Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 8-29 AM Posts #soschat #edreform




BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS


Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter schools are for quitters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter schools are for quitters: Charter schools are for quitters by Charlie Mas Charter schools represent resignation all across the board. To advocate for charter schools is to see the challenges in public education, to see the hard work needed, and to run away. Charter schools are for quitters. They are for the cowardly and weak. *Charter schools are not education reform - they are for people who quit trying to reform education.* Yes, there is excess bureaucracy, excess regulation, and mindless standardization in our schools. It's a real probl... more »

Kids Need More Than Reading and Math, Argues ASCD Executive Director in CNN Commentary — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 minutes ago
Kids Need More Than Reading and Math, Argues ASCD Executive Director in CNN Commentary — Whole Child Education: [image: Melissa Mellor]Kids Need More Than Reading and Math, Argues ASCD Executive Director in CNN Commentary August 29, 2012 by Melissa Mellor "We can't narrow the focus of our schools into just math and reading and still expect to graduate students who are ready for college, a career and citizenship," writes ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter in hisspecial commentary for CNN's *Schools of Thought* blog. "A comprehensive education provides students the opportunity to di... more »

Here Comes Common Core, Ready Or Not « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 minutes ago
Here Comes Common Core, Ready Or Not « Diane Ravitch's blog: Here Comes Common Core, Ready Or Not by dianerav A teacher in Florida wants to know how the Common Core standards are supposed to change her teaching, why she should drop literature for informational texts, which dominate other subjects, and what the PARCC assessments mean. Will states have the money they need to buy computers for the assessments? Will they have the funds to pay for professional development for the new standards and assessments? So much remains unknown. *If students are reading in their history and scien... more »

Big Education Ape Editorial: Can’t can’t do nothing*

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
*Can’t can’t do nothing* * *CAN* ** After listening to Chris Christie’s Key Note Speech, I thought what country is he talking about? Certainly not America. America is the land of CAN. Yet Gov. Christie seemed to be saying we can’t educate our children, can’t provide for the old and sick, we can't have good jobs, we can’t have a middle class, we can’t have the America that we grew up in. It was as if he was saying that America can’t do anything, Sort of permanent recession. Since 1776 America has found ways to have a can do spirit, it is sort of built in our DNA. I believe that Ame... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-29-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Is This Ironic? by dianerav A reader comments on the fact that StudentsFirst–the Michelle Rhee organization that is raising $1 billion to attack teachers and public schools– is promoting the parent trigger film: Talk about Double Standards! by dianerav When any educator dares to challenge the conventional wisdom and say that our schools are not failing, they can expect to be excoriated by reformers. A reformer these days is someone who believes that the “system” is obsolete and broken and must be handed ... more »

Labor Day in Chicago this year. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Labor Day in Chicago this year. « Fred Klonsky: Labor Day in Chicago this year. by Fred Klonsky In Chicago the kids go back to school after Labor Day. In Park Ridge school starts two weeks before Labor Day. As a result, Anne and I always thought of it as a little extension of summer. We would try to get out of town. For many years our extended family would head up to Wisconsin to Lake Geneva. After a while we were joined by friends for all are part of the weekend. It became known as *Camp Klonsky.* It would include an annual grudge match of doubles ping-pong on the porch of the main... more »

Pension reform: top-paid administrators to take biggest hit | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Pension reform: top-paid administrators to take biggest hit | EdSource Today: Pension reform: top-paid administrators to take biggest hit ** August 29th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services The retirement age for new teachers will be pushed back two years; they’ll have to fork over about another 1 percent of their pay into the retirement system. And their bosses – principals and administrators ­– will see a ceiling of $132,120 as the portion of their pay used to calculate retiremen... more »

Dropout Signs Can Be Spotted Early Among Frequent School Ditchers -- Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Dropout Signs Can Be Spotted Early Among Frequent School Ditchers -- Report: Dropout Signs Can Be Spotted Early Among Frequent School Ditchers -- Report by Joy Resmovits It's the second day of school in Chaparral High School, a day assistant principal Todd Peterson calls "the second happiest day in the world for all the kids." "They're measuring everybody up and they're making the decisions, one, if they like the teacher, and two, if they like the class," says Peterson, who leads the Las Vegas school. These measurements can be critical: Early first impressions dictate who comes... more »

Daily Kos: strongly suggest you read Nick Kristof this morning

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Daily Kos: strongly suggest you read Nick Kristof this morning: strongly suggest you read Nick Kristof this morning by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) His *New York Times* column is titled The Secret Weapon: All of Us, and it goes after the theme of the RNC, "We Built It." A preliminary caution - some here will not like Kristof taking Democrats to task for criticizing Romney for outsourcing, but he tempers that with writing about the “You didn’t build that — you destroyed it.” meme Democrats are pushing at Romney. Consider instead how he goes after the Republican claim to be job crea... more »

Retired teacher: Make admins teach. Reduce testing. Eliminate gifted. Restore recess. | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Retired teacher: Make admins teach. Reduce testing. Eliminate gifted. Restore recess. | Get Schooled: Retired teacher: Make admins teach. Reduce testing. Eliminate gifted. Restore recess. by Maureen Downey Retired Atlanta Public Schools teacher Scott Stephens — he taught English for 15 years at Grady High School and taught for a decade in Fulton County — sent me a list of reforms. I thought it was a great list and have his permission to share it here: Courtesy of Scott Stephens: 1. All certified personnel at a school, including academy leaders, graduation coaches, instructiona... more »

Charter-school debate's 4th round no less intense | Local News | The Seattle Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Charter-school debate's 4th round no less intense | Local News | The Seattle Times: Charter-school debate's 4th round no less intense [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Initiative 1240, which would allow charter schools in Washington state, is similar in many ways to a pair of ballot measures that voters previously rejected. But the political realities around the contentious issue have shifted. By Brian M. Rosenthal Seattle Times staff reporter MOST POPULAR COMMENTS HIDE / SHOW COMMENTS Charters don't work - the data clearly shows that. I want to complimen... more »

GOP platform’s contempt for public education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
GOP platform’s contempt for public education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: GOP platform’s contempt for public education By Valerie Strauss It was obviously too difficult for the authors of the 2012 Republican Party platform to hide their contempt for public education, because it is evident throughout the section on schooling. What’s more, the education section is used to promote the party’s cultural values, going on at some length about support for abstinence (Jae C. Hong/AP)education and its opposition to using federal funds in “mandatory or universal mental health, psy... more »

Schools Matter: A lousy way to evaluate teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: A lousy way to evaluate teachers: A lousy way to evaluate teachers by skrashen Letter: Remove the requirement (original title: Not the way to evaluate teachers) http://www.smdp.com/letter-remove-the-requirement/111188 Published in the Santa Monica Daily Press, August 28, 2012 State Assembly Bill 5 removes the requirement that increases in student test scores be included in teacher evaluations (“10th graders sail through exit exam,” Aug. 23). Good idea. A number of studies have shown that rating teachers using student test score gains does not give consistent resul... more »

Modern School: California Millionaires’ Organize Against Prop 30

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Modern School: California Millionaires’ Organize Against Prop 30: California Millionaires’ Organize Against Prop 30 by Michael Dunn Three business executives (Floyd Kvamme, David Marquardt, and Mark Stevens) recently sent out a fundraising appeal to their millionaire friends and colleagues seeking their support in opposing California’s Proposition 30, according to the California Progress Report. The initiative on November’s ballot, is supposed to bring in an extra $9 billion a year from increase taxes. These millionaires and their wealthy allies are upset that the legislation wou... more »

Why Are Women More Interested in Going to College Than Men? - Education - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Why Are Women More Interested in Going to College Than Men? - Education - GOOD: Why Are Women More Interested in Going to College Than Men? by Liz Dwyer [image: women.college] It's been a generation since the gender balance on campus began to shift in favor of the ladies. More women than men have been going to college since the 1980s; since 1996, more women have been graduating; and last year U.S. Census data revealed that women now earn more graduate degrees. According to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics, the trend of women dominating higher educati... more »

The “Target” Approach to Better School Meals | California Progress Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The “Target” Approach to Better School Meals | California Progress Report: The “Target” Approach to Better School Meals by callen *By Dana Woldow* PEACHSF Wouldn’t it be great if many good causes - feeding hungry kids, organic farming, fighting global warming, growing small local businesses - could all be supported by school meal programs? In a perfect world, every worthy goal could benefit from these government funds. In the real world, underfunding of school meals by Congress means that schools must prioritize to ensure scarce resources are going towards feeding the most kids, and... more »

Back to School Supplies for Teachers.southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Back to School Supplies for Teachers by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) The beginning of the school year is almost here. Students and their parents are hitting Staples and Target to stock up the supplies that are on their lists. Teachers too are hitting the teacher supply stores as well. But teachers need more than the markers, bulletin board parer, boarders, chart paper, maps, charts, etc.. for their classrooms and to be effective teachers. In this day and age of "gotcha," teachers need much more. For the first time ever in the history of educa... more »

Breaking: Chicago Teachers Union will file 10 day strike notice tomorrow, Wednesday. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Breaking: Chicago Teachers Union will file 10 day strike notice tomorrow, Wednesday. « Fred Klonsky: Breaking: Chicago Teachers Union will file 10 day strike notice tomorrow, Wednesday. by Fred Klonsky [image: Parents Stand With CTU (CLICK ON PICTURE)] The Chicago Tribune is reporting tonight: The Chicago Teachers Union plans to file a 10-day strike notice Wednesday, meaning a teacher walkout could begin after the majority of the city’s students finish their first week of school, sources said.The union and CPS have been in talks for months but have failed to reach The in box... more »

Continuing to collectively bargain over teacher evaluation makes sense | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Continuing to collectively bargain over teacher evaluation makes sense | EdSource Today: Continuing to collectively bargain over teacher evaluation makes sense ** August 28th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Dean Vogel Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services [image: Dean Vogel] Dean Vogel As professionals, educators practice their vocation with seriousness and dedication with the single purpose of helping students. The California Teachers Association believes it is a primary part of our mission to improve the conditions of teaching and ... more »

On Why IDFAG About Dress Code … Kinda [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
On Why IDFAG About Dress Code … Kinda [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: On Why IDFAG About Dress Code … Kinda [Future of Teaching] by Jose Excerpt: Having a dress code matters in far too many schools. I know of schools where, on dress down days, kids wear *strictly* primary colors depending on their affiliations, or look down on one another for inexpensive wardrobe. It also sets a tone, teaching students early that coming to school is like coming to work in a way where looks matters, so dress appropriately. At least these are some of the arguments people use for dress code. ... more »

Engaging Parents In School… » National PTA Changes Stance On Charter Schools, & It’s A Disappointing One…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Engaging Parents In School… » National PTA Changes Stance On Charter Schools, & It’s A Disappointing One…: National PTA Changes Stance On Charter Schools, & It’s A Disappointing One… by Larry Ferlazzo The National PTA now supports letting other bodies besides local school boards authorize charter schools. That’s a big disappointment, since charter school operators are now often making “end-runs” around local school boards who won’t approve them by going to county boards of education or other bodies. For example, here in Sacramento a charter chain couldn’t get any local school dis... more »

What Are the Bounds of Civil Discussion? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
What Are the Bounds of Civil Discussion? « Diane Ravitch's blog: What Are the Bounds of Civil Discussion? by dianerav Earlier today I published a biting critique of John White and Bobby Jindal, who are doing their best to privatize public education in Louisiana. I happen to think the pair have turned the state of Louisiana into an international laughing stock and put the future of a generation of children at risk. The writer, who lives in Louisiana, called them vandals, said that John White is a hack, and referred to White’s staff as “the TFA Goon Squad.” Two people wrote to say ... more »

What GOP platform says on education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
What GOP platform says on education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: What GOP platform says on education By Valerie Strauss Here’s what the 2012 Republican Party platform calls for regarding education: Education: A Chance for Every Child Parents are responsible for the education of their children. We do not believe in a one size fits all approach to education and support providing broad education choices to parents and children at the State and local level. Maintaining American preeminence requires a world-class system of education, with high standards, in which all s... more »

Diva Against Insanity: A Revolution in our schools is not always the answer...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Diva Against Insanity: A Revolution in our schools is not always the answer...: A Revolution in our schools is not always the answer... This past weekend I saw the movie "Won't Back Down" with Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhall. It was a movie about a poor working class mother who can't afford a private education for her child so must send her to the neighborhood school. That school is failing, her daughter is not learning, and she believes she has no options. As she agonizes over her situation, she finds out about a provision in the law that says that parents and teachers can ... more »

Modern School: Fuentes Caves to Insatiable Conservatives With More AB 5 Compromises

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Modern School: Fuentes Caves to Insatiable Conservatives With More AB 5 Compromises: Fuentes Caves to Insatiable Conservatives With More AB 5 Compromises by Michael Dunn Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons Felipe Fuentes, author of California’s new teacher evaluation bill, AB 5, has added more anti-teacher revisions to the legislation in an attempt to placate conservatives and win a waiver to the federal No Child Left Behind law. The problem is that conservatives will never accept AB 5, no matter what compromises are made, as long as AB 5 continues to allow teachers to collectively barg... more »

In Sacto. Schools, Heroes in the Kitchen - New America Media

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
In Sacto. Schools, Heroes in the Kitchen - New America Media: In Sacto. Schools, Heroes in the Kitchen *Story* tools Comments AAAResize Print Share and Email New America Media, Video, Peter Schurmann, Posted: Aug 28, 2012 SACRAMENTO - Gabriel Ramirez describes how he runs to get his first choice at the school cafeteria these days -- a far cry from when the only food served was "those little burrito things...I didn't even know what was in 'em." Ramirez, 17, spoke recently at a news briefing sponsored by the California Endowment, whose “Health Happens in Schools” initiative promo... more »

After a Year Teaching High School, Tony Danza Says We Owe Educators an Apology - Education - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
After a Year Teaching High School, Tony Danza Says We Owe Educators an Apology - Education - GOOD: After a Year Teaching High School, Tony Danza Says We Owe Educators an Apology by Liz Dwyer [image: danza] Don't be surprised if the nation's teachers start a fan club for actor Tony Danza. Unlike the countless policy makers and talking heads who offer up suggestions for improving education without ever teaching a day in their lives, during the 2009-2010 school year the actor ditched Hollywood for a gig teaching tenth grade English at Northeast High School in Philadelphia. Now Dan... more »

A Polarized Education System | Taking Note

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
A Polarized Education System | Taking Note: A Polarized Education System by John Merrow Polarization has come to public education, big time. If it persists, at the end of the day we all are going to lose. As the political campaign heats up, public education is caught in a direct crossfire. Here’s one example from the run up to the Republican convention: While the fact that quite a few countries outscore our children on international tests is reason for genuine concern, I think we ought to be even more disturbed about some other numbers, such as: - Half our kids get no early edu... more »

RheeFirst! » Remember Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s no show rally in Connecticut? Now we know why no one showed up…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
RheeFirst! » Remember Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s no show rally in Connecticut? Now we know why no one showed up…: Remember Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s no show rally in Connecticut? Now we know why no one showed up… by admin Leaked documents revealed today by *The Daily Change *appear to shed light on why Michelle Rhee could muster only a handful of people outside the Connecticut statehouse last March. Although Rhee cheered on Gov. Malloy’s education proposal, Malloy himself declined to participate, saying through a spokesperson that Rhee was too “divisive.” Mal... more »

Origins of a Dream

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Origins of a Dream: Origins of a Dream by Sam Every year, we pay tribute to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with school assemblies, community programs and – to the delight of students and teachers alike – a national holiday. Yet how many of us directly connect Dr. King’s heroism and accomplishments to his faith in – and use of – the five freedoms of the First Amendment? Consider the August 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the iconic rally that introduced King’s “I Have a Dream” speech to white America – he had delivered those lines to black audiences many t... more »

Commentary: Making sense of what's happening in the School District | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Commentary: Making sense of what's happening in the School District | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Commentary: Making sense of what's happening in the School District by thenotebook This week's guest commentary about changes in the Philadelphia school landscape is from James M. "Torch" Lytle, a former Philadelphia administrator and Trenton superintendent, now a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. The *Notebook*invites guest blog posts on current topics in Philadelphia education from its readers. Conact us at notebook@thenotebook.org ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Rosie Perez Embarrasses Herself Badly

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Rosie Perez Embarrasses Herself Badly: Rosie Perez Embarrasses Herself Badly by Duke So the stars of *Won't Back Down* are starting their press junkets. Let the embarrassment commence, starting with Rosie Perez on Good Morning, America (no embed code; you'll have to click through to watch). Perez says, "We have the worst education system, K through 12." Leave aside how such a sweeping statement is absurd on its face; not once in her little TV visit does Perez bother to mention that we have almost the worst childhood poverty in the developed world. It's probably too ... more »

Why Washington state schools are #47 in education funding: Let’s start with Bill Gates | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Why Washington state schools are #47 in education funding: Let’s start with Bill Gates | Seattle Education: Why Washington state schools are #47 in education funding: Let’s start with Bill Gates by seattleducation2011 At a community forum that I attended about three years ago in the Central District, neighbors were meeting withRepresentative Eric Pettigrew and Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos regarding issues of concern. There didn’t seem to be enough money for the public funded services that were needed including our schools. One person got up and said that she was willing to p... more »

UPDATE: They’re still fighting for social justice at Social Justice High School. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
They’re still fighting for social justice at Social Justice High School. « Fred Klonsky: hey’re still fighting for social justice at Social Justice High School. by Fred Klonsky *Social Justice students speak at community protest. Photo: Substance, Sarah Chambers.* The story of Chicago’s Social Justice High School began with a hunger strike in 2001. Starting on Mother’s Day, 17 members of the Little Village community, a Mexican neighborhood in southwest Chicago, drank only water and juice for 19 days. They camped out in unseasonably cold and rainy weather on a vacant strip of land ... more »

This Week In Education: Thompson: District Claims Turnaround Failures Were Successes

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
This Week In Education: Thompson: District Claims Turnaround Failures Were Successes: Thompson: District Claims Turnaround Failures Were Successes by john thompson [image: Pollyanna-The-Glad-Game]"Nothing illustrates the elusiveness of school reform like Reid Park Academy," writes the Charlotte Observer's Ann Doss Helms in "Westside's Reid Park Elementary Shows the Challenge of Reform." Four years ago, the school "became a pioneer in a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools push to get strong faculty into weak schools. One year ago, then-Superintendent Peter Gorman added middle school stud... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Cokie's Law and Education Reforminess

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Cokie's Law and Education Reforminess: Cokie's Law and Education Reforminess by Duke Randi Weingarten does a nice job taking down *Won't Back Down*, the reformy, *fictional* film that ignorant pundits are already using to push an anti-union agenda. I particularly liked what Weingarten has to say here: *The film features the union leader sharing a quote that anti-public education ideologues and right-wing politicians often attribute to former AFT president Albert Shanker: “When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests... more »

What do the available data tell us about NYC charter school teachers & their jobs? « School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
What do the available data tell us about NYC charter school teachers & their jobs? « School Finance 101: What do the available data tell us about NYC charter school teachers & their jobs? by schoolfinance101 This post is about rolling out some of the left over data I have from my various endeavors this summer. These data include data from New York State personnel master files (PMFs) linked to New York City public schools and charter schools, NYC teacher value-added scores, and various bits of data on New York City charter and district schools including school site budget/annual... more »

Another Successful FCAT Opt Out | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Another Successful FCAT Opt Out | United Opt Out National: Another Successful FCAT Opt Out by admin United Opt Out National received the following letter regarding another successful FCAT opt out. Royellen Moore, parent in Orlando, has also said she is happy to answer any questions about her experience. Please read the letter and also check our Florida section for more information. If you have questions for Royellen please post them in the comment section. *My son opted out of FCAT two years ago (the 2010/11 school year) in Orange County, Fl (Orlando). We were told, incorrectly, w... more »

Vanessa D’Egidio on Teaching for Social Justice in Primary School Classrooms « Feminist Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Vanessa D’Egidio on Teaching for Social Justice in Primary School Classrooms « Feminist Teacher: Vanessa D’Egidio on Teaching for Social Justice in Primary School Classrooms by feministteacher Vanessa D’Egidio teaches for social justice in primary school classrooms (photo courtesy: Vanessa D’Egidio). *The following guest blog is the first in a three-part series on teaching for social justice featuring educators in primary, middle, and high school classrooms.* *Vanessa D’Egidio is currently a second grade teacher in New York City. As a graduate of both Barnard College’s Childhood Ed... more »

The Gates Foundation Writes: K-12 Education: An Opportunity Catalyst - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
The Gates Foundation Writes: K-12 Education: An Opportunity Catalyst - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: The Gates Foundation Writes: K-12 Education: An Opportunity Catalyst by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Irvin Scott.* * In this fourth of five exchanges with the Gates Foundation, we take on some of the biggest questions of all: What is the purpose of a K-12 education? How do we think about college and career readiness? How do the Common Core Standards fit in? This post can also be viewed and commented on at the Gates Foundation'sImpatient Optimist blog. My response will... more »

UPDATE: Diane in the AFTERNOON 8-28-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: What Can Be Done to Stop the “Vandals at the Gate”? by dianerav This is one of the sharpest commentaries I have read about the depredations of the Jindal-White gang in Louisiana, who are intent on destroying public education in the state as well as the teaching profession. Everyone can pick their favorite line; there are many. What I appreciate is the writer’s slashing criticism of the silent education professors, who have lost their tongues, unable or unwilling to defend the people they trained, mute in the face of the vandals at the gate. Reformer Squabble in ... more »

Weingarten: ‘Won’t Back Down’ union stereotypes worse than ‘Waiting for Superman’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Weingarten: ‘Won’t Back Down’ union stereotypes worse than ‘Waiting for Superman’ - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] Weingarten: ‘Won’t Back Down’ union stereotypes worse than ‘Waiting for Superman’ By Valerie Strauss Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst organization is playing a big role in screening the not-yet-released, anti-union film “Won’t Back Down” at theRepublican Convention in Tampa, complete with a guest discussion panel that features former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. But Democrats shouldn’t feel left out;... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed News Round-Up

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Ed News Round-Up: Ed News Round-Up by Melissa Westbrook Interesting (and lengthly) essay from a student teacher that carefully outlines her concerns with TFA. The ones about the link between TFA and charter schools is especially timely for Washington State. (Also a good storyhere on that link from the National Journal.) From Education Week, a very good comparison of what Romney and Obama have in mind for public education. From Education Week, a review of a new book about the most selective public high schools in the country. *For each of the ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: What About School Boards?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: What About School Boards?: What About School Boards? by Duke While commenting on New Jersey's new tenure law, a superintendent in Passaic County makes a very good point: William Petrick, superintendent for the Little Falls School District, and principal for School No. 3, said the bill promises no real change. "*The bill does very little to change any superintendent who is uninspired, unmotivated, and/or too weak to exercise the means that have always been within his or her authority to document cause for termination of a bad teacher or administrator, tenured or ... more »

Randi Weingarten Responds to Parent Trigger Film « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Randi Weingarten Responds to Parent Trigger Film « Diane Ravitch's blog: Randi Weingarten Responds to Parent Trigger Film by dianerav *TO: Interested Parties**From: AFT President Randi Weingarten* *Date: August 28, 2012* *RE: “Won’t Back Down”** * “Won’t Back Down" Rhymes with "Stand Your Ground" and is brought to you by those great folks at ALEC * _____________________________**______________________________** ______________________________**______________________________**___* *One can’t help but be moved by the characters and story portrayed in Walden Media’s film “Won...more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, August 28, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!* Education Headlines *Tuesday, August 28, 2012* Novato school officials say clerical error caused drop in grad rateA sharp decline in Novato High School's graduation rate reported in June turns out to have been the result of clerical errors, and in fact the rate was virtually unchanged from the previous year, administrators said Monday. School districts offer online alternatives to traditional classroom instructionIn a room full of computers, more than a dozen high school students sat quietly, either ... more »

A No to the Jeb Bush Model in Mississippi | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
A No to the Jeb Bush Model in Mississippi | Scathing Purple Musings: A No to the Jeb Bush Model in Mississippi by Bob Sikes I had a little fun at Jeb Bush’s expense earlier this month after he made a pitch for Mississippi lawmakers to adopt his Florida way for education policy. The editors of one state newspaper aren’t biting. This from the *Delta Democrat Times * in Greenville: The (Bush) foundation’s Christy Hovanetz pointed to data showing some test scores in Florida and Mississippi were on a similar track before Florida made changes to its school system. She told Mississippi... more »










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