Poverty Matters!: A Christmas Miracle pt. 1 | Dailycensored.com

Poverty Matters!: A Christmas Miracle pt. 1 | Dailycensored.com:

Poverty Matters!: A Christmas Miracle pt. 1

by Paul Thomas

Something profound appears to have occurred—a cosmic shift in the education reform debate that reflects our larger social debates in the U.S. After Ladd and Fiske published a commentary in The New York Times, “Class Matters. Why Won’t We Admit It?,” and Diane Ravitch blogged “Scrooge and School Reform,” several commentators quickly chimed in about [...]

Poverty Matters!: Questions Needing Answers pt. 2

by Paul Thomas

In “Poverty Matters!: A Christmas Miracle pt. 1,” I conceded the new refrain that no one is discounting the negative influence of poverty on student learning, specifically on the narrow representation of learning through test scores. I also ventured to identify the broad positions of the education reform debate, acknowledging the problem with suggesting anything [...]

Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: Common Core Needs a New Learning Corps!

Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: Common Core Needs a New Learning Corps!:

Common Core Needs a New Learning Corps!

by Dr. Tom

"There may not be any curriculum that every learner needs to know, but there surely are many curriculums that most need learners to know."

There's lots of talk out there in Web 2+ land these days about learning standards, standardized testing, common core curriculums, even having teachers read scripts to students to assure that all learners are hearing the same thing. Madness abounds! Who even knows when the kids are listening to anything the teacher says.

A teacher's curriculum delivery plate is far too full these days, not just with standards, but with all the other cultural, social, political, and local necessities that constitute what are children are expected to know. Well, at least expect to be tested on. For more on this topic, read Jamie Vollmer' List:http://www.jamievollmer.com/list.html

It's my intent in this blog to tilt a different windmill. Pancho, hand me my Quixotian lance. What do our students

Class Parent: Giving Back to Teacher – SchoolBook

Class Parent: Giving Back to Teacher – SchoolBook:

Class Parent: Giving Back to Teacher

by Jodi Rudoren

Jodi Rudoren, education editor of The Times, is a co-class parent at her twins’ school in Brooklyn. She has been blogging about her experience this year. Other parents have been offering advice in response to this query:What advice do you have for a new class parent? Today the query is: How did you handle holiday gifts for your children’s teachers? You can answer below.

I admit I had not really given my holiday-shopping responsibilities as class parent much thought before I got the first e-mail, Dec. 4, from a more forward-thinking or perhaps more generous mom, about organizing a class gift for the pre-K teacher.

“What do you think the chances are of actually getting donations?” she asked. “Logistically more trouble than it is worth?”

I consulted my co-class parent, who not only has an older child and thus more experience in such matters, but

Rick Scott Says Making Education Commissioner an Elected Official Makes it Too Political | Scathing Purple Musings

Rick Scott Says Making Education Commissioner an Elected Official Makes it Too Political | Scathing Purple Musings:

Rick Scott Says Making Education Commissioner an Elected Official Makes it Too Political

by Bob Sikes

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/hub.1324331373.htmlProponents of Florida’s public schools reflexively take the opposite side of any position Rick Scott takes on education policy. If Rick Scott thinks that making education commissioner an elected official again is a bad idea, its a good idea.

Although some lawmakers have filed bills to place the Education Commissioner position back in the Cabinet as an elected official, Gov. Rick Scott isn’t having it.

He said Wednesday putting the Education Commissioner in the Cabinet and having it be a statewide elected position, as it was before a Cabinet shakeup in 2002, would make the post too

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

2011 Unpublished GQ Interview [Mr. Vilson vs. Jose Part 3] | The Jose Vilson

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2011 Unpublished GQ Interview [Mr. Vilson vs. Jose Part 3] | The Jose Vilson:2011 Unpublished GQ Interview [Mr. Vilson vs. Jose Part 3]by JoseMr. Vilson (left) vs. Jose (right)For some reason, GQ Magazine (Yes, Gentlemen’s Quarterly) decided not to publish their interview with me for Man of the Year 2011. Those of us who’ve been occupying and marching on Washington, DC, got a little shine via Time Magazine’s Person of the Year issue as “The Protestor.” Obviously, we can do ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Reflections on my Schools

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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Reflections on my Schools:Reflections on my Schoolsby Michael RiceI have not really contributed much to this blog so far this school year. Since we are almost finished with first semester, I would like to share some thoughts and observations about Ingraham and Rainier Beach.I can see why there was such outrage at Ingraham last year over the termination of Mr. Floe. He is a very good principal (and in case Mr. Floe reads this, I’m not ... more »

Modern School: Schools and Communities Lose By Outsourcing Lunch Services

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Modern School: Schools and Communities Lose By Outsourcing Lunch Services:Schools and Communities Lose By Outsourcing Lunch Servicesby Michael DunnHuck/Konopacki Labor CartoonsPublic schools get about $1 billion worth of free surplus fruits, vegetables, meat and cheese from the USDA each year which, instead of preparing into healthy fresh meals, they outsource to large corporate food processors like Aramark and Sodexo. The “logic” of this system is that it is supposed to save schools money on labor costs and economies of scale. ... more »

Charter Schools Rarely Closed For Academic Performance: Report

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Charter Schools Rarely Closed For Academic Performance: Report:Joy ResmovitsJoy.resmovits@huffingtonpost.comBecome a fan of this reporterGET UPDATES FROM JOY Like717Charter Schools Rarely Closed For Academic Performance: ReportPosted: 12/21/11 08:18 PM ETIn nearly two decades, only 3 percent of charter schools have ever been closed for underperforming, according to a new report released Tuesday.The Center for Education Reform, a pro-charter advocacy group, traced charter-school closures since 1992 in what it called the "first-ever national analysis" of its kind. It found that 15 per...more »

#EDreform Only the strongest will survive

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 37 minutes ago

Sacramento Press / The Occupy movement struggles to resonate within the black community #ows

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Sacramento Press / The Occupy movement struggles to resonate within the black community:The Occupy movement struggles to resonate within the black communityby Rashad Baadqir, published on December 21, 2011 at 4:33 PMFor the past few months cities across America have seen crowds of protestors taking to the streets angered by the state of the U.S. economy in the wake of noticeable corporate greed, Wall Street failures, and home lending corruption scandals to name a few gripes. In what has become ... more »

ACCS Webcast Meeting Archive - Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (CA Dept of Education)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 37 minutes ago

ACCS Webcast Meeting Archive - Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (CA Dept of Education):ACCS Webcast Meeting ArchivePast meeting webcasts of the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS).The video files contain file markers that allow viewers to skip to a certain portion or section of the meeting. To access the file markers while viewing the videos in Window Media Player (Outside Source) versions 11 or 12:Swich the player to Skin Mode by selecting Ctrl+2.On the menu bar, select View File Markers. ... more »

When Lessons From Education 'Reform' Go Unlearned | OurFuture.org

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When Lessons From Education 'Reform' Go Unlearned | OurFuture.org:When Lessons From Education 'Reform' Go Unlearnedby Jeff BryantOne good thing you can say about 2011 is that it is a year in which lots of wrong-headed undertakings finally came to their ignominious conclusions -- including, among others, the Iraq War, the Gadhafi regime, the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, and "The Oprah Winfrey Show".Also among the train-wrecks is undoubtedly our failed national education policy, No Child Left Behind.Maybe our country has ... more »

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 37 minutes ago

Questions about Common Core and Youngest Learners «Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-45 minutes agoQuestions about Common Core and Youngest Learners «: Questions about Common Core and YoungestLearnersDecember 21, 2011 byIrene SegePhoto: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for ChildrenSamuel J. Meisels, president of the Chicago-basedErikson Institute, a graduate school in child development, has raised some provocative questions about theCommon Core State Standards. By working backward from college and career readiness, he argues, the K-12 standards in English and math give ...more »

Stanford professor wins Grawemeyer award for book on inequity in education | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Stanford professor wins Grawemeyer award for book on inequity in education | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com: Stanford professor wins Grawemeyer award for book on inequity in educationLinda Darling-HammondWritten byChris Otts | The Courier-JournalFILED UNDERNewsLocal NewsSchool districts across the country often spend less on instruction for low-income and minority students, and it’s one of the main reasons the United States no longer leads the world in education, as it did 40 years ago.So says Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond, who has ... more »

NEA Teachers Step Up | ED.gov Blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

NEA Teachers Step Up | ED.gov Blog: NEA Teachers Step UpPosted onDecember 21, 2011byArne DuncanLast year the National Education Association (NEA) took a courageous step by creating a Council on Effective Teachers and Teaching’s (CETT) and giving them independence and power to make recommendations to transform the teaching profession. On December 8, they moved forward by releasing the commission’s report. In doing so, NEA leaders showed themselves to be serious partners in reform and strong advocates for students and teachers.The ... more »

New English-Learner Director Named - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education)

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New English-Learner Director Named - Year 2011 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Chooses RespectedScholar and Author to Head English Learner EffortsSACRAMENTO—Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, a leading scholar, published author and longtime advocate for students, will lead the California Department of Education's (CDE) efforts to help school districts across the state teach English learners effectively, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.Cadiero-Kaplan is a professor at San Diego State University, where she chairs the Departmen... more »

How school reform gets hijacked by the Billionaire Boys Club: A cautionary tale for the Left | New Politics

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How school reform gets hijacked by the Billionaire Boys Club: A cautionary tale for the Left | New Politics: How school reform gets hijacked by the Billionaire Boys Club: A cautionary tale for the LeftShareLois WeinerDecember 20, 2011A powerful new video,"The truth behind Stand for Children,"tells a cautionary tale for the Left. Even if you already understand how charter schools have become a vehicle for destruction of public education, take five minutes to watch this concise analysis of how "Stand ... more »

Kevin Johnson wants to strengthen mayor's position - Sacramento Business Journal

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 7 hours ago

Kevin Johnson wants to strengthen mayor's position - Sacramento Business Journal: Kevin Johnson wants to strengthen mayor's positionSacramento Business Journal by Michael Shaw, Staff WriterDate: Wednesday, December 21, 2011, 11:00am PSTSacramento MayorKevin Johnsonon Wednesday will reveal a renewed effort to increase the power of the mayor position by amending the city’s charter, hoping to garner enough support from the city council to put the issue to voters on the June ballot next year.Johnson’s plan includes additional checks and balances that ... more »

Lawyers Divided on Whether Charter Schools Can Turn Away Students with Disabilities | WUSF Public Media

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Lawyers Divided on Whether Charter Schools Can Turn Away Students with Disabilities | WUSF Public Media: Lawyers Divided on Whether Charter Schools Can Turn Away Students with DisabilitiesPosted Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 10:12 amListen NowDownload AudioTres Whitlock, 17, has cerebral palsy. He was told he cannot go to Pivot Charter School near Tampa because the school cannot provide all the services he needs.By Sarah GonzalezMIAMI (2011-21-12) -This month, an investigation by StateImpact Florida and the Miami Herald revealed that ... more »

Two national teaching prizes open application processes | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

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Two national teaching prizes open application processes | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Two national teaching prizes open application processesbyAvi Wolfman-Arenton Dec 20 2011 Posted inLatest newsCOMMENTS (0)PRINTEMAILTags:professional developmentteacher trainingteachersTwo prestigious and well-financed awards for teaching excellence, theFishman Prizeand theKnowles Science Teaching Fellowship, recently opened their nationwide application processes.The Fishman Prize, awarded by The National Teaching Project, honors up to five “extraordinary” teachers with a $25,000 award and ... more »

Mavericks Charges Charter Schools $350K in Rent, Plus Fees | Scathing Purple Musings

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Mavericks Charges Charter Schools $350K in Rent, Plus Fees | Scathing Purple Musings: Mavericks Charges Charter Schools $350K in Rent, Plus FeesbyBob SikesThisis sure tobring out a new round of troll attacks. From Lisa Rab in theNew Times:When a private company aims to profit from a taxpayer-funded public school, the extra dough must come from somewhere. ForMavericks in Education Florida, the charter school chain headquartered in West Palm Beach, leasing agreements appear to be one source of cash.Remember, Mavericks is ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Interview with the Governor

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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Interview with the Governor: Interview with the GovernorbyMelissa WestbrookPublicola had aninterviewwith Governor Gregoire and she had some interesting things to say about education:PubliCola:It seems more aggressive than the one you laid out.[Gregoire announced a reform proposal last week—AP reporthere— that will put a pilot project of 4-tiered teacher evaluations in play statewide]. It ties teacher evaluations to student test scores, calls for charter schools, and allows the state to step in and take over failing schools. ... more »

Common Core State Standards Resources - Curriculum & Instruction (CA Dept of Education)

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Common Core State Standards Resources - Curriculum Instruction (CA Dept of Education): Common Core State Standards ResourcesInformation and frequently asked questions about the new academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education on August 2, 2010.The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed through a state-led initiative to establish consistent and clear education standards for English-language arts and mathematics that would better prepare students for success in college, career, and the competitive global economy. The California State Board ... more »

Questions about Common Core and Youngest Learners «

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 16 hours ago

Questions about Common Core and Youngest Learners «: Questions about Common Core and YoungestLearnersDecember 21, 2011 byIrene SegePhoto: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for ChildrenSamuel J. Meisels, president of the Chicago-basedErikson Institute, a graduate school in child development, has raised some provocative questions about theCommon Core State Standards. By working backward from college and career readiness, he argues, the K-12 standards in English and math give short shrift to early childhood and the developmental needs of the youngest learners, from birth ... more »