Saturday, January 28, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 1-27 Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform


Virginia may stop requiring some 3rd grade SOLs - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Virginia may stop requiring some 3rd grade SOLs - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Virginia may stop requiring some 3rd grade SOLsBy Valerie StraussThe Virginia Senate has approved a bill that would require that third graders take the Standards of Learning exams only in math and English, meaning they would no longer have to to take history and science SOLs.Is that a good idea or a bad one?The bill, SB 185, would scale back the standardized testing regime for ...more »

A List Serv Conversation | Seattle Education

A List Serv Conversation | Seattle Education:A List Serv Conversationby seattleducation2011I am very fortunate to be a part of several list servs with people participating from all walks of life, with different viewpoints and much to offer.This week someone posted to the our Parents Across America statewide list serv that we all appreciated. I asked John if I could share what he wrote on this blog and he gave his consent.John Cummings is a parent, a teacher and a member ... more »

From the Corporate Press: Privatization Promoter Pia Lopez: Can we find common ground on schools? - Sacramento Bee

Pia Lopez: Can we find common ground on schools? - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee:Pia Lopez: Can we find common ground on schools?plopez@sacbee.comPUBLISHED SATURDAY, JAN. 28, 2012As a historian who takes the long view, Diane Ravitch, author of "The Death and Life of the Great American School System," is rightly skeptical of "easy solutions" to the problems of American education. In her visit to The Bee's offices on Jan. 20, she showed she has little tolerance for ... more »

An Educational Technology Bill of Rights Targets Censorship in Schools - Education - GOOD

An Educational Technology Bill of Rights Targets Censorship in Schools - Education - GOOD:An Educational Technology Bill of Rights Targets Censorship in Schoolsby Liz DwyerWidespread public outrage over SOPA rallied Americans against the threat of internet censorship. But though the bill may be dead, there's plenty of censorship happening every day in our nation's public schools. Schools ban students from accessing websites from National Geographic to YouTube and Wikipedia, and all too often choose to confiscate smartphones and tablets instead ... more »

Transitional kindergarten, California confusion - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

Transitional kindergarten, California confusion - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:Transitional kindergarten, California confusionBy Katy MurphyFriday, January 27th, 2012 at 4:16 pm in elementary schools, families.A transitional kindergarten class at Oakland’s Greenleaf Elementary. — Laura A. Oda/ Bay Area News GroupThe parents of 4-year-olds with fall birthdays — not yet in the public school system — have already come face to face with the topsy-turvy ways of Sacramento.Take the parents of kids born in November 2007. ... more »

Daily Kos: If this is Saturday . . .

Daily Kos: If this is Saturday . . .:If this is Saturday . . .by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)it must be time for my normal Saturday morning reflection on teaching, life and everything else.I don't know which bothers me more, that the recent Republican debates have not discussed education, or the policies of the Obama administration that I see as destructive.I am reminded of something a former National Teacher of the Year wrote. Anthony Mullen once got frustrated being in a room ...more »

Proposed HB 543 to Rate Parents « Tangerine, Florida

Proposed HB 543 to Rate Parents « Tangerine, Florida:Proposed HB 543 to Rate Parentsby 5redherringsHB 543 doesn’t sound bad at first blush:“Parent Involvement” HB 543 by Rep. Stargel (R-Lakeland) passed the House K-20 Competitiveness Committee by a vote of 10 to 3. Three Democrats (Chestnut, Clark-Reed, Fullwood) voted NO. Voting YES were nine Republicans (Bileca, Burgin, Coley, Corcoran, Davis, Fresen, Grant, Perry, and Trujillo) and one Democrat (Reed).This bill would require that school districts inform parents of its expectations regarding ... more »

Rye Principal Retires to Fight Standardized Tests | The Daily Rye

Rye Principal Retires to Fight Standardized Tests | The Daily Rye:Rye Principal Retires to Fight Standardized Testsby Luke Lavoie (email) 01/26/12EmailOsborn School Principal Clarita Zeppie announced she will be retiring at the end of 2011-12 school year to fight the "unhealthy" and "wrong" direction of the State's education program for grade-school students.Photo Credit: Luke LavoieRYE, N.Y. - Osborn School Principal Clarita Zeppie announced in a letter to schools Superintendent Ed Shine and the Osborn School staff that she would be ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 1-27 #edreform #ows

Blue Jersey:: Liars For Yahweh! How The Tikun Olam Charter School Got A $600,000 Federal GrantBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-46 minutes agoBlue Jersey:: Liars For Yahweh! How The Tikun Olam Charter School Got A $600,000 Federal Grant:Liars For Yahweh! How The Tikun Olam Charter School Got A $600,000 Federal Grantby Chris RoddaAn infuriating and amazing story. Superb reporting by Chris Rodda, Senior Research Director for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), and author of Liars For Jesus: The ... more »

Modern School: Andre Agassi Profiteering Off Charter School Mania

Modern School: Andre Agassi Profiteering Off Charter School Mania:Andre Agassi Profiteering Off Charter School Maniaby Michael DunnTennis star Andre Agassi has partnered his Andre Agassi Ventures L.L.C. with Canyon Capital Realty Advisors, a private equity real estate company based in Los Angeles, to help charter schools purchase facilities. The joint venture, known as the Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund, recently clinched their first deal, securing housing for the KIPP Philadelphia Elementary Academy, according to Philly.com. Agassi’s new fund is backed ... more »

Mother Crusader: Much Ado About Nothing…. If You Consider the Corporate Takeover of Public Education Nothing, Then I Guess You're Right Ms. Waters!

Mother Crusader: Much Ado About Nothing…. If You Consider the Corporate Takeover of Public Education Nothing, Then I Guess You're Right Ms. Waters!:Much Ado About Nothing…. If You Consider the Corporate Takeover of Public Education Nothing, Then I Guess You're Right Ms. Waters!by darciecimaBelow is my comment on the opinion piece posted today on NJ Spotlight by Ms. Laura Waters, President of the Lawrence Township School Board. I have emailed John Mooney numerous times to ask why he continues to ... more »

Feed-up, Feedback, Feed Forward: Making Formative Assessment Come Alive « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

Feed-up, Feedback, Feed Forward: Making Formative Assessment Come Alive « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Feed-up, Feedback, Feed Forward: Making Formative Assessment Come Aliveby Klea ScharbergA comprehensive formative assessment (FA) system should fit seamlessly within the daily flow of the classroom. But in many places, FA requirements signal an end to instruction so that students can be tested. In a recent webinar, Nancy Frey discussed an ongoing approach to FA that enhances the give-and-take relationship between teachers and ... more »

Unschooling in the Art of War | Lefty Parent

Unschooling in the Art of War | Lefty Parent:Unschooling in the Art of Warby Cooper ZaleThis is quite a long piece (over 7000 words) weaving a narrative thread through my young life that I think illustrates a key principle of unschooling. That principle is that the natural desire and capability of a young human being to learn and the opportunity to take a “deep dive” into the subject of interest results in a profound degree of broad learning and development ... more »

Diane Ravitch Addresses Sacramento, and Undresses Education Reform « InterACT

Diane Ravitch Addresses Sacramento, and Undresses Education Reform « InterACT:Diane Ravitch Addresses Sacramento, and Undresses Education Reformby David B. CohenWhile my main purpose in traveling to Sacramento last week was for an event I helped plan and present, the added benefit was seeing some excellent speeches at the Sacramento Convention Center that evening. The main draw was Diane Ravitch, who delivered a vigorous call to action for the audience of a few thousand like-minded educators and allies. I was positioned ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Miss Laura Frets About Charters

Jersey Jazzman: Miss Laura Frets About Charters:Miss Laura Frets About Chartersby DukeWell, fiddle-de-dee! Miss Laura Waters is so very upset by the nasty tone of those who object to having charter schools shoved down their throats; I'm afraid she's going to get the vapors!Perhaps the biggest rap against charters is that the local community must pay for them -- at least for tuition and transportation -- a fact that's trotted out at seemingly every opportunity by their opponents.In the fabric ... more »

This Week In Education: Thompson: Oakland's "Mutual Consent" Unfair To Veteran Teachers

This Week In Education: Thompson: Oakland's "Mutual Consent" Unfair To Veteran Teachers:Thompson: Oakland's "Mutual Consent" Unfair To Veteran Teachersby john thompsonIt's hard not to agree with the notion presented by Jill Tucker in this SF Chronicle article that "there is a particular type of teacher who wants to work in an urban environment," and that many teachers who are great "in schools with few challenges" would not make it in the inner city." That is why we have such a ...more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Afternoon Posts 1-27 #ows #edreform

Where did she go? Emily Alpert Former Voice of San Diego Reporter Joins the LA Times - FishbowlLABig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-9 minutes agoFormer Voice of San Diego Reporter Joins the LA Times - FishbowlLA:Former Voice of San Diego Reporter Joins the LA TimesBy Matthew Fleischer on January 17, 2012 10:00 AMLooks like former Voice of San Diego reporter Emily Alpert has landed on her feet. Alpert was one of three VoSD journos laid off shortly before the ... more »

New Brief Detailing Failure of Mayor’s School Closings Policy « EdVox

New Brief Detailing Failure of Mayor’s School Closings Policy « EdVox:New Brief Detailing Failure of Mayor’s School Closings Policyfrom EdVox by edvoxny“School Closures: A Shell Game with Students” shows that lower percentages of high-needs students at Bloomberg’s new schools inflated performance. Click here to read the policy brief! Parents, elected officials and advocates gathered on the City Hall steps(January 27, 2012 – New York, NY) About a dozen elected officials joined the City’s largest public school and parent-led organizations today ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Deadline Mon. Jan. 30 on the state's awful NCLB waiver proposal; please make your voice heard

NYC Public School Parents: Deadline Mon. Jan. 30 on the state's awful NCLB waiver proposal; please make your voice heard:Deadline Mon. Jan. 30 on the state's awful NCLB waiver proposal; please make your voice heardby Leonie HaimsonThe NY State Education Department is proposing to submit a NCLB waiver request to the US Dept. of Education that is posted here. The deadline for public comment is 5 PM, this Monday, Jan. 30. While purporting to create more district “flexibility,” it will ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Merit Pay Fails Outside of Schools

Jersey Jazzman: Merit Pay Fails Outside of Schools:Merit Pay Fails Outside of Schoolsby DukeMerit pay is a disaster wherever it goes:We’ve talked about this since the financial meltdown. Now it’s time to do it: Unlink pay from performance. The evidence keeps growing that pay for performance is ineffective. It also may induce executives to take company-killing risks. There are other ways to motivate employees that yield better results at lower cost.Thanks mainly to provisions linked to performance, CEO compensation has ... more »