Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-3-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, May 3, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Modern School: Robin Hoodwinked by Governor Brown* Education Headlines *Friday, May 3, 2013* Special education: California parents' lawsuit could force expansion of programsInitiated by dissatisfied Morgan Hill parents, a lawsuit that could vastly expand services for disabled students in California, and greatly increase the costs of educating them, is inching toward trial. Education chief sees results of extra fundsSan Francisco's mayor, the city's schools superintendent and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sat around a b... more »

Modern School: Robin Hoodwinked by Governor Brown

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago

Modern School: Robin Hoodwinked by Governor Brown: Robin Hoodwinked by Governor Brown by Michael Dunn The Los Angeles Times is referring to California Governor Jerry Brown as a “Robin Hood” for his plan to redistribute resources from “wealthy” suburban school districts to their poorer urban cousins. Brown has characterized himself as a civil rights hero since the poor urban districts serve predominantly low income communities of color, suggesting that inequitable school funding is the primary cause of the achievement gap. Both the Times and Brown are delusional. Robin Hood robbed ... more »

Parents! Students! Educators! Community Folks! Let's Start to Build the Alternative to Mayoral Control and Privatization of our Public Schools.

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 46 minutes ago

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: *Parents! Students! Educators! Community Folks! * *Let's Start to Build the Alternative to Mayoral Control and Privatization of our Public Schools. * *Remember: Mayoral Control Sunsets in June 2015. The NY State legislators can either vote to renew Mayoral Control or vote for a better alternative like the People's Board of Education.* * The Coalition for Public Education invites you, your family and friends to come to our first in a series of public forums where we hear from you about what YOU envision a great publ... more »

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 - 49 minutes 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".: 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". by stlgretchen This did not happen at the DESE Lindbergh meeting An overflow crowd (150 people estimate) packed a too small meeting room for DESE's presentation on Common Core. Here is the press release announcing the statewide meetings for last night. Apparently citizens were unde... more »

Best of the Ed Blogs | National Education Policy Center

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 51 minutes 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 »

Education “writers” are kind of annoying, or no? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Education “writers” are kind of annoying, or no? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Education “writers” are kind of annoying, or no? by Chalk Face, PhD I read a fluff piece on the Common Core at Inside Higher Ed. Pretty basic, hits most key players. I checked the author, just a 2009 journalism graduate. She quotes significantly folks from PARCC, SBAC, and other supporters. Mentions a lot about teacher preparation, but no one actually FROM teacher preparation. This has been an issue I’ve had for a while with so-called “Education Writers.”There’s actually a group of them, bu... more »

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 - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Robert Shepherd: When Will We Ever Learn? by dianerav Robert Shepherd has long experience writing and editing textbooks and assessments. I appreciate his kind comments about my book, written in the 1990s, but also his recognition that “reforms” come and go with regularity. My comment: The current wave of phony reforms is the most destructive in the history of American education. He writes: “One of the reasons why I love Diane Ravitch’s brilliant Left Back: A Ce... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: School closings: What's $122 million among friends?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: School closings: What's $122 million among friends?: School closings: What's $122 million among friends? by Mike Klonsky Wait! I thought closing 54 schools, mainly in Chicago black community was supposed to save CPS $560 million in "avoided costs" over 10 years (the figure they gave ABC News was $600 million).Of course, I never believed any of that. But that's because I never believe anything coming from Rahm's liar-in-chief, *Becky Carroll *or school-closing 'crat* Todd Babbitz. *They were born to lie.* * But now, WBEZ has given me one more reason... more »

Bill aims to help expelled and truant students get back on track | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Bill aims to help expelled and truant students get back on track | EdSource Today: Bill aims to help expelled and truant students get back on track - by Susan Frey by Susan Frey The purpose of a complicated bill aimed at preventing students from languishing in alternative schools became much clearer after the testimony of a former student who got stuck in one. Jessie Camargo, now 18, was transferred to a community school two weeks before his eighth grade graduation. That summer he completed all the requirements set by his district, which included drug and alcohol counseling clas... more »

“We’re Number Umpteenth!”: The myth of lagging U.S. schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

“We’re Number Umpteenth!”: The myth of lagging U.S. schools: “We’re Number Umpteenth!”: The myth of lagging U.S. schools Posted by Valerie Strauss on May 3, 2013 at 6:00 am 1 Comments More [image: map1]How many times have you heard about how lousy American students perform on international assessments in comparison to their counterparts in other countries? Here to talk about why the comparisons are nonsense is Alfie Kohn, the author of 12 books about education and human behavior, including “The Schools Our Children Deserve,” “The Homework Myth,” and “Feel-Bad Education… And Other Co... more »

Are There Lessons from the History of School Reform? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Are There Lessons from the History of School Reform? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Are There Lessons from the History of School Reform? by larrycuban For some people, history lessons are clear. [image: images-4] For some, history lessons are ambiguous. [image: images-1] For some, history lessons are depressing. [image: images-3] These cartoons capture differences among historians and teachers over whether or not there are lessons for decision-makers seeking solutions to pressing problems. No clear lessons, however, can be drawn from the past because then and n... more »

UPDATE: The in box + Three Day March for Education Justice in Chicago + A word Rep Kelly Cassidy + Hall of fame and shame. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Hall of fame and shame. | Fred Klonsky: The in box. “Mr. Ritter. I’ve have not been dining on paint chips. Have you?” by Fred Klonsky *This comment is in reply to a column by Scott Reeder on May 1 of the Joliet Herald News on pension obligations. * Around 1939, pension plans were started for state workers, public school teachers, police, fire fighters and county workers as an equal or better benefit for those workers not covered by the newly created Social Security system. Much like SS, it was funded by a worker contribution and an employer contribution. Mr. Reeder, calling employ... more »

Grading the teachers’ teachers | Hechinger Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 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 »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: A calm, rational discussion of Advanced Learning

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: A calm, rational discussion of Advanced Learning: A calm, rational discussion of Advanced Learning by Charlie Mas Let's try this one more time. Let's not devolve into a shouting match. Let's not extrapolate the small sample of our personal experience and presume it is representative of the whole. Let's not talk about other people's children or get personal in any way. Instead, let's consider two questions and discuss them just as calmly and rationally as we can. Question #1: Does the District need to develop a plan to address the academic need... more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 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 »

US DOJ presses WI to stop voucher school discrimination against students with disabilities : blue cheddar

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

US DOJ presses WI to stop voucher school discrimination against students with disabilities : blue cheddar: US DOJ presses WI to stop voucher school discrimination against students with disabilities May 3, 2013 By bluecheddar Good news: The DOJ sent a letter to Wisconsin’s DPI ordering enforcement of Title II of the American Disabilities Act of 1990. This letter was prompted by a 2011 complaint from the ACLU, the ACLU of Wisconsin, and Disability Rights Wisconsin. From an ACLU statement: “Wisconsin has the oldest school voucher program in the country and the Milwaukee program s... more »

San Diego students suspended for making 'twerking' video - San Jose Mercury News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

San Diego students suspended for making 'twerking' video - San Jose Mercury News: San Diego students suspended for making 'twerking' video Associated Press Posted: 05/02/2013 09:13:43 AM PDT Updated: 05/02/2013 09:13:50 AM PDT SAN DIEGO -- Dozens of students at a San Diego high school have been suspended for making a suggestive "twerking" dance video. U-T San Diego (http://bit.ly/11YKwvH ) reports the students from Scripps Ranch High School might not be able to attend prom or walk during commencement ceremonies. School board member Kevin Beiser says he was told that 31 st... more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 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 »

PAA AustinTX leader helps expose Parent Revolution fingerprints | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

PAA AustinTX leader helps expose Parent Revolution fingerprints | Parents Across America: PAA AustinTX leader helps expose Parent Revolution fingerprints by pureparents Lorie Barzano reports on an incident at the Texas House of Representatives: Ready for a good laugh folks? We don’t often get chances to laugh like this in our struggle…So yesterday I headed to the Capitol to testify against a “Trigger” bill in a House hearing. The bill is sponsored in the TX House by Representative Naomi Gonzalez. During my testimony, I made several good points about sham of trigger laws and the we... more »

Senators' Silence Dooms Teacher Evaluation Bill - LA School Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Senators' Silence Dooms Teacher Evaluation Bill - LA School Report: Senators’ Silence Dooms Teacher Evaluation Bill by Samantha Oltman [image: Get Adobe Flash player] To the surprise of almost no one, a bill that sought to make changes to California rules on how to evaluate teachers failed to pass the Senate Committee on Education during its second-chance hearing Wednesday. What was particularly notable about the bill’s failure was the absence of the majority of the Committee’s members during the hearing and the vote. Last week, the members had deadlocked 4-4 on the legislation, d... more »

Lorie Barzano’s testimony in Texas on parent trigger | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Lorie Barzano’s testimony in Texas on parent trigger | Parents Across America: Lorie Barzano’s testimony in Texas on parent trigger by pureparents TX House Public Education Committee Hearing Public Testimony of Lorie Barzano Good afternoon/Evening, Committee members, guests. My name is Lorie Barzano, a public school parent, taxpayer and Chair of the Coalition to Strengthen Austin Urban Schools (SAUS), a local affiliate of Parents Across America. We are a parent led group committed to quality, accessible Public Education for all children. As parents, we actively work to support o... more »

BESE President Chas Roemer Knows Nothing. | deutsch29

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

BESE President Chas Roemer Knows Nothing. | deutsch29: BESE President Chas Roemer Knows Nothing. by deutsch29 It amazes me how many high-profile reformers know nothing regarding the deceptions occurring during their well-fed tenures. Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall supposedly knew nothing of the incredible cheating for which she has recently been indicted. Former DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee is innocent of any involvement in systematic test score erasures in DC’s schools, an issue that simply will not go away. And, though a lesser player than Hall and Rhee, Louisiana BESE Pre...more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours 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 »

Jersey Jazzman: Cerf and NJDOE: In Way Over Their Heads

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Cerf and NJDOE: In Way Over Their Heads: Cerf and NJDOE: In Way Over Their Heads by Duke I'm searching around for a word that best describes my reaction to the latest bit of cant from NJ Education Commissioner Chris Cerf; my best response is "pathetic": After first proposing that scores would amount to 35 percent of a performance evaluation for math and language arts teachers in grades 4-8, *Cerf yesterday said that total would be trimmed to 30 percent for next year*. In addition, he said only the scores of students who had been enrolled with a given teacher 70 pe... more »

The Search for Gold | Deborah Meier on Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

The Search for Gold | Deborah Meier on Education: The Search for Gold by debmeier Dear friends, Perhaps it’s a good thing that we keep looking for someone, somewhere who has created the utopia we’e dreaming about. In my lifetime I’ve lived through a number of grandiose claims: Russian communism (for some Fascism), various third world utopias, then Cuba, and of course, China. And many in-between. Ditto for schools. We keep reinventing “success” rather than exploring the history of our past successes. Instead we let them die for lack of support whenever a new fad rolls in. Even th... more »

Tweet That: Bush’s Foundation Not Giving Up On Parent Trigger Bill | StateImpact Florida

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Tweet That: Bush’s Foundation Not Giving Up On Parent Trigger Bill | StateImpact Florida: Tweet That: Bush’s Foundation Not Giving Up On Parent Trigger Bill MAY 2, 2013 | 12:47 PMBY GINA JORDAN - Comment - Email - - FOUNDATION FOR FLORIDA'S FUTURE The Foundation for Florida's Future is out with a new video after the defeat of the parent trigger bill. A provision of the bill lives on after it was added to another piece of legislation. The Foundation for Florida’s Future isn’t giving up on the parent trigger bill. They’re asking people to announce their suppo... 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 - 19 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Cathie Black Emails by dianerav For the past two years plus, Mayor Michael Bloomberg fought legal battles to try to avoid releasing a series of emails written about the time that he named publisher Cathie Black as chancellor of the New York City public schools. The mayor finally lost in court, and the emails were released. They are surprisingly banal. There is no bombshell, no smoking gun. Just a frenzied PR campaign to figure out how to build the appearance of public support for a person who had no qualific... more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 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 »

The New Poverty: Dealing with Economic Change — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

The New Poverty: Dealing with Economic Change — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Podcast][image: Whole Child Podcast]The New Poverty: Dealing with Economic Change May 2, 2013 by Whole Child Podcast Download Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save] In today’s global economic state, many families and children face reduced circumstances. These "poor kids" don't fit the traditional stereotypes—two-thirds live in families in which at least one adult works and the percentage of poor students in many rural districts equals that in inner-city districts. In the U.S., the economic... more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 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 »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The loyal-to-whom? opposition to CORE

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The loyal-to-whom? opposition to CORE: The loyal-to-whom? opposition to CORE by Mike Klonsky Who is *Tanya Saunders-Wolfe* and why is she using the pages of the anti-union Chicago Tribune to say all these terrible things about *Karen Lewis* and her hard-charging CORE Caucus, currently leading the CTU? Answer: I don't have the faintest idea. The reason I don't is, I'm not a union insider. But I do know that I haven't seen her at any of the dozens of citywide events, hearings or protests against school closings, where Karen Lewis was speaking out and f... more »

Bill Gates’ Damage Control via Student Test Prep Questions? | Seattle Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Bill Gates’ Damage Control via Student Test Prep Questions? | Seattle Education: Bill Gates’ Damage Control via Student Test Prep Questions? by seattleducation2011 [image: Gates] In a 3rd grade student workbook for MSP Reading Assessment preparation, which is a Washington State mandated test for grades 3 through 8, a parent found this question: *Directions: Read the selection and answer the questions.* *Bill Gates * *Bill Gates had a dream that changed the world. Born in Seattle, Washington, on October 28, 1955, Bill Gates grew up with his parents and his two sisters. As a te... more »

Deconstructing Disinformation on Student Growth Percentiles & Teacher Evaluation in New Jersey | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Deconstructing Disinformation on Student Growth Percentiles & Teacher Evaluation in New Jersey | School Finance 101: Deconstructing Disinformation on Student Growth Percentiles & Teacher Evaluation in New Jersey by schoolfinance101 [image: Slide1] CROSS-POSTED FROM: http://njedpolicy.wordpress.com/ Deconstructing Disinformation on Student Growth Percentiles & Teacher Evaluation in New Jersey (Printable Policy Brief): SGP_Disinformation_BakerOluwole *Bruce D. Baker*, Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education *Joseph Oluwole*, Montclair State University * * IntroductionThis br... more »

UPDATE:Defending Public Education: “You may know a person by the company they keep.” + Connecticut TFA Director wants to open a charter school…in Bridgeport - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Connecticut TFA Director wants to open a charter school…in Bridgeport - Wait, What?: Defending Public Education: “You may know a person by the company they keep.” 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 h... more »

Chipotle to Support Educators with "Teacher Appreciation Day" on May 7 | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Chipotle to Support Educators with "Teacher Appreciation Day" on May 7 | HispanicallySpeakingNews.com: Chipotle to Support Educators with “Teacher Appreciation Day” on May 7 from Hispanically Speaking News Global Feed [image: Chipotle to Support Educators with “Teacher Appreciation Day” on May 7] *Teachers Receive a Buy-One, Get-One-Free Menu Item Tuesday, May 7* Chipotle is putting teachers at the head of the class this Teacher Appreciation Day with a special “buy-one-get-one-free” promotion. On Tuesday, May 7, 2013, teachers and educators who show a valid school ID identifying ... more »

Bags of urine thrown as White Student Union clashes with May Day protesters | The Raw Story

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Bags of urine thrown as White Student Union clashes with May Day protesters | The Raw Story: Bags of urine thrown as White Student Union clashes with May Day protesters By David Edwards Thursday, May 2, 2013 11:23 EDT [image: White supremacists at May Day protests in Washington, D.C. (YouTube)] Topics: white student union - 2 - - - - - [image: Print Friendly and PDF] - [image: Email this page] Workers rights demonstrators clashed with white supremacists in the so-called White Student Union during Washington, D.C. May Day protests on Wednesday. Accord... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » CALI Education Headlines Thursday, May 2, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Duncan says it’s still possible for state to get NCLB waiver | EdSource Today* Education Headlines *Thursday, May 2, 2013* Linden Unified parents address dysfunctionParents of Linden Unified students continued to make emotional pleas Wednesday night that the district Board of Trustees relieve Superintendent Michael Gonzales of his duties, extending what has amounted to months of distrust and angst districtwide. Teachers to vote on contract May 14After working for nearly two years without one, the 700 members of the Salinas Val... more »

Meet Your PD Needs: The 2013 Whole Child Virtual Conference Is Free and Exclusively Online — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Meet Your PD Needs: The 2013 Whole Child Virtual Conference Is Free and Exclusively Online — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Whole Child Virtual Conference]Meet Your PD Needs: The 2013 Whole Child Virtual Conference Is Free and Exclusively Online May 2, 2013 by Whole Child Virtual Conference [image: Whole Child Virtual Conference - 2013] As we've said many times across this blog and in ournewsletters and podcasts, we believe that a whole child approach to education is the only approach that prepares young people for long-term educational, civic, and work-life suc... more »

Testing Crashes in Indiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Minnesota – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Testing Crashes in Indiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Minnesota – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: The Human Costs of School “Reform” by John Thompson A study by Elaine Weiss and Don Long of the Bolder Broader Approach shows that the corporate school “reform” experiment has claimed to have raised student achievement but that those gains evaporate upon close examination. A previous post, “The Benefits (and Costs) of ‘Reform’ in Three Cities,” discussed their “Market-Oriented Education Reforms’ Rhetoric Trumps Reality,” [...] Testing Crashes in Indiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and ... more »

UPDATE: They might vote in the House today. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

They might vote in the House today. | Fred Klonsky: Ten minute drawing. John Kerry. by Fred Klonsky [image: Kerry] Click on drawing to enlarge. May Day in Chicago. by Fred Klonsky [image: 472924_10151622497228454_323576889_o] *Photo: Sarah Jane Rhee/loveandstrugglephotos.com.* They might vote in the House today. by Fred Klonsky [image: Squeezy] Before I say anything else, call your state rep and tell them to vote no on Madigan’s pension bomb today. You don’t even need to know the bill’s number. The General Assembly changes pension bill numbers more often than they change underw... more »

Mother Crusader: Are Children Being Used As Pawns In The Game Of High Stakes Testing?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Mother Crusader: Are Children Being Used As Pawns In The Game Of High Stakes Testing?: Are Children Being Used As Pawns In The Game Of High Stakes Testing? by darciecima Today marks the end of NJASK testing for 7th and 8th graders in New Jersey, with 5th and 6th graders in the hot seat next week. NJ parents across the state are opting their children out, and we are working together to find ways to make the experience as smooth as possible for our children. NJ mom Lisa Grieco-Rogers has chosen to have her 6th grade child opt out, but her 4th grade child will take the test. She ex... more »

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day 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 »

Addressing the Gap Between the Rich and 'Others' - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Addressing the Gap Between the Rich and 'Others' - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Addressing the Gap Between the Rich and 'Others' by Deborah Meier *Today marks Deborah Meier's final blog post with educator Elliott Witney. Next week she begins blogging with Michael J. Petrilli, the executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.* Dear Elliott, Let's do this again a year from now! At the end of this brief exchange where I see much damage done, you are lucky to see hopeful signs. Maybe by next year I'll be more hopeful, too. I see a huge setback for the idea o... more »

Modern School: Supreme Court, Labor Law and the Deskilling of Teaching

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Modern School: Supreme Court, Labor Law and the Deskilling of Teaching: Supreme Court, Labor Law and the Deskilling of Teaching by Michael Dunn The strike is labor's most powerful weapon. It is the most direct and forceful way to pressure employers to cede to workers’ demands. Strikes have become increasingly rare over the past few decades, mostly because of unions’ increasingly dependence on political action (e.g., lobbying, voting as a block, financing campaigns). However, there have been several laws and Supreme Court decisions that have limited when and how strikes could be ... more »

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

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-2-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-1-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-30-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-29-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-28-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-27-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-26-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-25-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-24-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-23-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-22-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-21-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-20-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-19-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-18-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-17-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-16-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-15-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-14-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-13-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-12-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-11-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-10-13 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-9-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-8-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-7-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-6-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-4-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-3-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-2-13

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-1-13