The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky

The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky:

The Sunday Mail.

by Fred Klonsky

Close the School of the Americas.
Remembering Don Cornelius. In 1973 we would roll up the carpet at Dennis and Roberta’s Garfield Boulevard apartment on the South Side and dance to Love Train.
New Jersey’s Governor Christie started his rule attacking teachers. It’s a gateway drug.
Poor kids don’t need Art and Music education. What?
An online petition for an elected school board in Chicago, the only Illinois school system that doesn’t have one. Sign it. Pass it on.
The pension rallies are on. See you in Springfield on Thursday.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s Jackson Potter tells the Sun-Times that we don’t won’t billionaires running our still-public schools.
I work in a psychiatric hospital in Chicago. Unlike many teachers out there who see only their small window of 

Ten minute drawing. Working on a Sunday.

by Fred Klonsky

Click on image to enlarge.

The Weekly Update: Teachers Speak Up | Parents Across America

The Weekly Update: Teachers Speak Up | Parents Across America:

The Weekly Update: Teachers Speak Up

by DoraTaylor

The Weekly Update for the news and views you might have missed.

This week has been a slower news week than usual for obvious reasons but the internet is burning up with announcements of new Facebook pages sprouting up started by an array of parents and teachers from around the country standing with their teachers and students and against the privatization of their schools. Just this morning I was invited to like four Facebook pages related to education. They are:

Parents: What Colorado School Grades Doesn’t Want You to Know

Parents & Educators against the Daniels & Bennett Educational Reform

Indiana Coalition for Public Education

Edushyster

Now on to the news and views.

“Only a crisis, actual or perceived, produces real change”

Milton Friedman

“For Freidman and his followers, disaster was not just a chance to get rich but an opportunity to 

Schools Matter: The Hoover Institute's Amazing Discoveries

Schools Matter: The Hoover Institute's Amazing Discoveries:

The Hoover Institute's Amazing Discoveries

by John

I previously characterized much of the research published by "reformers" as evidence-influenced, as opposed to evidence-driven.  I cited criticisms by Bruce Baker and Julia Sass Rubin of the new Hoover Institute CREDO study of New Jersey charter schools.  Today, however,  I would like praise the conservative think tank. 

“Charter School Performance in New Jersey,”  includes a repudiation of everything that the Hoover Institute has advocated. It compares outcomes for 77% of their study's charter school students with those of their peers in traditional public schools (TPS). It finds that in four of the five major cities with the most charters (Camden, Trenton, Jersey City, and Paterson) that charter students learn significantly less than their (TPS) peers in reading, and there are no differences in learning gains in math.  CREDO’s charter school advocates acknowledge that, “much of the motivation for developing charter schools aims at improving education outcomes for students in poverty," as they report that low income charter students received no significant benefits in reading.

A City Education: Why Afterschool Programs Are Key to Student Success | Education on GOOD

A City Education: Why Afterschool Programs Are Key to Student Success | Education on GOOD:

A City Education: Why Afterschool Programs Are Key to Student Success

In our A City Education series, City Year corps members share their experiences working as tutors and mentors in schools in hopes of closing the opportunity gap and ending the dropout crisis.
The hours after school can be very dangerous for students who do not have a structured space to go. Many students have parents who are still at work during afterschool time, and these students have free time to spend however they choose. In the South Bronx, this free time may lead to dangerous activities for my students. Amajor part of my service with City Year takes place from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., when I provide my students with a safe space in which to complete their homework, participate in enriching clubs, and learn about their community.
The first hour of after school is dedicated to homework help. We give the students the opportunity to finish all their homework, and provide support to those who need help doing so. I work with the fifth graders, and every day 

new years resolutions for parents of 2008 birthday children - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help

new years resolutions for parents of 2008 birthday children - my sidewalk chalk blog - nyc school help:

new years resolutions for parents of 2008 birthday children

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2012 AT 10:14AM

1. Don't panic. There is no need and people who panic drown. Stay calm and centered and when "that mom" at the playground tells you that you are screwed because you didn't do this-and-such or didn't get into "the" school. Drop her. She is trouble and she is not correct, and your poor spouse will have to spend a week talking you down, when you should have been laughing with your child.

2. Tour. Even though it is universally known among your neighbors that your zone school is a "disaster" - tour. A lot of this is rumor. Many of these parents that speak with conviction have not toured or attended the schools. You need a baseline. You may find that your school has more things to love than not. Before you go watch this awesome video by InsideSchools.org

3. Support the people that support you. Send a check to your school's PTA AND toInsideSchools.org (the awesome non-profit that will support you in public school for the 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Charter schools have become huge business for CMOs

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Charter schools have become huge business for CMOs:

Charter schools have become huge business for CMOs

by Mike Klonsky

"What we are having now is private control of public schools." -- Prof. Gary Miron

Eleanor Chute writes in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ("Charter schools now big business nationwide") about how charter schools have been transformed into huge, often profitable business enterprises since their inception in the early 1990's.

The early charter schools in Pennsylvania were largely the product of passionate parents or community groups, who sometimes planned their dream schools around the kitchen table. But the picture has changed dramatically since the charter school law was passed in Pennsylvania in 1997, with an expansion of education management organizations that bring big money and clout into the picture.

Chute's article has good quotes from corporate-style reform critic, Gary Miron and research data from the 

Learning from Mick Wilz « Cooperative Catalyst

Learning from Mick Wilz « Cooperative Catalyst:

Learning from Mick Wilz

by pamelamoran

“Don’t just talk about change. Show it.”
Mick Wilz’s post in The New York Times is a simple, but rich and complex, narrative that sense-makes the teaching and learning process from an alternative point of view. I’d like to think that any professional educator who takes the time to read his story would find both reinforcement for – and cause to question what s/he does each day.
“I WAS born in 1956. I should have been reading in grade school, but I’m dyslexic — I have trouble reading, writing and spelling — and few people knew much about the condition in those days. My mother realized that something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. She advocated for me at school and told my teachers not to give up on me. I attended five grammar schools because my mother was constantly looking for something to help me. It was a lonely childhood, and I hate to think how I might have ended up if she hadn’t been so supportive.”
I really appreciate Wilz’s efforts to create a visual workplace, a kind of Ira Socol “toolbelt” space, framed through 

UPDATE: Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day “Google Maps Streetview Player” Is Just What I’ve Been Looking For! | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

“Google Maps Streetview Player” Is Just What I’ve Been Looking For! | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

“Google Maps Streetview Player” Is Just What I’ve Been Looking For!

by Larry Ferlazzo

I’ve written a lot, both here in my blog (see A Lesson Highlighting Community Assets — Not Deficits) and in one of my books, about one of my favorite lessons.

In short, after students identify the qualities that are most important to them in where they want to live, they compare our lower-income school neighborhood with the Fabulous Forties, commonly considered the most wealthy area of Sacramento, and they decide which neighborhood is the better one. Typically, about 95% of my students choose our neighborhood (though last year the percentage was a little lower — about 80$ choose the school neighborhood).

We used to both do a tour of our local neighborhood and physically visit the Fab Forties, though visiting the 

More Info On Student Cellphone Use In Class Research

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 7 minutes ago

Last week, I wrote about a new study suggesting that 94% of students use their cellphones in class for personal purposes (see The Best Posts On Student Cellphone Use In Class). Reading, Writing and… Facebook? is a new article on … Continue reading →

“Google Maps Streetview Player” Is Just What I’ve Been Looking For!

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 39 minutes ago

I’ve written a lot, both here in my blog (see A Lesson Highlighting Community Assets — Not Deficits) and in one of my books, about one of my favorite lessons. In short, after students identify the qualities that are most … Continue reading →

More “Words Of The Year” Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 hours ago

Here are new additions to The Best “Words Of The Year” Features For 2012: What new words were created in 2012? is a video from The BBC. 25 wonderful words and phrases we learned in 2012 is from The Week. … Continue reading →

The New York Times Has Discovered The Perils Of Being Data-Driven — I Just Wish Arne Duncan Would, Too

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 hours ago

I have written regularly about the dangers of being “data-driven” instead of being “data-informed.” In fact, I have a lengthy, and popular, post titled The Best Resources Showing Why We Need To Be “Data-Informed” & Not “Data-Driven.” Here’s my previously … Continue reading →

This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Education Policy Posts & Articles

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 11 hours ago

Here are some relatively recent useful articles and posts on education policy issues: Perpetuating Inequity: New Study Shows Attrition a Huge Problem for TFA recruits is from Reconsidering TFA. I’m adding it to The Best Posts & Articles Raising Concerns … Continue reading →

Guns & Schools

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 21 hours ago

I have a number of good commentaries on the National Rifle Association’s ridiculous response to the Sandy Hook shootings at A Collection Of Resources On The Sandy Hook Shooting. Here are two more: Arming Teachers Isn’t the Answer is from … Continue reading →

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 12-29-12 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 12-30-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

Jersey Jazzman: Rocketship: "Poor Kids Don't Deserve Music & Art!"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: Rocketship: "Poor Kids Don't Deserve Music & Art!": Rocketship: "Poor Kids Don't Deserve Music & Art!" by Duke As a lifelong music educator, this is one of the most despicable education stories I've ever heard: JEFFREY BROWN: Now we look to a California education experiment called the Rocketship Model that involves teachers, kids and parents and aims to expand one day to serve a million students. NewsHour's special correspondent for education, John Merrow, has our report. [...] JOHN MERROW: For about one hour every day, students practice math and literacy skil... more »

How’s your honeycomb? Collecting pollen and making honey #professionallearning | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 54 minutes ago

How’s your honeycomb? Collecting pollen and making honey #professionallearning | Connected Principals: How’s your honeycomb? Collecting pollen and making honey #professionallearning by Bo Adams Many – maybe all – schools send teachers to conferences. This practice seems important (otherwise, why do we do it, right?). It’s like collecting pollen for the hive. Curious, ambitious teachers venture out to conferences – ASCD, Learning Forward, NAIS, EduCon, SXSWedu, Solution Tree, etc. – to learn and grow. To collect pollen for the hive. How does your school work to transform that coll... more »

Miracle Schools!: Proceed with Caution

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Miracle Schools!: Proceed with Caution: Miracle Schools!: Proceed with Caution By P.L. Thomas on December 30, 2012 3:00 pm / no comments During her tenure as Secretary of Education (2005-2009), Margaret Spellings announced No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was proving to be a success based on a 7 point gain in NAEP reading scores from 1999-2005. The data evidence referenced by Spellings was factual as framed, but when Gerald Bracey and Stephen Krashen dug beneath that broad claim, Spellings’ claim fell apart since the gain occurred entirely between 1999-2002, before any implementation o... more »

The FBI coordinated the crackdown of Occupy with big banks | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

The FBI coordinated the crackdown of Occupy with big banks | Seattle Education: The FBI coordinated the crackdown of Occupy with big banks Posted on December 30, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment From the Guardian: *Revealed: how the FBI coordinated the crackdown on Occupy* There is a new twist: the merger of the private sector, DHS and the FBI means that any of us can become WikiLeaks, a point that Julian Assange was trying to make in explaining the argument behind his recent book. The fusion of the tracking of money and the suppression of dissent means that a huge are... more »

Charter schools now big business nationwide - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Charter schools now big business nationwide - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: *Charter schools now big business nationwide* *Management firms bring money, clout to help operate them* *Again, It's about the Money* The early charter schools in Pennsylvania were largely the product of passionate parents or community groups, who sometimes planned their dream schools around the kitchen table. But the picture has changed dramatically since the charter school law was passed in Pennsylvania in 1997, with an expansion of education management organizations that bring big money and clout into the pic... more »

John Merrow: Is This Education Model Replicable?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

John Merrow: Is This Education Model Replicable?: Is This Education Model Replicable? Posted: 12/29/2012 11:47 am We produced a piece on PBS *NewsHour *last night, about the Rocketship Education model currently out of San Jose, CA. Rocketship Schools -- currently seven in all -- are among the top performing low income schools in the state. The dream, when founded, was replication. Although others have tried, nobody has successfully mass produced a high quality, cost effective school model. Will Rocketship be the first? I'd encourage you to watch the piece (embedded below) and offer ... more »

Why don’t more girls study physics? | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Why don’t more girls study physics? | The Raw Story: Why don’t more girls study physics? By The Guardian Sunday, December 30, 2012 9:31 EST [image: confused woman in science class via Shutterstock] Topics: Alice Williams *Almost half of Britain’s co-ed schools have no female students taking A-level physics, but one London school is showing how it is possible to buck the trend.* Alice Williams is 16, and her eyes are gleaming. As she speaks, her face grows pink with excitement and her hands wave around expressively. You might expect her to be talking about the latest*Twilight* film ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Should Public Schools Depend on Charity? by dianerav A reader asks a good question: Call me a socialist, but I am totally against any & all fundraising for public schools. We as a nation should provide all our children equally with the highest possible standards we as a nation can afford. Private schools can do their own thing, whatever they can afford. (though it is my understanding that private schools pay teachers less than public schools). I don’t support or contribute in any way to fund raisers for e... more »

The New York Times Has Discovered The Perils Of Being Data-Driven — I Just Wish Arne Duncan Would, Too | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

The New York Times Has Discovered The Perils Of Being Data-Driven — I Just Wish Arne Duncan Would, Too | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: The New York Times Has Discovered The Perils Of Being Data-Driven — I Just Wish Arne Duncan Would, Too by Larry Ferlazzo I have written regularly about the dangers of being “data-driven” instead of being “data-informed.” In fact, I have a lengthy, and popular, post titled The Best Resources Showing Why We Need To Be “Data-Informed” & Not “Data-Driven.” Here’s my previously posted summary of how our school’s extraordinary principal, Ted Ap... more »

Revisiting Florida’s 2012 Charter School Scandals | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Revisiting Florida’s 2012 Charter School Scandals | Scathing Purple Musings Revisiting Florida’s 2012 Charter School Scandals by Bob Sikes [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] *Tampa Bay Times *reporter Diane Steinle sees the unseemly details of a taxpayer-funded charter school as one of North Pinellas biggest stories of the year: Life Force Arts and Technology Academy, a publicly funded charter school in Dunedin, was open for only two years, but in that time it accumulated a lengthy list of shortcomings: mismanagement, misappropriation of funds, deviations fr... more »

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: For public education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: For public education: For public education by Duane Campbell Once social change begins, it can not be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. Cesar Chavez. Nov.9, 1984.

Parents and pupils worried about Philadelphia school closings take their concerns to City Hall - Philly.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Parents and pupils worried about Philadelphia school closings take their concerns to City Hall - Philly.com: Parents and pupils worried about Philadelphia school closings take their concerns to City Hall December 29, 2012|By Kristen A. Graham, Inquirer Staff Writer Image 1 of 3 View Gallery - [image: Khyrie Brown, 12, a seventh grader at L.P. Hill Elementary School in Strawberry Mansion, reads a letter he wrote asking Mayor Nutter to halt the closure. (KRISTEN A. GRAHAM / Staff)] Khyrie Brown, 12, a seventh grader at L.P. Hill Elementary School in Strawberry Mansion,… (KR... more »

Reforming Businesses, Reforming Schools: Outsourcing as a Fad | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Reforming Businesses, Reforming Schools: Outsourcing as a Fad | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Reforming Businesses, Reforming Schools: Outsourcing as a Fad by larrycuban [image: images-2] Readers over a certain age may recall reforms that cascaded through corporations in each decade since the 1960s. They might recall “zero-based budgeting,” “management by objectives,” “restructuring,” “management by walking about,” and “Quality Circles.” Sure, I could name more but that is enough. Opinion leaders beat the drums for each one as they rapidly spread through * ... more »

Less Time Teaching, More Time Learning | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Less Time Teaching, More Time Learning | Connected Principals: Less Time Teaching, More Time Learning by George Couros *This post originally appeared on the “Education is My Life” site, which has several offerings aggregated by A.J. Juliani.* I don’t remember much about what I learned in elementary school, but I do remember how much I cared about my teachers, and inversely, how much they cared about me. The teachers that meant the most to me were the ones who understood that I was a very active kid who could not sit still for anything; and if you look back at any of the pictures ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Blog Recommendation: NYC Educator

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Blog Recommendation: NYC Educator: Blog Recommendation: NYC Educator by Duke I have to apologize to a great edu-blogger: NYC Educator. I've been linking to his stuff for a good while now, but I stupidly left him off my blogroll. If you care about education, this blog is well worth your time. Here's an example: Hi, I'm Michelle Rhee. At a time like this, I think it's only fit we redouble my efforts to ensure our reforms reach every student in these United States. After all, people as wealthy as Broad, Gates, and the Walmarts are paying good money for these reforms, ... more »

Ed Notes Online: Irony: Randi's Call for Teacher Voices to Be Heard Attacked by Ed Deformer

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Irony: Randi's Call for Teacher Voices to Be Heard Attacked by Ed Deformer: Irony: Randi's Call for Teacher Voices to Be Heard Attacked by Ed Deformer by ed notes online Groups like E4E which bans any dissenting view gives teachers more of a voice? And Randi arguing for teacher voice when she and her crew deny rank and file teacher voices all the time -- like at the recent Del Ass where they argued against allowing teachers to vote on any eval agree even though it is a contract item and required by UFT by-laws. the views of our [self-declared] good-and-great tea... more »

Schools Matter: Continuing skirmishes with CCSS cheerleaders on Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Schools Matter: Continuing skirmishes with CCSS cheerleaders on Diane Ravitch's blog: Continuing skirmishes with CCSS cheerleaders on Diane Ravitch's blog by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene *"There is no evidence that standards and tests improve school achievement. The money budgeted for standards and tests to enforce the standards should be used to protect children from the effects of poverty." — Professor Stephen Krashen* [image: Common Core State Standards (CCSS) means profits for corporations and reduced critical thinking skills for working class people]The following is my edited ... more »

Diane in the Evening 12-29-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: Why Is John Deasy Reconstituting a Successful School? by dianerav This is a puzzling story. At Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, teachers, administrators, students, and the community leaders worked together to improve te school. It seemed to be working. The school made enormous gains. But then Superintendent John Deasey stepped in and pulled the plug. He will reconstitute the school, break it up into four small schools, fire the staff, and start over. The staff can reapply for heir old jobs, but half or more are not likely to be invited back. The school ... more »

Pass / Fail : California official says law setting federal education standards is 'null and defunct' | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Pass / Fail : California official says law setting federal education standards is 'null and defunct' | 89.3 KPCC: California official says law setting federal education standards is 'null and defunct' by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez *Duh!* One of California’s top education officials said the federal No Child Left Behind law is no longer credible or legitimate because too many states have been given a waiver. “They have already disowned the program in terms of the U.S. Department of Education by the secretary already declaring it null and defunct in effect in 33 states," said Michael Kirst... more »

Why Do We Need to Play? (My #rechat Reflection) « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Why Do We Need to Play? (My #rechat Reflection) « Cooperative Catalyst: Why Do We Need to Play? (My #rechat Reflection) by John T. Spencer The kids are in the backyard blowing bubbles. The canister reads Miracle Bubbles and it seems, at first, like hyperbole. Joel pulls out the wand and creates a floating orb. Brenna jumps up and pops the first one in delight. Micah pulls out a wand (a fitting word for the magic that happens) and asks if blowing it slower will make the bubbles bigger or smaller. This leads to a test of small and large bubbles and eventually an impromptu game happens... more »

Keeping and Growing Great Teachers: 12 Lessons - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Keeping and Growing Great Teachers: 12 Lessons - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Keeping and Growing Great Teachers: 12 Lessons by Anthony Cody Last week, Teaching Ahead here featured a discussion focused on "Teaching's Revolving Door." Here are some thoughts, based on my experience working to retain science teachers in a high poverty district. I think it was the Greek philosopher Heraclitus who said "nothing is permanent but change." He seems to have been secretly put in charge of school reform in the US for the past decade. But as research has emerged documenting t... more »

Florida’s “School Grades Remain a Function of Politics, Not Academics” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Florida’s “School Grades Remain a Function of Politics, Not Academics” | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida’s “School Grades Remain a Function of Politics, Not Academics” by Bob Sikes One can never expect *Palm Beach Post *editorialist Jac Versteeg to hold back in his ire for Florida education policies. This morning was no exception. In his sights were Florida’s school grades: Florida’s high school grades for last year are out, and they show… what? For an alleged accountability system, the state-assigned grades show very little. The state Department of Education warned that parents... more »

Daily Kos: Anniversary

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Daily Kos: Anniversary: Anniversary by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) 27 years ago this date fell on a Sunday. We both attended church services that morning, then afterward separated, not to see one another again until we were both in the church that afternoon for legal and liturgical recognition of a relationship that had begun on a September 21 some 11 years earlier. This evening Leaves on the Current and I will have a quiet celebration. In some ways we are both surprised to be at this point. As is true in many relationships, we have had our ups and downs, some serious. Neither... more »

California's top 2012 political stories | news10.net

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

California's top 2012 political stories | news10.net: California's top 2012 political stories10:00 PM, Dec 28, 2012 | 0 comments - - - - [image: Share] - [image: Email] - [image: Print] - - A *A* A + Written byJohn Myers - FILED UNDER - News When it comes to making a list of big political stories, 2012 offered an embarrassment of riches in the Golden State. Big electoral stakes. Important policy debates. A boatload of cash spent on campaigns large and small. So without further ado, the stories that stand out as the biggest stars of the year. *... more »

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky [image: 43268018-01] We no longer go out for coffee on Saturdays. Necessarily. Retirement has brought change to our world in unexpected ways. We can go to Peets on other less crowded days. Thursdays are good. Fridays seem worse than Saturdays. The other day we were having a conversation about the changing nature of work. It has been an eye opener for me to realize that while I went to work during the day there were so many people who were sitting in coffee shops working on their computers. Or at the gym at 2 in the af... more »

NYC Public School Parents: The real issues behind the looming bus strike by Sara Catalinotto of PIST

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: The real issues behind the looming bus strike by Sara Catalinotto of PIST: The real issues behind the looming bus strike by Sara Catalinotto of PIST by Leonie Haimson *The Chancellor has warned of a possible school bus strike shortly after students return from the Xmas vacation. The issues are not obvious to most parents; here is an explanation by **Sara Catalinotto of Parents to ImproveSchool Transportation [PIST]. She adds:* *1) Next step in bidding on our kids' buses for next year is Thurs. Jan 3 at 1:00 p.m. at 30-30 Thomson Ave, LIC (next door to... more »

“Institutional Arrogance” at the Florida Department of Education | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

“Institutional Arrogance” at the Florida Department of Education | Scathing Purple Musings: “Institutional Arrogance” at the Florida Department of Education by Bob Sikes While the editors of the *Lakeland Ledger *were urging incoming education commissioner Tony Bennett to “have a more inclusive management style,” they took aim at the department he is charged with running: Tallahassee’s frequent, and embarrassing, releases of inaccurate student assessment data, flawed teacher assessment scores, skewed school grades and so on is as much a consequence of the Department of Education’... more »

Come Saturday Morning: I Feel I Must Apologize | Firedoglake

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Come Saturday Morning: I Feel I Must Apologize | Firedoglake: Come Saturday Morning: I Feel I Must Apologize by Phoenix Woman Dear Fellow Firedogs, Gentle Readers, and Other Sane and Sensible Citizens of the Planet Earth: As a resident of Minnesota, I feel I must apologize for the actions of Tony Cornish and Bradlee Dean, especially as they pertain to the recent school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Tony Cornish is the violence-obsessed Republican state representative from Good Thunder who thinks along with Wayne LaPierre that arming teachers and militarizing schools are good id... more »

Coop Connections and #RECHAT « Cooperative Catalyst

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Coop Connections and #RECHAT « Cooperative Catalyst: Coop Connections and #RECHAT by Paula White All of us here can speak to someone else here who has made a difference in our lives, I think. That goes for everyone–readers, writers, thinkers, all….This is a great place to share, to learn to think together and grow as catalysts for each other and others not here. John T Spencer is one of those people for me…so much of what he writes is simply astounding and astute…and as he works to rethink education, he involves people in as many ways as he can. Last Saturday I discovered the Twi... more »

Literature and Nonfiction: Common-Core Advocates Strike Back - Curriculum Matters - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Literature and Nonfiction: Common-Core Advocates Strike Back - Curriculum Matters - Education Week: Literature and Nonfiction: Common-Core Advocates Strike Back By Catherine Gewertz on December 28, 2012 1:07 PM As we've told you, a particular slice of the common standards in English/language arts has become pretty flammable lately: the rise of nonfiction reading. Thestandards' expectation that students read more informational text has sparked fear—some would say misinterpretation—that great works of literature will be displaced from classroom instruction. Even though mainstream ne... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-29-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] A Teacher of Latin Writes In Defense of Fiction by dianerav In response to the discussion about the time allotted to fiction and non-fiction in the Common Core standards, a teacher writes: One of the things that really bothers me about this mandate is the devaluing of fiction. Right now we are foolishly engaging in a short-sighted culture of thinking that the only things that matter are “practical” and “measurable”. Hence, the importance of non-f. Yet, in many ways I have learned more about science, math and ... more »

Commentary on “The mass killings in Newtown” « Classroom Struggle

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Commentary on “The mass killings in Newtown” « Classroom Struggle: Commentary on “The mass killings in Newtown” by ClassroomStruggle [image: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com] *This is a blog post from a former Oakland teacher reflecting on the Newtown massacre and advocating for a different kind of gun control than that commonly echoed in the mainstream media.* *The original post came from http://weknowwhatsup.blogspot.com/2012/12/commentary-on-mass-killings-in-newton.html. * Commentary on “The mass killings in Newtown” by Jack Gerson Some ... more »

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