Sunday, March 20, 2011

“Secrets” of the Top Ranked Education Systems in the World - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard

“Secrets” of the Top Ranked Education Systems in the World

Mar 18th, 2011

(From the International Summit on the Teaching Profession, New York, March 16-17, which brought together the top performing school systems in the world)

One of the distinguished dignitaries participating in the first-ever world conference of leaders from education unions and education ministers, reported on a remark once offered after a presentation of solid, undisputed education research, “Well, that may be true, but it sure isn’t what anyone believes.”

He was making the point that it doesn’t matter what the research says if the political realities are that most people don’t believe it. Powerful people who have any old idea about what they’d like to try to improve public schools will trump solid, undisputed education research if most people think the any old ide

Guest Post: On International Anti-Street Harassment Day, AtreveteDF Urges Youth Education « Feminist Teacher

Guest Post: On International Anti-Street Harassment Day, AtreveteDF Urges Youth Education

by feministteacher

AtreveteDF, a new chapter of Hollaback!, fights against street harassment throughout Mexico City.

Earlier this fall, Feminist Teacher readers learned about the work that my high school students did with Emily May’s Hollaback! anti-street harassment movement. In particular, my student Grace Tobin testified at a New York City Council hearing on street harassment and the peers in her class sent in their powerful testimonies to the Hollaback blog. The importance of addressing street harassment in schools was never made more apparent to me than when my students shared their stories about being harassed on the subways and streets of New

We Party Patriots » VIDEO ROUNDUP: Anthony Weiner and Mister Rogers Defend PBS, Rick Scott Booed at Baseball #EDFLA

We Party Patriots » Blog Archive » VIDEO ROUNDUP: Anthony Weiner and Mister Rogers Defend Public Broadcasting, Rick Scott Booed at Baseball Game, One-Legged Wrestler Wins NCAAs

VIDEO ROUNDUP: Anthony Weiner and Mister Rogers Defend Public Broadcasting, Rick Scott Booed at Baseball Game, One-Legged Wrestler Wins NCAAs

Ok, the promise of the wrestling video requires just one more click. ESPN has shrewdly disabled embedding of this remarkable achievement. Click HERE for Anthony Robles. And then…

Anthony Weiner Mocks the deficit-reduction achieved through slashing NPR funds:

Years ago, Mister Rogers defended PBS:

NYC Public School Parents: Why is Cathie Black so unpopular, and why is the DOE scrambling for evidence of parent support?

Why is Cathie Black so unpopular, and why is the DOE scrambling for evidence of parent support?

by Leonie Haimson

Today's NY Post features a column about Cathie Black's abysmal approval ratings of only 17%; more on the Quinnipiac poll results, including the fact that only 28% of NYC public school parents now approve of Bloomberg, while 61% disapprove of him here.

As to Ms. Black, I think it’s interesting to analyze why her approval ratings are so low.

Nothing she has said or done is objectively worse than Joel Klein, and in a few cases, she seems to have pulled back from some of the most controversial choices that Klein would likely have insisted on: reversing the closing of PS 114, and the decision to put the KED charter in Tweed for just one year and then give it back to the community for their exploding number

Wisconsin Paper Calls on Republican Gov. Scott Walker to Resign - Political Ruminations

Wisconsin Paper Calls on Republican Gov. Scott Walker to Resign

The Wisconsin Gazette is not too happy with dear Gov. Scott, and gives a number of very valid reasons why Walker should resign:

Milwaukeeans knew Scott Walker would say or do anything to raise his political profile and promote the corporate-right agenda. His tenure as Milwaukee County executive was marred with such antics, which helps explain why he received only 38 percent of the county’s vote last November.
Thanks to a recorded conversation Walker had with a journalist pretending to be right-wing billionaire activist David

The People Who Run Our Political Economy: Utterly Incoherent | Firedoglake #miunion #P2 #MadWi #Madunion

The People Who Run Our Political Economy: Utterly Incoherent | Firedoglake

The People Who Run Our Political Economy: Utterly Incoherent
By: masaccio Sunday March 20, 2011 10:30 am	Tweet Share

(photo: Dorothea Lange)

The people who run our political economy, the rich and their tools in Congress, have adopted utterly incoherent policies: spending money on things they like and demanding cuts in everything they don’t like. The things that matter to the rich are completely different from the things that matter to the middle class and the poor, the only two classes that polite society admits exist. Even millionaires are middle class now, and the discussion in public spaces, like newspapers, television, radio and big internet sites, never points out that the very rich, the top few thousands of wealthy people, constitute a class with

U.S. charter-school network with Turkish link draws federal attention | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/20/2011

SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close

Posted on Sun, Mar. 20, 2011

U.S. charter-school network with Turkish link draws federal attention

By Martha Woodall and Claudio Gatti

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER FOR THE INQUIRER

Fethullah Gulen is a major Islamic political figure in Turkey, but he lives in self-imposed exile in a Poconos enclave and gained his green card by convincing a federal judge in Philadelphia that he was an influential educational figure in the United States.

As evidence, his lawyer pointed to the charter schools, now more than 120 in 25 states, that his followers - Turkish scientists, engineers, and businessmen - have opened, including Truebright Science Academy in North Philadelphia and another charter in State College, Pa.

Class Size Matters 117 Gulen charter schools in 25 states, more info here: http://bit.ly/ag7PuW http://bit.ly/ftJsoP http://bit.ly/ii8y4f

What Happened To The Good Ol’ American Pie (Chart)? | MoveOn.Org #miunion #wiunion #MadNation

What Happened To The Good Ol’ American Pie (Chart)? | MoveOn.Org

What Happened To The Good Ol' American Pie (Chart)?

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Alicia

Remember when everyone was served an equal portion of the pie? Not anymore.

Submitted by volunteer editor Brandon W. Originally found on the University of California at Santa Cruz’s Sociology Department.

USSA Legislative Conference Going On This Weekend

March 20, 2011 in Students

This weekend is the Legislative Conference of the United States Student Association, the nation’s oldest and largest annual student organizing and lobbying event. It kicked off Friday night with a summit of state student association leaders, continued yesterday with a USSA board meeting and dinner speeches from activist and former White House official Van Jones and

We Party Patriots » Blog Archive » With Kasich, SB5 Turning Ohioans Off, Talk of Revising the Bill Amplifies. Will This All Help Obama?

With Kasich, SB5 Turning Ohioans Off, Talk of Revising the Bill Amplifies. Will This All Help Obama?

Public Policy Polling, which the Wall Street Journal ranked one of the best swing-state pollsters in the country in 2008, released a buyer’s remorse study about Ohio Governor John Kasich in the wake of the passing of anti-bargaining bill, SB5. Their study, titled Brutal Numbers for Kasich, SB5, suggests little love

A Requiem for Japan, by Secret Asian Man | The Jose Vilson

A Requiem for Japan, by Secret Asian Man

by Jose

Technorati Tags: japan

Critics should consider the cost of ignorance - The Reporter #UCDavis #csus

Critics should consider the cost of ignorance - The Reporter

Critics should consider the cost of ignorance

BY BRUCE CUNINGHAM

Posted: 03/20/2011 01:04:21 AM PDT

In a recent Associated Press story ("Teaching crucial in topping education rankings," March 17, The Reporter) three things were common to helping students excel:

1. High requirements for those who want to enter the profession.

2. Teachers werer held in high esteem.

3. Teachers received lots of support.

I thought, "Well, OK, all that sounds reasonable. So what are we doing about it?"

When I earned my credential 25-years ago in Oregon, I had to have a degree in education. That's right, I hold a bachelor's degree in elementary education.

After two years of undergraduate education, I got to spend another two-plus years taking mostly elementary education courses, like three semesters of teaching reading and teaching math and two semesters on social studies and writing ... get the picture?

I can't find where the University of California, Davis, and California State University, Sacramento, even offer a bachelor's degree in education. But you can earn a master's and PhD in education from those schools. Apparently,

Wisconsin Union Members Helping Those Stricken By Japan’s Disasters - Lez Get Real

Wisconsin Union Members Helping Those Stricken By Japan’s Disasters

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03/20/11-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Even those who have been kicked while they were down are managing to find a way to help those suffering in Japan. Wisconsin’s public employees have recently been the subject of a lot of attention, and a lot of problems. Recently, Governor Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Legislature took away their collective bargaining rights through illegal political maneuvers, but that is not stopping them from helping Japan.

According to the AFL-CIO:

In response to the tragic events in Japan, the more than 65,000 Wisconsin workers represented by AFSCME Councils 24, 40 and 48 are donating $50,000 to an earthquake relief fund established by RENGO, Japan’s trade union confederation on behalf of all AFSCME members nationwide.

Marty Beil, the executive director of Wisconsin State Employees Union, Council 24, stated:

“Even as our members are facing great stress from being singled out as

Daniel Borenstein: Our elected officials, not labor unions, are the real problem - ContraCostaTimes.com

Daniel Borenstein: Our elected officials, not labor unions, are the real problem

By Daniel Borenstein
Staff columnist

Posted: 03/20/2011 07:51:06 AM PDT

Updated: 03/20/2011 08:13:56 AM PDT

Contra Costa Times Perspective: John Glennon -- Must restore balance to public negotiating process

THE SOLUTION is to stand up to public-employee unions, not bust them.

The misguided conservative push to eliminate collective-bargaining rights for government workers would, in California, actually make it harder to control escalating government debt stemming from unaffordable worker pension and health care benefits.

We shouldn't blame labor unions for advocating for the best compensation they can get. Nor should we blame rich people and businesses for seeking tax breaks that unfairly advantage them. Blame elected officials, Democrats and Republicans alike, who sell out constituents and kowtow to special interests to preserve their political careers. They're not leaders, they're pawns.

Absent public outcry, our elected representatives listen first to those who finance their campaigns. Fortunately grass-roots discontent is growing louder. As voters learn of generous, guaranteed public-employee pension

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Sunday, March 20, 2011