Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 10-14-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 10-14-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Pearson profits while parents protest N.Y. test madness

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Pearson profits while parents protest N.Y. test madness: Pearson profits while parents protest N.Y. test madness by Mike Klonsky PARENTS UNITED From left, Lori Chajet, Abby Subak and Martha Foote outside Public School 321 in Brooklyn. The New York Times reports today that many N.Y. parents are opting out of field testing the state's new round of standardized tests related to the Common Core standards. Brooklyn parent Lori Chajet says: *“I want my school to use tests to help instruction, to help find out if kids don’t know fractions. I don’t wa... more »

Daily Kos: Save Unsuccessful Charter Schools (SUCS), Now!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago

Daily Kos: Save Unsuccessful Charter Schools (SUCS), Now!: Save Unsuccessful Charter Schools (SUCS), Now! byplthomasEdDFollow [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Increasingly over the past decade, children and their parents all across the U.S. are choosing to enroll in or are being chosen to attend charter schools that are average or failing. Since these children are our future, we must organize now and help reform the struggling charter school movement; thus, I am forming Save Unsuccessful Charter Schools (SUCS). The facts about charter schools in the U.S.... more »

PAC Uses Football to Target Voucher Proposals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago

PAC Uses Football to Target Voucher Proposals: PAC Uses Football to Target Voucher Proposals photo by: Justin Dehn October 14, 2012 by: Maurice Chammah, The Texas Tribune In a video that ponders potential threats to the viability of high school football, Progress Texas PAC urges Texans to fight plans to institute school voucher programs. As they prepare for a battle over school vouchers during the next legislative session, a liberal advocacy group is calling attention to a program that few thought was under immediate threat in Texas: high school football. In a video called “Will Our... more »

Wealthy Foreigners Fund Charter Schools for Visas

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Wealthy Foreigners Fund Charter Schools for Visas: Wealthy Foreigners Fund Charter Schools for Visas Photo: Wikimedia Commons - By STEPHANIE SIMON, Reuters October 14, 2012 It's been a turbulent period for charter schools in the United States, with financial analysts raising concerns about their stability and regulators in several states shutting down schools for poor performance. The volatility has made it tough for startup schools to get financing. But an unlikely source of new capital has emerged to fill the gap: foreign investors. [image: submit] The Fiscal TimesFREE N... more »

San Antonio mayor says education is key for Latinos

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

San Antonio mayor says education is key for Latinos: San Antonio mayor says education is key for Latinos Rick Jervis, USA TODAY Only about 13% of Hispanic 25- to 29-year-olds complete at least a bachelor's degree, compared with 39% for whites in the same age group and 53% for Asians, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. [image: julian castro] 7:30AM EDT October 14. 2012 - SAN ANTONIO – To Julian Castro, the issue most vital to Latinos is not immigration or jobs. It's their access to a decent education. Education is one of the top issues that could help the country's more than 50 m... more »

Malala Yousafzai is now face of global girls education movement - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Malala Yousafzai is now face of global girls education movement - latimes.com: Wounded Pakistan teen is now face of girls education movementMalala Yousafzai, who publicly demanded an education and was shot by Taliban militants, becomes a potent symbol for the global push to improve developing countries by educating their girls. [image: Rally on behalf of Malala Yousafzai] Pakistani Americans join a Los Angeles rally to protest the Taliban shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times / July 31, 2012) By Scott Gold, Los Angeles Times Oc... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-14-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Join the Campaign for Our Public Schools by dianerav Whether you are a teacher, a parent, a student, a principal, a school board member, or a concerned citizen, please join the Campaign for Our Public Schools. Speak out against high-stakes testing and privatization. Write a letter to President Obama and other elected officials. Here are instructions. Lessons from a Top-Rated Charter in Minnesota by dianerav People often ask me, “Why don’t the public schools learn from the charter schools?” Good question. The top-rated charter school in Minneapolis has lessons... more »

‘Million Muppet March’ Planned To Defend PBS After Romney Big Bird Comments | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

‘Million Muppet March’ Planned To Defend PBS After Romney Big Bird Comments | toteachornototeach: ‘Million Muppet March’ Planned To Defend PBS After Romney Big Bird Comments by aristotlethewise *‘Million Muppet March’ Planned To Defend PBS After Romney Big Bird Comments * By Daniel Trotta Plans to save Big Bird, the fuzzy yellow character on U.S. public television’s “Sesame Street,” from possible extinction are taking shape in the form of a puppet-based protest next month dubbed the “Million Muppet March.” The demonstration is planned for Nov. 3 at the National Mall in Washington, ... more »

Pass / Fail So Cal education, LAUSD, the Cal States and the UCs | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: [image: save image] Parent Trigger group wins another legal battle By Vanessa Romo at Blog: Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC - 4 hours ago Parents in the desert community of Adelanto have won a critical victory in their mission to take over Desert Trails Elementary School under the “parent trigger law.” A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge has upheld a ruling that allowed the Desert Trails Parent Union to move forward with plans to convert the failing elementary school into a charter school. The judge also ordered the Adelanto School District to halt efforts ... more »

Sunday Dialogue - Transforming Our Schools - NYTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Sunday Dialogue - Transforming Our Schools - NYTimes.com: Sunday Dialogue: Transforming Our Schools Till Hafenbrak Published: October 13, 2012 - FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - E-MAIL - SHARE - PRINT - REPRINTS - Readers react to a student’s ideas for a learning ‘revolution.’ *To the Editor:* When President George W. Bush signed No Child Left Behind into law, few would have predicted that the next decade of education policy would unfold into a disaster of epic proportions. The law was based on a flawed concept of a “good education” — high scores on standardiz... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Is Public Education For Sale?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Is Public Education For Sale?: Is Public Education For Sale? by Melissa Westbrook From The Answer Sheet in the Washington Post, a column about the high funding by a small group of wealthy people for I-1240. She asks some good questions. *Another billionaire occupies the No 2 spot — Alice Walton of Walmart Stores, Inc., fame, who, unlike Gates, doesn’t live in the state. Her Oct. 5 donation is listed at $1.1 million. She is also fourth on the list, with a July 11 donation of $600,000, giving her an aggregate total of $1.7 million.* * **Walton is ... more »

“Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Came Down From The Mountain” Song | Mr. Teachbad

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

“Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Came Down From The Mountain” Song | Mr. Teachbad: “Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Came Down From The Mountain” Song by teachbad

Meducation: how did we land here? « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Meducation: how did we land here? « Cooperative Catalyst: Meducation: how did we land here? by ktenkely * |Kelly Tenkely| Originally published on http://ilearntechnology.com* I recently saw this bit on the Colbert Report...it would be funnier if it weren’t accurately reporting something that is actually happening. It is unbelievable to me that we, as a society, choose to medicate (meducate) instead of challenging the system and fixing the problem. As educators, it is up to us to fix this problem. I would love to believe that politicians will wake up and change the education envir... more »

No charter schools in Tacoma! | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

No charter schools in Tacoma! | Seattle Education: ' No charter schools in Tacoma! by seattleducation2011 I love my state and am so proud of its people. This was done in downtown Spokane, WA, in a place called Riverfront Park thanks to Parents Across America, Spokane. The clock tower is in the heart of the park. How frickin’ awesome! Dora

My Letter to President Obama! October 17, 2012!:Write the President! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

My Letter to President Obama! October 17, 2012!:Write the President! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!: My Letter to President Obama! October 17, 2012!:Write the President! by Oldschoolteach * “One thing I never want to see happen is schools that are just teaching the test because then you’re not learning about the world, you’re not learning about different cultures, you’re not learning about science, you’re not learning about math,” the president said. “All you’re learning about is how to fill out a little bubble on an exam and little tricks that you need to do in order to take... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: The Tall Tale of Mr. Me

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Teachers Don't Suck !: The Tall Tale of Mr. Me: The Tall Tale of Mr. Me * **This article is long but certainly worth reading* *I think it shows what really goes on in the heads of our* *"Educational Experts"* *I have included my comments at the end.* *********************************** This article originally appeared on The American Prospect. Former school chancellor Joel Klein's dishonest new book reflects the corruption endemic in our school system By Richard Rothstein, The American Prospect This is a story about a story, of how a fiction about impoverished children and public s... more »

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken - we end in Kansas

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Daily Kos: Bus tour with teacherken - we end in Kansas: Bus tour with teacherken - we end in Kansas by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *Cross-posted from Education Votes of the National Education Association (please visit), for whom I am served as an embedded blogger aboard the Stop the Greed Agenda Bus Tour of Patriot Majority USA* When I say "we: it is because on Friday both buses, the one I was on in the East and the one that had been traveling the West, caught up with one another in Topeka, the state capitol, and then finished the tour at a union hall in Kansas City. Oh yes, an... more »

Honesty | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Honesty | toteachornototeach: *Honesty * by Kevin McCrea *An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic. Self-government is not possible unless the citizens are educated sufficiently to enable them to exercise oversight. It is therefore imperative that the nation see to it that a suitable education be provided for all its citizens – Thomas Jefferson* As I have watched the recent battles over education in the United States, from the teacher’s strike in Chicago, to the arguments about charter schools in the national election to the debates about ... more »

Diane in the Evening 10-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: HOW TO JOIN THE CAMPAIGN FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS by dianerav As a result of many comments on this blog, and in response to a great yearning to raise our voices, many teachers, parents, students, administrators and concerned citizens plan to join together in a mass letter-writing campaign to the President. We want all letters submitted here to this blog or to Anthony Cody no later than October 17. You may write to the White House directly, and the mail address is in the instructions link. But if you do, you will be required to disclose your identity in full. ... more »

Testing resistance heating up in Chicago Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Testing resistance heating up in Chicago: Testing resistance heating up in Chicago by admin FairTest’s Monty Neill, the undisputed leader of the national testing resistance movement, will be in Chicago on Friday, November 2, for a citywide strategy session on fighting Chicago’s standardized testing insanity, and a public forum on testing issues at 7 pm at Xavier University. Anti-testing fever has been heating up ever since the CTU strike, where the issue of excessive and unfair testing and test-based “accountability” as forc... more »

How Can One Teacher be Both the Best and the Worst? A Letter to President Obama - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

How Can One Teacher be Both the Best and the Worst? A Letter to President Obama - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: How Can One Teacher be Both the Best and the Worst? A Letter to President Obama by Anthony Cody Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody I have volunteered to help Diane Ravitch collect and organize letters for the Campaign for our Public Schools, which will culminate on Thursday, October 17. All the letters collected by then will be sent to the White House and to the Department of Education. Instructions on how to send a letter are at the bottom of this post... more »

North Atlanta drama continues. Parents now alarmed over teacher resignation. | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

North Atlanta drama continues. Parents now alarmed over teacher resignation. | Get Schooled: North Atlanta drama continues. Parents now alarmed over teacher resignation. by Maureen Downey I am getting copied on emails between parents at North Atlanta High School and APS, and it doesn’t sound like detente has been reached over the purge of the school’s leadership team a week ago. I am also getting calls now on the resignation of an English/journalism teacher whose hiring created tensions between principal Mark MyGrant and APS, although it remains unclear why. The resignation of Amy ... more »

School Tech Connect: Relentless Spin

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Relentless Spin: Relentless Spin by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Interesting. I covered Brizard’s tenure extensively. He engaged in gross misrepresentations of data and sometimes outright lied. He made promises he didn’t keep. He did one thing while saying another. But I was the only one holding him accountable. The business and political establishment loved the guy. The rest of the media in Rochester, particularly the *Democrat and Chronicle,* did not question the superintendent. (Around the country, the media has been slow to challenge the

On Both Sides of the Border, Teachers Fight Corporatization | MyFDL

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

On Both Sides of the Border, Teachers Fight Corporatization | MyFDL: On Both Sides of the Border, Teachers Fight Corporatization by Michelle Chen The Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación has been fighting for greater respect for Mexican teachers, often against the country's teachers union itself. (Saúl Arroyo Morales / CNTE) Last month, the success of the Chicago teachers’ strike forced the mainstream media to present a rare picture of public school teachers: as organized, defiant and victorious. But prior to the Chicago teachers winning a major deal, there was no s... more »

Karran Royal Thanks You–and Me « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Karran Royal Thanks You–and Me « Diane Ravitch's blog: *http://karran4kids.com/ * Karran Royal Thanks You–and Me by dianerav Yesterday I urged you to send donations to help Karran Harper Royal in her campaign to win a seat on the New Orleans school board. Karran faces an uphill battle against the leader of the charter sector in New Orleans, who has received $110,000 from the supporters of privatization. I sent her $100 via Paypal. Others sent whatever they could: $5, $10, $20, $50, or more. If 1,000 people who read this post each sent Karran $10, we could match the campaign fund of th... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup: Education News Roundup by Melissa Westbrook Well, look who's opting out of standardized tests? Parents in NYC. It's detailed here from the NY Times. *Ms. Chajet is one of a small but growing number of parent activists in New York City opposed to the system’s emphasis on high-stakes testing. Many of them took part in a boycott of the field tests in June, when parents at 47 public elementary and middle schools of the 1,029 tested had their children sit them out. In their eyes, it was a win-win situation: Children who skip... more »

Karran For Kids | Karran Harper Royal OPSB District 3

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Karran For Kids | Karran Harper Royal OPSB District 3: Karran Harper Royal kickoffs school board campaign By Mason Harrison Longtime education advocate Karran Harper Royal officially kicked off her campaign Thursday evening for the Orleans Parish School Board’s District 3 seat that encompasses parts of Gentilly, Mid-City, Lakeview and the City Park area. During a kick-off event at the Community Book Center, Harper Royal fashioned her campaign a movement to “redefine reform” in the Orleans Parish school system as the debate over how to best overhaul schools in the area continues. H... more »

Engaging Parents In School… » All Of My “Best” Lists On Parent Engagement

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Engaging Parents In School… » All Of My “Best” Lists On Parent Engagement: All Of My “Best” Lists On Parent Engagement by Larry Ferlazzo I thought readers might find it helpful for me to again post links to all my “The Best” lists related to parent engagement: The Best Ideas On How Parents Can Help Their Kids Succeed Academically “The Best Research Available On Parent Engagement” The Best Reasons Why Parents Should Be Looked At As Allies & Not Targets Of Blame The Best Overviews Of Parent Engagement My Best Posts, Articles & Interviews On Parent Engagement The Best Resources On Parent...more »

US charter schools: Investment magnet for visa-needy foreigners? - CSMonitor.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

US charter schools: Investment magnet for visa-needy foreigners? - CSMonitor.com: US charter schools: Investment magnet for visa-needy foreigners? Cash-starved charter schools meet cash-flush Chinese, Pakistani, and other foreigners looking for US investments that will get them a visa. By Stephanie Simon, Reuters / October 12, 2012 - Charter school supporters protest budget cuts, 4,500 rally for Ohio Public Charter Schools at the State Capitol in Columbus, May 13, 2009. PRNewsFoto/My School, My Choice Enlarge [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] It's been ... more »

El Paso Rattled by Scandal of ‘Disappeared’ Students - NYTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

El Paso Rattled by Scandal of ‘Disappeared’ Students - NYTimes.com: El Paso Schools Are Rattled by Scandal of Students Who ‘Disappeared’ at Test TimeBy MANNY FERNANDEZPublished: October 13, 2012 - FACEBOOK - TWITTER - GOOGLE+ - E-MAIL - SHARE - PRINT - SINGLE PAGE - REPRINTS - EL PASO — It sounded at first like a familiar story: school administrators, seeking to meet state and federal standards, fraudulently raised students’ scores on crucial exams. Enlarge This Image Juan Carlos Llorca/Associated Press Roger Avalos, a former El Paso student, with his mot... more »

Why yes Virginia, things can always get worse: Board of Regents Hire Phil Austin - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Why yes Virginia, things can always get worse: Board of Regents Hire Phil Austin - Wait, What?: Why yes Virginia, things can always get worse: Board of Regents Hire Phil Austin by jonpelto When I read the Courant news update, I started to laugh….but it soon turned into hysterical howling; The Courant wrote; “At an emergency meeting Friday afternoon, the board of regents sought to restore its image and some order, voting to hire former University of Connecticut President Philip E. Austin on an interim basis and appointing a committee to research the issues that led to Kennedy’s res... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog* A State Board Member Joins the Honor Roll by dianerav Carolyn Hill ran for a seat on the Louisiana state education board as a reformer. But after she assumed office, she realized that “reform” was intended to privatize the public schools, not improve them. For having the wisdom and courage to see beyond the rhetoric; for speaking out and acting on behalf of children and educators, Carolyn Hill joins our honor roll as a hero of public education. Commentary: In Louisiana, trickery is disguised as school r... more »

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky Ten minute drawing. Elected school board. by Fred Klonsky Click on drawing to enlarge. *John Dillon discusses Executive Director Richard Ingram. Is Ingram a victim of Stockholm Syndrome?* We are one hour earlier here across the Lake. So my radio interview on WCPT (“Chicago’s Progressive Talk”) that was scheduled for 7AM was 8AM for me. Shower. Made some coffee I took care of Ulysses. Let him out for his morning piss. Fed him. I had to delay his morning walk until after the radio show. I was only on for less tha... more »

Schools Matter: The Meducation Letters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Schools Matter: The Meducation Letters: The Meducation Letters by skrashen Both letters published in the NY Times about “meducation” (Stephen Colbert’s term) missed the point: Here is a little of the original article, the two letters that were published, and the three that were not published: The article (introduction only): By ALAN SCHWARZ CANTON, Ga. — When Dr. Michael Anderson hears about his low-income patients struggling in elementary school, he usually gives them a taste of some powerful medicine: Adderall. The pills boost focus and impulse control in children with attenti... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Do You Understand the Math Your Children are Learning?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Do You Understand the Math Your Children are Learning?: Do You Understand the Math Your Children are Learning? by stlgretchen How can a student "think like a mathematician" if the student doesn't understand mathematical facts? Barry Garelick writes in The Atlantic about math reform and the need for a revolution in how it's taught in public education classrooms. From *It's Not Just Writing: Math Needs a Revolution, Too:* I first became aware of it (mathematics education) over 10 years ago when I saw what passed for math instruction in my daughter's sec... more »

Bullied Teen Commits Suicide, Leaves Behind Heartbreaking Video | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Bullied Teen Commits Suicide, Leaves Behind Heartbreaking Video | toteachornototeach: Bullied Teen Commits Suicide, Leaves Behind Heartbreaking Video by aristotlethewise *Bullied Teen Commits Suicide, Leaves Behind Heartbreaking Video* A Canadian teen who posted a video to YouTube detailing her heart-wrenching story of being mercilessly bullied took her own life Wednesday night. Amanda Todd’s body was discovered in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, where she lived. She would have turned 16 next month. Police are investigating the teen’s death. Todd uploaded the nearly nine-minute vi... more »

Best Practices Make Purrfect | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Best Practices Make Purrfect | EduShyster: Best Practices Make Purrfect by edushyster2012 Charter schools and kittens are both purrfect and have many best practices which they can be encouraged to share with the appropriate material incentives. The subject of today’s EduShyster lesson is best practices. Which means that if you are a traditional, “low-expectations” teacher, this subject will hold no interest for you. (I happen to have it on excellent authority that your 600 page iron clad union contracts expressly ban best practices from school grounds). I invite you to check back i... more »