Friday notes from a Traditional Teacher. « Fred Klonsky's blog

2011-Apr-15
Friday notes from a Traditional Teacher. « Fred Klonsky's blogFriday notes from a Traditional Teacher.by Fred KlonskyI was having my coffee and my cell rang. “Wow,” said our Local president. She had been at the a union Region meeting last night where the Swanson and Soglin seniority sellout was explained. By the time she got out of the meeting, the Illinois Senate had already passed it 59 to 0.From Duncan to his senior advisor and former IEA Executive Director Jo ...
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Daily Kos: The last day before Spring Break

2011-Apr-15
Daily Kos: The last day before Spring BreakThe last day before Spring Breakby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)and normally I would be looking forward to the end of the school day. I cannot.Yesterday a former student was walking by my room during my planning period. The door was open and music was playing. He stopped. He commented that it was nice music, and I told him what it was. He seemed down, and mentioned that things were hard for him right then. He ...
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Sacramento Press / Region's $9.6 billion education cluster threatened by 'all cuts' state budget

2011-Apr-14
Sacramento Press / Region's $9.6 billion education cluster threatened by 'all cuts' state budgetRegion's $9.6 billion education cluster threatened by 'all cuts' state budgetby Hal Silliman, published on April 14, 2011 at 5:14PMStoryline: Regional Prosperity Community Tags: business education sacramento metro chamber state budgetA state budget that makes $25 billion in cuts will drastically impact the Sacramento region—especially the $9.6 billion education industry in six counties.“The education industry is critical to our region’s economic prosperity,” said Matthew Mahood, Sacramento Metro ...
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Modern School: CTA’s State of Emergency Misses the Mark, But Come Anyway, The Occupation Will Be Fun

2011-Apr-14
Modern School: CTA’s State of Emergency Misses the Mark, But Come Anyway, The Occupation Will Be FunCTA’s State of Emergency Misses the Mark, But Come Anyway, The Occupation Will Be Fun0diggEven after California shaved $13 billion off its deficit by slashing Community College, CSU and UC budgets, as well as services for the poor, elderly and disabled, the state is still $12 billion in the hole and is now threatening to cut K-12 education by $4 billion and fire up ...
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Robert Reich (President Obama's Real Proposal (And Why It's Risky))

2011-Apr-14
Robert Reich (President Obama's Real Proposal (And Why It's Risky))President Obama's Real Proposal (And Why It's Risky)2 people liked thisPaul Ryan says his budget plan will cut $4.4 trillion over ten years. The President says his new plan will cut $4 trillion over twelve years.Let’s get real. Ten or twelve-year budgets are baloney. It’s hard enough to forecast budgets a year or two into the future. Between now and 2022 or 2024 the economy will probably have gone through a ...
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On College Debt and the Drop-Out Crisis - Dana Goldstein

2011-Apr-14
On College Debt and the Drop-Out Crisis - Dana GoldsteinOn College Debt and the Drop-Out Crisisby Dana GoldsteinOn Monday the New York Times' published a story about the immense and growing debt burden on college graduates. In 2003, two-thirds of bachelor's degree receipients had college debt, and their average individual debt load was a whopping $24,000. As the piece, by Tamar Lewin, notes, most economists still consider student debt "good debt" because a college degree raises a worker's lifetime earnings. ...
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If they are so great why are there so many CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS AND WHY DO THEY KEEP PUSHING THEM?

2011-Apr-14
CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALSTrenton Community Charter School *TWO N.J. CHARTER SCHOOLS PLACED ON PROBATION, THIRD FACES SHUTDOWN IF STUDENT SCORES DON'T IMPROVE*; March 10, 2011; Star Ledger (NJ) Two of New Jersey’s most well-established charter schools are on probation and a third was warned to improve its ...University Academy Charter School *TWO N.J. CHARTER SCHOOLS PLACED ON PROBATION, THIRD FACES SHUTDOWN IF STUDENT SCORES DON'T IMPROVE*; March 10, 2011; Star Ledger (NJ) Two of New Jersey’s most well-established charter schools are ...
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Big victory for the corporate "reformers" in Chicago

2011-Apr-14
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Big victory for the corporate "reformers" in ChicagoBig victory for the corporate "reformers" in Chicagoby Mike KlonskyBig setback for teachers and unions“The changes to Illinois’ education system agreed to by all parties will make Illinois a national model, and set a standard for other states to follow,” said Jonah Edelman, CEO of Stand for Children.“Everything is agreed to,” said Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood), who oversaw five months of negotiations between teachers unions, business and reform groups ...
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MinnPost - On Michelle Rhee: Two studies, a dissection of them -- and varying conclusions

2011-Apr-14
MinnPost - On Michelle Rhee: Two studies, a dissection of them -- and varying conclusionsOn Michelle Rhee: Two studies, a dissection of them -- and varying conclusionsBy Beth Hawkins | Published Thu, Apr 14 2011 9:04 amMichelle RheeHow many posts about the former schools chief of a city that’s 1,100 miles from here can one blog suffer? I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.It seems I was a few days premature inwriting about the controversies that continue to ...
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Utopia vs. 'Real Politics' - Bridging Differences - Education Week

2011-Apr-14
Utopia vs. 'Real Politics' - Bridging Differences - Education WeekUtopia vs. 'Real Politics'by Deborah MeierDear Diane,It was fun to catch even the last 10 minutes of your speech last week at AERA in New Orleans. It was too bad that half or more of the audience couldn't get in to hear you. (I finally found a secret rear door to sneak in.) And thanks for exposing to one and all that I have lived 10 years longer than I had ...
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Chivalry and Rape on the American Campus of the 1950s « Student Activism

2011-Apr-14
Chivalry and Rape on the American Campus of the 1950s « Student ActivismChivalry and Rape on the American Campus of the 1950sby Angus JohnstonA few years back, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote a piece about a campus gang rape case in which he said that the best approach to preventing such incidents was the approach that colleges took in the days before the sexual revolution.Educators in decades past, Brooks wrote,understood that when you concentrate young men, they have ...
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Neither political party makes sense for our children | Taking Note

2011-Apr-14
A personal story on mixed marriage | Taking NoteA personal story on mixed marriageby JOHN MERROW on 14. APR, 2011 in 2012 PRESIDENTIAL RACE, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, OP-ED, POLITICS, PRESIDENT OBAMA, INNOVATION, TEACHINGNot many people know this, but I am the product of a mixed marriage. I was blissfully unaware of it growing up, which I think speaks well of my Mom and Dad, who apparently wanted to protect their six children from the raw emotion and even hatred that ...
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Daily Kos: THIS IS the biggest stickup in American history.

2011-Apr-12
Daily Kos: THIS IS the biggest stickup in American history.THIS IS the biggest stickup in American history.by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)That is the first line of a paragraph that continues like thisFirst we were told that in order to save the nation, we had to bail out irresponsible banks and decrepit car companies, and to extend the Bush-era tax cuts. Last week, we were told that the federal government would be shut down without $38.5 billion in cuts that will slash labor, ...
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Poverty + poor reading = dropout | Thoughts on Public Education

2011-Apr-12
Poverty + poor reading = dropout | Thoughts on Public EducationPoverty + poor reading = dropoutShare3rd grade reading ability tied to high school graduationPosted on 4/12/11 • Categorized as Preschool, ResearchBy Kathryn BaronSometimes you have to wonder what the tipping point is for taking education research and moving it into action. It’s been years since educators recognized the importance of third grade as the year when children move from learning to read to reading to learn. Yet, reading proficiency for ...