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Friday, March 11, 2011

Big Education Ape: 3-11-11, Special AM #wiunion Edition #WEAC #WeAreWI

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now, #wiunion

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now


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#wiunion
bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Protesters Retake Wisconsin Capitol after Republicans Pass Anti-Union Bill | Labor NotesProtesters Retake Wisconsin Capitol after Republicans Pass Anti-Union BillJane Slaughter and Mischa Gaus| Ma...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Robert Reich (Governor Walker's Coup D'Etat)Governor Walker's Coup D'Etat4 people liked thisGovernor Scott Walker and his Wisconsin senate Republicans have laid bare the motives for their coup d’et...

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defendwisconsin.org - After the legislature’s surprise move yesterday to ram through the union-busting measures of the budget-repair bill, the TAA encouraged its members and others to stay in the Capitol building to con...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - ThinkProgress » Wisconsin GOP Anti-Union Vote Violates State’s Open Meetings LawWisconsin GOP Anti-Union Vote Violates State’s Open Meetings LawLast night, Wisconsin GOP lawmakers called a surprise...

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defendwisconsin.org - The Capital Times is reporting that the King St. and North Hamilton St. entrances to the Capitol are now open. 11:25 a.m. — Hundreds of students from West High School marched up State Street and ar...

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host.madison.com - State Journal, Cap Times staff madison.com | | Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2011 11:20 am For continuing coverage of the situation at the Capitol, go to our live blog on madison.com. 11:25 a.m. — Hu...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Activities | Support Our Union | Legislative Resources | Issues & Advocacy | Wisconsin Education Association CouncilKeep raising your voice!ANOTHER LARGE RALLY PLANNEDFOR SATURDAY, MARCH 12AT THE S...

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wiseye.com - To launch WebCast CLICK HERE

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wisconsininsider.typepad.com - It's comfirmed. The "debate" that is taking place right now is not being piped in through the capitol speakers like it had been in the past. Even with the small number of people being let in, they ...

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channel3000.com - Updated: 11:33 am CST March 10, 2011MADISON, Wis. -- The chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party says donations are flooding in following the abrupt passage of a bill taking away most collective...

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solidaritywisconsin.com - When the Capitol has been occupied with drums constant and chanting and when I can read the pieced-together posters and manifestos stuck on the walls, I’ve experienced a recharge of spirit. It is l...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Modern School: Bank Occupation & Growing Worker MilitancyBank Occupation & Growing Worker Militancy Protesters from the National People’s Action occupied the office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch ...

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thenation.com - "If you think that by hanging us you can stamp out the labor movement, then hang us. Here you will tread upon a spark, but here, and there, and behind you, and in front of you, the flames will blaz...

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host.madison.com - Wisconsin Senate Democrats who fled to Illinois three weeks ago are coming back. Sen. Jim Holperin said Thursday that he was on his way home to Conover and other Democrats were either on their way ...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Democurmudgeon: Shock Doctrine, Gov. Walker Style. Author Naomi Klein's message to Wisconsin.Shock Doctrine, Gov. Walker Style. Author Naomi Klein's message to Wisconsin.by DemocurmudgeonThere are ...

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voices.washingtonpost.com - Posted at 10:23 AM ET, 03/10/2011By Greg SargentA strong statement from fomer Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, who seems to endorse the push to recall Wisconsin GOP officials:"Last night will be re...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Big Education Ape: Ed News Now, #wiunionBig Education Ape: Ed News Now as shared by 6 people on Coopmike48’s Twitter listNext update in about 11 hours Back to front page HEADLINES EDUCATION POLIT...

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prwatch.org - Since Monday, February 14, tens of thousands of Wisconsin residents have been flooding the State Capitol in Madison in protest of Governor Walker's proposed budget "repair" bill that would end 50 y...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Democurmudgeon: Fitzgerald Admits on Fox News Busting Unions the Way to Beat Obama.Fitzgerald Admits on Fox News Busting Unions the Way to Beat Obama. MSNBC's Cenk Uygur takes a look at Rove's big ...

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host.madison.com - MATTHEW DeFOUR | mdefour@madison.com | 608-252-6144 madison.com | | Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2011 10:26 am Hundreds of students at multiple Madison middle and high schools were reportedly walkin...

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wkow.com - MADISON (WKOW) -- Rallies are underway outside the state Capitol, less than 24 hours after Republican Senators stripped the original budget repair bill of all measures in which money would be spen...

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dekerivers.wordpress.com - 11:40 A.M. artsydaemon: RT @MikeElk: Madison Police and Dane County Sheriff have refused to remove protesters, Walker has called in State Troopers to do job #wiunion mbrakken: RT @WORTnews: Shaken ...

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dailycensored.com - Protest at the State Capitol – Arrive as early as possible. Saturday March 12Protest at the State Capitol — activities all day – Main rally 3 PMBuses leaving from MTEA, Voces de la Frontera and ASF...

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solidaritywisconsin.com - Brief summary of what happened tonight from the Washington Post

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edweek.org - January 28, 2011 - McClatchy-Tribune

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theuptake.org - Citizen Fueled News

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - MARCH 10: STATEWIDE RALLIES IN WISCONSIN | www.kochwatch.orgMARCH 10: STATEWIDE RALLIES IN WISCONSIN via SEIU- March 9, 2011- Late Wednesday night, Republicans just rigged the rules and stripped wo...

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host.madison.com - The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating an e-mail threatening the lives of some Republican state senators. DOJ spokesman William Cosh says the Division of Criminal Investigation is inv...

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host.madison.com - JUDITH DAVIDOFF | The Capital Times | jdavidoff@madison.com madison.com | | Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2011 11:43 am Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, filed a complaint Thursday mor...

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blog.aflcio.org - What happened last night in the Wisconsin State Legislature is not democracy. It was back-door deal-making, twisted partisan politics not worthy of America, says AFL-CIO Richard Trumka, vowing that...

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dekerivers.wordpress.com - I had a Speaker Boehner moment Wednesday night as I neared the Wisconsin State Capitol. Honking horns filled the air three blocks out from where the grand dome of the Capitol looms large. Leading...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - The Latest From Wisconsin « Student ActivismThe Latest From Wisconsinby Angus JohnstonYesterday evening, as most of you know, the Republican majority in the Wisconsin State Senate pushed through a ...

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msnbc.msn.com - MADISON, Wis. — Republicans pushed a provision stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights through the state Senate Wednesday evening after finding a way to bypass the chamber'...

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defendwisconsin.org - Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, filed a complaint Thursday morning with the Dane County district attorney charging that the Joint Conference Committee that convened at 6 p.m. Wedne...

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620wtmj.com - Story Created: Mar 10, 2011 Story Updated: Mar 10, 2011 MADISON - The State Department of Justice confirms that it is investigating several death threats against a number of lawmakers in response t...

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motherjones.com - On Wednesday night, Republicans in Wisconsin's state senate rammed through a retooled version of Governor Scott Walker's controversial "budget repair bill" with the 14 senate Democrats still in hid...

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seattleducation2010.wordpress.com - Today, Thursday, March 10th at 5:30 PM there will be a rally in support of teachers and other union workers in Wisconsin at Westlake Center. Per the press release by SEE: Stand in solidarity with u...

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kochwatch.org - March 10, 2011- Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who was defeated in the same 2010 Republican wave that swept Scott Walker into the governor's mansion, has released a statement lambasting Wednesda...

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kochwatch.org - March 10, 2011- Some states have laws to protect you from high-pressure sales men and women. For instance, in Illinois, a person can receive a full refund on a health insurance policy if the actual...

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coopmike48 NJ Spotlight | Two Troubled Charter Schools Are Quietly Put on Probation - http://goo.gl/ENJ7I3 minutes ago · reply

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coopmike48 Itching outbreak at Cameron School caused by student prank? - Chicago Sun-Times - http://goo.gl/dfYzf2 minutes ago · reply

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coopmike48 Fact-Challenged Policy - EducationNews.org - http://goo.gl/ybVeD36 seconds ago · reply

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coopmike48 Sen. Ron Rice vows to block Christopher Cerf's confirmation as next N.J. education chief | NJ.com -http://goo.gl/Hhnph #NJEA7 minutes ago · reply

politico.com - So much for solidarity, Democrats are saying, after catching wind of a union-sponsored party for House Republicans Wednesday night.The party, thrown by a coalition of 15 labor groups at the Capitol...

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dscc.org - Republicans in Washington are trying to balance the national budget on the backs of those who can least afford it. Now in Wisconsin, the GOP is attacking teachers, prison guards and other public em...

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dailycaller.com - 1.) Wisconsin Dems, teachers, can get back to work now — Public school teachers and Democratic Party fundraisers in Madison shouted ugly things last night at the top of their lungs, but they couldn...

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millermps.wordpress.com - Madison – The Assembly will delay a vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill until later Thursday. The Assembly was scheduled to take up the bill at 11 a.m. but has had to delay action becaus...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Daily Kos: What is at stakeWhat is at stakeby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)a few thoughts that come to mind after the atrocities to democracy seen in the legislatures in Wisconsin, Michigan and Okl...

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dekerivers.wordpress.com - Authorities at the state Capitol are physically removing protesters who’ve gathered near the entrance to the Assembly chamber. This a very unfortunate turn of events. Democracy in Wisconsin has ...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Breaking: Madison Rally Moved to 5 P.M. | AFL-CIO NOW BLOGBreaking: Madison Rally Moved to 5 P.M. by James Parks, Mar 10, 201110ShareBreaking: The mass rally set for this morning in Madison, Wis., ...

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news.firedoglake.com - It shouldn’t be too long before the Wisconsin legislature finishes off a bill to strip collective bargaining rights from public employees. The State Assembly gaveled into session at 12:34pm CT. Pet...

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obrag.org - Here is our open thread for today on what’s happening in Madison, Wisconsin. 9:05 a.m. PST – Last night WI Republican Senators illegally held a vote and passed a bill outlawing public employee coll...

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democurmudgeon.blogspot.com - The Suicide Of The Republican Party, Keith Olbermann, Posted on March 9, 2011Still having never learned to be calm, retract their claws, and sit around and act rationally in a situation that calls ...

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huffingtonpost.com - WASHINGTON -- Dealt a major setback Wednesday night in a high-stakes battle over union rights in Wisconsin, labor leaders nevertheless insisted that they would emerge from the three-week long saga ...

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blog.aflcio.org - Thousands of working familes are gathering in Madison this morning and statewide for a 9 a.m. CT rally to protest last night’s rigged vote in the state Senate to eliminate the rights of public emp...

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voices.washingtonpost.com - After a lengthy political standoff, Wisconsin state Senate Republicans used a bit of legislative fancywork to pass a bill this evening that effectively strips public-sector unions of the right to c...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com - News & Publications | Wisconsin Education Association Council > Statement from WEAC President Mary Bell on Senate voteStatement from WEAC President Mary Bell on Senate votePosted: 3/9/2011 7:37:36 ...

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capitolfax.com - * The Wisconsin Senate last night stripped the collective bargaining provisions from their budget bill, which allowed them to vote to remove most collective bargaining rights from public employee u...

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bigeducationape.blogspot.com -

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guardian.co.uk - With the latest turn of events in Wisconsin, Republican state senators have circumvented the need for a quorum vote on Scott Walker's budget bill by leaving out the fiscal clauses and passing the n...

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act.aflcio.org -

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host.madison.com - STEVEN ELBOW | The Capital Times | selbow@madison.com madison.com | | Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2011 1:00 pm Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has accused advisers for President Barack Obam...

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kochwatch.org - You are hereEd Schultz: Actions of Wisconsin GOP "Disgusting"

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kochwatch.org - You are hereThom Hartmann: In Wisconsin "starve the beast" is almost complete

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Daily Kos: Being committed to one's students

Daily Kos: Being committed to one's students

Being committed to one's students

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

can mean that one decides not to act on what makes the most sense for oneself.

Let me explain.

There is a possibility that the pension plan in which I participate as a Maryland teacher will be changed in a fashion to require me to teach until I am 71 in order to get the full benefit of the additional pension benefits for which I would be paying between the end of the school year now. I probably will not know that until May. By then it might be exceedingly difficult to find another teaching job - at a minimum I need to keep working fulltime at least until I turn 66 and can also draw full social security. That pushes me in the direction of cashing in some IOUs and grabbing a job I know I could have at a public charter school in DC where I have some connections. But I cannot make that call unless I am prepared to accept a job offer now.

Were I to announce I were leaving, it would devastate my current students. While they could understand the need to protect myself financially, all the work done to build relationships, particularly with some of those in my non-AP classes who are most troubled would be lost.

Further, even now it is awful late to begin finding a competent replacement to teach my AP classes. Tentatively, I may have 4 section of AP next fall. No one else in the building is yet trained to do AP. I do not know of anyone who wants to take on the challenge, particularly when after this year non-AP students will have no state test for which to prepare. Given the financial struggles of our system, recruiting someone trained to do AP would be difficult, and with one exception, I am not certain the other AP teachers in the system's other high schools would want the burden of 4 AP classes - in all except perhaps one of the other 22 high schools no one has more than 1 section of AP, and no more than 26 in a class, while I have had up to 38 this year.

There is more.

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The Best Sites For Learning About The Japan Earthquake & Tsunami | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The Best Sites For Learning About The Japan Earthquake & Tsunami | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...
My Newest Piece In Washington Post Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post has just reprinted my post, The Michigan Fish Test and school reform. If you missed it last week, it might be worth a look.
The Best Sites For Learning About The Japan Earthquake & Tsunami I’m leaving for school in a few minutes today but, after just learning about the terrible Japanese earthquake and tsunami that has hit Japan, I thought I’d bring together a few resources and add more later. You might also be interested in these ...
An Important Statistic On Wealth Inequality Last week, filmmaker Michael Moore spoke to public sector workers protesting in Wisconsin and said, “”Just 400 Americans — 400 — have more wealth than half of all Americans combined.” I’m an admirer of Moore, but he can also be guilty sometimes of a ...
My Newest Piece In Washington Post Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post has just reprinted my post, The Michigan Fish Test and school reform. If you missed it last week, it might be worth a look.
Protests In The Arab World Here are the newest additions to The Best Resources To See Who Might Fall Next After Mubarak…: Uprising In The Middle East, North Africa is a regularly updated interactive from The Associated Press. Youth movement is a Washington Post interactive on ...
Part Sixty Of The Best Ways To Create Online Content Easily & Quickly The first part of this post is my usual introduction to this series. If you’re familiar with it already, just skip down to the listing of new sites… Here’s the latest installment in my series on The Best Ways To Create Online Content Easily & ...
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Big promises for new tests | Thoughts on Public Education

Big promises for new tests | Thoughts on Public Education
Big promises for new tests - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess If the two competing national organizations do design tests for the Common Core standards in math and English language arts as they promise, California will be better off. It and other states will then be able to eliminate, or at least minimize, some ...
Why the politics we’ve got won’t produce the schools we need - by Charles Taylor Kerchner Why, one might ask, should California, the headwaters of the digital revolution, be stuck in the eddies of an early 20th Century school design? The answer lies partly in culture and partly in politics. Almost all the politics of education concerns ...
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Koch Out | www.kochwatch.org #wearewi #WIunion

Wisconsin Republican senators leave through secret tunnel after march 9th vote | www.kochwatch.org
Wisconsin Republican senators leave through secret tunnel after march 9th vote WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Democracy Now: Michael Moore Calls For Renewed Pro-Democracy Movement as Anti-Union Bills Approved Across the U.S. WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Truthout: Scott Walker, Reagan's Self-Appointed Heir *March 10, 2011-* With the latest turn of events in Wisconsin, Republican state senators have circumvented the need for a quorum vote on Scott Walker's budget bill by leaving out the fiscal clauses and passing the new laws curbing collective ...
Robert Reich: Governor Walker’s Coup D’Etat *March 10,2011-* Governor Scott Walker and his Wisconsin senate Republicans have laid bare the motives for their coup d’etat. By severing the financial part of the bill (which couldn’t be passed without absent Democrats) from the part eliminating the ...
Cenk Uygur: Gov. Walker 'Bites Ear Off' - Senator Brown & Jesse Jackson WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Think Progress: Wisconsin Can Repeal Walker's Anti-Union Bill In 2012 And Amend The State Constitution In 2013 *March 10, 2011- *Last night, Wisconsin Senate Republicans abandoned any remaining pretenses that a bill stripping state workers of their collective bargaining rights has anything whatsoever to do with the state’s finances, and rammed the bill ...
Wisconsin State Rep. Peter Barca speaks on Day 25 of Wisconsin protests WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Travesty of Justice WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Truthout: Then They Came for the Trade Unionists *March 10, 2011-* On this day, it behooves us to remember the words of Martin Niemoller. "First they came for the communists," he wrote, "and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak ...
Truthout: The Corporate/GOP Attack on America's Middle Class *March 9, 2011-* The most revealing comments by politicians are rarely revealed. This is because they're made in unrecorded conversations, when politicos let their guard down. However, in a recent sting, blogger Ian Murphy recorded a revealing phone ...
Rachel Maddow: Michael Moore "If You Live Within Driving Distance Of The Wisconsin Capitol GO THERE! THIS IS WAR!" WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
WE ARE ONE: APRIL 4 -- NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION WATCH ON YOUTUBE: WE ARE ONE WEBSITE:
Talking Points Memo: Wis. Capitol Tense As Assembly Delays Vote On Anti-Union Bill *March 10, 2011-* A bill may have passed the senate, but the standoff continues in Wisconsin, where the state Capitol building in Madison was on lockdown Thursday morning -- preventing the entrance of not only protesters, but also staff, members of ...
Scott Walker Says David Duke a "Media Creation" and Duke's Issues "Not Extreme" WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Madison Firefighters Prez Calls For General Strike WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
AP: Raw Video: Protesters Hauled From Wis. Capitol WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
Daily Page: Wisconsin Republican senators skedaddle from Capitol on Madison Metro bus *March 10, 2011-* Police officers used a Madison Metro bus to transport Republican senators out of the state Capitol after they approved parts of Gov. Scott Walker's "budget-repair bill" in a hastily called session Wednesday night. At around 6:30 ...
Mother Jones: Wisconsin GOP Bill Allows State to Fire Employees for Strikes, Walk-Outs *March 10, 2011-* On Wednesday night, Republicans in Wisconsin's state senate rammed through a retooled version of Governor Scott Walker's controversial "budget repair bill" with the 14 senate Democrats still in hiding in Illinois. The senate bill ...
Washington Post: What Wisconsin Democrats can teach Washington Democrats *March 10, 2011-* Consider the contrast between two groups of Democrats, in Wisconsin and in the nation's capital. Washington Democrats, including President Obama, have allowed conservative Republicans to dominate the budget debate so far. As long as ...
People shout "Shame!" as Republicans vote to destroy labor rights. WATCH ON YOUTUBE:
The Cap Times: Tears and resolve after Capitol vote *March 10, 2011-* Tears flowed freely from the eyes of several protesters while others had a look of stony resolve when it became clear that the state Assembly had, as expected, voted Thursday to approve a bill that sharply curtails collective ...
The Cap Times: Officials file complaints with DA and AG on controversial Capitol vote *March 10, 2011-* Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, filed a complaint Thursday morning with the Dane County district attorney charging that the Joint Conference Committee that convened at 6 p.m. Wednesday and passed an amended version ...
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Queens Teacher: Top Ten Worst Ideas in Education

Queens Teacher: Top Ten Worst Ideas in Education

Top Ten Worst Ideas in Education

by Queens Teacher
Top Ten Worst Ideas in Education

1) BOGUS READING INSTRUCTION -- Whole Word, Sight Words, and Dolch Words (there are many aliases) have created 50 million functional illiterates, for the simple reason that this method does not work. (No one learns to read fluently with Sight-Words. Some people learn to read, if at all, IN SPITE OF of Sight-Words.) This hoax and the accompanying gimmicks known as guessing, picture clues, et al should be eliminated from the schools.

2) REFORM MATH -- Arithmetic jumbled and mumbled. Reform Math is a monster with many names (Connected Math, Chicago Math, Mathland, etc.) created by the same people who gave us New Math and now want to give us Core Standards. Reform Math forbids mastery, requires spiraling from topic to topic, and promotes using a calculator to compensate for a lack of basic skills.

3) COOPERATIVE LEARNING -- Students always work in groups. A good approach for fostering a herd sensibility; a dreadful approach for creating independent thinkers and self-starters.

4) CONSTRUCTIVISM -- A destructive fad. Teachers are reduced to facilitators, their knowledge and academic
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Democurmudgeon: Michael Moore on Wisconsin Protest #wiunion

Democurmudgeon: Michael Moore on Wisconsin Protest
Michael Moore on Wisconsin Protest Part 2:
What is it about the Party that Screamed “Death Panel?” Move over Gov. Brewer, Scott Walker cuts off Kidney Dialysis patients. The details are sketchy, but according to this very specific letter to the Cap Times: *Dear Editor: On Page 246 of the budget proposed by Gov. Scott Walker, we find the following: “The governor recommends increasing the efficiency in the Medical ...
Retiring Teaching Veterans taking "Money for nothing" according to Privateer Scott Walker. Teacher buy outs, a way for districts to retire experienced more expensive teachers early thus saving money, is a concept that appears to be too complicated or not drastic enough for the Walker administration. So why not go after teaching veterans by ...
A Disgusted Charlie Sykes wants his Capitol back, minus those "crappy posters." Civil unrest is messy and so inconvenient.. Charlie Sykes, another conservative talk host in a sea of...other conservative talk hosts, goes after protesting Americans in our state Capitol who posted signs on the marble walls with non-damaging painters tape. In a three week event drawing in over ...
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More Milwaukee Events « Larry Miller's Blog #wiunion

More Milwaukee Events « Larry Miller's Blog

More Milwaukee Events

by millerlf
  • Friday, March 11th – 6:30pm – MICAH, Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope” Rally at Saint Matthews CME Church” located at 2944 North 9th Street Milwaukee. This rally is the kick off for the weekend bus convoy to Madison where we will assemble the largest number of supporters possible. Rev. Jesse Jackson will speak.
  • Friday, March 11th – 5pm – Protest the fundraiser for Rep Jeff Stone (Walker Clone) Harmony Inn — 5601 Broad Street Greendale
  • Saturday, March 12th – noon – “Sit down with Rep. Sandy Pasch” Shorewood Library, 3920 N Murray Ave. Shorewood
  • Saturday, March 12th – noon – “Sit down with Rep. Sandy Pasch”North Shore Library, 6800 N Port Washington Rd. Glendale
  • Saturday, March 12th – 1pm – Wisconsin League of Young Voters, Stand Up, Speak UP Rally against Walker’s Budget and Voter ID – on King Dr. and North Ave, Milwaukee.
  • Monday, March 14th – Noon – Rally to Save UWM, Save Milwaukee, Save Wisconsin. Rally in opposition to the Governor’s proposed budget and repair bill. (Contact: Joshua Simon, 920-858-6601)
  • Monday, March 14th – 7pm – Town Hall Forum on Walker’s Budget. Shorewood High School Auditorium, 1701 E. Capitol Dr. All interested residents of the North Shore, Senate District 8 and the eastside of Milwaukee are invited to attend and participate in this gathering to learn about and discuss this budget that threatens the quality of life in our communities and the entire state. For more information contactjackie@jboynton.com or gina@wisconsinsfuture.org
  • Monday, March 14th – 6pm – Community Information Listening Session On the Budget Adjustment Bill and 2011-2013 Biennial Budget Bill. South Division High School, 1515 W. Lapham Blvd
  • Tuesday March 15th – 6pm – Community Information Listening Session On the Budget Adjustment Bill and 2011-2013 Biennial Budget Bill.U.S. Grant School,
    2920 W. Grant Street. (Contact: Kevin Kane, 414 550 8280)
  • Wednesday March 16th – 6pm – Community Information Listening Session On the Budget Adjustment Bill and 2011-2013 Biennial Budget Bill. Milwaukee French Immersion School, 2360 N. 52nd St. (Contact: Kevin Kane, 414 550 8280)
  • Wednesday March 16th – 6pm – Community Information Listening Session On the Budget Adjustment Bill and 2011-2013 Biennial Budget Bill. Alexander Hamilton High School, 6215 W. Warnimont Ave. (Contact: Kevin Kane, 414 550 8280)
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The Answer Sheet - How Bill Gates misinterprets ed facts

The Answer Sheet - How Bill Gates misinterprets ed facts

How Bill Gates misinterprets ed facts

This was written by Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit created in 1986 to broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers. This appeared on the institute's website. By Richard Rothstein Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates authored an op-ed published in The Washington Post late last month, “How Teacher Development could Revolutionize our Schools,” proposing that American public schools should do a better job of evaluating the effectiveness of teachers, a goal with which none can disagree. But his specific prescriptions, and the urgency he attaches to them, are based on the misrepresentation of one fact, the misinterpretation of another and the demagogic presentation of a third. It is remarkable that someone associated with technology and progress should have such a careless disregard for accuracy when it comes to the education policy in which he is now so

The Michigan Fish Test and school reform

This was written by Larry Ferlazzo, who teaches English at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California, and prior to that, a community organizer for 19 years. He is the author of Building Parent Engagement In Schools and writes two blogs, including one on Engaging Parents In School. He is a member of the Teacher Leaders Network. By Larry Ferlazzo I’ve just read one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in awhile — a guest column on CNN by Columbia Business School Professor Sheena Iyengar titled "The Michigan Fish Test And The Middle East". She describes an apparently famous experiment of showing a picture of three large fish in a sea scene. When people from the United States were asked to describe it, they focused on the large fish. When Japanese participants were asked to describe the same picture, they gave a much more holistic description of the
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An open letter from the Students of Wisconsin #wearewi #WIunion


An open letter from the Students of Wisconsin

by Defend Wisconsin »
As students, the cuts to state education funding in Governor Scott Walker’s Biennial Budget—as well as the loss of collective bargaining for teachers—will have an immediate and devastating effect on our educational experience, and as such we have a unique perspective on these issues. Students across the state have been involved in the movement in protest of Governor Walker’s agenda since momentum began to build, and we as an affected demographic will not sit quietly or disengage ourselves from these issues. We hold the following:
1. That a strong public education system is not only our right as young people, but is vital to the success of the democratic process.
2. That the reforms proposed by Governor Walker and Republicans in the state government are an outright attack on the solvency and quality of the education system. Not only is competitive compensation required to promote a strong teacher pool in this state, but the working conditions that teachers will not be able to negotiate are the conditions that shape our learning environment. Furthermore, the cuts in categorical aid to school programs, and prohibitions against tax increases at the local level that would help ease the damage of these cuts, are unacceptable.
3. That the importance of balancing the state budget should not outweigh the importance of the programs that the state provides. We understand the need of a financially solvent government, but object that the budget debate has been framed in such a way as to eliminate carefully implemented, graduated income tax increases from the discussion completely.
In an effort to balance the importance of education with that of having our voices heard, we will walk out of class this Friday, March 11th before our last period of the day. We call for students all across the country to do the same and to take this opportunity to discuss not only the events in Wisconsin but the future of public education as a whole.
Respectfully,
Jesse Banks
Senior at Madison East High School
Coordinator, Wisconsin Youth in Solidarity
Asher Heimermann
Junior at George D. Warriner High School
Coordinator, HeyScottWalker.com
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Not Everyone Goes to College | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Not Everyone Goes to College | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Not Everyone Goes to College

by larrycuban
Description in the published source (1919): &q...

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Bipartisan reformers shout out loud the facts why every high school student should go to college.

1. Employers want new hires who can write, think, solve problems, and have technical proficiency with high-tech software and hardware to keep their companies competitive in domestic and global markets.

2. Minority and poor youth (freeman_global_labour_imbalances) will constitute larger numbers of the employee pool in each decade and both equal opportunity and economic realities require most of these students to be

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PFT: District action against Hope Moffett is all about intimidation | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

PFT: District action against Hope Moffett is all about intimidation | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

PFT: District action against Hope Moffett is all about intimidation

by Benjamin Herold on Mar 10 2011

The fast-tracked firing of Philadelphia high school teacher Hope Moffett has been put on hold after the teachers’ union went to federal court Thursday claiming that she is being targeted for speaking out against a plan to convert her school to a charter.

“Hope is just one of many,” said Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry T. Jordan. “The suit is being filed on behalf of all PFT members to protect their right to speak freely, without fear of retaliation or intimidation by the district.”

Jordan has also called for a mass demonstration of teachers outside School District headquarters on Monday afternoon to oppose the District’s intimidation of teachers, conversion of public schools to charters, and slashing of educational

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School Tech Connect: Stalkers and Spring Break

School Tech Connect: Stalkers and Spring Break

Stalkers and Spring Break

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)
Just a little fun in the previous post with Ben Velderman, the right-wing email stalker. Apparently he's going after Randi Weingarten now, too, and god only knows who else. The FOIA has an interesting history; it was signed into law by Lyndon Johnson, and over time it has been attacked by the far right, including Scalia, Rumsfeld, and Cheney.

It does cost money for a government agency to comply with FOIA requests, which just adds to the irony of Ben Velderman's filings. Anti-government, anti-tax people
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NYC Educator: I'm Not Against Tenure, But...

I'm Not Against Tenure, But...

by NYC Educator
So says faux-Democrat Cory Booker in his love letter to the reformers who put him where he is today. Sure, let's not abolish tenure. Let's simply make it meaningless. The Wal-Mart family did not finance Booker so as to help working people. Wal-Mart money subverts public schools because union is a scourge that must be stopped, so that people can do as they're told, shut the hell up, and work until they die.

Booker hits all the same tired points "reformers" hit every morning instead of the national anthem, including the nonsensical claim teachers get lifetime jobs, and that we need to add merit pay. This, of course, is
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The Washington Teacher: Improperly Fired DCPS Teachers Speak Out!

The Washington Teacher: Improperly Fired DCPS Teachers Speak Out!

Improperly Fired DCPS Teachers Speak Out!

by Candi Peterson
Featuring Candi Peterson, WTU General Vice President

In 2008, approximately 75 probationary teachers were fired at the direction of then Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson. In 2008, Henderson sent an email to DC Public Schools principals indicating that if they wanted to get rid of probationary teachers they could simply click on a link listing the names of teachers from their schools. On March 10, 2011 - some of these wrongfully terminated teachers spoke out at the Washington Teachers' Union office about their stellar accomplishments and their horror at receiving letters in the mail during July and August 2008 indicating they were terminated without explanation. These teachers talked about only learning of the reasons for their terminations several weeks ago after an arbitrator's
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Going to Rosemont with Wisconsin on my mind. « Fred Klonsky's blog #wiunion

Going to Rosemont with Wisconsin on my mind. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Going to Rosemont with Wisconsin on my mind.

by Fred Klonsky

This morning I am off to the IEA RA at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, suburban Chicago. The place is named for the late Rosemont mayor, Donald Stephens. Stephens died in 2007. He was a Republican. He was the longest-serving mayor in the United States and he was Mafia connected.

I don’t know what the WiFi deal is at the Convention Center in Rosemont. Blogging may no

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Common Core Confusion « InterACT

Common Core Confusion « InterACT

Common Core Confusion

by David B. Cohen

Last Friday I was writing about my good mood as the week ended. Seven days later, I’m sorting through some confusion, and wondering how many other teachers out there are feeling it too.

one wayThe Common Core Standards are coming! They’ve been in the news quite a bit this week, and I must admit I’m finding the debates and the process are leaving me uncertain about the future. In this post, I look at the issues rather broadly, expressing more than a little doubt about what’s going on. (In Part Two, coming soon, I plan to look more closely at a related discussion on the Core Knowledge Blog, and dig into some of the statements made at this week’s meeting of the California State

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Schools Matter: Lying Governor Christie's Lying Nominee for Ed Commish Will Be Blocked

Schools Matter: Lying Governor Christie's Lying Nominee for Ed Commish Will Be Blocked

Lying Governor Christie's Lying Nominee for Ed Commish Will Be Blocked

by Jim Horn
Let's hear a big round of applause for State Senator Ron Rice:
Sen. Ron Rice vows to block Christopher Cerf's confirmation as next N.J. education chief
Star Ledger 3/11/11

Trenton — State Sen. Ron Rice is no longer a potential problem on Chris Cerf’s road to becoming New Jersey’s next education commissioner.

He’s now an outright road block.

Rice (D-Essex) said he will invoke one of the Legislature’s oldest and most effective prerogatives by exercising senatorial courtesy, a maneuver that allows senators to block gubernatorial nominees who reside in their home districts or counties without giving reason for their disapprova
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Cyprus Oral History Project: Seminar Notes « Bill Ayers

Cyprus Oral History Project: Seminar Notes « Bill Ayers

Cyprus Oral History Project: Seminar Notes

by billayers

March 8, 2011

A wide-ranging group gathered in Nicosia for the first seminar in a series on doing oral history in Cyprus: a musicologist doing a study on folk-lore and songs, an environmentalist, an ethnographer who had just finished nine-months of field work in a mountain village, an historian who wanted to better understand the value of oral sources, an American teaching on a Fulbright, a computer teacher, teacher educator, graphic designer, and students from gender studies, sociology, education, and history. The mix was rich and hopeful.

Before introductions we began with a quick-write: five minutes on oral history, and reasons for taking this class. When we went around the circle and introduced ourselves, reading excerpts from the writing, it was immediately clear that there was a lot of wisdom in the room. People used words like “grass-roots history,” “history from

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