Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Friday Thoughts on Data, Assessment & Informed Decision Making in Schools « School Finance 101

Friday Thoughts on Data, Assessment & Informed Decision Making in Schools « School Finance 101:


Friday Thoughts on Data, Assessment & Informed Decision Making in Schools

Some who read this blog might assume that I am totally opposed, in any/all circumstances to using data in schools to guide decision-making. Despite my frequent public cynicism I assure you that I believe that much of the statistical information we collect on and in schools and school systems can provide useful signals regarding what’s working and what’s not, and may provide more ambiguous signals warranting further exploration – through both qualitative information gathering (observation, etc.) and additional quantitative information gathering.
My personal gripe is that thus far – especially in public policy – we’ve gone about it all wrong.  Pundits and politicians seem to have this intense desire to impose certainty where there is little or none and impose rigid frameworks with precise goals which are destined to fail (or make someone other than the politician look as if they’ve failed).
Pundits and politicians also feel the intense desire to over-sample the crap out of our schooling system – taking 

Ed Notes Online: NY Times on The Wave and Rockaway Film: Together We Will Rebuild

Ed Notes Online: NY Times on The Wave and Rockaway Film: Together We Will Rebuild:


NY Times on The Wave and Rockaway Film: Together We Will Rebuild

The NY Times has been doing some great articles on Rockaway. Today they made me kvell. I was so happy to see the first post storm issue last week. I just hope it survives the storm.

City Room: Newspaper Born of a Fire Is Back in Ink After a Storm

By VIVIAN YEE
The Wave, the weekly newspaper in the Rockaways, has resumed printing after Hurricane Sandy ruined its offices. On Wednesday, Susan Locke, the publisher, worked on the computer, while Sandy Bernstein, the general manager, tried to keep the phone lines working. Suzanne DeChillo/The New York TimesThe Wave, the weekly newspaper in the Rockaways, has resumed printing after Hurricane Sandy ruined its offices. On Wednesday, Susan Locke, the publisher, worked on the computer, while Sandy Bernstein, the general manager, tried to keep the phone lines working.

School Tech Connect: We Need Better Democrats

School Tech Connect: We Need Better Democrats:


We Need Better Democrats

How's everyone doing tonight?

You know what I don't get? I don't get how Daniel Biss''s  cash balance schemeposal doesn't exacerbate the difference between the haves and have-nots among Illinois school districts.

Earlier in the year, Biss scolded a completely clueless Tom Cross about the opposite impact of TRS funding and the equalization formula. They're a bit at odds, he was explaining in plaintive tones. Cross was like Yeah, you're a smarty, aren't you?

So, if the new proposal is to shift the "normal cost" of the system to the districts over time, doesn't that wind up punishing the poorer areas over time? I mean, if you simply must cut the state out of retirement funding entirely, which is stupid, short-sighted, and the recipe for endless litigation--- then is it not possible to come up with some 

VAM is a SCAM, said SAM I AM … Florida Teachers Chant #StopRTTT « Continuing Change

VAM is a SCAM, said SAM I AM … Florida Teachers Chant #StopRTTT « Continuing Change:


VAM is a SCAM, said SAM I AM … Florida Teachers Chant #StopRTTT

VAM is a SCAM said Sam I Am.
I do not want that VAM is a SCAM, 
I do not want it, says Sam I Am.
.
I will not take in lying down, I will NOT be treated like a clown.
I will not take it sitting in a chair, I will not take it anywhere!
I will not take that rotten VAM, you can shove it, says Sam-I-Am.
.
You can not fool me with your lies, your goal is just to privatize.
You think that you are oh so slick.
So take your VAM , Oh, Tricky Rick.
.
I do not want that VAM is a SCAM, 
I do not want it, says Sam I Am.
Image
Florida’s Race to the Top.
Hanging on for dear life …
.
.
(Thanks to my fellow activist, Nancy K, for her help with this rhyme).

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 12-6-12 #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



NAACP seeks to mount shakeup in US education - SFGate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago
NAACP seeks to mount shakeup in US education - SFGate: NAACP seeks to mount shakeup in US educationBy SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated PressUpdated 2:52 p.m., Thursday, December 6, 2012 WASHINGTON (AP) — The NAACP is going on the offensive on education, deploying volunteers across the country in its biggest push for a public education overhaul since the nation's classrooms were ordered desegregated in 1954, the civil rights group said Thursday. The volunteers, who have been trained for the past two years, will lobby at the state and county levels for four educational priorities: — Ext... more »

Court overturns ruling giving more space to charter schools - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 28 minutes ago
Court overturns ruling giving more space to charter schools - latimes.com: Court overturns ruling giving more space to charter schools [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Los Angeles school district officials won a key legal battle with charter schools this week, when an appeals court struck down a ruling that could have opened up vast numbers of needed classrooms for charters, while also creating potential hardships for traditional neighborhood schools. The decision means that charter schools will receive space in much the same way as traditional schools: If... more »

LAUSD TO RECONSTITUTE CRENSHAW AND DORSEY HIGH- WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
LAUSD TO RECONSTITUTE CRENSHAW AND DORSEY HIGH- WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH - Perdaily.com: LAUSD TO RECONSTITUTE CRENSHAW AND DORSEY HIGH- WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH by Leonard Isenberg [image: Crenshaw High.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) * * * *Do African Americans and Latinos ever get tired of auditioning for human being status in a fundamentally racist and corrupt Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) non-public education system that clearly has no expectation that their children are educable? It is 58 years after Brown vs. Board of Education and de facto segregated LAUSD non-p... more »

A Progress Report on Teacher Evaluation — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
A Progress Report on Teacher Evaluation — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Klea Scharberg]A Progress Report on Teacher Evaluation December 6, 2012 by Klea Scharberg In the past three years, 36 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have changed their teacher evaluation policies, mainly to qualify for federal Race to the Top funds or No Child Left Behind waivers. States are drafting, implementing, and using new systems that incorporate measures of student achievement, levels of performance, classroom observations, and performance-based tenure decisions. All these... more »

This Week In Education: Charts: Teacher Pay, Teacher Prestige

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
This Week In Education: Charts: Teacher Pay, Teacher Prestige: Charts: Teacher Pay, Teacher Prestige by Alexander Russo Everyone wants to pay teachers more, but no one's agreed how -- or whether higher pay or tougher qualifications and evaluations come first:[image: image from thelearningcurve.pearson.com] Ratio of average teacher salary at primary, lower and upper secondary levels over the average gross wage, selected countries, 2010 (Pearson)

If you are a public employee, active teacher or retiree in the Chicago north suburbs. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
If you are a public employee, active teacher or retiree in the Chicago north suburbs. « Fred Klonsky: If you are a public employee, active teacher or retiree in the Chicago north suburbs. by Fred Klonsky Pension Rally *Springfield Legislators introduced HB 6258 this week.* *If passed, this legislation will:* - *Increase your Retirement Age* - *Decrease your pay* - *Reduce your Cost of Living Adjustment* Join us in rallying at the Capitol on January 3, 2013. A bus will be leaving from the Church Street side of Golf Mill Shopping Center (near JC Penney)- 239 Golf Mill Cent... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: BEX Work Session

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: BEX Work Session: BEX Work Session by Melissa Westbrook I will say at the outset that there has to be *something* the Board can do to make Work Sessions work better. Staff takes took much time explaining their lengthy presentations. President DeBell said at the beginning the Board should only ask clarifying questions during the presentation and leave big questions for the discussion at the end. As usual, though, they ran out of time as the staff couldn't get to thru the presentation in the time allotted. 9I know staff wants to explain but th... more »

Diane in the Evening 12-6-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Michigan Now Talking about Right-to-Work Legislation by dianerav Michigan was once one of the nation’ s strongest union states. But with the decimation of the automobile industry and the recent takeover of state government by extremely conservative politicians, the union movement is on the defensive. Unions in Michigan tried and failed to pass a constitutional amendment supporting their right to bargain Legal Dictators in Michigan ? by dianerav This is a thought-provoking article in the conservative National Review about Michigan Governor Rick Snyder... more »

If money is the “mother's milk of politics”, Governor Malloy’s cup runneth over - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
If money is the “mother's milk of politics”, Governor Malloy’s cup runneth over - Wait, What?: If money is the “mother’s milk of politics”, Governor Malloy’s cup runneth over by jonpelto *Happy Muthers Day* Later today, movers, shakers, lobbyists, the political elite, and anyone else ready to plunk down $750 a person can have a cocktail with Governor Malloy and a host of “featured guests” including Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Senator-elect Chris Murphy, Congressman John Larson, Congresswoman-elect Elizabeth Esty and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra... more »

Right-to-work legislation introduced in state House as protesters pack Capitol | Michigan news | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Right-to-work legislation introduced in state House as protesters pack Capitol | Michigan news | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: Right-to-work legislation introduced in state House as protesters pack Capitol 3:49 PM, December 6, 2012 | Comments LANSING -- Right-to-work legislation was introduced in the state House just before 3 p.m., bringing loud protests from Democrats and protesters inside the Capitol building. Backed by shouts from fellow Democrats, House Minority Floor Leader Kate Segal, D-Battle Creek, insisted that the bill be read aloud in its entirety. The House clerk, G... more »

Promise of Things to Come to NYC: Florida botches release of new data on teacher evaluations Coalition for Public Education/CoaliciĂłn por la EducaciĂłn PĂşblica

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Coalition for Public Education/CoaliciĂłn por la EducaciĂłn PĂşblica: Promise of Things to Come to NYC: Florida botches release of new data on teacher evaluations By Curtis Krueger, Marlene Sokol, Jeffrey S. Solochek and Danny Valentine, Times Staff Writers *Published Wednesday, December 5, 2012 * ------------------------------ Florida's Department of Education on Wednesday rolled out the results of a sweeping new teacher evaluation system that is designed to be a more accurate, helpful and data-driven measure of how well teachers actually get students to learn. And then, within ... more »

Ethics complaint questions legitimacy of BCG reform plan, school closures | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Ethics complaint questions legitimacy of BCG reform plan, school closures | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Ethics complaint questions legitimacy of BCG reform plan, school closuresby thenotebook on Dec 06 2012 Posted in Latest news ="" title="Facebook_like" href="http://thenotebook.org/blog/125411/closures-loom-ethics-complaint-filed#" style="text-decoration: initial; color: rgb(76, 153, 72); cursor: pointer; float: left; padding: 0px 2px;">Share on email COMMENTS (0)EMAILPRINT Photo: Bill Hangley, Jr. J. Whyatt Mondesire, head of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, explai... more »

Education Research Report: Among low-income schools, traditional public schools show higher achievement scores than charters

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Education Research Report: Among low-income schools, traditional public schools show higher achievement scores than charters: Among low-income schools, traditional public schools show higher achievement scores than charters by Jonathan Kantrowitz The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) recently released Report Cards for a majority of public and charter schools in the state. Public schools comprise 95% (1,772 schools) of the total data set, charter schools comprise 5% (101) of the total. The Report Cards represent a compilation of three years of data intended to prov... more »

Was 'Brown v. Board' a Failure? - Sarah Garland - The Atlantic

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Was 'Brown v. Board' a Failure? - Sarah Garland - The Atlantic: Was 'Brown v. Board' a Failure? *A new study shows a steady but significant return of racial isolation to America's schools.* [image: integrated-top.jpg] Students at Barnard Elementary School in Washington, D.C., one of the first schools to desegregate after *Brown*. (Library of Congress) After half a century, America's efforts to end segregation seem to be winding down. In the years after *Brown v. Board of Education*, 755 school districts were under desegregation orders. A new Stanford study reports that as of 2009... more »

Parents: We are losing control of our schools - theoaklandpress.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Parents: We are losing control of our schools - theoaklandpress.com: Parents: We are losing control of our schools Published: Thursday, December 06, 2012 By DIANA DILLABER MURRAY Of The Oakland Press diana.dillaber@oakpress.com; Twitter: @DDillybar Click to enlarge Close to 2,000 parents and community members have attended meetings around Oakland County called by education leaders who are critical of legislation being pushed in the lame duck session. Yet another meeting has been added to the series that started last week. A meeting is planned from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Coolidge Interm... more »

NAEP - The results of the national standardized vocabulary tests are in

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
NAEP - Overview: *The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)*is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Learn more... [image: Vocabulary Results from the 2009 and 2011 NAEP Reading Assessment are here! Learn more about the release and how to view the live webinar.] Join the webinar of the 2011 Vocabulary Report. In the Spotlight *Get NAEP Results!* Now available for download on mobile devices through Apple App Store and Google Play, the NAEP Results app delivers current results, c... more »

Evaluation agreement clears union hurdle; teachers endorse Zimmer - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Evaluation agreement clears union hurdle; teachers endorse Zimmer - latimes.com: Evaluation agreement clears union hurdle; teachers endorse Zimmer The governing body of the Los Angeles teachers union has endorsed a tentative agreement on teacher evaluations that incorporates the results of student standardized test scores. The approval was a key hurdle but rank-and-file members will have the final say when they vote at their schools in January. The Wednesday evening vote took place at the Koreatown headquarters of United Teachers Los Angeles during a meeting of the union’s House ... more »

Vote in the StopBullying.gov Video Challenge! | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Vote in the StopBullying.gov Video Challenge! | ED.gov Blog: Vote in the StopBullying.gov Video Challenge! Posted on December 6, 2012 by Guest Blogger Youth from around the country and those overseas in U.S. Department of Defense schools, aged 13 to 18 years, took our challenge and submitted almost 900 entries for the 2012 StopBullying.gov Video Challenge! [image: Students looking at screen]The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention have worked our way through all the creative videos and screened them for eligibility based on the challenge rules. We ranked each of the eligible vide... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, December 6, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *So When are you going to fix California's Education Mess, Like a little accountability for the disgusting Charter School Law ?* Education Headlines *Thursday, December 6, 2012* Eureka City Schools, teachers reach tentative contract settlementThe Eureka City Schools and its teachers have agreed on a contract for the 2012-2013 school year, after months of negotiations, Superintendent Fred Van Vleck said Wednesday. Divided Fresno Unified board gives Hanson positive reviewFresno Unified School District trustees gave Superintendent Mic... more »

Dallas ISD climate survey results: Employees say they’re positive about district’s direction | Education Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Dallas ISD climate survey results: Employees say they’re positive about district’s direction | Education Blog: Dallas ISD climate survey results: Employees say they’re positive about district’s direction 8 0 comments (8) By Matthew Haag mhaag@dallasnews.com 4:45 pm on December 3, 2012 | Permalink *Update | 8:30 a.m. Tuesday* Here is the DMN’s story on the climate survey that ran in this morning’s paper. In it, a Stanford University business professor talks about the best practices of conducting such corporate climate surveys and points out some shortcomings of DISD’s survey. Firs... more »

UPDATE: Pensions, Rhode Island and get your butt to Springfield. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Pensions, Rhode Island and get your butt to Springfield. « Fred Klonsky: Pensions, Rhode Island and get your butt to Springfield. by Fred Klonsky [image: 23pension-illo-articleLarge] Once again, Glen does a great job of giving us the facts about the Nekritz bill and the other threats to our pensions. And John explains Cash Balance Plans. If these two guys didn’t already exist, I would have to create them in my basement laboratory. When there are these two bloggers at your disposal, nobody has an excuse for not understanding what is happening to our pensions in the *Bizarro World* o... more »

The Ecole Polytechnique Massacre « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
The Ecole Polytechnique Massacre « Student Activism: The Ecole Polytechnique Massacre by Angus Johnston Twenty-three years ago today 14 women — 13 students and a staff member — were murdered on the campus of the École Polytechnique in Montreal. Their killer, Marc Lepine, targeted female students in an engineering class and claimed to be “fighting feminism.” The fourteen who died were Geneviève Bergeron, HĂ©lène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie... more »

How Can We Make Schools a Center of Community Life? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
How Can We Make Schools a Center of Community Life? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: How Can We Make Schools a Center of Community Life? by Deborah Meier Dear Pedro, I love it! Brockton makes a good story, and while I'm a perennial skeptic about schools that beat the odds so convincingly, I'm willing to suspend belief. I hope I can visit there sometime this coming year. What's your sense of the incoming 9th grade? What are their literacy skills at that point? In order to focus on literacy, did the school do less of something else—and if so, what? A good 4th grade grader i... more »

WHAT PART OF “COMPROMISE” DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND ? « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
WHAT PART OF “COMPROMISE” DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND ? « Teachers Fight Back: WHAT PART OF “COMPROMISE” DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND ? by alkleen Just saw an opinion column by an Illinois retired teacher who was offering suggestions for a “pension compromise”. In the column the teacher wrote about a higher retirement age, a lower cost of living adjustment, an increased contribution and a few other suggestions. None of the other suggestions had anything to do with the General Assembly raising money to replace what was taken from the Teachers’ Pension over the years. I’ve seen proposals from ot... more »

Schools Matter: Paul Toner: From TURNcoat to Collaborator

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Schools Matter: Paul Toner: From TURNcoat to Collaborator: Paul Toner: From TURNcoat to Collaborator by Jim Horn collaborate: To cooperate treasonably, as with an enemy occupation force in one's country. Since it became widely known (here, here, and here) that he was a kingpin in the Eli Broad-sponsored Teachers Union Reform Network (TURN), Paul Toner has pivoted and become the chief collaborator with the other wing of the corporate party, this one sponsored by Bill Gates. Toner recently had a piece at a WBUR's site recently advising President Obama to keep on doing what he is ... more »

Gates Foundation and carrion fly into Hartford as part of public education privatization effort - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Gates Foundation and carrion fly into Hartford as part of public education privatization effort - Wait, What?: Gates Foundation and carrion fly into Hartford as part of public education privatization effort by jonpelto The Hartford Business Journal headline read, “$5M for Hartford schools,” while the Hartford Courant claimed, “Hartford Schools To Receive $5 Million From Gates Foundation.” A reasonable person might actually think that Hartford’s schools were getting $5 million. But actually, only about $1.5 million in going to the Hartford Public Schools System! Most of the rest is... more »

Superintendents united: Public education is at a crossroads | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Superintendents united: Public education is at a crossroads | Lansing State Journal | lansingstatejournal.com: Superintendents united: Public education is at a crossroads [image: SOS Save Our Schools] Education in Michigan is at a crossroads. What’s next? Will we continue to be a public system with the focus on student achievement or will public education become another corporate endeavor focused on profit? They are promoting an ideology based on vouchers, charters, privatization and standardized testing. The bills proposed in this lame-duck legislature are dramatic. It’s ironic t... more »

Restructuring California's Adult Education System

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Restructuring California's Adult Education System: Restructuring California's Adult Education System December 5, 2012 PDF HTML Video [image: Share/Bookmark] A century and a half after the founding of adult education in the state, we find that the system faces a number of major problems and challenges, including: (1) an overly broad mission; (2) lack of clear delineations between adult education and collegiate coursework at community colleges; (3) inconsistent and conflicting state-level policies; (4) widespread lack of coordination among providers; and (5) limited student data, ... more »

Modern School: Bill to Undermine Teacher Due Process Revived in California State Legislature

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Modern School: Bill to Undermine Teacher Due Process Revived in California State Legislature: Bill to Undermine Teacher Due Process Revived in California State Legislature by Michael Dunn California state senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) has reintroduced legislation that is supposed to speed up the dismissal of teachers for gross misconduct, the Los Angeles Timesreported this week. The new legislation, SB 10, will be very similar to a failed bill advanced last year by Padilla. The text of the bill was not available as of Monday. In the wake of LAUSD’s sex abuse scandal (see here,... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: "The Morality Test" and PPRA. Question: Is it Moral for a School to Circumvent Federal Regulations?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: "The Morality Test" and PPRA. Question: Is it Moral for a School to Circumvent Federal Regulations?: "The Morality Test" and PPRA. Question: Is it Moral for a School to Circumvent Federal Regulations? by stlgretchen And should parents have knowledge of their student's required participation in research about morals? * * I received a call from an Illinois parent regarding a test her 16 year child was required to take in a Language Arts class. It was entitled "The Morality Test" and can be found online. The student did not want to take the test as the... more »

At MomsRising, here's what we know: MomsRising Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
MomsRising Blog: [image: Banner Blue Background] A Farmer Navigates Heated Moms’ Meetings About School Lunches Arwen Donahue at MomsRising Blog - 4 minutes ago As a small-scale organic farmer who believes in the grass-roots power of the local food movement, I find Michelle Obama’s food activism inspiring. When I heard about her reforms to public school lunches, of course I thought it was a step in the right direction. Just a step, mind you: ultimately, I’d like to see [...] Building A Kitchen, Building Community Leon Johnson at MomsRising Blog - 4 minutes ago As a child the primary l... more »

An Open Letter to Superintendent Randy Dorn Regarding Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
An Open Letter to Superintendent Randy Dorn Regarding Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education: An Open Letter to Superintendent Randy Dorn Regarding Initiative 1240 Posted on December 6, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment [image: PAA] Dec. 5, 2012 To Superintendent Dorn: Parents Across America of Washington State, the local chapters of the national organization dedicated to the preservation of public education, has concluded that Initiative 1240 is in violation of the Washington State Constitution on multiple counts. We therefore urge the Office of Superintendent of Public Ins... more »

Morning UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-6-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Michelle Rhee Advising Governor Kasich in Ohio about Funding by dianerav This Ohio blogger reports that Michelle Rhee is now advising the anti-public school administration of Governor John Kasich and the Republican legislature about how to fund education. Given the predisposition of the leadership in Ohio, the outcome is predictable and it won’t be good for public education. Ohio has a flourishing landscape of charters and a growing voucher program. The charter landscape is very profitable for certain big-time... more »

Education Research Report: Charter Schools Under-Enroll Students With Special Needs, New Review Finds

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Education Research Report: Charter Schools Under-Enroll Students With Special Needs, New Review Finds: Charter Schools Under-Enroll Students With Special Needs, New Review Finds by Jonathan Kantrowitz [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Several recent reports, including one from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, have found that charter schools generally under-enroll special education students when compared to conventional public schools. A new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education, however, asserts that charter schools’ special edu... more »

Ed Notes Online: My Speech at UFT Exec Bd Urging They Take a Dive Off Edu Cliff and Not Succumb to Cuomo Blackmail - And I Get Sick From the Food as a Reward

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: My Speech at UFT Exec Bd Urging They Take a Dive Off Edu Cliff and Not Succumb to Cuomo Blackmail - And I Get Sick From the Food as a Reward: My Speech at UFT Exec Bd Urging They Take a Dive Off Edu Cliff and Not Succumb to Cuomo Blackmail - And I Get Sick From the Food as a Reward by ed notes online OK. I plead guilty to breaking my own rule -- avoiding UFT Ex bd meetings. But since MORE had a meeting in the neighborhood beforehand on Monday night, I figured I might as well head over for the free dinner. And then I thought I might as well call up and ask for a few... more »

Many math students are flailing, repeating courses without success | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Many math students are flailing, repeating courses without success | EdSource Today: Many math students are flailing, repeating courses without success - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald A big reason California students are pushed to take higher math in high school is to see that they satisfy the admission requirements to a state four-year university. And yet 68 percent of students who haven’t passed one of the required courses, Algebra II, by the end of 11th grade don’t even enroll in math as seniors, giving up on the possibility of applying to a UC or CSU school. That ... more »

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: WalMart Schools and Kevin Johnson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: WalMart Schools and Kevin Johnson: WalMart Schools and Kevin Johnson by Duane Campbell *WalMart schools in Sacramento* A fine by the California Fair Political Practices Committee (FFPC) against Mayor Kevin Johnson revealed that the Mayor has received $500,000 dollars from the Walton Family – the owners of WalMart- for his advocacy through the organization StandUP. The money did not go to the public schools but to advocacy for specific positions. Mayor Johnson has a number of well known positions on “school reform” starting with his initial role ... more »

Parents groups, NAACP to file ethics complaint over school district consultant - Philly.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Parents groups, NAACP to file ethics complaint over school district consultant - Philly.com: Parents groups, NAACP to file ethics complaint over school district consultant December 05, 2012|By Kristen A. Graham and Jeff Gammage, Inquirer Staff Writers Members of two parent groups and the city's NAACP chapter plan to file a city ethics complaint Wednesday alleging that William Penn Foundation-funded work that a consulting firm did for the Philadelphia School District this year constituted lobbying. For several months, the Boston Consulting Group studied the district's operations. ... more »

Why I Hate School But Love Education | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Why I Hate School But Love Education | toteachornototeach: Why I Hate School But Love Education by aristotlethewise *‘Why I Hate School But Love Education’ Viral Video* *Points To Stupid In America And All The Wrong Questions * [image: 53763__20121203__sulibreaks_loveschool_hateeducation] by Emmeline Zhao English rapper-poet Suli Breaks is out with a video that’s taking the Internet by storm, and young people are loving it. “Why I Hate School But Love Education” has received nearly half a million views since it was posted to YouTube

FDOE Pulls Back SB736 Teacher Data Marking Third Flawed Data Roll Out This Year | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
FDOE Pulls Back SB736 Teacher Data Marking Third Flawed Data Roll Out This Year | Scathing Purple Musings: FDOE Pulls Back SB736 Teacher Data Marking Third Flawed Data Roll Out This Year by Bob Sikes It was there. Then it was gone. Writes Joey Flechas in the *Gainesville Sun* : The Florida Department of Education released statewide data on the new teacher evaluations Wednesday only to pull it back in the afternoon. After officials in Hillsborough County reported problems with the numbers, which contained duplicate records, the DOE took the report off its website to review the rec... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: un·der·uti·lize

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: un·der·uti·lize: un·der·uti·lize by Mike Klonsky *Underutilize* is one of those fabricated words, like *fiscal cliff,* that politicians grab onto when they want to do nasty things to us. According to Mirriam-Webster, the first known use of the term took place in 1951. The dictionary doesn't say where or why the term was used was first used, but I suspect it had to do with somebody taking something away from somebody because they didn't think they were using it enough. 1951Let's see, 1951 -- OK in 1951 U.S. nuclear scientists set off the world's first... more »

Jersey Jazzman: StudentsFirst: Wrong About Newark AND Chicago!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: StudentsFirst: Wrong About Newark AND Chicago!: StudentsFirst: Wrong About Newark AND Chicago! by Duke I knew this would happen: the corporate reformers finally got a union to give in on merit pay bonuses, and now they want to shove them down everyone else's throat: Teachers in Newark just OK’d one of the nation’s most progressive collective-bargaining agreements. It rewards great teaching and treats educators as true professionals, whose effectiveness in the classroom makes a big difference in the futures of their students. It’s the first contract in New Jersey t... more »

Mother Crusader: One Million LIES...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Mother Crusader: One Million LIES...: One Million LIES... by darciecima Headlines were generated nationwide last week when Greg Richmond, President and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) and New Jersey's own Commissioner Cerf teamed up at a press conference in DC to announce the "One Million Lives" campaign. The happy coupleWhat is the One Million Lives Campaign you ask? That is a damn good question. Most of the headlines about the roll out of the campaign seemed to focus on a promise to close underperforming charters. For example, Joy Resmo... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Hiring Mercenaries to Police Schools Teaches Compliance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Hiring Mercenaries to Police Schools Teaches Compliance: Hiring Mercenaries to Police Schools Teaches Compliance by Duke *Just another study group, learning what it means to be an American...* Because when you use a bunch of armed mercenaries to police public high schools, what could possibly go wrong? At 9 a.m. on the morning of October 31, 2012, students at Vista Grande High School in Casa Grande were settling in to their daily routine when something unusual occurred. Vista Grande High School Principal Tim Hamilton ordered the school -- with a student population ... more »

Florida VAM – The Scarlett Equation … Our Symbol of Shame. « Continuing Change

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Florida VAM – The Scarlett Equation … Our Symbol of Shame. « Continuing Change: Florida VAM – The Scarlett Equation … Our Symbol of Shame. by gatorbonbc Back in the old days, we just wore a ‘Scarlett A’. Nowadays, they are more transformative. We wear a whole equation. After nearly 25 years of teaching in the state of Florida, here is the Value Added Model equation that, as determined by Florida’s Race to the Top, will determine my contract. y¬_ti=X_i β+∑_(r=1)^L▒〖y_(t-r,i) Îł_(t-r) 〗+∑_(q=1)^Q▒〖Z_qi θ_q 〗+e_i Florida VAM – Our Symbol of Shame.[image: Image]. Happy Holidays, eh?

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 12-5-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* Parents Opposed to Citizens of the World Charter: Hundreds, Parents in Favor: 4 by ed notes online *The NY State Dept. would allow the Hitler Youth Charter to breeze through and not only would they authorize the Ku Klux Klan Charter School for Racial Harmony but they would wash the sheets. -- Norm at charter hearing* I actually made it to the Hearing on the proposed co-location of Citizens of the World Charter School in JHS 126 tonight and it was great seeing so many old pals from District 14 where I spent my entire career. Citize... more »

Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal When It Comes To Race [Edutopia] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal When It Comes To Race [Edutopia] | The Jose Vilson: Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal When It Comes To Race [Edutopia] by Jose Tim Howard, Goalkeeper An excerpt from my widely-distributed Edutopia article on race: 1. Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End GoalDiscussions about big ideas like race, religion and politics necessitate some discomfort. By discomfort, I mean that people who participate in the discussion have a degree of soul-searching and reassessment about their own perceptions and biases. For ... more »

“All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
“All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: “All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography” Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 36 minutes ago The New York Times Learning Network has published an excellent post called All Over the Map: 10 Ways to Teach About Geography. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Learning & Teaching Geography. The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2012 Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 52 minutes ago I’m beginning my annual “The Best…” list highlig...more »

Diane in the Evening 12-5-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Half of Michigan’s African Americans Lose Self-Government by dianerav Eclectablog daily digest UPDATED: Are over half of Mich African Americans about to be under the control of an Emergency Financial Mgr UPDATED: Are over half of Mich African Americans about to be under the control of an Emergency Financial Mgr? Posted: 05 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST Look out, Detroit! It’s coming right for ya! The Detroit Free Press is reporting this afternoon that an Emergency Financial Manager is being called *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-5-12 Diane Ravitch's blog* coopmike48... more »

Schools Matter: Tale of Two Schools' Statistical Tricks

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Schools Matter: Tale of Two Schools' Statistical Tricks: Tale of Two Schools' Statistical Tricks by John Thompson NPR’s Scott Simon interviewed Brad Wolverton who asks the perennial question for college athletes who are struggling in class, “Need three credits to play ball?” "Call Western Oklahoma" describes the online learning program at this isolated college. Before his expose, athletes across the nation would get themselves into academic trouble and say, “'Oh, I'm going to go take a Western Oklahoma.'" As a result of Wolverton’s article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, th... more »

The in box. Glen Brown’s latest on HB 6258. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The in box. Glen Brown’s latest on HB 6258. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Glen Brown’s latest on HB 6258. by Fred Klonsky From Glen Brown’s blog: House Bill 6258 Reforms for Tier 1 Members (public employees hired before 2011) · Cost-of-living adjustments apply only to the first $25,000 of the employees’ pension · That limit is reduced to the first $20,000 for employees eligible for Social Security · COLAs are delayed until the employee turns 67 or five years after retirement, whichever comes first · *This applies to all employees and retirees who are cu... more »








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