Thursday, December 1, 2011

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts #ows #edreform


U.S. Education Department Finds Salary Gap in Poor Schools - NYTimes.com #edreform

U.S. Education Department Finds Salary Gap in Poor Schools - NYTimes.com:Districts Pay Less in Poor Schools, Report SaysBy SAM DILLONPublished: November 30, 2011RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINE-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHAREEducation experts have long argued that a basic inequity in American schooling is that students in poor neighborhoods are frequently taught by low-paid rookie teachers who move on as they gain experience and rise up the salary scale.A new Web venture featuring news, data and conversation about schools in New York City.Join us on Facebook »Follow us on ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Fred Smith on David Abrams' resignation: No Mas!

NYC Public School Parents: Fred Smith on David Abrams' resignation: No Mas!:Fred Smith on David Abrams' resignation: No Mas!by Leonie HaimsonFred Smith is a former senior analyst for the NYC Board of Education and an expert on testing. Here he comments on the sudden resignation of David Abrams, who led the NY State Education Dept. testing office into one preposterous blunder after another over many years, the most serious of which was test score inflation -- but my favorite was ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

School Overhaul Plan A Boon to Private Groups - Chicago News CooperativeBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-12 minutes agoSchool Overhaul Plan A Boon to Private Groups - Chicago News Cooperative:School Overhaul Plan A Boon to Private Groupsby REBECCA VEVEADespite rumors that Chicago Public Schools officials planned to close a record number of schools this year, just four will be shuttered and four others will be phased out or share space with charter schools.Of the eight schools, seven will foster ... more »

Occupy L.A.: Nearly 300 protesters still in jail face $5,000 bail - latimes.com #ows

Occupy L.A.: Nearly 300 protesters still in jail face $5,000 bail - latimes.com:Occupy L.A.: Nearly 300 protesters still in jail face $5,000 bailThe National Lawyers Guild is calling for nearly 300 Occupy L.A. protesters arrested early Wednesday to be released from jail. The majority of the 292 protesters were taken into custody for failing leave a City Hall park after police issued a dispersal order early Wednesday, city officials said. A smaller number also were cited for resisting arrest.All are ...more »

Robert Reich (The Rebirth of Social Darwinism)

Robert Reich (The Rebirth of Social Darwinism):The Rebirth of Social DarwinismWEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011What kind of society, exactly, do modern Republicans want? I’ve been listening to Republican candidates in an effort to discern an overall philosophy, a broadly-shared vision, an ideal picture of America.They say they want a smaller government but that can’t be it. Most seek a larger national defense and more muscular homeland security. Almost all want to widen the government’s powers of search and surveillance inside the ... more »

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: War Times analyzes Occupy Movement #ows

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: War Times analyzes Occupy Movement:War Times analyzes Occupy Movementby Duane Campbell(excerpts)Occupy has changed thecountry. People are fighting back. And the developments arehappening faster than anyone could have guessed even a few months ago. TheOccupy movement has gone from a few dozen in Zuccotti park in New York tothousands of participants in hundreds of cities. Across the countryoccupations have become pitched battles between the people’s movement andmunicipal police forces. The speed with which this unfolded, the degree of ... more »

School Overhaul Plan A Boon to Private Groups - Chicago News Cooperative

School Overhaul Plan A Boon to Private Groups - Chicago News Cooperative:School Overhaul Plan A Boon to Private Groupsby REBECCA VEVEADespite rumors that Chicago Public Schools officials planned to close a record number of schools this year, just four will be shuttered and four others will be phased out or share space with charter schools.Of the eight schools, seven will foster the expansion of schools operated by outside education management organizations, expanding the number of schools run by private groups ... more »

Amid sweeping changes, state’s testing chief resigns suddenly | GothamSchools

Amid sweeping changes, state’s testing chief resigns suddenly | GothamSchools:Amid sweeping changes, state’s testing chief resigns suddenlyby Rachel Cromidas and Philissa Cramer, at 5:22 pmThe State Education Department official who has supervised the state’s testing program since 2004 — through skyrocketing scores, a brutal crash, and the dawn of an overhaul — has resigned.David Abrams, the State Education Department’s assistant commissioner for standards, assessment, and reporting since 2004, announced his resignation today. His resignation is effective immediately, shocking some ... more »

Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Act | The White House

Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Act | The White House:Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Actby The White HouseRelease Time: For Immediate ReleaseScranton High SchoolScranton, Pennsylvania2:37 P.M. ESTTHE PRESIDENT: Hello, Scranton! Thank you. (Applause.) It is good to be back in Scranton. Go, Knights! (Applause.) It is good to be here. Thank you, Principal Schaeffer, for letting us hold this little assembly here at the high school. (Laughter.) The principal was bragging about both the ... more »

public high school choice rant - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help

public high school choice rant - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help:public high school choice rantby joyceForgive me for too many CAPS ahead of time.I have been hearing a lot about the "second round" this year, like you get another shot at the choice you want late in the spring. GUYS! the DOE doesn't work that way!! The "supplemental round" is for students who have NOT RECEIVED ANY CHOICE in the main round. Your placement in the main ... more »

Support PURE! » 18 schools, 10,000 students targeted by CPS interventions

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » 18 schools, 10,000 students targeted by CPS interventions:18 schools, 10,000 students targeted by CPS interventionsby adminAdding to the 10 turnarounds disclosed yesterday, CPS today announced that it will close 2 schools and consolidate, phase out, or otherwise intervene in 6 others.There will be a critical meeting of the Chicago Educational Facilties Task Force TOMORROW Dec 1 at 10 am downtown at the Bilandic Building – 160 N. La Salle RM C-600 ... more »

Remember, Remember, the Month of November | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Remember, Remember, the Month of November | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:Remember, Remember, the Month of Novemberby Tarsi DunlopNative American National Heritage Month is a chance to highlight a component of American history that is often overlooked. Native American Heritage Month celebrates those, along with their tribal ancestors, who were here thousands of years before Columbus or Cortes set foot in North America. The unique nature of America’s immigration history results in distinct parameters for discussions on ... more »

Two important documents from Milwaukee's teachers' union | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Two important documents from Milwaukee's teachers' union | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:Two important documents from Milwaukee's teachers' unionby Ron WhitehorneIn May, Bob Peterson was elected president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, the largest teachers union in the state of Wisconsin.Peterson is well known as a founding editor of Rethinking Schools and a long-time advocate of social justice unionism.Peterson detailed "why and how" to reinvent the MTEA:read more

Physical Fitness Test Results for 2011 - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

Physical Fitness Test Results for 2011 - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education):Physical Fitness Test Results for 2011 Prompt SchoolsChief Tom Torlakson and NBA All-Star Bill Waltonto Team Up for Healthy Kids CampaignEL CAJON—With only 31 percent of students posting healthy scores in all six areas of the latest Physical Fitness Test, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson joined NBA all-star Bill Walton today in urging schools across California to take part in the Team California for Healthy Kids ... more »

Our Students Deserve No Less | ED.gov Blog

Our Students Deserve No Less | ED.gov Blog:Our Students Deserve No LessPosted on November 30, 2011 by Cameron Brenchley(Official Department of Education Photo by Joshua Hoover)“My chief message today is a sobering one,” said Secretary Duncan yesterday at the annual Federal Student Aid conference in Las Vegas, Nev. “I want to ask you, and the entire higher education community, to look ahead and start thinking more creatively—and with much greater urgency—about how to contain the spiraling costs of college and ... more »

POVERTY DEFEATS EVEN CHARTER SCHOOLS « Teachers Fight Back

POVERTY DEFEATS EVEN CHARTER SCHOOLS « Teachers Fight Back:POVERTY DEFEATS EVEN CHARTER SCHOOLSby alkleenToday’s Chicago Tribune has an article about how research has suggested that many charter schools in Chicago are performing no better than traditional neighborhood schools and some are actually doing much worse. The article shows the test scores to back up the research that was done.Does this really surprise anyone? What is so difficult to understand about the fact that children from poverty-stricken areas will almost always ... more »

Alert From the Sacramento Comprehensive High School Coalition

From the Sacramento Comprehensive High School Coalition:An update is in order for anyone hopeful that the Sac High campus might be reclaimed for use as a pedestrian-friendly comprehensive high school. A sizable group of families from the West Campus community oppose any move that re-locates, or significantly expands their campus and culture. When combined with St. HOPE's vigorous defense of the Sac High campus, it would appear that the "swap" option faces two very well-organized, and determined opponents.For residents in ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

Education Research Report: Children At Risk: A State-by-State Report on Early InterventionBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-32 minutes agoEducation Research Report: Children At Risk: A State-by-State Report on Early Intervention:Children At Risk: A State-by-State Report on Early Interventionby Jonathan KantrowitzΩEaster Seals new report -- Our Nation’s Children at Risk: A State-by-State Report on Early Intervention -- gives a sense for how well each state takes care of its youngest children with disabilities and delays. The fact is: infants and ... more »

Remainders: Bronx school tells parents to stop airing its issues | GothamSchools

Remainders: Bronx school tells parents to stop airing its issues | GothamSchools:Remainders: Bronx school tells parents to stop airing its issuesby Philissa Cramer, at 9:00 pmP.S. 24 in the Bronx told families to stop telling the school’s troubles to the press. (Bronx Press Politics)A teacher discovers an error in an automatically graded Regents grade from last year. (NYCDOENuts)A teacher reports with glee that social studies exams might be resurrected. (Mr. D’s Neighborhood)Mike Petrilli: Though sometimes wrong, Diane Ravitch’s arguments are ... more »

Response: Several Ways Teachers Can Create A Supportive Environment For Each Other - Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher

Response: Several Ways Teachers Can Create A Supportive Environment For Each Other - Classroom QA With Larry Ferlazzo - Education Week Teacher:« How Can Teachers Create A Supportive Environment For Each Other? | MainResponse: Several Ways Teachers Can Create A Supportive Environment For Each OtherBy Larry Ferlazzo on November 29, 2011 2:36 PMS.H. asked:Our school culture has a growing sense of [unhealthy] competitiveness. I believe a lot of this stems from the fact that our administration does not recognize (or ... more »