Monday, April 9, 2012

UPDATE: Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 4-9 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


NJ Spotlight | NJ's First Virtual Charter School a Screen Test for Online Learning

NJ Spotlight | NJ's First Virtual Charter School a Screen Test for Online Learning: NJ's First Virtual Charter School a Screen Test for Online LearningDespite questions over funding, enrollments pour in for K-10 virtual classroomsprint|email|shareByJohn Mooney,April 9, 2012inEducation|Post a CommentNew Jersey’s first comprehensive charter school to hold all of its classes online is beginning to enroll students from across the state for next fall, even as questions persist to how exactly the new breed of schools will operate and be ... more »

All Education Matters: Student Loan Debt Crisis: How much student loan debt do you have?

All Education Matters: Student Loan Debt Crisis: How much student loan debt do you have?: Student Loan Debt Crisis: How much student loan debt do you have?byCryn JohannsenHow much do you owe in student loans?Plus, here are a few more questions, that I hope you'll answer:1) how many degrees you do you have?2) what school(s) did you attend (non-profit, for-profit, both)?3) what did you study?4) are you in default?5) if you're in a relationship, is

The Real Reason for the Arts « Cooperative Catalyst

The Real Reason for the Arts « Cooperative Catalyst: The Real Reason for the ArtsfromCooperative Catalyst » 5 questions about everythingbyJohn T. SpencerI watched a mediocre, meandering speech by Kurt Vonnegut. The video quality was lousy enough for him to look like he was an intellectual ninja, his mouth struggling to catch up with his voice. And then, he said what I’ve been feeling about education.“The computer said ‘I’m going to do all the becoming from now on.’ You become ... more »

When Keeping It Real Goes Awry | The Jose Vilson

When Keeping It Real Goes Awry | The Jose Vilson: When Keeping It Real Goes AwryfromThe Jose VilsonbyJoseMitch Mitchellrecently asked me on my 900th post:Just asking, but what’s stopped you from publishing posts you said you’ve written and held back on? How many posts would you be up to if you hadn’t done that?I honestly don’t know. I tend to have three general guidelines that keep me in my lane: don’t venture too much into love, don’t discuss my principal ... more »

School Tech Connect: Again With the Constitution

School Tech Connect: Again With the Constitution: Again With the Constitutionbynoreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)While it is absurd for anyone to think that Article XIII, Section 5 contains an invisible contains an invisible phrase at the end, visible in red only to very serious people,it is even more absurd and cynical to think that this same invisible phrase does not appear in Article IX, Section 3.I've read the entire Constitution, and nowhere is there a statement about one section being less important ... more »

Project 10,000 « Cooperative Catalyst

Project 10,000 « Cooperative Catalyst: Project 10,000byalanthefriesenLast night I read the incredible manifesto “Stop Stealing Dreams: What Is School For?” by Seth Godin. Pat Farenga discussed (http://coopcatalyst.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/why-homeschooling-should-be-part-of-rethinking-education) the article from a homeschooling perspective back in March, but I’ve been thinking all day about how we could put into practice the ideas that Godin discusses in the manifesto.Over the last year I’ve been exploring ideas of student choice in my own English classroom. Students are able to pick... more »

Constructive Generational Conflict Between Boomers & Millennials | Lefty Parent

Constructive Generational Conflict Between Boomers Millennials | Lefty Parent: Constructive Generational Conflict Between Boomers MillennialsbyCooper ZaleFollowing up on my last piece,“Shot Across my Boomer Bow”, and the provocativeEsquirearticle “The War Against Youth”that inspired it, I am still (as a member of the Baby Boom generation myself) wrestling with what is the best path forward for us regarding these important generational issues. With any conflict that needs to be resolved and involves strong feelings and difficult issues, I believe we do ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 4-8 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform

Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse? - ContraCostaTimes.comBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-54 minutes agoWill an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse? - ContraCostaTimes.com: Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse?ByKaty MurphyOakland TribunePosted: 04/08/2012 12:00:00 AM PDTUpdated: 04/08/2012 05:10:03 AM PDTClick photo to enlargeOakland School District Superintendent Tony Smith speaks during an Oakland Unified School...OAKLAND -- Ask student... more »

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky: Sunday links.byFred KlonskyChicago Springpreparesfor NATO in May.Critic of corporate reform Marion Brady.His blog has gone viral.Scott Walkersigns repeal ofequal pay provisionsin Wisconsin’s front in the War on Women.Fox Snooze’s Mike Flannery.His one-sided reporting on pensions.What else is new?Chicago Teachers UnionPresident Karen Lewis.“I’ve called you here today to tell you that Chicago teachers and para-professionals are fed up.”US Bank closes UC Davis branch.“We’re prisoners of Occupy.” They are circled by protesters every day.On SaturdayNReditor ... more »

We're All in this Together - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

We're All in this Together - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators: We're All in this TogetherThe Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough, Massachusettsform a regional school system where the two towns each fund their own K-8 programs and then jointly finance the cost of Algonquin Regional High School. Imagine the possibilities for conflicts of interest as each town provides public education at taxpayer expense. During my tenure there as Director ...more »

Debate over private school vouchers heats up again, shifts to low-income students | OregonLive.com

Debate over private school vouchers heats up again, shifts to low-income students | OregonLive.com: Debate over private school vouchers heats up again, shifts to low-income studentsPublished: Sunday, April 08, 2012, 2:31 PM Updated:Sunday, April 08, 2012, 2:49 PMByThe Associated PressView full sizeAPHeather Coffy, right center, leaves the St. Monica School with her children, left to right, Delano Coffy, 15, Alanna Marshall, 8, and Darius Coffy, 11, in Indianapolis. Students like Delano are at the heart of brewing political fights and ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The Hypocrisy of Sock Puppet Dennis Walcott and the Daily News

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The Hypocrisy of Sock Puppet Dennis Walcott and the Daily News: The Hypocrisy of Sock Puppet Dennis Walcott and the Daily Newsbynoreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)TheDaily Newswith seemingly nothing better to do, has taken a course over the last several days to do Uncle Mike's bidding and besmirch teachers who have been accused of inappropriate contact with students. The News whines that these teachers, when afforded their rights under the United States Constitution were either found not guilty, had ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Easy money without govt. regs for ed start-up companies

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Easy money without govt. regs for ed start-up companies: Easy money without govt. regs for ed start-up companiesbyMike KlonskyCongress has passed a bill making it easier for ed start-up companies to raise capital while at the same time, easing government regulation. The Jump-Start Our Business Start-Ups, orJOBS Actwould allow companies to raise up to $1 million, The bill establishes a new form of company financing called “crowd funding” and allows school entrepreneurs to raise money ... more »

Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse? - ContraCostaTimes.com

Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse? - ContraCostaTimes.com: Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse?ByKaty MurphyOakland TribunePosted: 04/08/2012 12:00:00 AM PDTUpdated: 04/08/2012 05:10:03 AM PDTClick photo to enlargeOakland School District Superintendent Tony Smith speaks during an Oakland Unified School...OAKLAND -- Ask students at McClymonds High School about their teachers and you'll likely hear this: They work hard, but they don't stay long."Since I've been here, we've never ... more »

Pitt Bars Transgender Students and Faculty from Gender-Appropriate Bathrooms « Student Activism

Pitt Bars Transgender Students and Faculty from Gender-Appropriate Bathrooms « Student Activism: Pitt Bars Transgender Students and Faculty from Gender-Appropriate BathroomsbyAngus JohnstonLast fall a student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Pitt-Johnstown campus was banned from the men’s locker room at the university gym. The student, Seamus Johnston, is listed as female in the university’s records, but has been living as a man for three years and carries a driver’s license identifying him as male. When Johnston refused to comply with ... more »

State legislatures reignite war over religion in schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

State legislatures reignite war over religion in schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: State legislatures reignite war over religion in schoolsbyValerie StraussThis waswritten by Charles Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum. He writes and speaks extensively on religious liberty and religion in American public life. This appearedon the websiteof the First Amendment Center.By Charles HaynesContrary to culture-war mythology, God isalive and wellin many, if not most, public schools.Visit almost any school in ... more »

Peddling Panic: Biased Survey Promotes National Science Standards - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Peddling Panic: Biased Survey Promotes National Science Standards - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Peddling Panic: Biased Survey Promotes National Science StandardsbyAnthony CodyGuest post by Jack Hassard.This year,Achieve, Inc. commissioned a survey of attitudestoward science education with Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. The pollsters sampled 800 voters using a stratified sampling technique so that they could report results by political party, ethnicity, education level of parents, region of the USA, and urban, suburban and rural ... more »

Incredible Free Conference in Tribute to Manning Marable | Outside the Cave

Incredible Free Conference in Tribute to Manning Marable | Outside the Cave: Incredible Free Conference in Tribute to Manning MarablebyStephen LazarI hope many can join and spread the word about the incredible Manning Marable Memorial Conference: A New Vision of Black Freedom. Dr. Marable, asI’ve written about before, was my teacher and mentor while working on my masters in African-American Studies at Columbia. I will be moderating the panel , “Parents, Organizers Educators Discuss the Education Crisis” on Friday morning. ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-Ledger

Jersey Jazzman: Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-Ledger: Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-LedgerbyDukeI had promised myself (and Mrs. Jazzman) that I wouldn't blog on Easter. But then I picked up this morning'sStar-Ledger,and read the most ignorant paragraph about education reform I have seen to date:[Newark] Superintendent Cami Anderson has presented a promising plan that draws heavily on thesuccesses of people such as Joel Klein in New York City and Michelle Rhee in Washington. [emphasis mine]Oh, dear lord.Let's start with ... more »

As states OK school vouchers, fight over public dollars for private education turns to courts - The Washington Post

As states OK school vouchers, fight over public dollars for private education turns to courts - The Washington Post: As states OK school vouchers, fight over public dollars for private education turns to courtsText SizePrintE-mailReprintsByAssociated Press,Updated: Sunday, April8,5:32AMWASHINGTON — Students like Delano Coffy are at the heart of brewing political fights and court battles over whether public dollars should go to school vouchers to help make private schools more affordable.He was failing in his neighborhood public elementary school in Indianapolis ... more »

TRS members. Do you agree with Executive Director Ingram? Let TRS Directors know. « Fred Klonsky

TRS members. Do you agree with Executive Director Ingram? Let TRS Directors know. « Fred Klonsky: TRS members. Do you agree with Executive Director Ingram? Let TRS Directors know.byFred KlonskyRecently Richard Ingram, the Executive Director of the Illinois Teacher Retirement System was quoted as saying that retiree benefits might need to be cut and that the system faced insolvency by 2029.While not repeating Ingram’s Civic Committee line, the TRS board, including IEA representatives, supported Ingram and claimed that members must ... more »

4LAKids - “Parent Trigger”: NO MAGIC BULLET FOR SCHOOLS

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: “Parent Trigger”: NO MAGIC BULLET FOR SCHOOLS: “Parent Trigger”: NO MAGIC BULLET FOR SCHOOLSWe're a long way from knowing whether "parent trigger" can improve schools. No petition has yet been approved, and the options the law provides are not that effective.LA TIMES EDITORIAL |HTTP://LAT.MS/HY2EH3At Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, where the state's second "parent trigger" petition was rejected last month, parents want the ability to eliminate teachers whom they view ... more »

Anniston Star - Bob Davis Measuring charter schools’ impact in a Texas town

Anniston Star - Bob Davis Measuring charter schools’ impact in a Texas town: Bob Davis: Measuring charter schools’ impact in a Texas townApr 08, 2012|409views|0|2||The creation of charter schools in Alabama seemed to be on the minds of many in Anniston last week. Depending on who was doing the talking, these alternative public schools are either the solution of our educational woes or a hopeless act destined to make matters worse.The answer, as is usually the case, lies somewhere in ... more »

Bob Seger - Against The Wind

Bob Seger The Silver Bullet Band- Against The Wind - Lyrics - Original Version"Against The Wind" Lyrics ~It seems like yesterdaybut it was long agoJaney was lovely she wasthe queen of my nightsThere in the darknesswith the radio playing lowAnd the secrets that we sharedthe mountains that we movedCaught like a wildfire out of control'Til there was nothing left to burnand nothing left to proveAnd I remember what she said to mehow she swore that it never would endI remember ...more »

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird (Studio Version) *FULL*

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird (outtake version)Lyrics:If I leave here tomorrowWould you still remember me?For I must be travelling on, now,'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.But, if I stayed here with you, girl,Things just couldn't be the same.'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,And this bird you can not change.Lord knows, I can't change.Bye, bye, its been a sweet love.Though this feeling I can't change.But please don't take it badly,'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame.But, if ... more »