Big Education Ape: Apr 21, 2017

Friday, April 21, 2017

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/21/17

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/21/17

Featured Post

CURMUDGUCATION: The Attack on Charter Schools

How Trump's budget cuts will affect class size nationwide - Network For Public Education

by mike simpson / 13min

How Trump's budget cuts will affect class size nationwide - Network For Public Education : How Trump’s budget cuts will affect class size nationwide Though much has been written about President Trump’s proposed budget cuts, little has been said about how his largest proposed cut to public schools, the total elimination of $2.4 billion in Title IIA funds , would likely increase class size across t

A Day to Cheer for Students and Books - NEA Today

by mike simpson / 17min

A Day to Cheer for Students and Books - NEA Today : A Day to Cheer for Students and Books Educators promote literacy year-round but the celebrations bloom in spring with NEA’s Read Across America , National Poetry Month , School Library Month , and next week, El Día de los Niños, El Día de los Libros. “Children’s Day, Book Day” is a year-long commitment to celebrating all children and to motivati

Let’s Hear It For Black Girls! | gadflyonthewallblog

by mike simpson / 1h

Let’s Hear It For Black Girls! | gadflyonthewallblog : Let’s Hear It For Black Girls! “Sisters are more than the sum of their relative disadvantages: they are active agents who craft meaning out of their circumstances and do so in complicated and diverse ways.” -Melissa Harris-Perry, Sister Citizen (2011) Let’s hear it for black girls! They are beautiful, bold, irrepressible and – above all – so

The Birth of Fake News: Portrait of the Movement

by mike simpson / 2h

The Birth of Fake News: Portrait of the Movement Did you ever wonder how Fake News gets it start? The Corporate Education Reform Vanity Press produces a "research" report that touts the so called blessings of Privatization. The Report is then published as gospel on various Fake News websites like The 74, then it is repeated by other Fake News sites Like the Choice Media, LA Schools Report, etc. B

CURMUDGUCATION: Leaders, Character, and Policy

by mike simpson / 3h

CURMUDGUCATION: Leaders, Character, and Policy : Leaders, Character, and Policy Many of us spend huge amounts of time discussing and debating education policy. But where the synthetic rubber meets the recycled asphalt, policy is not the most important thing. In every school, in every district, what really matters is the character of the leadership. In the same way that workers do not quit workpla

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: Is Your Job Robot-Proof?

by mike simpson / 4h

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: Is Your Job Robot-Proof? : Is Your Job Robot-Proof? It doesn’t take much observation of the typical high school curriculum to see that most of what is being taught is a vestige of a long past era. Geometry was essential to the ancient Egyptians, but not to modern Americans. Spelling, handwriting, and even writing itself have little to do with contemporary co

Largest Charter School Chain in LA Raises Millions in Dark Money to Fight Union Drive, State Auditor Finds | Alternet

by mike simpson / 5h

Largest Charter School Chain in LA Raises Millions in Dark Money to Fight Union Drive, State Auditor Finds | Alternet : Largest Charter School Chain in LA Raises Millions in Dark Money to Fight Union Drive, State Auditor Finds Nearly $1 million in cash, $2.2 million in legal work. The extraordinary lengths that Los Angeles’ largest charter school chain will go to defeat a union drive were reveale

A CT School Adequacy Study will inform a rational and constitutional education finance program - Wait What?

by mike simpson / 6h

A CT School Adequacy Study will inform a rational and constitutional education finance program - Wait What? : A CT School Adequacy Study will inform a rational and constitutional education finance program The Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education (CCJEF) explains why the Connecticut General Assembly should approve legislation requiring a CT School Adequacy Study rather than adopt a fault

John Thompson: Placemaking crucial to success of Innovation District - NonDoc

by mike simpson / 6h

Placemaking crucial to success of Innovation District - NonDoc : Placemaking crucial to success of Innovation District A report on Oklahoma City’s Innovation District released Tuesday by the Brookings Institute and Project for Public Spaces presents a doable vision the for northeast OKC effort. (Full report available here .) The authors conclude: Oklahoma City is poised to organize itself to be a

Putting public schools in the national spotlight | American Federation of Teachers

by mike simpson / 6h

Putting public schools in the national spotlight | American Federation of Teachers : Putting public schools in the national spotlight It was a chance for one small Midwest city to showcase the great work going on inside its public schools, and Van Wert, Ohio, made the most of it. The April 20 school visits hosted by Van Wert, a northwest Ohio community of roughly 11,000, for AFT President Randi W

George Takei's 'Allegiance' is headed to Los Angeles + PACIFIC ARTS MOVEMENT PRESENTS: RIGHT TO RESIST

by mike simpson / 6h

George Takei's 'Allegiance' is headed to Los Angeles : GEORGE TAKEI'S 'ALLEGIANCE' IS HEADED TO LOS ANGELES Allegiance is coming to Los Angeles next year. East West Players and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center will present the Los Angeles premiere of the Broadway musical Allegiance , with performances at JACCC's Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo. from February 21 to April 1, 2018

Science teachers to join march to oppose what they see as threat to quality education | EdSource

by mike simpson / 7h

Science teachers to join march to oppose what they see as threat to quality education | EdSource : Science teachers to join march to oppose what they see as threat to quality education undreds of California science teachers – and plenty of their students, as well – will take to the streets Saturday to defend funding for science research and programs and education, which they say are increasingly

Indiana hasn’t really improved the schools it has taken over. Now, the state could start taking over entire districts | Chalkbeat

by mike simpson / 7h

Indiana hasn’t really improved the schools it has taken over. Now, the state could start taking over entire districts | Chalkbeat : Indiana hasn’t really improved the schools it has taken over. Now, the state could start taking over entire districts An effort to solve debt crises in Gary and Muncie could end with Indiana lawmakers having the power to take over school districts, even if they aren’

Feisty Friday Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

by mike simpson / 7h

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all : Feisty Friday Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Gary Rubinstein: The Oops Factor at Bill Gates’ Favorite School in Colorado 1 by dianeravitch / 32min The trouble with hailing a school as a model is that you can’t predict what might happen next year. This has never stopped Bill Gates! In 2012, he visi

California bill that critics say could cripple charter schools back in the spotlight | EdSource

by mike simpson / 8h

California bill that critics say could cripple charter schools back in the spotlight | EdSource : California bill that critics say could cripple charter schools back in the spotlight A bill that would have allowed only school districts to approve new charter petitions is very much alive despite being shelved Monday by its sponsor. The bill known as Senate Bill 808 got a burst of support Tuesday f

Finding Teachable Moments In The March For Science : NPR Ed : NPR

by mike simpson / 8h

Finding Teachable Moments In The March For Science : NPR Ed : NPR : Educators On A Hot Topic: Global Warming 101 Organizers of Saturday's nationwide March for Science have some pretty lofty goals: supporting science "as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity." Promoting "evidence-based policies in the public interest." Oh, and don't forget highlighting "the very real role that science plays in

Ohio Town’s Schools Hope to Be ‘More Than a Line Item’ in the Federal Budget - The New York Times

by mike simpson / 8h

Ohio Town’s Schools Hope to Be ‘More Than a Line Item’ in the Federal Budget - The New York Times : Ohio Town’s Schools Hope to Be ‘More Than a Line Item’ in the Federal Budget VAN WERT, Ohio — Ken Amstutz’s phone did not stop buzzing long enough for him to think about what could happen in 24 hours. He was fielding questions from public officials and the national news media, keeping tabs on plann

CURMUDGUCATION: The Attack on Charter Schools

by mike simpson / 8h

CURMUDGUCATION: The Attack on Charter Schools : The Attack on Charter Schools Nashville Charter School parents complain that they are under attack and disrespected . Charter advocates have long panel discussions about how to fight back against the attacks on charters and choice. Every 9-12 months, a new website is launched because reformy fans of charter and choice believe that they are under att

14 Devious Claims to Destroy Special Education

by mike simpson / 9h

14 Devious Claims to Destroy Special Education : 14 Devious Claims to Destroy Special Education Around the country, state education chiefs, local school superintendents, and school boards are eliminating special education services. There’s an effort to get rid of special education. Sometimes this is done through language that sounds appealing. Who doesn’t want a quality education for all children

Two Wise Articles about High School Graduation Requirements | janresseger

by mike simpson / 9h

Two Wise Articles about High School Graduation Requirements | janresseger : Two Wise Articles about High School Graduation Requirements This week brought two fine commentaries on today’s punitive high school graduation requirements. Stan Karp , an educator, demonstrates widespread flawed assumptions about the need for high school exit exams. And, in a stunning commentary, the Rev. Jesse Jackson e

With A Brooklyn Accent: My Appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor"

by mike simpson / 9h

With A Brooklyn Accent: My Appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor" : My Appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor" Now that Bill O'Reilly is off the air, I think it is time I provide an account of my appearance on the "O'Reilly Factor," since the tape of the episode I appeared on is nowhere to be found Ten years ago, I received a call inviting me to appear on "The O'Reilly Factor." The occasion was a contro

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Regional Superintendents Send White Paper to Legislature

by mike simpson / 9h

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Regional Superintendents Send White Paper to Legislature : Regional Superintendents Send White Paper to Legislature A letter of interest called "An Educational Funding Position Paper Submitted by the Superintendents of the NW Educational Service District 189 Region" was send to the Governor, State Superintendent Rykdal, and members of the Washington State Legislat

Badass Teachers Association: Call This The Empty Chair by Patte Carter-Hevia

by mike simpson / 9h

Badass Teachers Association: Call This The Empty Chair by Patte Carter-Hevia : Call This The Empty Chair by Patte Carter-Hevia Today I attended a National Education Association Listening Tour stop. Dinner and then a keynote speaker and then a panel discussion. The theme was "How do we create the public schools that our children deserve?” The keynote speaker was a business owner and author. He tol

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/20/17

by mike simpson / 1d

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/20/17 Featured Post Oh Brother Betsy DeVos 's Blackwater Brother Erik Prince acted as Trump envoy in Russian meetings: report | MSNBC Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: TOMORROW'S SHOW by mike simpson / 8min Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: TOMORROW'S SHOW : TOMORROW'S SHOW Eve Ewing (top) and Sarah Chambers. Tomorrow on Hitting Left, our in-studio guest wil