Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Big Education Ape: 10-5-11 AM Trouble With the Parent Trigger EDition

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Published by Coopmike48 – 7 news spotters today

U.S. lawmakers make China a whipping boy

cbsnews.com - President Obama shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao before a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, Jan. 19, 2011. (Getty) (AP) WASHINGTON - U.S...

mikeklonsky

The Trouble With the Parent Trigger - Bridging Differences

blogs.edweek.org - Dear Deborah,There is a move under way to promote something called the "Parent Trigger" as a way to reform schools. It is another one of those deceptive schemes that comes packaged with an alluring...

leoniehaimson

Wrongly imprisoned man to go free after 25 years

cbsnews.com - Michael Morton (The Innocence Project) (AP) GEORGETOWN, Texas - A grocery store employee who spent nearly 25 years in prison for killing his wife is set to go free after DNA tests showed another m...

mikeklonsky

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EducationSee all

Who are the 99 percent?

washingtonpost.com - (Ramin Talaie - BLOOMBERG) “I did everything I was supposed to and I have nothing to show for it.” It’s not the arrests that convinced me that “Occupy Wall Street” was worth covering seriously. Nor...

mikeklonsky

Thankfully, the CTU didn't take Zorn's advice

michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - You may remember, it was just a little over two weeks ago that Tribune columnist Eric Zorn was urging the Chicago Teachers Union to throw in the towel in its fight with the mayor over the 90-minute...

mikeklonsky

SocietySee all

School Tech Connect: Democracy...

schooltechconnect.com - ...not something to be thrown away just because you've got a charter jones.Hear, hear! Nancy has hit the nail on the head. I do not trust anyone whose ideas are so toxic that they require the suspe...

tbfurman

The Day: Like Putin, Like Bloomberg

cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com - Political ploys under way in Russia could almost serve as an instruction manual for the leadership at either end of New York’s City Hall. You have to slap your forehead in wonder that the New Yorke...

leoniehaimson

Livewire | TPM

livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com - Speaking on Fox Business' Follow the Money on Monday night, Anne Coulter discussed her fear of the danger of “mob uprisings” such as the Occupy Wall Street protests currently occuring.To Coulter, t...

mikeklonsky

PoliticsSee all

Buffett challenges Murdoch on tax returns

democraticunderground.com - Source: CNNLast week, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial that asked Buffett to disclose his tax returns. The piece, "Mr. Buffett's Tax Secrets," took issue with Buffett's plan to hike t...

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StoriesSee all

Tale of One City, Two Worlds

schooltechconnect.com - Isn't this charming? Doesn't it bathe you in earthly delight? Don't you want to drop what you're doing and register your children for it? Meanwhile, kids at the mayor's school are off to the Dunes....

tbfurman

How the Free Market Economy Creates Gender Polarization

huffingtonpost.com - This piece is part of a special series on the End of Gender. This series includes bloggers from Role/Reboot, Good Men Project, The Huffington Post, Salon, HyperVocal, Ms. Magazine, YourTango, Psych...

coopmike48

BusinessSee all

Bank of America - A Unique Display of Corporate Greed

californiaprogressreport.com - Printer-friendly versionSend to friendBy Mitch Seaman California Labor Federation Forbes magazine as gutsy consumer advocate? Well, not really, but even the favored rag of corporate shills everywhe...

coopmike48

LeisureSee all

Celebrate National Taco Day With Us

hispanicallyspeakingnews.com - Published at 11:18 am, October 4, 2011 Photo Credits: National Taco Day Celebrate with Hispanically Speaking News ‘National Taco Day’ and enjoy a crispy, meat stuffed taco somewhere. This Mexican ...

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      Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts


      Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts


      Good lord. Randi Weingarten! « Fred Klonsky's blog

      Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 seconds ago
      Good lord. Randi Weingarten! « Fred Klonsky's blog:Good lord. Randi Weingarten!by Fred KlonskyIt was pretty bad when the President of the American Federation of Teachers invited Bill Gates to speak to her union’s last convention.And it was pretty repulsive when she cruelly mocked her own members who, out of principle, walked out of the hall as he was introduced.So I can’t be surprised that Randi Weingarten would be partying with teacher union-basher Stephen Brill, whose latest book Class Warfare, wages ... more »

      NYC Public School Parents: Video: NYC parent activists get a moment to challenge the corporate reform movement on Education Nation

      Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 seconds ago
      NYC Public School Parents: Video: NYC parent activists get a moment to challenge the corporate reform movement on Education Nation:Video: NYC parent activists get a moment to challenge the corporate reform movement on Education Nationby Leonie HaimsonLast week, NBC ran three days of programming called Education Nation, filmed at Rockefeller Plaza, which was primarily dominated by representatives from the corporate reform movement, who define accountability as more high-stakes testing and promote privatization through charter school expansion, both trends that in ... more »

      PSAT for 1-4-11: Tell Mark Kirk “no” on federal funds for charters

      Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 seconds ago
      Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 1-4-11: Tell Mark Kirk “no” on federal funds for charters:PSAT for 1-4-11: Tell Mark Kirk “no” on federal funds for chartersI have not been able to respond to this survey(which was forwarded to me by a friend) but I hope that’s due to my incompatibility with all things Bill Gates, not a rejection of my views by my senator….In the post, Mark Kirk declares that he “strongly supports charter ... more »

      So Much for Fair and Balanced With the Washington State PTA | Seattle Education

      Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 seconds ago
      So Much for Fair and Balanced With the Washington State PTA | Seattle Education:So Much for Fair and Balanced With the Washington State PTAby seattleducation2011As noted in an earlier post titled Whoa! Where did that come from Washington State PTA?! Charter schools?!, the state PTA has proposed a plank in this year’s platform that would be used to convince our state legislators in the next session that all parents want charter schools in our state. That’s what happened last year ... more »

      School Tech Connect: Democracy...

      Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 seconds ago
      School Tech Connect: Democracy...:Democracy...by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)...not something to be thrown away just because you've got a charter jones.Hear, hear! Nancy has hit the nail on the head. I do not trust anyone whose ideas are so toxic that they require the suspension of democratic representation. We have that here in Illinois now, with the new state charting authority, supported by all of my Democratic friends.One hates to quote from the Trib, but here they are:God forbid local people make up ... more »

      Breitbart attacks FairTest, God and the NAACP over standards. « Fred Klonsky's blog

      Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 seconds ago
      Breitbart attacks FairTest, God and the NAACP over standards. « Fred Klonsky's blog:Breitbart attacks FairTest, God and the NAACP over standards.by Fred KlonskyAndrew Breitbart, goof-ball of the loony right, hosts an attack on FairTest, the United Church of Christ, Bill Ayers, Barack Obama and the NAACP.What do they all have in common according to Big Government poster Seton Motley (Do they all have to have these upper crust names?)?What they all have in common is a critique of the SAT.Who ... more »
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      Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - This Week’s Collection Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles

      Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… - This Week’s Collection Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles:

      This Week’s Collection Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles Here are some recent good school reform-related articles and posts: Character Education is by Matthew Di Carlo at The Shanker Blog. I’m adding it to The Best Posts Discussing Arrogance & School Reform. The dangers of building a plane in the air ...
      “Should Schools Help Catch Illegal Immigrants?” Should Schools Help Catch Illegal Immigrants? is another useful article from The New York Times about Alabama’s new law. I’m adding it to The Best Resources To Learn About Alabama’s Awful Immigration Law (& Its Impact On Schools).
      “Ways The “Next Generation” Of Standardized Tests Should Treat ELL’s” Response: Ways The “Next Generation” Of Standardized Tests Should Treat ELL’s is the title of my newest column at Education Week Teacher. It includes comments from both of the two state consortia developing the next generation of state tests and an ...
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      We Are the 99 Percent | Edwize

      We Are the 99 Percent | Edwize:

      We Are the 99 Percent

      by W.J. Levay

      We Are the 99 PercentThe UFT is participating in a community-labor march tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 5 as we demand that the wealthiest New Yorkers pay their fair share of taxes. Albany must renew the state millionaire’s tax that is due to expire on Dec. 31.

      At 4:30 p.m., members will gather near the UFT banner in Foley Square. Marchers will step off at 5 p.m. from Foley Square and head to Zuccotti Park, where they will be welcomed by the Occupy Wall Street protesters who have created an encampment to denounce corporate greed and the grossly unequal distribution of wealth in this country. Their rallying cry: “We are the 99 percent.”

      View the march route >>

      Occupy Wall Street >>

      We Are the 99 Percent >>
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      Occupy your classroom « Cooperative Catalyst

      Occupy your classroom « Cooperative Catalyst:

      Occupy your classroom

      by Chad Sansing

      DSC05584 by Berkeley Unified School District

      DSC05584 by Berkeley Unified School District

      Michelle McNeil, reporting on ESEA Flexibility, September 28th, 2011:

      To be freed from [NCLB's 100% proficiency] 2014 deadline, and to have more flexibility in using Title I money, states will have to agree to do three main things. They will have to adopt college- and career-ready standards and tie state tests to them….

      Arne Duncan speaking at the Education Sector Forum, September 30th, 2011:

      “Paper-and-pencil licensure tests for teachers are not rigorous, meaningful, or useful….”

      There exists a naked ambition amongst the networked and privileged #edreformers to measure learning by test

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      It’s not all about the teachers - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

      It’s not all about the teachers - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

      It’s not all about the teachers

      by Valerie Strauss

      This was written by Will Fitzhugh, editor of The Concord Review, believed to be the world’s only English-language quarterly review for history academic papers by high school students. A version of this was initially published in the Review.

      By Will Fitzhugh

      It is settled wisdom among Funderpundits and those to whom they give their education grants that the most important variable in student academic achievement is teacher quality.

      Read full article >>
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      Why would California leave $100 million on the table for early education? | Thoughts on Public Education

      Why would California leave $100 million on the table for early education? | Thoughts on Public Education:

      Why would California leave $100 million on the table for early education?

      Posted on 10/05/11 • Categorized as Kindergarten, Preschool, Race to the Top,Uncategorized

      By David Kirp

      With the Oct. 19 deadline for applying for the preschool version of Race to the Top rapidly approaching, California officials have yet to announce whether they will apply for a $100 million early learning federal grant for which the state is eligible. Why the hesitation? This should be a no-brainer.

      This year alone, more than 35,000 preschoolers were dropped from the subsidized early education rolls because of budget constraints. With California confronting major cuts to initiatives designed to ensure that all children enter school ready to learn, why on earth would


      Jobs bill could save thousands of CA teachers - by Kathryn Baron

      by Kathryn Baron
      President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan spent the day Tuesday lobbying for the nearly-doomed American Jobs Act by underscoring its financial commitment to rehire laid-off teachers and retain those whose jobs are in jeopardy. While the President traveled to Eastfield Community College in Mesquite, Texas, and Duncan spoke with reporters by telephone, the White [...]
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      Daily Kos: TBAD Gala - it got personal for me

      Daily Kos: TBAD Gala - it got personal for me:

      TBAD Gala - it got personal for me

      by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

      Last night was the Gala for Campaign for America's Future's annual conference in DC, Take Back the American Dream.

      On Monday I had been on a panel on education titled "Starving the Dream: The Attack on Public Education & How We Fight Back." I had heard most of the speeches to the conference as a whole, had had opportunities to catch up with people from around the country whom I know and/or admire.

      I had chosen to attend the Gala to help support the efforts of CAF and to show my solidarity with the idea of taking back the American dream.

      There were four awards given to Planned Parenthood, Drummond Pike of the Tides Foundation, The Dream Act Activists, and the Wisconsin Movement. The last two of those made it personal to me, and I want to explain why.
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      October 4, 2011 - PrivatizationWatch.Org

      October 4, 2011 - PrivatizationWatch.Org:

      October 4, 2011

      by nospam@example.com (Editor)
      Posted by at

      SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Sacking Fran Tarkenton

      SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Sacking Fran Tarkenton:

      Sacking Fran Tarkenton

      by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)
      Who knew that former Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants quarterback Fran Tarkenton has an opinion about education deform. Yes, it is true. I am still trying to figure out why he needed to chime in to the debateyesterday in the Wall Street Journal, but those thoughts are left to bigger people than myself.

      Aside from the typical union bashing and the groveling to the shrine of Bill Gates, the gist the The Mad Scrambler is attempting to convey is what would happen if the NFL lived in an alternate reality that had the same rules and pay scales as education.

      Tarkenton writes, amongst other things;
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      School Tech Connect: Party With Steve!

      School Tech Connect: Party With Steve!:

      Party With Steve!

      by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)
      I had a whole post on this topic, but I see it's been covered better already. Go read it.

      Not sure how long this one will last, given the copyright issues, but here's the clip of Steve Brill on Morning Joethat Rita Solnet called my attention to earlier tonight. First Brill's talking about why we can't just magically have a nation of charter schools (because of the low quality of teachers); second, he talks about a scrumpdillyicious party.

      Popout
      Ok, I mixed up the order a bit. Here's the original. It all reminds me of something I'd rather like to forget.
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      Is SB 512, the teachers’ pension killer, dead on arrival? « Fred Klonsky's blog

      Is SB 512, the teachers’ pension killer, dead on arrival? « Fred Klonsky's blog:

      Is SB 512, the teachers’ pension killer, dead on arrival?

      by Fred Klonsky

      “The legislators I talked to in recent weeks all said that (they) have continued to receive letters, phone calls, emails, and visits from those opposed to SB512. They know that voting for this bill will earn them opposition from a formidable bloc of energized voters that will never forget their transgression. 2012 is a year where every single legislator is up for reelection and is running in a new district.”

      This from Bob Lyons, TRS trustee:

      The Civic Committee’s current plan for what they call “pension reform”, Senate Bill

      Hey Moneyman the crowd is outside.

      by Fred Klonsky

      By Lupe Fiasco, the American rapper

      Hey Moneyman the crowd is outside. The past, the future and the now is outside. The teachers and cooks and the drop-outs too. Word on the street is they looking for you…

      Hey Moneyman they saying what’s the score? And how much blood have you spilled on the butcher shop floor? Those numbers keep running but what they running into? The crowd is outside and they asking of you…

      Hey Moneyman Moneyman the mayor’s on the phone. He says he wants to know if all those people went home. Those momma’s and poppa’s and students and cooks. Those teachers and preachers, one second I’ll look…

      Hey Moneyman Moneyman the tents are still up, the songs are still singing and the coffee’s in

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      Jersey Jazzman: Is Brian Williams "Reformy"?

      Jersey Jazzman: Is Brian Williams "Reformy"?:

      Is Brian Williams "Reformy"?

      by Duke
      So, I'm looking at the list of honorees at the "Worst Party Ever,"and one names stands out: Brian Williams. Yes, that Brian Williams, America's Most Trusted Newsman ©.

      The "Worst Party Ever" is being hosted by the Center For Education Reform. CER is pro-charter, anti-grass roots, anti-union, and anti-local control. They regularly critique the media, looking for pro-reformy reporting and criticizing anything that may possibly give voice to a push back of their agenda.

      In other words: this is not a neutral education research group, nor an uncontroversial service organization. These

      Some Actual Jazz Blogging

      by Duke
      How did I ever miss this piece of film?

      Popout

      A true genius. I've been playing and writing for years, and it never occurred to me that "seeing" the notes on the piano made such a difference. Maybe because it's the only instrument I play (I mean play well - although I have been in need of some serious shedding since I started the teaching gig...).

      I think I've seen the performances after, but never the interview. Just great.

      A VERY Rare Disagreement

      by Duke
      Look, you guys know I love Matt DiCarlo. I mean, I LOVE the guy. He and Bruce Baker are the two safe ports in a storm of reformy pseudo-research; I'd be lost without both. And I'm really flattered Matt added me to his blogroll, which I only noticed today.

      So it pains me to take great exception to this post:
      I’m always uncomfortable with personal accusations in our education debate, and they come from both “sides.” For instance, I don’t like hearing accusations that market-based reformers are “profiteers.” The implication is that these people seek to dismantle or otherwise alter the public education system for their own economic advantage.
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      Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Thankfully, the CTU didn't take Zorn's advice

      Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Thankfully, the CTU didn't take Zorn's advice:

      Thankfully, the CTU didn't take Zorn's advice

      by Mike Klonsky
      You may remember, it was just a little over two weeks ago that Tribune columnist Eric Zorn was urging the Chicago Teachers Union to throw in the towel in its fight with the mayor over the 90-minute-longer school day.

      Zorn advised CTU leaders on Sept. 16 to "graciously surrender."
      I couldn't begin to guess which side has the stronger case — labor law is pretty dense — but I can helpfully imagine

      News from the battle front

      Unions join the protest

      Crain's New York Business, New York Magazine, and The Village Voice are reporting that "a loose coalition of labor and community groups" have pledged solidarity with the protests at Zuccotti Park in New York's financial district and are organizing a march for next Wednesday, Oct. 5. -- Slate


      Who are the 99 percent?
      College debt shows up a lot in these stories, actually. It’s more
      Posted by at

      Putting Teeth in D.C.’s Teacher Evaluation System (Aaron Pallas) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

      Putting Teeth in D.C.’s Teacher Evaluation System (Aaron Pallas) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

      Putting Teeth in D.C.’s Teacher Evaluation System (Aaron Pallas)

      by larrycuban

      Partly tongue-in-cheek, partly serious criticism of teacher evaluation schemes using value-added algorithms, this guest blog by Aaron Pallas, Professor of Sociology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia, gets at the increasingly bizarre testing frenzy that has seized the nation’s school districts.The post appeared September 26, 2011 at a Sociological Eye on Education.

      I’m beginning to think that the District of Columbia isn’t that serious about evaluating its teachers.

      Sure, D.C. has its vaunted IMPACT evaluation system that combines value-added measures of teachers’ contributions to their students’ mastery of reading and mathematics with observations of teachers’ practices inside and outside the classroom. And DCPS has used IMPACT to reward some teachers while firing others presumed to be ineffective and incorrigible, replacing them with newer, shinier and cheaper teachers.

      But the system seems to be whiffing on some obvious opportunities to extend the evaluation of teachers to other

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      Tuesday, October 4, 2011

      Good lord. Randi Weingarten! « Fred Klonsky's blog

      Good lord. Randi Weingarten! « Fred Klonsky's blog:

      Good lord. Randi Weingarten!

      by Fred Klonsky

      It was pretty bad when the President of the American Federation of Teachers invited Bill Gates to speak to her union’s last convention.

      And it was pretty repulsive when she cruelly mocked her own members who, out of principle, walked out of the hall as he was introduced.

      So I can’t be surprised that Randi Weingarten would be partying with teacher union-basher Stephen Brill, whose latest book Class Warfare, wages class warfare on teachers.

      Brother Mike broke the story when he Tweeted:
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