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Saturday, June 25, 2011

Big Education Ape: 6-25-11 AM Fred Said Rahm’s DNA everywhere Edition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Big Education Ape: Ed News Now
Published by Coopmike48 – 6 contributors today

Myth of Korean super teacher

koreatimes.co.kr - By Paul Karrer Recently, teachers at my elementary school were subjected to a poke in the eye with ``data” confirming that we were among the lowest 5 percent of performing schools in California. A ...

DianeRavitch

2011 school test scores will be clean, Alonso vows

baltimoresun.com - www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-md-ci-school-cheating-announcement-20110623,0,5441924.storyBy Erica L. Green After announcing that cheating had occurred at two elementary schools in the past two years...

DianeRavitch

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coopmike48 Deal Reached to Avert New York Teacher Layoffs - NYTimes.com -http://goo.gl/dnduz10 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Schools Eliminating Librarians as Budgets Shrink - NYTimes.com -http://goo.gl/rudwU9 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Pawlenty Administration Stopped GLBT Rainbow Bridge Says Sen Dibble | The UpTake - http://goo.gl/vJQnO9 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Data sought on what works for teachers - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee - http://goo.gl/5a4Ye7 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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Meet the "Christie Democrats" | Mother Jones

motherjones.com - The New Jersey legislature on Thursday joined Wisconsin, Ohio, and a handful of other states by drastically scaling back pension and health-care benefits for government workers and curbing collecti...

mikeklonsky

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Big Education Ape - Lost Weekend or Vacation?

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Big Education Ape on vacation - coverage sporadic (more than normal). Check out these Twitter Newspapers from paper.li for the latest from some of the very Best Education Bloggers. Paperli.Pap...

coopmike48

Jersey Jazzman: Your Corrupt NJ Democratic Party

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Jersey Jazzman: Your Corrupt NJ Democratic PartyYour Corrupt NJ Democratic Party National bloggers are noticing the schism in the NJ Democratic party and the corruption of the Norcross/Adubato mach...

coopmike48

The Return of ZombieX: Rob Gaudette Teaches Outside the Test

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - The Return of ZombieX: Rob Gaudette Teaches Outside the TestThe Return of ZombieX: Rob Gaudette Teaches Outside the Testby CYNTHIA on JUNE 24, 2011ZombieX is a 12-year old public school 7th grader....

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Birth defects linked to pesticides, again « MomsRising Blog

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Birth defects linked to pesticides, again « MomsRising BlogBirth defects linked to pesticides, again It’s been more than a few years now, but I remember the roller coaster ride of pregnancy like it...

coopmike48

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Gov. Rick Perry and Jose Cuervo jokes don’t mix

beinglatino.wordpress.com - Rick Perry’s probably not fielding phone calls from comedy talent agents today. The Texas governor and potential Republican presidential candidate drew few laughs on Thursday, when he attempted to ...

coopmike48

TechnologySee all

Brecha entre hispanos y blancos sigue igual a hace 20 años

vidayfamilia.univision.com - El desempeño en la Evaluación Nacional del Progreso Educativo muestra que la diferencia en lectura se redujo en tres puntos en los grados cuarto y octavo desde el año 2003, una reducción que, según...

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Bullshit freedom or freedom bullshit? « Cooperative Catalyst

Bullshit freedom or freedom bullshit? « Cooperative Catalyst

Bullshit freedom or freedom bullshit?

by kima

Imagine this scene: — You walk into a bank with your 7 year old daughter (or son) and ask to see an account manager as you would like to open an account in her name, so she can start saving money and use her own debit card when she chooses to buy something with her own money. Do you know what will happen?

Few weeks ago we decided with my wife that a piggy bank is not an appropriate way for our 7 year old daughter to learn how to manage her finances for reasons I suspect will be obvious to the readers of this blog. After all, I haven’t seen an adult yet to carry a piggy bank instead of a wallet when going to the store. We wanted her to not only learn how to save or spend and be in control of her money, but to also make at least one part of our adult lives closer to her — thus it seemed obvious to us that she should get a bank account and a card!

Ignoring the funny looks when announcing to the reception at our local bank branch that we’re there to see an account manager we previously set an appointment with for opening my daughter’s account, I was happy to learn that our bank offers savings accounts to young children — with a debit card on their own name! Wow, what a great country we live in, I thought. Here, we trust our kids and we empower them to be equal to adults for something as important as money. If only the truth was not so different!

Anyone under 12 years old — what’s that about 12 years old being such an important milestone that so many

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Funny thing about the agreement to prevent layoffs « JD2718

Funny thing about the agreement to prevent layoffs

by jd2718

I may be the only teacher in NYC who is hurt by the no-layoff agreeement

After months of Bloomberg threatening layoffs of teachers, there will be none. He’s been moving towards them for two years. And we said all along, layoffs were not necessary. And we were right.

What did yesterday’s deal do? We’ll have to look in the fine print to see if there’s any fine print. But what everyone knows now:

  1. No layoffs.
  2. Redeployment of ATRs (this one especially, we want to read about the details. )
  3. Extra resources from
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Daily Kos: Poverty is brutal, consuming and unforgiving. It strikes at the soul.

Daily Kos: Poverty is brutal, consuming and unforgiving. It strikes at the soul.

Poverty is brutal, consuming and unforgiving. It strikes at the soul.

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)
You defend yourself with hope, hard work and, for some, a helping hand. But these weapons grow dull in an economy on the verge of atrophy, in a job market tilting ever more toward the top and in a political environment that would sacrifice the weak to the wealthy.

The title is immediately followed by the words above. They are offered by Charles Blow in a New York Times op ed titled Them That's Not Shall Lose. It is a must read, by a man who knows whereof he writes:

I know the feel of thick calluses on the bottom of shoeless feet. I know the bite of the cold breeze that slithers through a drafty house. I know the weight of constant worry over not having enough to fill a belly or fight an illness.

Most of us do not know from experience as does Blow, but surely we should be able to understand.

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Friday, June 24, 2011

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Sen. John Kerry's Letter to PDA, Hayden's Letter to Kerry

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Sen. John Kerry's Letter to PDA, Hayden's Letter to Kerry
Some Simple Steps Forward While not agreeing with the content of the left criticism of Obama’s speech and policy, it certainly lets him know that he has a long way to go! Having said that, here are some thoughts on the way forward for those attempting to end the wars in ...
Sen. John Kerry's Letter to PDA, Hayden's Letter to Kerry I am releasing a private letter I sent to Senator John Kerry on July 28, 2010. After being a 2004 proponent of Afghanistan as a “good war”, his evolution has been very welcome. His experience, his carefully study of the realities, and the power of his ...
A Call for Action During 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago This call is being sent to peace activists in Canada, Europe, and the United States as an initiative from the Peace and Justice Resource Center, in hopes of generating thinking and preliminary response.
A Letter from Sen. John Kerry to Progressive Democrats of America I think it’s particularly important that Sen. Kerry was willing to send this letter to the peace movement through Progressive Democrats of America (PDA). Congratulations!
A Letter to Sen. John Kerry I am releasing a private letter I sent to Sen. John Kerry on July 28, 2010. After being a 2004 proponent of Afghanistan as a “good war”, his evolution has been very welcome. His experience, his carefully study of the realities, and the power of his ...
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No layoffs: Union agrees to concessions in budget deal | GothamSchools

No layoffs: Union agrees to concessions in budget deal | GothamSchools
No layoffs: Union agrees to concessions in budget deal *[Updated: 10:06]* Plans to lay off 4,100 teachers were averted late Friday evening as part of a deal struck between the Bloomberg administration, the City Council and the teachers unions. At least two union concessions and restoration money from ...
Remainders: Teacher bonuses can’t buy you plastic surgery - Special education teachers need more English and math knowledge. (Joanne Jacobs) - If Cameron Diaz were a real teacher, a bonus probably couldn’t buy her breast implants. (JJ) - Many are still waiting to find out where they will ...
Teacher layoff phone drive results are in and underwhelming A desperate phone push to save thousands of teacher layoffs has yielded underwhelming results, according to city call data. On Tuesday, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio launched a phone drive to implore New Yorkers to dial 311 – the city’s service line ...
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Funny Man Ed Sec Duncan Challenges Nation to Make Hispanic Ed a Priority - Hispanically Speaking News

US Ed Sec Duncan Challenges Nation to Make Hispanic Ed a Priority - Hispanically Speaking News

White House Denies Funny Man Stephen Colbert’s Request to Document U.S. Citizenship Ceremony

White House Denies Funny Man Stephen Colbert’s Request to Document U.S. Citizenship Ceremony

Political funny man Stephen Colbert had hoped to feature and on-air naturalization ceremony on his Comedy Central show, but the White House has said no to that idea.

“The Colbert Report” was wanting to run the ceremony alongside Colbert’s interview with documentarian Alexandra Pelosi, whose documentary, “Citizen U.S.A.: A 50 State Road Trip” airs on July 4 on HBO.

Pelosi’s documentary revolves around new U.S. citizens across the country who are about to take their oath of allegiance to the Unite States, which is performed by the federal officials. Colbert had hoped to get one of these ceremonies on video.

When the Wrap contacted Pelosi about the government’s refusal to allow the taping, she said, “The government just doesn’t get it. ‘The Colbert Report’ is what America watches. This is Colbert Nation.”

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a statement on the matter saying, “The government made a

US Ed Sec Duncan Challenges Nation to Work Together to Make Hispanic Education a Priority

US Ed Sec Duncan Challenges Nation to Work Together to Make Hispanic Education a Priority

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan today urged parents, educators and school leaders at every level of government to make Hispanic educational excellence a national priority. Secretary Duncan’s challenge follows the release of a sobering new report on the Hispanic achievement gap by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the U.S. Department of Education’s statistical center.


Mathematics and reading scores for Hispanic students have increased over time, but the gap between Hispanic students and their white counterparts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress has not changed since the 1990s, according to the comprehensive report by NCES. Over the same period, the gap between non-limited English proficient Hispanic students and their white peers narrowed.


In the knowledge economy, Secretary Duncan said it is more vital than ever that every child in America be able to go as far as his or her potential, talent and energy will allow.


“Race and ethnicity shouldn’t be factors in the success of any child in America,” said Secretary Duncan.


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Birth defects linked to pesticides, again « MomsRising Blog

Birth defects linked to pesticides, again « MomsRising Blog
Birth defects linked to pesticides, again It’s been more than a few years now, but I remember the roller coaster ride of pregnancy like it was yesterday. Nine months of bouncing from giddy excitement to mind-bending worry, pure joy to frantic nesting. Powerful emotions are amplified by ...
LGBT Housing Discrimination in 2011: A Time for Pride and Action Last year I visited Spokane, Washington, for a listening session on housing discrimination issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals and families. After hearing a number of compelling stories, I met Mitch and Michelle, a ...
Outrage: As Mountaintop Removal Linked to Birth Defects, Politicians Gut Clean Water Act My colleague Mary Anne Hitt, the Director of the Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign, has a powerful column today about mountaintop removal coal mining and birth defects, and I wanted to share it with the Moms Rising audience. Here it is (with a photo ...
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Modern School: Corporate Swill Mills Ripping Off Schools

Modern School: Corporate Swill Mills Ripping Off Schools
Corporate Swill Mills Ripping Off Schools Last July, school cafeteria giant Sodexo agreed to pay $20 million to settle charges that it had overcharged 21 school districts and the State University of New York system. Sodexo had been receiving kickbacks from their suppliers and pocketing the ...
What Would Christie Do? And His Disciples? What would Christie Do, as in Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey? Exactly as he threatened: Slash wages, benefits and health care for public workers. The problem was that, unlike in Wisconsin, he needed the support of Democrats in the state ...
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Policy makers ignore the teachers — again - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Policy makers ignore the teachers — again - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Policy makers ignore the teachers — again

by Valerie Strauss

The Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness ignored the classroom teachers on the panel when devising a new teacher evaluation system.

It should no longer shock me when classroom teachers are entirely ignored in education policy (there wasn’t a teacher in the big bunch that wrote the No Child Left Behind law, for example). But I expected better from Maryland.

Here’s what happened: Earlier this week, the the Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness voted on a new way for schools to evaluate teachers and principals that ties 50 percent of each assessment to what are technically called “student growth measures” but which actually are scores on standardized tests.

Read full article >>
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Jersey Jazzman: Your Corrupt NJ Democratic Party

Jersey Jazzman: Your Corrupt NJ Democratic Party
Your Corrupt NJ Democratic Party National bloggers are noticing the schism in the NJ Democratic party and the corruption of the Norcross/Adubato machines. First, Steve Kornacki in Salon: The thing to remember about South Jersey is that there's really only one name you need to know: ...
Karma Good-bye, Jersey Guys! Jersey Guys Casey Bartholomew and Ray Rossi are out as of today (6/24), with their contracts not being renewed. (See the statement from PD Eric Johnson here.) Simultaneously, the station announces the return of Jeff Deminski & ...
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Companies Running School Cafeterias Under Eye of USDA « Larry Miller's Blog

Companies Running School Cafeterias Under Eye of USDA « Larry Miller's Blog
Walker cancels budget bill-signing at firm run by felon By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel Updated: June 24, 2011 Gov. *Scott Walker *has called off plans to sign the 2011-’13 budget bill at a private Green Bay-area company run by an executive with eight felony convictions, a spokesman announced ...
Companies Running School Cafeterias Under Eye of USDA The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s watchdog arm plans to look closely at whether the food-service-management companies running many school cafeterias are passing along all the discounts and rebates they receive from their suppliers to the districts ...
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Layoffs Could Set Back Schools For Years — Public Advocate | Edwize

Layoffs Could Set Back Schools For Years — Public Advocate | Edwize

Layoffs Could Set Back Schools For Years — Public Advocate

by Maisie McAdoo

When New York City laid off 15,000 teachers in the 1970s in response to a fiscal crisis, most never returned, even when they were called back. Class sizes swelled, and then became the “new normal.” Even after the economy recovered, the school system found it difficult to recruit new teachers, who were fearful about job security.

Now the city administration is poised to repeat the error-scarred past, according to a new report [PDF] released today from Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s office. Only a week remains until the city adopts its next budget, de Blasio warns. We should heed the lessons and not endanger another generation of students.

“[I]t is essential to remember how difficult it will be to shield future students from the damage of those cuts, even well after the onset of a strong economic recovery,” according to the report, “How Teacher Layoffs Could Set

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Leaked internal documents shows what Rhee really thinks of some Michigan legislators

Leaked internal documents shows what Rhee really thinks of some Michigan legislators
Leaked internal documents shows what Rhee really thinks of some Michigan legislators Here’s what Michelle Rhee really thinks about the Michigan lawmakers that she tried to influence: *Rep. Thomas Hooker (R) *“He has been a real stickler on seniority not being a factor in the LIFO bill” * Rep. Holly Hughes (R) *“she’s afraid of ...
All of Rhee's Michigan Legislative allies were Republican and Tea Party, DeVos, and Koch-funded * * *The leaked internal briefing document by Rhee’s organization spelled out all the major legislative allies that carried her water. Not surprisingly, all the legislative sponsors of the four anti-teacher, anti union bills that Rhee pushed ...
Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst collaborated on Michigan bill limiting collective bargaining for teachers Written by Laura Clawson for the Daily Kos. Read the original here. *“Education blogger At the Chalk Face has obtained an internal briefing document from Michelle Rhee’s Students First, and makes clear just how extensively Students First ...
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Is Diane Ravitch a Hayekian? - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes

Is Diane Ravitch a Hayekian? - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes

Is Diane Ravitch a Hayekian?

by E.D. Kain

Adam Ozemik has a really good piece on Diane Ravitch up at The Atlantic, noting the common thread between ‘old’ and ‘new’ Diane Ravitch. Dana Goldstein sums up the two:

Once a vocal proponent of No Child Left Behind, charter schools, vouchers, and merit pay for teachers, Ravitch decided sometime around 2006 that there was actually no evidence that any of those policies improved American education. She now believes that the "corporatist agenda" of school choice, teacher layoffs, and standardized testing has undermined public respect for one of the nation’s most vital institutions, the neighborhood school, and for one of society’s most crucial professions: teaching.

Adam notes this old City Journal piece Diane wrote back in 1999. In it, she wrote:

Friedrich A. Hayek explained long ago that centralized "command-and-control" regulation seldom is efficient, because the people at headquarters always have a crucial deficit in information; they never know as much as the many thousands of people who are out in the field. Hayek’s analysis

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ASCD Inservice: Klein Hypes Rad and Fab Reformers

ASCD Inservice: Klein Hypes Rad and Fab Reformers
In Case You Missed It Check out what's been happening around ASCD: Check out the free chapter of new book - Great Performances: Creating Classroom-Based Assessment Tasks "PLCs saved my career" and more in the most recent ASCD Express on effectively using professional learning ...
Klein Hypes Rad and Fab Reformers Joel Klein praises a new generation of education reformers in a recent Washington Post op-ed while fluffing his own plumage, seeing as how most of the individuals mentioned worked for him in New York City. The piece is the latest...
Filipino Recruits Highlight Plight of New, Urban Teachers No spoiler alert needed: you already know the biggest classroom-based challenge recently imported Filipino teachers will face in The Learning, a documentary that follows four such teachers during their first year in Baltimore City Schools. "I feel like a ...
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NYC Public School Parents: Ivan Smalley, third grader, and his letter to Mayor Bloomberg

NYC Public School Parents: Ivan Smalley, third grader, and his letter to Mayor Bloomberg
Ivan Smalley, third grader, and his letter to Mayor Bloomberg *Jaye Bea Smalley, public school parent, is a member of the Citywide Council on Special Education and a great parent advocate. Here is a letter her third-grade son wrote to Bloomberg. Sad but true when a third-grader understands the impacts of these ...
The last act of a potentially tragic drama: for your kids, make three calls today! So far there is no budget deal apparent; the Mayor’s office reportedly rejected an offer by union leaders to provide funds from their reserve fund to prevent layoffs because he thought the conditions were too onerous, including limiting the expansion ...
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