Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts 4-12 #SOSchat #p2 #edreform

Reynoso pepper-spray report Long-awaited reports are no whitewash | Davis Enterprise #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

Long-awaited reports are no whitewash | Davis Enterprise: Long-awaited reports are no whitewashbyBob DunningAN AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY… while there’s plenty of blame to go around in the long-awaited Reynoso pepper-spray report that was released Wednesday, the very first paragraph of the report, under the simple heading “Introduction,” said it all … noted the report: “Our overriding conclusion can be stated briefly and explicitly. The pepper spraying incident that took place on November 18, 2011, should and could have been prevented.” … ... more »

When Everything Is a 'Race' - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

When Everything Is a 'Race' - Bridging Differences - Education Week: When Everything Is a 'Race'byDeborah MeierDear Diane,My daughter and I were swimming in my pond one sunny summer day, and I said, "This is the best pond in the world." My daughter responded (sharply): "Why must it be the best? Can't it just be a wonderful pond?"I was actually slightly miffed, but she had a point. We are (or I am?) so accustomed to assuming that praise has to ... more »

'Bully' Highlights Need for Parent-School Cooperation - High School Notes (usnews.com)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

'Bully' Highlights Need for Parent-School Cooperation - High School Notes (usnews.com): 'Bully' Highlights Need for Parent-School CooperationByLAURA MCMULLENApril 12, 2012RSS FeedPrintThe fact that about30 percent of school children are reportedly affected by bullyingis much too real for Jackie Libby. Her 12-year-old son, Alex, lived a nightmare each day at school and on the bus, where he was regularly strangled, punched, stabbed with pencils, and verbally abused.Viewers across the country will get an intimate look into the lives of Alex, and ... more »

The Alzheimer's Caregiver: Angels Among Us | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

The Alzheimer's Caregiver: Angels Among Us | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network: APRIL 9, 2012ALZHEIMER'S AND CAREGIVINGThe Alzheimer's Caregiver: Angels Among UsByEllen Woodward Potts and Daniel C. PottsMy father-in-law, Lester Potts, was a proud member of the Lions’ Club, a men’s community service organization similar to Rotary or Kiwanis.Until he moved into an Alzheimer’s assisted living unit, he had perfect attendance at their meetings for over 42 years.During the last several years of those 42, advancing Alzheimer’s disease ... more »

What Am I to Say to Aspiring Teachers? | IDEA

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

What Am I to Say to Aspiring Teachers? | IDEA: What Am I to Say to Aspiring Teachers?by Kristan Morrison indemocracy.eduAt my university, I serve as the Graduate Program Coordinator for the Masters in Education program. Part of this job entails serving as an advisor/recruiter to people who already have a Bachelor's degree in some other field, but who wish to now earn a Masters in Education simultaneous with earning a state license to teach. Last week, a prospective student ... more »

Schools Matter: Ask Eli Broad's Jim McIntyre for His "research and experience" to Support Corporate School Reform Costs

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

Schools Matter: Ask Eli Broad's Jim McIntyre for His "research and experience" to Support Corporate School Reform Costs: Ask Eli Broad's Jim McIntyre for His "research and experience" to Support Corporate School Reform CostsbyJim HornWhile the local corporate media of Knoxville continues to print any kind of unsubstantiated charges or rumors against teachers, all the while ignoring the grassroots movement emerging against the corporate education reform schools tide from Eli Broad disciple, Supt. Jim McIntyre, the other local media outlets ... more »

PROFESSOR: 'Teach For America' Has Gone Off The Deep End - Business Insider

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

PROFESSOR: 'Teach For America' Has Gone Off The Deep End - Business Insider: PROFESSOR: 'Teach For America' Has Gone Off The Deep EndMelanie Hicken|April 11, 2012|4,340|2900Professor Mark Naison (Youtube/NewYorkRawVideos)Teach for Americawill announce its final round of acceptancesfor next year's corps tomorrow.TFA, which recruits recent college graduates to teach in low-income neighborhoods,consistently makes Fortune's listof the Top 100 Employers to work for. Last year,only 11 percent of the nearly 50,000 students who appliedwere accepted into the prestigious program. So it is ... more »

What teachers know vs. what education policymakers do — Ravitch - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

What teachers know vs. what education policymakers do — Ravitch - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: What teachers know vs. what education policymakers do — RavitchbyValerie StraussThiswas written by education historian Diane Ravitch for herBridging Differencesblog, which she co-authors with Deborah Meier on theEducation Week website. The item was first published on March 6. In their blog,Ravitch and Meierexchange letters about what matters most in education. Ravitch, a research professor at New York University, is author of “The ... more »

Reynoso on Pepper Spray: They Had a Plan, But it Was Not Adequate. And They Didn't Follow It Anyway. - Davis, CA Patch

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 30 minutes ago

Reynoso on Pepper Spray: They Had a Plan, But it Was Not Adequate. And They Didn't Follow It Anyway. - Davis, CA Patch: Reynoso on Pepper Spray: They Had a Plan, But it Was Not Adequate. And They Didn't Follow It Anyway.Note: Check back Thursday for video and more coverage.The introduction of the Reynoso Task Force Report pretty much sums it up the pepper spray findings:“Our overriding conclusion can be stated briefly and explicitly. The pepper spraying incident that took ... more »

Bully movie exposes the new cruel norms of a cyber-powered world - Sacramento Cyber Safety | Examiner.com

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

Bully movie exposes the new cruel norms of a cyber-powered world - Sacramento Cyber Safety | Examiner.com: Bully movie exposes the new cruel norms of a cyber-powered worldJoanna JullienSacramento Cyber Safety ExaminerContinue reading onExaminer.com http://exm.nr/I7eIsi“The kids are using the phones to be cruel to each other. Parents if you must issue your child a phone, load it with nannyware to monitor their texts.” Valinda Frost, instructor at Mira Loma High SchoolPhoto credit:www.bravesociety.orgSACRAMENTO -- Sheila Self, Bullying Prevention Specialist of theSacramento ... more »

Katehi Writes Letter Thanking Reynoso Task Force - Davis, CA Patch

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

Katehi Writes Letter Thanking Reynoso Task Force - Davis, CA Patch: Katehi Writes Letter Thanking Reynoso Task ForceChancellor Linda P.B. Katehi sent a letter just before the Reynoso Report Task Force presentation on UC Davis pepper spraying ended.ByJustin CoxEmail the author5:18 pmEmailPrintCommentUpload Photos and VideosHere's the letter from Chancelor Linda P.B. Katehi in regard tothe Reynoso Task Forceon the UC Davis pepper spray incident. The report has been widely interpretedas critical of Katehi, the police chief,Lt. John Pikeand thepepper spraysituation ... more »

No Wonder Teachers Are Demoralized

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

No Wonder Teachers Are Demoralized: No Wonder Teachers Are DemoralizedI retired in June of 2011 and yesterday I returned to the high school where I had taught social studies for 35 years. The district is one of the wealthiest in Ohio. Many of the residents are well-paid professionals. Our alumni include numerous lawyers (one of whom argued in front of the US Supreme Court a year or so ago), doctors, executives, a current member of the Saturday Night Live cast, ... more »

Charter Schools No Cure-All for Black Students, Says Study | News

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

Charter Schools No Cure-All for Black Students, Says Study | News: Charter Schools No Cure-All for Black Students, Says StudyApril 11, 2012AUSTIN, Texas — Despite being promoted as a viable alternative to traditional public schools, privately owned charter schools in Texas have higher attrition rates for black students than comparable urban public schools, says a University of Texas at Austin study.Dr.Julian Vasquez Heilig’s research shows that, although many privately operated charter schools claim that 90 percent or more of their ... more »

Gates Won't Pull ALEC Grant

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Gates Won't Pull ALEC Grant: Gates Won't Pull ALECGrantThe Microsoft founder's foundation promised not to give future grants after a campaign from the left.postedApr 10, 2012 1:28pm EDTBuzzfeed PoliticsBuzzFeed StaffMore from Buzzfeed ›ShareEmail2StumbleGates at an Energy Department conference in February.(Getty Images / PAUL J. RICHARDS)The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, under fire from the left for a grant to the American Legislative Exchange Council, said it won't pull its promised funding from the conservative group.The Gates Foundation last fallawardedALEC a ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Audit&Finance Committee Meeting Round-Up

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: AuditFinance Committee Meeting Round-Up: AuditFinance Committee Meeting Round-UpbyMelissa WestbrookAs if to only reinforce the idea that the real action of the district is at committee meetings, there was the AuditFinance committee meeting yesterday.On the upside, I think this district has made tremendous strides in bringing in some bright and capable people as district staff. Duggan Harmon, head of Finance, Richard Staudt, Risk Management, and Andrew Medina, Internal Auditor, and Ronic Lirio, also in Finance, all come ... more »

Schools Matter: How Do You Shut Down the Most Brutal and Corrupt Charter School in U. S. History? We Don't Know Yet

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Schools Matter: How Do You Shut Down the Most Brutal and Corrupt Charter School in U. S. History? We Don't Know Yet: How Do You Shut Down the Most Brutal and Corrupt Charter School in U. S. History? We Don't Know YetbyJim HornIf you follow our model, you'll be a winner. By the time these kids are in ninth grade, I don't have to call them idiots anymore. --Ben Chavis, founder of AIPCSBen Chavis is the foul-mouthed right wing thug ... more »

Advocate for the Right Tools in Teacher Evaluation « InterACT

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Advocate for the Right Tools in Teacher Evaluation « InterACT: Advocate for the Right Tools in Teacher EvaluationbyDavid B. CohenThe blog post that follows is lifted (and slightly modified) from a lengthy comment I put on the Accomplished California Teachers Ning site, which is our members-only online platform. A Los Angeles teacher asked me to elaborate on a prior comment I’d made suggesting that I think teachers need to fight against the use of value-added measures in teacher evaluation.Okay – ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts 4-11 #edreform #soschat

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Will Gates Foundation ALSO Dump #ALEC owned Michelle Rhee?Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-8 minutes agoRheeFirst!: FEATURED STORYAs the test cheating scandalsheat up around the country, media attention is now increasingly focused on the issue. Viewpointsvary–from the uninformed and superficial tothose that offera deeper scrutiny on the root causes ofcheating. In other words, from the stupid to the sublime. Take your pick. Weare compilinga running list onrecentErasureGate articles. Please feel free [...]WHERE IS RHEE?ACADEMIC REPORTSFalse Choices: the economic argument ... more »

Pell Needs More Thought, Fewer Quick Fixes

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Pell Needs More Thought, Fewer Quick Fixes: Pell Needs More Thought, Fewer Quick FixesbyMandy ZatynskiToday’sdiverse panelof student aid advocates and experts didn’t agree on much, but one thing was for certain: Everyone is tired of one-year fixes. The Pell Grant program needs—and deserves—a more long-term solution to its funding woes.“The whole discussion has become, each year, ‘How do we save the Pell Grant program?’ It would be nice to solve this problem so we can move on and do something ... more »

Task Force Report: Davis Pepper-Spraying Should Have Been Prevented - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Task Force Report: Davis Pepper-Spraying Should Have Been Prevented - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento: Task Force Report: Davis Pepper-Spraying Should Have Been PreventedPOSTED: 1:29 pm PDT April 10, 2012UPDATED: 12:38 pm PDT April 11, 2012EmailPrint1commentsSAN FRANCISCO --The University of California has released a long-awaited report on the pepper-spraying of student demonstrators by UC Davis police last fall, concluding that the incident "should and could have been prevented."Comprehensive Summary Of ReportRead Full ReportThe report also said that the use ... more »

Title I Academic Achievement Awards for 2011-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 14 hours ago

Title I Academic Achievement Awards for 2011-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces 2011-12Title I Academic Achievement Award Schools SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that 117 California public schools have been selected for the 2011-12 Title I Academic Achievement Award."The progress being made at these schools, which serve our neediest students, should serve as a beacon of hope for California. At a time of fiscal crisis and economic uncertainty, ... more »

RheeFirst! » Right-wing corporate reformers cheat our students

RheeFirst! » Right-wing corporate reformers cheat our students:

Right-wing corporate reformers cheat our students

by admin

Written by Gary Rubinstein for CNN. Read the entire article here.
“Another big cheat is the amount of money and power certain self-dubbed “education reformers” have obtained by claiming, quite confidently, though with no actual proof, they “know” what will improve education in this country. …
Washington is another place where reformers claim success, yet it continues to have the largest achievement gap between black and white students in the country. According to the most recent Nation’s Report Card Trial Urban District Assessment, D.C.’s 64 point gap for fourth grade reading is more than double the national average for other big cities.“

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): Research Brief #2 - Increasing Safety Through Restorative Justice: Making Schools Safer for Girls and LGBTQ Students of Color in Chicago’s Public Schools

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): Research Brief #2 - Increasing Safety Through Restorative Justice: Making Schools Safer for Girls and LGBTQ Students of Color in Chicago’s Public Schools:

Research Brief #2 - Increasing Safety Through Restorative Justice: Making Schools Safer for Girls and LGBTQ Students of Color in Chicago’s Public Schools

by Create Chicago

CReATE | Research Brief #2

April 2012

From the relentless bullying of Phoebe Prince at her school in North Hadley, Massachusetts, which resulted in her suicide, to the murder of Derrion Albert near Chicago’s Fenger High school, stories of youth violence draw the public’s attention to the important matter of school safety. But how exactly are we conceptualizing the problem of violence? Which students are at risk for being harassed and bullied? What are the safety concerns for girls and LGBTQ students of color? Are punishing perpetrators and increasing the policing of schools the best directions for Chicago Public Schools (CPS)? What role can restorative justice strategies play in ending school violence and fostering safer CPS schools?

School violence includes both the extreme acts that capture the media’s attention as well as the everyday, chronic harassment that often flies under the radar of school disciplinary policies and security measures, undetected by safety officers and surveillance cameras. Events involving extremely dangerous violence are rare, and rates of gun violence on school grounds have actually declined in recent years in the U.S. More widespread is the chronic harassment of peers, which has serious negative implications for both academic achievement and 

Support PURE! » It’s spring, and the astroturf is spreading like crabgrass!

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » It’s spring, and the astroturf is spreading like crabgrass!:

It’s spring, and the astroturf is spreading like crabgrass!

by admin

What's underneath???

It seems that every time you turn around, there’s another astroturf education group sprouting up. The fertilizer, of course, is the money of wealthy privatizers and union busters, not to mention the rich manure of corporate reform rhetoric.
It’s gotten to the point where you have to worry that, if a group has the word “students,” “children,” “reform,” or “first” in it, you’ve got to first hide your children!
And now they’re going after college kids.
The latest eruption is called Students for Education Reform, and they are sponsoring a kick-off event Saturday at 

Divisive Michelle Rhee Rally Gets Parent Advocate Fired By New Haven Schools

CT News Junkie | Parent Advocate Fired By New Haven Schools Following Rhee Rally:

Parent Advocate Fired By New Haven Schools Following Rhee Rally

by Natalie Missakian | Apr 12, 2012 1:59pm
(0) Comments | Log in to Post a Comment 
Posted to: Education, Town News, New Haven, Labor, Legal

NATALIE MISSAKIAN FILE PHOTO

Gwen Samuel

The founder of the Connecticut Parents Union says she was fired from her job with the New Haven Public Schools’ Head Start program just one day after staging a rally at the Capitol with lightning rod school reformer Michelle Rhee.

Gwen Samuel said she received a letter from her employer, The Geselle Institute of Child Development, on March 15 telling her not to return to her part-time job leading workshops for parents of children enrolled in Head Start.

“We have been informed by New Haven Public Schools that your involvement with Head Start parents on a personal advocacy level is considered a conflict of interest and have been asked to remove you from the program,” wrote Marcy Guddemi, the Geselle Institute’s executive director. The position was funded by a grant through a contract with the New Haven Public Schools.

Samuel, a Meriden mom and outspoken proponent of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s 

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the importance of civics education - The Washington Post

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the importance of civics education - The Washington Post:

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the importance of civics education

Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post - Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor at the 2009 presidential inauguration. That year, she launched iCivics, a Web-based education project, to provide free interactive lesson plans and games for learning civics.

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By Alexander Heffner, Thursday, April 12, 7:42 AM

Over many decades, civic lethargy has plagued the United States. The most recent study of the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that students perform worse in civics and U.S. history than in any other subjects. To counteract this trend, former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor has become a staunch advocate of civic education. In 2009, she launched iCivics, a Web-based education project, to provide free interactive lesson plans and games for learning civics. The project is used in all 50 states and an estimated 55,000 classrooms. O’Connor recently spoke with WP Magazine about the state of civic education in America.

Q: Why civics, and why now?

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Gilder Lehrman Home for History Website
Provides Innovative Approach to American History Education

New York, NY (April 12, 2012)—The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is proud to announce the launch of the Gilder Lehrman Home For History at www.gilderlehrman.org, a comprehensive and interactive destination for American history online. An online curriculum and resource center but not a textbook, Gilder Lehrman’s new site presents a chronological and thematic look at American history through a range of different voices, with fifty original essays by renowned historians, including six Pulitzer Prize winners.

Featuring an intuitive layout and design, community and social tools, and primary sources with cross-referenced content, Gilder Lehrman’s new website will be essential for teachers, students, and American history enthusiasts.

Central to the Gilder Lehrman Home for History is “History by Era,” the Institute’s innovative approach to the American history curriculum with a focus on literacy. Through podcasts, interactive features, online exhibitions, timelines and terms, primary sources, teaching tools, and content spanning all of American history, “History by Era” offers a wide range of views of the important people, places, and politics in American history.

Other highlights of the launch will include a special double issue of the quarterly journal History Now on military history; and Gilder Lehrman’s first online course for graduate credit, “Civil War and Reconstruction.” The new site also offers improved search capabilities and more transcripts and digital images than ever for the catalog of the Gilder Lehrman Collection, a holding of more than 60,000 historical documents.

“Our aim is to support history education in every classroom in America,” declared Gilder Lehrman President James G. Basker. “We’re bringing the past to life while stepping into the future.”

“We’ve combined rich resources with advanced digital technology to create a framework that’s both easy to use and designed for growth,” said Executive Director Lesley Herrmann. “Created by a team of master teachers, renowned historians, education professionals, and technical consultants, Gilder Lehrman’s new site is great for teachers, students, and lovers of American history.”

Gilder Lehrman’s Home for History at gilderlehrman.org will officially launch on April 12, 2012, and users will enjoy a free preview of the new site until July 1, 2012. After that date, K–12 teachers and students who register with Gilder Lehrman will continue to receive free access to the site. Others will be able to subscribe for a modest fee to continue accessing Gilder Lehrman’s vast collection of digital content and resources.

Founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of history education. The Institute has developed an array of programs for schools, teachers, and students that now operate in all fifty states, including a website that features the 60,000 unique historical documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection, www.gilderlehrman.org. Each year the Institute offers support and resources to tens of thousands of teachers, and through them enhances the education of more than a million students. The Institute’s programs have been recognized by awards from the White House, the National Endowment of the Humanities, and the Organization of American Historians.

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Co-Housing / Co-Locating

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Co-Housing / Co-Locating:

Co-Housing / Co-Locating

by Charlie Mas

Seattle Public Schools is following an ass-backwards process in which they are starting with construction plans and will then follow with decisions about where to put programs. There are programs that need a home, such as north-end elementary APP, The NOVA Project, new language immersion programs and more. A rational process would start with the question "What students and programs do we need to house?" and then determine what they need to build and where they need to build it, the District has chosen to start by designing and locating buildings, opening buildings, expanding buildings, and closing buildings and then, later, they will try to assign programs to those buildings.

As they do this, they will be looking for a number of programs to either co-house or co-locate. Some quick nomenclature. Co-located programs are two completely separate programs which are both in one building. The way that NOVA and the S.B.O.C. now share the Meany building is an example of co-location. Each school is a completely separate entity, each with their own principals, staff, and rooms. They share some space, such as the library, but they have separate identities. Other examples include Denny/Sealth, and McDonald and SNAPP