Big Education Ape

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Schools Matter: Come Out and Greet the Michelle First Campaign in Boston November 9:Come Out and Greet the Michelle First Campaign in Boston November 9by Jim HornEVERY PARENT, STUDENT, TEACHER, PRINCIPAL, YOUTH WORKER, UNION MEMBER, PUBLIC SERVANT, and CONCERNED CITIZEN in the area should be at this event.*PLEASE LET BYOP KNOW IF YOU'RE COMING THROUGH HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'RE BRINGING, IF YOU KNOW (:WHEN EDUCATION IS UNDER ATTACK, WHAT DO WE DO?

I Got Nuttin’ But Love For Ya | The Jose Vilson

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

I Got Nuttin’ But Love For Ya | The Jose Vilson:I Got Nuttin’ But Love For Yaby JoseMusée de la Bible et de la Terre SainteI wear a mask when I go to work. It’s the Mr. Vilson mask, and it provides me the distance from people that my age (and respect) otherwise wouldn’t give me. I wear it when I get off the A train on the Dyckman – 200 St. stop. I wear it as I race up ... more »

School Tech Connect: Onward With SB 512

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

School Tech Connect: Onward With SB 512:Onward With SB 512by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Well, the bad news is that the #SB512 passed out of committee. The good news is that if we keep calling, we can stop it on the House floor, just like last time.Did anyone see the action? Did Elaine Nekritz say anything intelligent before casting her vote or was she just sort of there? Is there any chance that a warm body might primary her? At this point I'd ... more »

Union rights win big in Ohio. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Union rights win big in Ohio. « Fred Klonsky:Union rights win big in Ohio.by Fred KlonskyEarly returns predict a major defeat for Ohio Republican Governor Kasich.His attempt to destroy collective bargaining is going down to defeat by a two to one margin in an election that was held today.Ohio voters flocked to polls on Tuesday as Ohio Republican governor John Kasich awaited the results concerning a controversial law concerning collective bargaining.Issue 2 is failing by a 63 percent to 37 ... more »

Schools Matter: Reasons to Celebrate in Wake County--Five of Them Now

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Schools Matter: Reasons to Celebrate in Wake County--Five of Them Now:Reasons to Celebrate in Wake County--Five of Them Nowby Jim HornIt's a done deal--sanity has returned to the Wake County School Board, and the Kochsters have been defeated! WAKE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 3 (Vote For 1)Vote Type SummaryContest Detail Map26 of 26 Precincts ReportingPercentVotesKevin L. Hill52.28%10,672Heather Losurdo47.72%9,74020,412

Grumpy Educators: HELP Committee leaves out parents

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Grumpy Educators: HELP Committee leaves out parents:HELP Committee leaves out parentsPearson lobbyist Sandy Krell was listed as a witness to the full Senate HELP committee hearing on the reauthorization of legislation affecting national education. The ESEA bill is to replace NCLB.However, parents were excluded from the hearing. Not a single parent was allowed as a witness to express national concerns.Here's a statement from Parents Across America on the lack of parent voices.Today, Parents Across America sent a letter to the ... more »

Grumpy Educators: "Pearson" the corporate veil #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

Grumpy Educators: "Pearson" the corporate veil:"Pearson" the corporate veilby SandraThe practice of the Pearson Foundation paying for Education Commissioners trips to China, Singapore, and Finland to meet their counterparts was reported in the New York Times. Included in that list was former Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith, who went to Finland. Questioned about that trip, Smith says he checked with the Florida Department of Education's General Counsel to make sureFlorida: Bringing Parent Activism Out of the Shadowsby SandraIn Brevard County, ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: NY Charter schools join the pushback vs. teacher evaluation and data systems promoted by the corp reformers

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 2 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: NY Charter schools join the pushback vs. teacher evaluation and data systems promoted by the corp reformers:NY Charter schools join the pushback vs. teacher evaluation and data systems promoted by the corp reformersby Leonie HaimsonToday the NY Charter Schools Association senta letter to the state’s charter schools, rejecting the demand from the State Education Department that they provide information that can link teachers to student test score to enable the creation of a statewide data system ... more »

City schools tour aims to spur democratic education elsewhere | GothamSchools

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

City schools tour aims to spur democratic education elsewhere | GothamSchools:City schools tour aims to spur democratic education elsewhereby Jessica CampbelliSchool students taking part in a Model United Nations class that the IDEA tour visitedAmmerah Saidi, a program coordinator with Detroit Future Schools, meandered in and out of classrooms in the iSchool one morning last week. She had her pick of classes to observe – classes such as “Sixteen,” a course designed around the question of what it means to ... more »

The most misleading ranking of educators yet - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

The most misleading ranking of educators yet - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:The most misleading ranking of educators yetby Valerie StraussWendy Kopp made a mistake with her list of “The World’s 7 Most Powerful Educators”— and I’m not referring to the fact that she actually names eight people. The Teach for America founder and leader should have included herself (given the broad definition of “educator” that she uses) because only someone pretty powerful could have persuaded Forbes to ... more »

MMAC Proposes New MPS Takeover Plan « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

MMAC Proposes New MPS Takeover Plan « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:MMAC Proposes New MPS Takeover Planby millerlfThe Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce (MMAC) is proposing another plan to takeover Milwaukee Public Schools. Their new scheme is to create two school districts, one for high performing schools to serve 20,000 students and the second to serve low-performing schools. With this proposal 16% of Milwaukee’s children will attend “high performing” schools and MPS will be responsible for educating low performance ... more »

Keep your job for five years, get $50,000 … Lol, this teacher says heck ya ! « Continuing Change

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Keep your job for five years, get $50,000 … Lol, this teacher says heck ya ! « Continuing Change:Keep your job for five years, get $50,000 … Lol, this teacher says heck ya !by gatorbonbcMy response to CNN article. Would you stay at a job for five years for a 50 thousand dollar bonus?Well, let’s see…I have been a Florida teacher for over 20 years,I have never seen a bonus or even made an annual salary of 50 thousand…But, Florida ... more »

What’s a Connected Educator? - The Educator's PLN

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

What’s a Connected Educator? - The Educator's PLN:What’s a Connected Educator?Posted by Thomas Whitby on November 8, 2011 at 2:19pmView BlogThe idea of being connected in the Twentieth Century had a very different meaning than it does today. Back then being connected conjured up visions of pinstriped suits and shoulder holsters. Today, being connected brings up visions of computers, Smartphones, and tablets. A general misconception is that to be a connected educator, one needs to be a computer geek, with ... more »

Schools Matter: Poverty Not Destiny?: Masking Corporate Agendas

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Schools Matter: Poverty Not Destiny?: Masking Corporate Agendas:Poverty Not Destiny?: Masking Corporate Agendasby P. L. ThomasPoverty Not Destiny?: Masking Corporate AgendasRelease a report, make it appear like scholarly research (include footnotes, charts, graphs, and data), and suggest something provocative such as "teachers are overpaid"—the result? The media gives the claim and report a free and frequent ride.Walt Gardner, on his blog, has lamented about this exact phenomenon concerning The Heritage Foundation report, "Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers" by Jas... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Modern School: Let Them Eat Exams! (Tests, Not Toys For Toddlers)Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-1 hour agoModern School: Let Them Eat Exams! (Tests, Not Toys For Toddlers):Let Them Eat Exams! (Tests, Not Toys For Toddlers)by Michael DunnHuck/Konopacki Labor CartoonsNew York and New Jersey are on an insane mission to give mandatory school-readiness tests to children as young as 4 years old. Why? To get some of Obama’s Race to the Top money. The tests would assess children's language, ... more »

Poverty Not Destiny?: Masking Corporate Agendas | Dailycensored.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Poverty Not Destiny?: Masking Corporate Agendas | Dailycensored.com:Poverty Not Destiny?: Masking Corporate AgendasWritten by Paul ThomasEducationNov 8, 20110diggShareRelease a report, make it appear like scholarly research (include footnotes, charts, graphs, and data), and suggest something provocative such as “teachers are overpaid”—the result? The media gives the claim and report a free and frequent ride.Walt Gardner, on his blog, has lamented about this exact phenomenon concerning The Heritage Foundation report, “Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers” by Jason Ric... more »

TAG, Notebook to discuss 'teaching in the time of testing' | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

TAG, Notebook to discuss 'teaching in the time of testing' | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:TAG, Notebook to discuss 'teaching in the time of testing'by thenotebookThe Philadelphia Public School Notebook and the Teacher Action Group are excited to announce a co-sponsored event titled - "Cheating or Resistance?: Teaching and Learning in a Time of Testing" that will take place Monday, November 14 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the United Way Building.The Notebook is pleased to share our recent reporting on testing as ... more »

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Parents to Senate Ed Committee: You need our input!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 8 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Parents to Senate Ed Committee: You need our input!:Parents to Senate Ed Committee: You need our input!by adminToday, Parents Across America sent a letter to the members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee after noting that panelists testifying this morning at a committee hearing on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education law included no parent representatives.PAA has reached out to the HELP committee repeatedly with our concern ... more »

Modern School: Let Them Eat Exams! (Tests, Not Toys For Toddlers)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago

Modern School: Let Them Eat Exams! (Tests, Not Toys For Toddlers):Let Them Eat Exams! (Tests, Not Toys For Toddlers)by Michael DunnHuck/Konopacki Labor CartoonsNew York and New Jersey are on an insane mission to give mandatory school-readiness tests to children as young as 4 years old. Why? To get some of Obama’s Race to the Top money. The tests would assess children's language, math, science and literacy skills, and their emotional and physical development, Lisa Fleisher reported in the Wall Street ... more »

How big was the crowd at the Oakland general strike? « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago

How big was the crowd at the Oakland general strike? « Fred Klonsky:How big was the crowd at the Oakland general strike?by Fred KlonskyFor as long as I have been going to demonstrations there have been debates about how big the crowd was. The rule of thumb is to take the number that the organizers claim and the number reported by the press and the government and split the difference.But the Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur makes a good case for ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Ohio leads the way: Pay attention Obama

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Ohio leads the way: Pay attention Obama:

Ohio leads the way: Pay attention Obama

"Ohio voters just gave public school teachers something they haven’t received in a while — respect," writes Valerie Strauss at the Answer Sheet.

Across the country, several other Republican-backed measures were also dealt setbacks, including a crackdown on voting rights in Maine. In Wake County, N.C., voters dealt a blow to the racist Republican clique that had taken over the school board by electing a progressive Democrat and educator, Kevin Hill. In Mississippi, voters rejected an amendment to the State Constitution that would have banned virtually all abortions and some forms of birth control by declaring

FOX NEWS COMES TO THE AID OF LAUSD "RUBBER ROOM" TEACHERS? (FOX NEWS viene en ayuda de LAUSD "RUBBER ROOM" MAESTROS?) - Perdaily.com

FOX NEWS COMES TO THE AID OF LAUSD "RUBBER ROOM" TEACHERS? (FOX NEWS viene en ayuda de LAUSD "RUBBER ROOM" MAESTROS?) - Perdaily.com:

FOX NEWS COMES TO THE AID OF LAUSD "RUBBER ROOM" TEACHERS? (FOX NEWS viene en ayuda de LAUSD "RUBBER ROOM" MAESTROS?)

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

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

On November 2, 2011 I get the following email from Daniel Leighton of Fox News Channel 11, "Give me call re story on lausd rubber rooms 3108773392 thanks." Now since Mrs. Isenberg didn't have any dummies for children, I wonder what Fox would want from me, since calling me a progressive would be a major understatement.

After several emails back and forth, Mr. Leighton says to me, "Listen, we are just a Fox affiliate, I determine what gets on the air." What Mr. Leighton says he is interested in doing is uncovering the phenomenal waste

A good day for unions and teachers in Ohio and Michigan. Governor Snyder and Kasich get their heads handed to them. « Fred Klonsky

A good day for unions and teachers in Ohio and Michigan. Governor Snyder and Kasich get their heads handed to them. « Fred Klonsky:

A good day for unions and teachers in Ohio and Michigan. Governor Snyder and Kasich get their heads handed to them.

by Fred Klonsky

Of all the elections that took place yesterday, the ones in Michigan and Ohio were the ones that were the most interesting to me.

In Ohio, workers won by a two to one margin in defeating Governor Kasich’s attempt to kill union rights.

The Koch brothers and other corporate interests spent millions to win this one. Labor spent heavily as well. But

What Ohio vote means for teachers nationwide - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

What Ohio vote means for teachers nationwide - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

What Ohio vote means for teachers nationwide

by Valerie Strauss

Ohio voters just gave public school teachers something they haven’t received in a while — respect — by overwhelmingly approving a referendum to repeal a law that limited the collective bargaining rights of public sector employees.

Voters made it clear to their Republican governor, John Kasich, that they don’t like the law he signed in March, known as Senate Bill 5, which, among many provisions, restricted the bargaining rights for more than 350,000 public employees in Ohio, banned strikes and eliminated teacher step pay increases.

Read full article >>

Reports on charter schools expose new problems

by Valerie Strauss

Two new reports about public charter schools expose serious issues about the way they are run and their effectiveness.

The first was a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about Imagine Schools Inc., the nation’s largest for-profit charter school network, which is based in Arlington, Virginia and which operates more than 71 schools in more than a dozen states — including Maryland — and the District of Columbia.

Read full article >>

Parents Across America’s Position on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) | Seattle Education

Parents Across America’s Position on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) | Seattle Education:

Parents Across America’s Position on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

by seattleducation2011

Issued on November 8, 2011

Today, the national group, Parents Across America, sent a letter to the
members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
after noting that panelists testifying at a committee hearing today
about reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education law
included no parent representatives.

PAA has reached out to the HELP committee repeatedly with our concern
that parent voices are being left out of this critical discussion of the
federal laws which will impact our children’s education for years to
come.

Here is the text of the letter to the HELP committee, which includes
PAA’s recommendations for an improved ESEA. A chart comparing PAA’s
positions with the current Senate proposal is attached.

***

November 8, 2011 Re: Reauthorization of ESEA

Dear Senator Harkin and members of the HELP Committee:

We applaud the fact that you included several teachers and other
educators as witnesses in today’s important hearing on reauthorizing the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. However, we were disappointed to
see no parent representatives on the panel. As the primary stakeholders
of the public schools, parents have a deep-rooted understanding of the
challenges facing our educational system. Our perspective would provide
valuable information and ought to be included in your deliberations.

Had a representative from Parents Across America been asked to testify,
here’s what we would have said.

PAA opposes the current version of ESEA because, while some important
modifications have been made, too many of the ineffective, damaging
elements of NCLB remain in the Senate reauthorization proposal, and it
does not address more important, fundamental problems facing our
nation’s schools and students.

Specifically, instead of the rigid menu imposed on high-poverty schools
needing improvement, including punitive school closings, privatization,
or other set policies imposed from above with no track record of
success, solutions should be devised through stakeholder input from the
ground up, including parents. In addition, options should include
research-based improvements such as class size reduction, expansion of
preschool programs, and more parent involvement in decision making at
all levels. Right now, schools with the most at-risk children are being
closed or forced to arbitrarily fire half their staff. Not only does
this seriously disrupt children’s lives, but it also undermines
communities and fatally weakens the effort to recruit and keep
high-quality teachers in our neediest schools. Given the harsh school
budget cuts being carried out across the U. S., this is simply not the
time to throw more precious education funds away on more experimental
programs or damaging policies. with little oversight and few meaningful
results.

We also feel strongly that parents must have the right to have their
children opt out of high-stakes testing, and that any accountability
system should include multiple measures of success, including parent and
teacher surveys. Attached please find a summary of specific
recommendations from PAA for a better ESEA, and a chart displaying our
position on the current Senate bill.

We would welcome the opportunity to testify at any upcoming hearings
called on the topic of ESEA reauthorization, or meet with legislators or
staff at any time.

Thank you so much for your time and attention, and for your service to
our children.

Sincerely,

Julie Woestehoff, Legislative Chair, Parents Across America
JulieW@ParentsAcrossAmerica.org

Parents Across America’s recommendations for a better ESEA

ESEA should NOT:

* Promote policies that use standardized test scores or graduation
data as the primary accountability measures for schools,
teachers or students. Overemphasis on such data encourages
cheating and manipulation, and has led to narrowing of the
school curriculum and replacing important school subjects with
math and reading test prep.

* Limit federally-mandated school improvement models to a narrow
set of strategies, including school closing and privatization
and/or firing half the staff, which are punitive and have had
little verified success. Right now the schools with the highest
needs students are being targeted for closure or other damaging
prescriptions which disrupts children’s lives and communities,
and undermines any effort to recruit and keep high-quality
teachers in our neediest schools.

* Mandate charter takeovers or other forms of outsourcing school
management, which take resources from the schools attended by
most students and put them into private hands, with less
oversight.

* Identify those schools needing improvement by means of rigid
formulas that do not take into account the need level of the
student population.

* Continue the risky and damaging Race to the Top and innovation
grant programs.

A better ESEA should include:

* Requirements that ensure fairly distributed, adequate resources
in all public schools, so that every child receives a
high-quality education.

* Support for improving schools rather than closing them, by means
of evidence-based solutions, including class size reduction and
expansion of preK programs, designed by parents and other
stakeholders at the school level.

* Less emphasis on standardized testing and more reliable
accountability and assessment practices including local,
teacher-designed assessments supplemented by other measures such
as site visits and teacher and parent surveys.

* Programs that encourage the retention of professional,
experienced teachers, especially in the most challenged schools.

* A full range of parent involvement opportunities including a
stronger parent voice in decision making at the school,
district, state, and national levels.

* The right of parents to opt their children out of standardized
tests.

The full version of the Parents Across America Position Paper on the
Reauthorization of the Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA) can be found at

http://parentsacrossamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ESEApositionFINAL4-20-11.pdf

Schooling in the Ownership Society: More on Imagine charters, Inc.

Schooling in the Ownership Society: More on Imagine charters, Inc.:

More on Imagine charters, Inc.

by Mike Klonsky

This from WaPo's Valerie Strauss:

Essentially, Imagine sells its buildings to a company that leases them back to Imagine, which pays extremely high rent with public dollars. The paper reported that Imagine’s 2010 annual report shows that revenue grew to $265 million that year from $95 million in 2006. Furthermore, students in Imagine schools in St. Louis performed worse this year on standardized tests than practically any other school in the city. Now, Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro is urgingMissouri Baptist University to close the six Imagine charters that it sponsors.

About that Trip Eric Smith Took With Pearson | Scathing Purple Musings

About that Trip Eric Smith Took With Pearson | Scathing Purple Musings:

About that Trip Eric Smith Took With Pearson

by Bob Sikes

Former Education Commissioner Eric Smith is back in the news again, but not in a way he probably likes. ANew York Times report in September identified Smith as one of the state education leaders who went on elaborate trips which education corporate giant Pearson paid for. Miami state representative Dwight Bullard has raised the issue again:

State Rep. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, doesn’t like what he read about a foundation tied to Florida’s testing company paying for trips abroad for top state educators.
Education chiefs from around the country have attended international conferences put on by Pearson, the testing giant, The New York Times reported this fall. Pearson has a $254 million contract to handle FCAT and Florida’s new end-of-course exams.

Parents’ Dilemma: How Much Technology for Kids? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Parents’ Dilemma: How Much Technology for Kids? | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Parents’ Dilemma: How Much Technology for Kids?

by larrycuban

I begin with the statement that, like teaching, there is no one best way of parenting. Good parenting comes in all sizes and colors.

Saying that, however, does little to help those parents who, surrounded by mind-altering noise hyping new technologies, face the persistent dilemma of deciding which high-tech devices they should allow their infants and