“Top 10 questions to ask yourself in 2012″ | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

“Top 10 questions to ask yourself in 2012″ | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

“Top 10 questions to ask yourself in 2012″

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 hour ago

Top 10 questions to ask yourself in 2012 is a great post by Justin Tarte. Reading it over would definitely be a good way for educators to start the New Year. Thanks to Bill Ferriter for the tip.

Here’s Another Reason Why We Need To Be Data-Informed & Not Data-Driven

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 hours ago

In my post, The Best Resources Showing Why We Need To Be “Data-Informed” & Not “Data-Driven,” I share my principal’s perspective on it: If schools are data-driven, they might make decisions like keeping students who are “borderline” between algebra and … Continue reading →

Wow! “Lessons On American Presidents” Is A Great New Site

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 10 hours ago

Sean Banville has just unveiled a great new site called Lessons On American Presidents. He’s got multiple interactive exercises on every President — all designed for English Language Learners. It will be a huge help for teachers and their students. … Continue reading →

“Show Me Trend”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 10 hours ago

I periodically post “most popular” lists of websites (and books) that I think educators might find useful. Of course, there are a number of ways to gauge “popularity.” I just view these lists as opportunities to check-out some new sites, … Continue reading →

The Most Popular Ed Week Teacher Articles In 2011

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 12 hours ago

Education Week Teacher just posted a list of their ten most popular articles this year. It’s a good list to check out. I should mention — humbly, I hope — that I wrote three of them. They also released their … Continue reading →

Here’s Another Reason Why It’s Important For Our Students To Understand Idioms

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 21 hours ago

Here’s a Pearls Before Swine comic:

ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival Deadline Extended — Still Time To Submit A Post!

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

Because of the holiday craziness, David Deubelbeiss has extended the deadline to contribute posts to the next ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival. The submission deadline is now January 31st, and the Carnival will be published on February 1st. You can get all … Continue reading →

The Best Articles I’ve Written In 2011

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

I obviously write a lot of blog posts here, as well as one book, each year on education issues. In addition, I write a fair number of articles that appear in other publications like The Washington Post, ASCD Educational Leadership, … Continue reading →

My New Piece In The Washington Post

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

Now The Washington Post has republished my 10 education predictions for 2012. Check it if you still haven’t read it

More Year-End Image Collections

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

Here are the newest additions to The Best Year-End Collections Of Images — 2011: The Year In Review from Slate. Year in Review: 2011 in Photos from Instagram. Looking back at images from 2011 is from The Sacramento Bee. Maps … Continue reading →

Research Studies Of The Week

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

I often write about research studies from various field and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies … Continue reading →

Do You Use Paper.Li or Summify To Create ESL/EFL News Summaries?

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

You may not have a clue about what the headline of this post is talking about, and that’s fine…. Summify and paper.li let users create summaries of blog posts and tweets they read on a particular topic (and there may … Continue reading →

My New Huffington Post Piece

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

The Huffington Post has just republished my Education-Related Predictions for 2012. Take a look if you didn’t read it when I posted it here….

Sacramento Bee Unveils California Teacher & Superintendent Salary Database

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

The Sacramento Bee has just unveiled a very accessible database showing the average salary in each School District in California, along with that district’s Superintendent’s salary (ahem, there’s a bit of a difference). It doesn’t include benefits, so it doesn’t … Continue reading →

Education-Related Predictions For 2012

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

I recently posted The Best (and Worst) Education News of 2011, and thought I’d take a stab at some prognostication for 2012. I think I batted close to 50% in last year’s predictions — that can’t be that much worse … Continue reading →

What Would Your Suggestions Be For A Very Beginning iPad User?

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 1 day ago

I’d like to prepare a “The Best…” list for beginning iPad users — educator and non-educator alike. What are your suggestions for apps and guides for newbies? I will, of course, credit you for suggestions in the post I write.

Another Special Edition Of “Links I Should Have Posted About, But Didn’t”

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago

I have a huge backlog of resources that I’ve been planning to post about in this blog but, just because of time constraints, have not gotten around to doing so. Instead of letting that backlog grow bigger, I regularly grab … Continue reading →

Get Royalty-Free Images From Kozzi

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 2 days ago

Kozzi has thousands of royalty-free images that can be used for anything — at no charge — without even having to give them attribution. You have sign-up for the site, but registration is free. I’m adding it to The Best … Continue reading →

Movie Scenes For English Language Learners

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago

I use movie clips in a number of ways to help my students develop language skills, and have previously written an extensive related list — The Best Movie Scenes To Use For English-Language Development. Some of the videos on that … Continue reading →

Standardized Testing & Creative Thinking

Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 3 days ago

An interesting piece in the Huffington Post titled The Education Reform Paradox and the Extinction of Higher Level Thinking Skills led me to another article in The Week, which included this section: While IQ scores are indisputably on the rise, … Continue reading →

RheeFirst! » Former DC schools chief busy lobbying, helping (right-wing) politicians

RheeFirst! » Former DC schools chief busy lobbying, helping (right-wing) politicians:

Former DC schools chief busy lobbying, helping (right-wing) politicians

by admin

Written by Greg Toppo for USA Today. Read the entire article here.
“‘She represents an approach to reforming education that we think is really destructive and is not going to face the problems of public education,’ says Lisa Guisbond of Citizens for Public Schools, a Boston-based public education advocacy group.

Along with a handful* of others, Guisbond’s group arranged a boisterous demonstration in November when Rhee appeared at Boston’s Symphony Hall, where marchers carried signs that read, ‘Erasing Mistakes Doesn’t Put Children First.’”

Schools Matter: Religious Indoctination Provides Break from Test Prep: "It's a great day in South Carolina."

Schools Matter: Religious Indoctination Provides Break from Test Prep: "It's a great day in South Carolina.":

Religious Indoctination Provides Break from Test Prep: "It's a great day in South Carolina."

by Jim Horn

Story below the video from NYTimes. More details on rally in video are provided here by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Popout

JEFFERSON, S.C. — It has been nearly 50 years since the Supreme Court ruled that officially sponsored prayer in public schools violated the separation of church and state.

But in some corners of the country, especially in the rural South, open prayer and Christian symbols have never really disappeared from schools, with what legal advocates call brazen

In memory of Christine Turney. « Fred Klonsky

In memory of Christine Turney. « Fred Klonsky:

In memory of Christine Turney.

DECEMBER 30, 2011

CHRISTINE WAS NOT AN ORDINARY WOMAN SHE WAS AN AGENT OF CHANGE. IF YOU ONLY HAD LIMITED CONTACT WITH HER SHE COULD CHANGE YOUR MOOD. IF YOU SAW HER ON A REGULAR BASIC, SHE COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE. -James Keating

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

#EDreform Money

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 minutes ago

Money - Pink Floyd from the Dark Side of the moon in HD quality[Lyrics]MoneyGet awayYou get a good job with good pay and you're okayMoneyIt's a gasGrab that cash with both hands and make a stashNew car, caviar, four star daydreamThink I'll buy me a football teamMoneyWell, get backI'm all right JackKeep your hands off of my stackMoneyIt's a hitDon't give me that do goody good bullshitI'm in the high-fidelity first class travelling setI think I need a Lear jet(amazing ... more »

I don’t think in lists | Ideas and Thoughts

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 minutes ago

I don’t think in lists | Ideas and Thoughts:I don’t think in listsby Dean ShareskiIt's list season. Actually it's list season all year round. Writing a post with a numbered list seems the way many people think. Reminds me of my daughter's obsession with rankings. Come to think about it, I've written on this topic a few times so I may be repeating myself but as I saw a steady stream of tweets today linking to a plethora of posts ... more »

Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” video- Teaching Life Choices, Their Way! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 minutes ago

Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” video- Teaching Life Choices, Their Way! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” video- Teaching Life Choices, Their Way!by OldschoolteachMy 17-year-old and I were bonding watching music videos, and he was explaining who’s who and what’s what, and Lil Wayne’s video came on.WOW! I almost cried after watching this video. My next thought was, “I hope our kids are seeing this. I hope our kids understand the message here. I hope ... more »

Why Mitt Romney’s Education Policy May be the Same as Jeb Bush’s | Scathing Purple Musings

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 minutes ago

Why Mitt Romney’s Education Policy May be the Same as Jeb Bush’s | Scathing Purple Musings:Why Mitt Romney’s Education Policy May be the Same as Jeb Bush’sby Bob SikesRepublican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has nine policy statements on his official website. But not one for education. Romney and the people advising him are smart people and its not that they’ve forgotten. The omission, however, leaves his position open to interpretation and writing in Politics K12 Alyson Klein has done so. ... more »

Moving Towards a World with No Bosses | Lefty Parent

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 minutes ago

Moving Towards a World with No Bosses | Lefty Parent:Moving Towards a World with No Bossesby Cooper ZaleI keep attempting to bear witness to and advocate for our society’s continuing transformation from “hierarchies of control to circles of equals”, but I got feedback from my partner Sally on our morning walk today that that is too academic of a framing… Damn! So how can I call this out in a more clear, un-geeky, and compelling way? What captures the essence ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Top Ten Stories Of 2011

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 minutes ago

School Tech Connect: The Top Ten Stories Of 2011:The Top Ten Stories Of 2011by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)I don't do end-of-year lists, so yes, this is a bait-and-switch.But some of you do end-of-year lists, and if you're compiling a list of the big education stories, and if you've neglected to include Fred's uncovering of the sociopath Jonah Edelman's tactics, then your list is incomplete. It was the biggest story of the year here in Illinois, and it has ramifications around the country ...more »

As the new year comes, there is good news out of the Heartland for those of us toiling in the field of teacher union reform. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 minutes ago

As the new year comes, there is good news out of the Heartland for those of us toiling in the field of teacher union reform. « Fred Klonsky:As the new year comes, there is good news out of the Heartland for those of us toiling in the field of teacher union reform.by Fred KlonskyMTU’s Bob Peterson and the CTU’s Karen Lewis. A fresh wind out of the Heartland.To both old and new readers of this blog, it is clear that ... more »

What Teachers Are Saying – Zinn Education Project

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

What Teachers Are Saying – Zinn Education Project:What Teachers Are SayingHere are just a few of the hundreds of comments we have received from teachers about the impact of Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, and the Zinn Education Project lessons on themselves and their classrooms. Send us your quotes and stories to add to this page: zep@zinnedproject.orgJump to: Howard Zinn’s Impact on Teachers | Howard Zinn’s Impact on Teaching |Howard Zinn’s Impact on Students | Zinn ... more »

The Answer Sheet - David vs. Goliath: The battle over public education

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

The Answer Sheet - David vs. Goliath: The battle over public education:David vs. Goliath: The battle over public educationBy Valerie StraussThis was written by Rita M. Solnet, a nonpartisan businesswoman, parent, and Florida education activist.By Rita M. SolnetIt wasn’t just the type of slingshot or the shape of rock David used when he defeated Goliath. David’s determination was steadfast, his belief system strong, when, with a do or die mindset, he fought Goliath and won. But why did he succeed ... more »

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

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

Daily Kos: Healing the Heart of DemocracyBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-8 minutes agoDaily Kos: Healing the Heart of Democracy:Healing the Heart of Democracyby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) In memory of Christina Taylor Green (2001-2011) Addie Mae Collins (1949-1963) Denise McNair (1951-1963) Carole Robertson (1949-1963) Cynthia Wesley (1949-1963) Christina died when an assassin in Tucson, Arizona, opened fired at a public event hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously wounded. Addie Mae, Denise, Carole, and Cynthia died when violent racists ... more »

Big Education Grants Threatened By Teacher Spats : NPR

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

Big Education Grants Threatened By Teacher Spats : NPR:Big Education Grants Threatened By Teacher SpatsTeachers and school districts say they agree that better teacher evaluations are needed, but they can't agree on the details. Now, those disputes threaten federal grants meant to encourage education reform.Take New York state, which has a lots of failing schools. Those schools got more than $100 million in federal School Improvement Grants. In exchange, districts promised to phase in new evaluation systems.But John King, state ... more »

Our Top 10 Blog Posts in 2011 « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

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

Our Top 10 Blog Posts in 2011 « The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education:Our Top 10 Blog Posts in 2011December 30th, 2011 by ASCD Whole Child BloggersIn the past year, experts and practitioners in the field, whole child partners, and ASCD staff have shared their stories, ideas, and resources to help you ensure that each child, in each community, is healthy, engaged, supported, and challenged and is college-, career-, and citizenship-ready. These are the top 10 posts you ... more »

We’re Not the Enemy « Cooperative Catalyst

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

We’re Not the Enemy « Cooperative Catalyst:We’re Not the Enemyby John T. SpencerI’ve heard the arguments and I get it. The industrial model isn’t working. The system needs to change. We need authentic learning. I get it. Really, I do. What’s funny with the whole outdated industrial model is that teachers often agree with the point and in many cases, we’re the ones trying to fight against the system.I fight against the system in small ways (that I’m sure are ... more »

Obama’s Ed Dept puts Hawaii’s Race to Top grant on high-risk status - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

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

Obama’s Ed Dept puts Hawaii’s Race to Top grant on high-risk status - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Obama’s Ed Dept puts Hawaii’s Race to Top grant on high-risk statusby Valerie StraussHawaii may be delighted that President Obama and his family are spending the holidays in his home state, but it is perhaps not so enamored with his Education Department at the moment.Department officials have written a letter to Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) saying that the state’s $75 million ... more »

Poking the Sacred Cow « The Core Knowledge Blog

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

Poking the Sacred Cow « The Core Knowledge Blog:Poking the Sacred Cowby Jessica LaheyIt’s day six of my holiday break and I have finally acknowledged the large stack of paper on the floor next to my desk. I had been ignoring it, hoping it would magically grade itself, but alas, this has not been the case. It’s still there, still huge, still daunting. In the meantime, I have cleaned the entire house, gone to the dump twice, moved our furniture ... more »

Frank Biden: “We’re Not Profiting From Our Schools” | Scathing Purple Musings

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

Frank Biden: “We’re Not Profiting From Our Schools” | Scathing Purple Musings:Frank Biden: “We’re Not Profiting From Our Schools”by Bob SikesFrank Biden’s quickly becoming Florida charter schools’ Baghdad Bob. From New Times’ Lisa Rab :Responding to this week’s cover story about the charter school chain he runs, Frank Biden continues to insist Mavericks in Education Florida is not profiting from its schools. He says it’s just the school buildings that bring in the dough.“We’re not profiting from our schools. Anybody ... more »

Last Stand for Children First: As We Approach 2012 - Scrappy Reformers are Turning the Tide

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

Last Stand for Children First: As We Approach 2012 - Scrappy Reformers are Turning the Tide:As We Approach 2012 - Scrappy Reformers are Turning the Tideby Last Stand for ChildrenIn the battle between the Goliaths of the status quo and the scrappy Davids of education reform, the tide may be slowly turning. It was Arthur Reynolds Award winner Anthony Russo, whose This Week in Education articlebrought new attention to the battle for the hearts and minds of the American public, ... more »

Daily Kos: Healing the Heart of Democracy

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 17 hours ago

Daily Kos: Healing the Heart of Democracy:Healing the Heart of Democracyby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) In memory of Christina Taylor Green (2001-2011) Addie Mae Collins (1949-1963) Denise McNair (1951-1963) Carole Robertson (1949-1963) Cynthia Wesley (1949-1963) Christina died when an assassin in Tucson, Arizona, opened fired at a public event hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously wounded. Addie Mae, Denise, Carole, and Cynthia died when violent racists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. When we forget that politics ... more »

Rhee, former D.C. schools chief, busy lobbying, helping Right wing politicians– USATODAY.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 17 hours ago

Rhee, former D.C. schools chief, busy lobbying – USATODAY.com:Former D.C. schools chief busy lobbying, helping politiciansBy Greg Toppo, USA TODAYUpdated 7h 2m agoCommentsReprints PermissionsMore than a year after she resigned as chancellor of Washington, D.C., Public Schools — and nine months after her successor asked D.C.'s inspector general to investigate high erasure rates on standardized tests during her tenure —Michelle Rhee remains as high-profile as ever.By Charlie Nye, The StarMichelle Rhee's non-profit is lobbying statehouses.EnlargeBy Charlie Nye, The StarMichelle Rhee's ... more »

NYC Educator: The Ratings Game

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 17 hours ago

NYC Educator: The Ratings Game:The Ratings Gameby NYC EducatorYou'd think we were a TV station seeking Nielsons, but actually we're the largest school system in the country. An emergency headline from vacationing Gotham Schools blares that we're going to lose a ton of money, but the story doesn't bother to inform readers of the limited uses for which the money can be used. This, of course, leaves readers with the impression the evil UFT is obfuscating so that the lazy ... more »

All Things Education: My Year-End Post: No Matter the Reforms, No One Likes Tyranny

All Things Education: My Year-End Post: No Matter the Reforms, No One Likes Tyranny:

My Year-End Post: No Matter the Reforms, No One Likes Tyranny

by Rachel Levy

Education blogger/journalist Alexander Russo asked via twitter and then via his blog with Scholastic where all the smart, interesting pro-reform teacher and principal bloggers were. For now, he said the "reform critics" seemed to be dominating the conversation on-line.

Lots of people responded to this already including Nancy Flanagan, Anthony Cody (here and here), Shaun Johnson, Katie Osgood, Mike Klonsky, Teacher Ken, and Leonie Haimson. I'm not going to get into everything they said because I think at least some of the controversy generated by his post is due to clumsiness on his part, rather than any malice or an agenda (other than to chase down a prescribed narrative) and some misunderstanding on some of their parts. I also criticized him for using the pro- versus anti-reform labels, but I can see that sometimes using such dichotomous terms is just expedient and may not reflect a belief in