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Saturday, July 2, 2011

Last Week's Best Posts on Big Education Ape » PostRank #WIUnion #NEARA11 #p2 #pfla #1u

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


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Why I am Marching in the SOS March in July (other than to sweat my nuts off) | Mr. D’s Neighborhood

2011-Jul-1
Why I am Marching in the SOS March in July (other than to sweat my nuts off) | Mr. D’s NeighborhoodWhy I am Marching in the SOS March in July (other than to sweat my nuts off)by ldorazio1Trust me, the last place you want to be in late July/early August is the District of Columbia.It’s hot and sticky, with a haze that saps you of your dignity as you drench through layers of clothing. The huge, wide boulevards leave little, ...
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A Round of Applause for Dusty & Gay #NEARA11

2011-Jul-1
A Round of Applause for Dusty GayA Round of Applause for Dusty Gay *July 1, 2011* *Dusty and Gay are halfway across this great nation. Time to pause and give them a round of applause for sharing their journey, their beautiful photos–and their amazing thoughts. Across the nation–to Save Our Schools. A beautiful ...Gay Dusty: a Peanut Butter Toast to George Washington Carver *July 1, 2011: on the Great Prairie* Scott City to Rush Center to Nickerson to Rosalia As ...
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Modern School: California’s Assault on University Students and Teachers

2011-Jul-1
Modern School: California’s Assault on University Students and TeachersCalifornia’s Assault on University Students and Teachersby Michael DunnThe freshly signed California budget slashes $650 million each from the budgets of its two preeminent university systems, the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU), serving hundreds of thousands of state residents. The cuts are $150 million more than originally threatened earlier this year and will result in significant tuition hikes and service cuts. The new budget is dependent on predicted ...
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Happy Birthday to the Youth Vote! « Student Activism

2011-Jul-1
Happy Birthday to the Youth Vote! « Student ActivismHappy Birthday to the Youth Vote!by Angus JohnstonThroughout the student movement of the 1960s, most American college students were denied the right to vote.From the birth of the American republic the voting age had stood at 21. Pressure for earlier voting had been building since 18-year-olds were first drafted in the Second World War, but despite the baby boom, the student movements of the sixties, and the deaths of thousands of Americans ...
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Pre-Convention: NEA Executives Amend Evaluation Proposal - Teacher Beat - #NEARA11

2011-Jun-30
Pre-Convention: NEA Executives Amend Evaluation Proposal - Teacher Beat - Education WeekPre-Convention: NEA Executives Amend Evaluation Proposalby Stephen SawchukEven before its delegates get a chance to vote on the measure, the National Education Association's board of directors has modified the union's teacher-evaluation policy proposal—qualifying what had been a seeming openness to the use of standardized-test scores as one possible gauge of teacher effectiveness.The original statement said that high-quality standardized tests could be used as one of several indicators of a ...
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Rick Scott and Michelle Rhee praise charter that just got an 'F'

2011-Jun-30
Rick Scott and Michelle Rhee praise charter that just got an 'F'Rick Scott and Michelle Rhee praise charter that just got an 'F'by adminPhoto Credit:AP Photo/Alan DiazWritten by Kathleen McGrory, for the Miami Herald. Read the original here.“When Gov. Rick Scott unveiled some of his education policy proposals with school-choice celeb Michelle Rhee this January, they paid a visit to a second-grade class at Florida International Academy in Opa-Locka to showcase the successes of school choice. Oops.The school rankings are ...
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Koch OUT News | www.kochwatch.org

2011-Jun-29
News | www.kochwatch.orgThom Hartmann: Proof that Rich people aren't the job creators!Palm Beach Post: Rick Scott attends secret Koch brothers meeting in Colorado *-by Dara Kam* *June 28, 2011-* Florida Gov. Rick Scott attended a secret, invitation-only meeting outside Vail, Colo., hosted by conservative billionaire GOP donors David and Charles Koch, the governor’s staff confirmed today. The meeting wasn’t on ...The Energy Collective: Koch Brothers Fund Assault on Climate Legislation, Seek To Destroy RGGI *-by Adam Siegel* *June 27, 2011-* ...
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Report: School districts at funding cliff - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

2011-Jun-29
Report: School districts at funding cliff - The Answer Sheet - The Washington PostReport: School districts at funding cliffby Valerie Strauss--This was written by Jack Jennings, president and chief executive officer of the Center on Education Policy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit education research group in Washington, D.C. From 1967 to 1994, he served as subcommittee staff director and then as general counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Labor.Read full article
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NYC Public School Parents: Two important education laws requiring more transparency from DOE passed today!

2011-Jun-29
NYC Public School Parents: Two important education laws requiring more transparency from DOE passed today!Two important education laws requiring more transparency from DOE passed today!by Leonie HaimsonToday, along with the budget, the City Council approved two new important bills requiring more transparent reporting from the DOE.According to the first bill, 354-A, the DOE will now be required to report each year by June 30 on the number of students discharged by individual schools and systemwide, as well as by discharge ...
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Daily Kos: PA Senate trying to push through voucher bill today, before end of session

2011-Jun-29
Daily Kos: PA Senate trying to push through voucher bill today, before end of sessionPA Senate trying to push through voucher bill today, before end of sessionby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)Note - what I am posting is at the request of Rachel Tabachnick, who has been all over this issue. The rest of the words are hers.If they can pull this off in Pennsylvania, public education in this country could be finished! It is frustrating to watch some otherwise progressive Catholic and ...
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Who is Jason Mancini and why isn't he registered as a Rhee lobbyist?

2011-Jun-29
Who is Jason Mancini and why isn't he registered as a Rhee lobbyist?Who is Jason Mancini and why isn't he registered as a Rhee lobbyist?by adminJason Mancini is an MI House staffer who is acting as the defacto lobbyist for Rhee’s front group. Yet nowhere is he registered as her lobbyist.StudentsFirst’s only registered lobbyist in Michigan, according to the leaked internal document, is Sarah Lynn Hubbard, of the lobbying firm Acuitas. Hubbard’s husband, David Murley is on the advisory board ...
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Here's to the Teachers! SOS March and National Call to Action #neara11

2011-Jun-29
learn more at http://www.saveourschoolsmarch.org/Join us July 28-31 2011 in Washington DC to support equitable funding for all public school communities, end high stakes testing used for the purpose of student, teacher, and school evaluation, give teacher, family and community leadership a clear place in forming public education policies, and encourage local school communities to develop curriculum specific to their needs.Images in chronological order:photos: John Dewey, Deborah Meier (from "The Power of their Ideas"), anonymous teacherfilms: "To Make a Difference" by ...
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Black student chained to locker, finds noose around dummy in alleged racial bullying incident - latimes.com

2011-Jun-29
Black student chained to locker, finds noose around dummy in alleged racial bullying incident - latimes.comBlack student chained to locker, finds noose around dummy in alleged racial bullying incidentAn African American student at Santa Monica High School says fellow members of the wrestling team chained him to a locker and hung a noose around a brown wrestling dummy.The alleged racial incident is being investigated by Santa Monica police and school officials, who sent an email to parents earlier this month ...
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Schools Matter: Rhee Finds Respect Among Governors Without Any

2011-Jun-28
Schools Matter: Rhee Finds Respect Among Governors Without AnyRhee Finds Respect Among Governors Without Anyby Jim HornBy Suzy Khimm for the Washington City Paper:For those who viewed Michelle Rhee as an anti-union bully, the past few months have offered lots of chances to say “toldya so.” Soon after resigning as the D.C. Public Schools chancellor in October, Rhee began appearing with Republican governors who were busily making war on public-sector unions. But if longtime Rhee critics felt vindicated, another group ...
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Oh Brother MORE CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Gulen charter schools in Hawaii

2011-Jun-28
CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Gulen charter schools in HawaiiGulen charter schools in Hawaii *STATE* *# ACTIVE* *# PENDING * *# INACTIVE* * *TOTAL* HI 0 0 1 1 * Denied, withdrawn, closed, or unknown status ===================================================================== *SCHOOLS* ...Gulen charter schools in Colorado ** *STATE* *# ACTIVE* *# PENDING * *# INACTIVE* * *TOTAL* CO 1 0 2 3 * Denied, withdrawn, closed, or unknown status ===================================================================== *SCHOOLS* ...Gulen charter schools in Arizona *STATE* *# ACTIVE* *# PENDING * *# INACTIVE* * ...
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The Yellow Tulips: Dysfunctional Public School System Continues to Drive Good Educators Away:

2011-Jun-28
The Yellow Tulips: Dysfunctional Public School System Continues to Drive Good Educators Away:Dysfunctional Public School System Continues to Drive Good Educators Away:by the yellow tulipsYoung D.C. Principal Quits and Tells WhyBy Bill Turque, Published: The Washington Post, June 25, 2011Bill Kerlina won a plum assignment when he was hired away from Montgomery County in July 2009 to become a principal in Northwest Washington. Phoebe Hearst Elementary was a small, high-performing school, right across the street from Sidwell Friends.He grew to ...
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How standardized testing is being expanded - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

2011-Jun-27
How standardized testing is being expanded - The Answer Sheet - The Washington PostHow standardized testing is being expandedBy Valerie Strauss--This was written by Lisa Guisbond, a policy analyst for the nonprofitNational Center for Fair Open Testing, known as FairTest. The report, Flawed Massachusetts Teacher Evaluation Proposal Risks Further Damage to Teaching and Learning, is available here.By Lisa GuisbondParents, teachers, and students: Raise your hands if you think what our schools need is more new tests and a greater emphasis ...
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U.S. Teachers’ Hours Among World’s Longest « Larry Miller's Blog

2011-Jun-27
U.S. Teachers’ Hours Among World’s Longest « Larry Miller's BlogU.S. Teachers’ Hours Among World’s Longestby millerlf June 25, 2011 Wall Street JournalBy Phil Izzo1,097: Average number of hours U.S. teachers spend per year on instruction.Students across the U.S. are enjoying or getting ready for summer vacation, but teachers may be looking forward to the break even more. American teachers are the most productive among major developed countries, according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data from 2008 — the ...
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Martha Woodall — 'What Happens When Charter Schools Fail' : NPR

2011-Jun-27
Martha Woodall — 'What Happens When Charter Schools Fail' : NPRWhat Happens When Charter Schools Fail?by NPR STAFFCharter schools are taxpayer-funded schools that are overseen by their own independent boards. Because of their independence, they are allowed to do things that traditional public schools cannot do. School administrators can experiment with things like the length of the school day and the makeup of each school's curriculum.With that freedom, charter schools have become academic beacons for parents looking to find the ...
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Do We Respect Seattle Teachers? | Seattle Education

2011-Jun-26
Do We Respect Seattle Teachers? | Seattle EducationDo We Respect Seattle Teachers?by KristinSeattle’s public schools sure have been through a lot in the 2010-2011 school year. On top of the multimillion dollar scandals and the firing of superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, we saw funding cuts from the legislature that has decimated our classroom teachers and classroom supports and caused serious overcrowding at Garfield High School and other schools, which meant that some students had to go without teachers or classrooms for ...
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What 21st century teaching, learning really means - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

2011-Jun-26
What 21st century teaching, learning really means - The Answer Sheet - The Washington PostWhat 21st century teaching, learning really meansby Valerie Strauss--Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, a former classroom teacher and school administrator, is a widely known speaker and trainer on the use of interactive technology in K-12 education. She is the co-founder (with Will Richardson) of Powerful Learning Practice, LCC, a professional development provider oriented around digital networks, and the co-author of the forthcoming book The Connected Educator (Solution Tree).In this ...
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Young D.C. principal quits and tells why - The Washington Post

2011-Jun-25
Young D.C. principal quits and tells why - The Washington PostYoung D.C. principal quits and tells why Text SizePrintE-mailReprintsHearst parents and teachers said they were disappointed. PTA President Jen Wilcox said Kerlina’s open-door policy, his efforts to upgrade classroom technology and his easy, energetic manner with kids made him “a breath of fresh air.”“He cared about children, and he was a hard-working principal,” veteran teacher Bill Rope said. “He didn’t leave because he wanted to make cupcakes.”( Bill O'Leary / ...
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Review: Profit At the Bottom Of The Ladder « MomsRising Blog

2011-Jun-25
Review: Profit At the Bottom Of The Ladder « MomsRising BlogReview: Profit At the Bottom Of The Ladderby Elisa BatistaSince coming back from Netroots Nation, I have been thinking a lot about workers’ rights. When did we get to the point in our country that workers like teachers and union members are the greedy and grubby ones? No one seems to care that much about the investors who don’t have to work, for example. Or asking the CEO to take ...
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Jersey Jazzman: "Overpaid Teachers"

2011-Jun-25
Jersey Jazzman: "Overpaid Teachers""Overpaid Teachers"by Duke1 person liked thisGreat article deconstructing this myth:U.S. census data shows that annual pay for teachers has fallen drastically over the past 60 years when compared to the annual pay of other workers with college degrees. According to a recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average national starting salary for a teacher is around $30,377. But the study showed that other college graduates entering professions that require similar training and ...
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Why Incentive Pay for Teachers is a Trojan Horse - EduStuff

2011-Jun-25
EduStuffWhy Incentive Pay for Teachers is a Trojan HorseThe same people who have been promoting incentive and merit pay for teachers are also those who want cuts in taxes and government. The two will never go together, and proponents of the incentive approach know it.Thursday, newly-elected Oklahoma State Supt. of Schools, Janet Barresi cast the tie-breaking vote that, among other things, ended one of the best National Board Certification incentive programs in the United States.According to the Oklahoma Education Associations ...
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My Thoughts on Community at the Special Olympics World Summer Games | Maria Shriver

2011-Jun-25
My Thoughts on Community at the Special Olympics World Summer Games | Maria ShriverJUNE 25, 2011GOT ME THINKINGMy Thoughts on Community at the Special Olympics World Summer GamesBy Maria ShriverAt our Special Olympics Board Meeting this morning, we continued exploring the idea of a Dignity Revolution that is focused on uniting and inspiring people in communities all around the world to move us in a more open, inclusive and tolerant direction.A related question that got me thinking was posed at ...
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Maine Voices: Charter schools have a troubled history

2011-Jun-25
OpinionMaine Voices: Charter schools have a troubled history BRUNSWICK - The history of American education is littered with school reforms designed to achieve one set of goals but manipulated to attain others. To that troubled history we may now add charter schools.Initially envisioned as "break-the-mold" schools that would serve as models of innovation in public education, charters were freed by state legislatures from many of the regulations that mainstream public schools were legally bound to follow.With such freedom, charter advocates ...
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How Did We Get To The Point of Attacking Teachers? by Paul Karrer

2011-Jun-25
Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.orgHow Did We Get To The Point of Attacking Teachers? by Paul KarrerThe public has gone from venerating teachers to vilifying them .How did things get to this state of affairs? How Did We Get Here?by Paul KarrerThe public has gone from venerating teachers to vilifying them .How did things get to this state of affairs?Answer – a confluence of impacts.1. The influence of those who reject public education on religious grounds. Those who say “government” is ...
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Big Education Ape: 6-25-11 AM Fred Said Rahm’s DNA everywhere Edition

2011-Jun-25
Big Education Ape: Ed News NowBig Education Ape: Ed News NowPublished by Coopmike48 – 6 contributors todayNext update in about 10 hoursSee all articlesHEADLINESEDUCATIONPOLITICSART ENTERTAINMENTLIVINGSTORIESTECHNOLOGY#EDU#P2Whittier School. The CTU contract. SB7. Rahm’s DNA everywhere. « Fred Klonsky's blogpreaprez.wordpress.com - “ They have the school security cameras on the us. The minute we leave, they’ll have the demolition crews here,” explains Hema, a community organizer from Pilsen. La Casita is the name given to the... fklonskyNew Dispute Erupts At Pilsen Elementary School ...
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Leaked internal documents shows what Rhee really thinks of some Michigan legislators

2011-Jun-24
Leaked internal documents shows what Rhee really thinks of some Michigan legislatorsLeaked internal documents shows what Rhee really thinks of some Michigan legislators Here’s what Michelle Rhee really thinks about the Michigan lawmakers that she tried to influence: *Rep. Thomas Hooker (R) *“He has been a real stickler on seniority not being a factor in the LIFO bill” * Rep. Holly Hughes (R) *“she’s afraid of ...All of Rhee's Michigan Legislative allies were Republican and Tea Party, DeVos, and Koch-funded ...