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Thursday, January 5, 2012

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


Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni – SchoolBook

Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni – SchoolBook:Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumniby Anna M. Phillips“BS Deserves Better,” said a sign at a rally outside of the Bronx High School of Science, one of the city’s most storied high schools that has been at war with itself for years over the pedagogical policies of its principal, Valerie J. Reidy.On Thursday, roughly two dozen current students and recent alumni gathered on ... more »

Modern School: Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions

Modern School: Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions:Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unionsby Michael DunnBeware of Capitalist Bearing Gifts of Cheap Canned Curricula (Image from Flickr, by Perfecto Insecto)Idaho teachers and parents are pissed off: Last year, their state Legislature passed a law requiring all high school students to take some online classes to graduate, according to theSan Francisco Chronicle. They also mandated that students and teachers be given laptops or tablets to take and manage ... more »

Final HQT “Highly Qualified Teacher” Workshop for 2011-12 - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

Final HQT Workshop for 2011-12 - Letters (CA Dept of Education):Final HQT Workshop for 2011-12The California Department of Education is hosting the finalElementary and Secondary Education Act“Highly Qualified Teacher” Workshop for 2011–12Presented byLynda NicholsEducation Programs ConsultantMonday, April 2, 2012East End Complex1500 Capitol Avenue, Room ABCSacramento, CA 9581410:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.This workshop will focus on the “Highly Qualified Teacher” requirements related to theElementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Topics will include an overview ofthe ESEA teacher comp... more »

Jersey Jazzman: REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?

Jersey Jazzman: REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?:REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?by DukeFor all of my new, trollish freinds: here's the Jazzman Reform Plan from September, 2011. I may change a few things now, but I still think most of it is solid.Over at Blue Jersey, I recently spent a week demolishing the corporate "reform" argument. Well, no, that's not quite right; I'd spent the last week bringing together a bunch of research ... more »

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me. « Fred Klonsky

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me. « Fred Klonsky:Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me.by Fred KlonskyThere was some concern about the way I reported Senate President John Cullerton’s statement yesterday.On the video I posted, Cullerton said plainly that the state employee unions, our leadership included, had expressed a willingness to negotiate adjustments in the pension benefits of union members.I wan’t shocked by Cullerton’s statement because our union leadership ... more »

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Departmentby millerlfConcerned African-American Mothers (CAAM)African-American Racial Profiling Complaint Against the City of Milwaukee Police Department Under the direction of Police Chief Edward Flynn, the City of Milwaukee Police Department from approximately July 2008 to the present has engaged in practice of racial profiling ...more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee:The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rheeby DukeValerie Strauss reports on a tiff with Matt Damon and his mom, education professor Nancy Carlson-Paige, on one side and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel on another. Personally, I think the NEA is not well-served bysidling up with the likes of Teach For America's Wendy Kopp, but I do see the point that she is well-funded and not going away any time soon.What ... more »

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together | Asbarez Armenian News

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together | Asbarez Armenian News:GenEd and California Department of Education Working TogetherMurad Minasian (Left) and Raffi Momjian, GenEd Executive Director (Right), at meeting with Superintendent Tom TorlaksonTeacher survey and joint projects initiatedSAN FRANCISCO–The Genocide Education Project (GenEd) and the California Department of Education have initiated a working relationship aimed at expanding instruction of the Armenian Genocide to more schools across California. Through the efforts of Murad Minasian, the Armenian-Ame... more »

Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisonsby obrienaMaking international comparisons about education systems was all the rage in 2011. Rhetoric suggested that America’s education system is performing so poorly that we as a nation have lost our competitive edge, and that the world’s emerging economies are out-educating us, which will result in the further decline of our nation.I’m not sure if that rhetoric will stop ... more »

Ravitch to speak in California - California Teachers Association

Ravitch to speak in California - California Teachers Association:Ravitch to speak in CaliforniaBy Dina MartinOnce an educational conservative and an early supporter of President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind policy, Diane Ravitch has shaken up the education world by doing a complete about-face on testing, accountability, and the merits of charter schools.In the process, she has become a champion of educators who show up every day to teach their students.Through her speeches, her appearances on popular shows such ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012:Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)We here at SBSB have been right on top of the the"Objects My Penis Loves" scandal at Bronxdale High School in the Bronx. We also provided commentary when the DOE gave Bronxdale High principal John Chase Jr, a slap on his pen..., er we meant hand when it found that yes, he was guilty of guilty of violating Chancellor's Regulations ... more »

Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.” « Fred Klonsky

Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.” « Fred Klonsky:Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.”by Fred KlonskyAs I discussed earlier, Senate President John Cullerton has chosen a different path in going after state employee pension benefits than his cohorts in the House leadership.Cullerton believes that a frontal assault will only waste time and money in years of court battles.Following the old notion that you catch ... more »

My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reform – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs

My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reform – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs:My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reformby Anthony Cody, Special to CNNEditor’s note: Anthony Cody worked in high-poverty schools in Oakland, California, for 24 years. For 18 of them, he taught middle school science. He now lives in Mendocino County and leads workshops for teachers. He writes the Living in Dialogueblog and you ... more »

Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home? « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home? « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home?by OldschoolteachWe are studying WWI, and I was sharing photographs, quotes, and information particular to Delaware during that era. The texttouched on segregation, and we were sidetracked into a lively discussion. My students find segregation unfathomable, they can’t wraptheir minds around the fact that your skin color determined your place in the world.One little girl ... more »

Letter to Arne Duncan - Two Teachers and a Microphone

Letter to Arne Duncan Listen for a minute to what I sayWe don't teach kids for the merit pay I wipe away tears and break up fights in the hallsWhile Arne Duncan plays basketballPublic school you never taught in your lifeBut you studied Harvard so it gives you the right To bully the states who don't in your run raceWho oppose the policies that you embraceBased on the test you and your crewCrucify teachers and close our schoolsPimping out Pearson ... more »

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

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington PostBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-41 minutes agoThe Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:Do schools need a longer school day? A debateValerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 hour agoA policy brief released last month concluded that contrary to popular perception, most U.S. public schools require at least as much or even ... more »

Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibility | OregonLive.com

Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibility | OregonLive.com:Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibilityPublished: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 4:24 PM Updated: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 4:27 PM By Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian View full sizeJamie Francis/The OregonianTeacher Dan Semrad explains a physics lesson to Damon Rutherford at the Clackamas Academy of Industrial Sciences, which is located in Oregon City High School. The district-initiated charter school took advantage of about ... more »

Peg with Pen: It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.

Peg with Pen: It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.:It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.by PeggyDid you know that Tom Boasberg, Superintendent of DenverPublic Schools, sends his child to a Waldorf School - where standardized highstakes testing doesn't exist? Not only does it not exist - the Waldorf philosophycompletely disagrees with the concept of excessive, high stakes standardizedtesting. In addition, while DPS gets to have fun Racing to the Top - didyou know that Waldorf schools emphasize ... more »

Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really? « Parents Across America

Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really? « Parents Across America:Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really?by leoniehaimsonAaryn is a parent in San Diego. This piece is cross posted at Aaryn’s blog,Thematically Fickle. An opt out letter that California parents can use is posted here.by Aaryn BelferThe red pillow takes the least space. The ... more »