Saturday, May 4, 2013

2nd Banana 5-4-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post #EDchat #EDreform #soschat #p2 #1u




BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANA 

RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POST





UPDATE: PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 2: Sign this student’s petition! + School closings “another trauma,” say child mental health professionals Support PURE!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » School closings “another trauma,” say child mental health professionals: PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 2: Sign this student’s petition! by admin [image: psat_logo]He has asked twice, very nicely, and he is right on target: Stop tying teacher evaluation to test scores! He’s Aaron Shafer, a senior at Miami University of Ohio, and his petition says, “Standardized tests are not a sound or fair way to evaluate teachers. The higher the stakes we give these tests, the more we will see test prep and test cheating, which goes against the po... more »


No Rich Child Left Behind - NYTimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
No Rich Child Left Behind - NYTimes.com: No Rich Child Left BehindBy SEAN F. REARDON Here’s a fact that may not surprise you: the children of the rich perform better in school, on average, than children from middle-class or poor families. Students growing up in richer families have better grades and higher standardized test scores, on average, than poorer students; they also have higher rates of participation in extracurricular activities and school leadership positions, higher graduation rates and higher rates of college enrollment and completion. Whether you think it deeply unj... more »

UPDATE: More Enlightened than Duncan + Would you sign this? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Would you sign this? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Tupac Shakur, 17, More Enlightened than Duncan MAY 3, 2013 BY PLTHOMASEDD LEAVE A COMMENT Thanks to Stephanie Rivera for posting; see some of the video below in transcript HERE. Tell it on the mountain: - Would you sign this? by Chris Cerrone [image: Screen shot 2013-05-02 at 8.18.15 PM] Teachers and administrators across New York State were told to sign this “Confidentiality Agreement” before scoring the recent ELA and Math State Assessments. Are the exams that are used to judge students, teachers, and schoo... more »


How closing schools hurts neighborhoods

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
How closing schools hurts neighborhoods: How closing schools hurts neighborhoods Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 6, 2013 at 6:00 am 0 Comments More [image: (thenotebook.org)] (thenotebook.org) On Thursday, the Philadelphia school district’s governing board, the School Reform Commission, will be voting on the most massive one-time downsizing of the system ever proposed. The district’s recently revised plan, which has encountered widespread community and teacher opposition, calls for closing 29 out of 239 district schools next fall – a step down from the original proposal to shutte... more »

Rhee, Stargel Got Some ‘Splainin’ to do About Those Parent Trigger Petition Signatures | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Rhee, Stargel Got Some ‘Splainin’ to do About Those Parent Trigger Petition Signatures | Scathing Purple Musings: Rhee, Stargel Got Some ‘Splainin’ to do About Those Parent Trigger Petition Signatures by Bob Sikes Yes, they did: 9 No, they didn’t: 9 (Updates as responses arrive) Kathleen McGrory’s story that appeared in the *Miami Herald *on Friday included revelations that two people on the list of Parent Trigger supporters Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst submitted to Lakeland Senator Kelli Stargel never signed the petition. One confirmed that she did. Scathing Purple Musings... more »

2nd Banana 4-27-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 



BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANA 

RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POST





Taking Responsibility: Who Signs Off on Learning? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Taking Responsibility: Who Signs Off on Learning? - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Taking Responsibility: Who Signs Off on Learning? by Nancy Flanagan In three decades of classroom teaching, I was a participant in hundreds of parent meetings convened because there were concerns about a student's academic performance. These meetings invariably ended by creating an action plan, with everyone present making promises about What Will Happen Next. More often than not, parents and teachers agreed to additional duties: Daily planner checks at home. Weekly written prog... more »

Duncan admits flaws in current standardized testing | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Duncan admits flaws in current standardized testing | EdSource Today: Duncan admits flaws in current standardized testing - by Jane Meredith Adams by Jane Meredith Adams SAN FRANCISCO – Secretary of Education Arne Duncan acknowledged serious flaws in the standardized tests that currently drive American schools, telling an audience of education researchers on Tuesday that the tests are an inadequate gauge of student and teacher performance. Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Duncan criticized “high-stakes testing where children’s lives ... more »

Race to the Top Initiative Getting Mixed Reviews on the Road - Higher Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Race to the Top Initiative Getting Mixed Reviews on the Road - Higher Education: *Race to the Top Initiative Getting Mixed Reviews on the Road* *AN FRANCISCO —* Although the Obama administration’s $4 billion Race to the Top initiative to reform public schools continues to weather criticism, there are no plans to suspend or slow down the signature program, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday. Duncan addressed participants of the annual American Educational Research Association conference. At times, his remarks drew boisterous applause from a standing room-only crowd... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Mess That Is Obama’s Education Policy by dianerav Valerie Strauss does an excellent job of deconstructing the disaster of Obama’s education policy. Remember when candidate Obama in 2008 spoke of hope and change. That kicked many educators to believe that NonChild Left Behind would be ended, tossed into the dustbin of history, where it belongs. Sadly, President Obama built his Race to the Tip right on the flawed foundation of NCLB, and made teaching to the test a necessity. As the for-profit charters prolife... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 5-3-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE* *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* *Kent State Survivors Seek New Probe Of 1970 Shootings* [image: Kent_state_massacre] Kent State, 40 years on: the shredding of constitutional liberty still goes on | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago Kent State, 40 years on: the shredding of constitutional liberty still goes on | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk: Kent State, 40 years on: the shredding of constitutional liberty still goes on To this day, military repression permeates the US. But as history has ... more »

Steve Cohen: From Closing the Achievement Gap to Closing the Opportunity Gap - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Steve Cohen: From Closing the Achievement Gap to Closing the Opportunity Gap - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Steve Cohen: From Closing the Achievement Gap to Closing the Opportunity Gap by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Steve Cohen.* On Monday, when teachers headed back to classrooms, 15,000 other educators descended on San Francisco's upscale Union Square hotels for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting. Feeling a tad overwhelmed by 2,400 sessions, I braved my way to the Westin St. Francis where an audience of about 250 gathered for a sess... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Computerized Testing Disaster Preview

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Computerized Testing Disaster Preview: Computerized Testing Disaster Preview by Duke It's going to be so feakin' awesome when we finally get all the kids taking all those Common Core and PARCC and state-level standardized tests on computers! Because - *considering they must all take them at the same time* - what could possibly go wrong? *School testing came to a halt statewide early Monday because the CTB/McGraw-Hill testing company servers in New Jersey crashed* around 9 a.m., state education officials said. In the last week of Oklahoma's April testing window, ... more »


Diane in the Evening 5-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Will Common Core Make Kids Smarter? by dianerav Arthur Goldstein teaches high school in Queens, New York. Many of his students are English language learners. He blogs at NYC Educator. His blog is one of the best in the nation. He wrote the following for readers of this blog: How Smart Will Common Core Make Our Kids? Judging from the editorials in the papers, you’d think Common Core was the best thing since sliced bread. Actually, sliced bread is highly overrated, as anyone with fresh artisan bread and a good kn... more »

How Parent Trigger Opponents Claimed #ParentEmpowerment As Their Own | StateImpact Florida

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
How Parent Trigger Opponents Claimed #ParentEmpowerment As Their Own | StateImpact Florida: How Parent Trigger Opponents Claimed #ParentEmpowerment As Their Own MAY 3, 2013 | 10:45 AMBY JOHN O'CONNOR - Comment - Email - - @GATORBONBC / TWITTER Just over 24 hours ago, the Tallahassee-based Foundation for Florida’s Future sent out an email asking parent trigger backers to tweet their support. The bill died in the Florida Senate earlier this week on a 20-20 tie vote — for the second year in a row. The bill would allow parents at schools earning a failing grade... more »


UPDATE: Missouri Education Watchdog: The Delphi Technique Did Not Work at the Lindbergh DESE Meeting. People Were "Mad As Hell and They Were Not Going to Take This Anymore".

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: The Delphi Technique Did Not Work at the Lindbergh DESE Meeting. People Were "Mad As Hell and They Were Not Going to Take This Anymore".: STL Today Article on DESE Common Core Meeting at Lindbergh School District by stlgretchen From stltoday and *Critics question Common Core education standards at St. Louis County meeting:* It didn’t take long for the crowd packed into a Lindbergh School District meeting room Thursday to become irritated with the woman giving them an overview of the Common Core Standards. Maureen Clancy-May, an area supervisor with Mi... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center: The Mess That Is Obama’s Education Policy Best of the Ed Blogs Diane Ravitch May 3, 2013 Best of the Ed Blogs *Best of the Ed Blogs* features a frequently updated selection of interesting and insightful blog posts on education policy. The views expressed by the bloggers on our blog roll are thoughtful, original, and entirely their own. We hope you make *Best of the Ed Blogs* your first stop for concise takes on today's most important education topics. The Mess That Is Obama’s Education Policy Best of the Ed Blogs Diane Ravi... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Spread the Word by dianerav The public has been sold a bill of goods about what is needed to improve our schools. We see misinformation on television. We hear it from our leaders in both parties. It is hard to explain the real issues in our schools when the media bombards the public with the corporate reform narrative. Once in a while, some insightful journalist breaks through the media blanket. Here is some good news: I just came across an article posted a whil... more »

California looks to Ontario schools’ reformer for guidance | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
California looks to Ontario schools’ reformer for guidance | EdSource Today: California looks to Ontario schools’ reformer for guidance - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald Michael Fullan may be coming soon to a school district near you. The man credited with transforming the Canadian province of Ontario into one of the world’s most effective school systems is ready to help California do the same. Fullan, though, would lead the state in a sharply different direction from the forced march that federal officials in Washington, D.C., have led over the past decade. [image: Michae... more »

Grading the teachers’ teachers | Hechinger Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Grading the teachers’ teachers | Hechinger Report: Grading the teachers’ teachers By Sarah Carr Gerald Carlson’s heart sank when he received word several years ago that a controversial statistical analysis had decreed his program one of Louisiana’s weakest in preparing educators to teach English language arts. “We thought we had a good program,” said Carlson, dean of the education school at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “We were shocked when we saw the results.” Carlson has since worked with his staff to revamp the school’s curriculum: adding a new class in reading and E... more »

UPDATE: More Enlightened than Duncan + Would you sign this? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Would you sign this? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Tupac Shakur, 17, More Enlightened than Duncan MAY 3, 2013 BY PLTHOMASEDD LEAVE A COMMENT Thanks to Stephanie Rivera for posting; see some of the video below in transcript HERE. Tell it on the mountain: - Would you sign this? by Chris Cerrone [image: Screen shot 2013-05-02 at 8.18.15 PM] Teachers and administrators across New York State were told to sign this “Confidentiality Agreement” before scoring the recent ELA and Math State Assessments. Are the exams that are used to judge students, teachers, and schoo... more »

UPDATE: $20 a month Social Security? + The shame of Illinois House Representative | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The shame of Illinois House Representative Robyn Gabel. | Fred Klonsky: $20 a month Social Security? “I’m stunned.” by Fred Klonsky *Fred,* *I’m concerned when I read the following: “By the way, even though I paid into Social Security for 25 years before I began teaching, my Social Security benefit will be $20 a month.”* *What? How can that possibly be? I’m not questioning your veracity and I’m most definitely in strong agreement with your viewpoints. But I’m incredulous that this could really be accurate.* *How do you work at a job for 25 years and only receive $20 per month in So... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Mess That Is Obama’s Education Policy by dianerav Valerie Strauss does an excellent job of deconstructing the disaster of Obama’s education policy. Remember when candidate Obama in 2008 spoke of hope and change. That kicked many educators to believe that NonChild Left Behind would be ended, tossed into the dustbin of history, where it belongs. Sadly, President Obama built his Race to the Tip right on the flawed foundation of NCLB, and made teaching to the test a necessity. As the for-profit charters prolife... more »

Rally Against Common Core in Topeka, KS on May 8th | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Rally Against Common Core in Topeka, KS on May 8th | Truth in American Education: Rally Against Common Core in Topeka, KS on May 8th by truthed [image: Kansas-State-Capitol-2] From Kansans Against Common Core: *Kansans Against Common Core Rally in Topeka at the Capitol on May 8th* *with special guest and Common Core expert* *Shane Vander Hart* *From Truth in American Education* *2-4pm on the South Lawn* *We are very happy to have Common Core expert Shane Vander Hart with Truth in American Education joining us and speaking about Common Core.* *Shane Vander Hart* is the Editor-in-Chief o... more »

Religious Right Using After-School Bible Clubs to Undermine Public Education, Says Author | NEA Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Religious Right Using After-School Bible Clubs to Undermine Public Education, Says Author | NEA Today: Religious Right Using After-School Bible Clubs to Undermine Public Education, Says Author by twalker *By Tim Walker* For many anti-public education activists, maybe, as the saying goes, “nothing succeeds like failure.” Pushing extremist agendas is often more about undermining, or even dismantling, the institution they claim they want to “reform.” *Journalist Katherine Stewart *sees such a dynamic at work with the Religious Right and its aggressive and increasingly successful cam... more »


Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-2-13 

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


UPDATE: Malloy Reimburses People Magazine + Connecticut TFA Director wants to open a charter school…in Bridgeport - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Connecticut TFA Director wants to open a charter school…in Bridgeport - Wait, What?: Wait, What? Malloy Reimburses People Magazine… by jonpelto “To remove a needless distraction when there are far more important public policy issues to deal with, Gov. Malloy has made the decision to personally reimburse People Magazine for the costs of his attendance at the White House Correspondents Dinner. He has written a personal check for $1,234.62,” said his spokesman, Andrew Doba. You have got to be kidding me! *So it was an official visit to Washington, but he will reimburse People Magaz... more »

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-2-13 AM Posts 

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS






Teach For America Chews Up, Spits Out Another Ethnic-Studies Major | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Teach For America Chews Up, Spits Out Another Ethnic-Studies Major | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: Teach For America Chews Up, Spits Out Another Ethnic-Studies Major NEWS • Education • Patriotism • Culture • College • Work • ISSUE 46•26 ISSUE 41•07 • Feb 16, 2005 - [image: Facebook]2.8K - [image: Twitter]137 - [image: Google Plus]4 NEW YORK—Teach For America, a national program that recruits recent college graduates to teach in low-income rural and urban communities, has devoured another ethnic-studies major, 24-year-old Andy Cuellen reported Tuesday. Cuellen s... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Education Entrepreneurs Excited by New K-12 Opportunitities by dianerav Never doubt that the for-profit sector is ready to close a deal. Here is the scenario: The results of Common Core assessments set off a panic, as passing rates on tests fall. Entrepreneurs rush in, selling stuff to schools that have no money. Schools lay off teachers, social workers, librarians, and guidance counselors, increase class sizes, and shutter programs to buy new stuff. Works for eve... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Jay Nixon's Idea of Citizenship. Will He Teach Students it's Permissible to Break the Law?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Jay Nixon's Idea of Citizenship. Will He Teach Students it's Permissible to Break the Law?: Jay Nixon's Idea of Citizenship. Will He Teach Students it's Permissible to Break the Law? by stlgretchen Jay Nixon is having a terrible time lately with his "misstatements" about data being sent to the Federal Government. From thegatewaypundit and *BUSTED… Napolitano Thanked MO Lib Governor for Breaking Law – Passing Private Info to DHS:* The accusations were out there that the Missouri Department of Revenue was sharing private citizens’ information to DHS....more »

Race to the Top Initiative Getting Mixed Reviews on the Road - Higher Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Race to the Top Initiative Getting Mixed Reviews on the Road - Higher Education: *Race to the Top Initiative Getting Mixed Reviews on the Road* *AN FRANCISCO —* Although the Obama administration’s $4 billion Race to the Top initiative to reform public schools continues to weather criticism, there are no plans to suspend or slow down the signature program, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Tuesday. Duncan addressed participants of the annual American Educational Research Association conference. At times, his remarks drew boisterous applause from a standing room-only crowd... more »

NYC Educator: What Can an Opposition Caucus Win?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
NYC Educator: What Can an Opposition Caucus Win?: What Can an Opposition Caucus Win? by NYC Educator A comment from Norm Scott on one of my recent posts has been rattling around in my head lately, and it really bears a little more attention: *34,000 elem school teachers get only 11 Ex bd seats, 11,000 middle school tchrs get 5 EB and 19000 HS teachers get 7 EB seats for a total of 23 out of 101 eb seats. * This means if an opposition caucus were to win all the divisions, high school, middle school, and elementary school, under UFT rules, they'd have less than a quarter of the sea... more »

UPDATE: Grassroots Report: “If They Can Make it Here, They’ll Make it Anywhere” | The Network For Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Grassroots Report: “If They Can Make it Here, They’ll Make it Anywhere” | The Network For Public Education: How Student Leaders Brought Their Peers Together to Fight Against Unjust Reforms – an NPE Webinar by admin On April 30th, NPE hosted Dynamic Student Leaders for a Webinar about organizing. The Network for Public Education continued its series of webinars focused on giving grassroots activists tools and opportunities to connect with others. We heard from student leaders from around the country, who shared their experiences in organizing on their campuses. Stephanie Rivera, one... more »

Duncan says it’s still possible for state to get NCLB waiver | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Duncan says it’s still possible for state to get NCLB waiver | EdSource Today: Duncan says it’s still possible for state to get NCLB waiver - by John Fensterwald by John Fensterwald California remains interested in receiving a waiver from sanctions under the No Child Left Behind law, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Wednesday it remains possible for the state to get one. But, Duncan said in an interview after an event in Sunnyvale, “It’s getting late in the game” to apply for a state waiver to take effect this fall. State officials have had continuing discussions... more »

Overhaul of Public School Testing - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Overhaul of Public School Testing - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): Key Committee Approves Overhaul of Public School Testing *State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Move to College, Career Readiness* SACRAMENTO—Legislation sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson to create a new statewide assessment system using computer-based exams that would measure and promote student progress toward career and college readiness was approved today by the Assembly Education Committee. The Committee approved Assembly Bill 484 (Bonilla), which would limit the us...more »


Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-1-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 »
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Alliance for Education Annual Report: Alliance for Education Annual Report by Charlie Mas The Alliance for Education has released their annual report for 2012. Let's h...
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Ed Notes Online: Charter Shill and Slimeball Michael Benjamin Joins Corporate attack on Leonie Haimson As People Rise to Her Defense

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Ed Notes Online: Charter Shill and Slimeball Michael Benjamin Joins Corporate attack on Leonie Haimson As People Rise to Her Defense: Charter Shill and Slimeball Michael Benjamin Joins Corporate attack on Leonie Haimson As People Rise to Her Defense by ed notes online *Leonie Has Pissed Off the gods of Corporate Education Reform Celebrate Leonie's accomplishment by visiting her website http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/* What has Leonie done wrong? See below these supporters from Change the Stakes and Leonie's response for her crime of exposing their agenda. What can one... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-1-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Teachers, Staff in UNO Charters Vote to Unionize by dianerav From an AFT press release: CHICAGO—Teachers and staff in the one of city’s largest charter school networks overwhelmingly have chosen the Chicago Alliance of Charter School Teachers and Staff (Chicago ACTS), an affiliate of the 1.5 million-member American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, as their bargaining agent. The decision involves more than 400 teachers and staff in 13 schools operated by the United Neighborhood ... more »

Choosing the Right Battles: Remarks and a Conversation | U.S. Department of Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Choosing the Right Battles: Remarks and a Conversation | U.S. Department of Education: Choosing the Right Battles: Remarks and a Conversation *Remarks of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California* APRIL 30, 2013 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov I'm going to talk at some length today about some of the current controversies over standardized testing and the purposes of assessment. But I want to preface those remarks by saying how much I value compelling education rese... more »

California DFER to National DFER: Butt Out of Our CORE Waiver - Politics K-12 - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
California DFER to National DFER: Butt Out of Our CORE Waiver - Politics K-12 - Education Week: California DFER to National DFER: Butt Out of Our CORE Waiver By Michele McNeil on May 1, 2013 12:39 PM *What a bunch of fake Asses* Two days ago, eight civil rights and disability groups sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urging him to reject the "CORE" waiver request for several California districts looking for their own version of flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act. That list of eight signers included Democrats for Education Reform, which feared that... more »

Merging Innovation and Accountability: Leading Through School Improvement Planning — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Merging Innovation and Accountability: Leading Through School Improvement Planning — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: William Sterrett]Merging Innovation and Accountability: Leading Through School Improvement Planning May 1, 2013 by William Sterrett Two powerful and seemingly competing themes dominate today's educational landscape: innovation and accountability. Many educational leaders are drawn to the promise and potential of new ideas and technologies, while working in the reality of an age of high-stakes tests. Although some see this as a historical pendulum ... more »

Researchers: Stop using the word 'bullying' in school

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Researchers: Stop using the word 'bullying' in school: *Researchers: Stop using the word 'bullying' in school* Greg Toppo, USA TODAY1:10 a.m. EDT May 1, 2013 * * [image: Bullying]A man who described himself as a "disgruntled dad" walks in front of the Ector County Independent School District administration building on Dec. 9, 2011, in Odessa, Texas.(Photo: Mark Sterkel, AP) SAN FRANCISCO – Schools that want to do a better job fighting bullying ought to start with one key step, a group of researchers said Tuesday: Stop using the term "bullying." Because it's "being used for everyth... more »

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-1-13 AM Posts

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




UPDATE: open admission from a “scholar.” + Seeds of the Dogmatic Scholar – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Seeds of the Dogmatic Scholar – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: @teachingquality, please tell me this is a joke. It has to be. @edushyster? by Chalk Face, PhD Am I missing something? Teacherpreneurs, this sounds like a joke. Is this author serious? Exhibit A: I know what you’re thinking. You want to make an impact beyond your classroom while feeding your creative passions (which probably drove you into teaching in the first place). Thirty years of teaching in a silo might not sustain [...] An open admission from a “scholar.” #highered #AERA13 by Chalk Face, PhD I am not a... more »

UPDATE: Breaking. Madigan’s nuclear pension bomb passes + pension screwing of Illinois retirees + The in box. “Dear Representative Moylan.” | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
The in box. “Dear Representative Moylan.” | Fred Klonsky: Breaking. Madigan’s nuclear pension bomb passes out of committee on a 9 to 1 vote. by Fred Klonsky 9:45 AM. Construction halted on UNO’s “Madigan High.” Who paid for UNO junkets to Disneyland for “training”? by Fred Klonsky [image: dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls] *Governor “Squeezy” Quinn, UNO’s Juan Rangel, Michael Madigan and “Fast” Eddie Burke at UNO charter groundbreaking in July.* With Speaker Madigan greasing the way, the Illinois state legislature wrote a check for $98 million to Juan Peoria Democratic Party p... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-1-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Why She Left Teaching by dianerav From a teacher who gave up: After 13+ years as a successful special education teacher in Los Angeles and then Virginia, I resigned last year. I just felt like I could no longer teach one more year in the current atmosphere that the teaching profession has become. I decided to take at least a year off, but it may be permanent. I know I have helped so many students and families over the years, and the students remained the only ... more »

“College and Career Ready” Contest Begins! – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
“College and Career Ready” Contest Begins! – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: “College and Career Ready” Contest Begins! by Kris Nielsen There it is again! Arne Duncan and John King said it at almost the same time! *“College and career-ready.”* If someone would give me one dollar for every time I hear that phrase come out of some Common Core supporter’s mouth, I could probably leave work an hour early every day. [image: Say it again, John! Again!!] *Say it again, John! Say it AGAIN!!* Arne Duncan, Barack Obama, NY Ed Commish John King, Randi Weingarten, and some lady who jus... more »

Extreme Common Core rhetoric clouds serious debate

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Extreme Common Core rhetoric clouds serious debate: Extreme Common Core rhetoric clouds serious debate Posted by Valerie Strauss on May 1, 2013 at 5:00 am 2 Comments More [image: rhetoric]The Common Core State Standards initiative was started with bipartisan support. But new and often nonsensical criticism from right-wing Republicans is making it seem as if the Core is a partisan issue, and, further, is clouding important and serious-minded criticism about the standards and their implementation. Far right-wing commentators, such as Glenn Beck, are shouting that the Core is essential... more »

The Educated Reporter: School Bullying Prevention Task Force Wants Less Talk, More Action

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: School Bullying Prevention Task Force Wants Less Talk, More Action: School Bullying Prevention Task Force Wants Less Talk, More Action by Emily Richmond When it comes to student bullying, a task force of education researchers wants schools to focus more on addressing the underlying issues contributing to bad behavior and spend less time worrying about how to define it. Spurred by recent school shootings and student suicides, last year the American Educational Research Association decided for the first time to formally address bullying at the K-12 and highe... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-30-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE* *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* More trouble for UNO by Mike Klonsky It keeps getting worse and worse for the UNO charter hustlers. Now that *Gov. Quinn* has turned off the $98 million spigot, the construction company and its workers have walked off the job, demanding to be paid. UNO's shiny new charter school has been stalled in mid-stream. According to the Sun-Times: *Patrick Cermak, the president of general contractor Wight & Co. of Darien, cited unspecified past-due payments in a letter * Please, Keep Writing and Teaching [Kick ... more »

Duncan admits flaws in current standardized testing | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Duncan admits flaws in current standardized testing | EdSource Today: Duncan admits flaws in current standardized testing - by Jane Meredith Adams by Jane Meredith Adams SAN FRANCISCO – Secretary of Education Arne Duncan acknowledged serious flaws in the standardized tests that currently drive American schools, telling an audience of education researchers on Tuesday that the tests are an inadequate gauge of student and teacher performance. Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Duncan criticized “high-stakes testing where children’s lives ... more »

Bonds would fund for business investment in schools under Steinberg proposal | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Bonds would fund for business investment in schools under Steinberg proposal | EdSource Today: Bonds would fund for business investment in schools under Steinberg proposal ** April 30th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By Kathryn Baron The leader of the California State Senate says the way to encourage more and stronger bonds between industry and education is through, well, bonds. With California facing a shortage of qualified workers for 21st century jobs, Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg wants to entice businesses to become more involved in job training by asking them t... more »

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-30-13 

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



Common Core Stakes Moratorium Proposed By Unions As National Standards Face Backlash

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Common Core Stakes Moratorium Proposed By Unions As National Standards Face Backlash: Common Core Stakes Moratorium Proposed By Unions As National Standards Face Backlash by Joy Resmovits Dennis Van Roekel, the president of the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, came out in favor of a two-year moratorium on adverse consequences for schools and teachers that have been proposed in connection with the Common Core State Standards in an interview with The Huffington Post Tuesday. "If I had a magic wand, I would make a moratorium for two years," he sa... more »

NYC Educator: What Is Social Justice?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Educator: What Is Social Justice?: What Is Social Justice? by NYC Educator I think MORE, if it wants to prominently label itself the "Social Justice Caucus," needs to clarify this. Perhaps they already have, and if someone will point out where, I'd be happy to acknowledge it on this page. The name seems to have frightened some people on my pal Chaz's blog, and it's drawn comments suggesting that MORE may take a public position on the Israeli-Palestinian controversy. Personally, I've seen no evidence they have, or will. A problem with that label, in my view, is that it fails to... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Walton Foundation Gives $8 Million to Rhee’s StudentsFirst by dianerav Indifferent to John Merrow’s investigative reports on the cheating scandal during Michelle Rhee’s tenure as DC Chancellor, the Walton Family Foundation gave her organization $8 million to continue pushing its radical agenda of attacking teachers and promoting privatization of the nation’s public schools. StudentsFirst advocates that test scores should count for 50% of teacher evaluation, although most researchers Don’t You Love the Provide... more »

UPDATE: PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 2: Sign this student’s petition! + School closings “another trauma,” say child mental health professionals Support PURE!

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » School closings “another trauma,” say child mental health professionals: PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 2: Sign this student’s petition! by admin [image: psat_logo]He has asked twice, very nicely, and he is right on target: Stop tying teacher evaluation to test scores! He’s Aaron Shafer, a senior at Miami University of Ohio, and his petition says, “Standardized tests are not a sound or fair way to evaluate teachers. The higher the stakes we give these tests, the more we will see test prep and test cheating, which goes against the po... more »

Two more schools join the Seattle MAP test boycott and USDOE study on the MAP test gives it a failing grade | Seattle Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Two more schools join the Seattle MAP test boycott and USDOE study on the MAP test gives it a failing grade | Seattle Education: Two more schools join the Seattle MAP test boycott and USDOE study on the MAP test gives it a failing grade by seattleducation2011 …and the Washington Education Association Assembly has voted to support the boycott. [image: ScrpThMAPCttnwea] Ingraham High School and Thornton Creek Elementary have joined the MAP test boycott which brings the number of schools opting out of the MAP test to seven. 30 teachers at Roosevelt High School have also joined ... more »

UPDATE: Moales, Jr.’s financial empire collapsing? +Funny, I thought you said Malloy’s E and E Protection Comm was on an NU - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Funny, I thought you said Malloy’s Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner was on an NU - Wall Street Conference Call - Wait, What?: Is Bridgeport Board of Education Chairman Kenneth Moales, Jr.’s financial empire collapsing? by jonpelto *“I have the financial means to give my children the best. Why would I not give my children the best? … The best for my sons is at Fairfield Country Day,” said Moales, adding that he has 400 children from his church, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, in the public school because he doesn’t have the means to send them all to private school... more »

The deception continues on the parent trigger… | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
The deception continues on the parent trigger… | Parents Across America: The deception continues on the parent trigger… by pureparents This blog was written last night by PAA founding member Rita Solnet. Today’s news was huge – Rita, PAA and other parents and parent groups in Florida have defeated the parent trigger there. More on that later, But meanwhile, some valuable insight from Rita: Watching the Florida Senate debate the so-called Parent Empowerment bill, is like watching an episode of Truth or Dare. The bill’s sponsor, Senator Kelli Stargel (R)- Lakeland, clumsily danced ... more »

PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 1: Stop shopping at Walmart!!! Parents United for Responsible Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 1: Stop shopping at Walmart!!!: PSAT for 4-30-13, Part 1: Stop shopping at Walmart!!! by admin Why would anyone who cares about public schools shop at Walmart? Really, folks. It’s your money. And when you shop at WalMart, your money goes to support: - *more charter schools:* $3.8 million in Chicago alone including $230,000 for UNO charter schools. - *more school closings:* $500,000 to pay for Chicago’s sham “public engagement” school closing hearings.[image: WalMartFrown] - *more astrotu... more »

It's All About the Leadership — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
It's All About the Leadership — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Kay Wejrowski]It’s All About the Leadership April 30, 2013 by Kay Wejrowski Recently, I dropped off more than one hundred certificates for our principal, Mat McRae, to sign for winners in our high school's March Into Reading challenge. For the contest, students could draw or paint a new cover for their favorite book; create a book out of metal, wood, clay, or the medium of their choice; or create a graphic design that promotes reading. When all the entries were in, we had nearly three hundred project... more »

UPDATE: Consumed by Advocacy in the Marketplace of Mendacity – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Consumed by Advocacy in the Marketplace of Mendacity – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Colorado Observer and Sunana Batra (@cold666pack) Censor Comments supportive of Teacher Brian White by Timothy D. Slekar Do you remember Brian White? You know…the teacher from Colorado that decided to fight back against corporate education reform. The teacher who spoke these words at his local school board meeting: Good evening. My name is Brian White. I’m a parent of two young children currently enrolled in Douglas County schools, a taxpayer, involved community [...] The Benefits (and... more 

UPDATE: RFA: TUPE County Technical Assistance & Leadership Funds (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
RFA: TUPE County Technical Assistance & Leadership Funds (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces Winner of the 2013 Grazer Outstanding Achievement in Learning Award SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the 2013 Grazer Outstanding Achievement in Learning (GOAL) award will be presented to the CHIME Institute's Schwarzenegger Community School, a K-8 public charter school in Woodland Hills. "We have a responsibility to provide all of our students in California with the education, support, and tools necessary...more »

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-30-13 AM Posts 

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




UPDATE: Luetkemeyer Letter Goes To Duncan + Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core to Teach Preschoolers/Kindergartners "Executive Function Skills"

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core to Teach Preschoolers/Kindergartners "Executive Function Skills": Luetkemeyer Letter Goes To Duncan With 34 Signatures by Anngie Congressman Luetkemeyer of Missouri District Three submitted his letter to US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressing concern over the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to circumvent Congress with major changes to education and student privacy policies. An excerpt reads: “Since the ESEA’s expiration, the Department of Education has moved forward with education policy reform without Congressional input....more »

UPDATE: AFT’s Weingarten urges moratorium on high stakes linked to new standardized tests

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
AFT’s Weingarten urges moratorium on high stakes linked to new standardized tests: AFT’s Weingarten urges moratorium on high stakes linked to new standardized tests Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 30, 2013 at 10:07 am [image: randi] Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, Tuesday called for a moratorium on the consequences of high-stakes testing because new standardized assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards are unfairly being given to students before teachers have ha... more »

Cracks in the Common Core Coalition: On the Right, Left, and Now in the Center, Too - Dana Goldstein

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Cracks in the Common Core Coalition: On the Right, Left, and Now in the Center, Too - Dana Goldstein: Cracks in the Common Core Coalition: On the Right, Left, and Now in the Center, Too by Dana Goldstein In a speech in New York this morning, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called for a moratorium on high stakes attached to Common Core assessments. A survey of AFT members found that most believe they have not received adequate professional development or instructional materials aligned to the new standards. Weingarten said tests like the ones rolled out... more »

Weingarten calling for moratorium on Common Core stakes | GothamSchools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Weingarten calling for moratorium on Common Core stakes | GothamSchools: Weingarten calling for moratorium on Common Core stakes by Philissa Cramer After dropping hints in interviews and public appearances for weeks, AFT President Randi Weingarten is formally weighing in on the backlash to the Common Core standards today by calling for a moratorium on consequences attached to Common Core test scores. Weingarten is making the proposal right now in a speech to business and civic leaders at the Association for a Better New York, a pit stop for public figures with new ideas to float. ... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Randi Calls for a Moratorium on High Stakes for Common Core Tests by dianerav This morning I went to hear Randi Weingarten speak to a major group of business and civic leaders in New York City. Present also were the state’s education leaders, including Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch as well as College Board President (and Common Core architect) David Coleman. Randi praised the Common Core as the most important innovation in education in our generation, but w... more »

The Senate Deception Continues on Parent Trigger - MyEdNext

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
The Senate Deception Continues on Parent Trigger - MyEdNext: The Senate Deception Continues on Parent Trigger Watching the Florida Senate debate the so-called Parent Empowerment bill, is like watching an episode of Truth or Dare. The bill's sponsor, Senator Kelli Stargel (R)- Lakeland, clumsily danced around answers to pertinent questions, like, *"Why is a parent trigger even needed in Florida?"* or, *"Who supports parent trigger in Florida."* I'm tired of the non answers, the wrong answers, and frankly, the lies presented with gusto such as the fabricated parent group with t... more »

The NFL Draft Has Lots To Teach Administrators [Edutopia] | The Jose Vilson

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
The NFL Draft Has Lots To Teach Administrators [Edutopia] | The Jose Vilson: The NFL Draft Has Lots To Teach Administrators [Edutopia] by Jose Vilson [image: Tyrann Mathieu at the NFL Scouting Combine] Tyrann Mathieu at the NFL Scouting Combine Here’s my recent article comparing the way the NFL recruits players in their scouting combine to what public education currently does. Stats and Equations vs. the Team as an EcosystemTrying to develop equations for player effectiveness doesn’t always work well. ESPN tried to develop its own quarterback equation, but found it wasn’t that simp... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-29-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE* *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* TOMORROW: Support Whittier School's Battle to Keep LSC-Selected Principal Zoila Garcia by Mike Klonsky Meeting Tuesday, April 30th, 3 PM at Whittier School On April 4, 2013, the principal at Whittier Elementary School in Pilsen, was removed by the Pilsen/Little Village Network Chief Stephen Zrike and reassigned temporarily to work from home. Principal Zoila Garcia had been at Whittier for 9 years and her contract was renewed by the Whittier Local School Council last year. Faculty was informed of the de... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes, the Cracks are Showing in Ed Reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Yes, the Cracks are Showing in Ed Reform: Yes, the Cracks are Showing in Ed Reform by Melissa Westbrook I have my own threads to write on the large and visible cracks in ed reform that are showing. But in brief: - TFA? There is now a group of ex-TFA that have organized to get TFA to go away. It's not just a few people, it's now a whole group. - Common Core? There's another big story of states starting to back away. One reason is something I have said would come and that's the day that conservatives realize that local control goes ... more »

Opening Statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan--Release of NIEER's "The State of Preschool 2012" Yearbook | U.S. Department of Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Opening Statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan--Release of NIEER's "The State of Preschool 2012" Yearbook | U.S. Department of Education: Opening Statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan--Release of NIEER's "The State of Preschool 2012" Yearbook APRIL 29, 2013 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov [image: View Full Report PDF]Full Report (PDF) Go to 2012 Yearbook Homepage Secretary Sebelius has been a great advocate for children and a fantastic partner with ED in our work together on early learning. I can't thank her enough for stepping u... more »

Georgia high school holds first integrated prom Brown v. Board of Education May 17, 1954

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Georgia high school holds first integrated prom: Georgia high school holds first integrated prom - Brown v. Board of Education May 17, 1954 Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 29, 2013 at 5:41 pm [image: Students from Wilcox County High School who are fighting to have an integrated prom. (Screengrab from a video by WSAV)] Students from Wilcox County High School who pushed for their school’s first integrated prom. (Screengrab from a video by WSAV) They did it. A small group of students in Georgia staged their high school’s first integrated prom, breaking a long-time tradition of tw... more »

Florida Parents Don't Let the Sunshine Melt Your AstroTurf +

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
*Florida Parents Don't Let the Sunshine Melt Your AstroTurf * Sunshine Parents - Sneak Peak from Sunshine Parents on Vimeo. [image: Sunshine Parents] Sunshine Parents - Sneak Peak from Sunshine Parents PLUS 6 days ago NOT YET RATED Sunshine Parents is about parents speaking out in support for Parent Empowerment legislation. This is a sneak peak. For the full 30min mini documentary please go to - vimeo.com/64156006 Parents want to be sure their sons and daughters are getting the very best educational opportunities, regardless of their circumstance. The voices of all families s... more »

Bye-Bye STAR Hello State Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress for the 21st Century Vote on AB 484 Wed. 5-1-13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
*Bye-Bye STAR * * Hello State Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress for the 21st Century * *Vote on AB 484 Wed. 5-1-13* * *** * * *Time is short before the vote Wednesday 5-1-13* *. Send a letter to members of the committee today and tell them what you think....* * * *CA Assembly Education Committee * Assemblyman Das Williams Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen Assemblywoman Nora Campos Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian Assemblyman Rocky Chavez Assemblywoman Shirley Weber *The Bill* *AB 484* *Title:* Pupil Assessments: Measurement of Performance/Progress... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The NY Times Editorial Endorsing Common Core by dianerav Several readers asked me to comment on the New York Times editorial endorsing the Common Core. I held off because there didn’t seem to be anything to say other than that the Times’ editorial board is repeating what they were told by promoters of the Common Core. The Common Core has serious problems, and there is no evidence that the Times gave any thought to those problems. It really does matter that no one knows how these standards will work in practice. No... more »

Broad school bully?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Broad school bully?: Broad school bully? [image: U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, second from left, and the Broad Foundation´s Eli Broad, second from right, congratulate San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, center, at the Library of Congress Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005, in Washington, for winning $125,000 in scholarships as a finalist for the 2005 Broad Prize for Public Education. Ackerman is joined by Eric Mar, left, president of the SUSD Board of Education, and Dennis Kelly, right, president of the UnitedEducators of San Francisco. San... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, April 29, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Skelton: Gov. Brown as Robin Hood* Education Headlines *Monday, April 29, 2013* CHRISTINE FRAZIER: A new funding model for next generation of studentsThis year, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a complete overhaul of education funding that I believe will provide greater equity in funding to California's school districts based on the differential costs of educating California's students. Skelton: Gov. Brown as Robin HoodHis plan to shift money from suburban to urban districts might help disadvantaged students but it could hurt other... more »

UPDATE: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Legislature Can't Get It Done, Adjourns

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Legislature Can't Get It Done, Adjourns: Mayoral Forum Tonight by Melissa Westbrook There is yet another mayoral forum tonight. Mike McGinn, Charlie Staadecker, Tim Burgess, Bruce Harrell, Ed Murray, Peter Steinbrueck, Kate Martin and Mary Martin will meet at 6:30 p.m. at South Seattle Community College’s Georgetown campus. Doors will open at 6 p.m. It's at 6737 Corson Ave. S., Rooms 110/111 and moderated by the swell C.R. Douglas of Q13 News. Interesting Article from the NYT by Michael Rice Some thought provoking information that I hope the decis... more »

UPDATE: Governor Deal Needs to Learn + It’s Not to Late for Kansans to Fight the Common Core | Truth in American Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
It’s Not to Late for Kansans to Fight the Common Core | Truth in American Education: Governor Deal Needs to Learn a Good Deal More About the Common Core by Shane Vander Hart [image: nathan-deal]Governor Nathan Deal (R-GA) is not sure why the Republican National Committee passed a resolution against the Common Core State Standards. He believes they are a state-led effort and they make sense. *The Marietta Daily Journal* reported Friday that Governor Deal was asked about the Common Core State Standards at a bill signing in Cobb County. His remarks: I think the misconception is th... more »

Modern School: Terrorist Teachers Threatened in Mexico

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Modern School: Terrorist Teachers Threatened in Mexico: Terrorist Teachers Threatened in Mexico by Michael Dunn *REALLY "BAD" TEACHERS* The U.S. may have initiated the absurd propagandistic ploy of equating teachers with terrorists back when Bush’s Education Secretary, Reid Lyon, called the National Educators Association a terrorist organization.* *However, the Mexican state has taken it a step further, issuing arrest orders against Minervino Morán and Gonzalo Juárez, leaders of the Guerrero Teachers Union (*Coordinadora Estatal de Trabajadores de la Educación en Guerrero,* CETEG).... more »

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-29-13 AM Posts 

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS





LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] NYC Mayoral Education Debate, May 2 in Brooklyn by dianerav Want to know where the Democratic primary candidates stand on education? Ask!View this email in your browser *A forum on the future of public education*in NYCwith Democratic primary mayoralcandidatesModerated by*Diane Ravitch* Thursday May 2nd 5:30-7:00 pm PS 29 (425 Henry Street, Brooklyn) What do 800,000+ New Yorkers have in common? We are NYC public school parents. And Parents Ask Questions. Ask You... more »

UPDATE: Dannel’s Spring Break 2013 – The White House Correspondent’s Dinner April, 27 2013 - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Dannel’s Spring Break 2013 – The White House Correspondent’s Dinner April, 27 2013 - Wait, What?: Meanwhile, did you get paid $900 for working Sunday? by jonpelto No? Well you need a contract like Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s “superintendent of schools.” According to the legal version of his contract, “…Mr. Vallas shall be paid a salary of $4,500 per week…It is understood and agreed that Mr. Vallas may engage in other employment and/or volunteer activities during the term (e.g. volunteer efforts in Haiti), the specific days of which will be taken in coordination with the Board Chai... more »

UPDATE: Fewer, Clearer, Higher – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Fewer, Clearer, Higher – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: AERA President Tierney Speech on Poverty Followed by Champagne Reception by Jim Horn *AERA Presidential Address: William G. Tierney (#AERAPres)* *Beyond the Ivory Tower: The Role of the Intellectual in Eliminating Poverty * *Time*: Mon, Apr 29, 4:35 – 5:50 pm *Location*: Hilton Union Square, Ballroom Level – Continental 4-6 In his presidential address*, *William Tierney will examine the twin themes of how educational organizations might improve access and equity, and what the role of the intellectual is in the eliminatio... more »

First academic study of controversial LA Unified teacher evaluation program | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
First academic study of controversial LA Unified teacher evaluation program | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC: First academic study of controversial LA Unified teacher evaluation program by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez [image: Mercer 6805]*Pilot program using student tests scores to evaluate teacher gets its own good grade in first study.; Credit: Tim Boyle/Getty Images News* An academic study of a teacher evaluation method that looks at how much teachers are able to improve students' test scores gave the pilot program a good grade. But the study comes too late -- the teacher's union and Los Angele... more »

Preschool Funding Reached 'State Of Emergency' In 2012: NIEER Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Preschool Funding Reached 'State Of Emergency' In 2012: NIEER Report: Preschool Funding Reached 'State Of Emergency' In 2012: NIEER Report by Joy Resmovits States are drastically underfunding programs for their youngest learners now more than ever, according to a report released Monday, even as researchers and policymakers increasingly point to pre-school as a ladder to the middle class. Funding per student for state pre-school programs has reached its lowest point in a decade, according to "The State of Preschool 2012," the annual yearbook released by Rutgers University's Nation... more »

Where Is The Middle Ground In The Education Debate

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Where Is The Middle Ground In The Education Debate: Where Is The Middle Ground In The Education Debate By Jeff Bryant | October 13, 2011 By the time that July slips slowly off the calendar, events this month — culminating with an upcoming teacher/parent-organized *march on the nation’s capital* – will have clarified all too well the lay of the land in the debate on the fate of our nation’s public schools. And no, education is not “the new abortion,” as was recently declared in *this article* by Richard Whitmire, author of *The Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes on the Nation’s Worst Sch... more »

The Educated Reporter: State Spending on Preschool Hits 10-Year Low as Policymakers Push for Federal Investment

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: State Spending on Preschool Hits 10-Year Low as Policymakers Push for Federal Investment: State Spending on Preschool Hits 10-Year Low as Policymakers Push for Federal Investment by Emily Richmond Even as President Obama launches a massive push expand preschool opportunities for young children, early childhood education advocates are expressing dismay over a new report that access and funding have hit 10-year lows. The president's plan would expand opportunities for families that don't have the means to pay for private preschool programs but also earn too m... more »

Analysis: Experience in Florida suggests caution with teacher evaluations not a bad idea SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Analysis: Experience in Florida suggests caution with teacher evaluations not a bad idea *By Tom Chorneau* Monday, April 29, 2013 Last week California lawmakers failed for a second consecutive year to find agreement on a new system for evaluating classroom educators – shooting down in the state Senate what the author called a modest proposal requiring districts to use multiple measurements in performing evaluations at least every three years for veteran personnel. The legislation faced stiff opposition from the state’s powerful teachers u... more »

Moms’ group shakes up status quo on Texas’ testing regimen | www.statesman.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Moms’ group shakes up status quo on Texas’ testing regimen | www.statesman.com: Moms’ group shakes up status quo on Texas’ testing regimen - COMMENT(2) - 3 594 9 617 Related View Larger [image: Moms’ group shakes up status quo on Texas’ testing regimen photo] Rodolfo Gonzalez The leaders of Texans Advocating For Meaningful Student Assessments have sparked a statewide parent movement to curtail standardized testing. By Kate Alexander American-Statesman Staff They were dismissed as moms, overprotective and easily manipulated moms. But those women, determined to protect their ch... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Failure to Manage

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Failure to Manage: Failure to Manage by Charlie Mas The core mission of Seattle Public Schools is to educate students. The executives and managers in the District who are most directly responsible for the accomplishment of that mission are: - Superintendent, Jose Banda - Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Michael Tolley - Executive Director of Curriculum and Instructional Support, Shauna Heath - Executive Directors of Schools, Marni Campbell, Carmela Dellino, Kim Whitworth - Principals I don't know about yo... more »

Chicago Student Boycott: Israel and Malcolm set the record straight – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Chicago Student Boycott: Israel and Malcolm set the record straight – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Chicago Student Boycott: Israel and Malcolm set the record straight by Timothy D. Slekar “Hundreds of Chicago students are taking up the mantle in the fight against the role of standardized tests in public school closures as they walked out of a state exam Wednesday. Their message: “We are over-tested, under-resourced and fed up!” Common Dreams. “The only place that students should be during the school day is in the classroom with their teachers getting the education they ...more »

Research on Reforms Our mission is to contribute to the improvement of the New Orleans Public Schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 48 minutes ago
Research on Reforms: Our mission is to contribute to the improvement of the New Orleans Public Schools by conducting research on reforms, and publishing research findings, so that successful reforms can be replicated, and failing practices can be eliminated. Our organization goals and our mission are founded upon the premise that effective education policies and practices: 1. Promote equal access and quality education for all students, 2. Are research-based and data-driven, and 3. Reflect an understanding of how children learn and how schools become effectiv... more »

Wresting the Public’s Rights: Lawsuits Against White, LDOE et al. | deutsch29

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Wresting the Public’s Rights: Lawsuits Against White, LDOE et al. | deutsch29: Wresting the Public’s Rights: Lawsuits Against White, LDOE et al. by deutsch29 Corporate reform thrusts ahead with little regard for what is legal or even decent. Privatizers are just fine with forcing those whose lives they callously damage to spend both money and time in litigation in order to gain what they were legally entitled to in the first place. I’m sure Eli Broad would be proud. He probably offers *Make the “Non-talented” Waste Their Resources on Needless Litigation* as a course at his (We ... more »

Daily Kos: Religious indoctrination in the military is now a serious issue

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Daily Kos: Religious indoctrination in the military is now a serious issue: Religious indoctrination in the military is now a serious issue by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) It must be. After all, Sally Quinn, wife of former legendary editor of the *Washington Post* Ben Bradlee and author of the "On Faith" part of the paper, wrote that U.S. military should put religious freedom at the front. There are others here for whom tracking the Dominionists in America, including what they are doing in the military, is their main focus. Thus you could - and should - have read Death by Domin... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-28-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Dayne Sherman: Jindal’s War Against the People of Louisiana by dianerav Dayne Sherman is going to a rally at the state capitol in Baton Rouge on April 30. The people of Louisiana are waking up to Jindal’s war against the common weal. Now, says Sherman, even the Legislature is turning against Jindal. Four big issues stir public antipathy: *First, we have to repeal the tax give-aways passed under Jindal. Rep. Jerome “Dee” Richard (I-Thibodaux) has a bill to do this very thing. We now give away an extra 2 billion... more »

Pre #commoncore kindergarten and #commoncore kindergarten – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Pre #commoncore kindergarten and #commoncore kindergarten – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Pre #commoncore kindergarten and #commoncore kindergarten by Timothy D. Slekar Thanks to Sara Wottwa for the image collections below. You can read about these images on her blog at http://nocommonsenseeducation.blogspot.com/2013/04/kindergarten-comparison.html . Kindergarten (Pre Common Core) [image: CAM00512-1] Common Core Kindergarten [image: Mikey's Kindergarten Experience] It’s never too early to start getting your five-year olds ready for college and careers! Someone has to ... more »

No Rich Child Left Behind - NYTimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
No Rich Child Left Behind - NYTimes.com: No Rich Child Left BehindBy SEAN F. REARDON Here’s a fact that may not surprise you: the children of the rich perform better in school, on average, than children from middle-class or poor families. Students growing up in richer families have better grades and higher standardized test scores, on average, than poorer students; they also have higher rates of participation in extracurricular activities and school leadership positions, higher graduation rates and higher rates of college enrollment and completion. Whether you think it deeply unj... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Important! Attorney handling class action lawsuit vs. NYS exams wants to hear from NYS parents

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Important! Attorney handling class action lawsuit vs. NYS exams wants to hear from NYS parents: Important! Attorney handling class action lawsuit vs. NYS exams wants to hear from NYS parents by Leonie Haimson Van White, the attorney handling the class action lawsuit of parents whose child was punished for opting out of the state exams in the Rochester area, is looking for information from New York state parents, to be sent to him at van.white@thelegalbrief.com. More specifically, he would like to hear from parents if their children opted out of thes... more »

Sunday reads. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Sunday reads. | Fred Klonsky: Sunday reads. by Fred Klonsky [image: 2013_04_27_CM9] *Photo: Chicagoist.com Friday’s Chicago Critical Mass bike ride in support of keeping all Chicago public schools open. * *Did you watch the game?** ‘‘Grueling,’’ *Hinrich said in summing up the Bulls’ Game 4 victory at the United Center.* ‘‘It was just one of those games that everyone is going to be talking about for a while.’’* *One year moratorium* on virtual charters. *Family wealth* is still the greatest predictor of school success. *Life in Rahm’s Chicago.* Alderman’s sister gets a key post in CP... more »

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-28-13 AM Posts 

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




Rhee, Stargel Got Some ‘Splainin’ to do About Those Parent Trigger Petition Signatures | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Rhee, Stargel Got Some ‘Splainin’ to do About Those Parent Trigger Petition Signatures | Scathing Purple Musings: Rhee, Stargel Got Some ‘Splainin’ to do About Those Parent Trigger Petition Signatures by Bob Sikes Yes, they did: 9 No, they didn’t: 9 (Updates as responses arrive) Kathleen McGrory’s story that appeared in the *Miami Herald *on Friday included revelations that two people on the list of Parent Trigger supporters Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst submitted to Lakeland Senator Kelli Stargel never signed the petition. One confirmed that she did. Scathing Purple Musings... more »

Remarks by The President at The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner | The White House

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Remarks by The President at The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner | The White House: Remarks by The President at The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner by The White House Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C. 10:14 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. (Laughter.) How do you like my new entrance music? (Applause.) Rush Limbaugh warned you about this -- second term, baby. (Laughter and applause.) We’re changing things around here a little bit. (Laughter.) Actually, my advisors were a little worried about the new rap ent... more »

Duncan Protest Planned at AERA – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Duncan Protest Planned at AERA – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Duncan Protest Planned at AERA by Jim Horn For the first time since I can remember some members of the American Educational Research Association (AERA)—the largest association of educators and educational researchers in the world—are taking a public stand at AERA’s annual meeting in San Francisco against the corporatization, standardization and privatization of education. [image: reclaimaera-thumbnail]Sadly, the leadership of AERA has invited Arne Duncan, who represents and supports the technocratic, dehumaniz... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-28-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] NYC Parent Meeting on inBloom and Student Privacy Tomorrow by dianerav This notice just in: “Parents, do you know your child’s confidential, personal school records are going to be shared with a corporation called inBloom Inc? This highly sensitive information will be stored on a data cloud and disclosed to for-profit corporations to help them develop and market their “learning products” The data will include your child’s names, address, photo, email, test score... more »

Nearly 12% of Sac City students chronically absent, UC Davis study finds - Education - The Sacramento Bee

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Nearly 12% of Sac City students chronically absent, UC Davis study finds - Education - The Sacramento Bee: Nearly 12% of Sac City students chronically absent, UC Davis study finds lkalb@sacbee.comPUBLISHED SUNDAY, APR. 28, 2013 *"Poverty proved to be a major facet of the problem."* Thousands of Sacramento City Unified School District students consistently fail to take the most basic step toward learning at school – showing up for class. A sobering report on chronically high absenteeism in the district found 11.7 percent of the students miss at least one out of every 10 school days.... more »

Parents struggle with funding the high cost of college educations - The Denver Post

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Parents struggle with funding the high cost of college educations - The Denver Post: *Parents struggle with funding the high cost of college educations* Brian Kerr and his wife, Julie, oversee studying by their quadruplets at their home in Littleton last week. The quadruplets, from left, are Chrissy, Clare, John and Catherine. After having already paid for their two older daughters to go to college, Brian and Julie Kerr now have their 17-year-old quadruplets, juniors in high school, beginning to look at college. (*Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post*) Brian Kerr admits that whe... more »

Education programs funding - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Education programs funding - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: S.758 Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 7 minutes ago A bill to establish a comprehensive literacy program. Bill Introduced: S.756 Helping Schools Protect Our Children Act of 2013 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 7 minutes ago A bill to allow funds under title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to be used to provide training to school personnel regarding how to rec... more »

RPNPS Voices: Scenes From The Uptown Rally and March Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
RPNPS Voices: Scenes From The Uptown Rally and March Today: "Rogers Park Neighbors For Public Schools" Scenes From The Uptown Rally and March Today Here's a bit of a slide show from today's event in Uptown. It was a terrific rally and march--- we made banners, listened to the Stewart band, had a press conference, and marched around the various parts of Uptown that are struggling to survive. "The stations of gentrification," is how I referred to it. Stewart Elementary, The Men's Hotel, the former Hull House, and Stockton Elementary. Karen Zaccor and Stavroula Harrisis from North... more »

Cage-Busting Skunks Disrupting the Status Quo - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Cage-Busting Skunks Disrupting the Status Quo - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Cage-Busting Skunks Disrupting the Status Quo by Nancy Flanagan ** *"When you wage war on the public schools, you're attacking the mortar that holds the community together. You're not a conservative, you're a vandal."* ~Garrison Keillor~ This is a blog about innovation--that is, innovation in public education. More specifically, creating catchy memes to push "pioneering" thinking while simultaneously attacking the "status quo" (painted as bad, very bad) in American education. Und... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Why do the media nearly always frame education issues as the UFT vs. the Mayor; and Ben Chapman's response

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Public School Parents: Why do the media nearly always frame education issues as the UFT vs. the Mayor; and Ben Chapman's response: Why do the media nearly always frame education issues as the UFT vs. the Mayor; and Ben Chapman's response by Leonie Haimson [image: Corporate Media = Corporate Lies] One of my particular gripes is how the politics of education in NYC is usually framed by the media in simplistic terms as a battle between the teachers union vs. the mayor, without any reference to the views of parents, advocates or other members of the community. This is especially ... more »

Students organizing Georgia integrated prom: Governor’s silence is ‘political suicide’ | The Raw Story

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Students organizing Georgia integrated prom: Governor’s silence is ‘political suicide’ | The Raw Story: Students organizing Georgia integrated prom: Governor’s silence is ‘political suicide’ by Arturo Garcia [image: Georgia Governor Nathan Deal via Wikimedia Commons] Two of the student organizers of the first integrated prom for a Georgia high school told Democracy Now anchors Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez that Gov. Nathan Deal’s (R) reluctance to back them could come back to haunt him politically. “It really shocked me,” Wilcox County High School student Brandon Davis said in an... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Perth Amboy Schools Circus Update

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Jersey Jazzman: Perth Amboy Schools Circus Update: Perth Amboy Schools Circus Update by Duke So what's new in Perth Amboy, The Reformiest District in New Jersey™? The superintendent of the city's schools says that a board member is lying about where he lives, the most recent salvo in an ongoing public-education battle. *Janine Caffrey said at a school board meeting Thursday night that the state is investigating whether Israel Varela lives on Lewis Street in the city or 40 miles away in Hunterdon County*. School board members are required to live in the school district. *"He needs... more »

Bennett: #commoncore because Exxon-Mobile said so. – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Bennett: #commoncore because Exxon-Mobile said so. – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Bennett: #commoncore because Exxon-Mobile said so. by Timothy D. Slekar Thanks to Bob Sikes for bringing us a new defense for the common core. It seems that the Sun Sentinel was present at the Broward Workshop’s State of Our County forum on April 12 and got the pleasure of listening to Tony Bennet defend the federally imposed/market driven common core curriculum. You know the #commoncore? - The standards that are really a curriculum that will usher in an era of testing never before ... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Parent: I Am Fighting Against the Testing Mania by dianerav I received an email from a parent in Long Island who has decided to join the campaign against high-stakes testing. She blames Common Core for her children’s unhappiness with school, but Common Core is just the latest manifestation of the testing obsession embedded in No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. She blogs, writes letter, button holes elected officials. She is fighting for her children and for all other children. With more parents like h... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Revenge Against Those Who Question "Reform"

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Revenge Against Those Who Question "Reform": Revenge Against Those Who Question "Reform" by Duke Back in November - before Chris Christie declared that poor black people in Camden weren't capable of running their schools like rich white people in the 'burbs - the Camden school board actually wielded a little power. And last year enough members of the board banded together to exercise that power and stop South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross from bringing the national charter chain KIPP into Camden to establish a quasi-charter where a new *public* school was... more »

PAA leader helps expose Parent Revolution carpetbagging | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
PAA leader helps expose Parent Revolution carpetbagging | Parents Across America: PAA leader helps expose Parent Revolution astroturfers by pureparents Rita Solnet, PAA founding member and leader of PAA Florida affiliate Testing is not Teaching, reports that she and others have helped expose Parent Revolution’s carpetbagging. PR (an apt acronym) is a California group funded by Gates, Walton and the usual gang to promote charter schools and the parent trigger. No Florida parent group has come out in favor of the parent trigger, but Parent Revolution’s astroturfers have staged a... more »

Tony Bennett’s Desperate, Disengenuous Defense of Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Tony Bennett’s Desperate, Disengenuous Defense of Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings: Tony Bennett’s Desperate, Disengenuous Defense of Common Core by Bob Sikes *Indiana Deals Major Blow to National Education Standards — American Principles in Action* *Sun Sentinel *reporter Anthony Man was in attendance when Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett made a speech to Broward Workshop’s State of Our County forum on April 12. Bennett focused his speech on the sudden and unexpected debate that’s emerged on Common Core Standards. “I would like to start my comments today around ...more »

A ‘parent trigger’ mystery solved in Florida

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
A ‘parent trigger’ mystery solved in Florida: A ‘parent trigger’ mystery solved in Florida Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 27, 2013 at 11:06 am 0 Comments More [image: parent-trigger1]Every major parents group in Florida, including the PTA, has long been vocally opposed to the “parent trigger” legislationnow before the state legislature. Recently, a new group called Sunshine Parents was formed, this one in support of parent trigger — laws allowing parents at a failing school the right to change the school’s structure. What seemed unusual about the group wasn’t that some parents ... more »

2nd Banana 4-27-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 



BIG EDUCATION APE 2ND BANANA 

RECAP OF LAST WEEK'S BEST POST





Kelli Stargel’s Fake List of Parent Trigger Supporters that MIchelle Rhee Provided | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Kelli Stargel’s Fake List of Parent Trigger Supporters that MIchelle Rhee Provided | Scathing Purple Musings: Kelli Stargel’s Fake List of Parent Trigger Supporters that MIchelle Rhee Provided by Bob Sikes Earlier this week, Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland), was asked by constituents and members of the media for the list of supporters she’s been touting during her advancement of the Parent Trigger bill she’s sponsoring. The list came from Michelle Rhee’s organization, StudentsFirst. Scathing Purple Musings has a copy of the list, but more importantly, Mary McGrory of the *Miami... more »

TALLAHASSEE: Parent trigger bill spawns mystery video from supposed supporters - Florida - MiamiHerald.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
TALLAHASSEE: Parent trigger bill spawns mystery video from supposed supporters - Florida - MiamiHerald.com: Parent trigger bill spawns mystery video from supposed supporters [image: A video that features South Florida moms praising the parent-trigger bill was attributed to a mysterious group known as the Sunshine Parents. But it was actually produced by a California-based advocacy group.] A video that features South Florida moms praising the parent-trigger bill was attributed to a mysterious group known as the Sunshine Parents. But it was actually produced by a California-based ad... more »

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 4-27-13 AM Posts

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




Airplanes are taking off and landing on time again; America’s 7.4 million public school students deserve the same support and swift action

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
NEA - Ed Flight: *Airplanes are taking off and landing on time again; America’s 7.4 million public school students deserve the same support and swift action. Tell Congress to make students and public education a priority, too.* *Instructions on how to send a paper airplane message to Congress:* 1. *Click here to download* a printable paper airplane template. 2. What education fixes would you like to see take flight? Write your answer(s) on your paper airplane. 3. Take a photo of your paper airplane and post it to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or another website of your ch... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Rhee’s StudentsFirst Honored Anti-Gay Legislator in Tennessee by dianerav As Laura Clawson writes at The Daily Kos, Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst honored an anti-gay legislator in Tennessee as its “legislator of the year.” Last year, the organization picked a Georgia legislator known for his strident anti-immigrant views. Rhee supported 105 candidates in 2012. 90 were Republicans. Her organization spent nearly $1 million in Tennessee legislative races to make s... more »

Guest column: Metairie attorney dissects the post-Katrina, ALEC-inspired politicalization of Louisiana public education | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Guest column: Metairie attorney dissects the post-Katrina, ALEC-inspired politicalization of Louisiana public education | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: Guest column: Metairie attorney dissects the post-Katrina, ALEC-inspired politicalization of Louisiana public education April 26, 2013 by tomaswell ** * * * * *EDITOR’S NOTE:* LouisianaVoice *traditionally addresses state political events as they occur. Our posts generally run between 1,000 and 1,500 words in length. Recently, however, attorney Nancy Picard, a Metairie law firm partner, submitted the following 4,000-word essay that examines... more »

The Diploma’s Vanishing Value | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
The Diploma’s Vanishing Value | toteachornototeach: The Diploma’s Vanishing Value by aristotlethewise The Diploma’s Vanishing Value Bachelor’s degrees may not be worth it, but community college can bring a strong returnBy JEFFREY J. SELINGO May 1 is fast approaching, and with it the deadline for high-school seniors to commit to a college. At kitchen tables across the country, anxious students and their parents are asking: Does it really matter where I go to school? When it comes to lifetime earnings, we’ve been told, a bachelor’s degree pays off six times more than a high-school dipl... more »

UPDATE: Some thoughts on teaching Daily Kos: A mental meandering of no great importance

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Daily Kos: A mental meandering of no great importance: Some thoughts on teaching by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) for reasons probably not worth explaining, I just had occasion to reread the Press Release put out by Prince George's County Public Schools when I won my Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher award. It reminds me again of why I wanted to be in a classroom, so I thought I would share them here. Do with them what you want. Peace. “I believe that unless the United States can maintain vibrant and viable public schools, we run a real risk that our experiment in democracy will fa... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 4-27-13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* STUDY WARNS THAT GRAD RATES WILL DIP WITH A-thru-G COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 day ago By Tom Chorneau, SI&A Cabinet Report | http://bit.ly/17Zsr53 Thursday, April 25, 2013 :: Requirements that high school students complete college prep courses as a condition of graduation may upgrade the value of the diploma and make some quick inroads on federal goals to produce college and career ready students. But new research released Thursday suggest... more »

Top Content this Week - 4-27-13 The Educator's PLN Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN:

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: Rick Wormeli: How Much Should Homework Count?]Rick Wormeli: How Much Should Homework Count? Added by Shawna Hixson on April 4, 2013 2[image: Cyberbullying]Cyberbullying Posted by Nicole Olbrish on October 27, 2012 3[image: Fellowship of Open Spokes -- Education in 5 Years #openspokes]Fellowship of Open Spokes -- Education in 5 Years #openspokes Added by Sheri Edwards on April 22, 2013 4[image: What is the Collaborative Classroom?]What is the Collaborative Classroom? Added by Lacey Smith on April 23, 2013 5[image: Prep Hour Praise... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 4-27-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Education Research Report* * *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * Shaping Professional Development to Promote the Diffusion of Instructional Expertise Among Teachers Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 hour ago This study examines how high-quality professional development can promote the diffusion of effective teaching strategies among teachers through collaboration. Drawing on longitudinal and sociometric data from a study of writing professional development in 39 schools, this study shows that teachers’ participation in professional development is associat... more »

Teacher Appreciation Week Webinar

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Teacher Appreciation Week Webinar: Teacher Appreciation Week Webinar by Server Teacher Appreciation Week Webinar*Stand Up for a Teacher…Teachers!* May 5, 2013 – 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT} *Please Join Us as We Appreciate Our Teachers for a Day, Week, and Years!!!* *Download a Flyer* and Share It With a Friend. During this Save Our Schools hosted Webinar, Teachers Jesse Hagopian, Sonya Romero Smith, David Wilson, Nadia Zananiri, Okaikor Aryee-Price, Becca Ritchie, Margo Murray, and Lauren Cohen will speak to the struggle in their schools. In addition each will share how we mi... more »