Sunday, January 22, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts 1-22 #edreform #ows


Kansas City schools chief: ‘We are NOT the worst district’ - KansasCity.com

Kansas City schools chief: ‘We are NOT the worst district’ - KansasCity.com:Kansas City schools chief: ‘We are NOT the worst district’Interim superintendent points to improvements and rails against “campaign political rhetoric.”BY JOE ROBERTSON AND LYNN HORSLEYThe Kansas City StarFallout from a meeting between Mayor Sly James and the U.S. education secretary brought out the ire in Kansas City Interim Superintendent Steve Green on Thursday.“I refuse to let the district be used as a platform for campaign political rhetoric,” Green said.The ... more »

Ravitch: ‘No Child Left Behind has been a disaster’ | Davis Enterprise

Ravitch: ‘No Child Left Behind has been a disaster’ | Davis Enterprise:Ravitch: ‘No Child Left Behind has been a disaster’from Davis Enterprise by Jeff Hudson Diane Ravitch, education historian and prominent critic of federal education policy, made time for a wide-ranging 30-minute one-on-one interview with Enterprise reporter Jeff Hudson on Friday morning at Sacramento State University. Here are Ravitch’s thoughts and observations on education policy under President Obama, California Gov. Jerry Brown and other topics, presented in a question-and-answer format.Q: ... more »

It Can’t Happen Here… Really? | GoingPublic

It Can’t Happen Here… Really? | GoingPublic:It Can’t Happen Here… Really?by Nancy LettsSinclair Lewis wrote the satirical political novel, It Can’t Happen Here, in 1935, when the United States and Western Europe had been in a depression for six years. Lewis asks us to consider what could happen if some ambitious politician used the 1936 presidential election to make himself dictator by promising quick, easy solutions to the depression – just as Hitler had done in Germany in 1933. Of ... more »

A Chance to Choose a New Direction for Education in California - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

A Chance to Choose a New Direction for Education in California - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:A Chance to Choose a New Direction for Education in Californiaby Anthony CodyLast night I had the honor of speaking to an audience of several thousand teachers from the greater Sacramento area, at an event that featured State Superintendent Tom Torlakson, California Teachers Association vice president Eric Heins, Linda Darling Hammond and the woman who has emerged as the champion for teachers, ... more »

School Tech Connect: Crane Teacher Steven Godfrey and Student Mara Howard

School Tech Connect: Crane Teacher Steven Godfrey and Student Mara Howard:Crane Teacher Steven Godfrey and Student Mara Howardby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)"You have misinformation about Crane."Crane Teacher Steven GodfreyA Crane teacher points out that some of fake protesters were holding up signs referencing the ISAT, a test that doesn't even apply to high school students here in Illinois."Since Crane is a neighborhood school, you think it's filled with neighborhood fools."Crane Student Mara HowardStudent Mara Howard spoke with such passion---

SRC can't afford to leave democracy behind | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

SRC can't afford to leave democracy behind | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:SRC can't afford to leave democracy behindby Helen GymThursday’s move by the School Reform Commission to hire a Chief Recovery Officer who will be advised by an "outside team of experts" signals a potentially troubling path around both mission and process for the School District as it struggles to keep afloat amid fiscal chaos.District 1201 union President George Ricchezza, whose 2,700 members have all received layoff notices, said what’s ... more »

Field Trip! (And I Don’t Mean Virtual) « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

Field Trip! (And I Don’t Mean Virtual) « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:Field Trip! (And I Don’t Mean Virtual)Posted January 21, 2012 by Oldschoolteach in Classroom Issues. Tagged: connecting field trips to lessons, educators and field trips, field trips, learning from field trips, pen pals, real life learning. 1 CommentMy former principal only allowed us to take only two field trips a year. (If you’ve been teaching long enough,you know how he came to that decision. Can anyone say ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Tesa Wilson on the charter invasion of Williamsburg: "We can no longer let the one percent dictate to the 99 percent"

NYC Public School Parents: Tesa Wilson on the charter invasion of Williamsburg: "We can no longer let the one percent dictate to the 99 percent":Tesa Wilson on the charter invasion of Williamsburg: "We can no longer let the one percent dictate to the 99 percent"Tesa Wilson, public school parent and president of the Community Education Council in District 14, Williamsburg denounces the "separate but unequal" proposal to insert a Success Academy charter school in PS 19 in her community: "We ... more »

Mother Crusader: Four Strikes and Tikun Olam's Still Not Out?

Mother Crusader: Four Strikes and Tikun Olam's Still Not Out?:Four Strikes and Tikun Olam's Still Not Out?by darciecimaThe New Jersey Department of Education, according to their timeline, was supposed to release the decisions on the latest round of charter applications on Tuesday, January 17th.Notice that charter applicants must submit their applications and addenda not just on particular days, but by a specific time. If they fail to meet these deadlines their applications are automatically disqualified. OK, let's put that aside. ... more »

Hawaii teachers reject contract in ‘blow’ to Race to the Top - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Hawaii teachers reject contract in ‘blow’ to Race to the Top - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Hawaii teachers reject contract in ‘blow’ to Race to the TopBy Valerie StraussPublic school teachers in Hawaii have rejected a contract that called for a move to a performance-based evaluation and compensation system, as required by the Race to the Top grant that the state won from the Obama administration.The rejection comes shortly after Hawaii was warned by the U.S. Education Department ... more »

Educational technology and distance education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Educational technology and distance education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:Bill Introduced: H.R.3793 To establish State infrastructure banks for education.Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Educational technology and distance education - 20 minutes agoTo establish State infrastructure banks for education.Bill Introduced: H.R.3776 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding school libraries, and for other purposes.Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Educational technology and distance education - 20 minutes agoTo amend the Elementary and Secondary Edu... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Follow Up Story on Slaves Picking Oranges in Math Lessons

Missouri Education Watchdog: Follow Up Story on Slaves Picking Oranges in Math Lessons:Follow Up Story on Slaves Picking Oranges in Math Lessonsby stlgretchenDo you remember the outcry about the math word problems for third graders which used slaves picking oranges? The example was used to integrate history lessons into math, one of the goals of common core standards. The parents of the students were outraged that slaves would be used in the math problems and that math shouldn't be taught ... more »

School Tech Connect: Crane Community Rallies For Its School

School Tech Connect: Crane Community Rallies For Its School:Crane Community Rallies For Its Schoolby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Heck of a night over at Malcom X.CPS was having it's community hearing before destroying Crane High School right down the street. I'm far too tired to do a detailed piece, but let me just make some quick observations.First of all, Crane showed up in force. These kids love their school, and they're not going to let it get "phased out" without a fight. I've ... more »

Daily Kos: Half a year -

Daily Kos: Half a year -:Half a year -by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)Yesterday was the final day of 1st semester. Monday is a teacher's work day to put grades in, but mine were in as of Thursday morning. On Thursday there were students in my 1st 5 classes who still had midterms to take, so I gave them the period to study (they were unlikely to learn anything I attempted to teach them), and for my last, in fairness I let them ... more »

NCLB waivers: The devil is in the details - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

NCLB waivers: The devil is in the details - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:NCLB waivers: The devil is in the detailsby Valerie StraussThis was written by Jack Hassard, professor emeritus of science education at Georgia State University and a former high school teacher. He is the author of these books: The Whole Cosmos Catalog of Science , Science Experiences , Adventures in Geology , The Art of Teaching Science (2009), and most recently, Science As Inquiry . Specialities ... more »

Diane Ravitch: Embattled teachers need support, not more testing - California Teachers Association

Diane Ravitch: Embattled teachers need support, not more testing - California Teachers Association:Diane Ravitch: Embattled teachers need support, not more testingLodi News-Sentinel -Diane Ravitch believes public school teachers are getting bashed for problems beyond their control. She's strongly critical of standardized testing, which she says is corroding public education, not building it.She is an author, professor, and former Assistant Secretary of Education who is speaking in Sacramento Friday to the Coalition to Save Public Education. Many local teachers plan to ... more »

Diane Ravitch shares her views on education reform - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Diane Ravitch shares her views on education reform - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:Diane Ravitch shares her views on education reformShareBy Melody Gutierrezmgutierrez@sacbee.comPublished: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 3BWith a sharp tongue and unapologetic gaze, Diane Ravitch has spent the past two years touring the country with a message of support for teachers and criticism for the high-stakes testing culture she helped create.Ravitch, a research professor of education at New ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts 1-20 #edreform #ows

Missouri Education Watchdog: Hansel Gretel In Teach For AmericaBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-3 hours agoMissouri Education Watchdog: Hansel Gretel In Teach For America:Hansel Gretel In Teach For Americaby AnngieWe all remember the story of Hansel and Gretel. They got lost in the woods and came across a house made of gingerbread. Facing a candy smorgasbord in the midst of their incredible hunger was too much for them. That was all it took for the evil witch to trap ... more »

Report From Diane Ravitch’s Speech Tonight In Sacramento | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Report From Diane Ravitch’s Speech Tonight In Sacramento | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:Diane Ravitch Speaks In Sacramento!likeShareEmailEmbedHere are some tweets that Alice Mercer, David B. Cohen, and I sent out during Diane Ravitch's speech at the Sacramento Convention Center tonight, January 20th, 2012. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, Linda Darling-Hammond, and others also spoke....Testing critic Diane Ravitch to address teachers, public - sacbee.comEducation historian Diane Ravitch, an outspoken critic of the movement to reward or penalize teachers ... more »