Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-19-13 AM Posts #edreform #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

Assessment Time? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago

Assessment Time? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: At the Chalk Face today, starting at 5:30 to 6:30 EST! Two segments by Chalk Face, PhD We’re starting at 5:30 talking to the Blue Hat Movement, info here. Then, Sharon Higgins of Charter School Scandals about the Gulen School movement, which is the biggest charter chain the US right now. Important stuff. Listen in. Assessment Time? by antiqueteacher60 This assessment report will be sent home in June to all my first graders, just as it was in November and January, along with a report card with letter grades for ELA, MATH... more »

FDR's Economic Bill of Rights

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 52 minutes ago

FDR's Economic Bill of Rights “The Economic Bill of Rights” [edit] Excerpt from President Roosevelt's January 11, 1944 message to the Congress of the United States on the State of the Union:[2] “It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, ... more »

Are school vouchers losing steam?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Are school vouchers losing steam?: Are school vouchers losing steam? By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 18, 2013 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer 5 Comments More [image: vouchers]Vouchers have been at the center of the school choice movement for many reformers, but they may be in trouble. Here making that argument is Abby Rapoport of The American Prospect, where this appeared. By Abby Rapoport When news broke earlier this month that the Louisiana Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s voucher system, which uses public dollars to pay for low-income students to go to private schools, the fig... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 5-18-13 * * * Carol Burris: The Unintended Consequences of NY’s Principal Evaluations by dianerav Carol Burris, chosen as principal of the year by her colleagues in New York State, has written a brilliant and frightening critique of the state’s ill-planned principal evaluation plan. As you read her enter to the New York Board if Regents, you can’t help but wonder whether systems like this are intended t... more »

Waiting for Superman to Tell the Truth? (Don’t Hold Your Breath) – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Waiting for Superman to Tell the Truth? (Don’t Hold Your Breath) – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Waiting for Superman to Tell the Truth? (Don’t Hold Your Breath) by plthomasedd The least accountable among us are those at the top making grand statements (unverified, unchallenged) used to call for the accountable of everyone else. I invite you to read carefully Canada’s Legend-ary TED Talk Lie by Gary Rubinstein to understand how corrosive the “miracle” school narrative is when it is combined with the cult of personality (Canada as Superman, Rhee as the Tiger Mom, Duncan... more »

How to take a test: 1956 short film

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

How to take a test: 1956 short film: How to take a test: 1956 short film By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 19, 2013 at 4:00 amE-mail the writer 1 Comments More A blast from the past: a 1956 short film with tips on the right and wrong way to take a test. See what’s changed and what hasn’t. Obama (Michelle), Colbert, Clinton (Bill), Biden, etc: The best 2013 commencement speeches (so far) by Valerie Strauss Leave it to Stephen Colbert to find a way to make Thomas Jefferson funny. That’s what he did when he was speaking to graduates at the University of Virginia — but he wasn’t the on... more »

Ed Notes Online: Whining Walcott in Blatant Misuse of Position Subjects 2000 Administrators to Political Harrangue

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: Whining Walcott in Blatant Misuse of Position Subjects 2000 Administrators to Political Harrangue: Whining Walcott in Blatant Misuse of Position Subjects 2000 Administrators to Political Harrangue by ed notes online Mr. Walcott’s speech seemed intended to be a rallying cry before a friendly crowd, but the response was muted. While his calls for preserving the authority of principals and eradicating nepotism were met with applause, some principals seemed uninterested in his message... *NY Times on Walcott speech at May 18 principal conference * Many principal... more »

Compare and contrast. Cinda tries to explain. John Dillon responds and translates. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago

Compare and contrast. Cinda tries to explain. John Dillon responds and translates. | Fred Klonsky: Compare and contrast. Cinda tries to explain. John Dillon responds and translates. by Fred Klonsky From IEA President Cinda Klickna on SB2404: “There have been questions raised about language amended into SB 2404, the Cullerton-Coalition legislation. This amendment was not a surprise to the members of the labor coalition. The coalition remains committed to the passage of SB 2404. The amendment clarifies the law with regard to retiree access to health insurance through the State. *“... more »

Transform Education? Challenge the Governance Model! | Lefty Parent

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Transform Education? Challenge the Governance Model! | Lefty Parent: Transform Education? Challenge the Governance Model! by Cooper Zale [image: EDUCRATS_AT_WORK_small]I recently read Michele McNeil’s piece in Education Week, “Rifts Deepen Over Direction of Ed. Policy in U.S.”, and was heartened by what I read. The piece begins with this overview… In statehouses and cities across the country, battles are raging over the direction of education policy—from the standards that will shape what students learn to how test results will be used to judge a teacher’s performance. Students and... more »

LAUSD board race to be decided by East Valley voters - LA Daily News

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago

LAUSD board race to be decided by East Valley voters - LA Daily News: LAUSD board race to be decided by East Valley voters By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer Posted: 05/18/2013 08:20:42 PM PDT Updated: 05/18/2013 08:23:24 PM PDT ** [image: IMG-mmr-12-12b.jpg] *Monica Ratliff - Fifth Grade Teacher - Attorney* ** ** *Click here Go to Monica Ratliff's Website* Spending has topped $1.8 million in the race to fill the remaining open seat on the Los Angeles Unified school board, with East San Fernando Valley voters deciding how the transformation of the nation's second-largest school d... more »

Alberta to overhaul standardized testing, emphasize creativity | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

Alberta to overhaul standardized testing, emphasize creativity | toteachornototeach: Alberta to overhaul standardized testing, emphasize creativity by aristotlethewise *Alberta to overhaul standardized testing, emphasize creativity* Alberta is phasing out its benchmark province-wide achievement tests for students in favor of what it says are more comprehensive computer-based exams. Education Minister Jeff Johnson says the new approach will better assess a student’s creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving – not just test for core knowledge in numeracy and literacy. “It’s mu... more »

Steve Perry’s Dissertation: Heavy on Lit Review, Slight on Scholarship | deutsch29

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago

Steve Perry’s Dissertation: Heavy on Lit Review, Slight on Scholarship | deutsch29: Steve Perry’s Dissertation: Heavy on Lit Review, Slight on Scholarship by deutsch29 As a classroom teacher, a real teacher– real in the sense of both my credentials and my experience– I am tired of those outside of the classroom catapulting themselves into positions of quick fame in order to comment on the state of the classroom– a place either completely unfamiliar to them firsthand or of only token familiarity. Such is the motivation for my writing many of my posts, and it is my motivation here ... more »

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Education - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: S.954 Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 0 seconds ago An original bill to reauthorize agricultural programs through 2018. Bill Introduced: S.918 American Dream Accounts Act of 2013 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education programs funding - 0 seconds ago A bill to award grants in order to establish longitudinal personal college readiness and savings online platforms for low-income students. Bill Introduced: H.R.1893 Keeping All Students Sa... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The District's Commitment to Stated Values

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The District's Commitment to Stated Values: The District's Commitment to Stated Values by Charlie Mas Seattle Public Schools has a set of stated values. Among these are transparency and engagement. To what extent, however, has the District leadership adhered to those stated values? Not so well. Think about the various initiatives underway. Are any of them being conducted in a transparent and engaged manner? I don't think so,. *Strategic Plan* - The District got some vague input from an advisory committee of about 60 people - you can only get vagu... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Video of Mayoral forum, moderated by Diane Ravitch; and will Bill Thompson ask Merryl Tisch to stop the sharing of students' personal data with inBloom?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

NYC Public School Parents: Video of Mayoral forum, moderated by Diane Ravitch; and will Bill Thompson ask Merryl Tisch to stop the sharing of students' personal data with inBloom?: Video of Mayoral forum, moderated by Diane Ravitch; and will Bill Thompson ask Merryl Tisch to stop the sharing of students' personal data with inBloom? by Leonie Haimson Here is video from the May 2 mayoral forum in Brooklyn, moderated by Diane Ravitch and sponsored by . Candidates included John Liu, Bill Thompson, Bill de Blasio, and Sal Albanese. Bill Thompson, candidate for MayorParent Voices It ... more »

#Blended Learning is cheap learning, isn’t it? #edtech – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

#Blended Learning is cheap learning, isn’t it? #edtech – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: #Blended Learning is cheap learning, isn’t it? #edtech by Chalk Face, PhD [image: #Blended Learning is cheap learning, isn't it? #edtech] This isn’t a reaction to anything in particular, but when I do happen to glance at something about “Blended learning,” I always feel like advocates want to get the same learning for half the price. Technology in this instance means to replace certain more expensive teaching functions with videos and other nonsense. When the private schools get blended ... more »

Fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published | The Raw Story

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published | The Raw Story: * * *Fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published* [image: Human brain image via Shutterstock] Some people diagnosed with Asperger’s are unhappy about the coming change. Carol Povey, director of the National Autistic Society‘s Centre for Autism, said: “The term Asperger Syndrome is a core part of their identity for many people and they understandably feel anxious about moves to remove the term. The changes won’t prevent people from continuing to use ... more »

Blue Jersey:: NJ Education News Round-Up, 5/18/13

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Blue Jersey:: NJ Education News Round-Up, 5/18/13: NJ Education News Round-Up, 5/18/13 by Jersey Jazzman Here's this week education news for the Garden State:*- Christie Christie: A Gigantic Fraud* Chris Christie told teachers, cops, firefighters, and other public employees that he was "saving" our pensions.What a crock: More important, however, is that no one in the press seems to be interested - in this election year - in getting Christie's plan on the record, once and for all, to come up with the $5.5 billion a year he's going to need starting in 2018 to fund the pensions.Let... more »

Update on parent trigger | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Update on parent trigger | Parents Across America: Update on parent trigger by pureparents The parent trigger is a hot issue in many states now. It started in California, launched by the organization Parent Revolution, a fake-grassroots operation founded by charter-school mogul Steve Barr and funded by the likes of Gates, Walton et al. Here’s a summary of the current parent trigger landscape in California and a brief history of the previous parent triggers, put together from California sources who have followed the issue. Parent Revolution currently has two or three parent trigger... more »

Katie Lapham: Data Shows Not Enough Teaching - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Katie Lapham: Data Shows Not Enough Teaching - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Katie Lapham: Data Shows Not Enough Teaching by Anthony Cody *Guest post by Katie Lapham* As all U.S. teachers in public education know, in today's schools there exists a huge emphasis on data collection and analysis. Schools have formed data inquiry and teacher inquiry teams, and three-hole punching print-outs of students' test scores consumes many a prep period. I did some of my own data analysis to determine how many school days will be non-teaching for me this year. It does not include ... more »

UPDATE: something still wrong Daily Kos: If you want to understand the real challenges of education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Daily Kos: If you want to understand the real challenges of education: something still wrong with our medical system by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) is the way prescriptions are handled. No, I am not talking about Medicare Part D and the donut hole, or the ban against negotiation of prices or of reimportation, all of which are important issues. I am talking about the tilting of the playing field against independent pharmacies. This is from personal experience, twice in recent months, first with my wife and then with me. Under her federal employee health insurance we have full cover... more »

Diane in the Evening 5-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Teacher in L.A.: Please, Colleagues, Work for Monica Ratliff by dianerav For reasons I don’t understand, the UTLA endorsed both Monica Ratliff, a teacher, and her opponent Antonio Sanchez. Sanchez has almost $4 million from the billionaires. Monica has raised $42,000. A music teacher in Los Angeles wrote this appeal; *Dear Teachers,* *I am sending this to a few LAUSD teacher e-mail addresses that I have. I do not have many, so please forward to others.* *There is a totally crucial school board race on this Tuesday... more »

My Discussion with Matt Barnum Part 3 | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

My Discussion with Matt Barnum Part 3 | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: My Discussion with Matt Barnum Part 3 by Gary Rubinstein Dear Gary, I’ve often heard teachers complain about the latest reform “fad.” It’s understandable insofar as veteran teachers have been around for many rounds of “reform,” only to see each and every one swept abashedly into a locked closet in the back of the class (right next to where I surreptitiously put those pre-tests I never got around to grading). I think there’s a lot of truth to that, and I suspect that you agree. Where we’d probably part ways is the take... more »

Betrayal, Deception, Investigation, Robocalls: SB2404 | Reclaim Reform

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Betrayal, Deception, Investigation, Robocalls: SB2404 | Reclaim Reform: Betrayal, Deception, Investigation, Robocalls: SB2404 by kenpreviti [image: robocall2] John Cullerton, Democratic Senate President, wrote Amendment 002 to his own “shared sacrifice compromise” pension bill, SB2404, on May 8. Two past-presidents and the present president of IEA have endorsed the bill while IEA robocalled and emailed all active teachers to support SB2404. WHY? SB2404 GIVES US A CHOICE OF PAYING 100% OF AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT AND EVERCHANGING COST INCREASES FOR WHATEVER IS CHARGED FOR HEALTHCARE – OR... more »

UPDATE: NY 3rd Graders Under Investigation – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

UPDATE: NY 3rd Graders Under Investigation – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: UPDATE: NY 3rd Graders Under Investigation by Kris Nielsen According the local paper in Albany, New York, the teacher of the students has been put on administrative leave and the investigation continues. http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/School-s-exams-under-scrutiny-4527051.php If the Test Security Unit decide that cheating took place, the teacher could be charged with a misdemeanor. Let me repeat that: a *misdemeanor*. I want to know more. The state should be talking. My friend, Michael Lam... more »

UPDATE: What Cinda Klickna doesn’t say + Chicago’s West Side says no to closing schools. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Chicago’s West Side says no to closing schools. | Fred Klonsky: Compare and contrast. Under SB2404 will health care be a vested contractual right? by Fred Klonsky What the IEA says about SB2404: *“Access to State-provided healthcare/insurance is currently not guaranteed by the constitution. If SB 2404 is passed, State-provided healthcare would become a vested and enforceable contractual right, a status it does not have today.”* What John Cullerton says about SB2404: *The vested and enforceable contractual right to a program of health benefits is NOT offered as, and * What Cinda ... more »

Ed Notes Online: UFT Tilts to Thompson: Tisch, D'Amato, New Action Overjoyed, de Blasio branded as"Left" While SEIU Endorses him

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: UFT Tilts to Thompson: Tisch, D'Amato, New Action Overjoyed, de Blasio branded as"Left" While SEIU Endorses him: UFT Tilts to Thompson: Tisch, D'Amato, New Action Overjoyed, de Blasio branded as"Left" While SEIU Endorses him by ed notes online 3-card monte scam*This [1199/SEIU de Blasio] endorsement is a direct slap to Thompson. The African American candidate getting all those rich white people to support him politically and financially doesn't get 1199's endorsement because those members know who Thompson will represent if he is elected mayor. ... Reality Base... more »

Suspension - California Teachers Association

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Suspension - California Teachers Association: Rethinking suspension By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin [image: image] Aaron Harkey discusses classroom behavior with Marssy Are student suspensions hurting academic achievement? Some CTA members are helping kids stay in school by finding alternatives to suspension while keeping safety as the first priority. “Zero tolerance” policies emphasizing suspending or expelling unruly students became widespread in the 1990s as schools responded to fears of violence, weapons and drug use. California schools issued 778,084 suspensions and expulsions in 2009-... more »

UPDATE: Jersey Jazzman: Latest "Chiefs For Change" Fail: Bowen in ME

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Latest "Chiefs For Change" Fail: Bowen in ME: Latest "Chiefs For Change" Fail: Bowen in ME #2 by Duke I just posted about Maine "Chief For Change," Steven Bowen, and how he's had to back off on plans - written by his patron, Jeb! Bush - to fast-track for-profit virtual charter schools into the state. Before we move on to another state and another CFC Fail, however, let's take a moment to enjoy the twisted logic of Commissioner Bowen: Second, the Press Herald seems to feel that the new A-F grading system suffers from a fatal flaw because it does not discriminate betw... more »

Teacher’s Special Education Program MOVEs Kids Ahead - Journeys - Davis, CA Patch

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Teacher’s Special Education Program MOVEs Kids Ahead - Journeys - Davis, CA Patch: Teacher’s Special Education Program MOVEs Kids Ahead Gloria Osorio encourages her students to reach beyond their apparent limits. Sponsored by Grape-Nuts. Posted by Lauren Gibbs (Editor), May 18, 2013 at 07:02 am ** Comment ** ** Recommend ** ** - - - *Article written by **Katharine Blossom Lowrie* In 1971, Gloria Osorio began working as an assistant at Charles Leroy Lowman Special Education Center, a school for the disabled in North Hollywood. Inspired by the students at the school,... more »

Fiery Chicago teachers union president reelected

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Fiery Chicago teachers union president reelected: Fiery Chicago teachers union president reelected By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 18, 2013 at 11:02 amE-mail the writer 0 Comments More [image: CT CT-MET-KAREN-LEWIS-A_CTMAIN 0911 SR]Karen Lewis, the fiery leader of the Chicago Teachers Union who led a strike last year and became a nationally known anti-school reform figure, has been elected to another three-year term as president. Today she will leadthe first of three days of protests against Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to close 54 public schools. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that... more »

Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Saturday coffee. | Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky [image: lewsi] It’s a beautiful Chicago Spring morning. The dogwood in the backyard is showing its blossoms. The vine is filling in the lattice. The temperature is expected to hit 80 today. At 8:30 it is already 70. In about an hour Anne and I will head over to Lafayette School on Augusta in West Town. It is one of the 54 schools Rahm has targeted for shutdown in his plan to close a historic number of neighborhood public schools while opening more charters. He wants to spend millions on a new basketball arena for the p... more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] *LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 5-18-13 * How Corporate Reform Discourages Prospective Teachers by dianerav I have heard repeatedly in the past few years that teachers don’t want student teachers in their classrooms. The teachers are so focused on raising test scores that they can’t take the time to mentor the younger generation, and they are afraid to lose ground if they let a student teacher try a practice class. Consequently, the o... more »

May ← 2013 ← NPE News Briefs

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

May ← 2013 ← NPE News Briefs: *NPE New* 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 70 Next » UTLA Member to Leadership: Let’s SupportMonica NOW! | Diane Ravitch’s blog MAY 18 2013 by a United Teachers Los Angeles member – If Sanchez wins and becomes (as could be expected) Monica Garcia’s and Deasy’s biggest ally on the board, no one will hear excuses from you (UTLA leadership) that you could not change the endorsement. You certainly have not tried very hard to change it, nor to notify ... read more → **Activism · Billionaires · Broad Foundation · Los Angeles · Southwest ·Teacher Issues Chicago Teachers Unio... more »

Grassroots Report: The high price of charters | The Network For Public Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Grassroots Report: The high price of charters | The Network For Public Education: Grassroots Report: The high price of charters by admin [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] By Deborah Keisch Polin and Tim Scott NORTHAMPTON — Once again, the Northampton public schools are facing a budget crisis. In a series of meetings in April, the mayor discussed a $1.3 million deficit for the city. What is rarely pointed out in budget discussions is that the amount that the school system pays to area charter schools has increased yearly, as more students enroll in those sc... more »

Testing Support for TFA and KIPP: Whose Children Matter? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Testing Support for TFA and KIPP: Whose Children Matter? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: Testing Support for TFA and KIPP: Whose Children Matter? by plthomasedd Testing Support for TFA and KIPP: Whose Children Matter? During the first years of the Obama administration, Secretary Arne Duncan has risen to the forefront of public debates about education reform, paralleling the growing public nature of that debate that includes the entrepreneur reformers such as Bill Gates and Geoffrey Canada along with a harbinger of things to come with the popularity of the documentary *Wai... more »

NEWS FLASH: Connecticut Charter Schools outperform public schools…in suspending kindergarten students! - Wait, What?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

NEWS FLASH: Connecticut Charter Schools outperform public schools…in suspending kindergarten students! - Wait, What?: NEWS FLASH: Connecticut Charter Schools outperform public schools…in suspending kindergarten students! by jonpelto *Well, we’ve finally found proof that charter schools do outperform their public school counterparts.* *In the percentage of children 6 and under who get suspended from school.* In a stunning story that was posted on the CT Mirror website late today, the CT Mirror’s Jacqueline Rabe examines a new report that revealed that, “at least 1,967 students age 6... more »

Social Media Partially Responsible For Rise in Potentially Suicidal Students « CBS Sacramento

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Social Media Partially Responsible For Rise in Potentially Suicidal Students « CBS Sacramento: Social Media Partially Responsible For Rise in Potentially Suicidal Students DAVIS (CBS13) — A spike in potentially suicidal students in Davis schools has administrators working against social media peer pressure. According to the Davis Joint Unified School District, the number of students being screened for possible suicidal behavior rose from 52 two years ago to 94—an 81 percent increase. Psychotherapist Mark Foster says part of the increase has to do with the rise in social media ... more »

Are school vouchers losing steam?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Are school vouchers losing steam?: Are school vouchers losing steam? By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 18, 2013 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer 2 Comments More [image: vouchers]Vouchers have been at the center of the school choice movement for many reformers, but they may be in trouble. Here making that argument is Abby Rapoport of The American Prospect, where this appeared. By Abby Rapoport When news broke earlier this month that the Louisiana Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s voucher system, which uses public dollars to pay for low-income students to go to private schools, the fig... more »

National Social Study Framework; Teacher Prep; Using Data to Support Teachers | Outside the Cave

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

National Social Study Framework; Teacher Prep; Using Data to Support Teachers | Outside the Cave: National Social Study Framework; Teacher Prep; Using Data to Support Teachers by Stephen Lazar I’m catching up on sharing a few things I’ve helped produce recently: First, I wrote a piece for the Shanker Blog this week: Proposed National Civics Framework Shows Great Promise. Please take the time to read and then take action; I believe the C3 Framework is a huge step forward for our field: Simply put, the proposed C3 Framework is brilliant. It is exactly what our nation needs to ens... more »

2nd Banana 5-18-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

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2nd Banana 4-13-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

2nd Banana 4-6-13 Recap of Last Week's Best Post

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-18-13

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AFTERNOON UPDATE: Assessment Time? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

Assessment Time? – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

Pearson history text mimics art history textbook in same controversy

by Chalk Face, PhD

Remember that story from September where an art school was charging $180 for an art history text with no artwork? Yeah, that one.

It’s published by Pearson. From Brent Ashley:

There is no discount on the $180 price for an ART textbook that has NO PICTURES. Devoid of pictures. Bereft of art. If I am going to have to pay $180 for an art history book that is of no resale value to next year’s students, it had damn well better be an excellent visual reference with hard cover and full colour plates, to keep around for years, festooning my coffee table and that of my heirs.

Rather than wait, the book was hastily published without adequate copyright permissions. 

“V” is for Victory #commoncore

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 25 minutes ago

More “propaganda”

Bloomberg Commish to Make Case for Corporate Ed’s Status Quo

Jim Horn at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 4 hours ago

Dennis Wolcott has kept a low profile during his reign over the coffee machine at the NYC Education Department. Until now. Yesterday began the campaign to save the test-punish-lie-privatize plan that Bloomberg instituted during the past 12 years in the City. Dennis surely has an steep row to hoe, with every Democratic mayoral candidate in […]

Is Larry Ferlazzo a dingus?

Chalk Face, PhD at @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER - 5 hours ago

I’m just asking. And I mean this with all due respect. What are the best ways to spend the last two weeks of school? Why does this question need answering? What the hell have teachers been doing all these years? Plus, does Mr. Ferlazzo have any ideas of his own, or is he ALWAYS linking to […]

At the Chalk Face today, starting at 5:30 to 6:30 EST! Two segments

by Chalk Face, PhD

We’re starting at 5:30 talking to the Blue Hat Movement, info here. Then, Sharon Higgins of Charter School Scandals about the Gulen School movement, which is the biggest charter chain the US right now. Important stuff. Listen in.

Assessment Time?

by antiqueteacher60

This assessment report  will be sent home in June to all my first graders, just as it was in November and January, along with a report card with letter grades for ELA, MATH, SOCIAL STUDIES, and SCIENCE.

In one respect, I  am glad we send this home – at least the parents of our students in grades K – 6 know which  assessments  are used to ‘monitor the progress’ of their children.

Students in grades K – 2 are being monitored for progress as measured against arbitrary and sometimes unrealistic benchmarks. This is happening all across NYS and the trouble is that many districts are A) not telling parents about it or B) using 

FDR's Economic Bill of Rights

“The Economic Bill of Rights” [edit]

Excerpt from President Roosevelt's January 11, 1944 message to the Congress of the United States on the State of the Union:^[2]

“

It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure. This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty. As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness. We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.”[3] People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made. In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed. Among these are: The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation; The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation; The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living; The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad; The right of every family to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment; The right to a good education. All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being. America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens. For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world.

”

Are school vouchers losing steam?:

Are school vouchers losing steam?

By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 18, 2013 at 5:00 amE-mail the writer

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Vouchers have been at the center of the school choice movement for many reformers, but they may be in trouble. Here making that argument is Abby Rapoport of The American Prospect, where this appeared.

By Abby Rapoport

When news broke earlier this month that the Louisiana Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s voucher system, which uses public dollars to pay for low-income students to go to private schools, the fight over vouchers made its way back into the headlines. The Louisiana program, pushed hard and publicly by Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, offers any low-income child in the state, regardless of what public school they would attend, tuition assistance at private schools. It’s something liberals fear will become commonplace in other states in the future if conservative lawmakers get their way on education policy.

Yet conservatives have been dominating legislatures since 2010 and there has been 

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 5-18-13 

A Gift for You This Sunday

by dianerav

Last Sunday, I published a beautiful poem by Cavafy. In reply, Will Fitzhugh (founder of “The Concord Review,” which publishes history papers by high school students) sent this one to me. He probably did not know that this is one of my favorite poems, and it has special meaning for me. When I graduated from San Jacinto High School in Houston in 1956, my home room teacher Mrs. Ratliff gave me two snippets of poetry as a graduation gift. Each line had a message for the recipient. One of her gifts was the last line of this poem.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson [1833]
Ulysses
It little profits that an idle king,

Russ: CCSS Is Wrong About “Close Reading” Without Background Knowledge

by dianerav

This reader faults the Common Core standards for claiming that students should engage in “close reading” of texts without context or background knowledge. In this post, he explains that this does not “level the playing field,” as every reader has different background knowledge to decipher meaning in text.

Miami: Are These Fears the Reality?

by dianerav

A teacher in Miami asks these questions. Can you answer and help us understand?
“I am writing out of anxiety and fear .. I have been a bit down for a year, I realize I may have to switch careers or move to another state.
“I could be wrong but I feel the greatest school reformation in the US is occurring in Miami-Dade county public 

Carol Burris: The Unintended Consequences of NY’s Principal Evaluations

by dianerav

Carol Burris, chosen as principal of the year by her colleagues in New York State, has written a brilliant and frightening critique of the state’s ill-planned principal evaluation plan.
As you read her enter to the New York Board if Regents, you can’t help but wonder whether systems like this are intended to demoralize principals and to destroy public education.
What kind of inexperienced technocrats dream up such flawed and damaging schemes?

How to Explain US “Reform” to B-School Friends at Oxford

by dianerav

What if you were a product of public schools and found yourself years later getting a graduate degree in business management at Oxford University? Your British friends are very taken with ideas like accountability and competition. Maybe they saw “Waiting for Superman” and they too want to close the achievement gap.
What would you tell them?
Susan Altman found herself in that situation and she explains it here. This is a young woman with a keen sense 

Diane in the Evening 5-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: This Man Loves Disruption by dianerav Clayton Christiansen loves disruption. He loves the idea that almost everything familiar to us will die and be replaced by competition. Many corporate reformers swear by him. They think disruption is creative. I wish they would get out of our lives and make money selling something other than disruption. The Stupidity of the Michigan Legislature, Simply Explained by dianerav This blogger wants you to understand legislation that is sailing through the Michigan legislature. The t... more »

Waiting for Superman to Tell the Truth? (Don’t Hold Your Breath) – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

Waiting for Superman to Tell the Truth? (Don’t Hold Your Breath) – @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

Waiting for Superman to Tell the Truth? (Don’t Hold Your Breath)

by plthomasedd

The least accountable among us are those at the top making grand statements (unverified, unchallenged) used to call for the accountable of everyone else.

I invite you to read carefully Canada’s Legend-ary TED Talk Lie by Gary Rubinstein to understand how corrosive the “miracle” school narrative is when it is combined with the cult of personality (Canada as Superman, Rhee as the Tiger Mom, Duncan as NBA Celebrity Basketball Player, and Bill Gates as Know-It-All Billionaire Next Door) and a passive media owned by those celebrities.

After you read Gary’s excellent unmasking, read further a reposting on the “Harlem” miracle and other pieces I’ve done confronting this narrative that isn’t true but won’t die. See also related posts on Canada’s HCZ from Aaron Pallas added below.

Reconsidering Education “Miracles” (OpEdNews, 8/17/2010)

“We may have found a remedy for the achievement gap,” concluded David Brooks in 

How to take a test: 1956 short film:

How to take a test: 1956 short film

By Valerie Strauss, Published: May 19, 2013 at 4:00 amE-mail the writer

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A blast from the past: a 1956 short film with tips on the right and wrong way to take a test. See what’s changed and what hasn’t.

Obama (Michelle), Colbert, Clinton (Bill), Biden, etc: The best 2013 commencement speeches (so far)

by Valerie Strauss

Leave it to Stephen Colbert to find a way to make Thomas Jefferson funny. That’s what he did when he was speaking to graduates at the University of Virginia — but he wasn’t the only commencement speaker to get the … Continue reading →