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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 12-27-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



NYC Educator: What Percentage of Crap is Appropriate?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago
NYC Educator: What Percentage of Crap is Appropriate?: What Percentage of Crap is Appropriate? by NYC Educator I've been following a thread on Diane Ravitch's blog about the Common Core standards. This is written by a teacher who was "leary" of the standards. Perhaps this refers to Timothy Leary, who urged us all to turn on, tune in, and drop out. I myself am somewhat leery of this practice, as I fear the use of hallucinogenics might detract from my teaching. But I digress. Apparently, it is vital that high school students read 70% non-fiction. This, of course, is because 69% is no... more »

Is an Elected Dingle-Berry-Pie Better Than an Appointed Dingle-Berry-Pie? « PWC Education Reform Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago
Is an Elected Dingle-Berry-Pie Better Than an Appointed Dingle-Berry-Pie? « PWC Education Reform Blog: Is an Elected Dingle-Berry-Pie Better Than an Appointed Dingle-Berry-Pie? by pwceducationreform Several days ago I posted an article about the election to fill the Woodbridge seat on the Prince William County School Board (see Playing Politics in Woodbridge). This seat was vacated when Denita Ramirez resigned from the School Board in November. An interim representative will be appointed to the Woodbridge seat on January 2, 2013 and will serve until a candidate is elected. For... more »

Radical Scholarship: Becoming and Being a Teacher - Series list - Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago
Radical Scholarship: Becoming and Being a Teacher - Series list - Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe: Becoming and Being a Teacher - Series list - Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe by P. L. Thomas [image: Becoming and Being a Teacher] Becoming and Being a Teacher - Series list - Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe Book synopsis This volume unmasks tensions among economic, political, and educational goals in the context of becoming and being a teacher. Chapters frame becoming and being a teacher within commitments to democracy and political literacy while confronting neoliberal assumptions about American socie... more »

Minneapolis: Land of 10,000 Rephorm Miracles | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago
Minneapolis: Land of 10,000 Rephorm Miracles | EduShyster: Minneapolis: Land of 10,000 Rephorm Miracles by edushyster2012 The Twin City’s Venture Academy is already raising expectations—not to mention a boatload of cash—despite the fact that the school hasn’t opened yet. ‘Tis the season for miracles and today I give you a miraculous one indeed. Imagine a school so excellent, so innovative that it succeeds in raising expectations and boosting achievement *before its doors have even opened*.Where is this miracle occurring? Reader: it’s time to squeeze into your ski pants and slip the... more »

DPS ignoring teacher experience for pay issues - The Denver Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
DPS ignoring teacher experience for pay issues - The Denver Post: DPS ignoring teacher experience for pay issues POSTED: 12/27/2012 12:01:00 AM MST *By Henry Roman* *Re:"Quality teaching vs. tenure rights,"Dec. 14 editorial.* * * Teachers across Colorado are encouraged by the independent arbitrator who took exception with Denver Public Schools' tactics to remove experienced teachers from the classroom in the name of Senate Bill 191. Experience matters in teaching, and ignoring this fact deprives our students of the most skilled, knowledgeable teachers we can offer. The Denver Post... more »

Modern School: Worse Than the Big One—California’s Looming Megaflood

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Modern School: Worse Than the Big One—California’s Looming Megaflood: Worse Than the Big One—California’s Looming Megaflood by Michael Dunn Sacramento, January 1862, USGS Intense rainstorms began to pound central California on Christmas Eve, 1861, and continued nonstop for 43 days, converting the rivers that flow from the Sierra Nevada into torrents that flooded the Central Valley. Entire communities were swept away. Sacramento was under water for the next six months, forcing the state government to be relocated to San Francisco. The Central Valley became an inland sea that was 300 ... more »

Emergency Biscuits and the Bill Gates Common Core Imperative

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Emergency Biscuits and the Bill Gates Common Core Imperative: Emergency Biscuits and the Bill Gates Common Core Imperative by Susan Ohanian Here’s today’s grocery list: cranberries, pickled herring, dill pickles, dill herb, cucumber, spinach, bottle of Merlot. The first six items are a request from my husband, who is recovering from surgery and finding his taste buds out of whack. Nothing tastes good, but he’s experimenting with sour things. Okay, the Merlot is for me, trying to cope with this taste phenomenon. We keep experimenting. Kosher dill pickles seemed to hit the spot, and... more »

Is you child left behind? - The Deming Headlight

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Is you child left behind? - The Deming Headlight: Is you child left behind? Two Cents Posted: 12/26/2012 11:50:49 AM MST No Child Left Behind. What a great idea. Unfortunately, like the Super PACs, the great name hides the terrible intent behind this legislation. NCLB, as it is generally called, was passed in 2001 by a Republican Congress and signed by Republican President George Bush. It represents the biggest federal intrusion into education since the founding of this country. The constitution clearly says that education is a state's right. So how did this happen? The rationa... more »

Professor: Education and Human Rights, Social Justice Intrinsically Tied - Higher Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Professor: Education and Human Rights, Social Justice Intrinsically Tied - Higher Education: Professor: Education and Human Rights, Social Justice Intrinsically Tied December 27, 2012 | Category: Subfeature | : inShare [image: Email] [image: Print Friendly] by T.A. Copper [image: Dr. Richard Benson] Dr. Richard Benson When Dr. Richard D. Benson II talks about education, he quotes Malcolm X, saying “Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. It is the means to help our children and our people rediscover their identity and thereby increase their ... more »

Dangerous slogans for education and life | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Dangerous slogans for education and life | Get Schooled: Dangerous slogans for education and life 2:07 am December 27, 2012, by Maureen Downey Janusz Maciuba teaches English as a Second Language at a technical college in the Atlanta area. He has written several pieces for the AJC. Here is his latest: By Janusz Maciuba In the service of instilling self-esteem in students, teachers and other cheerleaders of scholastic and personal achievement have promoted slogans that are potentially dangerous if taken at face value by students. In fact, some of these motivational mottoes can actu... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-27-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] No One Opposes Reading Non-Fiction by dianerav A reader posted a comment yesterday wondering why so many who read this blog are opposed to reading non-fiction, or in the jargon of the day, “informational text.” This is a reference to the debate about the Common Core standards, which mandate a 50-50 split between literary/informational text in lower grades, and a 70-30 split in high school grades. Let me clarify my own view, as well as what I have derived from hundreds of comments by parents and teachers. ... more »

Are Sleepy Students Learning? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Are Sleepy Students Learning? | toteachornototeach: Are Sleepy Students Learning? by aristotlethewise Are Sleepy Students Learning? [image: sleeping students] *How does the mind work—and especially how does it learn? Teachers’ instructional decisions are based on a mix of theories learned in teacher education, trial and error, craft knowledge, and gut instinct. Such knowledge often serves us well, but is there anything sturdier to rely on?* *Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field of researchers from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, computer science, and an... more »

The ABC’s of Keeping Teachers (no apologies to the LA Times) « Classroom Struggle

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The ABC’s of Keeping Teachers (no apologies to the LA Times) « Classroom Struggle: The ABC’s of Keeping Teachers (no apologies to the LA Times) by ClassroomStruggle *School reconstitution. Last minute classroom reassignments. Overbooked class-load assignments. Constant turnover of the best teachers at your school. Sounds familiar to you? If so, this post from a teacher at Fremont High captures a lot of what you’re probably feeling. And, note, that’s Fremont High in Los Angeles because unfortunately these problems are all too common. Let us know below if this story resonat... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: T-Party's version of gun-control

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: T-Party's version of gun-control: T-Party's version of gun-control by Mike Klonsky Aistov Alexey/ShutterStockIn case you were thinking that we ought to be more like the Tea Party... Here's the way the tea-baggers handle policy debates within their D.C. group called *FreedomWorks.* WaPo reports: *Richard K. Armey, the group’s chairman and a former House majority leader, walked into the group’s Capitol Hill offices with his wife, Susan, and an aide holstering a handgun at his waist. The aim was to seize control of the group and expel Armey’s enemies:... more »

Predictions about High-Tech in K-12 Schools in 2023 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Predictions about High-Tech in K-12 Schools in 2023 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Predictions about High-Tech in K-12 Schools in 2023 by larrycuban For the past three years, I offered predictions (see December 26, 2009, December 30, 2010, and December 29, 2011 posts) of what I saw around the corner for high-tech in K-12 schools. With weekly reports of schools adopting iPads tablets for kindergartners as well as high schoolers, with vendors touting interactive whiteboards, clickers, and tablets engaging children and increasing academic achievement, with ... more »

Ed Notes Online: PS 138 Eva Invasion: Speculation on going to court to question DOE giveaway to Success?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: PS 138 Eva Invasion: Speculation on going to court to question DOE giveaway to Success?: PS 138 Eva Invasion: Speculation on going to court to question DOE giveaway to Success? by ed notes online *the DOE specifically has earlier said that there would not be sufficient space for a similar projected enrollment - good evidence, though subject to argument. PS 138 would also have an advantage if they filed right now, before the SCN lottery takes place *---anon After seeing the video of the PS 138 princpal at the PEP (see below), when the question in the title of thi... more »

Oregon Save Our Schools: Oregon Reads: Left to Chance and Outsiders

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Oregon Save Our Schools: Oregon Reads: Left to Chance and Outsiders: Oregon Reads: Left to Chance and Outsiders by Oregon SOS by Joanne Yatvin [image: Putting the Public Back in Our Public Schools!] When wealthy individuals or foundations give grants to groups espousing new ideas in the public sector, no harm is done. Even if those ideas fail miserably, the givers have plenty of money left to try again, and at least somebody got a job out of the venture. But when a working person gambles his paycheck away, there’s nothing left to buy food for his family. Such is the case with... more »

Arizona plan would arm principals - CNN.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Arizona plan would arm principals - CNN.com: Arizona plan would arm principals By *Alan Duke*, CNN updated 7:02 PM EST, Wed December 26, 2012 *STORY HIGHLIGHTS* - Arming principals is "next best solution" to police in schools, Attorney General Tom Horne says - Schools could send the principal or a designee to gun, emergency training - Those schools could keep on firearm "locked in a secure place" for when needed *(CNN)* -- Arizona's attorney general proposed arming one principal or employee at each school to defend against attacks such as the recent Connecticu... more »

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: The "Charlie Brown" Syndrome:Cure with Video Supplements!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: The "Charlie Brown" Syndrome:Cure with Video Supplements!: The "Charlie Brown" Syndrome:Cure with Video Supplements! In "Charlie Brown" cartoons, the teacher was non-existent. All you heard was "Wah, wah,wah. I believe that's what our students hear at times. Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else. Sometimes you just have to see it. I have three sources I use as my go-to's. *Learnzillion:* I am a recent convert to Learnzillion, but I have used it religiously since I learned about it. Learnzillion describes itself as high quali... more »

Diane in the Evening 12-26-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: A Literacy Expert Opposes the Common Core Standards by dianerav Stephen Krashen is a professor emeritus at the University of Southern California, where he taught linguistics. He comments here in response to an earlier post about the Common Core standards: What this excessive detail also does is (1) dictate the order of presentation of aspects of literacy (2) encourage a direct teaching, skill-building approach to teaching. Both of these consequences run counter to a massive amount of research and experience. There is very good evidence from both first and sec... more »

Allergies, extra weight tied to bullying - LA Daily News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Allergies, extra weight tied to bullying - LA Daily News: Allergies, extra weight tied to bullying By Genevra Pittman, Reuters Health Posted: 12/26/2012 11:17:33 AM PST Updated: 12/26/2012 03:21:37 PM PST CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE Kids who have food allergies or are overweight may be especially likely to get bullied by... (Stock) Kids who have food allergies or are overweight may be especially likely to get bullied by their peers, two new studies suggest.Not surprisingly, researchers also found targets of bullying were more distressed and anxious and had a worse quality of life, in... more »

Is Florida spending its migrant education funds properly? | Education articles blog on schools in Florida & Tampa Bay: the Gradebook | Tampa Bay Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Is Florida spending its migrant education funds properly? | Education articles blog on schools in Florida & Tampa Bay: the Gradebook | Tampa Bay Times: Is Florida spending its migrant education funds properly? Facebook 23 Email Share 30 Leaders of several Florida civil rights and non-profit organizations including LULAC, the NAACP and the United Chinese Association are demanding that Gov. Rick Scott prove that the state is following all the federal rules and guidelines for supporting migrant education. They want to make sure that Florida, which has more than 50,000 children eligibl... more »

YEAR END AWARDS « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
YEAR END AWARDS « Teachers Fight Back: YEAR END AWARDS by alkleen THE HYPOCRISY OF THE YEAR AWARD goes to some American corporations and millionaires who have decided they know what’s best for improving our inner city schools. They virtually ignored the problems of our inner city schools for 150 years, but now they are suddenly interested. What they are really interested in is destroying teacher unions and dismantling public education as we know it. Now that teachers make a decent wage and benefits, these corporations and millionaires have seen their property taxes rise dramati... more »

January 3 & 4: Shout truth to power-in-hiding – Springfield, IL | Reclaim Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
January 3 & 4: Shout truth to power-in-hiding – Springfield, IL | Reclaim Reform: January 3 & 4: Shout truth to power-in-hiding – Springfield, IL by kenpreviti [image: 564132_469111366468136_733241488_n]The Illinois House of Representatives was scheduled to meet January 3rd & 4th. We Are One Illinois, including the Illinois Education Association, planned a massive rally in the state capitol of Springfield in the dead of winter to oppose cuts to teacher and other public employee pensions that would do little or nothing to reduce the state debt. As a special surprise Christmas gift ... more »

Parenting Like a Principal | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Parenting Like a Principal | Connected Principals: Parenting Like a Principal by Dov Emerson Today, as I sat with a child in my office, one of the most fascinating discussions of my entire career began to ensue. Mind you, this particular student wasn’t kicked out of class, or called in for cutting. As a matter of fact, he’s not even enrolled in our high school. This was *my 5th grade son*, affectionately referred to on Twitter as “EmerKid2.” A little backdrop: Our son has recently been struggling with bringing home all of his homework materials. Today, yet again, he forgot an impo... more »

Are You Sick Of ‘Highly Paid’ Teachers? (HUMOR) | Addicting Info

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Are You Sick Of ‘Highly Paid’ Teachers? (HUMOR) | Addicting Info: Are You Sick Of ‘Highly Paid’ Teachers? (HUMOR) Posted by Guest Writer By Author Unknown (*if you know who wrote it, PLEASE let me know*) Teachers’ hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It’s time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do – babysit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. That’s right. Let’s give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be ... more »

We’ve been there before… « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
We’ve been there before… « Deborah Meier on Education: We’ve been there before… by debmeier “The task of returning testing to its proper place will be difficult….Those of us who believe in educational equity are facing enormously difficult problems,,,,Our belief in democracy–that normal every day people can make sense of their world and learn to make decisions about it– is at stake…There…is arising a renewed interest in educational tracking…and in new legislative proposals to support private education… All these anti-egalitarian trends….are nourished by the renewed focus on testi... more »

Daily Kos: I will not go to an inaugural ball

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Daily Kos: I will not go to an inaugural ball: I will not go to an inaugural ball by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I have gone twice. My wife and I went to the Southern States Ball in 1993. Four years ago I was technically one of the hosts of the Bloggers Ball (which was a ton of fun). Given that Virginia will be ground zero politically for our gubernatorial race in 2013, it is tempting to go to the Virginia Ball, which is actually less than a 1 mile walk from my home. But instead I am taking the money I would spend on that and donating it to specific non-profits whose work I th... more »

Jerry Brown's Next Trick in California: Weighted School Funding - State EdWatch - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Jerry Brown's Next Trick in California: Weighted School Funding - State EdWatch - Education Week: Jerry Brown's Next Trick in California: Weighted School Funding by Andrew Ujifusa [image: State EdWatch] In my story on the state fiscal outlook for K-12 in 2013, I mentioned that even with the passage of Proposition 30 in California, the school funding outlook in the Golden State wouldn't instantly go from rancid to rosy. But that's not the only conundrum facing Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, and state lawmakers in the next year. A nice article by Kevin Yamamura in the *Sacramento Be... more »

Technology Requirements for Common Core Assessments Released, But Not Costs | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Technology Requirements for Common Core Assessments Released, But Not Costs | Truth in American Education: Technology Requirements for Common Core Assessments Released, But Not Costs by Shane Vander Hart The Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) released their technologyrequirements last week. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) released theirs earlier this month. Both are noticeably quiet on the costs. Here are the five recommendations made by SBAC: 1. Move away from Windows XP (which is currently used by more than half ... more »

Taxpayer-Enriched Companies Back Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education, its Buddy ALEC, and Their "Reforms" | PR Watch

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Taxpayer-Enriched Companies Back Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education, its Buddy ALEC, and Their "Reforms" | PR Watch: Taxpayer-Enriched Companies Back Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education, its Buddy ALEC, and Their "Reforms" by Lisa Graves — November 28, 2012 - 4:04pm Topics: Right Wing, Front Groups, Third Party Technique, Children, Corporations, Democracy, Education, Lobbying,Think Tanks Projects: ALEC Exposed [image: Share/Save] Share this This week in Washington, DC, Jeb Bush's "Foundation for Excellence in Education" (FEE) is meeting just five bloc... more »

UPDATE: Schools Matter: The consequences of excessive detail + Glen Ford on the Corporate Assault on Public Education and Black Progressivism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Schools Matter: Glen Ford on the Corporate Assault on Public Education and Black Progressivism: The consequences of excessive detail. by skrashen A reader of Diane Ravitch’s blog (http://dianeravitch.net), December 20, 2012, commented about the amount of detail in the standards: “ (The excessive) amount of detail reduces flexibility, ownership, and increases dependency on publishers and corporation produced curriculum and assessment. It leaves little room for education; to draw out and support the development of student’s unique talents. It leaves little time for teachers to rea... more »

ASCD Shares Civic Learning Recommendations — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
ASCD Shares Civic Learning Recommendations — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Melissa Mellor]ASCD Shares Civic Learning Recommendations December 26, 2012 by Melissa Mellor ASCD Shares Civic Learning Recommendations ASCD recently sent feedback to the U.S. Department of Education on reinvigorating civic learning and engagement across the country. This feedback is a response to the department's call for suggestions on four provisions in its road map for advancing civic learning (PDF). Research and test scores show that our students lack knowledge of the U.S. governmen... more »

ACLU Wins Lawsuit Against Cory Booker, Forcing Release Of Emails with Facebook Executives | FDL News Desk

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
ACLU Wins Lawsuit Against Cory Booker, Forcing Release Of Emails with Facebook Executives | FDL News Desk: ACLU Wins Lawsuit Against Cory Booker, Forcing Release Of Emails with Facebook ExecutivesBy: DSWright Wednesday December 26, 2012 9:16 am [image: Tweet]Tweet91 [image: digg] [image: stumbleupon] [image: Photobucket] Cory Booker and Mark Zuckerberg It started on *Oprah.* Facebook founder and Winklevii nemesis Mark Zuckerberg announced a $100 million donation to Newark schools to blunt PR damage from the release of* The Social Network* help school children. The money would not... more »

Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out): Education-erator Note: All book titles are real. *by Susan Ohanian* Traditionally, the books we chose for our students reflected both our knowledge of those students and the values we hoped to impart (and a big value for many of us was "enjoyment." We actually held as primary value *kid pleasure in reading.* Now, money carries a big stick and with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation paying for the Common Core State (sic) Standards, we see a cosmic shift in the books consultants-for-hire put on student book lists. Thi... more »

UNPO: Hmong: California School Aims To Educate And Preserve Culture

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
UNPO: Hmong: California School Aims To Educate And Preserve Culture: Hmong: California School Aims To Educate And Preserve Culture *After surviving centuries of wars, genocide and migration mainly to the United States, the Hmong culture stands threatened. This has been acknowledged by a new elementary school in California, which has introduced an immersion program aiming to preserve the culture and connect migrant children with their roots.* *Below is an article published by Public Radio International:* At Susan B. Anthony Elementary, Mr. Vue’s kindergarteners sit on a brightly colo... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education Reading Round-Up

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Education Reading Round-Up: Education Reading Round-Up by Melissa Westbrook From the Washington Post's The Answer Sheet, an article about D.C.'s county superintendent calling on President Obama and Secretary Duncan to call a moratorium on standardized testing. *He also said it was wrong to evaluate teachers based on the scores their students get on standardized tests because the method that is is based on “bad science.” He noted that he had previously worked in the New York City Department of Education, the nation’s largest school system, where wa... more »

School Tech Connect: Transforming Teaching...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Transforming Teaching...: Transforming Teaching... by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) ...one bad idea at a time. My recent letter to Kelly Cassidy, who is my own representative in Springfield. Hi Kelly, I hope you're well. I'm writing to ask if you could provide, or if you could ask TRS to provide, a few sample scenarios for how a retirement would look for employees hired the under the cash balance plan with a comparison of how that same employee's retirement would look under Tier I and Tier II. During the debate around SB512 in 2011, Daniel Biss aske... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, December 26, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Teaching Braceros' impact on California Education Headlines *Wednesday, December 26, 2012* Kern schools use call systems for emergencies, informationNeither the California Department of Education nor the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office tracks how many districts have mass messaging systems, but an informal survey of Kern County schools found most everyone contacted has that capability. Salinas City Councilman Jose Castaneda mum on giving up school board seatSalinas City Council member José Castañeda, also a trustee for... more »

UPDATE: The in box. Pension forum in Aurora. Nekritz to answer questions. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
The in box. Pension forum in Aurora. Nekritz to answer questions. « Fred Klonsky: Tim Furman’s got a question for Representative Kelly Cassidy. A “progressive Democrat” who sponsors pension killing bills. by Fred Klonsky [image: headshot] Blogger and teacher Tim Furman has a question for his state rep: *Hi Kelly, * *I hope you’re well. * *I’m writing to ask if you could provide, or if you could ask TRS to provide, a few sample scenarios for how a retirement would look for employees hired the under the cash balance plan with a comparison of how that same employee’s retirement wo... more »

Glenda Ritz’ Opposition to Common Core Highlighted | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Glenda Ritz’ Opposition to Common Core Highlighted | Truth in American Education: Glenda Ritz’ Opposition to Common Core Highlighted by Shane Vander Hart Since Glenda Ritz is now the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction-Elect she’ll need to be reminded of what she wrote prior to her election on November 7th. This is one of the primary reasons Tony Bennett lost. Erin Tuttle at Hoosiers Against Common Core highlighted her position statement: Common Core Standards must be re-evaluated. Indiana had exceptional standards before Common Core. The Indiana Department of Educatio... more »

We Are One - Illinois | Save the Dates: January 3 and 4 at the State Capitol in Springfield

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
We Are One - Illinois | Save the Dates: January 3 and 4 at the State Capitol in Springfield: Save the Dates: January 3 and 4 at the State Capitol in Springfield Political observers predict the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Quinn will try again to ram unfair and unconstitutional pension cuts through the General Assembly in early January. This could happen during “lame duck” session – so called because nearly three dozen lame duck lawmakers will be leaving public service and thus may never answer to the voters again. Our coalition proposed a framework in August for true re... more »

For KIPP charter schools, more computer time, less class time | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
For KIPP charter schools, more computer time, less class time | Seattle Education: For KIPP charter schools, more computer time, less class time by seattleducation2011 With the Race to the Top (RTTT) funds dwindling, charter schools are having to balance their books and keep their CEO’s well paid by cutting out face-to-face class time with teachers and instead, placing those students in front of computer screens. They refer to this as “blended learning”. I have another word for it but I won’t use that word here. First KIPP was replacing qualified and certified teachers with Teach ... more »

solidaridad: Featured Endorsements Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
solidaridad: Featured Endorsements Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board 2013: Featured Endorsements Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board 2013 by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene [image: Robert D. Skeels, a Social Justice Schoolboard Candidate] *Like to endorse Robert D. Skeels for LAUSD School Board? Simply fill out this form.* United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) Professor Diane Ravitch Unión del Barrio Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC) Cheryl Ortega Dr. Rosemary L. Lee Kathleen Hernandez Ron Gochez Susan Ohanian Professor Paul L. Thomas Professor James Horn Professo... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CONTESTED UTLA HOUSE OF REPS ELECTIONS SIGNAL INTERNAL FISSURES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: CONTESTED UTLA HOUSE OF REPS ELECTIONS SIGNAL INTERNAL FISSURES: CONTESTED UTLA HOUSE OF REPS ELECTIONS SIGNAL INTERNAL FISSURES Some union members fear outside groups – funded by non-profits like the Gates Foundation - encouraged teachers to run for UTLA's decision-making body to influence policy. BY HOWARD BLUME AND TERESA WATANABE, LOS ANGELES TIMES | HTTP://LAT.MS/W52LLA December 26, 2012, 4:56 a.m. :: The young staff at the Alexander Science Center has been hard hit by seniority-based layoffs, the main factor behind a turnover ... more »

The Visions of Common Core Standards Which Dance in the Heads Florida’s Leaders Doesn’t Snuff Out the Reality of More Tests | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Visions of Common Core Standards Which Dance in the Heads Florida’s Leaders Doesn’t Snuff Out the Reality of More Tests | Scathing Purple Musings: The Visions of Common Core Standards Which Dance in the Heads Florida’s Leaders Doesn’t Snuff Out the Reality of More Tests by Bob Sikes *Associated Press *reporter Bill Kaczor takes a comprehensive look at Florida’s transition to national Common Core Standards. Interim state education commissioner Pam Stewart glows predictably as Common Core “is about the skills required in Florida.” This description by Kaczor sums up why the wh... more »

The Greatest Speech Ever | Education on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Greatest Speech Ever | Education on GOOD: The Greatest Speech Ever Continue to link This speech inspires me every single time I listen to it. It proves how the problems our society and species have had as well as their solutions are simply timeless; they've always been there one way or another, and perhaps now that people seem to be awakening and more eager to change their lives' conditions and quality, the time for real action on these words has come.

Daily Kos: Tests Fail South's Legacy of Inequity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: Tests Fail South's Legacy of Inequity: Tests Fail South's Legacy of Inequity byplthomasEdDFollow harlotte-Mecklenburg (NC) Superintendent Heath Morrison along with Montgomery County Schools (MD) Superintendent Joshua Starr has challenged the costs of pursuing once again new standards and (more) state high-stakes tests: "'I am very troubled by the amount of testing we are being asked to do,' Morrison told The Charlotte Observer editorial board. 'We can teach our way to the top, but we cannot test our way to the top. We’re getting ready in the state of North Carolina to... more »

Not Right: Common Core & Inappropriate Tests | California Father

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Not Right: Common Core & Inappropriate Tests | California Father: [image: California Father] Not Right: Common Core & Inappropriate Tests by California Father

Modern School: CalSTRS Forces Sale of Bushmaster Investment—Retains Other Death Holdings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Modern School: CalSTRS Forces Sale of Bushmaster Investment—Retains Other Death Holdings: CalSTRS Forces Sale of Bushmaster Investment—Retains Other Death Holdings by Michael Dunn Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.comLess than one day after the California teachers’ pension fund, CalSTRS, threatened to cut ties with the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, the company sold off its stake in Freedom Group (see Edsource), which includes Bushmaster, manufacturer of the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle used by Adam Lanza to massacre 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in ... more »







Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-22-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-15-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-8-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 12-1-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-24-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-17-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-10-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 11-3-12 Recap of Last Week's Best PostBig Education Ape 2nd Banana 10-27-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 





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NYC Educator: What Percentage of Crap is Appropriate?

NYC Educator: What Percentage of Crap is Appropriate?:


What Percentage of Crap is Appropriate?

I've been following a thread on Diane Ravitch's blog about the Common Core standards. This is written by a teacher who was "leary" of the standards. Perhaps this refers to Timothy Leary, who urged us all to turn on, tune in, and drop out. I myself am somewhat leery of this practice, as I fear the use of hallucinogenics might detract from my teaching. But I digress.

Apparently, it is vital that high school students read 70% non-fiction. This, of course, is because 69% is not enough and 71% is too much. David Coleman has reached into his extraordinarily gifted hind quarters and pulled out the perfect number. This is because students must be prepared to read things like train schedules and quarterly reports, and can't possibly do so unless we give them overt training.

I suppose that I am the exception to this rule. I can read all that stuff with no problem whatsoever, and none of 

Is an Elected Dingle-Berry-Pie Better Than an Appointed Dingle-Berry-Pie? « PWC Education Reform Blog

Is an Elected Dingle-Berry-Pie Better Than an Appointed Dingle-Berry-Pie? « PWC Education Reform Blog:


Is an Elected Dingle-Berry-Pie Better Than an Appointed Dingle-Berry-Pie?

Radical Scholarship: Becoming and Being a Teacher - Series list - Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe

Radical Scholarship: Becoming and Being a Teacher - Series list - Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe:


Becoming and Being a Teacher - Series list - Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe

Becoming and Being a Teacher
Becoming and Being a Teacher - Series list - Peter Lang Verlagsgruppe




Book synopsis

This volume unmasks tensions among economic, political, and educational goals in the context of becoming and being a teacher. Chapters frame becoming and being a teacher within commitments to democracy and political literacy while confronting neoliberal assumptions about American society, universal public education, and education reform. A wide variety of teachers and scholars discuss teacher preparation and teaching through evidence-based examinations of complex problems and solutions facing teachers, education policymakers, the public, and students. Teaching is embraced as a political act, and critical subjectivity is endorsed as a rejection of objectivity and traditional paradigms of teaching designed to create a compliant teacher workforce. The book honors and celebrates voice and collective voice, both of which speak to and from the inexorable fact of becoming and being a teacher as one and the same.

Contents

Contents: P. L. Thomas: Introduction - Thomas Robertine: Continuous Becoming: Fieldwork as a Mutually Transformative Experience - Ana L. Cruz: Becoming a Teacher: Fostering a Democratically Conscious Citizenry Through Critical Pedagogy - Katherine Crawford-Garrett: Teach for America, Urban Reform, and the New Taylorism in Public Education - Lisa William-White: Becoming a Teacher in an Era of Curricular Standardization and Reductionist Learning Outcomes: A Poetic Interpretation - Anthony Cody: Learning to 

Minneapolis: Land of 10,000 Rephorm Miracles | EduShyster

Minneapolis: Land of 10,000 Rephorm Miracles | EduShyster:


Minneapolis: Land of 10,000 Rephorm Miracles

The Twin City’s Venture Academy is already raising expectations—not to mention a boatload of cash—despite the fact that the school hasn’t opened yet.
‘Tis the season for miracles and today I give you a miraculous one indeed. Imagine a school so excellent, so innovative that it succeeds in raising expectations and boosting achievement before its doors have even opened.Where is this miracle occurring? Reader: it’s time to squeeze into your ski pants and slip the insulator over your wine box. We’re headed to Minneapolis, or as I like to call it the Land of 10,000 Rephorm Miracles. 2 Cool 4 School
Today the Rephorm Express is making but a single stop: the Twin City’s Venture Academy. Alas we can’t go 

Modern School: Worse Than the Big One—California’s Looming Megaflood

Modern School: Worse Than the Big One—California’s Looming Megaflood:


Worse Than the Big One—California’s Looming Megaflood

Sacramento, January 1862, USGS

Intense rainstorms began to pound central California on Christmas Eve, 1861, and continued nonstop for 43 days, converting the rivers that flow from the Sierra Nevada into torrents that flooded the Central Valley. Entire communities were swept away. Sacramento was under water for the next six months, forcing the state government to be relocated to San Francisco. The Central Valley became an inland sea that was 300 miles long and 20 miles wide. Thousands of people and hundreds of thousands of cows were killed. The state was 

DPS ignoring teacher experience for pay issues - The Denver Post

DPS ignoring teacher experience for pay issues - The Denver Post:


DPS ignoring teacher experience for pay issues

POSTED:   12/27/2012 12:01:00 AM MST

By Henry Roman

Teachers across Colorado are encouraged by the independent arbitrator who took exception with Denver Public Schools' tactics to remove experienced teachers from the classroom in the name of Senate Bill 191. Experience matters in teaching, and ignoring this fact deprives our students of the most skilled, knowledgeable teachers we can offer.
The Denver Post's view that the "mutual consent" hiring provisions of SB 191 affect only 45 teachers is absurd. Here's the cold reality: Nearly 2,000 experienced teachers with good performance evaluations have been removed from their classrooms over the past three years


Read more:DPS ignoring teacher experience for pay issues - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_22262686/delving-deeper-dps-teacher-hiring-practices#ixzz2GGUyvu24
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

Emergency Biscuits and the Bill Gates Common Core Imperative

Emergency Biscuits and the Bill Gates Common Core Imperative:


Emergency Biscuits and the Bill Gates Common Core Imperative

Is you child left behind? - The Deming Headlight

Is you child left behind? - The Deming Headlight:


Is you child left behind?

Two Cents

No Child Left Behind. What a great idea. Unfortunately, like the Super PACs, the great name hides the terrible intent behind this legislation. NCLB, as it is generally called, was passed in 2001 by a Republican Congress and signed by Republican President George Bush.
It represents the biggest federal intrusion into education since the founding of this country. The constitution clearly says that education is a state's right. So how did this happen?
The rationale behind it was that the states did not have to comply with the law. However, if they did not, they would lose all of their federal funding. It was a very clever way to bypass the constitution.
The law stated that by 2014 all students would master or be proficient in 100% of the curriculum tested. In reality, this means that all students will be above average by 2014. Only Congress could come up with such an impossible goal

Professor: Education and Human Rights, Social Justice Intrinsically Tied - Higher Education

Professor: Education and Human Rights, Social Justice Intrinsically Tied - Higher Education:


Professor: Education and Human Rights, Social Justice Intrinsically Tied

Category: Subfeature | 
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by T.A. Copper

Dr. Richard Benson
Dr. Richard Benson
When Dr. Richard D. Benson II talks about education, he quotes Malcolm X, saying “Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. It is the means to help our children and our people rediscover their identity and thereby increase their self-respect. Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs only to the people who prepare for it today.”
Benson, 37, is currently an assistant professor and associate chair of the education studies program at Spelman College in Atlanta. He said it was his mother’s influence that has made such a large impact on his career.
“My mother’s thing was school. … It was not uncommon for an individual to take 3 to 4 years off to work and save for college with the intent to enroll at a later time and that is what my mother did.”

Dangerous slogans for education and life | Get Schooled

Dangerous slogans for education and life | Get Schooled:


Dangerous slogans for education and life

Janusz Maciuba teaches English as a Second Language at a technical college in the Atlanta area. He has written several pieces for the AJC. Here is his latest:
By Janusz Maciuba
In the service of instilling self-esteem in students, teachers and other cheerleaders of scholastic and personal achievement have promoted slogans that are potentially dangerous if taken at face value by students. In fact, some of these motivational mottoes can actually encourage students to drop out of school. I base my observations on teaching 7th and 9th graders and from reading thousands of GED essays, some of which explained why students left school before graduation and what their dreams for the future were.
Here are the top three lies some students believe:
You can be anything you want to be. Yes, you can! With hard work at school or on the 

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-27-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:


Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch




Where Are the Closing Schools?

Jersey Jazzman connects the dots about school closings.
Do they close in white neighborhoods? No.
Do they close in affluent neighborhoods? No.
Guess where they close? In high-poverty neighborhoods.
My guess: the white and affluent neighborhoods are next.


An Armed Guard for Every School?

Eclectablog is one of my favorites. I don’t know the writer, but he or she is super smart and witty, which is a great combination.
Here is a post explaining that an armed guard in every school (132,000 schools of all kinds) would cost something north of $10 billion.
That’s lot of moola-boola on new weaponry.
It also means another 132,000 guns in the schools.
Eclectablog refers to this as “gun porn.”
Be sure to open this

No One Opposes Reading Non-Fiction
 

A reader posted a comment yesterday wondering why so many who read this blog are opposed to reading non-fiction, or in the jargon of the day, “informational text.”
This is a reference to the debate about the Common Core standards, which mandate a 50-50 split between literary/informational text in lower grades, and a 70-30 split in high school grades.
Let me clarify my own view, as well as what I have derived from hundreds of comments by parents and teachers. No one opposes reading non-fiction. You are reading an informational text right now! Teachers of science, history, and mathematics have always assigned informational texts. Few such classes read fiction. So the question comes down to what the English teacher assigns. Probably, if the English teacher assigned 100% 

An Interview with Todd Farley

This was sent by a reader of the blog. Todd Farley wrote a terrific book about the testing industry called “Making the Grades,” based on his many years on the inside of that industry. He knows the tricks of the trade. If you haven’t read his book, you should.
Interview with Todd Farley by Rebecca Rubenstein.
She writes:
In 2009, I had just graduated college and was part of a class fumbling its way into one of the worst economic climates in U.S. history. Our prospects were, to say the least, uncertain, though my class’s guest 

Please Arm These Teachers!

This elementary school teacher wants to be armed with smaller classes.
She also wants to be armed with after school clubs and resources for her special education students. Readmore about how she wants to be armed.
This education dean also wants to arm teachers.
He wants to arm them with passion, purpose, knowledge, understanding, and courage.
Anyone listening?

Teacher: Common Core Harms My Title I Students

One of the unsettled questions about the Common Core standards is whether they will widen or narrow the achievement gaps between children of different races and different income levels. In their first trial in Kentucky, the gap grew larger, and scores fell across the board. Some see this effect as a temporary adjustment to higher standards. Some suspect that it is intended to induce panic among parents about public education. Some see it as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to sell more stuff to schools.
This teacher read Stephen Krashen’s post last night about the Common Core and offered the following comments.
“From a teacher who has spent this year implementing CC I can tell everyone it has been a nightmare of epic 

The Belly of the Beast

This article, published in The Times Educational Supplement (London), is an in-depth explanation of how the Global Educational Reform Movement (GERM) took shape and became powerful. Here you will meet Sir Michael Barber, who coined the idea of “deliverology,” and learn about his rapid ascent from trade union activist to Tony Blair advisor to McKinsey guru to Pearson strategist.
You will learn about the fierce struggle among advanced nations to have the highest test scores and be #1 on 

Teacher: How Toxic Testing Drove Me Out of the Classroom

Carole Marshall, a former journalist, published the following in the Providence (R.I.) Journal on December 14, 2012:
TESTING MANIA LEAVES URBAN STUDENTS BEHIND
As a person who left a teaching position at Hope High School, in Providence, last June after almost two decades, I’d like to add my perspective to the discussion of high-stakes testing.
I left several years earlier than I’d planned to. I’m proud of my teaching record and of the role I played at Hope: I was the internal facilitator for school improvement when we broke down Hope into small learning communities. 

Diane in the Evening 12-26-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: A Literacy Expert Opposes the Common Core Standards by dianerav Stephen Krashen is a professor emeritus at the University of Southern California, where he taught linguistics. He comments here in response to an earlier post about the Common Core standards: What this excessive detail also does is (1) dictate the order of presentation of aspects of literacy (2) encourage a direct teaching, skill-building approach to teaching. Both of these consequences run counter to a massive amount of research and experience. There is very good evidence from both first and sec... more »

Are Sleepy Students Learning? | toteachornototeach

Are Sleepy Students Learning? | toteachornototeach:


Are Sleepy Students Learning?

Are Sleepy Students Learning?
sleeping students

How does the mind work—and especially how does it learn? Teachers’ instructional decisions are based on a mix of theories learned in teacher education, trial and error, craft knowledge, and gut instinct. Such knowledge often serves us well, but is there anything sturdier to rely on?
Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary field of researchers from psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy, computer science, and anthropology who seek to understand the mind. In this regular American Educator column, we consider findings from this field that are strong and clear enough to merit classroom application.
By Daniel T. Willingham
Question: Some of my students seem really sleepy—they stifle yawns and struggle to keep tired eyes open—especially in the morning. This can’t be good for their learning, right? Is there anything I can do to help these 

The ABC’s of Keeping Teachers (no apologies to the LA Times) « Classroom Struggle

The ABC’s of Keeping Teachers (no apologies to the LA Times) « Classroom Struggle:


The ABC’s of Keeping Teachers (no apologies to the LA Times)

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: T-Party's version of gun-control

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: T-Party's version of gun-control:


T-Party's version of gun-control

Aistov Alexey/ShutterStock
In case you were thinking that we ought to be more like the Tea Party...

Here's the way the tea-baggers handle policy debates within their D.C. group called FreedomWorks.

WaPo reports: 
Richard K. Armey, the group’s chairman and a former House majority leader, walked into the group’s Capitol Hill offices with his wife, Susan, and an aide holstering a handgun at his waist. The aim was to seize control of the group and expel Armey’s enemies: The gun-wielding assistant [later identified as former Capitol Hill cop, Beau Singleton -- M.K.]  escorted FreedomWorks’ top two employees off the premises, while Armey suspended several others who broke down in sobs at the 

Predictions about High-Tech in K-12 Schools in 2023 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Predictions about High-Tech in K-12 Schools in 2023 | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:


Predictions about High-Tech in K-12 Schools in 2023

For the past three years, I offered predictions (see December 26, 2009, December 30, 2010, and December 29, 2011 posts) of what I saw around the corner for high-tech in K-12 schools. With weekly reports of schools adopting  iPads  tablets for kindergartners as well as high schoolers, with vendors touting interactive whiteboards, clickers, and tablets engaging children and increasing academic achievement, with policymakers mandating online courses for high school graduation, with the spread of blended learning in mostly low-income and minority schools, and with more and more  teachers blogging about how they integrate the use of new devices into daily lessons, including English and math Common Core standards–with all of that one would think that by 2023, age-graded schools and the familiar teaching and learning that occurs in schools today would be, well, passe’. I do not think so.
For nearly three decades, I have written about teacher and student access to, and instructional use of,