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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Big Education Ape: 9-6-11 AM Green Dot charter group Cheating EDition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now:

Published by Coopmike48 – 6 news spotters today

Seeking details of the $100 million deal

blog.nj.com - A year ago this month, Mayor Cory Booker brought in $100 million to benefit education in Newark. Asked to provide the correspondence between Booker and the donor, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, ...

DianeRavitch

A call for better leadership in education Who We Are

empty-playgrounds.blogspot.com - This is the first installment of Empty Playgrounds, a commentary on elementary education in America and what can be done to solve its problems.All of us who care about education and who care about ...

DianeRavitch

Video

nypost.com - If they build a buzz, the kids will come. That's the thinking at a mediocre Brooklyn public school with grandiose aspirations -- it wants to hire a press agent to lure more and better students. Adm...

DianeRavitch

Cheating on state tests found at two Los Angeles schools

latimes.com - The state has thrown out the test scores of a top-performing Los Angeles school and of the highest-scoring campus in the nationally known Green Dot charter group after cheating was uncovered involv...

mikeklonsky

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coopmike48 Read Damn Good Education Daily ▸ today's top stories via @kenmlibby@schlfinance101 ▸ http://t.co/gpb4k5P#EDCHAT· reply · retweet · favorite

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EducationSee all

The Ultimate Education Reform State

louisianaeducator.blogspot.com - Governor Jindal is moving to assert complete control of both the legislature and BESE. A recent article in the Advocate describes Jindal's plans to hand pick all key legislative leadership position...

DianeRavitch

Parents Scramble to Apply for Charter School (Louisiana)

charterschoolsusa.com - http://www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpnewssum/?p=15123 Interest in the region’s first charter school is at fever-pitch, if online applications and attendance at Monday night’s informational meeti...

DianeRavitch

Anger builds over $1M buyout of Ackerman in Philly.

schoolingintheownershipsociety.blogspot.com - Philadelphians of every hue and persuasion have found something to be angry about in the buyout deal for former Superintendent of Schools Arlene Ackerman. For some, it's the roughly $1 million cost...

mikeklonsky

PoliticsSee all

10 Eye-Popping Labor Day Stats

motherjones.com - Labor Day was created more than 100 years ago to celebrate the might, ingenuity, and achievements of American workers. But for many, this year's holiday is a painful reminder of how few good jobs a...

fklonsky

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Labor Day: Why we celebrate - The Answer Sheet

washingtonpost.com - If your kids are complaining about going back to school, Labor Day is the perfect time to explain just how much worse things could be for them — and, in fact, were. Once kids were forced into back-...

fklonsky

Schools alarmed by corner store drug sales

signonsandiego.com - As schools kick off a new year, many are scrambling to update drug education efforts because of a new brand of synthetic drugs that are turning up in backpacks and lockers throughout San Diego Coun...

coopmike48

CrimeSee all

City Councilman Is Handcuffed at West Indian Day Parade

nytimes.com - A city councilman from Brooklyn was placed in handcuffs and briefly detained by the police on Monday afternoon during the West Indian Day Parade after an argument with officers over whether he was ...

leoniehaimson

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    Collaboration: The missing link in reform? | EdNewsColorado

    Collaboration: The missing link in reform? | EdNewsColorado:

    Collaboration: The missing link in reform?

    by Mark Sass

    Mark Sass, a teacher since 1994, teaches at Legacy High School in the Adams Five Star School District.

    Well, here it is, “The Missing Link in School Reform.” That’s the title at least to a very intriguing article in theStanford Social Innovation Review. The sub heading to the article states “In trying to improve American public schools, educators, policymakers, and philanthropists are overselling the role of the highly skilled individual teacher and undervaluing the benefits that come from teacher collaboration.”

    Personally, I have known for years now that collaboration is key for schools to be successful. This is based on my own experience at my school, and it has been touted by educators like Rick DuFour and his take on Professional Learning Communities. But now we have some good empirical evidence to support this.

    The authors of the study looked at more than 1,000 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers in the New York City Public

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    Higher Education Headlines

    Higher Education Headlines:

    NEWS

    President Mary Sias

    A Conversation with Kentucky State University President Mary Sias

    by Amara Phillip and Frank L. Matthews , September 2, 2011

    As chair of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities organization, Sias is charged with being one of the chief advocates for not only Kentucky State and the 17 other “1890s” land-grant HBCUs, but public land-grant institutions across the U.S.

    Read the full story

    I-Spark Centre

    Diverse In India: Innovation Academy Provides Cutting-edge Technology Education, Experience

    by Jamaal Abdul-Alim , September 1, 2011

    For students, the primary benefit of the Microsoft i-Spark Centre Innovation Academy is having a place where they can get hands-on experience and work on projects that could potentially get recognition and support from Microsoft in their bid to take the products to market.

    Read the full story

    Lorenzo Esters

    For Public HBCUs, A New Type of Advocacy

    by B. Denise Hawkins , August 31, 2011

    Dr. Lorenzo Esters of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, rallies higher education stakeholders behind effort to boost funding for public historically Black college and universities.

    Read the full story

    Study: Hispanic-Serving Colleges Continue Steady Increase

    by Charles Dervarics , September 2, 2011


    The number of Hispanic-serving institutions, or HSIs, nationwide has increased by 24 percent since 2004 and could grow by another 40 percent if “emerging” HSIs in 18 states and Puerto Rico continue to grow, a new study says.

    Read the full story

    UC Berkeley Professor Goodwin Liu Confirmed to Calif. High Court

    by Paul Elias, The Associated Press , September 2, 2011


    The state's three-member Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously voted for Liu's nomination, and Gov. Jerry Brown was scheduled to swear Liu in on Thursday.

    Read the full story

    Five New Minority FBS Head Coaches Bring Total To Highest Ever

    by Frank J. Matthews , September 1, 2011


    The 2011 season will see the most minorities leading Football Bowl Subdivision teams as head coaches when college game action gets underway Sept. 1.

    Read the full story

    Commentary: A Finding in Search of an Explanation

    by Dr. Daryl E. Chubin , September 1, 2011


    Much of the public reaction to NIH’s acknowledgement of shortcomings in its grant giving blames the victim, a prominent advocate for diversity in science writes.

    Read the full story
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    Leveling up STEM’s playing field | Thoughts on Public Education

    Leveling up STEM’s playing field | Thoughts on Public Education:

    Leveling up STEM’s playing field - by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

    by John Fensterwald - Educated Guess
    Low-income, minority students with good grades and high, if vague, aspirations of a career in science, engineering, or technology, face a gauntlet of challenges between the first day of high school and the last day of college. No wonder so many fall by the wayside. There’s the illusion of rigor from doing well in weak schools; [...]

    Empowering parents — to sign petitions or become engines for change? - by Liz Guillen

    by Liz Guillen
    On Wednesday, the California State Board of Education will vote to approve regulations implementing California’s parent empowerment law. Given the intense scrutiny this law has received, it’s important to remember that it is just a small step on the road toward truly empowering parents. Nibbling at the edges Passed by the Legislature in 2009, the “Parent [...]
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    Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Teachers in the pulpit

    Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Teachers in the pulpit:

    Teachers in the pulpit

    CPS teacher Linda Boyle, of Social Justice High School | Jean Lachat~Sun-Times
    That's where they were Sunday in Chicago. A CTU spokeswoman said the union took its message to about 100 churches or schools for Labor Day.

    Linda Boyle at Broadway United Methodist Church, 3338 N. Broadway. Boyle, a special education teacher at the Little Village Lawndale School for Social Justice, told church members that corporate reformers are trying
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    What we don’t know about our students — and why we don’t know it - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

    What we don’t know about our students — and why we don’t know it - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

    What we don’t know about our students — and why we don’t know it

    By

    This was written by Alfie Kohn, the author of 12 books about education and human behavior, including “The Schools Our Children Deserve,” “The Homework Myth,” and the newly published“Feel-Bad Education . . . And Other Contrarian Essays on Children & Schooling.” He lives (actually) in the Boston area and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.com.

    By Alfie Kohn

    There’s a scene near the beginning of Small Change (also known asPocket Money), Truffaut’s übercharming movie about children of all ages, in which a teacher makes each of her students recite a passage from a Molière play — a test of both memory and dramatic skill.

    The teacher is especially tough on one boy who chants the lines in a

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    NYC Educator: First Day Jitters?

    NYC Educator: First Day Jitters?:

    First Day Jitters?

    by NYC Educator

    I Wish Someone Had Told Me

    Practical suggestions were few and far between when I started out. I was an English teacher, with an AP who spent hours describing the difference between an “aim” and an “instructional objective.” To this day, I haven’t the slightest notion what she was talking about. She also spent a good deal of time describing the trials and tribulations of her cooking projects, and other utterly useless information.

    Neither she nor any teacher of education ever advised me on classroom control. The standing platitude was “A good lesson plan is the best way to control a class,” but I no longer believe that. I think a good lesson plan is the best thing to have after you control the class.

    I also think a good lesson plan need not be written at all, as long as you know what you’re doing. If you don’t,
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    LAUSD and UTLA's A.J. Duffy - Truly a Man for All Seasons (LAUSD y UTLA AJ Duffy - Verdaderamente Un hombre Para Todas Las Estaciones) - Perdaily.com

    LAUSD and UTLA's A.J. Duffy - Truly a Man for All Seasons (LAUSD y UTLA AJ Duffy - Verdaderamente Un hombre Para Todas Las Estaciones) - Perdaily.com:

    LAUSD and UTLA's A.J. Duffy - Truly a Man for All Seasons (LAUSD y UTLA AJ Duffy - Verdaderamente Un hombre Para Todas Las Estaciones)

    by Leonard Isenberg
    A.J. Duffy 2.jpeg
    (Mensaje se repite en Español)

    (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)

    H.L. (Henry Louis) Mencken, like recently termed out UTLA President A.J. Duffy eschewed the use of a first and middle name throughout his career, which I am sad to say is about all these two men have in common. Mencken, who was known at the "Sage of Baltimore" for his satire, wit, and journalistic excellence would have had a field day in examining the blatant hypocrisy of A.J. Duffy and his mercenary proclivities for never being fettered by any belief that he wasn't willing to sell out...for the right price.

    One of my favorite Mencken quotes is, "No one in this world, so far as I know -- and I have searched the record
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    Senate Bill 7. What Jonah Edelman bought and what it means for teachers. « Fred Klonsky's blog

    Senate Bill 7. What Jonah Edelman bought and what it means for teachers. « Fred Klonsky's blog:

    Senate Bill 7. What Jonah Edelman bought and what it means for teachers.

    by Fred Klonsky

    Now that Jonah Edelman, with his $3 million and his Stand for Children, got what they paid for when the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 7, what can we Illinois teachers expect?

    New IEA President Cinda Klickna held a tele-conference with local members last week to update us on the impact of Senate Bill 7 on local bargaining.

    Remember. She is part of the IEA leadership that supported SB7.

    I didn’t take part in the tele-conference.

    I have already had a taste of what’s coming now that tenure and seniority have been thrown out with the IEA


    Pension Call Tuesday: Senator Ed Maloney.

    by Fred Klonsky

    Senator Ed Maloney.

    My pal Jerry Mulvihill suggests contacting Senator Ed Maloney today. Senator Maloney represents the south side of Chicago and south suburbs.

    Senator Maloney’s Constituent Service Office in Chicago
    10400 South Western Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60643
    Phone: 773.881.4180
    Fax: 773.881.4243

    Senator Maloney’s Springfield Office
    Room 119A, State House
    Springfield, IL 62706
    Phone: 217.782.5145
    Fax: 217.782.3930

    email: emaloney@senatedem.ilga.gov

    Jerry says, “Plus, he has invited constituents to his website to take a very unscientific survey of the pension issue. His survey includes some very limited choices. Maybe we can inundate the survey? The survey can be found here: https://app.icontact.com/icp/sub/survey/take“

    Our points:

    We have always paid our share into the pension plan. It is a protected benefit by the Illinois Constitution. It was a promise made by the state of Illinois to our teachers. There is no immediate crisis or inability to meet TRS obligations to retirees.

    If you have an Illinois representative that you would like us to feature on Pension Call Tuesday, contact us.
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    A New Beginning For Philadelphia’s Schools « City School Stories

    A New Beginning For Philadelphia’s Schools « City School Stories:

    A New Beginning For Philadelphia’s Schools

    by fmurphy

    Notes from the Field

    Submitted by Frank Murphy on September 6, 2011

    The start of a new school year has been an important event for me for most of my life. I have experienced the first day of school as a student, a teacher, a principal and a parent. Amazingly, on each of these occasions I have been filled with the same excitement, anticipation and hope that a new beginning can engender.

    A new beginning …… that has always been what the start of another school year has meant to me. It is a time for renewal and hope that stems from the belief that you can simply start over one day and make your life better than what it was in the previous year. This is a notion that I know I share with many others.

    We start this new school year as a district in turmoil. The public’s confidence in the ability of the School Reform

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    School Tech Connect: Labor Day in Chicago

    School Tech Connect: Labor Day in Chicago:

    Labor Day in Chicago

    by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)
    Many familiar faces today in Grant Park for Labor Day, although you'd think think in these times the crowd would be ten times bigger. I tend to hold every labor event agains the standard set in Madison, and that's a pretty high bar, as Arne Duncan might say, if he talked about labor. I didn't see any teachers there from Melody or Skinner-- those folks were probably enjoying a manna-from-heaven day off after an exhausting week burning the CTU for bribe money and trinkets.

    It wasn't just a rally for American labor, although there was plenty of that. The event was focused on the Trans Pacific Partnership Pact, which was being negotiated down the street at the Hilton. I know nothing of the TPPP,
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    Monday, September 5, 2011

    Schools Matter: If the Public Mattered to Arne and the Reform Schoolers, What Might They Learn?

    Schools Matter: If the Public Mattered to Arne and the Reform Schoolers, What Might They Learn?:

    If the Public Mattered to Arne and the Reform Schoolers, What Might They Learn?

    by Jim Horn
    Last week the 43rd annual PDK/Gallup Poll was published, and never in the history of the Poll has the concept of "a public" been more threatened by a virulent form of corporatism that seeks to replace democratic institutions with unregulated profiteering by educons schooled in the virtue of selfishness and the worship of wealth.

    I have pulled some of the findings from the Poll and pasted them below, along with few comments (click on any chart to enlarge).
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    Schooling in the Ownership Society: Anger builds over $1M buyout of Ackerman in Philly.

    Schooling in the Ownership Society: Anger builds over $1M buyout of Ackerman in Philly.:

    Anger builds over $1M buyout of Ackerman in Philly.

    by Mike Klonsky
    Philadelphians of every hue and persuasion have found something to be angry about in the buyout deal for former Superintendent of Schools Arlene Ackerman. For some, it's the roughly $1 million cost of the buyout... For the non-partisan, non-profit watchdog group, the Committee of Seventy, the issue has been the unusual and probably unprecedented dependence on anonymous private donors to help cover the cost of Dr. Ackerman's parachute. --Education Nation
    The $400,000 or so in private
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    NYC Public School Parents: Happy Labor Day? Not for school aides, or our kids

    NYC Public School Parents: Happy Labor Day? Not for school aides, or our kids:

    Happy Labor Day? Not for school aides, or our kids

    by Leonie Haimson

    Happy Labor Day and welcome back to a new school year. I hope you had a good summer and rest. Unfortunately, the DOE has not been honoring those who work in our schools. Instead, they are planning to lay-off nearly 800 school aides and other school-based personnel; people who help our kids every day.
    The day before school begins, on Wednesday, at 4 PM in front of Tweed, we are co-sponsoring a protest against the proposed lay-offs; for more on these layoffs, see Juan Gonzalez’ column here.
    This year, we also expect to return to a much diminished teaching force; with more than 3000 or more teaching positions lost and/or teachers excessed, While enrollment is still increasing, this is likel
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    The 2011 Mr. Vilson Manifesto [Dark Knight Feeling] | The Jose Vilson

    The 2011 Mr. Vilson Manifesto [Dark Knight Feeling] | The Jose Vilson:

    The 2011 Mr. Vilson Manifesto [Dark Knight Feeling]

    by Jose


    I’m not a hero.

    You can start off with the greatest intentions, develop great relationships, and create wonderful initiatives for your team. By our own meritocratic illusions, we believe that the more someone does these things in their spaces, they’re entitled to a certain amount of greatness. Yet, our reality establishes limits on that type of success, even for those of us doing the right work. Through the process of success, feelings like enmity and envy develop where love and camaraderie could sit. When enough people develop this resentment, you’re in a situation where

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