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Monday, July 16, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 7-16 AM Posts #soschat #edreform



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago
What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker « Diane Ravitch's blog: What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker by dianerav Chris Cerf, the acting commissioner of education in New Jersey, published an article today defending charter schools, which have become very controversial in his state. They have become controversial because the state is trying to push them into suburbs that have great public schools and don’t want them, and they have become controversial because the public is beginning to revolt against for-profit charters, especially for-profit online charters... more »

Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago
Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth | Scathing Purple Musings: Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth by Bob Sikes Full disclosure: During the years of the hyperpartisan Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, I’d grown to loathe Democrats, their operatives and media cheerleaders. My turn the channel dismissiveness ended with SB736. Perhaps if the Florida gubernatorial campaign of Democrat Alex Sink hadn’t been so feckless and wishy-washy on education policy, my timeline would be a little different. But no matter. Withi... more »

NYC Educator: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago
NYC Educator: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets by NYC Educator Mayor Bloomberg, in what may be his last term in office, is determined to leave his imprint upon the city school system. It's certainly true that his endless decade of "reform" has not brought about improvements in test scores, the only thing he actually cares about. And with hundreds of closed schools and the decimated neighborhoods in their wake, we know the quality of life is not anything to jump up and down about either. But it's important that his good buddy, Eva Moskowitz, gets as much of... more »

How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago
How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network: How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell By Nicole Clark During my self-esteem and body image workshops, I’ve had girls tell me they want to look like the size zero models in the magazines. They truly believed it was their ‘want’ and their desire, until I explained how media can manipulate their thoughts the same way the “Imperius Curse” can make a person believe and do certain things. What is the “Imperius Curse” you ask? It’s one of the Unforgivable Curses from the Harry Potter books... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, July 16, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Koreatown in Los Angeles Fabled as one of LA's only 24-hour districts* Education Headlines *Monday, July 16, 2012* Frey: Program that helps young students adjust to school is in jeopardyGov. Jerry Brown’s line-item veto last month of $15 million for a two-decade-old program addressing mental health needs among elementary school children has left districts that relied on the funds with hard choices about whether to keep the program going. Tustin school district, city ready to battle in court over constructionLand on the former Tus... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards by stlgretchen Arne Duncan as DOEd Secretary & Common Core Standards: Man-Made Catastrophes Unlike hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes, the educational reforms and the current Secretary of Education supporting the reforms are not natural catastrophes. The standards and Arne Duncan in his

Jersey Jazzman: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Jersey Jazzman: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?!: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?! by Duke Even after all we've been through on this blog, I am still amazed that NJ's ACTING Commissioner of Education in NJ, given everything we know about charters, would write something like this: In New Jersey, *charter schools serve less than two percent of students, but they disproportionately serve our highest-need students*. More than 61 percent of charter school students are African American, compared to the state average of 16 percent, and more than 70 percent of charter school stu... more »

Shanker Blog » Examining Principal Turnover

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Shanker Blog » Examining Principal Turnover: Examining Principal Turnover by Ed Fuller *Our guest author today is Ed Fuller, Associate Professor in the Education Leadership Department at Penn State University. He is also the Director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis as well as the Associate Director for Policy of the University Council for Educational Administration.* “No one knows who I am,” exclaimed a senior in a high-poverty, predominantly minority and low-performing high school in the Austin area. She explained, “I have been at this school four years... more »

Cyber charter is a magnet for money

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Cyber charter is a magnet for money: Cyber charter is a magnet for moneyState's largest online public school pays millions to companies run by its former executives. Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... By Rich Lord and Eleanor Chute Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Post a comment PHILLY.COM's TOP FIVE PICKS Penn State's legal cost could be $100M-plus Questions over Olney priest's removal Stalking Cooper River for thousands of fake nickels 4 caught stealing from donations jar Armed robbers hit Main Line deli The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Sc... more »

Education reform's dilemma: Improving creative thinking or improving test scores - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Education reform's dilemma: Improving creative thinking or improving test scores - latimes.com: Education's pendulum: Thinkers or test takers?Rote learning can take a toll on building creativity in schools. The nations that can strike the right balance will gain a competitive edge. - [image: print] - Comments 18 - Email Share - - - [image: Johnny Cochran Middle School] Aiming higher on academics shouldn't have to mean leaving deeper or more open-ended thinking skills behind. Above: A pre-algebra Math 7 class at Johnny Cochran Middle School in... more »

EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools: EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools 1 Print Email - [image: REGION Funding can vary wildly among local schools] - [image: CHART Spending per student] [image: REGION Funding can vary wildly among local schools] Buy Now Students at Buena Vista Elementary School in Carlsbad Albert Azpeitia, left, and Matthew Penman learn about Disneyland from Michaelann Montoya during a "living library" at the school on April 23. The Carlsbad district has one of the lowest rates of per-pupil spending in North County. BILL ... more »

TO LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
New Jersey: The Cesspool of School Reform « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] New Jersey: The Cesspool of School Reform by dianerav Jersey Jazzman describes the web of political and financial connections that are working together to bring for-profit virtual charter schools to the Garden State. This is a must-read. The more I learn about the profits and the political shenanigans that facility profiteering, the more it astonishes me. If the American people ever figure out that their elected officials are giving away the authority to make money... more »

solidaridad: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
solidaridad: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene First Published on *Schools Matter**Although the bungalows are used for after school programs, art classes, festivals and special education speech therapy space, according to the number of enrolled students at Micheltorena, the bungalows have been deemed empty and available for tenancy by any charter that requests them. — Lulu Wilson*... more »

A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. - Wait, What?: A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. by jonpelto Fellow Connecticut blogger and public education advocate Wendy Lecker had a “Must Read” piece in the Stamford Advocate last week that was then picked up by Valarie Strauss in the Washington Post. Wendy is heading up Connecticut’s new Parents Across America Chapter, is a former president of the Stamford Parent Teacher Council and previously worked as an attorney in a major school funding lawsuit in New York. You can find this full p... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Romney's version of corporate socialism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Romney's version of corporate socialism: Romney's version of corporate socialism by Mike Klonsky Anthony Gardner, writing for Bloomberg, reports that Mitt Romney's specialty during his years at Bain Capital, was privatizing gains and socializing investment losses. *What’s clear from a review of the public record during his management of the private-equity firm Bain Capital from 1985 to 1999 is that Romney was fabulously successful in generating high returns for its investors. He did so, in large part, through heavy use of tax-deductible debt, u... more »

Geaux Teacher!: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Geaux Teacher!: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY?: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY? by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) Governor Jindal and his superintendent John White say that parents know best what is right for their children. This blog was written by a parent who has decided to compare what JINDAL and WHITE say is right for his child and his own research so that he can make the right CHOICE! Background - The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Louisiana Association of Educators and 30 Louisiana School Boards have sued the State of Louisiana regarding the consti... more »

Stocks and jocks. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Stocks and jocks. « Fred Klonsky: Stocks and jocks. by Fred Klonsky I was invited on a local Chicago radio show to talk about teacher pensions. The morning show is called *Stocks and Jocks.* Luckily they didn’t ask me any jock questions. Or any stock questions, for that matter. *Stocks and Jocks* is a radio show that is aimed at the small investor. The host, Tom “The Chief” Haugh, has a certain populist approach to investment issues. At one point he even offered to join me in hanging some of the Mediator’s report due out. CPS and CTU still need to bargain it. by Fred Klonsky The re... more »

Schools Matter: The New Totalitarianism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Schools Matter: The New Totalitarianism: The New Totalitarianism by Judy Rabin *Sara Robinson at AlterNet offers a sobering assessment of our new reality under corporate domination and why public education is intentionally being destroyed along with academic freedom and critical thinking. Have a good day.* *Education: Testing, Not Teaching* My eighth-grade civics teacher used to terrify our class with grim stories about the education endured by our unlucky peers in the USSR. Communist education, she said, was nothing but rote learning -- no discussion, no critical thinking skills,... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Jesse Sharkey, CTU vice-president *"We've said to our teachers that we want fair compensation. We've also said we want a better (school) day and we want to make sure class sizes don't spike. (Our members) know that we simply don't have a wage demand." * -- Chicago Tribune Jacky Grimshaw *“If he [Rahm] ignores the community, if he ignores the aldermen, if he continues to be driven by what comes out of his brain and those of his advisors to the exclusion of the community, that’s a problem for him. Th... more »

Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues - High School Notes (usnews.com)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues - High School Notes (usnews.com): Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues By KELSEY SHEEHY July 16, 2012 RSS Feed Print [image: Inclusion and positive reinforcement can help high school teachers curb students’ disruptive behavior.] Inclusion, positive reinforcement, and individual attention can prevent disruptive behavior in students. Physical restraint and seclusion are ineffective tools for managing students with developmental and behavioral disorders, experts say. But both approaches a... more »

Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education - Education - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education - Education - GOOD: Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education by Gene Carter [image: congress] Congress has concocted a ticking time bomb that is set to go off on the nation's K-12 schools, colleges, and universities in January 2013. "Sequestration," a term you will be hearing more about in the coming months, is a fancy legislative word for cutting funding after it has already been budgeted. In practice, what this means is that Congress takes back federal funds after they've been dis­... more »

Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice | California Progress Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice | California Progress Report: Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice by megan *By Jeff Bryant* Campaign for America's Future Left-leaning people everywhere recently got a hoot when the Texas Republican Party declared its opposition to the teaching of "Higher Order Thinking Skills," including "critical thinking skills," in public schools. Although a party spokesperson later back-peddled from that statement -- saying that including "critical thinking skills" in their declaration was a "mistake" -- there's li... more »

Selling Schools Out | Corporate Accountability | The Investigative Fund

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Selling Schools Out | Corporate Accountability | The Investigative Fund: Selling Schools Out Under the banner of high-tech progress, corporate lobbyists have rammed through legislation privatizing K-12 education across the country. If the national movement to "reform" public education through vouchers, charters and privatization has a laboratory, it is Florida. It was one of the first states to undertake a program of "virtual schools" — charters operated online, with teachers instructing students over the Internet — as well as one of the first to use vouchers to channel taxpayer... more »

4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: 4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall?: 4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall? *MICROSOFT’S DOWNFALL: INSIDE THE EXECUTIVE E-MAILS AND CANNIBALISTIC CULTURE THAT FELLED A TECH GIANT*[image: clip_image002] BY VANITY FAIR FROM VF DAILY | HTTP://VNTY.FR/PCV0OA12:00 AM, July 3 2012 [image: clip_image004] Microsoft C.E.O. Steve Ballmer delivers the keynote address at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, on January 9. Analyzing one of American corporate history’s greatest mysteries... more »

Mittens. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Mittens. « Fred Klonsky: Mittens. by Fred Klonsky

Louisiana Turnaround: Year One - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Louisiana Turnaround: Year One - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Louisiana Turnaround: Year One by Nancy Flanagan If you're a regular reader of *Teacher in a Strange Land*, you know I've been closely following a turnaround school in Louisiana this year. I had the rich experience of doing professional development work with the staff--at the very beginning, when a potent stew of wariness and possibility filled the room, and a midpoint workshop where trust had taken root and teachers were sharing their beliefs about good teaching, even if it wasn't the party line... more »

What the Bushies “Fail to Acknowledge” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
What the Bushies “Fail to Acknowledge” | Scathing Purple Musings: What the Bushies “Fail to Acknowledge” by Bob Sikes While the *Ocala Star-Banner *published the effort of Jeb Bush mouthpiece Matt Lander this morning, editor Brad Rogers clearly doesn’t agree with him. Writes Rogers: What Ladner and his associates fail to acknowledge, though, is what has been sacrificed in the name of FCAT success. Huge numbers of children have been denied electives so they can be warehoused in remediation classes, decimating bands, athletic teams, and what’s left of our music and art programs. S... more »

Point of View: Involve teachers, parents in schools | jacksonville.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Point of View: Involve teachers, parents in schools | jacksonville.com: Point of View: Involve teachers, parents in schools *Posted:* July 14, 2012 - 12:06am | *Updated:* July 14, 2012 - 2:17am During his visit to City Hall Tuesday night, Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson listened to citizens and managed to drive nearly all his responses back to the theme on which we all agree: We must improve educational outcomes for all of our children. In a state where the dominant education reform narrative has flipped public dialogue like a tidal wave, it’s important to take stock... more »

Growing Up in the South, 3 « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Growing Up in the South, 3 « Diane Ravitch's blog: Growing Up in the South, 3 by dianerav I posted two other reminiscences of growing up in the South in the years before the Brown decision was implemented. I reiterate that I am not suggesting that there is less segregation today than there was in the 1950s; there may be even more. But so much was qualitatively different, and I find it valuable to recall what the qualitative differences were. There were no black mayors or Congressmen, no blacks on television or in the films. All public (and private) facilities in the South were se... more »

Schools Matter: Where your tax dollars are going: More testing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Schools Matter: Where your tax dollars are going: More testing: Where your tax dollars are going: More testing by skrashen Sent to the Los Angeles Times, July 15 “… the relentless emphasis on covering tested material” with the resulting de-emphasis on creative and critical thinking, so necessary in today’s world (“Education's pendulum: Thinkers or test takers?, July 15), is going to get worse. The reaction of the US Department of Education to the excessive testing demanded by No Child Left Behind is to do it harder: Test more grade levels, more subjects, and add interim tests. ... more »

IRS Examining Charter Schools and the for-profit tax consulting firms are rubbing their hands in delight | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
IRS Examining Charter Schools and the for-profit tax consulting firms are rubbing their hands in delight | Dailycensored.com: IRS Examining Charter Schools and the for-profit tax consulting firms are rubbing their hands in delight by Danny Weil *Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP has a team of attorneys dedicated to serving all aspects of charter school operations, from formation, to tax qualification, to charter school financing, to personnel and operational issues.* A reader sent the following article about IRS scrutiny of the financial management of charters, especially for-profit... more »

Mother Crusader: What's The Cost Of Four Cyber Charters in Newark? $17.5 Million.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Mother Crusader: What's The Cost Of Four Cyber Charters in Newark? $17.5 Million.: What's The Cost Of Four Cyber Charters in Newark? $17.5 Million. by darciecima Yesterday we took an in-depth look at how Benjamin Rayer was able to get a his cyber charters approved. Today I want to take a look at how the state managed to push FOUR cyber charters through, all in the same city, including one that will ultimately serve the whole state but initially pulled all of the start-up funds from Newark. Before we get started, let's look at where the NJDOE *couldn't* get one through, and wh... more »

Utah Public Forum on the Common Core | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Utah Public Forum on the Common Core | Truth in American Education: Utah Public Forum on the Common Core by chascherrie Public Forum on Common Core (July 10, 2012) in Utah This video features the following four presentors: Emmett McGroarty from the American Principles Project Dr. Bill Evers from the Hoover Institute at Stanford Jamie Gass, Director of the Pioneer Institute Kent Talbot, Former counsel to the DoEd under G.W. Bush Popout

Where is Penny Pritzker? Too much of an embarrassment for Obama but not for Rahm. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Where is Penny Pritzker? Too much of an embarrassment for Obama but not for Rahm. « Fred Klonsky: Where is Penny Pritzker? Too much of an embarrassment for Obama but not for Rahm. by Fred Klonsky This morning’s New York Times answers the question, “Where in the world is Penny Pritzker?” Penny headed up President Obama’s fund-raising operation in the 2008 campaign. But in appears that this time around she has pulled back or has been pushed aside because she is simply too much of an embarrassment to the Obama campaign. For nearly three years the family-run Hyatt Hotel chain has been ... more »

Weekly Update: The KIPP charter school hustle, eight year olds grading their teachers in Georgia and more on Bill Gates | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Weekly Update: The KIPP charter school hustle, eight year olds grading their teachers in Georgia and more on Bill Gates | Seattle Education: Weekly Update: The KIPP charter school hustle, eight year olds grading their teachers in Georgia and more on Bill Gates by seattleducation2011 *The Weekly Update: News you might have missed.* With Initiative 1240, the charter school initiative backed by Bill Gates who has provided $1M to the cause, looking like it will be appearing on the ballot this fall, more folks are starting to talk about charter schools in our state. Fortunately the wor... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Virtual Cronies

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Virtual Cronies: Virtual Cronies by Duke Darcie Cimarusti, in a stellar bit of reporting, breaks down the cronyism behind the approval of two "blended learning" charter schools that rely heavily on online learning for their education model. Despite the reports fromPennsylvania, Ohio and the rest of the nation about corruption, exorbitant prices, and poor results from cyber charters, New Jersey seems determined to plow ahead. Why is that? Why don't we put the brakes on these questionable schools, as NJ Assemblyman Patrick Diegnansuggests? Why not take the time to... more »

Why Administrators Don’t Care about Content-and Why It Matters « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Why Administrators Don’t Care about Content-and Why It Matters « Diane Ravitch's blog: Why Administrators Don’t Care about Content-and Why It Matters by dianerav A reader responds to our discussion about the importance of content and explains how administrators matter in relation to content. If they are indifference to content it shapes their vision and their behavior: *I am a professor of educational administration and I’m struck by how little content area knowledge is required to become a principal or superintendent. Standards related to administrator certification seldom (if ev... more »

The Negro Motorist “Green Book” 1949 |

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Negro Motorist “Green Book” 1949 |: The Negro Motorist “Green Book” 1949 Posted on January 7, 2011 | 14 Comments This is new to us: The Negro Motorist Green Book is the subject of today’s “Little-Known Black History Fact.” The Negro Motorist Green Book was a publication released in 1936 that served as a guide for African-American travelers. Because of the racist conditions that existed from segregation, blacks needed a reference manual to guide them to integrated or black-friendly establishments. That’s when they turned to “The Negro Motorist Green Book: An International Travel ... more »

Bartenders Push Tougher NCLB | Mr. Teachbad

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Bartenders Push Tougher NCLB | Mr. Teachbad: Bartenders Push Tougher NCLB FAKE EDUCATION NEWS –Atlanta, GA In a rare foray into edu­ca­tion pol­icy advo­cacy, the National Bar­tenders Asso­ci­a­tion (NBA) will begin lob­by­ing mem­bers of Con­gress next week for a tougher rewrite of the Bush-era national edu­ca­tion law, *No Child Left Behind*. As orig­i­nally writ­ten and passed in 2001, NCLB man­dated that 100 per­cent of chil­dren be pro­fi­cient in read­ing and math by 2013. Speak­ing from the group’s head­quar­ters in Atlanta, David Craver, pres­i­dent of the NBA, told *Teach... more »

Stand Together for our Children

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Stand Together for our Children: 19th Ward Parents Organization: Promoting Quality Education for All Quote of the Week: “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead About Us We are residents of the 19th ward in Chicago fighting for a quality education for all students. Our Work We work together to ensure a quality public education for all students in CPS, while reaching out to other groups who share our vision. Whether you’re ready to lend a hand at one of our events, you ne... more »

Why the Big Investment in Hardware? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Why the Big Investment in Hardware? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Why the Big Investment in Hardware? by dianerav Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... The Broad-trained superintendent of Huntsville, Alabama, has purchased 22,000 laptops and iPads for the students in the district. This is the same superintendent who contracted to send recalcitrant students to live in a teepee until they learned to behave. The laptops and iPads are being readied for use this fall. Nothing has been said about the curriculum that these machines are supposed to teach/fac... more »

Secular group chides Georgia school district for ‘lack of respect for the First Amendment’ | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Secular group chides Georgia school district for ‘lack of respect for the First Amendment’ | The Raw Story: Secular group chides Georgia school district for ‘lack of respect for the First Amendment’ [image: Female High School student (Flickr/Casey Lessard)] Topics: freedom from religion foundation ♦ Houston County Schools ♦ school mottos The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has called on a school district in Georgia to prevent teachers and other officials from promoting Christianity to their students. “School-aged children are a captive audience,” the group wrote in a let... more »

Daily Kos: Time as Capital: The Rise of the Frantic Class

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Daily Kos: Time as Capital: The Rise of the Frantic Class: Time as Capital: The Rise of the Frantic Class byplthomasEdDFollow Share2 PERMALINK1 COMMENT Imagine a world where time is capital. This is the dystopian future of 2161 brought to film by Andrew Niccol's *In Time* (2011)—triggering some powerful parallels to *Logan's Run* (both the original novel from 1967 and thefilm adaptation in 1976). Both *Logan's Run* and *In Time* expose the human condition in terms of age and mortality—in the first, life ends at 30, and in the latter, people stop aging at 25, but at a price, which ... more »

L.A. Times Writes Shockingly Good Editorial On Schools — With Convenient Amnesia | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
L.A. Times Writes Shockingly Good Editorial On Schools — With Convenient Amnesia | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: L.A. Times Writes Shockingly Good Editorial On Schools — With Convenient Amnesia July 15, 2012 by Larry Ferlazzo | 0 comments 2 The Los Angeles Times, the paper guilty of pioneering extraordinary moral lapse of publishing teacher’s value-added ranking (see The Best Posts About The LA Times Article On “Value-Added” Teacher Ratings) just published a shockingly good editorial titled Education’s pendelum: Thinkers or test takers? After warning that countries that ou... more »

Energy, Power and the Leader-sphere - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Energy, Power and the Leader-sphere - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators: Energy, Power and the Leader-sphere Have you ever thought about the difference between energy and power? We use them interchangeably when discussing fuel, but not so much when discussing people. Energy is the availability of power, and power is the ability to get things done. Today’s young professionals expect to be both energized and empowered, and organizations are quickly morphing to meet the challenge and the opportunity. Consider it in t... more »



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