Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 3-19-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS




Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 minutes ago
Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures: CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures When a school is closed, the facility is shut down, school staff is displaced, children are sent to other schools, and the community loses a vital resource. If Chicago Public Schools (CPS) follows the city’s Commission on School Utilization March 2013 recommendations, 80 CPS neighborhood schools (13% of the entire system) will be closed, disrupting the lives of nearly 25,000 children. CPS expects that s... more »

Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified | news10.net

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 minutes ago
Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified | news10.net: Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified - - - - [image: Share] - [image: Email] - [image: Print] - - A *A* A + Chris Nguyen - FILED UNDER - News - Local News - Education - COMMUNITIES - Natomas News - Land Park - Pocket News - South Sacramento News - East Sacramento News - Rancho Cordova - Gold River News - Fair Oaks - Carmichael News SACRAMENTO, Calif. - It's down to the wire for families in the Sac City Unified School District. Parents hav...more »

Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring by Cheryl S. Williams In the work that the Learning First Alliance (LFA) has undertaken over the past months in gathering data on public attitudes and perceptions of public education, one common assumption among the general public becomes clear: - Student success and teacher effectiveness are related to a single quality - *caring* So, the public and educators alike believe that if teachers care about thei... more »

School Tech Connect: In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago
School Tech Connect: In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School: In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Just an update about the state charter panel that's meeting today at 1:30 PM at the Thompson Center. I don't know if this is a hearing or just a public meeting, or what, but it appears from the agenda that Concept Schools is getting two new charters--- a decision that overrides the CPS decision. I don't know if there was a previous hearing, but from what I can tell, the decision is made.

Daily Kos: Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago
Daily Kos: Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US: Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) in this powerful post. He describes this as the first in a series of posts he intends to do looking back on the decade since the war commenced. He reminds us bluntly: Coming into 2003, the US enjoyed a great deal of sympathy and solidarity from the rest of the world (including Iran) over the al-Qaeda strikes of September 11, 2001. In the aftermath of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the US was widely seen as an international bully. He... more »

News Update: Finch cuts Bridgeport School budget ; Claims it won’t reduce funding for schools (oh, okay) - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 54 minutes ago
News Update: Finch cuts Bridgeport School budget ; Claims it won’t reduce funding for schools (oh, okay) - Wait, What?: News Update: Finch cuts Bridgeport School budget ; Claims it won’t reduce funding for schools (oh, okay) by jonpelto With only three months left in the school year, yesterday started with the news that Mayor Bill Finch was reneging on his promise and cutting the Bridgeport school budget by $4.4 million dollars. By the end of the day, the size of the cut was reduced to $1.1 million. And according to a report in the CT Post, after the dust settled from all the me... more »

Joy Resmovits: NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Joy Resmovits: NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today: NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *NYC Teachers' Free Pass?* The Wall Street Journal crunched eight years worth of data, and found that more than 10 percent of principals *did not flunk one teacher* on their evaluations. "The findings give ammunition to Department of Education officials who say the teacher-rating system should be changed," WSJ's Lisa Fleisher writes. "New York City is one of a handful of school districts statewide that hasn't adopt... more »

American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality | Truth in American Education: American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality by Shane Vander Hart Local control is bad, horrible, no good if you were to listen to the arguments being made by William Schmidt and Nathan Burroughs in their article in the Spring 2013 edition of *American Educator* which is a publication ofAmerican Federation of Teachers. They promote the standard talking points – “it resembles the standards of high-achieving countries and exhibit the key features of coh... more »

Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools? | toteachornototeach: Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools? by aristotlethewise *CPS ‘Persepolis’ Ban? Marjane Satrapi’s Graphic * *Novel Inappropriate For 7th Graders, District Says* Is Chicago Public Schools banning the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” from its schools’ libraries and classrooms? Reports began circulating Thursday that officials in the nation’s third-largest school district were directing the 2000 graphic novel, penned by Marjane Satr... more »

Schools Matter: By Masses of Complicated Fact

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: By Masses of Complicated Fact: By Masses of Complicated Fact by Douglas Storm The whole field of education is affected -- There is no end of detail that is without significance. Education would begin by placing in the mind of the student the nature of knowledge -- in the dead state and the nature of the force which may energize it. This would clarify his field at once -- He would then see the use of data. But at present knowledge is placed before a man as if it were a stair at the top of which a DEGREE is obtained which is superlative. nothing could be more ridi... more »

How school reform became the cause célèbre of billionaires

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
How school reform became the cause cĆ©lĆØbre of billionaires: How school reform became the cause cĆ©lĆØbre of billionaires Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 19, 2013 at 10:00 am [image: Bill Gates, school reformer Bill Gates (Jeffrey MacMillan / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)] Bill Gates, school reformer Bill Gates (By Jeffrey MacMillan/For TWP) Why are billionaire philanthropists at the forefront of school reform? Here’s a primer, from Jack Schneider, an assistant professor of education at the College of the Holy Cross and the author of “Excellence For All: How a New Breed of ... more »

A Sociological Eye on Education | Who’s afraid of big data?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
A Sociological Eye on Education | Who’s afraid of big data?: Who’s afraid of big data? by Aaron Pallas [image: Who’s afraid of big data?] Nestled in a dusty corner of my office sits a safe, which requires both a key and a combination to open. Inside the safe sits an external hard drive containing my only copy of encrypted confidential data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a federally funded research study that collected longitudinal data on the health behaviors of adolescents, their friendship networks and siblings, their schools, school trans... more »

Ten years after. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Ten years after. | Fred Klonsky: Ten years after. by Fred Klonsky We were driving back from a demonstration of hundreds of thousands that had gathered on the Washington DC mall. Hundreds of thousands more had protested in cities all around the world. Over a million people in the streets. “No war.” Ten years ago. As we drove home to Chicago I read aloud the report of the protest in the NY Times to the others in the car. The Times began their report with, “There are two superpowers in the world this morning: The United States and world public opinion.” We were elated. Like so much of ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] More Cheering from Wall Street for School Closures by dianerav Good news for Wall Street! More school closings! Does Wall Street think it would be a good idea to close down all public schools? Think of the savings to municipalities if we just stopped offering free public education! A reader writes: *And Bloomberg reports this about Philadelphia school closures:* *Closing 12% of Philadelphia Schools Creates Winners: Muni Credit* * from Bloomberg * *“The nation’s fi... more »

Guess when this was written

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Guess when this was written: Guess when this was written Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 19, 2013 at 4:00 am 5 Comments More [image: question mark]Consider that the implementation of No Child Left Behind, known as the era of high-stakes testing, began in 2002 under president George W. Bush, and that Race to the Top, which critics call NCLB “on steroids” for its reliance on standardized testing, began in 2009 under President Obama. Now read these passages and guess when they were written: Testing has assumed a prominent role in recent efforts to improve the quality of educatio... more »

Florida Senate Will Be the Key Battleground on Charter School Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Florida Senate Will Be the Key Battleground on Charter School Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida Senate Will Be the Key Battleground on Charter School Legislation by Bob Sikes Two news reports on yesterday’s Senate Education meeting yesterday provided tidbits which revealed the Senate’s cautious nature on charter school legislation. Lynn Hatters report in *WFSU* indicates the biggest fights will be over amendments as the committee wants to merge two “competing” bill. It appears that Parent Trigger will remain separate. Writes Hatters: Florida Senator David Simmons (R-... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It?: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It? by stlgretchen Missouri DESE published a news release stating it had over 400 endorsements supporting Common Core State Standards. From dese.com: More than 400 school districts, businesses, individuals, and colleges and universities have stepped forward to endorse Missouri’s implementation of the Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts. The Common Core State Standards have been endorsed by more than 200 Missouri school districts, 90 indi... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Who Endorses Common Core and Who Opposes It?: 'via Blog this'

Louisiana Educator: More Outrageous Education Deforms

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: More Outrageous Education Deforms: More Outrageous Education Deforms by Michael Deshotels *Louisiana Supreme Court to Decide on Vouchers:* The Louisiana Supreme Court will hear final arguments today on Louisiana's voucher and course choice programs. Those are the Jindal reforms that allow some public school students to get “scholarships” to attend private and religious schools or to take individual courses next year provided by various private groups. The Supreme Court has already received written briefs from both the plaintiffs and defendants of the voucher ... more »

Cheating or collaboration? Do students really not know the difference? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Cheating or collaboration? Do students really not know the difference? | Get Schooled: Cheating or collaboration? Do students really not know the difference? by Maureen Downey [image: crcted.0920 (Medium)]A reader sent me this note about cheating and asked that I put the issue before the Get Schooled blog readership: I am wondering if you have done much on student cheating? I have read about teacher cheating but don’t remember anything on the student side of the equation. Now that my child is in high school, I am amazed at what online resources are available at the click of the but... more »

Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser: Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar/Fundraiser by Server Occupy the DOE 2.0; Save Our Schools Webinar*with Drs. Morna McDermott and Shaun Johnson, Educator Ceresta Smith and a Special Guest Speaker * March 27, 2013 – 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time [EDT} *Please Join Us as We Occupy the Department of Education for a Second Time!! * Drs. Morna McDermott, Shaun Johnson, Veteran Educator Ceresta Smith and a Special Guest Speaker will share the details during this Save Our Schools hosted Webinar.*Contribute to the Occupy the ... more »

NYC Educator: Anything that Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
NYC Educator: Anything that Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong: Anything that Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong by NYC Educator Yesterday was a rough day. I had taken my schoolbag out of its home in back of my car to write a lesson Friday night, which was a pretty good idea. Unfortunately, I followed up by forgetting to put it back on Monday morning. This was unfortunate on several levels. First, it would be tough to follow a plan I didn't actually have using books I also didn't have. Second, while some people find them quaint, I still kind of like the Delaney cards I've been using for decades.... more »

Shanker Blog » Poor Implementation Undermines Promise Of The Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Shanker Blog » Poor Implementation Undermines Promise Of The Common Core: Poor Implementation Undermines Promise Of The Common Core by Stephen Lazar *Our guest author today is Stephen Lazar, a founding teacher at Harvest Collegiate High School in New York City, where he teaches Social Studies. A National Board certified teacher, he blogs at Outside the Cave. Stephen is also one of the organizers of Insightful Social Studies, a grass roots campaign of teachers to reform the newly proposed New York State Social Studies standards.* The Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) seek to de... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Arundhati Roy speaks in Chicago. Book banning, no small thing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Arundhati Roy speaks in Chicago. Book banning, no small thing Arundhati Roy -- Chicago book banning, no small thing by Mike Klonsky Arundhati Roy reads from *The God of Small Things* (M. Klonsky pic)Listening to author/activist (*The God of Small Things)*, *Arundhati Roy* last night at Northwestern's Thorne Auditorium, was a powerfully provocative experience. As her narrative, on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War, wound around and through the global struggle for peace, democracy, human dignity, Arundhati couldn't avoid mention of the banning by CPS... more »

TAVIS SMILEY'S "EDUCATION UNDER ARREST" IGNORES THE CAUSES - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
TAVIS SMILEY'S "EDUCATION UNDER ARREST" IGNORES THE CAUSES - Perdaily.com: TAVIS SMILEY'S "EDUCATION UNDER ARREST" IGNORES THE CAUSES by Leonard Isenberg [image: Tavis Smiley.jpg] (Mensaje se repite en EspaƱol) *When the bubonic plague spread through Europe in the 14th century, people noticed that if you burned enough infected bodies and the houses where they died, you would ultimately get rid of the plague- but not until your population had been significantly decimated. People at the time did not as yet understand what caused the plague, which was actually being carried by fleas o... more »

All Things Education: Indeed, let’s celebrate the defeat of Prop 8 but know it’s far from the end of hate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
All Things Education: Indeed, let’s celebrate the defeat of Prop 8 but know it’s far from the end of hate: Indeed, let’s celebrate the defeat of Prop 8 but know it’s far from the end of hate by Rachel Levy *Blogger's note:* *This is the first in a series of posts that I wrote in February of 2012 as part of a writing fellowship application. See the introduction to this series here. That DOMA and Prop 8 cases are soon to go before the Supreme Court is what reminded me of this piece.* Yesterday, Proposition 8, California’s ban on gay marriage, was struck down by a federal appeals... more »

Native Americans Challenge Teach For America in New Mexico - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Native Americans Challenge Teach For America in New Mexico - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Native Americans Challenge Teach For America in New Mexico by Anthony Cody Two weeks ago we learned about some questionable practices in the state of New Mexico. These things were revealed by investigator Michael Corwin, as part of the confirmation process for would-be Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera. One part of his testimony that was of special interest was his discussion of the role of Teach For America in his state. As readers know, I have explored the impact of TFA... more »

Hey, Bill Gates: You Evaluatin’ Me? (Part I) [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Hey, Bill Gates: You Evaluatin’ Me? (Part I) [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: Hey, Bill Gates: You Evaluatin’ Me? (Part I) [Future of Teaching] by Jose Vilson Here’s the first in a two-part essay about Bill Gates’ interview with The Washington Post: He is correct in stating that students get evaluated all the time, from the first time they enter a classroom all the way through college and beyond. Getting a degree demands having plenty of tests getting thrown at you, high-stakes or otherwise. These tests often determine if you achieve the next level or not, and whether we... more »

Treasurer calls school bond election deals 'illegal' | school, bonds, political - News - The Orange County Register

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Treasurer calls school bond election deals 'illegal' | school, bonds, political - News - The Orange County Register: Lockyer: School bond election deals appear illegal Melody Petersen / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER State Treasurer Bill Lockyer asked the California attorney general Monday to investigate whether school officials were breaking the law by hiring banks and their political strategists to promote bond measures before voters. Lockyer did not name the schools or banks involved in these deals. But some of the examples he describes in a letter to Attorney General Kamala Harris ar... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Argument, And The Response

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Argument, And The Response: The Reformy Argument, And The Response by Duke Watching Michelle Rhee once again on *Real Time with Bill Maher*, it becomes clear what the reformy argument all boils down to: 1. There is a shameful "gap" in performance between affluent white students and poor minority students. 2. But even our affluent white students suck compared to the rest of the world. 3. The problem, then, must be in our schools. 4. While there may be other factors involved, we really can't wait to fix those; we need immediate action... more »

News Update: Vallas rolls over for Finch + The truth starts to come out about Jumoke Academy and Hartford’s Milner Elementary School - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
The truth starts to come out about Jumoke Academy and Hartford’s Milner Elementary School - Wait, What?: News Update: Vallas rolls over for Finch; Supports cut to Bridgeport education budget by jonpelto After being ordered to appear at Mayor Finch’s Office today, Bridgeport’s, $234,000, part-time, Acting Superintendent of Schools, Paul Vallas has told an emergency meeting of the Board of Education that he is okay with Mayor Finch’s action to renege on his commitment to help Bridgeport’s schools. According to a recent tweet from CT Post’s Linda Lambeck, “Vallas says he is only conc... more »

Mike “MRSA” Madigan infects Public Education | Reclaim Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Mike “MRSA” Madigan infects Public Education | Reclaim Reform: Mike “MRSA” Madigan infects Public Education by kenpreviti Mike “MRSA” Madigan infects Public Education. This is not an insult; it is reality at its most primeval. [image: Madigan 12]Madigan has been a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 1971 and Speaker of the House since 1986 – minus a little blip. He presently refers to the intentional pillaging of teacher and other public pensions as the work of “previous legislatures.” Hmm… What intelligent and qualified person would choose to be a teacher in Illin... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Community Education District 2's Response to the C4E Plan FY 13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Community Education District 2's Response to the C4E Plan FY 13: Community Education District 2's Response to the C4E Plan FY 13 The following letter is from the Community Education Council District 2, regarding the Contracts for Excellence Proposed Plan FY 13: Community Education District 2's Response to the C4E Plan FY 13 Posted by Molly at 3/18/2013 11:30:00 AM ShareThis Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook inBloom's student and teacher data screenshots by Molly Thanks to our work and the advocacy of parents and teachers across the c... more »

Today’s must watch video: Chicago Teacher Union’s Karen Lewis on corporate ed reform | Parents United for Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Today’s must watch video: Chicago Teacher Union’s Karen Lewis on corporate ed reform | Parents United for Public Education: Today’s must watch video: Chicago Teacher Union’s Karen Lewis on corporate ed reform by parentsunitedphila Popout What is behind the attacks on public education and what do they mean for us as parents? Watch Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union break down the corporate ed reform movement and how teachers and parents need to build alliances to fight back and save our schools. Lewis spoke on Saturday to the New York Collective of Radical Educator... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: STEM Expands in Washington State

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: STEM Expands in Washington State: STEM Expands in Washington State by Melissa Westbrook From GeekWire: *The UW Board of Regents officially approved the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) last week. It’s the first school in the state to combine all of the STEM fields into one academic unit.* ***The school of STEM will bring together two existing programs — computing and software systems, and science and technology — and house them under one school.* *The creation of the school was also due to the increased interest i... more »

So it is written… | My Island View

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
So it is written… | My Island View: So it is written… by tomwhitby After a marathon attendance at a number of education conferences this year I have stored up many observations on the approach these conferences use to engage educators in their profession. Since I began attending them over 35 years ago I do have some historical perspective. More often than not my experience on the planning of the “Education Conference” is: So it is written, so it shall be done! Many reshuffle the deck and deal out the same old hands. If we always plan conferences on what worked last year, progres... more »

Privacy, big data and education: more about the inBloom databases | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Privacy, big data and education: more about the inBloom databases | Hechinger Report: Privacy, big data and education: more about the inBloom databases by Jill Barshay A new national database of personal student information understandably has parents and privacy advocates alarmed. As reported elsewhere, the new inBloom database houses information on millions of school children from nine states and includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, disciplinary records and learning disabilities. One of the states is New York. Naturally, the mommy listservs in Brooklyn, where I live, ar... more »

Grumpy Educators: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Grumpy Educators: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups by Sandra An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups The Parent Trigger bill, and any others that could prematurely expand the number of charter schools in the state, should be voted down. To do otherwise would be to continue to perpetuate injustice and constitute a disservice to our students, their parents, taxpayers, and the state. The attached Joint Position Statement on Equity Issues and the Parent Trigger bill e... more »

Grumpy Educators: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Grumpy Educators: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups: An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups by Sandra An Open Message to Legislators from Florida Civil Rights Groups The Parent Trigger bill, and any others that could prematurely expand the number of charter schools in the state, should be voted down. To do otherwise would be to continue to perpetuate injustice and constitute a disservice to our students, their parents, taxpayers, and the state. The attached Joint Position Statement on Equity Issues and the Parent Trigger bill ... more »

Daily Kos: 58% percent of Americans now favor gay marriage

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Daily Kos: 58% percent of Americans now favor gay marriage: 58% percent of Americans now favor gay marriage by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) as one can read in this just up Washington Post story. Her's the first paragraph: Public support for gay marriage has hit a new high as Americans increasingly see homosexuality not as a choice but as a way some people are, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll Some key findings from the poll: should be legal 58-37 (versus 37-55 in 2003). Should be left up to state versus decided on basis of US Constitution: 33-64 And this is CR... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Wall St. is bullish on school closings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Wall St. is bullish on school closings: Wall St. is bullish on school closings by Mike Klonsky Moody's in no mood for public schools. Philly.com reports that Wall St. likes the mass closing of public schools. *The Philadelphia School District's plan to shut almost 1/10 of the district's 250 schools, as competing, taxpayer-funded charter schools draw off one-third of the district's student body and Gov. Corbett cuts state aid, is "positive from a credit perspective" because it shows school officials "are intent on reducing expenditures" even if it... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Anti-Stand Group - The Network for Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Anti-Stand Group - The Network for Public Education: The Anti-Stand Group - The Network for Public Education by Melissa Westbrook [image: The Network For Public Education -] Diane Ravitch and other noted public education activists have joined together to form a national group, *The Network for Public Education*. Here's what they are: *We created the Network for Public Education as a way of connecting groups and individuals around the country who are devoted to preserving public education. This is no small task. We're up against a well-funded c... more »

Lane student protest blocked this morning. UPDATED INSIDE PHOTO. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Lane student protest blocked this morning. UPDATED INSIDE PHOTO. | Fred Klonsky Lane student protest blocked this morning. UPDATED INSIDE PHOTO. by Fred Klonsky [image: 253633_3030200330572_1874691178_n] *Photo: John Kugler* Word is coming from contacts inside Lane that the student sit-in that was planned this morning for the school library has been blocked. [image: lane_tech_student_protest]The protest was organized in response to the banning of the book, *Persepolis*. What I am hearing is that the principal Dr. Dignam, was not present as promised. CPS district Network officials we... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, March 18, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *it is march: must be pink slip season* Education Headlines *Monday, March 18, 2013* Bakersfield City SD's new campuses taking shapeThe Bakersfield City School District is nearing the finish line on its newest campus, a two-school complex in the northeast that will house the Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary and Paul L. Cato Middle schools. Lodi Unified to adopt social media contractAthletes and extracurricular club members in Lodi Unified are being told to tame their Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds, or they might find themselv... more »

The Time is Now: Students Talk School and Community Safety with Secretary Duncan | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
The Time is Now: Students Talk School and Community Safety with Secretary Duncan | ED.gov Blog: The Time is Now: Students Talk School and Community Safety with Secretary Duncan Posted on March 18, 2013 by Guest Blogger [image: Duncan meets with students] Secretary Duncan talks with students about school safety as part of his ongoing Student Voices Series. Official Department of Education photo by Joshua Hoover. The fight to end the school-to-jail track and reestablish restorative justice practices is personal for Jasmine Jauregui, a youth organizer from the Youth Justice Coalition.... more »

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » CPS chief didn’t “hear” at all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » CPS chief didn’t “hear” at all: CPS chief didn’t “hear” at all by admin I just sent this fax to the Illinois House and Senate education committee members. You should contact them, too. Oh, first read this powerful article by Curtis Black for Newstips. *RE: **Support SB 1571 and HB 3283,** school closing moratorium* [image: SaveOurSchoolsChicago] _____________________________________________________________________________ *CPS chief didn't listen at all* CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett has *wasted the extra three months*the Illin... more »

Diane in the Evening 3-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Breaking News: Providence Officials Oppose Graduation Test by dianerav The Providence Student Union has taken a stand against the NECAP graduation test. Last Saturday, a few dozen local leaders took the test, any said it was too hard for them, and they are nervously waiting for their scores. When students take action, everything changes! Here is the news: “Providence City Council education committee opposes NECAP as graduation requirement” Students in R.I. Punished for Their Tweets by dianerav The ACLU is prote... more »

Sacramento Will Close Schools Serving Neediest Students | Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Sacramento Will Close Schools Serving Neediest Students | Diane Ravitch's blog: Sacramento Will Close Schools Serving Neediest Students by dianerav [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] I am late posting about the school closings in Sacramento, but better late than never. In Sacramento, the Hmong Innovating Politics (HIP) and the Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education are working together to protest the closing of seven elementary schools. The closing of these schools will have a disparate impact on children of color and English-language learners. The “sav... more »

Oregon High School Honored with ASCD's Vision in Action Award — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Oregon High School Honored with ASCD's Vision in Action Award — Whole Child Education: [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Oregon High School Honored with ASCD’s Vision in Action Award March 18, 2013 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers [image: Vision in Action] ASCD is honored to present Milwaukie High School, located in Milwaukie, Ore., with the 2013 Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award. This special award recognizes schools that move beyond a vision for educating the whole child to actions that result in learners who are knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically... more »

School Tech Connect: Notes on the Revolution

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Notes on the Revolution: Notes on the Revolution by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) This is my favorite image from the recent Northside P.O.W.E.R. event. It's one of the organizers, Bridget Harris, reacting to the spectacular turnout and the perfectly executed march to the alderman's house. Bridget Harris, Northside P.O.W.E.R. I'm posting it because I was reflecting on that marathon post from last night, in which I tried to list the many activities that the people in this mobilized city are going to in this one week alone. And that doesn't even include what's ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CPS blocks Lane student sit-in over book-ban

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CPS blocks Lane student sit-in over book-ban: CPS blocks Lane student sit-in over book-ban by Mike Klonsky Hundreds of Lane Tech College Prep students attempted to hold a sit-in this morning inside the school library, in response to CPS' book banning. Progress Illinois went to the school as classes began this morning but was told by one of the school’s assistant principals that members of the media were not allowed to attend the sit-in within the school or speak with faculty or students on school property about the protest, or other events, citing ... more »

New Recommended Literature List - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
New Recommended Literature List - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Unveils New Recommended Literature List *List includes Common Core, and College and Career Readiness materials* SACRAMENTO—To help students meet the new Common Core State Standards and prepare for a career, college, and the challenges of a changing world, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today unveiled the new*Recommended Literature: Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve* list. "The books our students read help broaden their perspectives, enhance their know... more »

WHAT DOES FINLAND HAVE THAT LAUSD DOESN'T - EQUITY - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
WHAT DOES FINLAND HAVE THAT LAUSD DOESN'T - EQUITY - Perdaily.com: WHAT DOES FINLAND HAVE THAT LAUSD DOESN'T - EQUITY by Leonard Isenberg *(Mensaje se repite en EspaƱol)**What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success* *by Anu Partanen is a Finnish journalist based in New York City. She is writing a book about what America can learn from Nordic societies.* *The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.* *[image: finnish-kids.jpg]* *Sergey Ivanov/Flickr* *Everyone agrees the United States needs to improve its education...more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Illinois Superintendent Denies Parental Right to Opt Student Out of Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Illinois Superintendent Denies Parental Right to Opt Student Out of Common Core: Illinois Superintendent Denies Parental Right to Opt Student Out of Common Core by stlgretchen from: http://www.areweawareyet.com/29241/illinois-parents-denied-request-that-their-daughter-be-placed-in-classroom-not-using-common-core-standards/ Where does your school stand on this issue? Do you have any parental/taxpayer rights in your local school district? Apparently the goal of SBAC or PARCC of the implementation of CCSS (without a single vote of taxpayers/parent... more »

Confessions of a black school reformer

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Confessions of a black school reformer: Confessions of a black school reformer Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 18, 2013 at 3:00 pm [image: garden path]Here’s a post about a new book on school reform — “The Garden Path: The Miseducation of a City — by Andre Perry — that smacks opposing sides of the debate. This was written by Natalie Hopkinson. a contributing editor to The Root DC. E-mail her at*NHopkinson@hotmail.com*. This appeared on The Root D.C. By Natalie Hopkinson The principal wanted the boy expelled. “We can’t teach every child because Clarence is a terror,” he pleaded t... more »

Overwhelmed Open Enrollment Process Reveals the Myth of School Choice. | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Overwhelmed Open Enrollment Process Reveals the Myth of School Choice. | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: Overwhelmed Open Enrollment Process Reveals the Myth of School Choice. by Kate_Lenox The Open Enrollment priority for kids at the closed schools is a farce. The Open Enrollment timeline was just an excuse for the hurried closure "process" --we have to rush to get the schools closed so that parents can apply for open enrollment. There is no way 2000 students can be accommodated through that process. Students who live within the attendance boundaries hav... more »

Bill Maher takes on Michelle Rhee

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Bill Maher takes on Michelle Rhee: Bill Maher takes on Michelle Rhee Posted by Valerie Strauss on March 18, 2013 at 10:57 am 0 Comments More [image: Bill Maher (hbo.com)] Bill Maher (hbo.com) Bill Maher clearly had done some homework when he sat down with to über-school reformer Michelle Rhee onhis HBO show, challenging her “no-excuses” philosophy on teachers by saying that he thinks the problem with public education is “poverty and parents.” On Friday night’s episode of “Real Time With Bill Maher,” he wasn’t the sledgehammer that he can be on other topics, but he did push back on so... more »





 

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures:


CReATE Releases Research Brief on School Closures





When a school is closed, the facility is shut down, school staff is displaced, children are sent to other schools, and the community loses a vital resource. If Chicago Public Schools (CPS) follows the city’s Commission on School Utilization March 2013 recommendations, 80 CPS neighborhood schools (13% of the entire system) will be closed, disrupting the lives of nearly 25,000 children. CPS expects that students will need to travel an added 1 to 1½ miles to get to their new schools. Over the years, CPS has mobilized three different types of arguments to justify school closings: underperformance, cost savings, and underutilization. In this new brief CReATE researchers examine each of these arguments in relation to current educational research.


The CReATE Research Brief on School Closures is available for download here.

Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified | news10.net

Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified | news10.net:


Demand goes up for open enrollment in Sac City Unified


  • Share
  • Email
  • Print
  • - A A A +
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - It's down to the wire for families in the Sac City Unified School District.
Parents have one more day to complete the open enrollment process for the 2013-2014 school year. It's typical to see long waiting lists at the most desired schools across the capitol city, but this spring, the numbers are even higher. Applications have gone up nearly 40 percent compared to two years ago.
The higher demand could be connected to the impending closure of seven elementary schools across Sacramento, as more parents weigh the option of going elsewhere. Open enrollment allows students to attend a school that isn't their assigned neighborhood campus, but only if space is available.
Sac City Unified officials have cited under-enrollment as the main factor in shutting down the seven schools, with trustee approval, effecting nearly 2,300 students throughout the district.
Parents at Mark Hopkins, one of the schools slated for closure, have 

Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:


Effective Public Schooling—The Essential Element is Caring

In the work that the Learning First Alliance (LFA) has undertaken over the past months in gathering data on public attitudes and perceptions of public education, one common assumption among the general public becomes clear:
  • Student success and teacher effectiveness are related to a single quality - caring
So, the public and educators alike believe that if teachers care about their students and the students with whom they work believe their teacher cares about them as individuals, the likelihood of learning taking place is high.  This doesn’t imply that subject level knowledge and pedagogical skill aren’t important, it just states that those two characteristics don’t work effectively if the educator doesn’t care about the students he or she is working with.
read more

School Tech Connect: In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School

School Tech Connect: In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School:


In Which I Explain Why I'm Opposed To Another Concept School

Just an update about the state charter panel that's meeting today at 1:30 PM at the Thompson Center.

I don't know if this is a hearing or just a public meeting, or what, but it appears from the agenda that Concept Schools is getting two new charters--- a decision that overrides the CPS decision. I don't know if there was a previous hearing, but from what I can tell, the decision is made.


Daily Kos: Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US

Daily Kos: Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US:


Juan Cole lists top 10 ways Iraq war harmed US

in this powerful post.  He describes this as the first in a series of posts he intends to do looking back on the decade since the war commenced.  He reminds us bluntly:
Coming into 2003, the US enjoyed a great deal of sympathy and solidarity from the rest of the world (including Iran) over the al-Qaeda strikes of September 11, 2001. In the aftermath of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the US was widely seen as an international bully.
 He also finds that because of propaganda against Arabs and Muslims we have moved away from the tendency towards greater decency in our public discourse in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, although on that point I think I would disagree in part:  by the Reagan administration we were already seeing a coarsening of our civic discourse, and any impact thereupon as a result of the propaganda to promote our aggressive actions towards Iraq occurred in the framework of an already increasingly coarse civic discourse.You can simply go read the Cole, or go below the cheese-doodle where I will list and summarize, offering a few additional observations.


considering an uncertain future

I will be 67 in May.  When I retired in June I planned so that if I had no income I could go 15 months before I would be dipping in to prior savings.  Because of consulting and the few months I spent teaching again, I actually would have been able to go even further before my wife's illness hit and I had to give up that job.   And of course we will be looking at a chunk of medical bills not covered by insurance.
At this point we are reasonably confident she will be able to return to work fulltime relatively soon, and colleagues have donated enough leave that she will going forward probably be fully paid.
I however am a different story.  It would be hard enough for me to find another teaching job with either of my two barriers -  1) my age;  2) how much I was previously making.  Even though I am willing to work for far less that I made as an experienced teacher in a public setting, some school systems will not hire someone with more than ten years experience, independent schools are reluctant to hire someone who has not taught in an independent school - you get the picture.
Meanwhile, while I used to have superb computer skills, those are now obsolete.  As for politics or government jobs, it would mean giving up my independent voice the moment I went to work for a political figure, and many friends have urged me not to do that, even as they understand that if I want to keep my independent voice and perspective I am limited in how much I might be able to make from my writing.  Here I have been luckier than many, in that I have on occasion been paid to write for online sites - usually but not always on education.
So I face a bit of a conundrum.
Let me share some of my thinking below the cheese-doodle.

News Update: Finch cuts Bridgeport School budget ; Claims it won’t reduce funding for schools (oh, okay) - Wait, What?

News Update: Finch cuts Bridgeport School budget ; Claims it won’t reduce funding for schools (oh, okay) - Wait, What?:


One Adam-12, One Adam-12, we have a COI in progress


News Update: Finch cuts Bridgeport School budget ; Claims it won’t reduce funding for schools (oh, okay)

Joy Resmovits: NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today

Joy Resmovits: NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today:


NYC Teachers' Free Pass? Charter School Lobbying Changes: Ed Today

NYC Teachers' Free Pass? The Wall Street Journal crunched eight years worth of data, and found that more than 10 percent of principals did not flunk one teacher on their evaluations. "The findings give ammunition to Department of Education officials who say the teacher-rating system should be changed," WSJ's Lisa Fleisher writes. "New York City is one of a handful of school districts statewide that hasn't adopted a new, more nuanced system of grading teachers. ... Under the current system, teachers are either rated unsatisfactory or satisfactory. Annually, less than 3% of teachers citywide are marked 'unsatisfactory.'"

But... This may be true but I would caution all reformers from singing Hallelujah and waving this data in unions' and lawmakers' faces before doing some more reading. Even if you accept the premise that evaluations are a key lever in changing our schools, this isn't necessarily the proof you need to make your case. States across the country have been implementing "new, more nuanced" systems of teacher evaluations, and according to thisEducation Week story, the results aren't all that different. Under these new systems, Michigan rated 98 percent of teachers effective; in Florida, it was 97 percent; and 94 percent in Georgia. (Proponents say true change in differentiating teachers by skill will take time but my point is, the numbers aren't dramatically different just yet).


Farewell, Allon Former teacher Tom Allon is leaving the New York City mayoral race, reports the Daily News.

American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality | Truth in American Education

American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality | Truth in American Education:


American Educator Magazine: Local Control Led to Educational Inequality

Local control is bad, horrible, no good if you were to listen to the arguments being made by William Schmidt and Nathan Burroughs in their article in the Spring 2013 edition of American Educator which is a publication ofAmerican Federation of Teachers.  They promote the standard talking points – “it resembles the standards of high-achieving countries and exhibit the key features of coherence, rigor and focus.”  Schmidt and Burroughs go beyond being cheerleaders to demonizing the concept of local control of curriculum, as they note it is a barrier to the successful implementation of the Common Core Math Standards.
The first and most evident risk to the CCSS-M’s realization is that they directly challenge the long-standing tradition of local control of the curriculum in American education – a structure that is itself one of the major factors related to educational inequality.  Since their inception, each of the more than 15,000 local school districts has enjoyed wide latitude in curricular decision making.  Incursions by other levels of government on local autonomy with respect to the curriculum, most especially by the federal government, usually have been met with skepticism at best and hostility at worst.  Some quarters perceive the new standards as a transgression by the federal government against localism, as a “takeover” of education by national authorities.  Even the recognition that the Common Core is a state-led initiative has not appeased all critics, in part because many state-led reform efforts also have aroused considerable opposition.
To some extent, the CCSS-M do not break with precedent: after all, every state has educational 

Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools? | toteachornototeach

Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools? | toteachornototeach:


Is the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” being banned from Chicago Public Schools?

CPS ‘Persepolis’ Ban? Marjane Satrapi’s Graphic 
Novel Inappropriate For 7th Graders, District Says 
Is Chicago Public Schools banning the popular graphic novel “Persepolis” from its schools’ libraries and classrooms?
Reports began circulating Thursday that officials in the nation’s third-largest school district were directing the 2000 graphic novel, penned by Marjane Satrapi, to be removed from the libraries and classrooms of at least one school in the district.
CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett explained Friday afternoon, via a statement reported by CBS Chicago, that the district has found the “graphic language and images” of the text — which is included in the district’s seventh graders’ Literacy Content Framework — inappropriate for students of that age. She also denied that the book was ordered removed from the district’s school libraries and said the book could be appropriate for students in eighth grade and older but, in the mean time, they have been “temporarily recalled” from classroom libraries and district curricula.

Schools Matter: By Masses of Complicated Fact

Schools Matter: By Masses of Complicated Fact:


By Masses of Complicated Fact

The whole field of education is affected -- There is no end of detail that is without significance.

Education would begin by placing in the mind of the student the nature of knowledge -- in the dead state and the nature of the force which may energize it.

This would clarify his field at once -- He would then see the use of data.

But at present knowledge is placed before a man as if it were a stair at the top of which a DEGREE is obtained which is superlative.

nothing could be more ridiculous.  To data there is no end.  There is proficiency in dissection and a knowledge of 

How school reform became the cause célèbre of billionaires

How school reform became the cause célèbre of billionaires:


How school reform became the cause célèbre of billionaires

Bill Gates, school reformer Bill Gates (Jeffrey MacMillan / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)
Bill Gates, school reformer Bill Gates               (By Jeffrey MacMillan/For TWP)
Why are billionaire philanthropists at the forefront of school reform? Here’s a primer, from Jack Schneider, an assistant professor of education at the College of the Holy Cross and the author of “Excellence For All: How a New Breed of Reformers Is Transforming America’s Public Schools.”
By Jack Schneider
Educational reform was once the unromantic province of government bureaucrats and community organizers.  Today it is the cause cĆ©lĆØbre of billionaire philanthropists.
On the one hand, this is a major triumph for school improvement efforts.  Deep-pocketed donors have brought unprecedented resources to the table and, with those resources, extraordinary public attention.
On the other hand, the rise of the billionaire reformer has made school improvement an outsider’s game.  Making a case for “disruptive” change, philanthropies with names like Broad, Dell, Gates, Fisher, and Walton—working either directly, or through aninfrastructure of nonprofit organizations and political action committees—have won unprecedented influence in the world of education.  And in so doing, they have stigmatized state and district leadership, shown a surprising indifference to educational research, and framed school improvement as a process best pursued through common sense.
How did we get here?

A Sociological Eye on Education | Who’s afraid of big data?

A Sociological Eye on Education | Who’s afraid of big data?:


Who’s afraid of big data?

Who’s afraid of big data?
Nestled in a dusty corner of my office sits a safe, which requires both a key and a combination to open. Inside the safe sits an external hard drive containing my only copy of encrypted confidential data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a federally funded research study that collected longitudinal data on the health behaviors of adolescents, their friendship networks and siblings, their schools, school transcripts, academic performance, school and community context, and, in later waves, some biological data derived from the analysis of blood, saliva and urine samples. I don’t use these biomarkers in my own research, so I don’t have those data—but I do have some of the survey and transcript data. If I wish to analyze the data on my desktop computer, I must first remove the computer from my college’s network, unplugging the Ethernet cable and disabling any WiFi connectivity. The statistical software must reside solely on my desktop computer; it cannot reside on a network server. Furthermore, I have to configure the software to store any temporary files on the external hard drive, not the desktop computer’s hard drive. And if the computer is inactive for three minutes, the screensaver is activated, and I must enter a password to log in. Even though these data files do not include the names of study participants, the design of the Add Health study increases the risk of deductive disclosure, which is when an individual’s identity and information can be identified through the use of information in the study itself, or when those data are combined with other publicly available information. For 

For teachers, the perks of union membership can include a personal touch

For teachers, the perks of union membership can include a personal touch
The public face of the New York City teachers union is often that of a political heavyweight engaging in battle with opponents like the mayor and charter school supporters. For many teachers, the union is often something more personal and classroom-focused. The face of the United Federation of Teachers and its state affiliate, New York State United Teachers, is that of a training organization for many teachers who take courses with the unions and get in-person help in the classroom. The unions also dispense basic benefits like health and dental insurance along with perks like discounts on movies and theater tickets, group trips to events such as the Philadelphia Flower Show, and legal help when teachers have problems at work or, to a limited degree, if they’re accused of a crime. (NYSUT, which provides both for teachers around the state and members of the UFT, spends about $85 million annually on legal services, which covers the salaries of about 260 union staff members 

UPDATE: Amazing video! + The continuing saga of Persepolis. CPS’s black eye. + And the winner is… + Ten years after. | Fred Klonsky

Ten years after. | Fred Klonsky:


Amazing video! Parent Wendy Katten questions CPS Chief Administrative Officer. Gets no answers.

From Tim Furman’s blog:
Popout
Wendy Katten, founder of Raise Your Hand For Illinois Public Education, questions Tim Cawley, Chief Administrative Officer for Chicago Public Schools, on March 19, 2013, at CPS headquarters. Cawley came to CPS through the politically connected Academy for Urban Schools where he was a finance person. Prior to that he lead Morotorla’s North American cell phone business.
I’m not sure when I last saw a Motorola cell phone in North America. So think about that for a moment.
Cawley has no education experience whatsoever.
Cawley has no answers about who is making the decisions about which schools are going to 


The continuing saga of Persepolis. CPS’s black eye.

IMG_0096

A Chicago reporter covers Lane Tech student protest.
Publisher’s Weekly:

On Monday morning, a student-organized sit-in at Lane Tech, a magnet high school on Chicago’s north side protesting the decision to restrict access to Persepolis didn’t take place in the school library as planned, despite prior approval from the school’s librarian. Hundreds of students were locked out of the library and forced to crowd the hallways. According to Chicago retired teacher Fred Klonsky, who blogs about Chicago’s public education scene, CPS officials were on site Monday, but the school principal was absent.

And Monday evening, author Arundhati Roy, speaking at Northwestern University, referred to the ongoing controversy, saying, according to Chicago 



Ten years after.

We were driving back from a demonstration of hundreds of thousands that had gathered on the Washington DC mall. Hundreds of thousands more had protested in cities all around the world. Over a million people in the streets.
“No war.”
Ten years ago.
As we drove home to Chicago I read aloud the report of the protest in the NY Times to the others in the car.
The Times began their report with, “There are two superpowers in the world this morning: The United States and world public opinion.”
We were elated.
Like so much of what The Times wrote about Iraq and the lead up to the war that started ten years ago today, 


And the winner is…

designall-dll
Remember all entries must have been a tweet, haiku or limerick.
The decision of the judge (that’s me) is final.
And the winner of the one million visits contest is:
Matthew Tolzmann:
ISAT and sat and sat for days
ISAT and sat some more
I marked more B’s and C’s than A’s
To get a better score!
Matthew: send me a mailing address for the shirt.
Thanks to the other creative entries.
Francis:
Roar, verbal cannon
Let thoughts and fellings explode
Words will win the war
Glen Brown: