Monday, January 21, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 1-21-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS





NY Post Hit Piece Smears Educator for Anti-Testing Views | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
NY Post Hit Piece Smears Educator for Anti-Testing Views | Scathing Purple Musings: NY Post Hit Piece Smears Educator for Anti-Testing Views by Bob Sikes [image: Lisa Nielsen] For observers who feel that Rupert Murdoch and Joel Klein are driving propaganda against public school educators through the news section of the *NY Post*, yesterday’s hit piece on Lisa Michelle Nielson reached a new low. Author of *Teaching Generation Text: Using Cellphones to Enhance Learning,** *Nielson has worked for New York City’s DOE since 2010 as a technology specialist and of and on since 1997 whil... more »

The Seattle Times | Martin Luther King Jr. Timeline

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 minutes ago
The Seattle Times | Martin Luther King Jr.: Timeline Martin Luther King Jr. The struggle to change conditions in America, and to win equal protection under the law for citizens of all races, formed the backdrop of Martin Luther King's short life. Civil rights It may be hard to believe that less than 50 years ago, America had separate drinking fountains for whites and blacks and "colored balconies" in movie theaters. - January 15. Michael Luther King Jr., later renamed Martin, born to schoolteacher Alberta King and Baptist minister Michael Luther King. Boyhood in Swee... more »

Justice Sotomayor: Urges Latinos to Pursue Dreams, Stay in School | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago
Justice Sotomayor: Urges Latinos to Pursue Dreams, Stay in School | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: Justice Sotomayor: Urges Latinos to Pursue Dreams, Stay in School [image: Justice Sotomayor: Urges Latinos to Pursue Dreams, Stay in School]Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, said on the weekend here that there’s no part of my heart that’s not from Puerto Rico and encouraged all Latinos to pursue their dreams. “If you don’t see the value of community it’s difficult for you to win,” said the magistrate during a colloquium with journalist Maria Hinojosa... more »

Martin Luther King 2.0, Now with More Excellence | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago
Martin Luther King 2.0, Now with More Excellence | EduShyster: Martin Luther King 2.0, Now with More Excellence by edushyster2012 *What would the original civil rights leader have to say about the civil rights i$$ue of our time?* No one could lead a civil rights movement like Martin Luther King Jr. But let’s face it: the movement he led was old school. The civil rights issue of our time is the achievement gap, and closing it often requires doing the opposite of what Dr. King stood for. Which raises some important questions: were Dr. King to return today would he be an achievement ga... more »

Modern School: Influenza: Vaccinating Kids Could Save Thousands of Infants and Seniors

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago
Modern School: Influenza: Vaccinating Kids Could Save Thousands of Infants and Seniors: Influenza: Vaccinating Kids Could Save Thousands of Infants and Seniors by Michael Dunn Adapted from Flick Image by Immer_Lebend Flu season arrived early this year and is turning out to be a particularly bad one, with several states (including New York) having already declared public health states of emergency. As usual, only a small fraction of Americans have been vaccinated. Yet seasonal influenza continues to be one of the deadliest diseases in the world, killing an average of 35,000 people ... more »

8th Grade History Teacher: Stop the Common Core | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 53 minutes ago
8th Grade History Teacher: Stop the Common Core | Truth in American Education: 8th Grade History Teacher: Stop the Common Core by truthed By C.E. White This week, President Obama will be sworn into office as the 45th President of the United States of America. As a history teacher, I was elated to learn he would be placing his hand on two Bibles, one belonging to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the other belonging to President Abraham Lincoln, when he takes the oath of office to lead our great nation. Dr. King and President Lincoln helped define civil rights for America…histo... more »

The Revisionist’s Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have A Dream For Most Of Us” | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago
The Revisionist’s Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have A Dream For Most Of Us” | The Jose Vilson: The Revisionist’s Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have A Dream For Most Of Us” by Jose Vilson [image: Martin Luther King Jr.] Martin Luther King Jr. *For some revisionists, MLK Jr. was either one of two things: a staunch conservative who lived patriotically, owned guns, and worked towards self-help, or he was a such a commercial pacifist whose message for peace followed every rule in the book and posed no real threat to the establishment. Then, there are those who, after having recognized MLK’s ... more »

Leading Educators Support Garfield High School Teachers’ Test Boycott | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Leading Educators Support Garfield High School Teachers’ Test Boycott | Seattle Education: Leading Educators Support Garfield High School Teachers’ Test Boycott by seattleducation2011 [image: boycott] In a public statement released today, more than sixty educators and researchers, including some of the most well-respected figures in the field of education, pledged support for the boycott of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test initiated by the teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle, calling the action a “blow against the overuse and misuse of standardized tests.” Amon... more »

Daily Kos: MLK Day Recommended Reading

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Daily Kos: MLK Day Recommended Reading: MLK Day Recommended Reading by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) "The Drum Major Instinct," Martin Luther King Jr. [AUDIO] "But this is why we are drifting. And we are drifting there because nations are caught up with the drum major instinct. 'I must be first.' 'I must be supreme.' 'Our nation must rule the world.' (Preach it) And I am sad to say that the nation in which we live is the supreme culprit. And I'm going to continue to say it to America, because I love this country too much to see the drift that it has taken."God didn't call Ameri... more »

Obama's Gun Control Plan: What High School Parents Should Know - High School Notes (usnews.com)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Obama's Gun Control Plan: What High School Parents Should Know - High School Notes (usnews.com): Obama's Gun Control Plan: What High School Parents Should Know By KELSEY SHEEHY January 21, 2013 RSS Feed Print [image: The president’s gun control measures include proposals to add school resource officers and mental health counselors.] The president’s gun control measures include proposals to add school resource officers and mental health counselors. President Obama's newly unveiled gun control plan includes a host of executive orders designed to help schools prepare for and respond to ... more »

“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” - Martin Luther King, Jr. - Wait, What?: “Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. by jonpelto *“Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.* The debate in America today is not between those who want to keep our education system as it is and those who want to change it. The “education reformers” are fond of saying that those of us who oppose their initiatives are for the status quo. They are wrong and their rhetoric is... more »

Ed Notes Online: LEADING EDUCATORS SUPPORT TEACHER TEST BOYCOTT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: LEADING EDUCATORS SUPPORT TEACHER TEST BOYCOTT: LEADING EDUCATORS SUPPORT TEACHER TEST BOYCOTT by ed notes online * * *Date: * January 21, 2013 *Contact: * Brian Jones, Teacher and Doctoral Student, 646-554-8592 bjones2@gc.cuny.edu Wayne Au, Professor of Education, wayne@rethinkingschools.org *LEADING EDUCATORS SUPPORT TEACHER TEST BOYCOTT* In a public statement released today, more than sixty educators and researchers, including some of the most well-respected figures in the field of education, pledged support for the boycott of the Measures of Academic Progr... more »

Do Indiana charter schools measure up, outperform? - southbendtribune.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Do Indiana charter schools measure up, outperform? - southbendtribune.com: Do Indiana charter schools measure up, outperform?Stanford study: It partially depends on when the school opened. [image: Nadine Grall] Nadine Grall asks social worker Tara Miller a question after the morning assembly at Xavier School of Excellence on Friday morning. From an enrollment standpoint, Xavier is the largest charter school in South Bend. (South Bend Tribune/SANTIAGO FLORES / January 21, 2013) By KIM KILBRIDESouth Bend Tribune 6:03 a.m. EST, January 21, 2013 Elijah Magruder attended three schools be... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-21-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Why You Should Send Your Child to the Local Public School by dianerav A reader thought about privatization and offered these thoughts: “Pride in our School.” The idea behind this comes from the community spirit/commitment necessary to sustain public schools. Call it the social contract. In my small, rural northern California community, two threats to the success (dare I say existence) of traditional public education are: No Child Left Behind (“NCLB”) and charter schools/school choice. Fortunately, NCLB is... more »

Presidential lessons in education as a civil right | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Presidential lessons in education as a civil right | EdSource Today: Presidential lessons in education as a civil right - by Kathryn Baron by Kathryn Baron President Barack Obama’s second term officially began yesterday when he took the oath of office in a private ceremony surrounded by his family, using a Bible given to First Lady Michelle Obama’s grandmother by her father. Today, as he is publicly sworn in on the day the nation also celebrates the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the president will place his hand on a Bible that belonged to Dr. King, which itself will be ... more »

Daily Kos: Thoughts on an Inaugural Day

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Daily Kos: Thoughts on an Inaugural Day: Thoughts on an Inaugural Day by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) A new term has officially begun. The celebrations began even earlier than that. Today the nation officially celebrates, and we will hear what our President has to offer as his vision for his 2nd four years. I know there will be times where I will be critical of him and of his administration. Some of those criticisms will be very strong - on human rights for those denied them, on our increasing use of drones, on the unwillingness to fully protect whistleblowers, on its flawed a... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Standards and Square Watermelons

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core Standards and Square Watermelons: Common Core Standards and Square Watermelons by stlgretchen  [image: No, these aren't watermelon designed candles! They are actually fruits ready for shipping. It seems a little crazy but when you put a form around an immature fruit or vegetable it will grow to fit into that form. Apparently these watermelon can be shipped in greater quantities by shaping them. No joke! From Wikipedia: "In Japan, farmers of the Zentsuji region found a way to grow cubic watermelons by growing the fruits in glass boxes and le... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The arc of the universe...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The arc of the universe...: The arc of the universe... by Mike Klonsky Dr. King's funeral, 1968. (Don Hogan Charles/NYT)It's M.L. King Day today. Schools are closed. No b-ball practice. This will be my only post as I'm taking the day off and spending at least some of it contemplating Dr. King's famous statement -- his conviction that the

Noam Chomsky: From the Strategic Mind to the Radical Politics of Imagination | Dissident Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Noam Chomsky: From the Strategic Mind to the Radical Politics of Imagination | Dissident Voice: Noam Chomsky: From the Strategic Mind to the Radical Politics of Imagination by Nozomi Hayase This week marks the beginning of Obama’s second term as US President. His inauguration on January 21st coincides with the day that honors civil rights leader Martin Luther King, who delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech 50 years ago at the Lincoln Memorial. At the dedication of the Martin Luther King Monument in 2011, Obama called to make King’s dream a reality for all. In the last four years,... more »

“Remaining awake through a great revolution.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
“Remaining awake through a great revolution.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr « Fred Klonsky: “Remaining awake through a great revolution.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr by Fred Klonsky [image: King]Commencement Address for Oberlin CollegeBy Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, JrJune 1965, Oberlin Ohio“[Oberlin College] President Carr, members of the faculty, and members of the graduating class of this great institution of learning, ladies and gentlemen: I can never come to this campus without a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude for all that this great institution has done f... more »

The Enduring Ideals of Dr. King | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
The Enduring Ideals of Dr. King | toteachornototeach: The Enduring Ideals of Dr. King by aristotlethewise *The Enduring Ideals of Dr. King* by Daniel R. Porterfield, Ph.D. [image: mlk-jr]On Jan. 21, we again reflect upon the meaning of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy. For me, this day has always been especially significant because I have memories of Dr. King from my childhood that inspire me today. How did I “know” Dr. King? Born in 1961, I grew up in integrated Baltimore City neighborhoods, where, before and after his assassination in 1968, he was a hero for ... more »

The Educated Reporter: Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Should Schools Stay Open?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Should Schools Stay Open?: Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Should Schools Stay Open? by Emily Richmond *It's inauguration day, but it's also the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Here's my post on the topic from last year.* Today is a federal holiday, which means schools -- and pretty much every office -- is closed here in D.C. However some districts nationwide opt not suspend classes for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Many schools use the day as an opportunity for special assemblies and workshops, while others simply continue with their... more »

Oakland's American Indian charter schools one step closer to closure - ContraCostaTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Oakland's American Indian charter schools one step closer to closure - ContraCostaTimes.com: Oakland's American Indian charter schools one step closer to closure By Katy Murphy Oakland Tribune Posted: 01/20/2013 11:03:59 AM PST Updated: 01/20/2013 05:25:12 PM PST Related - Oakland's American Indian charter schools one step closer to closure - State audit finds evidence of fraud, conflicts of interest by Oakland charter school operato - Madman, genius or both? - Oakland school board: American Indian charter school to stay open - Top-performing Oakland charter sch... more »

Schools Matter: New Common-Core Unit for ELLs: No support from research, no evidence they will work.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Schools Matter: New Common-Core Unit for ELLs: No support from research, no evidence they will work.: New Common-Core Unit for ELLs: No support from research, no evidence they will work. by skrashen Re: Three Districts Test Model Common-Core Unit for ELLs. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/01/16/17ellstanford_ep.h32.html We are told that the newly announced unit on Reading and Writing Persuasion features a “shift”: the two elements of this shift are “an explicit focus on language” and “complex texts.” Both are bad ideas. Decades of research tell us that focus on form does no... more »

Karen Lewis on Using The Bosses’ Tools [Pre-MLK Jr. Day] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Karen Lewis on Using The Bosses’ Tools [Pre-MLK Jr. Day] | The Jose Vilson: Karen Lewis on Using The Bosses’ Tools [Pre-MLK Jr. Day] by Jose Vilson [image: boondocksmlkjr] A few notes: - The Los Angeles United School District and its teachers union came to an agreement on teacher evaluation that makes some sense. [LA Daily News] - John Holland outlines with no equivocation the difference between responsibility and accountability. [Future of Teaching] - Sherman Dorn gives us five oft-overlooked facts about President Barack Obama that might give context to

Reincorporating Hunter-Gatherer Wisdom in our Society | Lefty Parent

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Reincorporating Hunter-Gatherer Wisdom in our Society | Lefty Parent: Reincorporating Hunter-Gatherer Wisdom in our Society by Cooper Zale In my previous piece, “Traditional Wisdom of Child Development”, I looked at how contemporary social scientists are rediscovering some of the wisdom of traditional hunter-gatherer societies, which were for most of our time on this planet the predominant human organizing principle and are arguably a more natural form of human community that the high-technology society that most of us humans live in today. I got a handful of thoughtful comments on ... more »

Activist Zack Kopplin is making life hell for Louisiana’s creationists | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Activist Zack Kopplin is making life hell for Louisiana’s creationists | toteachornototeach: Activist Zack Kopplin is making life hell for Louisiana’s creationists by aristotlethewise [image: adam-and-eve-e1305127512133]*How 19-year-old activist Zack Kopplin is making life hell for Louisiana’s creationists* by George Dvorsky For Zack Kopplin, it all started back in 2008 with the passing of the Louisiana Science Education Act. The bill made it considerably easier for teachers to introduce creationist textbooks into the classroom. Outraged, he wrote a research paper about it for a hig... more »

Judges Require Kansas to Provide Adequate School Funding « InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Judges Require Kansas to Provide Adequate School Funding « InterACT: Judges Require Kansas to Provide Adequate School Funding by David B. Cohen I know, we’re not in Kansas (most of us), but since I’ve written in the past about legal battles over adequate school funding, I just wanted to add this latest chapter in the larger story. On January 11, Brad Cooper of theKansas City Star reported: A panel of state judges ruled Friday that funding of Kansas schools doesn’t pass constitutional muster, suggesting a price tag that could approach $500 million more for the state. Three judges ... more »

Chad Sansing comes clean about positive test scores « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Chad Sansing comes clean about positive test scores « Cooperative Catalyst: Chad Sansing comes clean about positive test scores by Chad Sansing All sizes by giulia.forsythe Interviewer: Did you ever use worksheets to enhance your students’ test performance? [image: All sizes by giulia.forsythe]Chad Sansing: Yes. I: Was one of those worksheets a word search? CS: Yes. I: Did you ever teach to the test or use released items to enhance your students’ test performance?

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 16 and 17: Heaven, and the start of Spring…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 16 and 17: Heaven, and the start of Spring…: Week 16 and 17: Heaven, and the start of Spring… by alicemercer That first week back from vacation I, and my class, were on fire. They seem to look forward to the topics we’re covering (a language arts unit on taking a stand for what’s right, ecosystems in science, and Ancient Africa and India in social studies). They were chatty, but much of it was on topic. It was one of the most productive weeks of learning we’ve had. This week was not bad, but it wasn’t as good, and the kids are clearly ... more »

An Urban Teacher's Education: Life Lessons: 2012 (Whoops, I Forgot Some Things!)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
An Urban Teacher's Education: Life Lessons: 2012 (Whoops, I Forgot Some Things!): Life Lessons: 2012 (Whoops, I Forgot Some Things!) by James Boutin I was reflecting on my last post, I realized there were a few more things that really changed my thinking last year. * **4) You want to teach somebody something? Better be sure you've got the cred to do it. * I was watching The Interrupters sometime last spring, a documentary about people interrupting violence in Chicago. And there's this part about three quarters of the way through when Ameena (one of the interrupters - you have to... more »

Fostering A Gap Between What We Know and What We Do | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Fostering A Gap Between What We Know and What We Do | Connected Principals: Fostering A Gap Between What We Know and What We Do by sblankenship [image: Screen Shot 2013-01-20 at 3.01.12 PM]As we already know, a gap exists between what we know and what we do. Successful educators work to narrow this gap between new ideas and implementation. However, I believe the size of this gap does not necessarily indicate one’s success. Some educators are terrific at executing what all they know how. The problem is, their pedagogy is out-of-date, irrelevant, and this gap has been stagnant f... more »

Charter Schools: When you don’t succeed, change the rules - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Charter Schools: When you don’t succeed, change the rules - Wait, What?: Charter Schools: When you don’t succeed, change the rules by jonpelto Last September, former Governor Jeb Bush, chairman of the education reform group, Foundation for Excellence in Education, came to General Electric’s corporate headquarters in Fairfield to “share the Florida education reform story and give support to education reformers in the Constitution State.” Other speakers included Tom Foley, former and future gubernatorial candidate and founder of the Connecticut Policy Institute and Patrick Riccards, ... more »

Sacramento CA - Broadsided?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
*Sacramento CA - Broadsided?* *SACRAMENTO BROADSIDE CHECKLIST * A reader offered this comment in response to the post about school closings in Sacramento: A “Broad” superintendent who follows its “play-list” to “capture” the school board and privatize the district as much as possible: – Convinced the board of education to turn all the power over to the superintendent. – Keeps secret all the contracts and consultants hired by the superintendent. In fact, it’s been said that the latest consultant working with the superintendent was the principal of Kevin Johnson’s St. Hope H.S. ... more »

Mike Rose on Cognition! « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Mike Rose on Cognition! « Deborah Meier on Education: Mike Rose on Cognition! by debmeier Before I forget. Once again Mike Rose opens my eyes and clears my mind of the nonsense that accumulates when I’m not looking! “Giving Cognition a Bad Name”, Education Week, January 16, 2013–back cover! he false distinction between “affect” and “cognitive”–”character” vs “academics” and on and on is more than foolish. It’s dangerous. Above all to those we’ve too long cheated in our schools under the name of “care” and “love” and “the whole child.” Strong character–feistiness, grit, or whatever... more »

Daily Kos: Hate Comes to Arlington

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Daily Kos: Hate Comes to Arlington: Hate Comes to Arlington by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I live in the Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood of Arlington VA. My house is on N. 16th St, 2 blocks west of Glebe Road. On the Southeast corner of the intersection of Glebe and N. 16th St. is the Mount Olivet United Methodist Church. The Church has been on that site since before the Civil War, as you can read in its history. It sponsors AA meetings, provides food for the needy, its Boy Scout troop sells Christmas trees. I have served on the Board of our local community center, and in g... more »

Diane in the Evening 1-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: File Under “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” What is Behind the Cost of School Busing in NYC? by dianerav Juan Gonzalez says that Mayor Bloomberg wants to drive down the cost of bus drivers’ salaries, but they are not the reason that the city spends more than $1 billion on school buses. Bus drivers are paid about $40,000 a year. Read his analysis here. How Do You Answer This Teacher’s Question? by dianerav I am a strong supporter of the public schools and opposed to the “reform” movement attempting to privatize education. I didn’t find your article divisive. ... more »

Grumpy Educators: National Movement Hits a Nerve in the Reformer Camp

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Grumpy Educators: National Movement Hits a Nerve in the Reformer Camp: National Movement Hits a Nerve in the Reformer Camp by Sandra Certainly a sign that media mogul, owner of the NY Post, and education reform entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch and cronies are noticing the national movement by parents, community members and taxpayers against excessive, experimental, and expensive standardized testing. Groups all over the nation are organized, state legislatures are revisiting decisions on standards, testing, and database development. Washington State teachers are refusing to implement t... more »

Teaching is a Dead-End Job: Part II | Mr. Teachbad

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Teaching is a Dead-End Job: Part II | Mr. Teachbad: Teaching is a Dead-End Job: Part II by teachbad If you are com­mit­ted to leav­ing teach­ing, there are ways out. There are other leaky boats wait­ing for you at the dock. You can try to get a dif­fer­ent job, in or out of edu­ca­tion. It stands to rea­son that some­thing within the broader field of edu­ca­tion would offer bet­ter prospects for the aspir­ing ex-teacher. But being a teacher doesn’t auto­mat­i­cally make you an attrac­tive can­di­date for any ol’ job in edu­ca­tion. It is impor­tant to remem­ber that remain­ing in... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Schmitz Park Joins the Chorus of Teacher Voices

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Schmitz Park Joins the Chorus of Teacher Voices: Schmitz Park Joins the Chorus of Teacher Voices by Melissa Westbrook From the West Seattle Blog: *Dear Superintendent Banda,* *The staff of Schmitz Park, by a unanimous vote, joins in its support of Garfield High and all other schools and individuals around the district that boycott the MAP test. We agree with Garfield’s position about the harmful, ineffective, and wasteful nature of the MAP test and its deleterious impact on instructional time and consequently student achievement. We join SEA in a... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Joel Klein: As Excellent As He Says He Is? Part V

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Joel Klein: As Excellent As He Says He Is? Part V: Joel Klein: As Excellent As He Says He Is? Part V by Duke *Joel Klein is one of America's foremost proponents of corporate education "reform." He asserts that public education is in such a crisis that it constitutes a national security threat - a threat that can be dealt with by buying technology from the firm he runs for Rupert Murdoch, Amplify. He also believes that the "reforms" he and Mayor Michael Bloomberg instituted in New York City - including mayoral control, school closings, charter expansion, and test-b... more »

UPDATE: Schmitz Park Elementary School in Seattle joins + Garfield High School teacher Heather Snookal and Sue Peters with Parents Across America on Chalk Talk Radio today | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Garfield High School teacher Heather Snookal and Sue Peters with Parents Across America on Chalk Talk Radio today | Seattle Education: Schmitz Park Elementary School in Seattle joins in support of Garfield High School teachers. by seattleducation2011 [image: solidrty] *This is the third school to join in support of Garfield High School teachers.* *To follow is the letter from the teachers at Schmitz Elementary School:* Dear Superintendent Banda, The staff of Schmitz Park, by a unanimous vote, joins in its support of Garfield High and all other schools and individuals around the dis... more »

Martin Luther King: ‘Intelligence is not enough’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Martin Luther King: ‘Intelligence is not enough’: Martin Luther King: ‘Intelligence is not enough’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on January 20, 2013 at 12:15 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - - - - [image: (Getty Images) - President Obama and his family members at the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in October 2011.] President Obama and family at the 2011 dedication of King Memorial on the National Mall in October 2011. (Getty Images) Martin Luther King Jr., was prescient on a ... more »

Increasing revenue, not cutting services and promised benefits. An idea so crazy it just might work. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Increasing revenue, not cutting services and promised benefits. An idea so crazy it just might work. « Fred Klonsky: Increasing revenue, not cutting services and promised benefits. An idea so crazy it just might work. by Fred Klonsky [image: g12c0000000000000004b235977f36650ecb2c8f960036c0802637e7697]As the Illinois General Assembly starts a new session, the level of frustration among my retired teacher friends increases. As much as those in the corporate Illinois Policy Institute and the Civic Committee want to paint the state’s public pensioners as greedy and fat (Hey. I’m worki... more »

193 Chicago elementary schools not safe from closing - Chicago Sun-Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
193 Chicago elementary schools not safe from closing - Chicago Sun-Times: 193 Chicago elementary schools not safe from closing By Lauren FitzPatrick and Art Golab Staff Reporters January 19, 2013 2:30AM 0 0 Share 35 [image: Schools CEO BarbarByrd-Bennett speaks City Club Chicago lunch Maggiano's Banquets. File photo. | Rich Hein~Sun-Times] Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett speaks at the City Club of Chicago lunch at Maggiano's Banquets. File photo. | Rich Hein~Sun-Times INTERACTIVE MAP: Potential School Closings RELATED STORIES - CPS won’t close high schools, top performers, By... more »

The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky: The Sunday Mail. by Fred Klonsky [image: 704856_4221285371192_1247059966_o] *Ms Gunderson’s class sings together.* *Now would be a good time for Obama to change his attachment to Duncan* and market-based education reforms. *Why does the US do poorly* on international rankings in education achievement? Too many poor kids. *Karen Lewis* on the Ed Show blog. *$240 billion amassed by 100 richest people enough to end extreme poverty four times over:* Oxfam. *Study shows kids not “kindergarten ready.”* I just kind of expected them to come the first day. Wit... more »

Daily Kos: Armstrong and Woods: Capitalism's Poster Boys

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Daily Kos: Armstrong and Woods: Capitalism's Poster Boys: Armstrong and Woods: Capitalism's Poster Boys byplthomasEdDFollow - - - 1 Comments / 1 New Between parts I and II of Oprah Winfrey's interview with Lance Armstrong, an ad ran on OWN that included a clip of Armstrong acknowledging losing 75 million dollars in one day due to sponsors abandoning him followed by Armstrong noting his lowest moment. The sequence suggests that Armstrong was saying his loss of millions was his lowest moment, but when the full part II ran, Armstrong, in fact, identified removing... more »

Daily Kos: Four Years Ago today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Daily Kos: Four Years Ago today: Four Years Ago today by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Popout We had so much hope then. Around two million people gathered for the event. We should not abandon the dreams and hopes we had then. Full transcript below the fold. My thoughts in the tip jar.

Jeb Bush’s Foundation Wants Florida to Ignore Crony Capitalism on Charter Schools | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jeb Bush’s Foundation Wants Florida to Ignore Crony Capitalism on Charter Schools | Scathing Purple Musings: Jeb Bush’s Foundation Wants Florida to Ignore Crony Capitalism on Charter Schools by Bob Sikes Big charter school operators have been whispering about getting their own independent board to approve charter schools. This week, Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education editorialist Mike Thomas unsurprisingly made the case that it was time for Florida to do just that. Writes Thomas in *The Edfly Blog*: Charters are competitors. They steal customers, deplete revenues ... more »

Occupy the DOE | Dissident Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Occupy the DOE | Dissident Voice: Occupy the DOE by Myles Hoenig This week will see the inauguration of Barack Obama with a lot of corporate fanfare, flags, teary-eyed patriots, and probably an assortment of the usual gun nuts (pro and con), teabaggers, Truthers and true dissenters. Oh, and there’s a lot to dissent about! Free Manning, hands off the Internet, pass Aaron’s Law, close Gitmo and other black sites, stop murdering innocent people with drones, etc. But what will unfortunately be most inaugurated is not just a person, but an ideal. One that says Wall Street rules while ... more »

Shadow Government? The Rules That Govern 501(c)(4)s | Big Money 2012 | FRONTLINE | PBS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Rules That Govern 501(c)(4)s | Big Money 2012 | FRONTLINE | PBS: The Rules That Govern 501(c)(4)s October 30, 2012, 9:12 pm ET by Emma Schwartz [image: Email this]E-MAIL THIS 3 Nearly a century ago, Congress created the complicated legal framework that governs these tax-exempt nonprofits, also known as 501(c)(4)s for the part of the tax code they fall under. That rule said they were supposed to operate “exclusively for the promotion of social welfare” — a definition that includes groups ranging from local fire departments to the Sierra Club to the National Right to Life Committ... more »

Colorado’s minorities losing ground | EdNewsColorado

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Colorado’s minorities losing ground | EdNewsColorado: Colorado’s minorities losing ground by Burt Hubbard and Ann Carnahan Espinola *This article and other material were produced by I-News Network, whose journalists analyzed six decades of reports from the U.S. Census Bureau to track the state’s poverty rates, family income, high school and college graduation rates and home ownership. The analysis uncovered surprising racial and ethnic disparities. Minority gains made during the era of the civil rights movement eroded with time. Colorado evolved from a state that was by most measur... more »

EXCLUSIVE: Department of Education staffer rips standardized testing and tells kids to skip them and nap or go to the zoo instead - NYPOST.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
EXCLUSIVE: Department of Education staffer rips standardized testing and tells kids to skip them and nap or go to the zoo instead - NYPOST.com: Department of Education staffer rips standardized testing, tells students to skip school - By SUSAN EDELMAN and CANDICE M. GIOVE - Last Updated: 6:33 AM, January 20, 2013 - Posted: 11:15 PM, January 19, 2013 [image: Lisa Nielsen] EXCLUSIVE Forget the city’s standardized tests — skip school! That’s the shocking advice publicly offered by Lisa Nielsen, 44, a high-ranking city Department of Education official recently promoted to th... more »

Ravitch responds to an op-ed: Wolf and Witte arguments don't hold up

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Wolf and Witte arguments don't hold up: Wolf and Witte arguments don't hold up By Diane Ravitch Jan. 19, 2013 - - - - EMAIL - PRINT - (0) COMMENTS ** * * *Ravitch responds to an op-ed, also in this Ideas Exchange, by Patrick Wolf and John Witte. They were responding to her initial op-ed.* Milwaukee's choice program is a failure. There are now three separate systems - the public schools, with about 80,000 students; the voucher schools, with about 23,000 students, and the charter schools, with about 20,000 students. There is very little difference among th... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-20-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Illinois: Time to Rethink Common Core and Slow Down by dianerav A reader writes in response to debate about Common Core in Indiana: Common Core and the PARCC Assessment can only be described with one word in Illinois: daunting. Illinois school districts are losing resources yearly, state aid being among them. Last year the state prorated its aid to schools at 94%. This year it is expected to be at 89%, and next year it could be as low as 80%. All this as expectations go up. The little glimpses we’ve recei... more »

United Teachers Los Angeles approves teacher evaluation deal | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
United Teachers Los Angeles approves teacher evaluation deal | EdSource Today: United Teachers Los Angeles approves teacher evaluation deal ** January 19th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on print More Sharing Services United Teachers Los Angeles announced Saturday that teachers had ratified by a 2-to-1 marginthe framework for evaluating teachers that negotiators for the union and Los Angeles Unified reached in November. The two sides reached a court-ordered deal after a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled ... more »

Teacher Quality Mania: Backward by Design - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Teacher Quality Mania: Backward by Design - DailyCensored.com - Breaking Censored News, World, Independent, Liberal News: Teacher Quality Mania: Backward by Design by P.L. Thomas [image: Teacher and Student In A Classroom At School] Let’s return to the allegory of the river. Throughout the Land, people discovered babies floating in the river. A few were chosen to save those babies. While many survived, too many babies perished. Technocrats, Economists, and Statisticians gathered all the Data that they could and discovered that at least 60% of the reason the babies survived or per... more »






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