Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 2-6 Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

RheeFirst! » Michelle Rhee comes to Alabama #edchat #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

RheeFirst! » Michelle Rhee comes to Alabama:Michelle Rhee comes to Alabamaby adminOriginally posted on Blue in Alabama. Read the entire post here.“It was recently announced, and not very publicly, that Michelle Rhee, the HIGHLY controversial ex-Washington, D.C. superintendent was coming to the state of Alabama at the request of Dr. Bentley (yes the Michelle Rhee from the Waiting for Superman documentary). It’s still unclear who’s going to be footing the bill for her visit. Apparently she and her group StudentFirst ... more »

WTF Analysis: Why a charter school trumped a neighborhood school for space | school, charter, schools - News - The Orange County Register

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

Analysis: Why a charter school trumped a neighborhood school for space | school, charter, schools - News - The Orange County Register:District: Charter law forced school's closureMission Viejo’s award-winning Barcelona Hills Elementary School will close in June to allow the 5-month-old Oxford Preparatory Academy charter school to grow.By SCOTT MARTINDALE / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTERMISSION VIEJO – Barcelona Hills Elementary is closing in June, but not because it's an underperforming school or because neighborhood parents are demanding sweeping changes.The 34-year-old ... more »

TEMECULA: Board surrenders charter to district

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

TEMECULA: Board surrenders charter to district:TEMECULA: Board surrenders charter to districtStoryDiscussionBy JENNIFER KABBANY For The Californian | Posted: Saturday, February 4, 2012 6:00 pm | 1 CommentFont Size:Default font sizeLarger font sizeRelated StoriesTEMECULA: Context founder wonders what's nextTEMECULA: Context charter school to closeThe remaining three members of Context Middle School's board voted to surrender the embattled school's charter to the Temecula school district at a short but fiery meeting Friday night.After the 3-0 vote, which came without discussion, sever... more »

Lost Malcolm X Speech Heard Again 50 Years Later : NPR

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

Lost Malcolm X Speech Heard Again 50 Years Later : NPR:Lost Malcolm X Speech Heard Again 50 Years Laterby GUY RAZ Last semester, Brown senior Malcolm Burnley took a narrative writing course. One of the assignments was to write a fictional story based on something true — and that true event had to be found inside the university archives."So I went to the archives and started flipping through dusty compilations of student newspapers, and there was this old black-and-white photo ... more »

Issue: Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress:S.2051A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the reduced interest rate for Federal Direct Stafford Loans.Introduced Jan 31, 201260 ViewsH.R.3845 - Growth to Excellence Act of 2012To establish an alternative accountability model.Introduced Jan 31, 201261 ViewsS.2047 - Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act of 2012A bill to authorize the Secretary of Education to make demonstration grants to eligible local educational agencies for the purpose of reducing...Introduced Jan 31, 2012135 ViewsS.Res.364A resolution ... more »

School choice: Don't choose to rob even more money from education - phillyBurbs.com : Guest Opinions: guest opinion, senate bill 1, education funding, pennsylvania schools,

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

School choice: Don't choose to rob even more money from education - phillyBurbs.com : Guest Opinions: guest opinion, senate bill 1, education funding, pennsylvania schools,:School choice: Don't choose to rob even more money from educationStoryComments (3)ShareSharePrintCreate a hardcopy of this pageFont Size:Default font sizeLarger font sizePosted: Monday, February 6, 2012 6:00 am | Updated: 6:46 pm, Fri Feb 3, 2012.By JANE K. CURRY | 3 commentsGov. Tom Corbett and the Legislature have a legal obligation to support public schools. They ... more »

Arizona judge rules for teachers in pension suit. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

Arizona judge rules for teachers in pension suit. « Fred Klonsky:Arizona judge rules for teachers in pension suit.by Fred KlonskyIn a ruling that has implications for teachers in Illinois, an Arizona lower court judge ruled in favor of teachers and their pensions.The Arizona Times:A judge has struck down an Arizona law that increased the amount state employees must contribute toward their pensions as unconstitutional.Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Eileen Willett wrote in a Friday ruling that a state law that ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: AUSL's clout-heavy "turnaround" schools among city's worst

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: AUSL's clout-heavy "turnaround" schools among city's worst:AUSL's clout-heavy "turnaround" schools among city's worstby Mike KlonskyClout-heavy banker David Vitale, former AUSL board chairman, now runs the Board of EducationFounded and run by Chicago venture capitalist, Martin Koldyke, the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUS) has used its connections and political clout to become a powerhouse in the school turnaround business. Despite its schools ranking at or near the bottom of the system, AUSL has benefited from ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:WEEKEND QUOTABLESby Mike KlonskyChicago Mayor (right) with Krupp CEO Torsten GessnerRahm Emanuel“By combining transportation, infrastructure, and the best workforce in the world, Chicago is a destination for the greatest companies around the globe, and ThyssenKrupp is a perfect example of this.” -- City of Chicago press releaseBrian Jackson, ThyssenKrupp's lawyer"We look forward to having our day in court." --Chicago TribuneDeborah Meier "As we once reminded colleagues, Nazi Germany had a successful school system—so what?" --Bridging ... more »

Jerry Brown's call for fewer school tests conflicts with state's new education blueprint - Sacramento Bee

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Jerry Brown's call for fewer school tests conflicts with state's new education blueprint - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:Jerry Brown's call for fewer school tests conflicts with state's new education blueprintShareBy Diana Lambertdlambert@sacbee.comPublished: Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1BLast Modified: Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 - 2:12 pmWant to make a public school teacher cringe? Say the words high-stakes testing.Tests, test and more tests.Teachers unions rail against them. Parents complain about ... more »

Schools Matter: Jeff McQuillan: Books before bytes

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Schools Matter: Jeff McQuillan: Books before bytes:Jeff McQuillan: Books before bytesby skrashenJeff McQuillan: "Books before bytes"re (Michael Hiltzik)Sent to the Los Angeles Times, Feb. 5, 2012To the Editor:Kudos to Michael Hiltzik for his column ("Hyping tech will not help students," February 5) criticizing federal officials for overselling the benefits of technology to K-12 schools. As co-producer of the most popular educational podcast in the world (ESLPod.com's English as a Second Language Podcast), I'm no enemy of new technology.But our students ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-5 #edreform #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standards « Cooperative CatalystBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-23 minutes ago10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standards « Cooperative Catalyst:10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standardsfrom Cooperative Catalyst » 5 questions about everything by John T. Spencerwe’re creating shallow zombies in the name of high standardsOften, the proponents of the drill-and-kill testing environment hold up the banner of “high standards” as a rationale for excessive testing. I disagree with this ... more »

All Hands on Deck! | Connected Principals

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

All Hands on Deck! | Connected Principals:All Hands on Deck!by Larry FliegelmanIn the days of yore, the captain of a ship would have the Boatswain (or Bosun) use his pipe to make the “All Hands” call when he wanted the entire crew up on deck and ready for action. Everyone, no matter what their role, no matter when their last duty shift, no matter how busy on another project, were expected to stop what they were doing, assemble on deck ... more »

The Spectatorization of American Politics | Lefty Parent

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

The Spectatorization of American Politics | Lefty Parent:The Spectatorization of American Politicsby Cooper ZaleInteresting juxtaposition between two pieces from this past week, “Americans’ Political Views Not So Far Apart” from LiveScience.com and “Yes, Washington is in fact more partisan now” from The Signal. The first looks at polling since 1970 that purports to show no growing ideological divide between people in the U.S. The second shows just the opposite, but among U.S. politicians. If you believe these two statistical snapshots, ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Joel Rose of the School of One returns...with a COIB ruling that ignores the city's conflict of interest rules

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Joel Rose of the School of One returns...with a COIB ruling that ignores the city's conflict of interest rules:Joel Rose of the School of One returns...with a COIB ruling that ignores the city's conflict of interest rulesby Leonie HaimsonToday, Rachel Monahan reported in the Daily News that the DOE is going forward with a contract for Joel Rose’s new company to run the School of One in NYC public schools.Joel Rose devised and ran the “School ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Joel Rose of the School of One returns...with a COIB ruling that ignores the city's conflict of interest rules

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Joel Rose of the School of One returns...with a COIB ruling that ignores the city's conflict of interest rules:Joel Rose of the School of One returns...with a COIB ruling that ignores the city's conflict of interest rulesby Leonie HaimsonToday, Rachel Monahan reported in the Daily News that the DOE is going forward with a contract for Joel Rose’s new company to run the School of One in NYC public schools.Joel Rose devised and ran the “School ... more »

School Tech Connect: #Occupy The Unions #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

School Tech Connect: #Occupy The Unions:#Occupy The Unionsby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)And I'm back. I can only tell you that I successfully closed the achievement gap, which as you know requires alot of firing, and a lot of dispersing urban black kids to other schools, and then getting the hell out of town before the studies show that you actually didn't close the achievement gap but made it worse instead.Anyhoo, the most interesting thing I read during my little social media vacation ... more »

10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standards « Cooperative Catalyst

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 19 hours ago

10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standards « Cooperative Catalyst:10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standardsfrom Cooperative Catalyst » 5 questions about everything by John T. Spencerwe’re creating shallow zombies in the name of high standardsOften, the proponents of the drill-and-kill testing environment hold up the banner of “high standards” as a rationale for excessive testing. I disagree with this premise entirely. Here are ten reasons most tests lead to lower standards:Extrinsic Motivation: Kids will work hard to ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The New York Post Blows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 19 hours ago

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The New York Post Blows:The New York Post Blowsby noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)Not too long ago I came across this article in the New York Post. This is about Christine Rubino, who taught at PS 203 in Flatlands, for posting “repulsive” comments on Facebook.Several thoughts came to my mind. One, is it not ironic how the Post (and of course News Corp.) the harbinger of freedom is quick to mock someone for defending their constitutional rights of freedom ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Afternoon Posts 2-5 #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 19 hours ago

The privatization trap - The 99 Percent Plan - Salon.comBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-3 minutes agoThe privatization trap - The 99 Percent Plan - Salon.com:The privatization trapFrom schools to prisons, outsourcing government's works typically ends with cronyism, waste and unaccountabilityBY MIKE KONCZALAn employee of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga., waiting for the front gate to be opened. The detention center is operated on contract by Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America. (Credit: AP)TOPICS:THE 99 ... more »

SEPARATE AND Digital | In some cash-strapped schools, kids bring their own tech devices

Digital | In some cash-strapped schools, kids bring their own tech devices:

In some cash-strapped schools, kids bring their own tech devices

by Jennifer Roland

Photo by Lexie Flickinger

At Mankato Public School System in Minnesota, students bring their homework, their lunches, and books to school like most students across the country. But they also bring whatever tech devices they own — and they don’t have to hide it or turn it off when they walk into class.

Mankato has joined the growing Bring Your Own Technology movement that allows students to use their own Netbooks, laptops, and tablets — anything that connects to the school’s wireless network — during class time.

“By allowing kids to bring in their own devices, you free up school resources for the kids who don’t have access,”

Why REALDemocrats Are Opposed to Charter Schools

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Discussion at the 32nd Democrats:

Charter Discussion at the 32nd Democrats

by Melissa Westbrook

Several Democratic districts have taken up the issue of charter schools; of those that have, most have come out against them. Here is a program from the 32nd Dems happening this week.

32nd District Democrats Program

February 8, Wednesday 7pm

Masonic Hall Shoreline, 753 N 185th St, Shoreline

(map)

Why Democrats Are Opposed to Charter Schools

It would be hard not to notice the intense lobbying efforts to promote charter schools by Stand for Children, the League of Education Voters and, now, the Washington State PTA.

Lining up against charter schools are the League of Women Voters, NAACP, the state teachers union (WEA) and most Democrats.

Charter schools have been rejected by the voters three times, most recently in 2004, and both the State party platform and the King County platform affirm our opposition.

Sarajane Siegfriedt, Chair of the King County Democrats Legislative Action Committee, recently traveled to Olympia in an ice storm to testify against the current bill, which is sponsored by Democrats. She will discuss:

• What's behind the current push?
• Who is using whom?
• What's the truth about New Orleans charters?
• Is this why we lost Race to the Top?
• Would you want your kid to sign up for one?

The 34th Dems are also having a meeting that night at 7 p.m. at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California Ave. SW. On their agenda: Charter Schools - we will discuss resolutions both supporting legislation to allow Charter Schools in Washington State and one opposing Charter Schools. The bill summary of House Bill 2428 is here and full text of House Bill 2428 regarding Charter Schools is here.

Michael Winerip Exposes the Flaw in One-Size-Fits-All | Truth in American Education

Michael Winerip Exposes the Flaw in One-Size-Fits-All | Truth in American Education:

Michael Winerip Exposes the Flaw in One-Size-Fits-All

by James Bell

Michael Winerip, writing in the New York Times, analyzes what went comically wrong in the education system of New York state. He says:

State officials have instead chosen to use one English test to assess every high school student in the state, which has caused another fairly gigantic problem: How do you create a single graduation exam for 200,000 seniors when some are heading to the Ivy League and others to pump gas?

If the standard is set too high, so many will fail — including children with special education needs

Revision of the EL Development Standards - Revisión de las Normas de Desarrollo de EL

Revision of the EL Development Standards - Letters (CA Dept of Education):

Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

RECRUITING PANEL OF EXPERTS FOR THE REVISION OF THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS FOR CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS:
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE TWELVE

The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce that it is recruiting a panel of experts for the revision of the English Language Development Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. The
English Language Development Standards will be revised to align with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, which were adopted by the California State Board of Education (SBE) in August 2010, and to reflect current research on English language development instruction.

The panel shall consist of experts in English language instruction, curriculum, and assessment, including individuals who have a minimum of three years of demonstrated experience instructing English learners (ELs) in the classroom at the elementary or secondary level. The panel shall include, but is not limited to, school site principals, school district or county office of education administrators overseeing programs and support for ELs, personnel of teacher training schools at institutions of higher education, or curriculum and instructional specialists with EL experience. The panel shall consist of
members who are appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the SBE, and is responsible for updating and revising the English language development standards adopted pursuant to CaliforniaEducation Code (EC) Section 60811 and aligning those standards with the SBE-approved academic content standards for English language arts adopted pursuant to EC Section 60605.8.

Interested individuals are encouraged to apply. Superintendents and charter school administrators are invited to nominate individuals and distribute the attached application to potential applicants. Please note that there is no compensation for service as a panel member, except that members will receive their actual and necessary travel expenses for attending panel meetings and participating in other panel activities.

For more information about the panel and to obtain application information, please visit the CDE English Learner Resources Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/index.asp. For your convenience, the application form is attached. Applications must be e-mailed to ELDStandards@cde.ca.gov and received no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, 2012.

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Michele Anberg-Espinosa, Bilingual/Migrant Education Consultant, Language Policy and Leadership Office, by phone at 916-323-4872 or by e-mail atmanbergespinosa@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tom Torlakson

TT:mae
Attachment 1 - http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/documents/yr12ltr0206a1.doc (DOC; 132KB; 1p.)
Attachment 2 - http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/documents/yr12ltr0206a2.doc (DOC; 150KB; 3pp.)

cc: Michael Kirst, President, State Board of Education
Sue Burr, Executive Director, State Board of Education

President Obama to Host White House Science Fair | The White House

President Obama to Host White House Science Fair | The White House:

President Obama to Host White House Science Fair

Event Will Highlight Winners of National Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Competitions

WASHINGTON, DC -- On Tuesday, February 7th, President Obama will host the second White House Science Fair celebrating the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President will also announce key steps that the Administration and its partners are taking to help more students excel in math and science, and earn degrees in these subjects.

At the fair, the President will view exhibits of student work, ranging from breakthrough research to new inventions, followed by remarks to an audience of students, science educators and business leaders on the importance of STEM education to the country’s economic future.

The President hosted the first-ever White House Science Fair in late 2010, fulfilling a commitment he made at the launch of his Educate to Innovate campaign to inspire students to excel in math and science. As the President noted then, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come to the White House. Well, if you're a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.” In addition, over the past year, the President met with the three young women who won the Google Science Fair, met a student robotics team on his bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia, and made a surprise appearance at the New York City Science Fair.

Senior Administration Officials Attending
John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
Subra Suresh, Director, National Science Foundation (NSF)
Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Charles F. Bolden, Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Jane Lubchenco, Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Patrick Gallagher, Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Carl Wieman, Associate Director for Science, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
Stephen Van Roekel, Federal Chief Information Officer
Harold Varmus, Director, National Cancer Institute

Additional Information on the Exhibits, Students and Competitions at the White House Science Fair
The second White House Science Fair will celebrate over 100 students from over 45 states, representing over 40 different competitions and organizations that work with students and inspire them to excel in STEM. More than 30 student teams will have the opportunity to exhibit their projects this year, almost twice as many as the first White House Science Fair.

A sampling of the exhibits at the White House Science Fair include:

• Student “Making” and Starting Small Business to Sell his Invention. Fourteen year old Joey Hudy from Phoenix, Arizona is already a Maker Faire veteran. He invented an Extreme Marshmallow Cannon and an LED Cube Microcontroller Shield, which he has exhibited at Maker Faires in New York, San Francisco, and Detroit. He received 2 Editors Choice Awards from Maker Faire, and has started a small business selling the microcontroller (Arduino) shield kits on several websites. As the World's Largest Do-It-Yourself Festival, Maker Faire is the premier event for grassroots American innovation.

• Designing a More Efficient Way to Collect Solar Energy. Aidan Dwyer, a middle school student hailing from Northport, New York, won first place in the American Museum of Natural History’s 2011 Young Naturalist Award for his study of a more efficient way to collect solar energy. Modeling the natural design of tree limbs which Aidan predicted must serve a benefit for the trees to optimize sun collected to feed photosynthesis in the short, dark days of winter, Aidan worked to devise a potentially more efficient way to collect solar energy.

• Seventeen-Year Old Girl Designing Targeted Cancer Treatment. Angela Zhang, a seventeen year old senior from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, won the $100,000 Grand Prize in the Individual category of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology for using nanotechnology to eradicate cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for initiating and driving tumor growth yet are often resistant to current cancer therapies. In her research, Angela aimed to design a nanosystem to target drug delivery to these cancer stem cells, which could potentially help overcome cancer resistance, minimize undesirable side effects, and allow for real-time monitoring of treatment efficacy.

• Teenage CEO Inventing Dissolvable Sugar Packets to Reduce Waste. Hayley Hoverter, a 16 years old student from Downtown Business Magnet High School in Los Angeles, California, won first place at the 2011 Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship's National Challenge for her idea for patent-pending ecologically conscious dissolvable sugar packets. Hayley, now CEO of Sweet (dis)SOLVE, started her business as a part of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s (NFTE's) business plan competition.

• Improving the Environment One Community at a Time. Isabel Steinhoff, Rico Bowman, Genevieve Boyle, and Mina Apostadiro, of Kohala Middle School in Kapaau, Hawaii, took first place in the grade 6-8 division of the Siemens “We Can Change the World” Challenge, for their household battery recycling effort to collect 6,000 batteries in 60 days. The team, named 6000 in 60, embarked on a campaign to improve their community’s use and disposal of batteries by giving local people information on the environmental harm of batteries disposed improperly along with providing local opportunities for recycling.

• Fifteen-Year Old Student Modeling Brain Control of a Robotic Arm. Anand Srinivasan, a fifteen-year old sophomore from Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia, qualified as a top 15 Finalist in the 2011 Google Science Fair. Anand used data recorded via electroencephalography (EEG) from his brain and, after coupling it with the custom software that he wrote, used it to control a home-built robotic arm. Anand believes that this technology could be put to use for amputees and patients suffering from paralysis and muscular dystrophy.

• Team of Girl Scouts Seeking Patent on Prosthetic Hand Device Which Enables a Young Girl to Write. A group of middle school-aged Girl Scouts from Ames, Iowa, including Gaby Dempsey, Mackenzie Gewell, and Kate Murray developed a patent-pending prosthetic hand device, winning them the inaugural Global Innovation Award at the FIRST LEGO League competition, beating out nearly 200 other submissions. Their invention was in response to the need of a little old girl in Duluth, Georgia, enabling her to write for the first time although she was born without fingers on her right hand. Their patent pending BOB-1 has earned the girls the Heartland Red Cross Young Heroes Award, scholarships at Iowa State University College of Engineering, recognition on the Floor of the Iowa and the US House of Representatives, and the title of finalists for the 2011 Pioneer Hi-Bred Iowa Women of Innovation Awards.

• Using Genes to Improve Farming. Dyersburg High School senior, Maryanna McClure, made Tennessee Future Farmers of America history by becoming the first student from the Tennessee FFA Association to win the National FFA Agriscience Fair, placing first in Division II of the Zoology event, for her study of Cotswold sheep genetics. Maryanna breeds, raises, and markets sheep and their fleece and was inspired to do a project to research how to breed the natural color of sheep back into the industry. The National FFA Agriscience Fair is a competition for FFA members grade 7-12 who conduct a scientific research project pertaining to the agriculture and food science industries.

• Young Women Rocketing to Nationals. Janet Nieto and Ana Karen of Presidio, Texas were members of the Presidio High School Rocketry Team that competed as a National Finalist in the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Gwynelle Condino, a 7th grade student at Lucy Franco Middle School, also of Presidio, Texas, is the leader of her TARC team this year. All three girls have successfully competed in a number of rocketry challenges and have attended the NASA Student Launch Initiative Advanced Rocketry program.

• High School Student Developing System to Detect Nuclear Threats. The Davidson Academy of Nevada student Taylor Wilson, 17, of Reno, Nevada conducted research on novel techniques for detecting nuclear threats and developed an environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and highly sensitive system capable of detecting small quantities of nuclear material. Taylor’s system, which won him the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award and Best of Category in Physics, could be used as a monitor at ports to scan cargo containers for Uraniam-235, Weapons Grade Plutonium, and Highly Enriched Uranium.

• Young Students Developing a Sanitizing Lunchbox. Sixth graders Ma’Kese Wesley and Isis Thompson and their LEGO robotics team from the ACE Collegium Campus in Kansas City, Missouri researched ways in which they could improve food safety. Their invention, a UV-light lunchbox, sanitizes food between when it is packed in the morning and a student opens to eat it at lunchtime. A UV light, which is turned on by a darkness-detecting sensor when the lunchbox is closed, kills bacteria that could make the food unsafe to eat. The FIRST LEGO League competition aims to engage kids ages nine to fourteen in engineering.

• Succeeding at Science Even in Difficult Circumstances: Samantha Garvey, 18, of Bay Shore, New York, attends Brentwood High School -Sonderling Center in Brentwood, New York. From a field of over 1,800 applicants, Samantha has been named a semifinalist for her Intel Science Talent Search 2012 environmental sciences project examining the effect of physical environment and predators on a specific species of mussel. Despite personal obstacles, Samantha believes her education will bring her and her family a better life.

• Student Designing a Robot to Connect Senior Citizens with their Families. Concerned with the loneliness of seniors at his grandmother’s senior living center, fourteen-year old Salesianum High School (Wilmington, DE) student Benjamin Hylak of West Grove, Pennsylvania, built an interactive robot, which qualified him as a BROADCOM Masters 2011 Finalist. His telepresence robot which moves around the center and allows seniors to connect via Skype with their family and friends when they are unable to visit in person, earned him second place in the BROADCOM Masters Engineering Category.

• Building an Award-Winning Robot and Learning Entrepreneurial Lessons. Morgan Ard, Titus Walker, and Robert Knight, III, 8th grade students at Monroeville Jr. High School in Monroeville, Alabama won high honors at the South BEST robotics competition. BEST teams mimic industry by designing and developing a product and delivering it to market, including a marketing presentation, engineering notebook, trade-show style exhibit booth and robot competition. Through the experience, these middle school students not only learned the innovation and engineering necessary to develop an award-winning robot, but the marketing and business skills that spark true entrepreneurial spirit.

• Writing a Video Game that Focuses on Saving the Environment. Eleven year old Hannah Wyman who attends St. Anna's School in Leominster, Massachusetts, won the grand prize in her age group (9-12) for her video game Toxic, in Microsoft's first-ever U.S. Kodu Cup. In Hannah’s game, which is now available for free on the Kodu Game Lab site, a player must solve puzzles and collect coins in order to remove soot from trees, zap pollution clouds to clean the air, and convince friends to plant more trees, all in an effort to save the environment.

• Developing a Portable Disaster Relief Shelter. Jessica D’Esposito, Colton Newton and Anna Woolery from Petersburg, Indiana are representing the Pike Central High School InvenTeam, one of fifteen schools selected nationwide. They won a grant from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to develop a lightweight, portable disaster relief shelter, designed to be complete with a water purification system and a renewable energy source to power an LED light, which could be used after disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, or tornadoes to house people who have been displaced.

• Detroit Students Imagining the Energy Efficient City of the Future. The Paul Robeson/Malcolm X Academy student team from Detroit, Michigan, competed in the Michigan Regional Contest of the National Engineers Week Future City Competition for the second year in a row. Lucas Cain Beal, Jayla Mae Dogan, and Ashley Cassie Thomas, all aged 13, were part of a team that won the Excellence in Engineering Award at the 2012 Michigan Regional Competition focused on designing a city around the theme of "Fuel Your Future: Imagine New Ways to Meet Our Energy Needs and Maintain a Healthy Planet." After being named Best Rookie Team in 2011, the students had to overcome losing their school to a fire. Despite the adversity and having to merge with another school, the students were energized to take on the Future City challenge again, saying “(Future City) helps me make a better city to live in.”

• Re-Designing a Helmet to Better Protect U.S. Troops. Eleven-year old Jack Dudley of Stone Hill Middle School and Sydney Dayyani of Belmont Ridge Middle School are members of a Virginia team that designed a military helmet to protect soldiers from traumatic brain injuries on the battlefield due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Both young students have previously competed in national science competitions and this past year won first place in the 2011 Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition with their HEADS UP! Helmet. The helmet is a redesign of the standard-issue military helmet and is equipped with bullet and shrapnel-stopping gels and highly sensitive temperature and air pressure sensors to notify medical personnel of the presence and level of brain injury.

• Designing a Mine Detecting Device. Marian Bechtel, a 17-year old Hempfield High School student from Lancaster, Pennsylvania was inspired to take on the serious issue of abandoned landmines which are still found in many places around the world and investigated an innovative method for safe demining. Marian’s design could lead to a simple, cheap, and reliable humanitarian demining tool and earned Marian honors as a Finalist at the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Marian also won a second place award from the American Intellectual Property Law Association, a merit award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, a $1,000 award from the U.S. Army, and has recently been named an Intel Science Talent Search 2012 finalist.

• Developing A Concussion-Detecting Helmet to Combat Sports Injuries. Fifteen year old Peninsula High School (Rolling Hill Estates, CA) freshman Braeden Benedict from Rancho Palos Verdes, California developed a low-cost impact detection device for use on youth and high school contact sport helmets. Braeden’s invention, winning him the top prize of America’s 2011 Top Young Scientist at the 2011 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, will allow coaches and trainers to be alerted that a player has received a hit with enough force to cause a concussion.

• Student Programmer Creating Dynamic Educational Video Game. Jasper Hugunin, a thirteen year old eighth grade student from Island Middle School on Mercer Island, Washington, developed a video game which introduces players to programming concepts as they provide instructions to guide a robot through increasingly challenging mazes. This clever design of “Robot Commander” won Jasper the Playable Game, Open Platform and Playable Game, and Incorporating STEM Themes categories at the National STEM Video Game Challenge.

• Exploring Improvements to Cancer Treatments by Overcoming Chemotherapy Resistance. Shree Bose, a 17-year old senior at Fort Worth Country Day School in Fort Worth, Texas, took top honors at the 2011 Google Science Fair for her discovery of a way to improve ovarian cancer treatment for patients when they have built up a resistance to certain chemotherapy drugs. Her conclusions hold tremendous potential for the improvement of cancer chemotherapy treatment and for future research. Shree has presented her research at numerous international competitions and has been honored as one of Glamour Magazine's 21 Amazing Young Women of 2011, spoken at TEDxWomen 2011, and served as a panelist at Google Zeitgeist.

RheeFirst! » Larry Ferlazzo: truer, unabridged and more honest version of the 6 word essay

RheeFirst! » Larry Ferlazzo: truer, unabridged and more honest version of the 6 word essay:

Larry Ferlazzo: truer, unabridged and more honest version of the 6 word essay

by admin

Written by Larry Ferlazzo for his Websites of the Day blog. Read the entire post here.
“Michelle Rhee’s organization, StudentsFirst, is sponsoring a contest to “describe what it means to be a great teacher in six words.” Educators on Twitter who have a decidedly different vision of teaching created the hashtag of #6wordessay to share their own perspective.“

Racism in Shawano, Wisconsin « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Racism in Shawano, Wisconsin « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Racism in Shawano, Wisconsin

by millerlf

From: A blog by Bob Peterson, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association Monday, February 6, 2012, http://www.bob-peterson.blogspot.com/

Multicultural education: Ketapanen

The need for anti-racist multicultural education was underscored this week in Shawano, Wisconsin. Seventh grader Miranda Washinawatok was suspended from her basketball game after she said a few words in the Menimonee language in front of her teacher. Miranda, who speaks both English and Menominee, attends Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Shawano, with a school population that is 60% Menominee.

Miranda was benched for “attitude” problems, according to media reports. The alleged “attitude problem” was that