Monday, April 29, 2013

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 the slick video that support this bill. The truth about SB 862, aka, the Parent Trigger bill is as follows:

1) Does the parent trigger bill offer a new option to parents?

No, it does not. Florida already has a law permitting public school conversion to charter school. That law gives the parents power to initiate a conversion of a school to charter. It was used in Key Biscayne and in Lakeland.

2) Does this bill truly empower parents as the title suggests?

No, it does not. Parents are actually less empowered when a school is converted to a charter. Charters frequently select students for admission. Oftentimes, they avoid disabled children, English

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

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

The NFL Draft Has Lots To Teach Administrators [Edutopia]

by Jose Vilson

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 Ecosystem
Trying 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 simple. Each throw a quarterback made or run he scored on needed additional eyes to assure that the numbers accurately reflected his performance. While people may base salaries on individual statistics, the ones that matter most to executives and fans alike are whether the entire team wins.
Looking at teacher evaluation is a difficult prospect, especially since we’re often trying to measure

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

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 decision on April 4th at 10:00 pm and an important faculty meeting was scheduled for the next morning at 7:15am.

At that meeting, staff were informed and introduce to the new "Administrator-in-charge." Parents were informed that afternoon by letter and then several days later in a meeting to introduce the new administrator.

The move is not supported by the vast majority of parents and faculty. It undermines the Local School Council powers and the democratic process. The community demands the reinstatement of our principal Zoila Garcia.

The Whittier Community will gather in the Xochiquetzal Garden, across the street from Whittier School, 1900 W 23rd St. at 3:00 on Tuesday, April 30 to discuss our next steps.

School closings traumatize vulnerable children

by admin

Last Thursday, I stumbled onto a meeting of a University of Chicago group called the Education and Mental Lives of Children study group of the Society for Psychoanalytic Inquiry.

Not my usual crowd, but a neighbor was making a presentation and the topic was, “Closing Schools, Vulnerable Students.”

The evening turned into a very compelling discussion of the traumatic effects of school closings on children. The group plans to discuss the same issues with respect to the effect on children of standardized testing in a future meeting.

Besides my neighbor, education consultant Bruce Thomas, the other presenter was Erika Schmidt, a child and adult psychoanalyst on the faculty of the Institute for Psychoanalysis, where she is the Director of the Center for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy.

Both Bruce and Erika have worked with schools on this year’s closing list, and are against the closing plan. Bruce testified at a hearing on behalf of one school, and Erika and her staff at the Institute wrote a letter to Barbara Byrd-Bennett (see next post) asking her to consider allowing another school to stay open to maintain it

On Being "College Ready"

by antiqueteacher60

Reblogged from An Antique Teacher: My son has taken his parents for quite a "ride" over the last few months as he waited and waited to make a decision about which of the three colleges where he was accepted he would attend. As May 1 seemed to be looming, his father and I kept at [...]

Student asked to take NY state test from hospital bed

by Chalk Face, PhD

Here’s the story. Question. Who is the education, with a college degree, likely a graduate degree, that complied with this order? Or, they took their own initiative to walk into a hospital room and administer a test? I wonder about their fitness to serve young people in any professional capacity. To a certain extent, we [...]

@dianeravitch wonders about a letter sent from @dfer_news and others to USDE

by Chalk Face, PhD

So do we. Actually, aside from the very banal and uninspired content of the letter itself, which weakly advocates for the persistence of statewide accountability in CA despite the state’s desire for a waiver, the letter itself is extremely easy to replicate and satirize. I respect some of these organizations for the work they do. [...]

Parent/teacher Grassroots Rally, as 500 Oppose High Stakes Testing - Social Justice Unionism

by ed notes online

High stakes testing - the civil rights issue of our time.

You don't get 500 people out to a rally without organizing or an organization to do the organizing. This is the face of social justice unionism, an event at which Unity and New Action were absent. Change the Stakes was the outgrowth of the work of GEM as has been MORE. Both groups work together. CTS joined with Parent Voices and Time Out From Testing to put this event together. More are coming and we expect the MORE caucus, now that elections are over, to be MORE involved in this movement.

The entire structure of ed deform and the assault on teachers and children emanate from the high stakes testing agenda. Note the vicious attacks on the editorial pages against parents who are opting out. They cannot blame the teachers for this one, so instead they attack the parents. So far this movement has come from the white middle class public school parents but people of color, especially in poor communities are taking note of the

Stop Blaming Schools for Inequality!

by dianerav

In a terrific opinion piece that was prominently featured in the Sunday New York Times, Sean Reardon of Stanford University wrote that the gap between the children of the rich and the children of the poor has grown by 40% in the past 30 years.
Reardon puts to rest virtually every reformer myth: schools don’t cause inequality; schools don’t cure inequality: the achievement gap(s) begin before the first day of school. Stop blaming schools for conditions beyond their control. Poverty matters.
Reardon writes : “We are still talking about this despite decades of clucking about the crisis in American education and wave after wave of school reform.Whatever we’ve been doing in our schools, it hasn’t reduced

Math Instructional Videos In Spanish

by Larry Ferlazzo

In my post, The Best Multilingual & Bilingual Sites For Math, Social Studies, & Science, I share various links to online content knowledge and how to use them effectively with English Language Learners.
I’m adding some additional resources related to math instructional videos in Spanish though, at the same time, I

Turmoil swirling around Common Core education standards

by Lyndsey Layton

As public schools across the country transition to the new Common Core standards, which bring wholesale change to the way math and reading are taught in 45 states and the District, criticism of the approach is emerging from groups as divergent as the tea party and the teachers union.
Read full article >>

No Child Left Behind District Waivers Derided By Civil Rights, Disabilities Groups

by Joy Resmovits

As droves of states wiggle out from some of the toughest components of the much-maligned federal No Child Left Behind Act, school districts in states that were denied waivers from the law's strictures want a piece of the action. Not so fast, says a coalition of eight civil rights groups.

In a letter these groups wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan -- and forwarded to The Huffington Post Monday morning -- they argue that the price of giving school districts that kind of flexibility is too high, espeically when it comes to student achievement.

"We're asking you to hold the line now," the groups wrote. "Moving away from a system of statewide

Indiana Testing Halted by Computer Glitch

by dianerav

Teachers’ salaries in Indiana will be based on state test scores, but the administration of the computer-based tests came to a stop today because the computer servers stopped serving.
There was a time long ago when teachers were trusted to write their own tests and grade them. But that was when states assumed that teachers were professionals. Now the states trust out-of-state corporations and computers.

Remainders: A teacher learns a lesson about N.Y.’s test secrecy

by Philissa Cramer

A teacher who tweeted about N.Y’s tests knows now that the state is serious about secrecy. (RL Ratto)
A series of graphs show striking changes in UFT membership and voter turnout over time. (JD2718)
A teacher argues that apathy is the main reason that active teachers rarely vote. (Chaz’s School Daze)
A teacher says retirees should vote in union elections, but only for certain positions. (NYC Educator)
A math teacher says his experience struggling with topology at Yale helps him help students. (Slate)
The feds give free breakfast and lunch to poor students. Wealthy students will now get brunch. (Onion)
Added security at city high schools means recent alums can’t always come back for a visit. (Yahoo News)
A teacher has an insider’s take on the hours of instructional time that’s lost to testing. (Accountable Talk)
NBA player Jason Collins’s high-profile coming-out story includes advice for teachers. (Teaching Now)
Andy Rotherham: Democrats made an unforced error by making the Common Core an issue. (Eduwonk)
A student with autism successfully auditioned for a selective school, but others did not. (Insideschools)
Obama’s big second-term education problem is his first term policies ignored equity. (Answer Sheet)
Indiana is hitting “pause” on Common Core implementation, the latest state to push back. (Politics K-12)
A Long Island high school reopened today after $10 million to repair Sandy damage. (SchoolBook)
Foster parents blog about their challenges getting help from the Department of Education. (Fosterwee)

Judge dismisses suit to make co-located charter schools to pay rent

by Geoff Decker

A judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking $100 million in rent from charter schools that have for years occupied space for free in public school buildings.
The lawsuit, filed by parents and advocates nearly two years ago, claimed that the city Department of Education was in violation of state education law by giving city-owned space to privately managed charter schools at no charge. The parents estimated that the annual free ride cost more than $96 million, a total they sought to steer

May 2013: Illinois Pension Attackers and Defenders

by kenpreviti

Illinois pensions, especially scapegoated teacher pensions, are under attack – again, again and repeatedly again. Legislators who have taken an oath to defend the Illinois constitution are openly breaking their oaths by ignoring the clause that protects pensions – earned benefits, delayed compensation. Why would they do this? Ask the billionaire members of the Civic Committee of the private Commercial Club of Chicago.

Why? $$$$$$$$$
We Are One Illinois has a solid message with a solid request to contact legislators NOW. Let them know we are here and demanding to be heard and represented.
We Are One Illinois is a solid defender of public pensions. Please contact legislators via their site and pass this message along.

Action Alert! Pension-Cutting “Mega-Bill” Could Move in May

Please click to read message from WE ARE ONE: http://www.weareoneillinois.org/news/action-alert-pension-cutting-mega-bill-could-move-in-may

TAKE ACTION NOW!!!!!!

And what about the Illinois Retired Teachers Association, IRTA, that continues to collect membership dues from

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 one knows if they will narrow or widen the achievement gaps. Given Sean Reardon’s article in the same

U.S. Education Secretary to Speak at American Educational Research Association 94th Annual Meeting and Tour Cross Cultural Family Center in San Francisco

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan will travel to San Francisco on Tuesday, April 30, for a three-day tour of the region to highlight the need for more high-quality early learning programs and innovative teaching strategies.

Secretary Duncan to Host Press Call to Discuss Changes to Student Financial Aid Application

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will host a press call today at 3 p.m. to discuss upcoming changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that will help the Department to more accurately and fairly discuss students' need for aid. Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, will join Duncan on the call.

Resources From All My Blogs

by Larry Ferlazzo

In addition to this blog, I regularly post at several other sites:
Engaging Parents In School:

Larry Ferlazzo's Engaging Parents in School Site

Weekly Posts At Classroom Q & A With Larry Ferlazzo:

Monthly Posts At The New York Times Learning Network on Teaching English Language Learners:

Periodic Posts at Edutopia:

All My Class Blogs:

LA Unified board member wants improvements to Breakfast in the Classroom program

by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

On Monday LA Unified board member Bennet Kayser called for improvements to the school district’s one-year old Breakfast in the Classroom program, not its elimination.
The statement was prompted by a move by Superintendent John Deasy to put to a vote of the school board the future of a program that's the first project of LA Fund For Public Education, founded by Deasy and an LA philanthropist. The program has fed more than 200,000 students at a third of the district’s schools by moving

The Three Biggest TFA Lies

by Gary Rubinstein

When I was a kid, around ten years old I guess, my father told me a joke that began with the question “What are the three biggest lies?” I said I didn’t know and he proceeded to tell me that the first biggest lie is “The check is in the mail,” which as a ten year old I really didn’t get. The second biggest lie was, apparently, “Some of my best friends are Black,” which also didn’t make much sense coming from my father, considering that some of his best friends were, in fact, Black. The third, well, was a bit too X-rated for this blog, and definitely for me as a ten year old. Not everyone is a perfect parent, I know, and I don’t hold this against him, though I do try to limit his unsupervised time with my own two kids.
As someone who is, I suppose, a big “friendly critic” (an expression TFA coined as the need to describe the growing number of frustrated alumni) of TFA, I think the biggest problem with TFA is all the lying. Though the individual people I’ve known on staff aren’t huge liars, themselves, the sum of all the lies add up to an

UFT Elections: votes for New Action, MORE

by jd2718

In the election that ended last week, New Action lost to MORE in every division except retirees. I knew we would lose high schools, and win retirees. That did happen. I thought we would win functionals, and that the races in middle school and elementary school would be close. That did not happen.
Look at those numbers. MORE would seem to have won a substantial victory. (I/T/M refers to any and all of ICE, TJC, and MORE)

Year	ELEM		MS/JHS/IS		High School		Functional		Retirees
	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M
2013	534	1,140	161	398	452	1,430	754	951	1880	1,490

Looking at the numbers from 2010 and today, it seems that MORE flipped a chunk of votes from New Action.

Year	ELEM		MS/JHS/IS		High School		Functional		Retirees
	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M
2010	978	703	421	248	774	1,369	1175	708	2234	1,037
2013	534	1,140	161	398	452	1,430	754	951	1880	1,490

Looking at the numbers going back two elections, a different pattern seems to emerge. New Action flips votes from ICE/TJC in 2010, but they come back to MORE in 2013.

Year	ELEM		MS/JHS/IS		High School		Functional		Retirees
	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M
2007	562	1,337	273	444	521	1,524	548	1,032	1616	1,061
2010	978	703	421	248	774	1,369	1175	708	2234	1,037
2013	534	1,140	161	398	452	1,430	754	951	1880	1,490

Pushing the returns back to 2004, it now looks like the anomalous year was 2010. And 2013 is neither the worst year for New Action, nor the best for ICE/TJC/MORE. That’s actually bad news for New Action – this election was, in relation to the other opposition caucus, fairly normal.

Year	ELEM		MS/JHS/IS		High School		Functional		Retirees
	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M	NAC	I/T/M
2004	556	1,239	311	422	700	1,417	512	990	1558	872
2007	562	1,337	273	444	521	1,524	548	1,032	1616	1,061
2010	978	703	421	248	774	1,369	1175	708	2234	1,037
2013	534	1,140	161	398	452	1,430	754	951	1880	1,490

But back to 2010, what might explain the shift? It was, I believe, a more optimistic year. Mulgrew was new, and we preferred his style, and when Weingarten proposed a lousy teacher evaluation system, he said she didn’t get it. He didn’t agree to the outline of the NY State teacher evaluation law until after the election. New Action’s 2010 vote total may have been swelled by voters who wanted to support Mulgrew, but refused to do so on the Unity line.
The ICE/TJC/MORE vote seems to match up most closely between 2007 and 2013, as does the New Action vote, though slightly depressed in 2013 for both caucuses. The Retiree category is an exception, with both groups stronger among retirees in 2013 than they were in 2007.

Full of questions, Council makes no commitment on more funds for District

by thenotebook

By Bill Hangley
District officials were in City Council today to warn that unless Council, the state legislature, and the teacher’s union don’t pitch in, next year’s “dire” budget will transform schools into bare-bones operations stripped of all but the most basic staff and programming.
But City Council president Darrell Clarke said, dire or not, there’s a long way to go before Council can find the $60 million District officials are requesting as the city’s share to plug an unprecedented $300 million structural deficit.
“To suggest that there’s going to be any additional taxes … I think is a stretch at this time,” Clarke said. “I can personally say that without a significant increase in funding from the state, I don’t think there’s going to be any

Quarter of students in grades five and eight fail STAAR

by Terrence Stutz

Nearly a quarter of fifth and eighth grade students in Texas failed the math or reading sections of the STAAR exam this spring, putting them in jeopardy of being denied promotion in the fall. New test results released Monday by the Texas … [visit site to read more]

Cut Down Testing, new student group, check them out

APRIL 29, 2013 BY CHALK FACE, PHD LEAVE A COMMENT

Cut Down Testing, new student group, check them out

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-29-13 #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

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

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 minutes 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 - 26 minutes 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 hour 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 hour 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 »

Florida Parents Don't Let the Sunshine Melt Your AstroTurf

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Sunshine Parents - Sneak Peak on Vimeo: *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 cir... more »

The gap between school reform rhetoric and reality in 3 cities

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

The gap between school reform rhetoric and reality in 3 cities: The gap between school reform rhetoric and reality in 3 cities Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 29, 2013 at 4:00 pm 1 Comments More [image: (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images)] (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images) A new report looks at the results of school reform in three major cities and finds that reformers’ claims about success don’t exactly match reality. Here’s a piece on it by Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for the Broader Bolder Approach to Education. This appeared on The Nation’s website. By Elaine Weiss ... more »

NYC Educator: How Do We Engage the Apathetic 75%?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

NYC Educator: How Do We Engage the Apathetic 75%?: How Do We Engage the Apathetic 75%? by NYC Educator It's humiliating that 52% of the union vote came from retirees. That we cannot muster more than one of four working teachers to take an interest in who runs our union is on us too. Retirees are certainly important, and I hope to become one someday. Retirees should be represented, and are, with their own chapter. Should the union have a Florida office? If we've got a huge percentage of retirees in Florida, why not? But here's a fact--retirees have different interests than working ... 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 - 2 hours 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 - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Dilbert Explains VAM for You by dianerav Ever tried to understand value-added modeling but found the jargon incomprehensible? You are not alone. Most people have had that experience. Here is the clearest explanation I have seen. It makes perfect sense. DFER, EdTrust, et al Insist on High-Stakes Testing for California by dianerav I don’t understand this story. It says that “civil rights groups” demand that Arne Duncan turn down a request for a waiver from a group of districts in California. Since high-stakes tes... more »

The Absurdity of High Stakes Testing Student Voice

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Student Voice: The Absurdity of High Stakes Testing by Editor Admin *About the Author: *Amber Dawn Miley is a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is a future English teacher, a StuVoice activist, a hopeful author, and a self professed fangirl. Iowa Assesments, two words that make teachers cringe across the state. Throughout the nation, high-stakes testing is used to indicate whether students, teachers, administrators and even schools are up to par with the ever changing standards in education. However, using these outdated methods of evaluation in an ... more »

Set an Authentic and Respectful Tone at the Top — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Set an Authentic and Respectful Tone at the Top — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Paula Mirk]Set an Authentic and Respectful Tone at the Top April 29, 2013 by Paula Mirk "Tone at the Top" is a key research finding from our *Schools of Integrity* research project, so we know the vital part leadership plays in the process of building school cultures. Having worked frequently with great school principals who are deliberate and responsible about that role, there are specific qualities we now look for in leadership at our participating Ethical Literacy schools. *Know ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Chicago school closings run on 'family values'

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Chicago school closings run on 'family values': Chicago school closings run on 'family values' by Mike Klonsky Catherine O'Connor Sugrue (Left) at CPS Board meeting. (Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.)Catherine Sugrue, sister of Rahm's City Council floor leader, Patrick O'Connor, holds the newly created title of CPS director of school transition, reporting to Tom Tyrell, the retired Marine charged with safeguarding 30,000 displaced students. You follow? According to the Sun-Times: *O’Connor noted that Sugrue is a former teacher who spent 17... more »

More UNO scandals for Illinois Executive Inspector General – Part 1 Parents United for Responsible Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » More UNO scandals for Illinois Executive Inspector General – Part 1: More UNO scandals for Illinois Executive Inspector General – Part 1 by admin [image: UNO CEO Juan Rangel posing in front of "our private plane," from Rangel Facebook page]UNO CEO Juan Rangel posing in front of “our private plane,” from Rangel Facebook page It was very gratifying to hear that the state of Illinois is suspending payment of the balance of a $98 million grant to the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) and its charter school network, to be res... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Has a Strange Definition of 'Reformer' | Pith in the Wind

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Has a Strange Definition of 'Reformer' | Pith in the Wind: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Has a Strange Definition of 'Reformer'POSTED BY BETSY PHILLIPS ON MON, APR 29, 2013 AT 5:00 AM Unlike most people on the left, I find Michelle Rhee more baffling than irritating. Rhee's whole schtick is that she, as an educational reformer, can see simple solutions for fixing our schools that, thus far, everyone has either been too stupid to see themselves or too afraid of the teachers' unions to implement. Which is fi... 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 »

What happens in Vegas should be shared! | My Island View

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago

What happens in Vegas should be shared! | My Island View: What happens in Vegas should be shared! by tomwhitby I recently participated in what might possibly be a one-time experience for an educator, an education conference in Las Vegas. Of course that probably doesn’t hold true for Nevada educators. Solution Tree Publishing sponsored the Leadership Now Conference in Vegas. It was a Quality event with high visibility speakers keynoted the event. The speakers at the event were Solution Tree authors and each was a leading expert in their area of expertise. They were also all affilia... more »

Feds offering another Title I carryover waiver following sequestration SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Feds offering another Title I carryover waiver following sequestration In an effort to help soften the impact of sequestration on school districts, the U.S. Department of Education has offered states a waiver to rules limiting how many Title I dollars can be carried over from one fiscal year to the next. Existing law provides that no more than 15 percent of a district’s Title I allotment from one budget year can be retained for use in the next. There is a process for receiving an exception to the carryover rule but it can be granted by the s... 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 »

Gov. Brown as Robin Hood - latimes.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago

Gov. Brown as Robin Hood - latimes.com: Gov. Brown as Robin HoodHis plan to shift money from suburban to urban districts might help disadvantaged students but it could hurt other kids.[image: Gov. Jerry Brown]“This is a matter of equity and civil rights,” Gov. Jerry Brown told reporters last week about his plan for school funds. “The question is, do we want to try to take care of the biggest challenge facing California, and that’s the two-tier society?” (Renee C. Byer, Associated Press / April 24, 2013) By George SkeltonCapitol Journal April 29, 2013 Now we know what Gov. Jerry Br... 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 »

Louisiana Educator: Let the People Choose Our Next State Superintendent

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Louisiana Educator: Let the People Choose Our Next State Superintendent: Let the People Choose Our Next State Superintendent by Michael Deshotels I once thought that it made sense to have BESE appoint the State Superintendent. The idea was that BESE could take applications from all over the country and from Louisiana in search of the most qualified candidate. You know, someone who has been properly trained in the field of education and who has devoted many years to his/her craft as a teacher and an administrator. Someone who has dealt first hand with the problems of properly educ... more »

The Principal’s Dilemma as Mock Trial: Ed Law Colleagues Please Provide Your Opinions! | School Finance 101

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

The Principal’s Dilemma as Mock Trial: Ed Law Colleagues Please Provide Your Opinions! | School Finance 101: The Principal’s Dilemma as Mock Trial: Ed Law Colleagues Please Provide Your Opinions! by schoolfinance101 The following is a hypothetical case I am using as the culminating activity in Public School Law this semester. *The Dismissal of Principal X* Principal X is principal in a local public middle school in a state that has recently adopted through legislation, articulated with greater precision in state department of education regulations, a new teacher evaluation scheme... more »

Hudson Valley parents to state: Don't share students' data with corporations

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Hudson Valley parents to state: Don't share students' data with corporations: Hudson Valley parents to state: Don't share students' data with corporations Published: April 28, 2013 8:56 AM By MEGHAN E. MURPHY meghan.murphy@cablevision.com [image: Many Hudson Valley parents and educators oppose a]Photo credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr. | Many Hudson Valley parents and educators oppose a New York State Education Department project that they say would give access to student data to private education corporations. (March 27, 2013) Hudson Valley parents and educators are digging in... more »

What we can learn from the rise and fall of Michelle Rhee

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

What we can learn from the rise and fall of Michelle Rhee: What we can learn from the rise and fall of Michelle Rhee by JASON STANFORD on APRIL 17, 2013 At some point, we need to stop believing in miracles, at least in education. While we’re still getting over the RICO indictments handed down in the Atlanta cheating scandal comes the revelation that the success Michelle Rhee achieved as the “no excuses” superintendent of Washington, D.C.’s public schools was the product of massive cheating. Those asking why Rhee isn’t under indictment just like her former colleague in Atlanta are ... more »

Parents United Top 10 questions on the District budget | Parents United for Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Parents United Top 10 questions on the District budget | Parents United for Public Education: Parents United Top 10 questions on the District budget by parentsunitedphila Parents United absolutely supports the District’s request of $60 million from the City, however, we ask City Council to consider the following: - The District must immediate re-do its budget. It is irresponsible for City leaders and city residents to support $60 million in funds when there is no indication of how those funds will be spent. The District chose to zero out essential supports in schools w... more »

Five Questions for Arne Duncan - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Five Questions for Arne Duncan - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Five Questions for Arne Duncan by Anthony Cody On Thursday, May 2nd, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be speaking to a luncheon that is part of theEducation Writers' Association seminar at Stanford University. The event is oversold, so although I am attending the conference, I am not going to be at the luncheon. And since I am only a blogger, rather than a "working reporter," I would not be among those allowed to ask questions of the Secretary of Education in any case. Secretary Duncan will also... more »

Mother Crusader: Why On Earth Does My Daughter Have To Take This Test?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Mother Crusader: Why On Earth Does My Daughter Have To Take This Test?: Why On Earth Does My Daughter Have To Take This Test? by darciecima NJ Opt Out 2013 is underway! Today is day one of NJASK for 7th and 8th grade, and parents across the state are doing what it takes to say NOWAY to the NJASK. Between now and the end of testing season I hope to bring you the stories of opt outers and test refusers across New Jersey. The movement is growing, and each year more parents become engaged in the struggle to take back public education from the private interests that have invaded o... more »

UPDATE: The in box. + Retired representation. Heading for the NEA RA in Atlanta + In the belly of the beast. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

In the belly of the beast. | Fred Klonsky: The in box. Pension nuclear bomb may come to House floor on Wednesday. by Fred Klonsky From We Are One: *The Illinois legislature will return to Springfield on Tuesday, April 30, and will remain in session throughout the month of May.* *House Speaker Michael Madigan has indicated that three bills – HB 1165, HB 1166, and HB 1154 — could be packaged together in a new “mega-bill” and voted on by the full House. (The new “mega-bill” has not yet been introduced and could include more than just these three bills.) We are hearing that the Speaker... more »

Day of the Teacher 2013 - California Teachers Association

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Day of the Teacher 2013 - California Teachers Association: *Hover mouse over poster to share.* To download a wallpaper of the California Day of the Teacher poster, select your screen resolution width:1024, 1280, 1600, 1920, 2048. California Teachers: Honoring our past. Guiding the future. On May 8, 2013 we will mark the 31th anniversary of California’s Day of the Teacher. To honor teachers and the 150th anniversary of CTA, we have chosen “*California Teachers: Honoring the Past, Guiding the Future*” as this year’s theme. CTA has been making a positive impact on education for 150 yea... more »

Daily Kos: Monica Ratliff for Los Angeles School Board

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Daily Kos: Monica Ratliff for Los Angeles School Board: Monica Ratliff for Los Angeles School Board by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) *The following is the contents of this blog post by Diane Ravitch, cross-posted here with her permission and encouragement. If you want to stop the corporate takeover of public education, this is a place you can help make a stand* There is a big race in Los Angeles on May 21. It is a run-off that will determine who controls the board. There are two candidates. One–Monica Ratliff–is a working classroom teacher, the other worked on the staff of corpor... more »

Shanker Blog » How Important Is Undergraduate Teaching In Public R1 Universities? How Important Should It Be?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

Shanker Blog » How Important Is Undergraduate Teaching In Public R1 Universities? How Important Should It Be?: How Important Is Undergraduate Teaching In Public R1 Universities? How Important Should It Be? by Ian Robinson *Our guest author today is Ian Robinson, Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and in the Residential College’s interdisciplinary Social Theory and Practice program at the University of Michigan.* I ended my previous post by arguing that (1) if teaching is at least as valuable as research, and (2) nontenure-track (NTT) faculty teach at least as well as tenure-... more »

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 »

Serious Problems Remain for Stargel, Trujillo and Rhee on Parent Trigger Petition | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Serious Problems Remain for Stargel, Trujillo and Rhee on Parent Trigger Petition | Scathing Purple Musings: Serious Problems Remain for Stargel, Trujillo and Rhee on Parent Trigger Petition by Bob Sikes As Kelli Stargel take to the Senate floor today to defend her Parent Trigger bill, she will be wondering whether or not it was a good idea to get involved with Michelle Rhee. There were likely to be enough votes and political muscle behind it without having to resort to submitting a fraudulent petition into the debate. But Stargel and House sponsor Carlos Trujillo were getting... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Get Ready For DESE BINGO May 2nd

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Get Ready For DESE BINGO May 2nd: Get Ready For DESE BINGO May 2nd by Anngie *Something a little light hearted for those of you who have been following Common Core for a while and are getting tired of the buzz words.* Here is a BINGO card you can use at the May 2nd meetings hosted by DESE to talk about Common Core. Check off every buzz word or phrase you hear. If you complete a row you are a winner, although there are no real winners with Common Core. Click here for a downloadable pdf of the card. Check back on Friday and let us know which row(s) you... more »

Daily Kos: "the economy is not like an individual family."

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Daily Kos: "the economy is not like an individual family.": "the economy is not like an individual family." by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) As Paul Krugman put it in The Story of Our Time, his Monday *New York Times* column, "may be the most crucial thing to understand" in what he offers in his "refresher" necessary to understand our current economic problems. It is clearly written, very much to the point. It is yet another example of why I wonder when Krugman will get the Pulitzer for commentary he deserves every bit as much as his Nobel Memorial Prize for Economics. He explains... more »

Jersey Jazzman: EXCLUSIVE: Newark Memo Shows Another Cerf Crony Enriched

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: EXCLUSIVE: Newark Memo Shows Another Cerf Crony Enriched: EXCLUSIVE: Newark Memo Shows Another Cerf Crony Enriched by Duke Last week, I blogged about how the state-appointed administration of the Newark Public Schools (NPS) had lost credibility with students, teachers, and even its own "advisory board." Superintendent Cami Anderson, hand picked by Governor Chris Christie and Education Commissioner Cerf, has been taking a lot of knocks over budgeting and a lack of transparency. After this post, I'm afraid things are bound to get worse: *I've just come into possessi... more »

California earns mediocre marks on national study of early childhood education | EdSource Today

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

California earns mediocre marks on national study of early childhood education | EdSource Today: California earns mediocre marks on national study of early childhood education - by Lillian Mongeau by Lillian Mongeau [image: girl at water table]Vannesa Carreto, 4, plays at the water table at the Creative Montessori Learning Center in East Palo Alto in March . Credit: Lillian Mongeau, EdSource Today California earned a lackluster rating on state spending, preschool access and program quality for early childhood education for the 2011-12 school year, according to the annual State of ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: What's the no-so-hidden curriculum at Walter Payton College Prep? by Mike Klonsky I know that Payton kids score high on standardized tests. The question is, what are they learning? What's the hidden curriculum? Payton was in the news twice last week. Once for being the school of choice for the rich and powerful within CPS's two-tier system of supposedly public education. The other for its refusal to allow their baseball team to play a game at predominantly-black Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep in Roseland. Don't you love all this *Co... more »

StudentsFirst ‘parent trigger’ petition: Phony signatures?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

StudentsFirst ‘parent trigger’ petition: Phony signatures?: StudentsFirst ‘parent trigger’ petition: Phony signatures? Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 29, 2013 at 6:00 am 1 Comments More [image: petition2]A petition in support of “parent trigger” legislation in Florida spearheaded by StudentsFirst, Michelle Rhee’s education advocacy group, apparently has numerous signatures on it from people who say they didn’t sign it. That’s what the Miami Herald/Times reported in this story after questions were raised about the authenticity of signatures on the petition and reporters sent e-ma... 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: Seattle MAP Protest Goes On (and Goes International)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle MAP Protest Goes On (and Goes International): Seattle MAP Protest Goes On (and Goes International) by Melissa Westbrook There is a press conference tomorrow by the Seattle teachers/staff against MAP testing to announce the boycott for the next round of testing is to grow larger. (They will be announcing new schools joining in.) Their message to the district; Don't Renew the MAP Contract. The MAP contract expires this spring and the call is for the Superintendent to decline to renew the contract with NWEA. From the press release: *Garfi... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: In Advance of the Mayoral Forums

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: In Advance of the Mayoral Forums: In Advance of the Mayoral Forums by Melissa Westbrook The King County Democrats had their endorsement interviews this weekend and have put up the questionaires that each candidate filled out. Very illuminating. To note: - Murray, Martin, Harrell, Steinbrueck all say no to charters (and vouchers) - Burgess and McGinn gave "qualified" answers to charters. Here they are: Burgess *I did not support the charter school campaign last year as I viewed that effort as a distraction from some of the larger is... more »

Changing Membership, Changing Electorate | JD2718

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Changing Membership, Changing Electorate | JD2718: Changing Membership, Changing Electorate by jd2718 This is a time series of charts, showing UFT membership and votes by division for the 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2013 elections. I created the charts from the numbers of ballots mailed and the number of ballots returned, which has been part of the reported election results, including this year. Raw numbers, by division, by year, with turnout percentages are included at the bottom of this post. *Members by Division, by year* *[image: UFT Members by Division by Year]* *Voters by Division, b... more »

Gov. Brown Calls for Redistribution of School Funding :: Fox&Hounds

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Gov. Brown Calls for Redistribution of School Funding :: Fox&Hounds: Gov. Brown Calls for Redistribution of School Funding [image: Katy Grimes] By Katy Grimes Calwatchdog.com news reporter Thursday, April 25th, 2013 [image: http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com] Citing a lack of civil rights and social inequities as what is wrong with California public schools, Gov. Jerry Brown vowed Wednesday at a Capitol press conference to give more money to the K-12 school districts that serve poorer students and English-language learners. Brown said state funding needs to balance social equity and ... 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 »

inBloom. Colorado. May 16th. Be Informed. | United Opt Out National

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

inBloom. Colorado. May 16th. Be Informed. | United Opt Out National: inBloom. Colorado. May 16th. Be Informed. by admin Did you know that Jefferson County Public Schools will share confidential and personal student records with a corporation and store them on a data “cloud” without parental consent? Did you know that this corporation, called inBloom, Inc., intends to share the information with vendors to help them develop and market their “learning products?” The data will include children’s name, address, email, test scores, racial, economic and special education status, and may... more »

Peg with Pen: Open the Door. Speak Loudly.

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Peg with Pen: Open the Door. Speak Loudly.: Open the Door. Speak Loudly. by Peggy In light of what has happened to teachers this week who have been fired, disciplined and reprimanded by those who wish to silence us - see here, here, and here - this is my response: Teachers are public intellectuals - this includes being involved in politics and advocating for our students - this is part of our job. The mantra of "shut the door and do what is best for your students" is simply not good enough anymore. We must open the door and speak loudly.

“It’s our democracy, stupid.” | Deborah Meier on Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

“It’s our democracy, stupid.” | Deborah Meier on Education: “It’s our democracy, stupid.” by debmeier Friends, The continued existence of democracy, much less an even stronger one, is what is in a crisis. The “school crisis”, along with many others, is a distraction. Just a symptom of the more serious crisis we face. Schools are simply one of our many institutions that are under attack. The very “idea” of democracy is being undermined over and over again–and its not easy for me to see how we can put humpty-dumpty together again. Because it’s democracy that is the real basis for t... more »

NYC Educator: Unity Loyalty

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NYC Educator: Unity Loyalty: Unity Loyalty by NYC Educator There's a thread on Gotham Schools that's interesting not so much for its content, that Mulgrew won, but rather for its comment thread. Particularly interesting is the Unity fan, one "Les Vegas." Les has strong opinions about MORE. .*..you were running a slate of unqualified candidates, several with radical practices.* This is a theme that comes up whenever anyone has the temerity to oppose the Unity stranglehold on power. They're unqualified and incapable. I remember Unity calling New Action, "No Action" back in the eig... more »