Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Jay Matthews Slams D.C. Cheating Investigation « Diane Ravitch's blog

Jay Matthews Slams D.C. Cheating Investigation « Diane Ravitch's blog:


Jay Matthews Slams D.C. Cheating Investigation

Jay Matthews does not believe the investigation of the DC cheating scandal is credible.
The DC Inspector General concluded that nothing much happened. He confined his investigation to one school only. He didn’t investigate any other schools.
Matthews writes:

Now we know who did it. D.C. Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby has concluded his 16-month probe of cheating on the D.C. schools’ annual tests by saying that kids, not adults, made the astonishing number of wrong-to-right erasures found on answer sheets.
Never mind that testing companies, academic experts and veteran teachers say that students almost 

Among Michelle Rhee’s Florida Endorsements – Democrat Representative Ron Saunders | Scathing Purple Musings

Among Michelle Rhee’s Florida Endorsements – Democrat Representative Ron Saunders | Scathing Purple Musings:


Among Michelle Rhee’s Florida Endorsements – Democrat Representative Ron Saunders

Nestled among the predictable list of charter school friendly – or owners in three cases – is one democrat, Rep, Ron Saunders from Key West, who faces a tough primary Tuesday against Dwight Bullard. To privatization hacks like Rhee, Saunders represents the lesser of two evils. Gushes Rhee’s StudentsFirst website about Saunders:
Rep. Saunders has served House District 120 for 12 years, most recently as House Minority Leader, and is now running for Senate in District 39. He is unafraid to challenge the party line when it comes to the interests of students and has supported key legislation to give Florida families more of a say in their children’s education.
Key Votes:
• HB 1331: Allows students at failing schools to enroll in another public school.

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: High school retention: Oakland's charter schools vs. OUSD schools

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: High school retention: Oakland's charter schools vs. OUSD schools:


High school retention: Oakland's charter schools vs. OUSD schools


Are the privately-operated charter high schools in Oakland doing a better job than Oakland Unified School District's high schools with holding onto their freshman students until the twelfth grade?

One way to explore the answer is by comparing the enrollment at Grade 9 with that of Grade 12 at the different schools using figures posted by the California Department of Education’s DataQuest. This was done for cohorts at charter high schools and OUSD high schools who arrived at Grade 12 for the school years 2010-11 and 2011-12.*

Comparison of Grade 9>12: 2010-11
·    OUSD high schools had a higher student retention rate than Oakland’s charter high schools, by 7.2% points.

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP



Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week: Seattle Schools This Week by Melissa Westbrook As summer is slowly winding down (but not temperature-wise - yay!), the number of District meetings is slowly ramping up. *Monday, August 13th* Curriculum&Instruction Meeting from 4-6 p.m. This is quite the folksy agenda as practically everyone is IDed by their first name. I'm thinking this isn't a final agenda as there are number of scratch-outs. There are a number of policies to be discussed including Ensuring *Educational Equity, Advanced Learning, Definition of a Hig... more »

Dear Carmelo Anthony, Because It’s That Necessary [From a Knicks Fan] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago
Dear Carmelo Anthony, Because It’s That Necessary [From a Knicks Fan] | The Jose Vilson: Dear Carmelo Anthony, Because It’s That Necessary [From a Knicks Fan] by Jose Dear Carmelo Anthony, Let’s start out with the easy stuff. Congratulations on another gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. You impressed us with your usual array of offensive weapons, specifically the hot 3-point shooting. At some points, it really seemed like you flicked the ball off your fingers and it would still go in. You seem to thrive in international play, impressing the world in the 2006 World Champio... more »

Last Minute RPOF and Charter School Cash Coming in to Defeat Dade Republican Libby Perez in Primary Race | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Last Minute RPOF and Charter School Cash Coming in to Defeat Dade Republican Libby Perez in Primary Race | Scathing Purple Musings: Last Minute RPOF and Charter School Cash Coming in to Defeat Dade Republican Libby Perez in Primary Race by Bob Sikes It’s clear that for-profit charter schools are putting last-minute cash into the campaign coffers of chosen candidates. Another case in point is republican Libby Perez in her bid to win Tuesday’s race against incumbent Rep. Jeanette Nunez. Have the powers even chosen sides? On the surface, it would appear so as evidenced by the Repub... more »

STUDENTS CONVERGE AT OBAMA OFFICE TO RECLAIM VOICE Student Power Convergence 2012 #HereUsNow @StudentPower12 #ows

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Student Power Convergence 2012: *EMAIL: **info@studentpower2012.org* *WHAT: Press Conference to Reclaim Voice* *WHEN: Monday, August 13th at 1:00PM EST* *WHERE: 1570 N. High St., Suite C10 Columbus, OH* ** *STUDENTS CONVERGE AT OBAMA OFFICE TO RECLAIM VOICE* * * * * ** COLUMBUS, Ohio – Students from across the United States are gathering this week at Ohio State University for the National Student Power Convergence 2012, mobilizing for a new wave of student organizing and action. Against the backdrop of the upcoming elections, discontent among students is rising. We are aware that ne... more »

LAUSD - REED VS. UTLA OVERTURNED ON TECHNICALITY - WILL UTLA NOW FINALLY MAKE ITS STRONGEST ARGUMENT? - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
LAUSD - REED VS. UTLA OVERTURNED ON TECHNICALITY - WILL UTLA NOW FINALLY MAKE ITS STRONGEST ARGUMENT? - Perdaily.com: LAUSD - REED VS. UTLA OVERTURNED ON TECHNICALITY - WILL UTLA NOW FINALLY MAKE ITS STRONGEST ARGUMENT? by Leonard Isenberg [image: Cleavon Little.jpg] (Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post) In a split decision, 2 out of 3 justices of the California 2nd District Court of Appeal reversed Reed vs. United Teachers Los Angeles solely on a technical aspect of the case, while not addressing the lower cour... more »

Forward tutoring: Educate, volunteer, improve [guest post] | Dangerously Irrelevant

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Forward tutoring: Educate, volunteer, improve [guest post] | Dangerously Irrelevant: Forward tutoring: Educate, volunteer, improve [guest post] by dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod) *[This is a guest post by Dustin Lewis, a 5th grade teacher at the American International Sch**ool of Budapest. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, he has been teaching internationally for four years, with a previous stop at The Anglo American School in Moscow. Dustin also works part-time promoting First Tutors, a UK-based tutoring service that specializes in finding the right individual tutors fo... more »

Constantine’s Sword: It’s the Patriarchy Stupid! | Lefty Parent

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Constantine’s Sword: It’s the Patriarchy Stupid! | Lefty Parent: Constantine’s Sword: It’s the Patriarchy Stupid! by Cooper Zale I recently finished reading the book *Constantine’s Sword – The Church and the Jews*, laying out the historical account of Christian antisemitism and how that seeded a ground of separation and hate that made the Holocaust possible, if not inevitable. The author, James Carroll, is a liberal Catholic theologian who feels that his Church has to fully acknowledge its culpability and atone for its sins for the institution to continue as a vibrant faith communi... more »

The Gates Foundation just bought 50 gallons of fake poo | Grist

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
The Gates Foundation just bought 50 gallons of fake poo | Grist: The Gates Foundation just bought 50 gallons of fake poo By Jess Zimmerman Photo courtesy of Maximum Performance. Bill Gates is into scat. His foundation is hard at work on a new space-age toilet, and to test the prototypes, it just bought 50 gallons of soybean-based fake feces from a soybean-based fake feces company. That’s some of it up above, sitting a lot closer to a dude’s hand than I’d want it to sit to mine. As we reported last year, the Gates Foundation is funding research on new, sanitation-improving toilets. T... more »

LAUSD rolls out new batch of healthy menus - LA Daily News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
LAUSD rolls out new batch of healthy menus - LA Daily News: LAUSD rolls out new batch of healthy menus By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer Posted: 08/12/2012 11:03:07 AM PDT Updated: 08/12/2012 11:28:50 AM PDT [image: Milk, fresh salad, calzone and fruit ice cream are prepared at Del Omo Elementary.] Milk, fresh salad, calzone and fruit ice cream are prepared at Del Omo Elementary. (John McCoy/Staff) Find out more School lunch menus for August are at http://www.schoolmenu.com/directory/ca/lausd/ RELATED - Breakfast in the classroom, more appetizing lunch choices, eco-friendly... more »

Comics Journalism Takes on Education Reform | Graphic Novel Reporter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Comics Journalism Takes on Education Reform | Graphic Novel Reporter: Comics Journalism Takes on Education Reform *This interview was conducted by DorĂ© Ripley, a lecturer at Cal State East Bay and an adjunct professor at Diablo Valley College. She specializes in intensive writing. You can visit her on the web at* www.RipleyOnline.com. ------------------------------ We hear it on the television news, radio talk shows, and the internet: America’s public education system is failing. At least that’s what the media wants you to believe. In fact, American school children are doing better... more »

Lakeview Sit-in Sold Down the River by Local Labor Leaders | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Lakeview Sit-in Sold Down the River by Local Labor Leaders | Dailycensored.com: Lakeview Sit-in Sold Down the River by Local Labor Leaders by Danny Weil By Jack Gerson *Jack Gerson is a long time Bay Area activist who up until recently taught in the Oakland Public School System.* * * * * Shortly before 4am on Tuesday July 3, Oakland Unified School District police, backed by cops from the Oakland Police Department, the Oakland Housing Authority, and the California Highway Patrol, raided the sit-in and People’s School for Public Education at Lakeview Elementary. All participants were... more »

Knowledge does not admit vanity or egotism in education | Miguel Angel Escotet

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Knowledge does not admit vanity or egotism in education | Miguel Angel Escotet: Knowledge does not admit vanity or egotism in education by Miguel Angel Escotet *Dogmatism and rigidity in the university are sources of intolerance, authoritarianism and conflict. Moreover, flexibility is not a synonym of weakness; on the contrary, it is a symbol of spiritual fortitude that grows when it rectifies mistakes and discovers its own ignorance.* Higher education reform and innovation is a continuous, endless process. To remain in the same place one must keep moving; otherwise, one gets left... more »

Florida Democrats Display Education Talking Points in Flagler Primary | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Florida Democrats Display Education Talking Points in Flagler Primary | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida Democrats Display Education Talking Points in Flagler Primary by Bob Sikes A newly created House district was drawn for Flagler County and represents an opportunity for state democrats to win a seat. This Sheldon Gardner story in *St. Augustine.com* illustrates what should emerge as education talking points for democrats seeking legislative seats: Both (County Commissioner Milissa) Holland and (business owner Doug) Courtney do not support vouchers for private or religious schoo... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee never built a consensus - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Ms. Rhee never built a consensus - The Washington Post: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s missing consensus - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - E-mail - Reprints Published: August 8 Richard Whitmire’s Aug. 5 Local Opinions piece expressing nostalgia for former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee [“What if Rhee had stayed?”] missed the point, which should be a lesson for all school leaders. Whatever opinions one might have about Ms. Rhee’s impact, she unnecessarily created the dynamics of her own demise. Mr. Whitmire suggested that “kind... more »

Why Don’t Teachers Resist? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Why Don’t Teachers Resist? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Why Don’t Teachers Resist? by dianerav In a discussion about a charter teacher who acquiesced to practices that were objectionable, some readers asked why she didn’t complain or take action. This reader explains why teachers must sometimes accept the intolerable: You are exactly right-easier said than done! Charter Schools are a company, a business. If you work for an employer then they expect loyalty. Imagine if people working in chicken processing plants, common around here, complained about the inhumane treatment of animals-... more »

Quote of the Day: UC Student Power in the 1880s « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Quote of the Day: UC Student Power in the 1880s « Student Activism: Quote of the Day: UC Student Power in the 1880s by Angus Johnston “The University of California was a young, comparatively small institution when I entered there in 1885 as a freshman. … My class numbered about one hundred boys and girls, mostly boys, who came from all parts of the State and represented all sorts of people and occupations. … We found already formed at Berkeley the typical undergraduate customs, rights, and privileged vices which we had to respect ourselves and defend against the faculty, regents,... more »

Geaux Teacher!: FEDERAL INTRUSION BY U.S. DEPT. OF EDUCATION - ILLEGAL? UNCONSTITUTIONAL?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Geaux Teacher!: FEDERAL INTRUSION BY U.S. DEPT. OF EDUCATION - ILLEGAL? UNCONSTITUTIONAL?: FEDERAL INTRUSION BY U.S. DEPT. OF EDUCATION - ILLEGAL? UNCONSTITUTIONAL? by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) *The U. S. Department of Education interjects itself again into State and Local Education policy. Rather than doing it OPENLY and HONESTLY, Ed. Sec. Arne Duncan is feeding the flames of privatization of our democraticaly run and locally controlled public school systems through his carrots and sticks approach which amounts to BRIBERY AND COERCION. REPUBLICANS - in name o... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: I've Got Lots of Questions??

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Teachers Don't Suck !: I've Got Lots of Questions??: I've Got Lots of Questions?? by Walt S. I've got lots of questions for our editor. * How many principals andadministrators have obtained their positions not by superior teaching abilities but instead through relatives and friends with political connections? ** How naive can this editor be. How many people have you known who got on the "wrong side" of an administrator and then "paid the price"? *** Since when has education become an athletic competition? **** Compensation - yes! But also how about - low status, constant public

White House History Classroom | Picturing the President's House

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
White House History Classroom | Picturing the President's House: [image: The White House Historical Association / Home] *The White House Historical Association* offers teachers and students this selection of White House images. You will find pictures of presidents, first ladies, and the home and work place of the chief executive for each administration. These low-resolution images are from the digital image collection of the *White House Historical Association*. Watermarked images are copyrighted and permission must be obtained and appropriate fees paid prior to use. Please se... more »

You have got to be kidding! - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
You have got to be kidding! - Wait, What?: You have got to be kidding! by jonpelto Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch has hired a 27-year-old political appointee from Newark N.J. to serve as his new “Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Education and Youth Policy.” He will pay the guy $102,000 a year. The new appointee has absolutely no Connecticut experience, at all. There are more than 154,600 Connecticut residents who are unemployed and not one of them was qualified for this job? Compared to last year, more than 4,400 Connecticut residents have lost their jobs in state and local gov... more »

D.C. schools cheating report thin and biased - Class Struggle - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
D.C. schools cheating report thin and biased - Class Struggle - The Washington Post: [image: Class Struggle] D.C. schools cheating report thin and biased By Jay Mathews Now we know who did it. D.C. Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby has concluded his 16-month probe of cheating on the D.C. schools’ annual tests by saying that kids, not adults, made the astonishing number of wrong-to-right erasures found on answer sheets. Never mind that testing companies, academic experts and veteran teachers say that students almost never make more than one or two wrong-to-right erasures per... more »

Less Friction. More Traction. - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Less Friction. More Traction. - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators: Less Friction. More Traction. What’s your agenda? Do you know? Do you think you know? How honest are you with yourself? Because if you aren’t honest with yourself, you’re not going to be honest with anyone else. Everyone has their agenda…the things they are looking to accomplish and get out of life. As we interact with each other, we discover where there are commonalities and differences on one another’s agendas. Most of us are aware of at least th... more »

In NYC, Fair Student Funding Is Unfair « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
In NYC, Fair Student Funding Is Unfair « Diane Ravitch's blog: In NYC, Fair Student Funding Is Unfair by dianerav Not long after corporate reform started in New York City, the Department of Education adopted a formula promoted by conservative think tanks called “fair student funding” or “weighted student funding.” The surface idea was that each child would have the money he or she deserved “strapped to his/her back.” (Sorry for the clumsy effort to be gender neutral.) The real purpose, from the point of view of those on the right, was to enable students to go to charter schools o... more »

School Tech Connect: The Cost Shift Is Stupid

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
School Tech Connect: The Cost Shift Is Stupid: The Cost Shift Is Stupid by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Gery Chico is insane. That's the good news. The bad news is that he's got a lot of company. This cost-shifting of the pension system is just a dumb idea. Phil Kadner has it right here. Quinn and Chico contend that shifting the pension funding will somehow help those children, but I don’t see any proof of that. There’s no guarantee that if Illinois shifts its cost for teacher pensions to school districts that the state will increase public school funding by a like amount. No... more »

Detroit school reform head to push forward | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Detroit school reform head to push forward | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com: Detroit school reform head to push forward [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] *DETROIT* — The leader of the reform district operating 15 Detroit schools said he intends to move forward as planned, despite the Detroit school board's attempts to disband the new system. John Covington, chancellor of the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan, released a statement Friday to assure parents that the school board cannot stop the EAA from operating. "We have receive... more »

School executive fired for cheating on tests receives $245,000 settlement - Portland K-12 | Examiner.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
School executive fired for cheating on tests receives $245,000 settlement - Portland K-12 | Examiner.com: School executive fired for cheating on tests receives $245,000 settlement [image: A charter school executive had set up organized cheating on standardized tests.] RELATED TOPICS - K-12 Education - School Crimes - Charter Schools The Los Angeles Times learned on Friday that a Los Angeles charter school executive who filed a wrongful termination suit won $245,000 in a settlement. The settlement was reached in April and has a confidentiality clause. It was reached... more »

Race To The Top Competition Opens To School Districts For New Grants To Close Achievement Gap

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Race To The Top Competition Opens To School Districts For New Grants To Close Achievement Gap: Race To The Top Competition Opens To School Districts For New Grants To Close Achievement Gap [image: Race To The Top] WASHINGTON -- Hoping to build on state-level reforms aimed at closing the education achievement gap, the Education Department opened its Race to the Top competition to school districts on Sunday, inviting the poorest districts across the country to vie for almost $400 million in grants. Following four months of public comment on a draft proposal, the Education Department... more »

Perdido Street School: NY Times Fails To Mention Rhee/KJ Sex Abuse Scandal In Campbell Brown Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Perdido Street School: NY Times Fails To Mention Rhee/KJ Sex Abuse Scandal In Campbell Brown Story: NY Times Fails To Mention Rhee/KJ Sex Abuse Scandal In Campbell Brown Story The NY Times covered Campbell Brown's assault on teachers unions tonight. They do mention how her husband Dan Senor sits on the board of the New York chapter of Michelle Rhee's group, StudentsFirst. But they fail to mention how Michelle Rhee has been accused of helping a sex abuse case against her husband, former NBA star and current Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, go away when he was running a charter sch... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Who Else Is Rolling Over in His Grave? by dianerav A reader, noting the plan to privatize 40% of the schools in Philadelphia, had this to say: *WILLIAM PENN is rolling over in his grave, I’m sure*.It occurred to me that : *John Dewey* must be rolling over in his grave as he sees our national leaders using standardized tests to impose rankings and ratings on students, teachers, principals, and schools, while many abandon the arts to reach their targets. *Horace Mann* must be rolling over in his grave as he se... more »

The No Complaining Rule | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
The No Complaining Rule | Connected Principals: The No Complaining Rule August 12, 2012 By jjohnson I’ve read a number of books by Jon Gordon and have never been disappointed. His books are quick reads, but always inspirational with powerful, positive messages. I recently read The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work. Who doesn’t encounter issues of complaining, whether it’s your spouse, a colleague or even yourself? Complaining is very prevalent, however, the negativity it spreads is like cancer. In Gordon’s book, he shares the cost of negativity... more »

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: S.3475 Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2012 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 7 hours ago A bill to increase the participation of historically underrepresented demographic groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and industry. Bill Introduced: S.3474 Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 7 hours ago A bill to provide consumer protection for students. Bill Introduced: S.3478 Un... more »

Pass / Fail : New 'Race to the Top' details officially released; money will go directly to schools | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Pass / Fail : New 'Race to the Top' details officially released; money will go directly to schools | 89.3 KPCC: New 'Race to the Top' details officially released; money will go directly to schools by By Tami Abdollah [image: US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sp] *US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speaks to the press at the White House in Washington, DC, April 20, 2012. The US Department of Education released the application requirements of the 2012 Race to the Top competition, which will allow districts to apply directly to the federal government for funds rather than via... more »

Paul Ryan in high school: Voted by his senior class as.... - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Paul Ryan in high school: Voted by his senior class as.... - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] Paul Ryan in high school: Voted by his senior class as.... By Valerie Strauss When Paul Ryan , now 42, was in high school, he won an honorific from his senior class, but it may not have been one he would have chosen. Rep. Paul Ryan (Saul Loeb - AFP/Getty Images)Ryan was popular enough atJoseph A. Craig High School in Janesville, Wis. to have been elected prom king and junior class president, but he was also voted by his senior class in 1988 as “Biggest Brown... more »

Daily Kos: thoughts outside the normal bounds of political discussion

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Daily Kos: thoughts outside the normal bounds of political discussion: thoughts outside the normal bounds of political discussion by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) not mine, those of Karen Armstrong, in her book *Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life*. A brief and very partial explanation, for which I apologize. In the past few weeks I have found myself in a different mental and emotional place for reasons that at this point I choose not to disclose. As a result of that, I have been reexamining what really matters to me, how I relate to the world. As part of that, I have been tur... more »

NYC Educator: In Which We Revolutionize Basketball for Arne Duncan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
NYC Educator: In Which We Revolutionize Basketball for Arne Duncan: In Which We Revolutionize Basketball for Arne Duncan by NYC Educator Last night, on Twitter, Arne Duncan congratulated the USA Women's Basketball Team for a wonderful performance. But a lot of teachers on Twitter questioned it. For one thing, how do we know they're doing well if there isn't a charter team to ensure healthy competition? And why aren't we doing this right now? Isn't this a crisis that can't wait for solutions? Also, it's important we fire the bottom 10%, so as to ensure we are truly fielding the best... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education News Roundup: Education News Roundup by Melissa Westbrook I bookmark many education stories but wait until I have a mass and/or time to post them. First, up worry over teachers labeled "*highly qualified"* teaching Special Ed students. This story comes from the Special Ed section at Ed Week. *Earlier this year, the Senate merely left the door open to extending a provision that allows teachers still working on their certification to be considered "highly qualified"—a designation created by 2001's No Child Left Behind law. The law says t... more »

Founding Mothers!~ « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Founding Mothers!~ « Deborah Meier on Education: Founding Mothers!~ by debmeier …and others. It’s the title of an old book edited by Alan Sadovnik and Susan Semel on the women who came before us in education (Palgrave, 2002. What a crew! Each chapter is written by a different author, and between them they cover Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Marietta Johnson, Caroline Pratt, Margaret Willis, Margaret Haley, Elsa Flagg Young and many more. Willis was a name I didn’t remember and ended up feeling the closest to. She saw the Ohio University lab school as a place to explore “democracy as a... more »

Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Common Sense Vs. Common Core: How to Minimize the Damages of the Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » Common Sense Vs. Common Core: How to Minimize the Damages of the Common Core: Common Sense Vs. Common Core: How to Minimize the Damages of the Common Core 17 JUNE 2012 14,138 43 COMMENTS The wonder drug has been invented, manufactured, packaged, and shipped. Doctors and nurses are being trained to administer the drug properly. Companies and consultants are offering products and services to help with the proper administering of this wonder drug. A national effort is underway to develop tools to monitor the improvement of the pat... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State PTSA Opposes I-1240

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Washington State PTSA Opposes I-1240: Washington State PTSA Opposes I-1240 by Melissa Westbrook The Washington State PTA met over the last two days and put forth their stands on various issues. From their press release: *Nationally, PTA has conditional support for these independent schools, and the state association has twice backed the concept in the past year. But ultimately the board decided this initiative didn’t meet its criteria for local oversight.* *“This wasn’t a decision about the value of charter schools. This was a decision about whet... more »

Teachers unions blast Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan, calling it 'the most out-of-touch ticket in decades' | MLive.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Teachers unions blast Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan, calling it 'the most out-of-touch ticket in decades' | MLive.com: Teachers unions blast Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan, calling it 'the most out-of-touch ticket in decades' [image: Aft support.jpg]Dave Murray | MLive.comAmerican Federation of Teachers members loudly supported the Obama-Biden ticket during the vice president's appearance at the AFT convention in Detroit last month. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Teachers union leaders blasted Mitt Romney’s selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate, saying that tapping the Wisc... more »






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