Sunday, June 24, 2012

Companies Shortchanged Preschool Special-Ed Program, Audits Find - NYTimes.com

Companies Shortchanged Preschool Special-Ed Program, Audits Find - NYTimes.com:


Companies Shortchanged Preschool Special Education Program, State Audits Find

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The owners of a Bronx company that employs teachers for disabled toddlers used thousands of dollars in government funds to fix up a weekend getaway in the Poconos, state auditors found. A Brooklyn company in the same program, which provides treatment for prekindergarten special education students, billed taxpayers for his wife’s $150,000 salary as his assistant director when she was a full-time professor at the City University of New York, the auditors said.

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And the owners of an upstate company improperly diverted more than $800,000 to pay, among other things, rent and interest to themselves and the full-time salary of an executive who lived in South Carolina and seldom worked.
Those are among the findings of the first of 18 audits being conducted by the state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, of the preschool special education program, a $2 billion system that relies almost exclusively on private contractors, many of them for-profit 

Jersey Jazzman: The "Hating Teachers Unions" Reflex

Jersey Jazzman: The "Hating Teachers Unions" Reflex:


The "Hating Teachers Unions" Reflex

Want to write education op-eds for newspapers like the Star-Ledger? Follow this easy two-step process!

Step 1) State what you think the teachers unions are for (this need not be accurate).

Step 2) Oppose it!
Mark this as another landmark achievement for Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic leaders; more important in the end than even the pension and health reform.
State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) has spent two years drafting this reform, and the past few days greasing a deal that resulted in a unanimous vote in the Senate on Thursday. It is expected to land on Christie’s desk next week after approval in the Assembly.

The in box. No good choices. « Fred Klonsky

The in box. No good choices. « Fred Klonsky:


The in box. No good choices.

John Laesch is a progressive political activist in the western suburbs. He is responding to an earlier post,“Pensions. No, not ours.”
Fred,
Lauzen says he will not take a second public pension.  Nadia is wrong.
 
The race for Kane County Board Chair presents a choice between two Republicans and it is a horrible choice.  That being said, Lauzen has said openly that he will reject his second pension.  Here are some facts to back this up.  Both were asked if they would accept a public pension for the job.
 
Lauzen is the Republican running for Kane County Chairman.  Here is a link to his Daily Herald Questionnaire -http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120131/submitted/301319822/

How to Strike Terror into Hearts of the Powerful « Diane Ravitch's blog

How to Strike Terror into Hearts of the Powerful « Diane Ravitch's blog:


How to Strike Terror into Hearts of the Powerful

Parents in Oakland have had enough. They organized a protest march against the closing of five schools in minority neighborhoods, assisted by Occupy Oakland. Hundreds marched to express their reaction to the decimation of their children’s schools. Whose idea was this? The community has a voice and they are learning how to use it

Daily Kos: a few not-so-random thoughts & observations

Daily Kos: a few not-so-random thoughts & observations:


a few not-so-random thoughts & observations

partly inspired by watching Moyers & Co on rerun, partially as a result of some things at the end of the week.
Poverty has increased by around 30% since George W. Bush took office
The percentage of American people whose income is insufficient to sustain a decent livestyle continues to grow, at the same time we cut the social safety net, yet do not hold accountable those who ripped off the economies of the world to their own private benefit
We have our own share of activists willing to commit for a cause - the young people who put themselves and their families at risk to try to get the Dream Act -  and I would argue that their beginning to occupy offices of OFA may have been what pushed the President into his executive order on immigration
Young people are hungry for something bigger than themselves to which they can commit themselves.  That is 

Connecticut teachers say no to Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee and the privatizers | Dailycensored.com

Connecticut teachers say no to Rhee and the privatizers | Dailycensored.com:


Connecticut teachers say no to Rhee and the privatizers

Taking Up the Jeb Bush Gang of Five On Their Offer to “Talk About FCAT” | Scathing Purple Musings

Taking Up the Jeb Bush Gang of Five On Their Offer to “Talk About FCAT” | Scathing Purple Musings:


Taking Up the Jeb Bush Gang of Five On Their Offer to “Talk About FCAT”

Last week’s decision by Florida House Speaker-in-waiting Will Weatherford to put his name on an op-ed in support of Florida oppression test regime, increased the number to five of Jeb Bush loyalists attempting to defend what essentially is Bush’s education legacy. I’m skeptical that any member of Jeb Bush’s Gang of Five - Weatherford, Kathleen Shanahan, Patricia Levesque, John Winn or Gerard Robinson – would actually consider criticism of FCAT valid, but educator  and writer Marion Brady gives it a try. This from a column Brady wrote forOrlando Sentinel:
“Gerard Robinson, Florida’s Education Commissioner, and Kathleen Shanahan, chair of the State Board of Education, want to “continue to talk about the FCAT” (“Raising standards: FCAT is a portal to a lifetime of success,” Orlando Sentinel, June 10).
Great. I have some concerns.
It worries me that the tests:
(1) can’t measure complex thought processes
(2) provide minimal to no useful feedback to classroom teachers,
(3) lead to the neglect of physical conditioning, music, art and other nonverbal 

How Choice May Kill Public Education « Diane Ravitch's blog

How Choice May Kill Public Education « Diane Ravitch's blog:


How Choice May Kill Public Education

A reader posted a comment that I think is profound. The more that people begin to see education as a consumer choice, the more they will be unwilling to pay for other people’s children. And if they have no children in school, then they have no reason to underwrite other people’s private choices.
The basic compact that public education creates is this: The public is responsible for the education of the children of the state, the district, the community. We all benefit when other people’s children are educated. It is our responsibility as citizens to support a high-quality public education, even if we don’t have children in the public schools.
But once the concept of private choice becomes dominant, then the sense of communal responsibility is 

School Tech Connect: Two Court Cases

School Tech Connect: Two Court Cases:


Two Court Cases

Let's look into the future, shall we? Draw the shades. Everyone join hands and look into the crystal ball.

2012: The U.S. Supreme Court tosses the individual mandate of ACA, creating the private insurance death spiral. The Constitution, somewhere, protects people from being forced to buy health insurance.

The conservative movement falls into paroxysms of ecstasy, given the wisdom of the Court, which has 

Peg with Pen: Opting Out in Suburbia

Peg with Pen: Opting Out in Suburbia:


Opting Out in Suburbia

My oldest son is headed to a public school next year in a suburb which has felt very minimal consequences from high stakes testing.  He previously attended a Waldorf school where high stakes testing simply doesn't exist. I am now joining the ranks of opt-outers and have begun my journey by putting it all on the table before we even start the school year.  Not only will it be interesting to see my son's transition into public school, I will also be interesting to share my own feelings about opting out now that I am also required to take action as a parent.  Here we go folks. My first letter. I'll keep you posted on our progress.


Hi Mr. ------------,

I thought it would be easier to email you since it said on the website that you respond more quickly to email :)  My name is Peggy Robertson and my son, Sam, is planning to attend -------- next fall - he will be in 8th grade. 

Randi Weingarten: By Teachers, for Teachers

Randi Weingarten: By Teachers, for Teachers:


By Teachers, for Teachers


This post was written by Randi Weingarten and Louise Rogers


Teaching is an extraordinarily complex and challenging enterprise, made even more so by new academic standards to help students develop 21st-century skills and by years of harsh budget cuts. It can be reassuring for teachers to know that, for virtually every educational challenge they encounter, a fellow teacher somewhere undoubtedly has solved it. But it also can be frustrating: Who has come up with a solution, what is it and where can it be found?
There is an illogical contradiction to being a teacher in the United States. Teaching, in this country, is a knowledge profession largely without organized systems for teachers to share knowledge, challenges, ideas and support.
That's not the case in most countries with high-performing education systems, such as Finland and Singapore, which recognize the value in teachers learning from and helping each other. Some 

What Is American Education?

What Is American Education?:


Today, though it is certainly by now an “old” debate, our Sunday paper has an “opinion” piece about Common Core State Standards. The Errant has posted before on this (here, and here–the collusion of “divergent” interests) but I want to try to elaborate a bit on what I think are the things that are not said when discussing these issues.  First, my response to the column “Voices raised in opposition to adoption of Common Core” (I’ve copied the column over in full at the end should you wish to read it as it’s behind a pay-wall–it’s pretty short).
*********
It must be concluded that there already are “common” standards in education as developed and implemented by Pearson Education. What is a testing regime if it has no 
The frustration for many of us who must endure the endless logorrhea of local, state and national “pundits” 

Naples Daily News: FCAT Has Misdirected Florida’s Taxes and Time | Scathing Purple Musings

Naples Daily News: FCAT Has Misdirected Florida’s Taxes and Time | Scathing Purple Musings:


Naples Daily News: FCAT Has Misdirected Florida’s Taxes and Time

This is going to leave a mark:
There have been too many mistakes made by its administrators. Last but not least is the folly of scores on some writing exams being so low — due to misunderstandings about what teachers were to emphasize? — that grading had to be dumbed down.
This is all about accountability — though not the kind the FCAT sought to assign.
Florida’s education bureaucracy, not classroom teachers, are accountable for the mess.

Geaux Teacher!: GOP EXEC. DIR. JASON DORE INTERESTED IN RECALL PROGRESS

Geaux Teacher!: GOP EXEC. DIR. JASON DORE INTERESTED IN RECALL PROGRESS:


GOP EXEC. DIR. JASON DORE INTERESTED IN RECALL PROGRESS

Doesn't the Republican Party led by Executive Director Jason P. Dore believe in the democratic process or the validity of the Louisiana Constitution? Does the GOP party leader support Governor Jindal's attempts to strip the public of its voice? Is Mr. Dore acting at the guidance of his party and the majority of its members, is he acting alone, or is he serving as a mouthpiece for the Governor?

The following is a reproduction of a letter that has been reportedly sent to all recall petitioners. It was sent to me in lieu of an original copy in the mail by one of the petitioners.

Mr. Dore's request cannot be fulfilled because it is not required under the statutes for recall elections, it would be 

Teachers Seek to Kill Bill That Would Divert Attention from District’s Failure to Protect Students

California Teachers Association – Blog » Teachers Seek to Kill Bill That Would Divert Attention from District’s Failure to Protect Students:




Teachers are hard at work to persuade legislators to kill educator-opposed SB 1530 (Padilla), which has cleared the California Senate and is scheduled for a hearing before the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday, June 27.
The bill would divert lawmakers’ and the public’s attention from the cascading failures of a school district’s management to use current law to protect children from an employee charged with improper conduct.
SB 1530 ignores the failures of the superintendent and officials of the Los Angeles Unified School District to report alleged misconduct to the state licensing agency, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.  That credentialing body has the power to revoke an educator’s credential, preventing that employee from working in any public school in the state.
Instead, SB 1530 adopts the district’s justifications for its failures – justifications that include unsubstantiated assertions that current law prevented the reporting.  In point of fact, current law requires the district to make the reports and holds the
superintendent personally liable for failing to comply.
The issue reflects allegations against two teachers at Miramonte Elementary in Los Angeles.  The district failed to report the charges in a timely manner, allowing the individuals to
gain employment in another school district.
SB 1530 would make radical changes to current law and undermine an accused’s right to a fair hearing.  It does nothing to add new penalties for administrators or districts that fail to comply with reporting laws.
For more information about the bill, view the  letter embedded  below.
For more information and ways to get in touch with your lawmakers, go to Contact Your Legislator.
 
                                   

               
Assembly Education Committee Members:

Geaux Teacher!: REPRESENTATIVE RAYMOND GAROFALO ADDED TO RECALL LIST

Geaux Teacher!: REPRESENTATIVE RAYMOND GAROFALO ADDED TO RECALL LIST:


REPRESENTATIVE RAYMOND GAROFALO ADDED TO RECALL LIST

PRESS RELEASE
RECALL BOBBY JINDAL CAMPAIGN
P. O. Box 12449
Lake Charles, Louisiana 70612-2449


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: June 25, 2012

Contact: Lee Barrios, Communications/Media Director 985-789-8304
Peggy Schwartz, Petition Chair 504-756-0486


A petition for recall was filed Monday, June 25, with the Secretary of State's office for State Representative Raymond E. Garofalo, Jr. (R) District 103.

St. Bernard parish teachers Peggy Schwarz of Braithwaite and Brenda Boleware of Violet said they were encouraged by fellow educators, family and friends to take action in response to Rep. Garofalo's non-response to the concerns of his constituency.

This recall is endorsed by and supported by the Recall Bobby Jindal Campaign Committee. The Jindal Recall Campaign also supports the recalls of Rep. J. Kevin Pearson (R)-Slidell who represents District 76, Rep. Gregory Cromer (R)-Slidell who represents District 90, and Speaker Chuck Kleckley (R)-Lake Charles who represents District 36. All petitions were filed by educators from their respective districts.

Schwarz reported,
"Rep. Garofalo is not doing the job he was elected to do which is to represent the interests of the people of his voting district. Despite a bombardment of letters, emails and phone calls from voters in his district opposing legislation harmful to K-12 public education, higher education and state employees, he has voted against their interests every time."


The two educators reported that Rep. Garofalo refused to come outside of the state building to speak with many St. Bernard educators who traveled to the state capitol on April 4 during their Easter break. Boleware noted,
"Garofalo is on the record saying that he would support the governor's agenda 100% regardless of the wishes of his constituents."


Schwarz said that complaints from Garofalo's constituency go beyond his support of legislation that reduces funding for St. Bernard Parish public schools and removes local taxpayer control of many decisions affecting the education of their children. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, he voted against HR88 which would request an investigation by the Attorney General of the validity of the 1936 mineral lease contracts of the Win-Or-Lose Corporation to recoup millions that continue going from Louisiana state coffers to millionaires.

Garofalo, whose district covers St. Bernard, Plaqueminees and Orleans Parishes, is a commercial developer and owner of Garofalo Investments.

For more information:

www.recallbobbyjindal.com

Lee Barrios, 985-789-8304

Pensions. No, not ours. « Fred Klonsky

Pensions. No, not ours. « Fred Klonsky:


Pensions. No, not ours.

From a reader:
I must have just crawled out from under a rock because I may be the last to know this.
 I was talking to Nadia BlancDaley, who is a friend and who is running for Kane County Board. I brought up the fact that if she is elected AND State Senator Chris Lauzen are elected Chairman of the County Board, the two of them will serve on the same board! I was also wondering why Senator Lauzen would jump ship and go for a County Board position?! She said that Lauzen has vested 20 years into the “senator” pension and the County Board is a DIFFERENT pension…that’s why.
SO, WAIT A MINUTE…AREN’T THESE THE SAME PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO STEAL OUR TEACHER PENSIONS???? Whoa….
Representative Tim Schmitz is a Republican state rep from Batavia. Our reader reports 

In Michigan, the Debate Continues « Diane Ravitch's blog

In Michigan, the Debate Continues « Diane Ravitch's blog:


In Michigan, the Debate Continues

Dave Murray and I are having a great discussion about the future of public education in Michigan.
He has been interviewing conservatives about my blogs that describe the death of public education and local control in Muskegon Heights and Highland Park, Michigan, where emergency managers have decided in their wisdom and total control to close down the public schools and give the community’s children to for-profit charter operators.
He quotes someone from the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy who says he has no problem with for-profit charters taking control of the children and asks how that is different from buying textbooks or food from for-profit companies. Well, why not just sell the children? Some years back, Jonathan Swift had a modest 

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 6-24 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

In election year, how to teach democracy - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago
In election year, how to teach democracy - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: In election year, how to teach democracy By Valerie Strauss This was* written by Mark Phillips, professor emeritus of secondary education at San Francisco State University. A version of this was published on his Edutopia blog , and he also publishes a monthly column on education for the Marin Independent Journal.* ** By Mark Phillips School’s out. Politics is in. Five months of presidential political combat lie ahead. It’s time to consider the challenge of effectively educating kids to be active part... more »

The Fraud Continues « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
The Fraud Continues « Diane Ravitch's blog: The Fraud Continues by dianerav Secretary of Education Arne Duncan likes to boast of the success of the turnaround model, in which the principal is fired along with at least half the staff or the school is closed. “We can’t wait,” say the reformers. Here is a report from a turnaround school. This email came today from a high school math teacher in a “turnaround” school: * Pushing teachers to pass everyone is a widespread practice now. Anyone who has more than a 15% failure rate in a class, not hard to do in math, is called dow... more »

WORKING LIST! Why Testing & Privatization are Harmful – Not Helpful – to Public Education – by Dov Rosenberg (Reblogged) « Continuing Change

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 28 minutes ago
WORKING LIST! Why Testing & Privatization are Harmful – Not Helpful – to Public Education – by Dov Rosenberg (Reblogged) « Continuing Change: WORKING LIST! Why Testing & Privatization are Harmful – Not Helpful – to Public Education – by Dov Rosenberg (Reblogged) by gatorbonbc WORKING LIST! Why Testing & Privatization are Harmful – Not Helpful – to Public Education *by Dov Rosenberg on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 1:12pm · (Reblogged)* * * *High stakes tests & charter schools make public schools less effective:* * A) High stakes tests do not effectively gauge student ability, are ha... more »

Outgoing Seminole County Superintendent Blasts Legislature, Florida’s Ed Accountability System | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 57 minutes ago
Outgoing Seminole County Superintendent Blasts Legislature, Florida’s Ed Accountability System | Scathing Purple Musings: Outgoing Seminole County Superintendent Blasts Legislature, Florida’s Ed Accountability System by Bob Sikes Telling the *Orlando Sentinel *that “we have an accountability system that is going to fall apart like a house of cards,” retiring Seminole superintendent of schools Bill Vogel criticized state leaders for “making up the rules as they go along” without listening to educators. Yowza. Vogel, superintendent of Seminole County schools, has a reputation as a ... more »

Potter Williams Report: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Running Interference for Foreign Staffed Charters in TN

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Potter Williams Report: StudentsFirst CEO Running Interference for Foreign Staffed Charters in TN: POTTER WILLIAMS REPORT: STUDENTSFIRST CEO RUNNING INTERFERENCE FOR FOREIGN STAFFED CHARTERS IN TN STUDENTSFIRST CEO RUNNING INTERFERENCE FOR FOREIGN STAFFED CHARTERS IN TN So, let’s get this straight. The CEO of a billion dollar education nonprofit lobbying organization tries to influence a governor on an education bill while her ex-husband runs the state public schools system. StudentsFirst CEO Michelle Rhee recently penned a letter to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam ...more »

Muskegon Heights plan to charter schools, cut $12-million deficit may be a first | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Muskegon Heights plan to charter schools, cut $12-million deficit may be a first | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: Muskegon Heights plan to charter schools, cut $12-million deficit may be a first [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] The emergency manager for Muskegon Heights Public Schools is taking an unprecedented approach to eliminate the district's severe debt -- one of the worst deficits among Michigan's schools -- by chartering the entire west Michigan district. It's a first-of-its-kind maneuver in Michigan and one that others are watching with curio... more »

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky: Sunday links. by Fred Klonsky *John Dillon’s vocabulary of the week:* Collective bargaining. As the numbers of unionized workers decreases so does the income of working people. People try to tell me we don’t need unions any more. I say, now more than ever. *Apple* needs a union. *Here’s a video on Chicago’s campaign for an elected school board.* If we can elect the people who filter the lake water for us to drink, why can’t we be trusted to pick the people who run our public schools? *Freya Reese answers the question, “What’s wrong with merit pay?”* EV... more »

Awareness Grows that High Stakes Tests Are Failing to Prepare Students for College | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Awareness Grows that High Stakes Tests Are Failing to Prepare Students for College | Scathing Purple Musings: Awareness Grows that High Stakes Tests Are Failing to Prepare Students for College by Bob Sikes From reporter Chris Umpierre in the *Fort Myers News-Press*: For many Southwest Florida students, receiving a high school diploma isn’t the end of their high school education. About 70 percent of Edison State College’s incoming freshmen have to take at least one remedial course to learn the skills they should have learned in high school. About 50 percent of Hodges University’s i... more »

Ohio's 2002 Teacher of the Year on Charter schools | OhioDaily

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Ohio's 2002 Teacher of the Year on Charter schools | OhioDaily: Ohio's 2002 Teacher of the Year on Charter schools Submitted by Derek K on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 10:42am. So John Kasich likes to go around touting experts. He based his push for increased fees on Ohio's new casinos, because experts told him he should get much more from them. Ohio's 2002 Teacher of the Year recently weighed in on charter schools. She called them a lousy investment. One would think that a teacher of the year might know a little about education. Think John Kasich will listen? Here's the letter originally pos... more »

'Education for Sale': Gannett Louisiana series explores public-school reform | The Town Talk | thetowntalk.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
[image: A sign outside BeauVer Christian Academy in DeRidder notes that "sholarship" applications are available at the school. BeauVer Christian has received initial approval from the state for 119 vouchers in Louisiana's Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence program.] 'Education for Sale': Gannett Louisiana series explores public-school reform | The Town Talk | thetowntalk.com: 'Education for Sale': Gannett Louisiana series explores public-school reform Education is big business in Louisiana, as it is elsewhere. A sign outside BeauVer Christian Academy in DeRidder notes... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee: Quality of Public Education ‘Liar’ - CNBC.com - US Business News - CNBC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Michelle Rhee: Quality of Public Education ‘Dire’ - CNBC.com - US Business News - CNBC: Michelle Rhee: Quality of Public Education ‘Dire’ Published: Friday, 22 Jun 2012 | 10:46 PM ET Text Size By: Bruno J. Navarro Producer - Twitter 11 LinkedIn 4 Share Tooga | Getty Images ------------------------------ The state of public *education* in the United States is at a critical point, and the nation cannot wait any longer to improve the system, StudentsFirst founder and CEO *Michelle Rhee*said Friday. “Ii don’t think there is any one cause for the problems we face ... more »

Obama marks 1972 law lifting education barriers to girls | Reuters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Obama marks 1972 law lifting education barriers to girls | Reuters: Obama marks 1972 law lifting education barriers to girls [image: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign event at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida June 22, 2012. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque]WASHINGTON | Sat Jun 23, 2012 2:46pm EDT (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, marking the 40th anniversary of landmark legislation that lifted barriers to girls and women in education and school sports, said on Saturday the law had achieved far-reaching gains in improving equality between the sexes. In an op-e... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Lean to the Right or Left; Common Core is a Disaster...The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 06.24.12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Lean to the Right or Left; Common Core is a Disaster...The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 06.24.12: Lean to the Right or Left; Common Core is a Disaster...The Sunday Education Weekly Reader 06.24.12 by stlgretchen Common Core is a bipartisan disaster. The Left & Right have sold us out. Welcome to the Sunday Education Weekly Reader for 06.24.12. This week will consist of a reposting of Susan Ohanian's excellent blog entitled *School-Standards Pushback: Conservative Groups Oppose National 'Common Core' as an Intrusion on States.* Susan has corresponde... more »

Five Harmful “Reform” Ideas « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Five Harmful “Reform” Ideas « Diane Ravitch's blog: Five Harmful “Reform” Ideas by dianerav When you read Bruce Baker’s work, you hear a fresh and thoughtful voice in the education debates. I wish that President Obama was listening to him instead of the number-crunchers now in control of the U.S. Department of Education. Bruce Baker is an economist of education at Rutgers University. Unlike many economists, he was a teacher in public and private schools before he became an academic. So he has a depth of knowledge and understanding and empathy that many others in his field lack. In ... more »

Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through "perceptive and acerbic" observations about Connecticut Government and Politics

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Wait, What? - Working to educate, persuade and mobilize through "perceptive and acerbic" observations about Connecticut Government and Politics: It’s called an abuse of power… by jonpelto But the real question is why won’t Governor Malloy, Mayor Finch or Malloy’s Education Commissioner, Stefan Pryor, pick up the phone and simply say…”enough, just stop it.” Tomorrow night, Bridgeport’s illegally appointed Board of Education will vote to extend the contract for Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s $229,000, part-time, interim Superintendent of Schools. Vallas’ contract presently runs through Dec... more »

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Reflections on SocialEdCon (formerly EduBloggerCon)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Reflections on SocialEdCon (formerly EduBloggerCon): Reflections on SocialEdCon (formerly EduBloggerCon) by alicemercer [image: 100_7643] * Photo Credit: 100_7643 by greatnews, on Flickr *It’s been three years since I’ve attended ISTE (it was called NECC last time I came in D.C.), and three years since I attended an EduBloggerCon (now renamed SocialEdCon to reflect how the medium is moving beyond blogs). Fortunately, I live in California near Steve Hargadon (who does much of the organizing for these events), and I can attend activities he do... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 6-23-12 #SOSCHAT

Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG * *Diane Ravitch's blog* [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Perils of Privatization dianerav at Diane Ravitch's blog - 2 hours ago Nobel-Prize winning economist Paul Krugman has an important article in the New York Times. Krugman reflects on a major investigative series in the newspaper about privatized prisons in New Jersey, run by for-profit corporations.. The prisons described in the articles are akin to “hell on earth — an understaffed, poorly run system, with a demoralized work force...” [...] Gal... more »

Schools Matter: Elevator Speech on Harm of High Stakes Testing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Schools Matter: Elevator Speech on Harm of High Stakes Testing: Elevator Speech on Harm of High Stakes Testing by Judy Rabin Doug Rosenberg posted this on Facebook and I think it's going viral. WORKING LIST! Why Testing & Privatization are Harmful - Not Helpful - to Public Education by Dov Rosenberg on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 10:12am * * *A*) High stakes tests & charter schools make public schools less effective. *High stakes tests do not effectively gauge student ability, are harmful to children, and make public schools less effective.* *B) Less than 20% of privately-managed... more »

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Digital Educators Needed For 21st Century Digital Learners!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Digital Educators Needed For 21st Century Digital Learners!: Digital Educators Needed For 21st Century Digital Learners! by Lisa M About ten years ago, I took a course in instructional technology and fell in love. There is absolutely no way I could go back to teaching the way I used to. I realize I am fortunate. I teach in a school with laptops, (even though I would love Ipads), we have two computer labs, and approximately 4-5 classroom computers in each room. But, we didn't always have these resources, and I still found a way, to not only educat... more »

School Tech Connect: Social Media Brain Rot

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Social Media Brain Rot: Social Media Brain Rot by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Spent the day with a book. Let me just say this one little thing sorta kinda related to ed technology. My nose I'm a person who reads a lot of books. If you can't find my nose, it's because it's in a book somewhere. But I'm also a social media person. I blog, I check my Twitter feed every 32 seconds. I learn about the world outside of Rogers Park from social media. What I find is that it's much easier for me to start a new book if I've been reading books immediately prior. If I... more »

A Parent Guide to the Broad Foundation’s training programs and education policies | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
A Parent Guide to the Broad Foundation’s training programs and education policies | Seattle Education: A Parent Guide to the Broad Foundation’s training programs and education policies by seattleducation2011 This was originally posted on the Parents Across America website by Leonie Haimson. It’s an excellent overview of the influence of Eli Broad on our educational system. I added the photo’s. Dora *The question I ask is why should Eli Broad and Bill Gates have more of a say as to what goes on in my child’s classroom than I do? * Sue Peters, co-editor Seattle Education and founding... more »

The Yardbirds - Heart Full Of Soul

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight | Scathing Purple Musings: Michelle Rhee’s Laughable Attempt to Insert Herself Into Florida High-Stakes Test Fight by Bob Sikes From Rhee’s controversial *StudentsFirst *web site: (For background information, please read this recent Tampa Bay Times opinion editorial by speaker-designate Will Weatherford of the Florida House of Representatives where he discusses the importance of accountability and testing.) Florida has led the nation in its efforts to establish strong systems of accountabilit... more »




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