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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Big Education Ape: 2-8-12 AM DOE Dumps "Low Achieving Students" Into The Large Struggling Schools? EDition

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

Published by Coopmike48 – 6 news spotters today

Court Strikes Down Ban on Gay Marriage in California

nytimes.com - LOS ANGELES – A federal appeals court panel ruled on Tuesday that a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California violated the Constitution, all but ensuring that the case will proceed to t...

DianeRavitch

Turnaround Is Unfair Play | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

garyrubinstein.teachforus.org - Superman has arrived and he takes Visa. As districts get more and more desperate trying to reach 100% proficiency by 2014, they begin to turn to a new breed of ‘experts.’ These experts claim that t...

DianeRavitch

Court Strikes Down Ban on Gay Marriage in California

nytimes.com - LOS ANGELES – A federal appeals court panel ruled on Tuesday that a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California violated the Constitution, all but ensuring that the case will proceed to t...

leoniehaimson

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coopmike48 Twitter for Professional Development - The Educator's PLN -goo.gl/mNgt710 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 LAUSD ESCUELA MIRAMONTE CULPABILE POR ASOCIACIón? -Perdaily.com - goo.gl/lnmeF8 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 call for submissions: "the future of ethnic studies" | angry asian man - goo.gl/MHonD7 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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Java and Justice

nytimes.com - If you’re among the fair-minded Americans who believe that two men or two women should be able to wed, there’s an easy though slightly caloric way to express that. Get a caramel macchiato. Maybe ma...

fklonsky

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NO more school closings: IT'S TIME TO OCCUPY THE PEP!

nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com - IT'S TIME TO OCCUPY THE PEP THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 5:30PMBrooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Pl (between Fulton and Dekalb) in BrooklynNear the Nevins 2/3/4/5 or the Dekalb B/D/N/Q/R Ba...

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How To Use Social Media as a Weapon Against Organizations

my.firedoglake.com - Tonight on Virtually Speaking Mike Stark and I will be discussing what we can learn from the SOPA fight and the Susan G Komen Debacle. Listen live and later on BTR (9 EST, 6 PST) There will be a bi...

coopmike48

The Poetry of a Classroom

huffingtonpost.com - There is something terribly troubling in the media and political discourse about education in our time. We so urgently need critical thinking to gauge what measures we can engage so we might inspir...

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Teacher pensions and the two plans. « Fred Klonsky

preaprez.wordpress.com - The last session of the General Assembly there was just one plan for screwing teachers. That was Senate Bill 512. It was the brainchild of the Civic Committee, which is headed by millionaire corpor...

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U.S. authorities looking into Murdoch foreign payments

reuters.com - By Mark Hosenball and Georgina Prodhan LONDON | Tue Feb 7, 2012 8:34am EST LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are stepping up investigations, including an FBI criminal inquiry, into possible viola...

leoniehaimson

pete hoekstra and the "yellow girl"

blog.angryasianman.com - You've seen Michigan Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra's racist bullshit campaign ad. You've seen the accompanying website, which is even worse. It may come packaged as a pretty Asian girl, but this i...

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ThyssenKrupp -- Rahm's "perfect example..."

michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Boehner tours Krupp plant in Ohio This is the corporation that Rahm Emanuel lured to Chicago, calling it a "perfect example" of the "greatest companies around the globe." Reese said he will never ...

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K12 4Q profit tumbles 46 pct as costs rise

boston.com - HERNDON, Va.—Educational software provider K12 Inc. said Tuesday that its fiscal second-quarter net income fell nearly in half on higher costs. Profit was less than half of what analysts expected a...

coopmike48

ThyssenKrupp -- Rahm's "perfect example..."

michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Boehner tours Krupp plant in Ohio This is the corporation that Rahm Emanuel lured to Chicago, calling it a "perfect example" of the "greatest companies around the globe." Reese said he will never ...

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Ravitch blasts corporate "school reform" » peoplesworld

Ravitch blasts corporate "school reform" » peoplesworld:

Ravitch blasts corporate "school reform"

assets/Uploads/_resampled/CroppedImage6060-Nagin2.jpg
by: RICK NAGIN
february 7 2012

tags: , , ,

bookcover300x456

CLEVELAND - At forums here last week Diane Ravitch , author of "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" and a national leader of the fight to defend public education, sounded the alarm about concerted efforts by corporate and right-wing forces to undermine democracy and destroy public education in our country. At events held by the Cleveland Teachers Union Feb. 2 and the next day at the Cleveland City Club, Ravitch blasted the well-financed "school reform movement" that seeks to bust teachers unions and privatize the schools.

In her speech to 150 teachers and supporters at Pilgrim Church, Ravitch said major foundations, such as those run by the Gates and Walton families, Wall Street hedge fund groups, Fox News and the Republican Party, are behind the attack which has created "an existential crisis" for public education.

Unfortunately, she added, the movement has the support of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, although President Barack Obama made a contradictory statement, both

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We Can’t Vouch for ‘School Choice’ - The Independent Weekly

We Can’t Vouch for ‘School Choice’ - The Independent Weekly:


We Can’t Vouch for ‘School Choice’



Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012

Our view on a cornerstone of Gov. Jindal’s school reform package

Readers of this newspaper are well aware that Gov. Bobby Jindal spent much of his first term in office as a frequent flyer in our Pooyie! franchise, more often under the Pas Bon and Couillon headings for cuts to higher education and health care, pushing to privatize some of the state’s most efficient programs, notably the Office of Group Benefits and its half-billion-dollar surplus, and decrying 2009’s federal stimulus while passing out stimulus checks emblazoned with his name.
But The Ind has been steadfast in its support of upending the status quo in public education both locally and statewide — clearly and empirically, public education in Louisiana is not working well and must be revamped — and we’re ready to give qualified praise where it’s due.
There’s much to like among Jindal’s proposals on changing public education in Louisiana — the details of which will be hashed out beginning March 12 when the
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LAUSD'S MIRAMONTE GUILT BY ASSOCIATION? by Mark Hemphill - Perdaily.com

LAUSD'S MIRAMONTE GUILT BY ASSOCIATION? by Mark Hemphill (LAUSD ESCUELA MIRAMONTE CULPABILE POR ASOCIACIón?) - Perdaily.com:

LAUSD'S MIRAMONTE GUILT BY ASSOCIATION? by Mark Hemphill (LAUSD ESCUELA MIRAMONTE CULPABILE POR ASOCIACIón?)

by Leonard Isenberg
Guilt by Association.jpeg
(Mensaje se repite en Español)

(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)

If you've been watching the news, reading the papers or listening to talk radio at all during the past week, you've heard of the events at Miramonte Elementary School. Two longtime male teachers have been accused of the most reprehensible acts against children and recently a female teacher has been accused of acting in concert with them. To make matters even worse, over the past few days it has been revealed that complaints of the same nature were made against another teacher several years ago, which were never addressed. Needless to say, this story has gone ballistic and has easily been disseminated across the country by now. Parent reactions have been justifiably severe. They include soliciting the services of attorneys, withholding attendance, demonstrating outside the school and making further inquiries. The immediate result has been what's described as an "unprecedented" action by the district superintendent of LAUSD, John Deasy.
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Yong Zhao » Blog Archive » U.S. Education in Chinese Lock Step? Bad Move. Chronicle of Higher Ed Commentary (B. Coppola & Y. Zhao)

Yong Zhao » Blog Archive » U.S. Education in Chinese Lock Step? Bad Move. Chronicle of Higher Ed Commentary (B. Coppola & Y. Zhao):

U.S. Education in Chinese Lock Step? Bad Move. Chronicle of Higher Ed Commentary (B. Coppola & Y. Zhao)

by YongZhao
Just in case you have not seen this, the Chronicle of Higher Education just published a commentary co-authored by Brian Coppola of University of Michigan and me. Read the whole article on the site of the Chronicle site: http://chronicle.com/article/US-Education-in-Chinese/130669/ Here are some of the main points: The education systems in China and the United States not only are headed in opposite directions, but are aiming at exactly what the other system is trying to give up. In the United States, through programs such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, ...
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LAO wants to redirect QEIA funds | Thoughts on Public Education

LAO wants to redirect QEIA funds | Thoughts on Public Education:

LAO wants to redirect QEIA funds

Leg. Analyst says state should get leftovers

Posted on 2/08/12 • Categorized as Community Colleges, State Board of Education

By Kathryn Baron

Nearly 30 percent of California schools funded under the Quality Education Investment Act, or QEIA, may be expelled from the program at the end of this academic year for not meeting one or more of the requirements. That could leave up to $140 million in QEIA funds on the table – money the Legislative Analyst says the state should use to fill in the gaps in other educational programs.

There’s one barrier to the proposal: the QEIA law forbids it. SB 1133, introduced in 2006 by former state senator and current State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, requires that any funds left over when schools are removed from the program stay in the program. The money would be divided among the remaining schools for cost-of-living and

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Catchin’ Wreck | The Jose Vilson

Catchin’ Wreck | The Jose Vilson:

Catchin’ Wreck

by Jose

Big Pun

No, no, no. I don’t want to hear that you can’t do the math. Unless you have some actual, vetted proof that you have a serious case of dyscalculia, I just won’t hear that you can’t do the math. Wherever their level, whatever their stance in life, wherever they land on the math knowledge spectrum, I have to have the belief that they can do the math at a high level.

This mentality probably started right around the fifth time I heard the whining and bickering by teachers in a professional development. First, I wondered where, under the word “professional development,” it was decided that these places had long couches and clipboards available for the rest of us to hear the kvetching about nonsense. Secondly, I can’t imagine that a student, once nudged in the right direction, won’t be able to at least glean some of the material I’m teaching.

Third, and most importantly, negativity is a disease without a vaccine. It’s one thing to look at a student’s

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Texas Republican Blows the Whistle on the Techno-Scholastic Complex - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Texas Republican Blows the Whistle on the Techno-Scholastic Complex - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Texas Republican Blows the Whistle on the Techno-Scholastic Complex

by Anthony Cody

Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody

In 1961, a Republican president, Dwight Eisenhower, closed his term with a speech that carried a prophetic warning. He said:

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the
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SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The Mistake Major Nelson Made

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: The Mistake Major Nelson Made:

The Mistake Major Nelson Made

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)
Major Tony Nelson made quite a mistake one day in the South Pacific. While stranded and awaiting a rescue team the good major saw a bottle and opened it. What popped out? A genie and his life was never the same. There is a lesson to be learned there. Can you figure it out?

The lesson is that once the genie is let out of the bottle, you ain't getting it back it in. It's out for good. Think of how much better Major Nelson's life would have been if he had never let Jeannie out of her bottle. All the nutty things that happened, the near nervous breakdown of Dr Bellows, the attempted manipulations of Major Healy, the constant mauling of
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Closing schools: Good Reasons and Bad Reasons « School Finance 101

Closing schools: Good Reasons and Bad Reasons « School Finance 101:

Closing schools: Good Reasons and Bad Reasons

by schoolfinance101

Current reformy rhetoric dictates that we MUST CLOSE FAILING SCHOOLS! That we must close those schools that are dropout factories or have persistently low achievement levels on state assessments. And, that we must, in the process, fire all of the staff in those schools that have caused these dismal conditions year after year, by thinking only of themselves, their tenure, their pensions and their wages – which are clearly too high for workers of their meager cognitive ability.

Take these simple bold steps and things will get better! Surely they will.

But, the bottom line is that you can’t just close down the poorest schools in any city school system and simply replace them with less poor ones – problem solved! That is, unless the larger strategy is actually about closing down entire neighborhoods, allowing them to become blighted, then seeking investors to step in and gentrify the area, replacing the old population with a new, less poor one! Problem solved. Or alternatively, if one relies on the

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A Small School Thrives Within a Large One Full of Challenges – SchoolBook

A Small School Thrives Within a Large One Full of Challenges – SchoolBook:

A Small School Thrives Within a Large One Full of Challenges

by Beth Fertig

WNYC examines one small school, the Collegiate Institute for Math and Science, or C.I.MS., and explores why it is thriving while the larger school it replaced is on the path to closing. Take a listen here.

WNYC

About 500 students are enrolled at C.I.M.S. which is housed inside Christopher Columbus High School in the Bronx. It sets high academic standards for all of its students, who are accepted by a lottery system.

The founding principal, Estelle Hans, said the school encourages all students to take demanding courses — Advanced Placement chemistry, for example — while offering them extra support after school.

“If you were to check these grades and their reading levels and such, they’re not actually what a suburban

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Florida Parents Groups Expose SB 1852 as a Plan to Fund Private For-Profit Charter Schools | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida Parents Groups Expose SB 1852 as a Plan to Fund Private For-Profit Charter Schools | Scathing Purple Musings:

Florida Parents Groups Expose SB 1852 as a Plan to Fund Private For-Profit Charter Schools

by Bob Sikes

Even with all the self-righteous preening on Monday by pro-charter school advocates that Steve Wise made sure to trot out first with plenty of time during testimony, legislators can’t hide from the fact that SB 1852 is intended to shift taxpayer dollars away from public schools to for-profit charters. Here’s the statement from a coalition of state parent groups:

“During the past three years Florida politicians have made $4 Billion dollars in brutal cuts to traditional public schools. It is in this context that we strongly oppose the efforts of Senator Wise to force districts to hand over limited revenues meant for school construction to pay for privately owned charter facilities. These funds are collected from the taxpayer/voter supported millage levy specifically meant to keep publicly-owned school facilities safe and modern. Voters never intended to use this revenue to improve, maintain, rent, build, or buy facilities for private people.

SB 1852 is a corporate welfare program financed by our hard-earned tax dollars to prop up for-profit


Steve Wise’s Laughable “this senate doesn’t strong-arm people.”

by Bob Sikes

When the student member of the Florida Board of Governors, Michael Long, dared to stand up to Senator JD Alexander, the powerful republican told him that he had “jeopardized his future career.” Alexander just got closer to following through on his threat. From the Miami Herald:

The bill that would make the student member of the Florida Board of Governors a position appointed by the governor moved ahead in the House education committee Tuesday, despite fervent testimony on students from both sides.

As the state constitution now spells it out, that member is the chair of the Florida Student Association, an organization made up of student body presidents from the state universities. The problem, says bill sponsor Rep. Matt Gaetz, is that the FSA charges dues. He sees the set-up as “pay-to-play.” Only one university is not an FSA member — Gaetz’s alma mater, Florida State

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NYC Educator: Heartbroken

NYC Educator: Heartbroken:

Heartbroken

by NYC Educator
What does a Democrat have to do before he loses my support?

Andrew Cuomo lost it when he said he was going to take on the unions. Who needs a Democrat for that? Isn't that what Republicans are for?

President Barack Obama declined to name Linda Darling-Hammond US Education Secretary. Instead, he selected Arne Duncan, who ran a failed "reform" program in Chicago. Why? Because his buds at DFER liked Arne better. Is that enough? No?


How about when he applauds a whole staff of teachers being fired in Rhode Island? Does it make a difference that a good deal of the kids they taught didn't even know English yet? Did they deserve that based on test scores of these kids? Should that make him think
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Modern School: Collective Punishment For LAUSD Teachers

Modern School: Collective Punishment For LAUSD Teachers:

Collective Punishment For LAUSD Teachers

by Michael Dunn

Image from Flickr, by Vector Portal
In a phenomenal case of collective punishment, Los Angeles Schools Superintendent John Deasy is firing the entire staff of Miramonte Elementary School in response to two of its teachers being charged with lewd conduct. Miramonte is one of the largest elementary schools in the U.S., according to the Los Angeles Times, with over 150 teachers and administrative staff.

In the wake of the accusations, parents kept more than 25% of the student body home from
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What Makes Waking Up So Difficult for Kids with ADHD? :: Help! S-O-S for Parents

What Makes Waking Up So Difficult for Kids with ADHD? :: Help! S-O-S for Parents:

What Makes Waking Up So Difficult for Kids with ADHD?

by Cindy Goldrich, Ed.M., ACAC

[fbshare]In my previous article, What Makes Sleep so Difficult for Kids with ADHD?, I explored the difficulties that children and adolescents may have in falling asleep. As I had mentioned, research shows that between 25 and 50% of people with ADHD have clinically reported sleep difficulties. These can be attributed to biology, stimulant medication side affects, lack of consistent bedtime routine, and characteristics related to the ADHD itself.

For many parents, getting their children to sleep is only half the battle. Having their children awake and ready for school on time is a significant problem. In my practice as a Parent Coach, the issues related to morning are

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Save Pre-School in LA! | California Father

Save Pre-School in LA! | California Father:

Save Pre-School in LA!

by California Father

Every morning when I open my classroom door there are parents sweeping the SLRDP preschool playground. It’s part of the deal. You want your kid to be ready for kindergarten, you have to do some work. Inside the SLRDP classroom I hear the children learning their letters (Who let the Y out? Y,Y,Y,Y.) And in the afternoon everyone practices skipping and running. Why? Because by the time they reach kinder they’re supposed to be rocket scientists (or at least know their colors and how to keep hands, feet and

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