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Thursday, March 17, 2011

KOCH OUT PM News | www.kochwatch.org

News | www.kochwatch.org

NYC Public School Parents: Sign a petition to Cuomo and the Regents now about teacher evaluation!

NYC Public School Parents: Sign a petition to Cuomo and the Regents now about teacher evaluation!

Sign a petition to Cuomo and the Regents now about teacher evaluation!

In response to Mayor Bloomberg's pressure to eliminate seniority protections for teachers , Gov. Cuomo has introduced legislation to impose a new teacher evaluation system next year.

It is good that he has resisted the mayor's pressure, since study after study shows that teaching experience matters in terms of student outcomes, and installing an alternative system of layoffs based largely on arbitrary ratings would undermine the professionalism of the teaching force and the quality of instruction in NYC schools.

Yet the legislation that the Governor has proposed that would rush into effect a new teacher evaluation system next year would do more harm than good., as many experts, including theNational Academy of Sciences and the Economic Policy Institute, have warned of the potentially

School Tech Connect: Tonight They Were Public

School Tech Connect: Tonight They Were Public

Tonight They Were Public

Chicago Math and Science Academy had a public board meeting. Here are my early notes.

Well, that was that. I have some footage and some thoughts about my evening over at the sometimes public/sometimes private charter school, but I'm too tired to write about it tonight. Mainly it was just sad--- sad because it was all so threadbare and stultifying. Bad architecture, bad lighting, halls that close in. The school is in a converted something or other-- I forget what used to be there; I think it was sort of an indoor mall type of thing; I think I bought some cowboy boots there in the 80's, another demonstration of my inability to fit in with the times. But mostly it was sad because I spent the evening realizing that I'm old enough to recognize the same old shit being played out over and over and over. Anyway, tomorrow I'll have a lot more.

I know I'll forget about it so let me get this down on paper-- this charter school is about to do a press release on

Another Reason Why Some Educators Won’t Talk About Race | The Jose Vilson

Another Reason Why Some Educators Won’t Talk About Race | The Jose Vilson

Another Reason Why Some Educators Won’t Talk About Race

Luis Ramirez and Three of His Murderers

No, you’re going to get into race at length. Because you’ve made your blog just as someone in the edublogosphere prescribed: edu-tech here, ed policy there, a response to the latest trend sprinkled in. You’re doing well for yourself and your readers skyrocket. The only controversy you ever touch is the difference between a PC and a Mac. Naturally, you choose PC. Yet, the minute you directly address a social issue close to your heart, you shy away because it veers from the norms of what edu-bloggers do. Then, you get e-mails like this in

Top-scoring countries hold teachers in high esteem

Top-scoring countries hold teachers in high esteem

Top-scoring countries hold teachers in high esteem

Nations that outpace the United States in education use many strategies to help their students excel. They do, however, share one: They set high requirements to become a teacher, hold those who become one in high esteem and offer the instructors plenty of support.

On Wednesday and today, education leaders - including U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the nation's largest teacher unions and officials from the highest-scoring countries - are meeting in New York to identify the best teaching practices.

The meeting comes after the recently released results of the Programme for International Student Assessment exam of 15-year-olds alarmed educators in the United States. Out of 34 countries, it ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math.

"On the one hand, the United States has a very expensive education system in international standards," said Andreas Schleicher, who directs the exam. "On the other



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/16/MNQC1ID1OM.DTL#ixzz1GuNP54LZ

SB 736 Update « Tangerine, Florida #awakeFL #legFL

SB 736 Update « Tangerine, Florida

SB 736 Update

The fate of Senate Bill 736, an SB 6 look alike, is up to Governor Scott who is expected to sign it. Republican House legislators voted unanimously this week in support of this “Teacher Quality bill.” This bill is neither for teachers not about quality. According to the Florida Education Association:

SB 736 is yet another multi-billion dollar unfunded mandate that dramatically increases student testing and does nothing to support or reward current teachers at a time when our schools can least afford it.

  • This new legislation requires local school districts to spend millions of dollars to develop new FCAT style tests and evaluation systems, but the Legislature is not providing additional funding to cover the cost.
  • Florida schools are already facing devastating budgets cuts. More cuts will force districts to close schools and cut programs and services. Employees are expected to face salary rollbacks, furloughs, layoffs and cuts in their benefits.Tallahassee shouldn’t impose another

Schools Matter: Wake County School Board's Koch Heads Called Out in Scathing Accreditation Report

Schools Matter: Wake County School Board's Koch Heads Called Out in Scathing Accreditation Report

Wake County School Board's Koch Heads Called Out in Scathing Accreditation Report

Advance Ed issued its long-awaited report yesterday that focused on wholesale policy changes aimed at re-segregating Wake County Schools. The Tea Party's Gang of Five school board majority did not fare well in a report. From WRAL, Rev. Barber:
"All voters, parents, teachers, students and anyone interested in improving Wake County schools should study this thorough, thoughtful and professional report," NAACP President Rev. William Barber said.

"It is a sad confirmation of our position, but what is sadder is the majority of the board continuing to fight against policies designed to provide every child a high-quality, constitutional, well-funded, diverse public education," he continued.
And from the News-Observer, these details:
Planning without data
The review team criticized the board majority for changing Wake's school assignment plan, which used socioeconomic diversity to balance school populations, without support from what reviewers

LAUSD- Student Walkout at Hamilton High School 3/17/11 at 9:00am - Perdaily.com

LAUSD- Student Walkout at Hamilton High School 3/17/11 at 9:00am - Perdaily.com

LAUSD- Student Walkout at Hamilton High School 3/17/11 at 9:00am

Hamilton High School Los Angeles.jpeg
(Mensaje se repite en Español)

Subject: Press Release
Contact Olivia Natt
310 422 4791
olivianatt@http://www.facebook.com/l/25beakbYIsDDnhNOSHPNnAe1TDw/yahoo.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This Friday at 9 am, we, the 3,400 students of Hamilton High School will be walking out of our classrooms, signs in hand, wearing "Save Hami" T-shirts, to demand an education. This is not a school wide "Ditch Day." We are walking out not to avoid our classrooms, but to save them. To protest the terrible budget cuts our school could face. To protest the 22 pink slips handed out to our beloved teachers, to protest the potential closure of our school library. We are walking out to protest the increase of class sizes by 50% or more. And we will walk out to stop our magnets from facing a 90% loss in funding.

LAUSD stands to lose $500 million in funding. To compensate for that loss, LAUSD plans to make extremely deep, disastrous cuts - 90% of our funding is in danger of going away. These cuts would almost entirely

GOP recall ads to hit Wisconsin TV’s in all areas within 7 days | blue cheddar. #wiunion

GOP recall ads to hit Wisconsin TV’s in all areas within 7 days | blue cheddar.


blue cheddar.

a Progressive blog in Wisconsin




GOP recall ads to hit Wisconsin TV’s in all areas within 7 days

BY BLUECHEDDAR

These ads are infusing the online press: Talking Points Memo, WisPolitics, Politico, Washington Post, & Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and will be on TV’s around Wisconsin.
It’s a revamp of a previous ad which now shows the Republican Senators now facing recall at the end.
The ads are paid for by PCCC – the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America

solidaridad: Parent Revolution's mendacious minions to appear with The Heartland Institute reactionaries

solidaridad: Parent Revolution's mendacious minions to appear with The Heartland Institute reactionaries

Parent Revolution's mendacious minions to appear with The Heartland Institute reactionaries

"The idea of the parent revolution is to say fuck you." — Ben Austin [1] (Executive Director Parent Revolution)

LAPU-Parent Revolution's foppish millionaire from Benedict Canyon -- the mendacious Ben Austin
Renowned journalist and Parents Across America co-founder Caroline Grannan just wrote an inspiring essay entitled: Parent trigger misfires by disrupting and dismantling local schools. In the piece she outlines some of more egregious problems with the so-called Parent Empowerment Act in California [2]. Grannan, an expert on Parent Revolution, points out the organization is "not a parent group but was founded by charter school operators, backed financially by billionaires and corporate interests."

Surprisingly, Parent Revolution’s paid staffer Linda Serrato attempts (unsuccessfully) to argue with Grannan’s article. Her overarching assertion is that her plutocrat funded 501C3 somehow isn't in service of the charter-voucher school industry. The comments were so mendacious and outrageous, that I penned a Daily Censored article entitled:

Catching Parent Revolution's Linda Serrato in a lie

There's more.

We've seen over and over how Ben Austin and the Parent Revolution are guided by the ideas of far-right extremists and organizations like The Cato Institute, American Enterprise Institute, The Hudson Institute, and

Big Education Ape: 3-17-11, SPECIAL PM #wiunion EDITION #miunion #P2 #MadWi #Madunion #MadNation

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now, #wiunion

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

#wiunion
theuptake.org - Minnesota State Republican Senator Warren Limmer says Minnesota needs a photo ID voting law. As evidence, Limmer referred to a story from the 2008 election that has been debunked by politicians of ...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - EDUSolidarityEDUSOLIDARITY EDUSOLIDARITYFellow Educators,As we all know, teachers and our unions, along with those of other public sector employees, face unprecedented attacks in the national medi...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - pedagogyforyourhead on Mar 14, 2011Two Teachers and a MicrophoneWe are both products of LAUSD schools and have spent our careers teaching in LAUSD schools. We love what we do, and we feel that our ...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - General Strike newsreel 1 : Bert Gould : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archiveembed thisOriginal Pathe News newsreel footage describing the unfolding General Strike in breathless and fearsom...

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teamsternation.blogspot.com - The union-busting billionaire brothers, Charles and David Koch, are right now shaping the union-busters of the future through their Koch Associate Program. Check out the brainwashing guide informat...

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freep.com - Nearly 100 University of Michigan students -- many of them seniors -- rallied Wednesday to protest a plan to have Gov. Rick Snyder as a commencement speaker at spring graduation ceremonies next mon...

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commondreams.org - Public workers in Michigan lost job security yesterday as the state House signed off on a bill that allows the governor to appoint people to take over financially troubled local governments and sch...

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thenation.com - It was, paradoxically, at once a significant loss for the protest movement in Wisconsin and a measure of its extraordinary success that Governor Scott Walker and his Republican allies had to resort...

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therepublic.com - We also have more stories about:(click the phrases to see a list) Category:People:Subjects:Places: MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Democratic Party has filed a complaint alleging that Republican Gov....

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - What the Revolution Feels Like and Looks Like in Michigan | The UpTakeWhat the Revolution Feels Like and Looks Like in MichiganMichigan musician Seth Bernard of the Earthwork Music Collective, narr...

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9and10news.com - Most Popular Stories This Week

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defendwisconsin.org - Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne filed a civil complaint Wednesday alleging legislative leaders violated the state’s open meetings law last week when a special committee adopted a bill c...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - News | www.kochwatch.orgTalking Points Memo: As Wisconsin Sens Head For DC, Labor Brings The War To Them *March 16, 2011-* On Wednesday evening, Republican state legislators from Wisconsin will gat...

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theuptake.org - Officials from the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), Glen Scott (Vice President) and Trevor Zimmerman (Organizer) joined the demonstrations in Madison, Wisconsin, this past weekend to l...

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commondreams.org - Wisconsin Republican state Senators, fresh from passing draconian anti-labor and privatization legislation, jetted into Washington, D.C., Wednesday night to collect tens of thousands of dollars in ...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - wisdems09 on Mar 16, 2011DC Picket#miunion #wiunion #WEAC #MadWi #Madunion #MadNation"I'm asking everyone who can to take Wednesday off and head to the State Capitol in Lansing to protest the cruel...

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democurmudgeon.blogspot.com - Isn’t it funny how Walker ended up funding loyal Republican school districts? While Milwaukee and Madison see their education funding plummet, Republican strongholds in the state will see increases...

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peoplesworld.org - Members of union locals all over the country are laying plans now to make April 4th a day to remember at the nation's workplaces. Many thousands will show up at work that day wearing red to show so...

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fox6now.com - 12:35 p.m. CDT, March 17, 2011witi-20110317-judge-budget-battle MADISON (AP)— A Wisconsin judge says she'll decide on Friday whether to issue an emergency order blocking publication of the state's ...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Big Education Ape: Ed News Now, #wiunionBig Education Ape: Ed News Now as shared by 6 people on Coopmike48’s Twitter listNext update in about 12 hoursBack to front pageHEADLINESEDUCATIONPOLITICSART...

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wepartypatriots.com - Mar 2011 17 Protesters carried signs calling for Snyder’s recall and worse. They chanted slogans made popular in Wisconsin’s union protests, including: “What’s disgusting? Union busting.”The Detroi...

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host.madison.com - ED TRELEVEN | etreleven@madison.com | 608-252-6134 madison.com | | Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 3:20 pm Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne on Wednesday charged a legislative conferenc...

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peoplesworld.org - MADISON - With so many new polls showing Wisconsin Republicans in trouble after their attack on collective bargaining rights, some have joked that Republican Gov. Scott Walker may soon introduce a ...

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defendwisconsin.org - The undersigned faculty and staff members of the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin stand in solidarity with the Teaching Assistants’ Association. Our departmental m...

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coopmike48 Minority Groups Support Planned Parenthood - Hispanically Speaking News - http://goo.gl/vhqKH42 minutes ago · reply

workdayminnesota.org - Minnesota lawmakers seek ban on teachers’ strikes

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Wisconsin: Mass Movement Capturing All the Enthusiasm, Organizing in Recall Battle | FDL News DeskWisconsin: Mass Movement Capturing All the Enthusiasm, Organizing in Recall BattleBy: David Dayen T...

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modeducation.blogspot.com - digg_url="http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/03/bob-bobb-terrible-poised-to-become.html"; Robert Bobb, the Emergency Financial Manager of Detroit Public Schools (DPS), has proposed turning 41...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Big Education Ape: Ed News Now, #wiunionBig Education Ape: Ed News Now as shared by 6 people on Coopmike48’s Twitter listNext update in about 12 hoursBack to front pageHEADLINESEDUCATIONPOLITICSENV...

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feministe.us - This is a guest-post by April Lukes-Streich. April is a blogger and activist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. After spending years toiling in the cubefarms of various banks in Minnesota explaining over...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - The new anthem for the liberal movement in America. Let the the Koch Bros., their Tea Party group and the Republican extremist party be warned. They declared war on working class Americans. Did the...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - News | www.kochwatch.orgUPI: Thousands protest at Michigan statehouse *March 17, 2011-* Thousands of union members and other protesters crowded the Michigan statehouse Wednesday for a demonstration...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Wisconsin State AFL-CIO - HomeWISCONSIN LABOR NEWS BLOGFor the latest local labor news, click here to visit the BLOG of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.E-MAIL UPDATESRecieve updates via e-mail. Click ...

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theuptake.org - Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed the state’s controversial Budget Repair Bill last Friday amidst protests and disapproval from tens of thousands of citizens. Although it has not been on the f...

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indystar.com - Republicans, saying they are through negotiating with boycotting House Democrats, today increased the fines on the missing legislators and said the Senate will now start dealing with bills that are...

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defendwisconsin.org - The numbers of public employees who have retired or who have requested information on retiring are up this year in a big way. During the week following the governor’s introduction of the bill, ETF ...

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