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Friday, November 11, 2011

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


AFT says it will kick in up to $15 million in financing for upgrades to Oregon schools | OregonLive.com

AFT says it will kick in up to $15 million in financing for upgrades to Oregon schools | OregonLive.com:AFT says it will kick in up to $15 million in financing for upgrades to Oregon schoolsPublished: Thursday, November 10, 2011, 5:10 PM Updated: Thursday, November 10, 2011, 5:32 PM By Michelle Cole, The Oregonian Oregonian file photoGov. John Kitzhaber's "Cool Schools" initiative won bipartisan support in the 2011 Legislature. So far, several rural school districts have applied for help financing projects.The ... more »

MICHIGAN TEACHERS SHOW HOW IT’S DONE « Teachers Fight Back

MICHIGAN TEACHERS SHOW HOW IT’S DONE « Teachers Fight Back:MICHIGAN TEACHERS SHOW HOW IT’S DONEby alkleenIn Michigan, the state teachers union, enraged by Republican moves to cut school spending and weaken tenure for teachers, engineered the ouster of state Rep. Paul Scott, the GOP chairman of the House Education Committee.Way to go Michigan teachers! It’s about time the teachers somewhere are as mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore. How about some similar efforts in Illinois?We need ... more »

Celebrating Teachers U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education:Education Secretary to Join National and Local Education Leaders in Celebrating Teachers as Part of American Education WeekMedia Advisories | U.S. Department of Education - 10 minutes agoU.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will join National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel, Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Morton Sherman and T.C. Williams High School Principal Suzanne Maxey to celebrate teachers and visit with students at 8:20 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 14.Secretary Duncan, Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair ...more »

Schools Matter: Rhee-Action to MichelleFirst in Boston

Schools Matter: Rhee-Action to MichelleFirst in Boston:Rhee-Action to MichelleFirst in Bostonby Jim HornMy question for Michelle Rhee last evening that did not get asked:In 2007, the same year you became Chancellor of DC Schools, a 12 year old boy named Deamonte Driver died (Edelman, 2011) from a brain infection that could have been avoided had Deamonte's mom been able to pay $80 weeks earlier for a routine extraction of a bad tooth. Your comments this evening substantially add to the ... more »

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Hold Second Twitter Town Hall | U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Hold Second Twitter Town Hall | U.S. Department of Education:U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to Hold Second Twitter Town HallContact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov Event Date 1: November 14, 2011 05:00 pm - 07:00 pmU.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will hold his second “Ask Arne” Twitter Town Hall at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14. Veteran journalist John Merrow will return to moderate the town hall that will be broadcast live ... more »

Danny Glover talks about education in Memphis - Boston.com

Danny Glover talks about education in Memphis - Boston.com:Danny Glover talks about education in MemphisNovember 10, 2011E-mail|Print|Comments (0)Text size – +MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Actor Danny Glover and two other recipients of this year's Freedom Awards spoke Thursday about the importance of education and the role young people played in the civil rights movement.Tweet Be the first to Tweet this!ShareThisGlover, Chicago educator Marva Collins and Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Office of Civil Rights Russlyn H. Ali attended a public forum ahead of ... more »

Ahead of expected Christie proposals, NJEA unveils school reform plan at annual Atlantic City convention | NJ.com

Ahead of expected Christie proposals, NJEA unveils school reform plan at annual Atlantic City convention | NJ.com:Ahead of expected Christie proposals, NJEA unveils school reform plan at annual Atlantic City conventionby Jessica Calefati/The Star-LedgerRobert SciarrinoNJEA president Barbara Keshishian, seen here at a legislative hearing last December, unveiled a union-led school reform plan at the annual teachers convention in Atlantic City.ATLANTIC CITY — The New Jersey Education Association has a new message for Gov. Chris Christie, the man who has hammered ... more »

ACLU says schools have inconsistent cellphone policies - latimes.com

ACLU says schools have inconsistent cellphone policies - latimes.com:ACLU says schools have inconsistent cellphone policiesA report by the American Civil Liberties Union released Thursday found that school districts across California have inconsistent policies regarding a school's ability to search the contents of a student's cellphone, often encroaching on a student's right to privacy.The ACLU of California said searching phones has become a bigger, and more common, issue as cellphones have become pervasive among students. The report's authors -- Brendan Hamme ... more »

“Call Me Hope” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

“Call Me Hope” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:“Call Me Hope”by Larry Ferlazzo“Call Me Hope” is a fun music video of Paul Simon’s “Call Me Al” song. It’s sponsored by a development organization called “Mama Hope.”I plan on using it in my Beginning ELL class, and have them sing along with the chorus (you can get all the lyrics here):If you’ll be my bodyguard,I can be your long lost pal!I can call you Betty,And Betty, when you

School Tech Connect: The Big Macher

School Tech Connect: The Big Macher:The Big Macherby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Chicago's mayor is determined to visit every bad idea imaginable on our public schools. It's as if he has a filter on his brain, and only the worst ideas get in. All the good ideas bypass his brain and go directly into the production of bile.If you took the $5m "donation" and asked a committee of principals how best to spend this money to improve achievement, they would not have come ... more »

Schools Matter: More on the Awakening in Wake County

Schools Matter: More on the Awakening in Wake County:More on the Awakening in Wake Countyby Jim HornFrom Facing South, "A Big Loss for Art Pope in NC School Resegregation Fight":Voters in Wake County, N.C. have shifted political power on the local school board, ending a Republican majority backed by leading conservative benefactor Art Pope that worked to end the system's nationally recognized desegregation policy.In the Nov. 8 runoff race that pitted incumbent Democrat Kevin Hill, a lifelong educator, against Republican ... more »

saukvalley.com | Bivins scrutinizes questionable uses of state funds in Dixon IL, Sterling, IL and Rock Falls IL

saukvalley.com | Bivins scrutinizes questionable uses of state funds in Dixon IL, Sterling, IL and Rock Falls IL:Bivins scrutinizes questionable uses of state fundsSPRINGFIELD – Gery Chico isn’t a well-known name in northwestern Illinois.The former Chicago mayoral candidate and leader of multiple Chicago area boards, including of Chicago Public Schools, is Gov. Pat Quinn’s pick for the nonsalaried chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education post.That’s how he ended up in front of the Senate Executive Appointments Committee on ... more »

Putting our Veterans Back to Work | Military.com

Home | Military.com:Good morning, As our soldiers begin to return home many will be looking to re-enter the workforce. Many military friendly employers are planning to target returning veterans in 2012 to help them reintegrate into the workforce and to take advantage of the Wounded Warrior and pending Returning Veterans Tax Credits. Monster has developed the following tools to help our soldiers return to the work quickly and to help you take advantage of these tax credits. · Veteran Job ... more »

This Week In Education: Thompson: Disconnected Measures In Tennessee & Florida

This Week In Education: Thompson: Disconnected Measures In Tennessee Florida:Thompson: Disconnected Measures In Tennessee Floridaby john thompsonI thought I’d heard everything after reading "In Tennessee, Following the Rules for Evaluations Off a Cliff," by the New York Times' Micheal Winerip. But then I read "Florida's Teachers Get Ready to Get Graded" by Laura Isensee and Sarah Butrymowicz of the Miami Herald. Winerip describes how the Tennessee teacher evaluation system was rushed into place due to Race to the Top. Tennessee ... more »

Survey Shows Walker School “Reforms” Not Working, And Next Year Will Be Worse « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Survey Shows Walker School “Reforms” Not Working, And Next Year Will Be Worse « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Survey Shows Walker School “Reforms” Not Working, And Next Year Will Be Worseby millerlfWisconsin Department of Public Instruction New Release 11/10/11Survey data shows effects of cuts to educationWith 83 percent of school districts responding, survey data gathered this fall shows the vast majority of students are attending schools that cut staff, meaning there are fewer adults in Wisconsin public schools helping ... more »

Survey map demonstrates the scope of Wisconsin education job losses | Defend Wisconsin

Survey map demonstrates the scope of Wisconsin education job losses | Defend Wisconsin:Survey map demonstrates the scope of Wisconsin education job lossesby CharlesThis image, taken from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and produced by the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, demonstrates how many districts around the state have been affected by the threefold increase in job losses this year.

An anonymous comment from someone who claims to love transparency. « Fred Klonsky

An anonymous comment from someone who claims to love transparency. « Fred Klonsky:An anonymous comment from someone who claims to love transparency.by Fred KlonskyI received this comment today:It’s rather fun to watch the bugs scurry when the lights are turned on. Remember when the left tried to manipulate, and deceive (with the Open Meetings law) to shut down Walker reforms? Yeah, they failed at that. However, shortly after, Kyle Olson took Madison DA Ozanne to court over his repeated failure ... more »

Wanted: Creative Resistance - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Wanted: Creative Resistance - Bridging Differences - Education Week:Wanted: Creative Resistanceby Deborah MeierDear Diane,Like you, I was immensely cheered to read that my colleagues were speaking truth to power! Yes, I agree with virtually every word that those Long Island administrators said. The sad fact is that this is so rare is troubling. As I speak around the country to teacher-educators I remind them that they should "go after" their university colleagues, who should be defending the independence of schools ... more »

NCLB Waiver Statement - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

NCLB Waiver Statement - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education):State Schools Chief Torlakson Issues Statement on NCLB WaiverSACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement today regarding the State Board of Education's initial discussion of whether to seek a waiver* from the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act:"I commend President Michael Kirst and members of the State Board of Education for their thoughtful discussion today, and their willingness to examine both the benefits and the ... more »

Sacramento Press / Education reform issues voiced at Latino Town Hall

Sacramento Press / Education reform issues voiced at Latino Town Hall:

Education reform issues voiced at Latino Town Hall

Members of Sacramento’s Latino community gathered Thursday night to ask questions and voice concerns at the first of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Town Hall meetings for his 2012 campaign. Education and lack of funding for city public schools took top priority in the discussions.

“There is nothing more important than our public education system, and we must do a better job with our schools,” said Mayor Johnson.

Approximately 150 people attended the Town Hall at La Familia Counseling Center in North Franklin. Seats filled quickly and dozens of concerned community members stood in the entryway and aisles. Affordable access to health care, racial profiling by police, support and funding for the arts and concerns about community safety were

Ask A Question, Any Question, About Education… | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Ask A Question, Any Question, About Education… | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

Ask A Question, Any Question, About Education…

Many readers already know that I write a fairly popular weekly teacher advice column for Education Week Teacher.

Readers send in questions, and typically I’ll respond, one or two invited guests will write a short answer, and other readers will share their ideas, too.

There have been no shortage of questions submitted, but I wanted to make a special invitation to this blog’s readers to contribute ones they might be wondering about by leaving it in the comments section of this post. It


The Best Resources For Understanding How To Interpret Education Research

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 6 hours ago
This week’s “Question Of The Week” at my Education Week Teacher blog relates to how we can tell the difference between good and bad education research. As a supplement to next week’s response on that issue, I wanted to bring … Continue reading →

This Week In Web 2.0

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago
In yet another attempt to get at the enormous backlog I have of sites worth sharing, I’ve recently begin a regular feature called “The Week In Web 2.0.” It’ll be a short compilation of new decent sites that are worth … Continue reading →

“Call Me Hope”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 10 hours ago
“Call Me Hope” is a fun music video of Paul Simon’s “Call Me Al” song. It’s sponsored by a development organization called “Mama Hope.” I plan on using it in my Beginning ELL class, and have them sing along with … Continue reading →

“How Can You Tell The Difference Between Good And Bad Education Research?”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 10 hours ago
How Can You Tell The Difference Between Good And Bad Education Research? is the new “question of the week” at my Education Week column. Feel free to check it out and leave a response.

“Five School Reform Sound Bites That Hurt Teacher Buy-In”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 17 hours ago
Roxanna Elden has hit another homerun with her post “Five School Reform Sound Bites That Hurt Teacher Buy-In.” I’m adding it to The Best Articles Providing An “Overall” Perspective On Education Policy.

World Toilet Day Approaches…

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
World Toilet Day is November 19th and, though it sounds funny, it is designed to bring attention to the lack of public sanitation in many parts of the world. Here are new additions to The Best Resources For Learning About … Continue reading →

Extra Edition Of This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
I posted this week’s “Round-Up” earlier this week, but there have been so many good ones I’m publishing an Extra Edition: What Ohio vote means for teachers nationwide is by Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post. Education and Poverty:Confronting the … Continue reading →

TED Is Looking For Ten Teachers

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
TED, which hosts the famous TED Talks, just put out this call: For the upcoming TED conference — TED2012: Full Spectrum — we’re looking for 10 of the world’s best teachers to take the TED stage during a special session … Continue reading →

Lots Of New Veterans Day Resources

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Websites To Learn About Veterans Day: The National World War II Museum has set-up a neat website where people can thank veterans. You can read more about it here. MSNBC has a … Continue reading →

Most Big Cable Companies Agree To Provide Low-Cost Internet To Low-Income Students

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Practically all of the major cable companies in the United States agreed today to provide Internet services to low-income students for $9.99 per month, along with low-cost computers. The project emulates a program begun this year by Comcast as a … Continue reading →

Even More On Wealth & Income Inequality

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Here are the latest additions to The Best Resources About Wealth & Income Inequality: Notes on income inequality is from The Washington Post. America’s ‘Primal Scream’ is by Nicholas Kristof at The New York Times. Graph of the Day: An … Continue reading →

“Several Ways To Teach Critical Thinking Skills”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago
Several Ways To Teach Critical Thinking Skills is my newest post at Education Week Teacher. It includes my thoughts and responses from several guests, including Ron Ritchhart from Harvard’s Ground Zero.

This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Good School Reform Posts & Articles

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here’s a collection of recent good school reform-related posts and articles: Coaching is Good for Doctors and Teachers Both is by John Thompson. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On “Instructional Coaching.” NCLB bill: The problem with ‘continuous improvement’ … Continue reading →

Resources On The Hajj & Eid al-Adha

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago
Here are the newest additions to The Best Online Resources For Learning About Eid al-Adha and to The Best Sites To Learn And Teach About The Hajj: Celebrating Eid al-Adha is a TIME slideshow. The Hajj and Eid al-Adha is … Continue reading →

5 catchiest (and most annoying) reform phrases - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

5 catchiest (and most annoying) reform phrases - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

5 catchiest (and most annoying) reform phrases

This was written by Roxanna Elden, the author of See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers . She teaches high-school English in Miami and is a National Board Certified Teacher. This piece first appeared on Rick Hess’s blog, Straight Up, on the Education Week website.


By Roxanna Elden

Thre is a growing assumption that education reformers are anti-teacher and teachers are anti-reform. Disagreements between these groups have become so heated and so public recently that this seems like a reasonable conclusion.

Read full article >>

Veterans Day: No apostrophe in ‘veterans’ and other facts

Veterans Day started on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Actually, the holiday was first called Armistice Day, declared to mark the end of World War I hostilities at 11 a.m., Nov. 11, 1918 .Congress gave it that name in 1926, though it didn’t become a national holiday for a dozen more years.

Read full article >>

Education Department investigating Penn State

(This post has been updated.)

The U.S. Department of Education is launching an investigation into the scandal at Penn State University to see if officials there failed to comply with a law that requires institutions of higher education to disclose criminal offenses that occur on campus each year.

The department issued a statement Wednesday saying it was launching the probe in relation to the scandal in which former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with sexually abusing a number of young boys over a period of years, including incidents on campus. A number of school officials were told about at least one of the incidents after they happened, but the police were never called.

Read full article >>

Schooling in the Ownership Society: How Zukerberg's money is being spent

Schooling in the Ownership Society: How Zukerberg's money is being spent:

How Zukerberg's money is being spent

According to this story in the Newark Star-Ledger, records obtained by theEducation Law Center in Newark show that of the first $13 million spent out of the total $148 million donated, about a third has been been spent since September 2010 to pay political and educational consultants and contractors.

There's plenty to go around, especially if you're friends with Mayor Booker

More on Imagine charters, Inc.

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 urging

Are union-bashing charter reformers sobering up?

NYT's Joe Nocera ("Teaching With the Enemy") says Steven Brill was shocked when AFT prez Randi Weingarten held a book party for him at her home. To tell you the truth, I was too. But the real story Nocera tells is about Brill's own attitude adjustment while researching his virulent union-bashing book, ultimately leading him to make a u-turn and actually nominate Weingarten to become Mayor Bloomberg's next schools chancellor.

As most reviews have noted, however, as “Class Warfare” nears its conclusion, it suddenly veers in a different direction. Instead of bashing the