Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts

How One CATO Economist Shows Why Testing’s Primary Triumvirate are Wrong | Scathing Purple Musings

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 58 minutes ago

How One CATO Economist Shows Why Testing’s Primary Triumvirate are Wrong | Scathing Purple Musings:How One CATO Economist Shows Why Testing’s Primary Triumvirate are Wrongby Bob SikesFrom StateImpact, comes this link to an opinion piece by Cato Institute economist Arnold Kling who believes “test scores are not the right metric for evaluating teachers.” Writes Kling:Pay-for-performance supporters in K-12 education argue that good teachers should receive higher pay than mediocre teachers, while poor teachers should be dismissed.Opponents of pay-for-performance argue that ... more »

New Orleans Liberation Academy: We Are the 99%

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 58 minutes ago

New Orleans Liberation Academy: We Are the 99%:4:06 PM (21 minutes ago)We Are the 99%from New Orleans Liberation Academy by New Orleans Liberation AcademyYesterday we participated in the first day of Occupy New Orleans, a solidarity protest and march with Occupy Wall Street. Check out New Orleans Liberation Academy student Anthony Johnson during the march:Day 1 of Occupy New Orleans. Solidarity protest and march with Occupy Wall Street.Here is also a great video that captures some of

#OccupyChicago. Monday, 4PM. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 58 minutes ago

#OccupyChicago. Monday, 4PM. « Fred Klonsky's blog:3:25 PM (24 minutes ago)#OccupyChicago. Monday, 4PM.by Fred Klonsky#occupywallstreet comes to the Heartland.Hundreds have set up camp opposite the Chicago Board of Trade for several weeks. On Columbus Day, Monday, October 10th they will be joined by thousands more.Since this is a school holiday, expect thousands of teachers to head for LaSalle and Jackson at 4PMThe Chicago Teachers Union is leading the call, joined by SEIU and other unions.Meet at the Board of Trade ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Let's Occupy Chicago Monday

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 58 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Let's Occupy Chicago Monday:Let's Occupy Chicago MondayMeet at the Board of Trade (LaSalle and Jackson) at 4 P.M.The Occupy Wall Street protests are coming full-blast to Chicago where Mayor Emanuel and the Civic Committee continue where Mayor Daley left off, with the city as their personal cash cow. On Monday the teachers union and education activists will play a key role in the flowering Occupy Chicago Movement. The CTU is mobilizing teachers, who have a day ... more »

What Happened to My Grade Book?: The Audacity of Learning Theory: A New #Edreform Model

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 58 minutes ago

What Happened to My Grade Book?: The Audacity of Learning Theory: A New #Edreform Model:The Audacity of Learning Theory: A New #Edreform Modelby DellaSometimes it helps just to talk with another person on a topic of interest to synthesize it better. Today, while at the gym, I was visiting with a friend (who is also an educator and stay-at-home mother) about standards-based reform effort. We were talking about how reform efforts are leading our country down the wrong roads. I ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: What Does the $30B in the American Jobs Act For Teachers Mean?

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Missouri Education Watchdog: What Does the $30B in the American Jobs Act For Teachers Mean?:What Does the $30B in the American Jobs Act For Teachers Mean?by AnngieThe White House just released a report Teachers Jobs at Risk. The report is used to justify the $30 billion included in the American Jobs Act, that we "must pass", to retain or rehire teachers.Neal McClusky at the Cato Institute said it well in his blog:But perhaps we are on the verge of education ... more »

Eduwonk » Blog Archive » When Bad Charters Stay Open, Parents Deserve a Warning

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Eduwonk » Blog Archive » When Bad Charters Stay Open, Parents Deserve a Warning:When Bad Charters Stay Open, Parents Deserve a Warningby rbrownBy James MerrimanThe charter movement has created some truly terrific schools, but also some schools that chronically fail their students. The failures are supposed to be shut down by their authorizers, but after two decades we know the ugly truth: far, far too often low-quality charter schools are allowed to remain open.Sometimes authorizers lack the capacity and standards ... more »

Youth speak out in week of action on school 'pushouts' | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

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Youth speak out in week of action on school 'pushouts' | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:Youth speak out in week of action on school 'pushouts'by thenotebook on Oct 07 2011COMMENTS (0)PRINTEMAILTags:activism dropouts student activism high schoolsviolenceBy Will TreeceAbout 50 youths gathered at the United Way Building Thursday to bring attention to the ongoing problem of school pushouts in an event called "Youth Speak Out Against Push Out." The meeting, sponsored by the Campaign for Non-Violent Schools and Education Not Incarceration-Delaware Valley, ... more »

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Action Alert on Senate ESEA proposal

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Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Action Alert on Senate ESEA proposal:Action Alert on Senate ESEA proposalby adminA summary proposal for the Senate version of a new ESEA is likely to be released this Tuesday, October 11. There will be a week for public comment and a 3-day “mark-up” session for amendments.This holiday weekend would be a good time to call. e-mail or fax your Senators at their home offices. You can use the support/oppose points suggested ... more »

More on student discipline in Oakland — and a list of suspension-free schools - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

More on student discipline in Oakland — and a list of suspension-free schools - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:

More on student discipline in Oakland — and a list of suspension-free schools

By Katy Murphy
Friday, October 7th, 2011 at 4:38 pm in safety and discipline.

According to statistics provided by the Oakland school district (and crunched by your devoted education reporter):

TOTAL SUSPENSIONS in 2010-11: 6,137

TOTAL DAYS OF SCHOOL MISSED: 14,533

DEFIANCE (“disruption/defy authority”) was the basis for 43 percent of all suspensions.

BLACK MALES made up less than 20 percent of all students in OUSD, but received about half of the suspensions.

At least two of the schools had more suspensions than students: Barack Obama Academy and Youth Empowerment School. YES (on the King Estates campus) closed in June, and Barack Obama Academy, an alternative middle school that

No plans Saturday night?

Friday, October 7th, 2011 at 6:18 pm in budgetcommunityNo Comments

Saturday is the second annual Uptown Oakland Block Party and school fundraiser. It’s from 5 to 8 p.m.

Organizers aim to raise $60,000 for five Oakland schools (including two that are slated for closure): Manzanita SEED, Cleveland, Piedmont Avenue, Lakeview and Thurgood Marshall. Last year, they raised $13,000 for another group of schools.

Thirty-dollar tickets are available online through the end of the day. It will get you a cocktail along with your

“What the #@*%? Did You Just Hit Me?” When Students Hit Teachers! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

“What the #@*%? Did You Just Hit Me?” When Students Hit Teachers! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:

“What the #@*%? Did You Just Hit Me?” When Students Hit Teachers!

And no, those four marks represent the word “H-E- Two sticks”, not the other word. Although I have to admit, I don’t know what word that teacher was thinking at that moment it happened. She was slapped. Slapped hard. By a first grader. Seriously?

I remember 7th grade, George Gershwin JHS in East New York, Brooklyn, Felicia hit our teacher. No, I can’t remember the teacher’s name, but I remember hers. We were shocked, but suffice to say, what followed next, shocked us even more. The teacher hit her back! It turned into an all-out, hair-pulling brawl! All the students were screaming, the librarian was yelling for help, it was total and complete chaos!

I had a student in another class elbow me, hard, when we were on a class trip. I

Video: Occupy Davis Holds First Meeting in Central Park - Davis, CA Patch #ows

Video: Occupy Davis Holds First Meeting in Central Park - Davis, CA Patch:

Video: Occupy Davis Holds First Meeting in Central Park

The Occupy Wall Street movement materialized in Davis Friday night.

More than 100 people gathered in Central Park and sat in a circle beginning at 6 pm. Together, they interpreted the “Occupy” movement that has gained momentum around the country, beginning on Wall Street in mid September.

Those in attendance took turns sharing ideas, noting their agreement or disagreement through silent hand signals.

Should they embrace prominent endorsements? Should they

A new yardstick to measure schools? | SignOnSanDiego.com

A new yardstick to measure schools? | SignOnSanDiego.com:

A new yardstick to measure schools?

Legislation on Brown’s desk would overhaul how California measures academic success

SACRAMENTO — California’s traditional yardstick of success in public schools may be broadened beyond the existing method solely driven by test scores.

Legislation sitting on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk would scrap the state’s reliance on the Academic Performance Index — a measurement that ranks school performance based on a series of standardized exams.

In its place, the state Board of Education would be directed to adopt a more comprehensive set of high school accountability benchmarks that would include graduation rates and career and

What is the API?

The Academic Performance Index measures how students in grades 2 through 11 fare on a series of standardized tests. Among those: reading, history, math and English. The high school exit exam also counts.

The results show the federal government, the state, the school and community the overall progress the school is making toward meeting proficiency targets. Schools are given a score, ranking and growth targets.

How would it change?

Senate Bill 547 would still use standardized test results, but those could account for only 40 percent of the overall yardstick.

Other measurements would include career- and college-readiness and graduation rates. The language of the bill also suggests school districts could adopt some of their own assessment policies.

What’s next?

Gov. Jerry Brown’s deadline to act is Sunday. If he signs the bill, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Public School Accountability Act advisory committee would develop a comprehensive package of recommendations.

The state Board of Education would have until Aug. 1, 2014 to adopt those reforms.

Changes would be in effect for the 2014-15 school year.

Democurmudgeon: Virtual Schools in State Driven by Pure Republican Politics, ignores Data that Virtual School Students Losing Ground.

Democurmudgeon: Virtual Schools in State Driven by Pure Republican Politics, ignores Data that Virtual School Students Losing Ground.:

Virtual Schools in State Driven by Pure Republican Politics, ignores Data that Virtual School Students Losing Ground.

by Democurmudgeon

Anytime education is driven by pure politics, and voucher/private schools are just that, you're going to get lousy results. Wisconsin teachers who once had input now don't. Politicians are now making classroom decisions and micromanaging curriculum, spreading privatization promises that feel good but have no basis in reality. Like online virtual schools. Should we wait and see before taking the plunge, or believe the corporate hype from those who stand to benefit?


Republicans have embraced the latter, and assured themselves future low information citizens who tend to vote

Brainwashing Alert: Tea Party offering K-12 lesson plans in new Indoctrination Push.

by Democurmudgeon

Al Sharpton pointed out an attempt by the tea party political movement to influence and indoctrinate our kids in schools across the country. Now that's freedom and liberty.

This should have been a bigger story than the minute or so here to fill time on MSNBC:

Popout

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SCHOOL TO PRISON

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SCHOOL TO PRISON:

SCHOOL TO PRISON

by smf

Themes in the News for the week of Oct. 3-7, 2011 by UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/pdNHwQ "The massive increase in the use of suspension out of school, which is a really important indicator of whether or not a kid’s going to drop out, is something a school can control." -Daniel Losen, author of NEPC report 10-07-2011 - For decades, social

HEADLINES FROM ELSEWHERE

by smf

from FCMAT NEWS| Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team Anaheim Union kills color-coded ID program Anaheim Union High School District on Thursday killed a controversial incentive program that assigned students color-coded ID cards and planners based on state test scores, required those who performed poorly to stand in a separate lunch line and awarded the others with discounts.

#ows Second General Assembly Of Manhattan Meets At 3PM In Washington Square Park - Anti-Flag To Play Set In Solidarity at Liberty Square | OccupyWallSt.org

#ows Second General Assembly Of Manhattan Meets At 3PM In Washington Square Park - Anti-Flag To Play Set In Solidarity at Liberty Square | OccupyWallSt.org:

#ows Second General Assembly Of Manhattan Meets At 3PM In Washington Square Park - Anti-Flag To Play Set In Solidarity at Liberty Square

Posted Oct. 8, 2011, 1:30 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

#ows is growing. We will be in a thousand cities in this country by the end of the month - hundreds of cities in other countries. We will see General Assemblies on six continents.

Liberty Square has grown exponentially over the last three weeks. It is time to form a second General Assembly in Manhattan. We expect more to follow.

On October eighth at three in the afternoon a General Assembly will convene in Washington Square Park. At the same time Anti-Flag will play an acoustic set in Liberty Square in solidarity with our movement's expansion.

We are growing. Block by block – city by city. We will see change in this country, in this world. It will happen sooner than you can imagine.

The Innovative Educator: Five Reasons I'm Not Flipping Over The Flipped Classroom

The Innovative Educator: Five Reasons I'm Not Flipping Over The Flipped Classroom:

Five Reasons I'm Not Flipping Over The Flipped Classroom

by lnielsen.professional@gmail.com (The Innovative Educator)

If you've read my thoughts about the Flipped Classroom in USA Today this week, you probably are either in agreement with my caution over the excitement around the flipped classroom made popular by Sal Kahn or you are a flipped classroom advocate who wants to convince me and other innovative educators that flipping is for everyone.

While I certainly see benefits in flipping instruction as I wrote about earlier this year, there are also reasons to move ahead with caution.

Here's Why:

1. We have yet to bridge the digital divide...

Have U.S. Students Fallen Victim to Self-Fulfilling Prophecies? « Cooperative Catalyst

Have U.S. Students Fallen Victim to Self-Fulfilling Prophecies? « Cooperative Catalyst:

Have U.S. Students Fallen Victim to Self-Fulfilling Prophecies?

by kidzmet

I was reminded of an interesting tidbit the other day about the Finnish school system in one of the education news emails I receive the other day. This information has been out for a while, but these two sentences stood out for me during my most recent re-read:

“Finnish children never take a standardized test. Nor are there standardized tests used to compare teachers or schools to each other.”

Then, I remember the Goslin & Glass study on the social effects of Standardized Testing from 1967 that opened with, “An individual’s self-conception, at least in the United States, strongly depends on his evaluation of his intellectual abilities.”

Then, I think about the messages that American children are fed via the media, their parents, their teachers and,

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Growing the Economy with the American Jobs Act | The White House

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Growing the Economy with the American Jobs Act | The White House:

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Growing the Economy with the American Jobs Act

by The White House

Release Time:

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON—In this week’s address, President Obama told the American people that the Senate will vote on the American Jobs Act next week, which independent economists have said will put Americans back to work, grow the economy, and give working people and small businesses a tax break. It is time for those who oppose the jobs act to explain why they are fighting against something that we know will improve the American economy, put teachers in classrooms, cops on the streets, and construction workers back to work rebuilding our roads and bridges. President Obama urged all Americans who support the American Jobs Act to call their Senators and tell them to put a stop to the gridlock in Washington and pass the jobs act next week.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
Saturday, October 8, 2011

Next week, the Senate will vote on the American Jobs Act. It’s a bill that will put more people to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans. And it will provide our economy with the jolt that it really needs right now

This is not the time for the usual games or political gridlock in Washington. The challenges facing financial markets around the world could have very real effects on our own economy at a time when it’s already fragile. But this jobs bill can help guard against another downturn here in America.

This isn’t just my belief. This is what independent economists have said. Not just politicians. Not just people in my administration. Independent experts who do this for a living have said that this jobs bill will have a significant effect for our economy and middle-class families all across America. But if we don’t act, the opposite will be true – there will be fewer jobs and weaker growth.

So any Senator out there who’s thinking about voting against this jobs bill needs to explain why they would oppose something that we know would improve our economic situation. If the Republicans in Congress think they have a better plan for creating jobs right now, they should prove it. Because one of the same independent economists who looked at our plan just said that their ideas, quote, wouldn’t “mean much for the economy in the near term.”

If their plan doesn’t measure up, the American people deserve to know what it is that Republicans in Congress don’t like about this jobs plan. You hear a lot of our Republican friends say that one of the most important things we can do is cut taxes. Well, they should love this plan. The American Jobs Act would cut taxes for virtually every worker and small business in America. And if you’re a small business owner that hires new workers, raises wages, or hires a veteran, you get an additional tax cut.

Right now, hundreds of thousands of teachers and firefighters and police officers have been laid off because of state budget cuts. This jobs bill will put a lot of these men and women back to work. Right now, there are millions of laid-off construction workers who could be repairing our bridges and roads and modernizing our schools. Why wouldn’t we want to put these men and women to work rebuilding America?

The proposals in this bill are steps we have to take if we want to build an economy that lasts; if we want to be able to compete with other countries for jobs that restore a sense of security for the middle-class. But we also have to rein in our deficit and start living within our means, which is why this jobs bill is paid for by asking millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share.

Some see this as class warfare. I see it as a simple choice. We can either keep taxes exactly as they are for millionaires and billionaires, or we can ask them to pay at least the same rate as a plumber or a bus driver. And in the process, we can put teachers and construction workers and veterans back on the job. We can either fight to protect their tax cuts, or we can cut taxes for virtually every worker and small business in America. But we can’t afford to do both. It’s that simple.

There are too many people hurting in this country for us to simply do nothing. The economy is too fragile for us to let politics get in the way of action. The people who represent you in Washington have a responsibility to do what’s best for you – not what’s best for their party or what’s going to help them win an election that’s more than a year away. So I need you to keep making your voices heard in Washington. I need you to remind these folks who they work for. And I need you to tell your Senators to do the right thing by passing this jobs bill right away. Thank you.

Why school reform can’t ignore poverty’s toll - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Why school reform can’t ignore poverty’s toll - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Why school reform can’t ignore poverty’s toll

by Valerie Strauss

Why school reform can’t ignore poverty’s toll

By Valerie Strauss

Some school reformers are fond of saying that “great teaching” can overcome the effects of living poverty on children, and that those people (me included) who insist that poverty matters are only supporting the status quo.

The critics of school reform that I know are hardly happy with the status quo, nor do they believe that poverty must be eliminated for public schools to be improved.

The bottom line is that pushing school reforms that are obsessed with

A San Francisco Parent on Charter Schools | Seattle Education

A San Francisco Parent on Charter Schools | Seattle Education:

A San Francisco Parent on Charter Schools

by seattleducation2011

The following is an article written by Caroline Grannan, a Parents Across America founding member and regular contributor to the San Francisco Examiner, who graciously allowed me to post this in full.
What’s is not to like about charter schools?
Originally posted on April 18, 2009 at examiner.com.
At a community meeting at my kids’ high school last week, a parent asked the principal about the possibility of becoming a charter school. The principal’s answer was respectful and noncommittal.
I was sitting next to a friend who’s well aware of my skeptical views about charter schools – not that she necessarily shares them – and whispered semi-jokingly that I’d have to transfer my daughter out if that happened. Another mom commented to me that she’s uninformed about what charter schools are and about why

This Revolution Will Not Be Televised

by seattleducation2011

 

There is so much going on now in terms of #OccupyWallStreet that I am going to turn it over to others who are able to keep up with all of the actions and events that are taking place at this time around the world.
What does this have to do with education? Everything. Our children have been shortchanged for too long now. PTA’s, if schools are lucky enough to have one, have to have bake sales to hire additional necessary staff or to offer after-school programs because the school curriculum no longer provides what many parents see as part of a basic education.
Because we have been squeezed of necessary funding due to the fact that corporations and the wealthy few have gained increasing tax breaks over the decade, our children can no longer receive the best in terms of an education. Because even though teachers are doing everything that they can to make up for all of the economic 

Daily Kos: Desperately Seeking Someone

Daily Kos: Desperately Seeking Someone:

Desperately Seeking Someone

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

According to Charles Blow in this NY Times op ed that is the status of the Republican Party. As he puts it,

Republicans simply can’t find a competent, consistent candidate with whom they can fall in love and with which President Obama won’t mop the floor.

Any doubt about that seemed to disappear with the statements by Palin and Christie that they would not run (although it is worth noting the former's statement left open the possibility she would get in the race as an independent, which might be possible should Romney be the nominee).

Blow calls this an historic opportunity that is being squandered by the Republicans. After all, Obama's approval rating is down to 41% and Republican governors and state legislatures are moving to prevent significant numbers of those who supported Obama in 2008 from voting this time through their new voter id laws (about which more anon).

Yet, you cannot beat someone with no one.; And as of right now I am of the opinion that none of the ten currently in the race can defeat Obama where it matters, in the electoral college. As Blow puts it succinctly,

The White House should be the Republicans’ for the taking. And it would look more likely if their current crop of front-runners weren’t so utterly inept and fallible.