Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-27 #soschat #ReclaimingReform

The Neighborhood as Curriculum - Dana Goldstein

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

The Neighborhood as Curriculum - Dana Goldstein:The Neighborhood as Curriculumby Dana Goldstein Between periods at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, May 2011.The role of the curriculum in school "turnaround" efforts is not often acknowledged, which is why I wanted to writethis piece, about Crenshaw High School in South L.A. The school has struggled with difficult demographics, constant administrative turnover, and persistently low test scores. But the district has now empowered a group of activist teachers at Crenshaw to enact ... more »

Teacher Evaluation Bill SB 5895 and why it should be opposed vehemently | Seattle Education

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

Teacher Evaluation Bill SB 5895 and why it should be opposed vehemently | Seattle Education:Teacher Evaluation Bill SB 5895 and why it should be opposed vehementlyby seattleducation2011There is a Teacher Evaluation Bill SB 5895 which ties test scores to teacher evaluations. At this time the teachers union in the state of Washington has been working with OSPI on an evaluation system that was set forth to be developed in last years legislation. Now certain legislators want to ratchet it up ... more »

Diane Ravitch Addresses NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting on Vimeo

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Diane Ravitch Addresses NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting on Vimeo:Diane Ravitch Addresses NAICU 2012 Annual MeetingRavitch warns that changes introduced by No Child Left Behind are coming to higher education. by NAICU 2 weeks agoDiane Ravitch Addresses NAICU 2012 Annual Meeting from NAICU on Vimeo.

New Education Trust—West Report Details How California Shortchanges its Poorest School Districts of Millions in Funding | Education Trust

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

New Education Trust—West Report Details How California Shortchanges its Poorest School Districts of Millions in Funding | Education Trust:New Education Trust—West Report Details How California Shortchanges its Poorest School Districts of Millions in FundingPrinter-friendly versionContact info: Eric Wagner (510) 465-6444, ext 318; Email: ewagner@edtrustwest.orgPublication date: February 23 2012OAKLAND, CA (February 23, 2012) – A new report released today paints a step-by-step picture of startling inequities in California’s system of education funding that harm our state’s poorest sch... more »

Charter schools could gain power to take over public schoolsv | Gainesville.com

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Charter schools could gain power to take over public schoolsv | Gainesville.com:Charter schools could gain power to take over public schoolsBy Zac AndersonTallahassee bureauPublished: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 8:30 p.m.Last Modified: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 8:30 p.m.TALLAHASSEE — Charter schools would receive more construction money, greater freedom to expand and the ability to take over struggling public schools at the request of parents under two bills still in play as the legislative session winds down.Conservative education reformers are ... more »

Some California schools get twice the funding -- and more -- of others - San Jose Mercury News

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

Some California schools get twice the funding -- and more -- of others - San Jose Mercury News:Some California schools get twice the funding -- and more -- of othersBy Sharon Noguchisnoguchi@mercurynews.comPosted: 02/26/2012 05:37:03 PM PSTUpdated: 02/27/2012 03:09:47 AM PSTClick photo to enlargeA third-grade music class at Woodside Elementary, part of one of the best-funded districts in...Compare financesAt the Ed-Data site, click on "District," then "Compare Finances"Related StoriesFeb 26:Document: 'The Cruel Divide,' report of Education Trust-WestDocument: State and Local Per-Pup... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:WEEKEND QUOTABLESby Mike Klonsky“This is an amazing panel, so I’m thrilled to be part of it,” Mr. Duncan said in his opening comment.Investigator Richard Hyde“I’m shocked that the secretary of education would be fraternizing with someone who could potentially be the target of the investigation. The appearance of a conflict of interest is troubling because it can cause the public to lose faith in the investigation.” -- Amid a Federal Education Inquiry, an Unsettling Sight, ... more »

Financial aid officials question Cal Grants for online degrees Kaplan University| California Watch

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Financial aid officials question Cal Grants for online degrees | California Watch:Financial aid officials question Cal Grants for online degreesFebruary 27, 2012 | Erica PerezEd Yourdon/FlickrThe California Student Aid Commission last week explored at a hearing whether, at a time of limited funds for college financial aid, the state should allow Cal Grants to cover all online degree programs.The commissioners held the meeting in part because they have been seeing an increasing number of colleges and universities entering into agreements ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Poverty, Schmoverty

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Jersey Jazzman: Poverty, Schmoverty:Poverty, Schmovertyby DukeChildhood poverty bothers ACTING Education Commissioner Chris Cerf: he's worried the little waifs might be ripping him off:In New Jersey and across the nation, the number of students living in poverty is determined by how many of them qualify for free and reduced-price lunches, a federal program run by the Department of Agriculture. But the count is not just about the federally subsidized meals — schools with poor students in the lunch program receive up ... more »

Outrage Spreads Throughout New York City And State At The Sell-out of Members' Rights By The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) - ParentAdvocates.org

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Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org:Outrage Spreads Throughout New York City And State At The Sell-out of Members' Rights By The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) And the Unity CaucusNYC UFT officers are members of Unity, not the UFT. Yet Mike Mulgrew, President of the UFT has the authority to bargain for all members, and has at his side Attorneys Carol Gerstl, Adam Ross, Richard Iannuzzi (NYSUT) and NYC NYSUT Chief Claude Hersh. The recently released teacher evaluation data is sending a ... more »

Document: State and Local Per-Pupil Revenue for California School Districts - San Jose Mercury News

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Document: State and Local Per-Pupil Revenue for California School Districts - San Jose Mercury News:Document: State and Local Per-Pupil Revenue for California School DistrictsPosted: 02/26/2012 03:28:23 PM PSTUpdated: 02/26/2012 03:30:04 PM PSTSources: Data compiled by Education Trust-West from Ed-Data.org for per-pupil revenues (2009-10 data), and from the California Department of Education, Free/Reduced Price Meals Program and CalWORKS Data Files for poverty data.Lines in yellow signify districts with highest poverty level.The data is filtered to only include districts with Averag... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Abbott and Costello Meet the Teacher Data Reports

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SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Abbott and Costello Meet the Teacher Data Reports:Abbott and Costello Meet the Teacher Data Reportsby noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)It had to happen. The farcical world of Abbott and Costello has hit the NYC DOE.Abbott: Well Costello, I'm going to New York. You know NYC DOE Chancellor Dennis Walcott gave me a job at Tweed as long as you are a teacher.Costello: Look Abbott, if you're at Tweed, you must know how the Teacher Data Reports work.Abbott: I certainly ... more »

Have You Achieved Success at Success at Success? [A Reflection On My Own TDR] | The Jose Vilson

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Have You Achieved Success at Success at Success? [A Reflection On My Own TDR] | The Jose Vilson:Have You Achieved Success at Success at Success? [A Reflection On My Own TDR]by JoseSome of you might be asking, “But Jose, isn’t your data in the public view? Aren’t you afraid that your job is on the line somehow?” Sure. On Saturday, after seeing the report in the New York Post, I started to see the scores of my fellow teachers in ... more »

presumption of guilt? in an investigation of Washington schools under the direction of Michelle Rhee. - NYTimes.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Education Dept.’s Washington Schools Inquiry - NYTimes.com:Amid a Federal Education Inquiry, an Unsettling SightPablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press; Alex Wong, via Getty ImagesA spokesman for Education Secretary Arne Duncan, left, cautioned against the presumption of guilt in an investigation of Washington schools under the direction of Michelle Rhee.By MICHAEL WINERIPPublished: February 26, 2012RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINCOMMENTSSIGN IN TO E-MAILPRINTSINGLE PAGEREPRINTSSHAREWhat was Arne Duncan doing sharing the stage with Michelle Rheeat a recent education conference?News, data... more »

Resolution on Challenging Current Education Policy and Affirming Literacy Educators’ Expertise

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Resolution on Challenging Current Education Policy and Affirming Literacy Educators’ Expertise:Resolution on Challenging Current Education Policy and Affirming Literacy Educators’ Expertiselast edited 3 months, 1 week agocontent history2011 Annual Business Meeting in Chicago, IllinoisBackgroundThe National Council of Teachers of English has a long history of taking strong positions on the best practices in the teaching of literacy. It has a long history as well of voicing its opposition and proposing alternatives to educational reform based primarily on so-called “standards” of ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education Today - The Battle Rages On

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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education Today - The Battle Rages On:Education Today - The Battle Rages Onby Melissa WestbrookSo the on-going battle for the education soul of the Democratic party in Washington State goes on.Over at Publicola, WEA President Mary Lindquist shot back at heavy Dem donor Nick Hanauer over his e-mail to her. (She is right on one point; he made it sound like every single change put forth in the Legislature has been blocked by the WEA. That's ... more »

Schools Matter: Resolution opposing common core standards and national tests

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Schools Matter: Resolution opposing common core standards and national tests:Resolution opposing common core standards and national testsby skrashenResolution submitted to NCTE opposing common core standards and national tests. Did not survive NCTE Resolutions Committee, was not presented to NCTE members for voting.Resolution on National Standards and TestsSubmitted to National Council of Teachers of English, Committee on Resolutions, via e-mail, on October 10, 2011, for consideration during the Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois.The movement for national standards and tests is ... more »

Reading List: VAM (Value Added Measures) - Sacramento City Teachers Association

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Reading List: VAM (Value Added Measures) - Sacramento City Teachers Association:Reading List: VAM (Value Added Measures)Formula for deriving a teacher’s value added score in New York CityOne of the biggest topics in education lately has been the use of Value added measures also known by the acronym, VAM. In recent days, New York has been roiling in controversy with the release of teacher reports (more at New York Teacher Ratings Released — “At Best Unwise, At Worst Absurd”). The release ... more »

Teach For America Corps Members Debate: The Leadership Pipeline - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

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Teach For America Corps Members Debate: The Leadership Pipeline - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:Teach For America Corps Members Debate: The Leadership Pipelineby Anthony CodyLast Friday, I posted this essay by Teach For America corps member Jameson Brewer: Hyperaccountablity, Burnout and Blame. One of the comments came from another TFA corps member, duke solaris. This comment and Jameson's response ran yesterday, Teach For America Corps Members in Dialogue: Can this Model Work?Today, in the third installment of this ... more »

JURUPA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY A MINI-LAUSD by Anthony Scott- Perdaily.com

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JURUPA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY A MINI-LAUSD by Anthony Scott (Jurupa Distrito Escolar Unificado del Condado de Riverside Un MINI-LAUSD por Anthony Scott) - Perdaily.com:JURUPA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY A MINI-LAUSD by Anthony Scott (Jurupa Distrito Escolar Unificado del Condado de Riverside Un MINI-LAUSD por Anthony Scott)by Leonard Isenberg(Mensaje se repite en Español)(For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post) For readers of Perdaily, it is important to recognize ... more »

Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Law | Learn More About Teacher Evaluations

Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Law | Learn More About Teacher Evaluations:

Setting the Record Straight: New York’s Teacher and Principal Evaluation Law

By Richard Iannuzzi, President, New York State United Teachers

The ink hadn’t dried on the agreement between NYSUT and the State Education Department before the press, blogs, e-mails and airwaves were filled with diatribes on what the new law does and does not do. While there were a lot of comments and reactions that understood the dynamics (see Sean Corcoran at the NYT School Book blog and Leo Casey at Edwize.org ), many misstated the outcome and some were just outright wrong (see Carol Burris, author of the “principals’ letter” in The Washington Post: Answer Sheet blog by Valerie Strauss).

As a party to the agreement (I was personally at the table throughout the negotiations), NYSUT sought to maintain principles that are good for students and fair to teachers. We believe we succeeded. This agreement creates a thoughtful, collaborative framework that allows teachers, principals and parents to develop a majority of the evaluation measures through conversation and

The Lake Wobegone Effect « Bill Ayers

The Lake Wobegone Effect « Bill Ayers:

The Lake Wobegone Effect

by billayers

The crazies driving the noisy, corporate-sponsored “school reform movement” exposed by my old friend Mike Klonsky—take a look:

I rarely take statistics seriously when it comes to teacher evaluation. Especially when they’re based on student test scores and published in the New York Times. But this one is too good to pass up.

At Public School 234 in TriBeCa, where children routinely alight for school from luxury cars, roughly one-third of the teachers’ ratings were above average, one-third average and one-third below average.

I mean, except in Lake Wobegon, isn’t this what average means (no pun intended)? It’s the perfect distribution. If

Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Option « Continuing Change

Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Option « Continuing Change:

Irresponsible and Shameful – For the Teachers of NY: Silence is Not an Option

by gatorbonbc

Regarding the investigation into Michelle Rhee and cheating in DC schools,

Justin Hamilton, spokesman for Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, says:

.

“It’s irresponsible for a New York Times columnist to presume guilt before we have all the facts,”

(NY Times article)

.

Well, see, now… finally, w

Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdown | Seattle Education #soschat

Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdown | Seattle Education:

Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdown

by seattleducation2011

Seattle Protest and March for Public Education

March 1 National Day of Action for Education

Banks got bailed out, students and teachers got sold out!

Thursday, March 1

2:45pm – Gather at Westlake Park

3:30pm – March to the Gates Foundation Headquarters (5th & Mercer)

4:15pm – Rally, teach-in, and grade-in led by the Seattle Education Association and UW professor Wayne Au

4:30pm – ‘Policy Throwdown’ with the Gates Foundation (if they have the guts to show) – a General Assembly style open discussion of education and charter schools facilitated by Garfield High teacher Jesse Hagopian

RSVP on Facebook

Students and teachers should not have to pay for the crisis created by the 1%. We refuse to accept the dismantling of our schools and universities, while the banks and corporations make record profits. We refuse to accept budget cuts, educational re-segregation, attacks on teacher unions, rising class sizes, massive tuition increases, outrageous student debt, and increasing privatization and corporatization.

They got bailed out and we got sold out – but through nationally coordinated mass action we can and will turn back the tide of austerity.

The Washington State Supreme Court recently ruled that the State is out of compliance with its “paramount constitutional duty” to fully fund education. K-12 education’s share of the state budget has been in decline since 1981. Since the “Great Recession”, Washington State has cut $10 billion from public education and social services, with over $3 billion slashed from K-12 funding alone. Washington State now ranks 42nd in the nation in per-pupil spending and has the 3rd highest class sizes in the country. State universities have raised tuition by over 47% in the last three years.

But rather than devote more funding to providing quality public education, state politicians are putting forward legislation that would open the door to charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately owned and run. These unaccountable schools are exempt from state standards and union contracts. The Gates Foundation is a leading backer and promoter of charter schools nationwide, despite the fact that their own Stanford University study showed that charters, on average, perform worse than public schools. Charter schools are nothing more than a stepping stone toward privatization of education.

This article in the Washington Post, Gates spends millions to sway public on ed reform, and the leaked secret memo it excerpts, describe the Gates Foundation’s plans to secretly manipulate public opinion by taking advantage of the dire financial condition of the national school districts.

We call on all students, teachers, workers, and parents from all levels of education — pre-K-12 through higher education in public and private institutions — and all Occupiers, labor unions, and organizations of oppressed communities to mobilize on March 1st to tell those in power:

The resources exist for high-quality education for all.

We demand:

- Full funding for public education and social services

- Tax the 1%

- No budget cuts

- No tuition hikes

- No attacks on teacher unions

- No privatization of public education

Organized by the Occupy Seattle Public Education work group. For more info, contact ospubliceducation@gmail.com.

Endorsed by:

Occupy Seattle Labor Caucus

Parents Across America

Parents for Skateparks

Social Equality Educators

To get involved in helping to plan and organize the Seattle day of action, come to an OS Public Education work group meeting — every Tuesday, 6pm, east-side of the 2nd floor of the Washington State Convention Center, Pike between 7th & 8th.

Hope to see you there!

Please RSVP on Facebook

Flyer available here

To endorse the Seattle day of action, please contact: ospubliceducation@gmail.com.

For Teachers and Principals, Anger, Sadness and a Need to Explain – SchoolBook

For Teachers and Principals, Anger, Sadness and a Need to Explain – SchoolBook:

For Teachers and Principals, Anger, Sadness and a Need to Explain

by Maria Newman

WNYC Principals react to teacher ratings

Some teachers said they worry that the public release of individual teacher data is going to lead to fights over high-performing students, and to the neglect of those who most need their help.

Others said they were angry that their teaching careers were being reduced to a sliver of data.

And principals spent the first day back after a week-long vacation trying to explain to parents that numbers can’t capture “the magical instruction that goes on every day’’ inside the classroom.

In school hallways and on blogs, in e-mails back and forth, and on the sidewalks in front of school buildings, few people involved in the schools could help but talk about the release on Friday of the ranking of 18,000 teachers in grades 4 through 8.

The voluminous information has provided for the first time a periscope view of what happens in each teacher’s

School Tech Connect: The Man Knows What He's Doing

School Tech Connect: The Man Knows What He's Doing:

The Man Knows What He's Doing

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Too busy to chime in. But, now that I'm here...

Arne Duncan is perfectly capable sending a message by sitting on a panel with Michelle Rhee. He knows exactly what he's doing-- he's suppressing a federal investigation.

He is many things, but he is not an idiot. It takes a fierce kind of zealotry to stay so permanently on-message, to deflectevery question with a talking point, and to distort others' opinions with straw men--- accepting the status quo, poverty is destiny, etc. His constant repetition of a few stock phrases is right out of Karl Rove's playbook. It isn't easy to be so unresponsive to questions, to avoid difficult meetings, to be such a chameleon to so many

Action for the Week: Twitter #SOSCHAT on February 28th, 2012 | United Opt Out National

Action for the Week: Twitter #SOSCHAT on February 28th, 2012 | United Opt Out National:

Action for the Week: Twitter #SOSCHAT on February 28th, 2012

by admin

Opt-Outers – we have a special request this week for our action – we need your support, your insight and experience to share this Tuesday night, 9 p.m. EST, at the #SOSCHAT. You know how to Twitter – you know how to talk OPT OUT and SHUT DOWN corporate education reform – you can articulate WHY we do what we do. You know the ins and outs of our Occupation in DC from March 30th to April 2nd – join the chat – promote Occupy the DOE in DC and help us get the masses to join us. See you on Twitter this Tuesday night, February 28th at 9 p.m. EST where the focus of the conversation is the Occupy DOE in DC event. Please read through all the details of the event so we are all prepared for #SOSCHAT – there have been many additions to our calendar here! Don’t forget to use hashtag #SOSCHAT. Thank you!