Sunday, January 29, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 1-29 #edreform #ows


“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice. « Fred Klonsky

“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice. « Fred Klonsky:“Shut up and teach.” A music teacher on the limits and possibilities of our union and teachers’ voice.by Fred KlonskyNew York music teacher Eric Shieh:If you ask me what needs to happen, I have a few suggestions. First, unions need to widen their discourse beyond bread-and-butter issues like compensation and work environment. Teachers must be able to engage seriously and ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: One More Piece to the PTA Fundraising Discussion

Seattle Schools Community Forum: One More Piece to the PTA Fundraising Discussion:One More Piece to the PTA Fundraising Discussionby Melissa WestbrookBrian Rosenthal had one more small article on this subject and it, again, is about McGilvra.In 2000, SPS and McGilvra had a contract to allow McGilvra a way to hold the line on their class sizes. To whit:The oddity started in 2000, when parents at the small and then-low-performing school in Madison Park negotiated a unique contract: The PTA would ... more »

Mother Crusader: Students Take On Cerf. And Win.

Mother Crusader: Students Take On Cerf. And Win.:Students Take On Cerf. And Win.by darciecimaToday Jersey Jazzman pointed out that while ed reformers use students to bolster their weak arguments or show numbers at their protests, many of the kids don't seem to know what school they supposedly want to see closed down or why they are protesting. In contrast, check out these intrepid high school reporters in Cherry Hill and Highland Park. They are all over this charter thing, and ... more »

An L.A. teacher reviews her review Teaching: Obstacles in the classroom - latimes.com

Teaching: Obstacles in the classroom - latimes.com:An L.A. teacher reviews her reviewEvaluations don't take into account the real world of today's Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms.Comments19Share59Members of the Cleveland High School forensic team are seen enjoying a humorous monologue by one of their fellow students. (Los Angeles Times)By Coleen BondyJanuary 29, 2012For the first time this year, LAUSD has prepared reports for teachers that rate their effectiveness. When I received an email saying I could now view my own ... more »

Daily Kos: On certain momentous occasions

Daily Kos: On certain momentous occasions:On certain momentous occasionsby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)we can acknowledge them without giving full specifics.Some prefer their exact age not be disclosed, even when it is a birthday divisible by 5.I will defer to Leave on the Current on that detail.But I will not let the day go by without acknowledging the occasion.We have been together for more than 3 decades, married for more than 2. We have been together for more than half of my life, ... more »

How Reform Lost Seth Lavin | District 299: The Inside Scoop on CPS

How Reform Lost Seth Lavin | District 299: The Inside Scoop on CPS:How Reform Lost Seth Lavinby Alexander RussoThere were no kids in class on Friday, for better or worse. During the week ahead, there are more hearings about school closings and turnarounds. Then report cards get sent home and it's February. Most of you who comment here are angrily (or, it seems, gleefully) opposed to most everything Emanuel and Brizard are trying to do. (It's much the same at ... more »

Petition to Repeal the Arizona Government Ruling Outlawing Teaching ethnic/racial StuCoalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:The Actual Arizona Ruling Banning Ethnic Studies in the state's public schoolsThis the complete ruling: TUSD’s Mexican American Studies classes violated state law, a state administrative law judge ruled Tuesday, ruling that 10 percent of the district’s funding be withheld.In issuing his decision, Judge Lewis D. Kowal found that the Tucson program promoted “social or political activism against the white people.” Specifically it included at least one class that 1) promoted “racial resentment” ... more »

Blue Jersey:: Star Ledger misses the mark on Urban Hope Act

Blue Jersey:: Star Ledger misses the mark on Urban Hope Act:Star Ledger misses the mark on Urban Hope Actby Marie CorfieldI'm disappointed to see the Star Ledger Editorial Board miss another opportunity to set the record straight on education 'reform'. I've written previously about their lack of fact-checking, as has Blue Jersey staff writer, Jersey Jazzman. Yes, editorials are opinions, but they are not the same as water cooler arguments. In order to have validity, the facts supporting the case ... more »

Bill in Colorado legislature puts state-testing call in parents' hands without penalizing schools - The Denver Post

Bill in Colorado legislature puts state-testing call in parents' hands without penalizing schools - The Denver Post:Bill in Colorado legislature puts state-testing call in parents' hands without penalizing schoolsPOSTED: 01/29/2012 01:00:00 AM MSTBy Yesenia RoblesThe Denver PostA bill introduced in the state legislature this session aims to give parents the freedom to decide whether their children should take standardized state tests, without it hurting their schools.The bill's sponsor, Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, is not getting her hopes up too high ... more »

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is sponsoring “Good for Wall Street—Bad for Students,” a panel discussion and national webcast on the dangers of for-profit colleges | Dailycensored.com

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is sponsoring “Good for Wall Street—Bad for Students,” a panel discussion and national webcast on the dangers of for-profit colleges | Dailycensored.com:Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is sponsoring “Good for Wall Street—Bad for Students,” a panel discussion and national webcast on the dangers of for-profit collegesfrom Dailycensored.com by Danny Weil For-profit colleges–such as The Art Institutes, Argosy University, Brown Mackie College, and South University–generate millions in profits for Wall Street. Meanwhile students ge... more »

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky:Sunday links.by Fred KlonskyMoney Talks Too Much, Josh MacPhee, Just Seeds.Just when we thought our kids were safe, “Fast Eddie” Vrydolyak is back. The convicted felon and former Machine alderman has sold polluted industrial land in his old ward to CPS to build a new school. Any student or teacher would face health risks. The deal smells in more ways than one.Haven’t they heard? You don’t throw money at schools. An article in this morning’s NY ... more »

So Florida Lawmakers Want More Money for Charter Schools, But Who Will Really Get It? | Scathing Purple Musings

So Florida Lawmakers Want More Money for Charter Schools, But Who Will Really Get It? | Scathing Purple Musings:So Florida Lawmakers Want More Money for Charter Schools, But Who Will Really Get It?by Bob SikesFrom Mary McGrory in the Miami Herald:Last year, state lawmakers made it easier for high-performing charter schools to replicate and increase their enrollment.This year, the focus is funding.Charter schools receive less state money than traditional public schools – partly because traditional public schools have the power ... more »

Stop ACTA NOW | Seattle Education

Stop ACTA NOW | Seattle Education:Stop ACTA NOWby seattleducation2011I have not been paying attention to ACTA until yesterday when my daughter brought it to my attention and helped me understand the seriousness of the issue. Yes, this blog is about education but it is also about my freedom to say what I believe to be the truth. It’s a small example of truth to power and I am grateful that I am able to share my views and information freely ... more »

A City Education: The Domino Effect of Raising Students' Self-Esteem - Education - GOOD

A City Education: The Domino Effect of Raising Students' Self-Esteem - Education - GOOD:A City Education: The Domino Effect of Raising Students' Self-Esteemby Liz WardenIn our A City Education series, two City Year corps members share their experiences working as tutors and mentors in schools in hopes of closing the achievement gap and ending the dropout crisis.Many of the students we work with at Markham Middle School are just beginning to become more aware of their actions. The students who ... more »

Children should not be forced to recite the Pledge | Dailycensored.com

Children should not be forced to recite the Pledge | Dailycensored.com:Children should not be forced to recite the PledgeWritten by Irene NorthDaily Journal (Opinion), EducationJan 29, 20120diggShareEvery day, millions of American children are forced to start their school day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. They are told by their principals that it is required, but it is not. The Pledge is considered to be an oath of allegiance and it is a “government-sanctioned endorsement of religion,” that “violates the ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Reformy Astroturf

Jersey Jazzman: Reformy Astroturf:Reformy Astroturfby DukeTime for another edition of "Spot The Pattern"! Can you find the pattern in these reformy stories?Chicago:I can't embed the video (click the link to watch it), but protesters, shipped in by bus, are paid to demand a "failing" public school in the Windy City be closed. The protesters wind up being bussed back to a church center run by a pastor. As they disembark, the reporter asks several to name the school; they can't.New ... more »

Teacher: I won’t ‘teach and shut up’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Teacher: I won’t ‘teach and shut up’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Teacher: I won’t ‘teach and shut up’by Valerie StraussThis originally appeared on the website of The Hechinger Report, an education-news outlet based at Teachers College, Columbia University. Its author, Eric Shieh, is a founding teacher of the Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School, “A School for a Sustainable City,” which opened in New York City in September 2010. Shieh teaches music to middle-school students.By Eric ShiehI remember the ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Once Again, Tom Moran Doesn't Do His Job

Jersey Jazzman: Once Again, Tom Moran Doesn't Do His Job:Once Again, Tom Moran Doesn't Do His Jobfrom Jersey Jazzman by DukeI have tried - no, really, I have - to back off of Tom Moran and the editorial pages of the Star-Ledger. But I just can't let this one pass:In a typically insouciant editorial about the problems with one of Chris Christie's "reform" schemes, the S-L writes:But it’s not just school buildings that are needed. The instructional programs in the ... more »

Koch Out News | www.kochwatch.org

News | www.kochwatch.org:Koch Brother News Feed From KBucket: Koch brothers influence on elected officials, schoolswww.kochwatch.org aggregator - 6 minutes agoEd Schultz talks with filmmaker Robert Greenwald about the Koch Brothers' influence on American colleges, and about their role in the 2012 election.Koch Brother News Feed From KBucket: Are the Koch brothers teaching youwww.kochwatch.org aggregator - 6 minutes agoWhat s happening to academia in Florida demands national attention. Billionaires Charles and David Koch are infringing on intellectual freedom and independence in ... more »

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: The Michelle Rhee Connection map

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: The Michelle Rhee Connection map:The Michelle Rhee Connection mapby The Perimeter PrimateHow to view this image:Click on it to enlarge, orOpen new Word doc Right click on webpage image Select Copy Image Go to Word doc and paste enlarge.Write to me @ perimeterprimate@yahoo.com and request the pdf.Stay tuned for map #2, “Oligarchs, the Tea Party, Corporate Education Reform: Michelle Rhee the StudentsFirst Connection”