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

Daily Kos: Do You Believe in Miracles?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

Daily Kos: Do You Believe in Miracles?:Do You Believe in Miracles?by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)No, I am not quoting Al Michaels at the end of the Lake Placid Gold Medal Hockey game. Rather, I am quoting my friend Diane Ravitch, for the title of this important blog postOften we are in education presented with supposed examples of "miracles" - high poverty schools that have a remarkable performance, or so we are told. As Diane begins her post,One of the central claims of ...more »

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) Welcomes New Federal Guidance on Diversity in K-12 and Higher Education | The Defenders Online | A Civil Rights Blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) Welcomes New Federal Guidance on Diversity in K-12 and Higher Education | The Defenders Online | A Civil Rights Blog:NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) Welcomes New Federal Guidance on Diversity in K-12 and Higher EducationPosted By The Editors | December 2nd, 2011 | Category: Education | No Comments » Print This PostToday the United States Department of Education and the Department of Justice issued policy guidance that provides greater ... more »

Support PURE! » PSAT for 12-6-11: School principals, unite!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 12-6-11: School principals, unite!:PSAT for 12-6-11: School principals, unite!by adminLast night we watched a charming movie, “Amreeka,” about a Palestinian mom and her son who emigrate to Illinois the same week the US invaded Iraq. Not surprisingly, they encounter some challenges. Somewhat surprisingly, one of the film’s heroes is the mild-mannered principal of the local high school.School principals are popularly portrayed as creeps, crooks, or idiots (anyone besides me ... more »

PSAT for 12-6-11: Principals, Unite! « Parents Across America

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

PSAT for 12-6-11: Principals, Unite! « Parents Across America:PSAT for 12-6-11: Principals, Unite!by pureparentsLast night we watched a charming movie, “Amreeka,” about a Palestinian mom and her son who emigrate to Illinois the same week the US invaded Iraq. Not surprisingly, they encounter some challenges. Somewhat surprisingly, one of the film’s heroes is the mild-mannered principal of the local high school.School principals are popularly portrayed as creeps, crooks, or idiots (anyone besides me remember Osgood Conklyn in Our Miss Brooks? ... more »

Union democracy by polling data. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

Union democracy by polling data. « Fred Klonsky:Union democracy by polling data.by Fred KlonskyThe late, great Chicago newspaperman, Mike Royko.One of the great things about living in Chicago back in the day was reading Mike Royko in the daily newspaper. I didn’t always agree with his politics. In fact, I rarely agreed with his politics. He was the epitome of the cynical reporter.And he was a friend of Studs Terkel. And any friend of Studs…Royko hated exit polls. In fact, ... more »

In the News: Getting at why school choice fails | catalyst-chicago.org

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

In the News: Getting at why school choice fails | catalyst-chicago.org:In the News: Getting at why school choice failsBy: Cassandra West / December 06, 2011Tags: charters Chicago Teachers Union dropouts Jean-Claude Brizard Karen Lewis school choice school closingsNatalie Hopkinson, a Washington-based writer and parent, takes on the perverse inequities that play out along racial lines and have resulted from a "reform" process that proponents say will bring choice and accountability to school systems in majority-black neighborhoods such as hers. (The ... more »

Who is the Best EDU Consultant? « My Island View

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

Who is the Best EDU Consultant? « My Island View:Who is the Best EDU Consultant?by tomwhitbyI had a busy morning today. I observed a student teacher for her final observation, and I made it home in time to participate in the weekly noon #Edchat on Twitter. As I participated in the #Edchat I was struck by the fact that it had a great deal to do with a conversation I had with my student’s cooperating teacher in a high school ... more »

Daily Kos: Revealed: School board member who took standardized test

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

Daily Kos: Revealed: School board member who took standardized test:Revealed: School board member who took standardized testby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)is the title of this followup blog post by Valerie Strauss, who yesterday posted the story by Marion Brady of the school board member who, having taking Florida's FCAT test and done poorly, was criticizing them. I am going to suggest you read this followup piece as well. As Strauss writes about Rick Roach, the board member who has now gone public, ... more »

Revealed: School board member who took standardized test - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 6 hours ago

Revealed: School board member who took standardized test - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Revealed: School board member who took standardized testBy Valerie StraussThis is a follow-up to Monday’s guest post about a school board member who took a version of a state standardized test and was horrified at what he found.That post was written by veteran educator Marion Brady, who said he did not name the board member to save him from mean personal attacks by critics. The ... more »

Blue Jersey:: Latino Action Network Opposes Opportunity Scholarship Act

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Blue Jersey:: Latino Action Network Opposes Opportunity Scholarship Act:Latino Action Network Opposes Opportunity Scholarship Actby NJAgitatorpromoted by RosiLast month, Governor Christie called on the New Jersey lawmakers to pass his version of education reform during the lame duck session of the legislature. The governor listed four bills as crucial to his reform agenda. Among those bills was the controversial 'Opportunity Scholarship Act' which would provide corporations a 100% tax credit for contributions made to a state run voucher program, which ... more »

NYC Educator: Let's Ask the KIds How They Feel about Class Size

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NYC Educator: Let's Ask the KIds How They Feel about Class Size:Let's Ask the KIds How They Feel about Class Sizeby Miss EyreAfter reading Mayor Bloomberg's fascinating views on class size(for everyone else's kids, of course, not his own), I realized whose voices weren't being heard in the discussion: Those of the children. I thought about some recurring comments made under the collective breath of my class of 30+ tenth graders who are crammed into middle-school-sized desks in a room ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Innovation Schools, Er, "Creative Approach Schools"

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Innovation Schools, Er, "Creative Approach Schools":Innovation Schools, Er, "Creative Approach Schools"by Melissa WestbrookThe initial draft of the MOU between the district and the SEA about innovation schools (now renamed "Creative Approach Schools") is clearly a work in progress. But it is promising.It's interesting because I think some fear this as an intro into charters; I see it as a way to strong-arm off charters. Why do you need charters if districts and unions are willing to ... more »

What ‘multiple measures’ really means in evaluation - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

What ‘multiple measures’ really means in evaluation - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:What ‘multiple measures’ really means in evaluationby Valerie StraussThis was written by Lisa Guisbond and Monty Neill of FairTest, the nonprofit National Center for Fair and Open Testing, which is dedicated to eliminating the misuse of standardized testing. Guisbond is a policy analyst and Neill is the executive director.By Lisa Guisbond and Monty NeillLike the same old laundry detergent with a “new and improved” sticker, sometimes ... more »

Put The FOIL In The Recycle Bin, Please | The Jose Vilson

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

Put The FOIL In The Recycle Bin, Please | The Jose Vilson:Put The FOIL In The Recycle Bin, Pleaseby JoseThat’s it. I’m done with FOIL. Now and possibly forever, unless someone like Alfie Kohn or JD tells me otherwise.At first I didn’t have a horse in the race. I mean, who cares so long as kids can multiply binomials right? If they get it one way or another way, then they’ll get it and that’s great. So what prompted me ... more »

Daily Kos: How to Rescue Education Reform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

Daily Kos: How to Rescue Education Reform:How to Rescue Education Reformby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)is the title of this interesting New York Times op ed. It is interesting, and unusual, in the pair of authors, because they are normally not seen as allies on matters educational, disagreeing strongly on things like merit pay for teachers, to cite only one example.Linda Darling-Hammond is one of the most notable figure in education, having been a professor at Teachers College Columbia and now at Stanford, ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: It's A Wonderfully Stupid Life

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: It's A Wonderfully Stupid Life:It's A Wonderfully Stupid Lifeby DukeLess than a month before the deadline, we have a sure winner in the "Stoopidest Conversation On Cable News TeeVee" category:Damn you, Muppets, with your anti-capitalism propaganda and indoctrination! Why can't we return to the good old days of Hollywood celebrating the wealthy? Like when they would destroy small towns?Every time a wacko says something stoopid on Fox, and

LAUSD's Employee Relations Director Ira Berman - The Banality of Evil Part 1 - Perdaily.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

LAUSD's Employee Relations Director Ira Berman - The Banality of Evil Part 1 - Perdaily.com:LAUSD's Employee Relations Director Ira Berman - The Banality of Evil Part 1by Leonard Isenberg(Mensaje se repite en Español)(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)During the last several weeks I have been inundated with phone calls from Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) rubber room teachers and others who the new regime of Superintendent John Deasy is moving ... more »

How to Rescue Education Reform - NYTimes.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

How to Rescue Education Reform - NYTimes.com:How to Rescue Education ReformGracía LamBy FREDERICK M. HESS and LINDA DARLING-HAMMONDPublished: December 5, 2011RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINE-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHARETHE debate over renewing No Child Left Behind, the education reform act that will be 10 years old in January, has fallen along partisan lines even though school improvement is one of the few examples of bipartisan cooperation over the last decade.Related in OpinionMore on Education »Though the law was initiated and signed by a Republican president, presidential candidates like ...more »

A Multi Year Evaluation of the Philadelphia School Turn Around Model is Necessary Before Considering any Further Expansion « City School Stories

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 13 hours ago

A Multi Year Evaluation of the Philadelphia School Turn Around Model is Necessary Before Considering any Further Expansion « City School Stories:A Multi Year Evaluation of the Philadelphia School Turn Around Model is Necessary Before Considering any Further Expansionby fmurphyNotes from the FieldSubmitted by Frank Murphy on December 6, 2011In the last two years, several Philadelphia District schools have either been converted to charter schools operated by outside providers, or have been converted to Promise Academies, the District’s internally-managed school ... more »

PTA unites behind an initiative to transform and fairly fund our schools | Thoughts on Public Education

PTA unites behind an initiative to transform and fairly fund our schools | Thoughts on Public Education:

PTA unites behind an initiative to transform and fairly fund our schools

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Posted on 12/07/11 • Categorized as Initiatives, Parent activism, Student spending

By Carol Kocivar

This holiday season, one item at the top of wish lists for most parents is a public school system that delivers a well-rounded education for all students – one that prepares them for college, career, and adulthood. The future of our state and our economy depends on it.

Unfortunately, school budgets have been decimated by $20 billion in cuts in just the last few years. Essential programs for students have been eliminated or cut dramatically.

One thing I see and hear firsthand when I visit local communities throughout the state is that parents, educators, and community members have had it with these cuts.

In a recent survey, nine out of every 10 local PTA leaders and members rated “adequate

No One Knows What It Means, But It’s Provocative, It Gets The People Going | The Jose Vilson

No One Knows What It Means, But It’s Provocative, It Gets The People Going | The Jose Vilson:

No One Knows What It Means, But It’s Provocative, It Gets The People Going

by Jose

via Village Voice

“… Wait, he said what?”

I pulled out my fingers to count how many kids that meant for one classroom.

“OK, so dude, you know that means I’m gonna have half my kids in the hallway while I teach, right?”

I started doing seating arrangements in my mind.

“Are you going to invest in carpets and place mats for every student who has to receive instruction from me and the now halved instructional staff in my building? Are some of the students going to have to take turns standing while receiving? Will you give me a reprieve from any sort of accountability for the next three years as I try to figure out how I can service a class with a double size roster? Will you abandon any discussion on differentiation

Scott Asks for $1 Billion More in Spending for Florida Schools; Will Get Savings From Further Cuts to State Worker Benefits | Scathing Purple Musings

Scott Asks for $1 Billion More in Spending for Florida Schools; Will Get Savings From Further Cuts to State Worker Benefits | Scathing Purple Musings:

Scott Asks for $1 Billion More in Spending for Florida Schools; Will Get Savings From Further Cuts to State Worker Benefits

by Bob Sikes

And he vowed to not sign any plan which doesn’t go along with it either: Writes excellent Associated Press reporter Gary Fineout:

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who was criticized for pushing school funding cuts a few months ago, is asking for a billion dollars more for education to come during an election year.

Scott on Wednesday will introduce a budget for 2012 that calls for increasing the amount spent on the state’s nearly 2.7 billion public school students by slightly more than $100 each and more than $1 billion overall.

While the overall amount per student is not going up that much, it marks a dramatic change for

John Thompson: Diane Ravitch and the History That "Reformers" Do Not Know

John Thompson: Diane Ravitch and the History That "Reformers" Do Not Know:

John Thompson

Award-winning Historian, Lobbyist and Guerilla-gardener, and Inner City Teacher

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Diane Ravitch and the History That "Reformers" Do Not Know

Diane Ravitch has again done the seemingly impossible. She prompted Education Sector's Kevin Carey to take a glance at the history of education. Even so, Carey's piece in The New Republic, "The Dissenter," indicates that he did not read carefully.

Carey wrote that Ravitch "left a polarized history profession in her wake," as if she did not enter the field at a time when traditional historians were under siege. During the sixties, history was dominated by class-based analyses of theories on the oppressiveness of various power structures. History was dominated by genres, ranging from the New Social History to the various Marxist schools of thought, that sought evidence for or against ideological orthodoxies. Too many fell under the umbrella of "history with the people left out."

Ravitch dissented and wrote richer, eclectic narratives on a broader canvass. Rather than claiming that history "proved" their theories, more balanced historians, like Ravitch, still practiced the approach that Carey condemns as using "historical narrative in illustrating various points." These historians also assumed that in the end, "there will be heroes, villains, naive collaborators, [and] rigid ideologues." They appreciated a world of contradictions.

Today's historians have largely embraced Ravitch's position that history does not tell us what

SCAPEGOAT REASONS « Teachers Fight Back

SCAPEGOAT REASONS « Teachers Fight Back:

SCAPEGOAT REASONS

by alkleen

Some readers disagree that teachers are scapegoats and have asked why I have that opinion.

Here we go:

When parents fail to prepare their preschool age children for school and then blame the teacher when the child falls behind in school, that’s scapegoating.

When parents have allowed their children to grow up without any sense of discipline and self-control, and then blame the teacher when their child has discipline problems in school, that’s scapegoating.

When government officials set unrealistic test standards, and then blame the teachers when the students fail to