Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, January 13, 2013

SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR LAUSD, IT'S HARD WORK INSURING STUDENT FAILURE OVER GENERATIONS - Perdaily.com

SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR LAUSD, IT'S HARD WORK INSURING STUDENT FAILURE OVER GENERATIONS - Perdaily.com:


SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR LAUSD, IT'S HARD WORK INSURING STUDENT FAILURE OVER GENERATIONS

Ah Ha Moment.jpg
(Mensaje se repite en Español) 

Probably the best indicator that racism is still alive and well in inner city public education in this country - and more specially at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) - is the fact that nobody wonders why Latino and African American students continue to do so abysmally- it's as if it's expected of them. There is a tacit assumption that these students are somehow inherently incapable of learning and competing with more affluent predominantly White and Asian students. In offering poverty as the sole excuse for underachievement, forgotten is the critical function of public education in prior generations of poor 

Jersey Jazzman: How Many Golden Globes Did "Won't Back Down" Win?

Jersey Jazzman: How Many Golden Globes Did "Won't Back Down" Win?:


How Many Golden Globes Did "Won't Back Down" Win?

Congratulations to all of the Golden Globe winners tonight! Hey, how many awards did the "blockbuster" reformy hit Won't Back Down win? You know, the refromy film that was "based on a true story" that wasn't true and wound up becoming one of the biggest flops Hollywood has ever seen?

I hear Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis were at home washing their hair tonight...

Well, maybe Michelle Rhee can pass out a bunch of gift cards on Bill Gates's dime and generate a buzz in time 

This Week in Baltimore Education News | Re:education in Baltimore

This Week in Baltimore Education News | Re:education in Baltimore:


This Week in Baltimore Education News

These are three of the stories that jumped out at me this week. Lots of room to opine, but I am biting my tongue. (Trying my best, anyway). I said I’d spend only an hour a week on this blog. (Trying on that score, too.)
Methadone clinic next to Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle?
Denied. No sooner than it was proposed, the appeal to the zoning board was dismissed because the woman who filed it didn’t show. Big sigh of relief from parents. Adam Bednar from North Baltimore Patch covered the story:
Methadone Clinic Proposed Near Charles Village School, January 7, 2013
Zoning Board Dismisses Methadone Clinic Request, January 8, 2013
My questions: Who represents our public schools in cases like

WINNER 2013 Golden Globe BEST MOTION PICTURE in the CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS CATEGORY



WINNER 2013 GOLDEN GLOBE
for the
BEST MOTION PICTURE 
in the 
CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS CATEGORY 

is




Brought to you with the EXTRA$$$ EXTRA$$$ 
Generous Support from the




AND THE WINNER IS ... NOT YOU!!!


CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS


A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.

Couldn't Find Your Own Special Charter School Scandal
Just Type the name of your city or charter school in the box below
  


CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

If you don't find yours today
Keep checking

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

Be sure to check out two other Great blogs:

Media Silence on #edreform? Not @ the chalk face « @ the chalk face

Media Silence on #edreform? Not @ the chalk face « @ the chalk face:


Media Silence on #edreform? Not @ the chalk face

School Tech Connect: Do You Need Something To Do?

School Tech Connect: Do You Need Something To Do?:


Do You Need Something To Do?

I'm not going to lie, I slept most of the day.

Actually, I fell on the ice this morning while walking Scout and Butterbean, and for the first time in my life, I fell like an old person rather than a young person. There was a moment, down there on the ground, when I had doubts about my ability to get back up. Currently my left arm refuses to let me use it anywhere above the elevation of my shoulder, and I'm pretty sure a rib is involved.

It was pretty much a crawl-back-to-bed situation rather than a pleasant weekend nap.

Nevertheless, I've had my headphones on through dinner, and I just 

Dan Gelber: “Getting straight A’s for having lots of tests is not the same as getting A’s on the tests” | Scathing Purple Musings

Dan Gelber: “Getting straight A’s for having lots of tests is not the same as getting A’s on the tests” | Scathing Purple Musings:


Dan Gelber: “Getting straight A’s for having lots of tests is not the same as getting A’s on the tests”

And emphasizing twice that “testing is not teaching’ former Florida state senator Dan Gelber chided “the usual suspects engaged in the typical self-adulation,” for Education Week’s recent high-ranking of Florida. This from his column in Florida Voices:
I don’t relish being the guy constantly throwing cold water on the party, but a closer read of the Education Week report reflects what most parents of schools kids already know. All is definitely not well in Florida’s schools. The report grades the 50 states on a variety of education components, and where Florida did well is not nearly as important as where we tanked.
Florida received top grades for its accountability and assessments. In other words, we got an “A” 

Jersey Jazzman: David Coleman Doesn't Give a S#@! What You Think

Jersey Jazzman: David Coleman Doesn't Give a S#@! What You Think:


David Coleman Doesn't Give a S#@! What You Think

David Coleman, architect of the Common Core, explains the "real world":

Popout

Diane Ravitch posted about this speech last year:
In a speech last year, David Coleman, the new president of the College Board, who was one of the chief creators of the Common Core, worried about students’ focusing on opinion over analysis in their writing. “As you grow up in this world, you realize people really don’t give a s— about what you feel or what you think,” he said. “It is rare in a working environment that someone says, ‘Johnson, I need a market analysis by Friday, but 

Jersey Jazzman: If VAM Is So Awesome, Why Sneak It In?

Jersey Jazzman: If VAM Is So Awesome, Why Sneak It In?:


If VAM Is So Awesome, Why Sneak It In?

If someone tries to sneak something in under the cover of darkness, you know that they know that they're up to no good:
Over the Holidays, the Governor signed the latest education bill, HB 555. StateImpact has a decent rundown of most of the items that were addressed in the bill. However, one major piece of policy change made in HB555 has gone totally unreported, not surprisingly since it was done in the 11th hour, with no testimony or hearings. Indeed, we're doubtful many lawmakers even knew it had been slipped in there.  
[...]
HB 555 radically changes the method of calculating evaluations for about 1/3 of Ohio's teachers. If a teacher's schedule is comprised only of courses or subjects for which the value-added progress 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 1-13-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2


James Baldwin said it best: 

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

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP



Parents Across America Seattle supports Garfield High School teachers’ principled opposition to the costly and inaccurate MAP® test | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 minutes ago
Parents Across America Seattle supports Garfield High School teachers’ principled opposition to the costly and inaccurate MAP® test | Seattle Education: Parents Across America Seattle supports Garfield High School teachers’ principled opposition to the costly and inaccurate MAP® test by seattleducation2011 Posted on January 13, 2013 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment [image: paa4] Parents Across America, Seattle, fully support and applaud the Garfield High School teaching staff in their refusal to administer the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP®) test to their students. T... more »

RheeFirst! » Democrats flee StudentsFirst, cite conservative policy stance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago
RheeFirst! » Democrats flee StudentsFirst, cite conservative policy stance: Democrats flee StudentsFirst, cite conservative policy stance by admin [image: DFER Fake Democrats for Education Privatization (click on Picture)] IT IS A RULE: YOU CAN'T BE AGAINST PEOPLE AND FOR CORPORATIONS AND CALL YOURSELF A DEMOCRAT...EVER! “Rhee purported to be the face of a bipartisan movement to “transform education,” while simultaneously battling Democratic teachers unions and appearing chummy in photo ops with conservative Republican governors like Rick Scott (Fla.) or John Kasich (Ohio). All th... more »

OCCUPY EDUCATION - Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 minutes ago
OCCUPY EDUCATION - Student Voice: Student Voice Student Voice: Student Voice is a grassroots support network that serves to aid and empower students in their efforts to be heard and earn their rightful seat at the table. It is a movement for students, by students, connecting and organizing America’s most underrepresented population – the students. We aim not to change a culture that ignores student voice, but rather create a culture that embraces it. Through the utilization of social media, millions of people have taken notice of students speaking out using the #StuVoice hashtag, ... more »

Ballard, Garfield, and Hamburg Teachers: We Stand with You | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago
Ballard, Garfield, and Hamburg Teachers: We Stand with You | United Opt Out National: Ballard, Garfield, and Hamburg Teachers: We Stand with You by admin A phrase many of us have heard as we have battled for public education, uttered by naysayers and skeptics, is “Why bother? You can’t change anything.” But any keen observer or philosopher of the universe knows the opposite to be true: *That the only constant in our world IS change*. But any kind of change to an existing system requires an agitation to that system. A body in motion stays in motion and patterns (even unhealthy on... more »

Ed Notes Online: Unity Hack Peter Goodman Compares MORE to Tea Party for Opposing Any Deal on Evaluation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago
Ed Notes Online: Unity Hack Peter Goodman Compares MORE to Tea Party for Opposing Any Deal on Evaluation: Unity Hack Peter Goodman Compares MORE to Tea Party for Opposing Any Deal on Evaluation by ed notes online ** *The opposition party in the union will oppose any settlement... reminiscent of the Tea Party ---**The union must satisfy the membership and the mayor the public at large –especially the print media and the pro-(de)reform factions, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and StudentsFirstNY, the Rhee klaven.... Peter Goodman* *We DO NOT need to pander to Rhee, Students... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 minutes ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Breaking News: Astonishing Exchange about PBS on Rhee by dianerav This is a remarkable exchange of correspondence about the PBS program “The Education of Michelle Rhee.” Many readers on this blog thought the documentary was too favorable towards Rhee, recycling a lot of old footage in which she is shown as a courageous upstart who did it all “for the kids.” They thought it provided far too rosy a portrait of a woman who provided lessons in how NOT to be a leader, not only because she used pressure tactics to demand higher scores, but because she repeatedl... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Comments in the Seattle Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Comments in the Seattle Times: Comments in the Seattle Times by Michael Rice In the Sunday edition of the Seattle Times there is an article about education funding and how the State House and Senate is going to find ways to comply with the court mandate to fully fund basic education. As of 4:00 on Sunday, there are 145 comments, mostly negative toward teachers. I posted the following comment. I don't know if it will make a difference, but I felt compelled to respond. I have posted the comment below. Long time readers of this blog will know th... more »

The Seattle Education Association’s response to the Garfield High School boycott of the MAP test | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 minutes ago
The Seattle Education Association’s response to the Garfield High School boycott of the MAP test | Seattle Education: The Seattle Education Association’s response to the Garfield High School boycott of the MAP test by seattleducation2011 *For the record, from the teacher’s union in Seattle, the Seattle Education Association.* The Seattle Education Association (SEA) supports all of our teachers in wanting to provide the best learning environment for Seattle’s students. Garfield teachers want to do just that. The concerns of using the MAP test are not new ones for our teachers and ... more »

This is an example of the fight we need to stop the destruction of public education:L.A. Teachers Use Privatization Fight to Build Community Power

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
This is an example of the fight we need to stop the destruction of public education:L.A. Teachers Use Privatization Fight to Build Community Power: This is an example of the fight we need to stop the destruction of public education:L.A. Teachers Use Privatization Fight to Build Community Power by Danny Weil [image: LAUSD] Fighting the privatization, financialization and corporatization of education is a daunting task. It is made so by one, separating the struggle behind K-12 from the struggle to stave off the authoritarian insects of reactionary revolution and the struggle in hi... more »

Style and Substance (or, At Least Three Things You Don’t Say To A Man of Color) | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago
Style and Substance (or, At Least Three Things You Don’t Say To A Man of Color) | The Jose Vilson: Style and Substance (or, At Least Three Things You Don’t Say To A Man of Color) by Jose Vilson [image: Martin Luther King Jr. by Marvin Koner] Martin Luther King Jr. by Marvin Koner Moments like this make me want to ask, “Who ASKED you?!” Some of my frustration lately stems from the perception that making something look easy equates to the task actually being easy. Especially as it pertains to the site and everything surrounding it. The design, the content, the schedule, the photos, an... more »

The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Leave | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago
The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Leave | EduShyster: The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Leave by edushyster2012 *The case of the disappearing (and *unusually effective*) charter school teachers* Do you dream of CRUSHING the achievement gap but aren’t sure that a 14 hour work day is right for you? Are you MAD passionate about training the next generation of test takers but worry that you lack the hand gestures to keep a large class of minority students on task? Reader: I’ve got excellent news. Thanks to our excellent and innovative friends at MATCH Education you can test drive your dream with... more »

John Thompson: "Choice" Leaves Detroit's Special Ed Students Behind - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 28 minutes ago
John Thompson: "Choice" Leaves Detroit's Special Ed Students Behind - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: "Choice" Leaves Detroit's Special Ed Students Behind by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Thompson.* The Detroit Free Press's Chastity Pratt Dawson reports that the decline in Detroit's overall school population has increased the percentages of its special education students, making it harder to meet high-stakes accountability goals. The percentage of students on IEPs has increased from 14% to over 18% since 2005. In Michigan, 12% of all students and 10%... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Today's NY Times on the Gifted and Talented programs

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago
NYC Public School Parents: Today's NY Times on the Gifted and Talented programs: Today's NY Times on the Gifted and Talented programs by Leonie Haimson Today’s New York Times has a long critical article about the racially discriminatory effect of NYC’s gifted and talented admissions policies, a system that was imposed by Joel Klein in 2007. Some things that stand out in**this piece*:* - *"Despite months of repeated requests, the city's Education Department would not provide racial breakdowns of gifted and talented programs and the schools that house them.”* So much fo... more »

Peg with Pen: Teachers Boycott the MAP: Who Should be in Charge of Formative Assessment?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Peg with Pen: Teachers Boycott the MAP: Who Should be in Charge of Formative Assessment?: Teachers Boycott the MAP: Who Should be in Charge of Formative Assessment? by Peggy [image: Occupy the Dept. of Ed. in D.C. April 4-7, 2013] Earlier this year I opted my son out of the MAP test to demonstrate my respect for his teachers who already know how to assess my son’s growth as a learner. I am now watching brave teachers in Washington at Garfield High School and Ballard High School refuse to administer the MAP. They state many reasons for the rejection of this test, but one particula... more »

Aaron Swartz. RIP. How the kids fought for civil liberties and pissed off the Feds. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Aaron Swartz. RIP. How the kids fought for civil liberties and pissed off the Feds. « Fred Klonsky: Aaron Swartz. RIP. How the kids fought for civil liberties and pissed off the Feds. by Fred Klonsky Aaron Swartz was found dead in his New York apartment on Friday. Apparently it was suicide. His family issues this statement: “Aaron’s death is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach. Decisions made by officials in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office and at MIT contributed to his death.”

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Road Ahead

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Road Ahead: The Road Ahead by Melissa Westbrook A couple of important stories to check out this morning. One is from the Seattle Times about how our Legislative leaders are going to figure out how to enact McCleary. (I will point that charter schools only complicates this process.) The other is Seattle Channel's interview with Superintendent Banda. Once again, the Superintendent comes across as quiet but firm. There is also an interesting op-ed from outgoing Governor Chris Gregoire who says there should be one education department for the s... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Our Nation's Goofy Education Debate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Our Nation's Goofy Education Debate: Our Nation's Goofy Education Debate by Duke So here's how it seems to work now: 1) A well-heeled think-tank puts out a report - like, say, the Gates Foundation's Measures of Effective Teaching- that confirms the previously articulated predilections of its funding source. 2) Since the report is published by a think tank funded by a wealthy celebrity, its conclusions are widely disseminated throughout the press. 3) But the report is not subject to peer review, *which means it isn't vetted by experts in the field before its conc... more »

PBS | Ombudsman | Michelle Rhee: Reformer, Zealot, Both or Something Else?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
PBS | Ombudsman | Michelle Rhee: Reformer, Zealot, Both or Something Else?: Michelle Rhee: Reformer, Zealot, Both or Something Else?By Michael Getler JANUARY 11, 2013 This past Tuesday evening, Jan. 8, PBS's top-rated documentary series Frontline, focused its cameras and its veteran education correspondent, John Merrow, on a now 43-year-old Korean-American woman named Michelle Rhee. She was the chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public school system for three years, from 2007 to 2010. She was not at all well-known before then, but during t... more »

Will longer school year help or hurt US students? - NorthJersey.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Will longer school year help or hurt US students? - NorthJersey.com: Will longer school year help or hurt US students? SUNDAY JANUARY 13, 2013, 11:45 AM BY JULIE CARR SMYTH ASSOCIATED PRESS PAGES: 1 2 3 4 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE | PRINT | E-MAIL Did your kids moan that winter break was way too short as you got them ready for the first day back in school? They might get their wish of more holiday time off under proposals catching on around the country to lengthen the school year. But there's a catch: a much shorter summer vacation. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, a chief proponent of th... more »

The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky: The Sunday Mail. by Fred Klonsky [image: The writers] *Springfield, Illinois. January 3, 2013. Photo: John Laesch.* *Matt Damon and his mom, teacher Nancy Carlsson-Paige, won’t be in Hotlanta this July for the NEA RA.* They are unhappy with the NEA’s collaboration with Teach for America’s Wendy Kopp. They turned down the NEA’s nomination for their Friend of Education Award. Good for them. *Larry Lessig remembers Aaron Swartz. *Swartz committed suicide Friday. Aaron was a target of the feds for his insistence on freedom of access to public informatio... more »

The Diverse Schools Dilemma - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
The Diverse Schools Dilemma - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help: The Diverse Schools Dilemma by joyce I am reading *"The Diverse Schools Dilemma: A Parent's Guide to Socioeconomically Mixed Public Schools" by Michael J. Petrilli *and I am riveted. He is the executive vice president of the Thomas B.Fordam Institute a think tank focused on K-12 education policy, and excecutive editor of the journal "Education Next". He is also a father living just outside Washington DC in Tacoma Park, MD (self described as Berkeley East... I thought Park Slope was Berkeley East!). Looking for ... more »

Judge upholds firing of Paterson teacher who called students 'future criminals' - NorthJersey.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Judge upholds firing of Paterson teacher who called students 'future criminals' - NorthJersey.com: Judge upholds firing of Paterson teacher who called students 'future criminals' FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2013, 11:41 AM BY ANTHONY CAMPISI STATE HOUSE BUREAU THE RECORD PRINT | E-MAIL An appellate panel upheld the firing of a Paterson first grade teacher who called her first-grade students “future criminals” in a Facebook post. The two-judge panel ruled Friday that Jennifer O’Brien’s conduct wasn’t protected by the First Amendment and that her “right to express those comments was outweigh... more »

D-day for DeKalb: State board considers fate of school board Thursday | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
D-day for DeKalb: State board considers fate of school board Thursday | Get Schooled: D-day for DeKalb: State board considers fate of school board Thursday by Maureen Downey The state Board of Education will hold a hearing Thursday on the fate of the fractious DeKalb school board, which was the subject of a devastating critique by the district’s accreditation agency. Last month, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accused DeKalb* * officials of engaging in bickering and nepotism while letting district finances collapse. SACS placed the district on probation. The probat... more »

“Expect Nothing, Get Nothing”: Common v. Standard | the becoming radical

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
“Expect Nothing, Get Nothing”: Common v. Standard | the becoming radical: “Expect Nothing, Get Nothing”: Common v. Standard Posted on January 13, 2013 by plthomasedd In Chapter 7 (a “hard-boiled wonderland” section) of Haruki Murakami‘sHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, the narrator details: “I wound up my purchases and pulled into my convenient neighborhood fast-food restaurant. I ordered shrimp salad, onion rings, and a beer. The shrimp was straight out of the freezer, the onion rings soggy. Looking around the place, though, I failed to spot a single customer bangin... more »

Engaging with Godzilla « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Engaging with Godzilla « Cooperative Catalyst: Engaging with Godzilla by Paul Freedman I am Godzilla! Hear me roar! [image: I am Godzilla! Hear me roar!]“We are *bad* Godzillas!” I heard the familiar husky little voice of a 4-year-old student at my school while I was out working in the recess yard of my school. This boy, Vlad often exhibits a somewhat negative influence on the world around him, and is the source of many student complaints and staff hand-wringing. The verbal warning here was clear: Vlad, and his little three-year-old protĂ©gĂ©, Thomas, were bent on destruction. Th... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Segregation By Behavior: Chartery Secret Sauce

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Segregation By Behavior: Chartery Secret Sauce: Segregation By Behavior: Chartery Secret Sauce by Duke Diane Ravitch points us to this piece by Michael Petrilli, where wonk-in-chief wonk of the reformy movemenet finally comes clean: But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. *In my view, we should be proud of the charter schools that are identifying and serving high-potential low-income students*—kids who are committed to using education to escape poverty and are often supported in that effort by education-minded parents. The reason to celebrate these schools and the ... more »

Open Letter to President Obama

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Open Letter to President Obama: [image: save image] Act Now to Save Our Public Schools Recent federal initiatives like *No Child Left Behind* and*Race to the Top* have mandated or incentivized so-called reforms that have little or no research support and are, in effect, experiments on the children and teachers of our public schools. Private interests, aided by the Federal Government, are attempting to supplant local control, inhibit parental involvement, and to *transfer public funding to the hands of corporate interests*. Public schools, locally controlled, are a cornerstone of o... more »

Invest in MPS, not voucher and charter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Invest in MPS, not voucher and charter: Invest in MPS, not voucher and charter By Diane Ravitch Jan. 10, 2013 - - - - EMAIL - PRINT - (21) COMMENTS In his Jan. 6 column, Alan J. Borsuk says that a new vision for education in Milwaukee is needed to get beyond the stale and failed answers of the past. He is right. Milwaukee has had voucher schools since 1990, longer than any school district in the nation. Students in the voucher schools perform no better than those in the public schools. Milwaukee has had charter schools for about 20 years. Students in t... more »

Op-ed: Create a state Department of Education that reports to the governor | Opinion | The Seattle Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Op-ed: Create a state Department of Education that reports to the governor | Opinion | The Seattle Times: Op-ed: Create a state Department of Education that reports to the governor We must fund education and create a seamless, accountable system, writes guest columnist Chris Gregoire. By Chris Gregoire WASHINGTON’S education agencies are too often focused on the adults, not the children. Among my biggest goals as governor has been to change that, to return the focus to students in a seamless education system from early learning through college, and to provide accountability for tha... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee, the education celebrity who rocketed from obscurity to Oprah - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee, the education celebrity who rocketed from obscurity to Oprah - The Washington Post: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee, the education celebrity who rocketed from obscurity to Oprah By Lyndsey Layton, Published: January 12 In camera-ready red, Michelle Rhee started the week on the set of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” The next night, she was the subject of an hour-long documentary on “Frontline.” In several weeks, she’ll tour the country to promote her new memoir, “Radical.” In the two years since her short and stormy tenure as chancellor of the Distr... more »

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

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] How Can Parents Fight School Closings? by dianerav Jersey Jazzman explains what is now obvious: School closings have a disparate impact on children and communities of color. Community schools are closed, destabilizing the neighborhood. Charter schools open, which choose and reject those they want or don’t want. Most charters don’t want the kids with the greatest needs. A new parent group has formed in Newark, which has been a playground for the rich and famous, who move Kasich Pulls a Fast One by dianerav... more »

Daily Kos: "Breaking Away" from Inequity?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Daily Kos: "Breaking Away" from Inequity?: "Breaking Away" from Inequity? by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) [image: Cycle race --- Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis] I have been a serious cyclist now for almost as long as I have been an educator, about thirty years. One of my favorite films, which I showed each year I taught high school English, is *Breaking Away*, a 1979 fim based on the real-life mania for cycling by the main character, Dave Stoller (Dave Blase) and the Little 500 bicycle race held at Indiana University. Along with the focus on the love of cycling, the engaging and ... more »

Garfield High has the GUTS « @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Garfield High has the GUTS « @ the chalk face: Garfield High has the GUTS by Chalk Face [image: Garfield High has the GUTS] @thechalkface and @slekar, At the Chalk Face, 5PM EDT today, talking test data and #optout by Chalk Face @thechalkface and @slekar, At the Chalk Face, 5PM EDT today, talking test data and #optout Join us at 5PM EDT ... Continue reading The cold-hearted scam of academic publishing RIP Aaron Schwartz #highered by Chalk Face I don’t know much about Aaron Schwartz or hacking or any of that. At the Chalk Face is a mild ... Continue reading

$50 million. 3 years. No clue. | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
$50 million. 3 years. No clue. | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: $50 million. 3 years. No clue. by Gary Rubinstein In my last post, I showed how in the final report from the Gates Foundation MET project they produced a very misleading graph. Though the implication of this graph — namely, that value-added measures are consistent from one year to the next — was not the only point of this study, I called it THE $50 million lie because it is the thing that will be used by ‘reformers’ for years to come as ‘proof’ that test scores should be a significant factor in teacher evaluations. Here is t... more »

Daily Kos: The Great Stuff In Public Schools That Tests Can't Measure

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Daily Kos: The Great Stuff In Public Schools That Tests Can't Measure: The Great Stuff In Public Schools That Tests Can't Measure by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) For me one of the goals of my teaching is character education - to help my students learn how to behave with respect towards themselves and each other. I want to prepare them to be participating citizens in our liberal democracy - and those two words are technical political science terms that describe our system, regardless of how they may offend conservative Republicans. Thanks to my friend Diane Ravitch and her blog, ... more »

Pass / Fail : California State University launches online degree program | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Pass / Fail : California State University launches online degree program | 89.3 KPCC: California State University launches online degree program by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez [image: Post CSUF -1] *Cal State Fullerton will be among those offering online degrees Credit: Anibal Ortiz* On Monday the 23-campus Cal State University system becomes the largest public university to roll out online degree programs. It’s offering six degrees at both the bachelor and masters level in business administration, applied studies, public administration, and management information technology-- a bit of a sl... more »

The Innovative Educator: Finally! Union supports standardized tests boycott

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The Innovative Educator: Finally! Union supports standardized tests boycott: Finally! Union supports standardized tests boycott by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen) Seems like someone finally has the balls to stand up for kids and teachers. The Seattle Times reports the teachers union shares concerns the faculty at Garfield High has raised about district-required standardized tests. As a result, the Garfield teachers announced that no teachers at the school would be giving the tests this winter, even though the district requires them to do so. Nearly all the faculty signed a let... more »

Florida Charter Schools “being approved at a pace that outruns accountability” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Florida Charter Schools “being approved at a pace that outruns accountability” | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida Charter Schools “being approved at a pace that outruns accountability” by Bob Sikes So believes former charter school principal and current Palm Beach School Board Chairman Chuck Shaw. From yesterday’s column by the *Palm Beach Post’s *Jac Versteeg Parents and students might be more willing to make (the) switch because of the charter school fad. “Magnet”used to be the faddish school label. Then “A-rated.” Now, it’s “charter.” In fact, charter schools run the gamut in... more »

UPDATE: Schools Matter: Segregated Schools, Upper West Side Style

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Schools Matter: Segregated Schools, Upper West Side Style: Segregated Schools, Upper West Side Style by Jim Horn U. S. schools have been using standardized tests now for a hundred years to sort and segregate by race and class. How long can it continue? Big story from the New York Times. Chart below from NYTimes: Published: January 12, 2013A Major Gap in Gifted Programs The city started using tests as the main determinant of entry to gifted programs in 2008. Since 2009, the number of schools offering such classes has fallen, especially in minority areas of the city like central ... more »

JSTOR Statement On Aaron Swartz’s Death «

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
JSTOR Statement On Aaron Swartz’s Death «: JSTOR Statement On Aaron Swartz’s Death January 12, 2013 in Students The academic journal repository JSTOR, whose archives Aaron Swartz was under federal indictment for allegedly breaching when he committed suicide yesterday, released a supportive and laudatory statement on his death this evening. In a strange and somehow beautiful irony, the traffic to that statement crashed their servers. Here it is, via Hacker News. *We are deeply saddened to hear the news about Aaron Swartz. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Aaron’s family, frien... more »

Indiana State Legislator Touts Guns on Campus As Rape Prevention Measure «

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Indiana State Legislator Touts Guns on Campus As Rape Prevention Measure «: Indiana State Legislator Touts Guns on Campus As Rape Prevention Measure by Angus Johnston Jim Banks, a Republican state senator from Indiana, wants to legalize concealed carry on the state’s public college campuses. And he’s got a novel argument in favor of the proposition. Rape prevention. “That’s what’s compelling about this issue,” he told an Associated Press reporter. “how many female students there are around the state, who have very specific and real reasons to be afraid for their own safety on their... more »

The Weekly Update: What can I say…Seattle teachers rock!!!! | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
The Weekly Update: What can I say…Seattle teachers rock!!!! | Seattle Education: The Weekly Update: What can I say…Seattle teachers rock!!!! by seattleducation2011 [image: united] As you might know by now, teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle held a press conference on Friday and announced that they were not going to give theMeasurement of Academic Progress (MAP) test to their students for a number of reasons. For the details, see the letter that was issued by the teachers of Garfield High School. Within hours, teachers at Ballard High School followed suit. The Garfield High... more »

School Tech Connect: Notes From Rogers Park

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Notes From Rogers Park: Notes From Rogers Park by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Swamped. Lew Rosenbaum (Occupy Rogers Park) and William WatkinsBut I managed to sneak in some free learning courtesy of Occupy Rogers Park, which held its first-in-a-series teach-in today at the Rogers Park branch library. The great William Watkins gave a talk in which he put the now-status-quo ed reform movement into the larger context of neo-liberalism. It was highly informative, and totally free. Thank you, Occupy Rogers Park. With free programming like this, you almost have... more »

A Dress Code for Teachers? Or Anything Goes? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
A Dress Code for Teachers? Or Anything Goes? | toteachornototeach: A Dress Code for Teachers? Or Anything Goes? by aristotlethewise A Dress Code for Teachers? Or Anything Goes?by Rae Pica Who could have imagined that the issue of teacher attire would be such a hot-button topic? But, then, who could have imagined that the day would come when teachers sported too-tight clothes and showed too much skin? And, no, I’m not talking about just the female teachers. This is *not *an issue merely because it’s a female-dominated profession, as one tweeter suggested to me. As far as I’m c... more »

PAA Mass affiliate writes letter of support for Seattle teachers | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
PAA Mass affiliate writes letter of support for Seattle teachers | Parents Across America: PAA Mass affiliate writes letter of support for Seattle teachers by pureparents CPS supports Seattle’s Garfield High Teachers: Test Boycott is Courageous Stand for Students, Against Test Abuse Citizens for Public Schools Issues Statement Supporting Seattle’s Garfield High Teachers: “Test Boycott is Courageous Stand for Students, Against Test Abuse” We, the members of Citizens for Public Schools, stand with the teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle for their courageous move to boycott ... more »

The Evaluation: schooling at the end of teaching, unions, & care « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Evaluation: schooling at the end of teaching, unions, & care « Cooperative Catalyst: The Evaluation: schooling at the end of teaching, unions, & care by Chad Sansing [image: The Evaluation]Nearly sixth months ago, I posted “The Evaluation,” a near-future science fiction short story imagining public school teaching as day-labor inside a techno-bureaucratic panopticon. Since then, I’ve tried to hold myself accountable for posting about the work that my kids and I do together, which I love and in which I believe. I want to take the energy I’ve put into criticizing “what is” and cha... more »

Racism in America Today « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Racism in America Today « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Racism in America Today by millerlf I recently read Michelle Alexander’s book, *The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness*. It takes head-on the “elephant in the room” concerning race in America. I feel it is a must read for anyone interested in equality and social justice. According to Alexander, more black men are behind bars or under the watch of the criminal justice system in the US than there were enslaved in 1850…and more *African-American men* are disenfranchised now because of fe... more »

Scarcity at the Table of Abundance | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Scarcity at the Table of Abundance | Connected Principals: Scarcity at the Table of Abundance by Johnny Bevacqua [image: scarcity abundance]This was originally posted at Figuring It Out by J. Bevacqua @jvbevacqua *Thanks to the Internet and the technologies we use to access it, we’ve move from a world where all of these (information, knowledge, teachers, le**arning, getting an education)** were relatively scarce to one where they’re absolutely abundant…* *if we have an Internet connection, we have fingertip, on-demand access to an amazing library that holds close to the sum of hu... more »






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