Thursday, January 19, 2012

Big Education Ape: 1-19-12 PM The values behind ‘value-added’ EDition #P2ED #ELEARNING

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now:
Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

Published by Coopmike48 – 8 news spotters today

The values behind ‘value-added’

takingnote.learningmatters.tv - Does the current push for “Value Added” measures mean that education has finally figured it out, or is this yet another silver bullet that will fail — and perhaps do more harm than good along the w...

K12NN

JamesBoutin's Blog | Teacher Leaders Network

teacherleaders.org - Over the past weekend, a group of Washington State teachers participated in a multi-prompt asynchronous chat around the creation and use of new systems of teacher evaluation in the Seattle area. Af...

leoniehaimson


 An Assault on the Right to Protest

huffingtonpost.com - On Monday, I had the honor of joining in our nation's celebration of the life and legacy of one of the great protesters of the last century. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. marched, and led historic ma...

mikeklonsky

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coopmike48 UC Riverside Regents: "You're fired!" | OccupyWallSt.org -goo.gl/gTV1o #ows3 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 solidaridad: Schools Matter: On Huffington Post censorship and Parent Revolution puff pieces - goo.gl/XcUF92 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Portland Mayor Sam Adams shops a new urban renewal district dubbed the 'education' zone: Portland City Hall... bit.ly/wVchU0 #edu43 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

EducationSee all

School Tech Connect: On Data, and Fundamentalism

schooltechconnect.com - I stopped teaching kids English at the end of the of the 2004-2005 school year to become a testing coordinator and media specialist, and then administrator and finally, a computer guy. I'm trying t...

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SocietySee all

Food stamp families to critics: Walk in our shoes

northjersey.com - Some have advanced degrees and remember middle-class lives. Some work selling lingerie or building websites. They are white, black and Hispanic, young and old, homeowners and homeless. What they ha...

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PoliticsSee all

Rahm's retreat was phony

michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Protesting the mayor's latest assault on free speech. With protesters chanting “We vote no” outside, a compliant city council approved Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to deny First Amendment rights to ...

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Big Hollywood's Big Copyright Defeat

motherjones.com - One draft for a "blackout screen" for Wikipedia, which plans to "go dark" on Wednesday in protest of two Hollywood-backed copyright bills pending in the US Congress. WikipediaOnly two American indu...

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StoriesSee all

Are You Kidding Me? Another Month of Job Losses? |

bluecheddar.net - I have mixed feelings about the ease of my self-assigned task of reporting Wisconsin’s employment data in the worst light possible. Obviously it hurts to see so many Wisconsinites still looking for...

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Blog posts on this issue

whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release January 19, 2012 Walt Disney World Resort Orlando, Florida12:40 P.M. ESTTHE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody! (Applause.) I am glad...

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Journalism Warning Labels « Tom Scott

tomscott.com - Contents Not VerifiedIt seems a bit strange to me that the media carefully warn about and label any content that involves sex, violence or strong language — but there's no similar labelling system ...

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HealthSee all

Benefits of high quality child care persist 30 years later

educationresearchreport.blogspot.com - ฮฉ Adults who participated in a high quality early childhood education program in the 1970s are still benefiting from their early experiences in a variety of ways, according to a new study. The stud...

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Blog posts on this issue

whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release January 19, 2012 This morning, President Obama will sign an Executive Order and announce new initiatives to significantly increas...

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Blog posts on this issue

whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release January 19, 2012 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and...

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National Teacher of the Year Nominee - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

National Teacher of the Year Nominee - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):

California Teacher of the Year Chosen as Finalist
for National Teacher of the Year Title

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today said he is extremely pleased that Rebecca Mieliwocki, a 2012 California Teacher of the Year from Los Angeles County, has been selected as one of four finalists nationwide for the 2012 National Teacher of the Year award.
"I am elated that Rebecca, who is remarkably gifted and innovative, is being considered as the nation's next top teacher," Torlakson said. "I nominated her for this prestigious title because she is an inspiration to other teachers as well as her students, who are learning and succeeding due to her tremendous classroom skill."
Mieliwocki (pronounced like Milwaukee) was named in November as one of five California Teachers of the Year. Her selection as a national finalist was announced today by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education.
She and three other state Teachers of the Year from Florida, Alabama, and the Department of Defense Education Activity in Italy were chosen by a National Selection Committee representing the major national education organizations. The winner will be announced in April.
Mieliwocki has been teaching for more than 13 years, including nine years at Burbank Middle School, where she teaches general education and Gifted and Talented Education classes. She is faculty chair and serves on the school leadership team. Her lessons are infused with a wide array of technical tools that, as her principal says, "brings lessons to life."
She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communication at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; and a Single Subject Professional Clear Credential in English at California State University, Northridge.
For more information on the four 2012 National Teacher of the Year finalists, please visit the CCSSO Web site at: The Council of Chief State School Officers (Outside Source).
Related Content
  • California Teachers of the Year - Recognizes exemplary teachers who best represent all of California's teachers and symbolize the profession's contributions to quality education.
# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
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Schools Matter: It's the Socioeconomic Segregation, Stupid

Schools Matter: It's the Socioeconomic Segregation, Stupid:

It's the Socioeconomic Segregation, Stupid

by Jim Horn
In a piece for The Nation a few days ago, Linda Darling-Hammond demolishes most of the remaining chunks of any size within the crumbling structure of corporate education’s most ironically-titled reform ever — No Child Left Behind. NCLB is rubble, even though many unseen victims continue to be buried beneath its mammoth pile.

Darling-Hammond, who was recruited to get Team Obama up to speed on education issues following the 2008 election, entitled her piece, “Why Is Congress Redlining Our Schools?” It should be noted that as soon as Team Obama got a lay of the edu-land, they dismissed Darling-Hammond and brought in corporate lackey, Arne Duncan, to serve as titular head of the Education Department while the corporate foundations run the show.

Now that I think about it, she might have more appropriately entitled her piece “Why are the White House and
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Jersey Jazzman: The Outsiders

Jersey Jazzman: The Outsiders:

The Outsiders

by Duke
James Osborne at the Philadelphia Inky had a great piece on the secretive, unaccountable charter application process in New Jersey. I want to add a few things to his report:
New Jersey education officials had a dilemma last summer: Following the approval of a record number of charter schools, questions were flying about how closely the applications had been screened.
It's worth noting that the only reason we know who screened the charter applicants is because the ACLU and the Education Law Center filed a lawsuit to get the names released. Officials in the NJ DOE reported said they would "go to the mat" to protect the names of the reviewers. This is what passes for transparency in the word of Chris Christie and Chris Cerf.
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers, a Chicago nonprofit, had
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Portland Mayor Sam Adams shops a new urban renewal district dubbed the 'education' zone: Portland City Hall roundup | OregonLive.com

Portland Mayor Sam Adams shops a new urban renewal district dubbed the 'education' zone: Portland City Hall roundup | OregonLive.com:

Portland Mayor Sam Adams shops a new urban renewal district dubbed the 'education' zone: Portland City Hall roundup

Published: Thursday, January 19, 2012, 9:49 AM Updated: Thursday, January 19, 2012, 2:37 PM
Beth Slovic, The Oregonian By Beth Slovic, The Oregonian




A new proposal for a downtown Portland urban renewal district includes Lincoln High School, the Portland State University campus and Oregon Health and Science University's Marquam Plaza.

Dubbed the Education Urban Renewal Area, the new zone would give Mayor Sam Adams the opportunity to burnish his image as a schools advocate and deliver on a stalled effort to funnel more development money downtown. He has just 11 months left in office.

The push won't be easy.

Adams' earlier efforts to create a larger downtown zone -- then referred to as the Central City Urban Renewal Area -- drew criticism, particularly from Multnomah County officials who worried about the financial hit to their budgets. (Urban renewal zones route property taxes away from jurisdictions such as the county.) In March 2009, then-Chairman Ted Wheeler panned Adams' proposal to tap a new zone to help pay for a Major League Soccer renovation at what's now Jeld-Wen Field. "With all due respect, I'm new to the
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Northrop Grumman Foundation and Conservation International Launch ECO Classroom

Northrop Grumman Foundation:

Northrop Grumman Foundation and Conservation International Launch ECO Classroom
Innovative Development Program Takes Teachers out of Classrooms and into the Field

WASHINGTON – Jan. 19, 2012 -- Wes Bush, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman, and Peter A. Seligmann, co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Conservation International, today announced the launch of ECO Classroom, a unique and innovative nationwide professional development program for public middle and high school science teachers. The Northrop Grumman Foundation, in collaboration with Conservation International, created the program which begins this summer and was unveiled this morning at the National Press Club in Washington.

“Both Northrop Grumman and Conservation International understand the value of science,” said Bush. “We need to leverage the capability of science to address the challenges of international conservation and we have joined forces to create a program to motivate more young people to pursue technical careers in science, engineering and other STEM fields.”

“Today we face a number of unprecedented environmental challenges on a global scale that need solutions, many of which will be based in science,” said Seligmann. “Together with our partner Northrop Grumman, we are pleased to announce ECO Classroom – a new program designed to enable teachers to inspire the next generation of scientists and environmental stewards.”

Under the ECO Classroom program, a team of public school teacher participants – from all over the United States – will travel to Conservation International’s Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network (http://www.teamnetwork.org/en/about) Volcan Barva site in La Selva Biological and Braulio Carrillo National Park in Costa Rica, to experience firsthand field collection of biodiversity and climate data using TEAM scientific protocols, and bring these unique learning opportunities into their classroom.

“The Northrop Grumman Foundation has been pioneering programs to inspire science teachers for many years now,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation. “We have turned our focus to the environmental sciences in recognition of the importance of international environmental sustainability to the health and security of future generations. We believe that providing a hands-on environmental experience to science teachers will give them insight and inspiration that they can pass on to their students.”

Applications for the inaugural class of teachers to attend the July 2012 program are now available. To learn more about or to apply to participate in ECO Classroom, visit www.northropgrumman.com/ecoclassroom. The application deadline is March 15, 2012.

The goal of ECO Classroom is to help teachers inspire students to pursue science and technical careers and become our next generation of environmental scientists. It is widely acknowledged among educators and policymakers that insufficient numbers of students are entering into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. One way to address this issue and emphasize environmental stewardship is to motivate educators to engage students in the sciences and to bring unique learning opportunities into their classrooms with real-world curricula and hands-on experiences.

Teachers will return to their schools with an in-depth understanding of the interrelationship between biodiversity, climate change, and human activities, and will be equipped with new techniques and resources to enhance their own classroom teaching. Additional teacher trips are planned for subsequent summers.

Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, Conservation International (CI) empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the long term well-being of people. Founded in 1987 and marking its 25th anniversary in 2012, CI has headquarters in the Washington D.C. area, and 900 employees working in nearly 30 countries on four continents, plus 1,000+ partners around the world. For more information, please visit at www.conservation.org , or on Facebook or Twitter.

The Northrop Grumman Foundation supports diverse and sustainable programs for students and teachers. These programs create innovative education experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. For more information please visit www.northropgrumman.com/foundation.

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An Open Letter to Potential Applicants to the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Program | ED.gov Blog

An Open Letter to Potential Applicants to the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Program | ED.gov Blog:

An Open Letter to Potential Applicants to the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Program

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Andrea Falken

Dear School,

Thank you for your enthusiasm regarding the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools. The intent of this new award is to encourage as many schools as possible to look at environmental impact, health and education in new ways and to make much needed improvements. We are thrilled with the overwhelming support for and consensus around the award and the fact that many of you are already taking steps to improve your schools in these areas.

With the program’s three Pillars, we have identified for state, local and school programs what areas of action are necessary to become an U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School. But we are confident that the scope and impact of the award will extend far beyond the 100 or so winners of the pilot year. This is because the award is designed so that every school applying across the country will be encouraged to embark upon a critical learning process and, in doing so, connect to more resources, knowledge and programs to further its green school aims.

Under the program’s rules, states nominate their own schools, and the application form is a little different in each state, so you should carefully review your nominating authority’s requirements. States’ forms serve not only as applications but also as self-assessment tools for schools to learn about and address all important areas of the award: to foster health, wellness and productivity; to reduce costs; to provide a well-rounded education; to increase STEM skills; improve civic engagement; and to generally ensure students’ college and career preparedness.

State applications may not be an easy lift, but you’ll find that they constitute a different kind of work than most awards. In completing the application and reviewing our online materials and those posted by your state authority, your school will learn about technical, financial and volunteer resources. Equally important, your school will obtain a baseline assessment of where it stands and can improve in the future in the three Green Ribbon Schools Pillars, as well as some other requirements in the areas of health, safety and environment.

This means that the very act of completing an application in your state or jurisdiction can lead to change and improvement in your school. For this reason, I encourage you to apply and to take advantage of the many resources on our site. We know that every school can reduce its environmental impact, improve health and provide effective environmental education. What’s more, current financial constraints and national academic outcomes demand this shift toward sustainable facilities, health and education practices – not just among a few winners, but by all schools across the nation.

With best wishes for your school greening efforts,

Andrea Suarez Falken
Director, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools

Apply to your state.
Connect with resources to meet your green schools aims.
See previous Green Ribbon blogs.

Please note: U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools is a federal recognition award and should not be confused with any green schools program conducted by non-governmental entities.


Making College More Affordable

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Cameron Brenchley

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are traveling the country hosting conversations nationwide addressing the cost of college tuition and student debt on American families.

Watch the Video:

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