Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Still “Lying to Children”: How No Child Left Behind Corrupted Education - The Daily BeastBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-7 minutes agoStill “Lying to Children”: How No Child Left Behind Corrupted Education - The Daily Beast:Still “Lying to Children”: How No Child Left Behind Corrupted EducationJan 9, 2012 6:53 AM ESTExpecting all students to be college ready is a hopeless utopian goal that inevitably produces test-score inflation and bad results.PrintEmailComments (2)When George W. Bush signed No Child Left Behind ... more »

Support PURE! » “Fire Chris Koch”: ISBE chief hid real costs of testing company junkets

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » “Fire Chris Koch”: ISBE chief hid real costs of testing company junkets:“Fire Chris Koch”: ISBE chief hid real costs of testing company junketsby adminThe Pearson junket scandal broke — i.e. was actually reported – a few months ago in New York, and the NY state attorney general is now investigating local education officials, but Chicago media seems uninterested in the fact that Illinois State Superintendent Chris Koch also took advantage of ... more »

RheeFirst! » Unsolved Mystery: DC Public Schools Cheating Scandal– Is there a cover up?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

RheeFirst! » Unsolved Mystery: DC Public Schools Cheating Scandal– Is there a cover up?:Unsolved Mystery: DC Public Schools Cheating Scandal– Is there a cover up?by adminWritten by Catharine Evans and Ann Kane for the Potter Williams Report. Read the entire article here.“The Washington DC school system’s failure to hold higher-ups accountable for their 2008-2010 test cheating scandal has led to more speculation that some are intentionally stonewalling attempts to get at the truth. …… Mayor Gray took the opportunity to ... more »

Schools Matter: Chetty Study: "simpleminded, technocratic, dehumanizing and disturbing"

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Schools Matter: Chetty Study: "simpleminded, technocratic, dehumanizing and disturbing":Chetty Study: "simpleminded, technocratic, dehumanizing and disturbing"by Jim HornThe heart of Bruce Baker's first review of the corporate boot-licking conclusions by Chetty Co.:. . . . The authors find that teacher value added scores in their historical data set vary. No surprise. And they find that those variations are correlated to some extent with “other stuff” including income later in life and having reported dependents for females at a young age. There’s ... more »

Talking Title IX on Twitter | ED.gov Blog

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

Talking Title IX on Twitter | ED.gov Blog:Talking Title IX on TwitterPosted on January 9, 2012 by Cameron BrenchleyThis year marks the 40th anniversary of Title IX, the civil rights law that ensures educational institutions that receive federal funding do not discriminate on the basis of sex. Secretary Duncan has said that Title IX is “one of the great civil rights success stories in education.” To kick off the anniversary year, Secretary Duncan and Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn ... more »

No honor among thieves. Wing-nuts defend Romney when it comes to job destruction. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

No honor among thieves. Wing-nuts defend Romney when it comes to job destruction. « Fred Klonsky:No honor among thieves. Wing-nuts defend Romney when it comes to job destruction.by Fred KlonskySome of the crazy right-wingers in the GOP would rather lose the White House than elect Mitt Romney, in spite of his claim of being conservative. He’s just not conservative enough for the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.But when Newt Gingrich came out with a blistering video on the ... more »

HechingerEd Blog | The reliability problem in grading teachers

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HechingerEd Blog | The reliability problem in grading teachers:The reliability problem in grading teachersby Sarah GarlandA new study underwritten by the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation (which is among the funders of The Hechinger Report) tackles the question of whether the new teacher evaluation systems going into effect in school districts across the country are accurate and reliable in identifying which teachers are good and which are not. The researchers found that the new evaluation systems are likely to be more ... more »

In Case You Missed It: A State suspension, A Cuomo commission, and a lot of 2012 tension « EdVox

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 4 hours ago

In Case You Missed It: A State suspension, A Cuomo commission, and a lot of 2012 tension « EdVox:In Case You Missed It: A State suspension, A Cuomo commission, and a lot of 2012 tensionby edvoxnyTuesdayAfter months of back-and-forth, warnings by State officials, and a breakdown in talks about a teacher evaluation system that ended with City DOE refusing to negotiate further with the teachers union, the State education commissioner suspended payments of federal grants to struggling schools across New ... more »

WATCH OUT FINLAND, HERE COMES ILLINOIS ! « Teachers Fight Back

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WATCH OUT FINLAND, HERE COMES ILLINOIS ! « Teachers Fight Back:WATCH OUT FINLAND, HERE COMES ILLINOIS !by alkleenI was looking at the wording of the goals for the new curriculum in Illinois, the “Common Core Curriculum”, (which by the way is about the 1,876th curriculum change in the last 40 years), but then again, who’s keeping score? One of the curriculum statements reads, “the standards were developed while considering the standards of top performing countries”. So, one of the goals ... more »

Still “Lying to Children”: How No Child Left Behind Corrupted Education - The Daily Beast

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

Still “Lying to Children”: How No Child Left Behind Corrupted Education - The Daily Beast:Still “Lying to Children”: How No Child Left Behind Corrupted EducationJan 9, 2012 6:53 AM ESTExpecting all students to be college ready is a hopeless utopian goal that inevitably produces test-score inflation and bad results.PrintEmailComments (2)When George W. Bush signed No Child Left Behind legislation into law 10 years ago this week, it seemed like the perfect expression of his brand of “compassionate conservatism,” while also ... more »

Governors Association Examines Teacher Merit Pay - High School Notes (usnews.com)

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Governors Association Examines Teacher Merit Pay - High School Notes (usnews.com):Governors Association Examines Teacher Merit PayGovernors Association Examines Teacher Merit PayBy JASON KOEBLERJanuary 9, 2012 RSS Feed PrintMany pro-reform education experts, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, will tell you that one of the most important factors in a child's education is the quality of the teacher—and the way to retain the best teachers is to pay them more. But states and teachers unions nationwide are having trouble agreeing ... more »

Education Reform Now’s 2010 IRS 990 Form « DFER Watch

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Education Reform Now’s 2010 IRS 990 Form « DFER Watch:Education Reform Now’s 2010 IRS 990 Formby ken libbypEducation Reform Now’s IRS 990 form and audited financial statement were recently posted on the NY Charities Bureau a href=”http://bartlett.oag.state.ny.us/Char_Forms/show_details.jsp?id={D4BB3F84-544C-4371-A9D0-05EB216A4445}”website/a. Below is a summary of relevant information. This post then concludes with a few brief notes./p pstrongSummary:/strong/p pERN’s total revenue and total expenses grew between 2009 and 2010:/p pimg style=”display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-r... more »

NJ Spotlight | In the Suburbs, Charter Schools Raise Concerns About Local Control

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NJ Spotlight | In the Suburbs, Charter Schools Raise Concerns About Local Control:In the Suburbs, Charter Schools Raise Concerns About Local ControlCan a local school district block a charter from opening or refuse to fund it? print | email | shareBy Marilyn Joyce Lehren, January 9, 2012 in Education |1 CommentCredit: Marilyn Joyce LehrenLili Meddahi, a Maplewood third grader, decorates a protest sign against charters.When a charter school opens in a gritty urban neighborhood, few parents and officials argue that ... more »

Sacramento Press / "Strong Mayor" Proposal at Secret Public Meeting

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

Sacramento Press / "Strong Mayor" Proposal at Secret Public Meeting:"Strong Mayor" Proposal at Secret Public Meetingby William BurgOn January 7, 2012, Sacramento city staff held a public meeting about the newest proposal to change the city charter, the “Checks and Balances Act of 2012.” However, this public meeting was not announced to the general public—instead it was directed at a small group of neighborhood leaders.I found out about the meeting via the chair of the Midtown Neighborhood Association, who received ... more »

Application for Hebrew Charter School in New Jersey Raises Concern - NYTimes.com

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

Application for Hebrew Charter School in New Jersey Raises Concern - NYTimes.com:Rejected 3 Times, School May Still Open Soon, and With a Grant, TooBy MICHAEL WINERIPPublished: January 8, 2012RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINCOMMENTS (4)E-MAILPRINTSINGLE PAGEREPRINTSSHAREIn the last couple of years, Sharon Akman, a real estate agent, applied to the state of New Jersey three times to open a new charter school in the Highland Park area, to be called Tikun Olam Hebrew Language Charter High School.RelatedTimes Topics: Charter Schools |Michael WineripNews, data and conversation ... more »

NYC Educator: A Message from the Mayor

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

NYC Educator: A Message from the Mayor:A Message from the Mayorby NYC EducatorGood morning, New York. It's me, Mayor Michael Bloomberg. You know, a lot of people ask me what I'm up to nowadays. Well, I've got my eye on this new teacher evaluation system. I'm sure you know that last year I tried to get rid of that seniority clause when firing teachers. I say, let's keep the best teachers. The most effective teachers. And by that, I mean ... more »

Mandated community service: Risks and potential - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

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

Mandated community service: Risks and potential - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Mandated community service: Risks and potentialby Valerie StraussThis was written by Alfie Kohn, the author of 12 books about education and human behavior, including “The Schools Our Children Deserve,” “The Homework Myth,” and the newly published“Feel-Bad Education . . . And Other Contrarian Essays on Children Schooling.” He lives (actually) in the Boston area and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.com. .Read full article Putting New York’s testing program on ... more »

How weighted funding would work | Thoughts on Public Education

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How weighted funding would work | Thoughts on Public Education:How weighted funding would workShare$3,000 more per student in low-income districtsPosted on 1/09/12 • Categorized as Equity issues, Finance, Jerry Brown, Poverty, State Budget, Student spendingBy John Fensterwald - Educated GuessDistricts in which nearly 90 percent of students are either low-income or English learners (such as Long Beach Unified and Los Angeles Unified) will get $3,000 more per student than districts where only 20 percent of students are disadvantaged (like Poway ... more »

Commentary: New paradigm needed for teacher training | EdNewsColorado

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Commentary: New paradigm needed for teacher training | EdNewsColorado:Commentary: New paradigm needed for teacher trainingby Mark SassMark Sass, a teacher since 1994, teaches at Legacy High School in the Adams Five Star School District. He is a member of the Denver New Millennium Initiative.Many years ago, as I navigated my way through different careers before settling on education, I was a truck mechanic for Ford. I started right out of high school prepping new cars and then worked my way ... more »

Oregon seeks OK to judge schools on overall performance, not success with small groups that typically struggle | OregonLive.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 21 hours ago

Oregon seeks OK to judge schools on overall performance, not success with small groups that typically struggle | OregonLive.com:Oregon seeks OK to judge schools on overall performance, not success with small groups that typically strugglePublished: Sunday, January 08, 2012, 3:00 PM Updated: Sunday, January 08, 2012, 5:14 PMOregon schools that serve a concentration of low-income students will face a distinctly different accountability system this fall if the U.S. Department of Educationapproves the state's plan. Under the federal No Child Left ... more »

N.J. Senate approves Christie-backed bill to allow private companies to manage schools in poor cities | NJ.com

N.J. Senate approves Christie-backed bill to allow private companies to manage schools in poor cities | NJ.com:

N.J. Senate approves Christie-backed bill to allow private companies to manage schools in poor cities

Published: Monday, January 09, 2012, 5:31 PM Updated: Monday, January 09, 2012, 10:29 PM

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerActing Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf, right, listens as Gov. Chris Christie speaks in this April file photo.

TRENTON — A bill backed by Gov. Chris Christie that allows private companies to build and manage up to a dozen public schools in three of the state’s poorest cities was approved by the state Senate 34-3 today.

Known as the Urban Hope Act, the bill gives businesses unprecedented control over public education in Newark, Camden and Trenton, districts where school construction has ground to a halt in recent years.

If it passes today in the Assembly, as expected, the bill will become Christie’s signature education reform achievement since declaring one year ago that 2011 would be "the year of education reform."

The Schools Development Authority is responsible for construction in these and other low-income

The State of the Governor's Education Agenda

Christie was not short on ambition when it came to education, but how did he fare on his own promises?

On the last day of its session yesterday, New Jersey's state legislature passed one pilot bill to open up a dozen "renaissance schools" and another to allow districts to move school elections to November.

It was an anticlimactic end to a year that Gov. Chris Christie said would bring sweeping changes to public education.

Still, pension and health benefit reform and a 2 percent cap on school taxes are no small accomplishments, and the governor helped drive the debate over issues like tenure reform, merit

LAUSD proposal would let students go to any school - LA Daily News

LAUSD proposal would let students go to any school - LA Daily News:

LAUSD proposal would let students go to any school

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer

Posted: 01/09/2012 08:17:26 PM PST

Updated: 01/09/2012 08:20:38 PM PST

The LAUSD board is tackling increased competition for students with a pair of proposals that would dismantle the tradition of neighborhood schools and let parents send their kids to the campus of their choice.

A resolution set for a vote today by the school board orders Superintendent John Deasy to come up with a plan to increase Los Angeles Unified's enrollment by luring students back from charter, private and parochial schools and from neighboring districts.

A separate proposal gives Deasy three months to devise a new open-enrollment policy that would erase attendance boundaries and allow students to attend any school across the sprawling district.

The board members sponsoring the resolutions say it's time to replicate the accomplishments of successful

Missouri Education Watchdog: What Do Prince and Educational Reform Mandates Have in Common? They both Changed their Names.

Missouri Education Watchdog: What Do Prince and Educational Reform Mandates Have in Common? They both Changed their Names.:

What Do Prince and Educational Reform Mandates Have in Common? They both Changed their Names.

by stlgretchen

We are delighted to feature a guest blogger writing about Race to the Top like mandates that Missouri instituted but without Race to the Top funding. Similar to the announcement of the singer Prince changing his name to symbols (and thereafter being referred to as "The Artist formerly Known as Prince"), the Race to the Top mandates and their copy cat mandates have evolved into a name changing event as well. In the interest of being accurate and tracing their transformation, let it forever be known that the

School Tech Connect: Assessment Porn

School Tech Connect: Assessment Porn:

Assessment Porn

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Edweek, where my subscription has apparently lapsed.

It's all very sketchy but nevermind. We can't throw enough money at these tests, and the computers required to

Why has the Illinois media ignored the Pearson test junket scandal? « Fred Klonsky

Why has the Illinois media ignored the Pearson test junket scandal? « Fred Klonsky:

Why has the Illinois media ignored the Pearson test junket scandal?

by Fred Klonsky

Illinois School Superintendent Christopher Koch loved to travel at Pearson expense.

Yesterday’s posting of the letter from Oswego Superintendent Roger Sanders got a lot of attention as measured by visits to this blog.

But the local press still ignores the story long after the New York Times reported that Pearson, one of the country’s leading test producers, offered junkets to local school officials, including Illinois School Superintendent Christopher Koch.

In calling for Governor Quinn to fire Koch, Sanders said,

I guess Dr. Koch didn’t think we would find out. I guess Dr. Koch didn’t think he

The Educated Reporter: Coalition Wants Middle Schoolers Taught About Sexual Orientation

The Educated Reporter: Coalition Wants Middle Schoolers Taught About Sexual Orientation:

Coalition Wants Middle Schoolers Taught About Sexual Orientation

by Emily Richmond

A coalition of health and education groups wants students to know by the end of eighth grade that sexual orientation is "the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender," according to this story from Kimberly Hefling of the Associated Press.

The coalition also recommends that students as young as second grade should know the "correct names" for both male and female anatomy. There should also be standards for anti-bullying education, the coalition says.

Hefling got this quote from Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Education Abstinence Association,

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Why is this N.J. charter app being approved?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Why is this N.J. charter app being approved?:

Why is this N.J. charter app being approved?

by Mike Klonsky

The New Jersey suburb of Highland Park needs a new charter school like a fish needs a bicycle. But after her bogus applications had been rejected three times, and despite community protests, real-estate agent Sharon Akman, may finally get her Tikun Olam Hebrew charter school along with a $600,000 grant, courtesy of Arne Duncan and the D.O.E.

Writes Michael Winerip in Sunday's Times:

For each child who leaves a district to attend a charter, the charter receives 90 percent of the district’s per-pupil spending allotment. In modest-size communities like Highland Park, with a

Read Schools Matter: The struggle to save LAUSD's adult education program

Schools Matter: The struggle to save LAUSD's adult education program:

The struggle to save LAUSD's adult education program

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

"I'm an adult ed teacher, and I just want to say thanks to those of you outside of adult ed who understand the importance of what we do, and are willing to stand with us as we fight to survive this year. When I go back to work tomorrow morning and greet my class full of ADULTS studying basic math, GED prep, and high school subjects, I will feel better knowing that you who work in K-12 understand the importance of what we do for families and communities. Parents who can't read or do arithmetic can't help their kids learn." — Michelle Cohen

Join the struggle to save LAUSD's adult education programs

From regular high school students in need of credit recovery, to students working to obtain their diplomas after life circumstance altered their ability to obtain it in four years, to English Language Learners, to immigrants working on their citizenship, to students wanting access to career programs now that community college tuitions have skyrocketed, Los Angeles Unified School