Friday, June 28, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 6-28-13 AM Posts #edreform #EDCHAT #P2

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

6-28-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] The ridiculousness in the resistance of #commoncore by Chalk Face, PhD Last evening, I saw a link posted on social media about an organization hosting an anti-CCSS conference call. Interesting. The organization? Concerned Women for America. They.Are.Ridiculous. They’re already calling for the end of civilization because of the recent SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality. I see folks calling for collaboration in resisting CCSS between various locations […] *6-27-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER* mike simpson at Big ... more »

Bush Foundation Snubs Florida Republican Senators Who Voted Against Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

Bush Foundation Snubs Florida Republican Senators Who Voted Against Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings: Bush Foundation Snubs Florida Republican Senators Who Voted Against Parent Trigger by Bob Sikes *Sunshine State News* chief legal correspondent Eric Giunta has become the go-to journalist when Jeb Bush’ Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) wants to get something out there. One only needs to consider hishit piece on the parent advocate groups who opposed Parent Trigger and this similarly themed spin on Fund Education Now. Giunta carries FEE’s water again today in pu... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-28-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Faculty and Students at U. of Minnesota Oppose TFA by dianerav Faculty and graduate students of education denounced a plan by the University of Minnesota by the university to create a partnership with Teach for America. To put it mildly, the statement they issued was blistering. They said, in part, *“Teach for America contributes to creating more exploitative and precarious working conditions for teachers, often displacing career educators and decreasing job oppor... more »

Daily Kos: Charter Schools, the Invisible Hand, and Gutless Political Leadership

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 minutes ago

Daily Kos: Charter Schools, the Invisible Hand, and Gutless Political Leadership: Charter Schools, the Invisible Hand, and Gutless Political Leadership by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) Billy Pilgrim becomes unstuck in time in Kurt Vonnegut's * Slaughterhouse-Five*. Billy's experience introduces readers to Tralfamadorians: The creatures were friendly, and they could see in four dimensions. They pitied Earthlings for being able to see only three. They had many wonderful things to teach Earthlings, especially about time....The Tralfamadorians can look at all the different moments ju... more »

Perdido Street School: Martha Stewart Wants To "Shag" Bill Gates

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 minutes ago

Perdido Street School: Martha Stewart Wants To "Shag" Bill Gates: Martha Stewart Wants To "Shag" Bill Gates by reality-based educator Don't drink any coffee while you're reading this or you might channel Danny Thomas: *Martha Stewart* is no* Paula Deen*. Instead of buttering up her foods, Stewart’s been slowly buttering up the public, introducing a new side of herself that’s light and friendly. A source tells Confidenti@l that over the past four months, the domestic diva has made a conscious effort to wear shorter skirts and say funnier things in an attempt to show people that it’... more »

It Gets Better | ED.gov Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 minutes ago

It Gets Better | ED.gov Blog: It Gets Better by Guest Blogger Today, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a new video where Department staff share personal stories and identify tools that support students experiencing bullying. In response to students suffering bullying in schools, ED has redoubled efforts to give parents, educators, and students the tools they need to stop harassment, including through the website Stopbullying.gov and civil rights enforcement. We have also joined thousands of supportive messages, and numerous fellow agencies and Obama Administration colle... more »

Daily Kos: I'm sorry I'm not in a classroom this week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago

Daily Kos: I'm sorry I'm not in a classroom this week: I'm sorry I'm not in a classroom this week by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) [image: Photo] and glad that I will again be teaching government (among other things) come August. A major part of my approach to teaching government is to connect students with what is happening in the world around them. It is hard to imagine a week richer than this for material on class discussion. From the Congress, we have the combination of the Senate passing a sweeping immigration reform bill and the Speaker effectively saying it is DOA. From the S... more »

Education Research Report: New NAEP Report Compares Today’s Student Performance With That of 40 Years Ago

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 30 minutes ago

Education Research Report: New NAEP Report Compares Today’s Student Performance With That of 40 Years Ago: New NAEP Report Compares Today’s Student Performance With That of 40 Years Ago * Long-term trend assessment shows improvement for black and Hispanic students since the 1970s* * * Today’s 9-and 13-year-old students scored higher in reading and mathematics than their counterparts did 40 years ago according to The Nation’s Report Card: Trends in Academic Progress 2012, a long-term trend assessment designed to track changes in the achievement of students ages 9, 13 and 17 since th... more »

Who Bill Gates is giving money to now in education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 35 minutes ago

Who Bill Gates is giving money to now in education: Who Bill Gates is giving money to now in education By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 28, 2013 at 4:00 amE-mail the writer 1 Comments More [image: money]The Gates Foundation has distributed a slew of grants to educational institutions and organizations in June for varied pursuits, including implementation of the Common Core State Standards, improvement of the federal financial aid system, and creation of a “national cadre of teachers experimenting with the use of games, learning and assessment tools.” Here are some of the largest e... more »

Debating Choice and Competition in Education | Choice Media | education reform homepage

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 44 minutes ago

Debating Choice and Competition in Education | Choice Media | education reform homepage: Debating Choice and Competition in Education by kate Popout Choice and Competition: Improving or Undermining Public Education? from EdWriters on Vimeo.

The Educated Reporter: For Charter Schools, Demand for More Success - And Seats

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 47 minutes ago

The Educated Reporter: For Charter Schools, Demand for More Success - And Seats: For Charter Schools, Demand for More Success - And Seats by Emily Richmond [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] A new report from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) is likely to provide plenty of ammunition for both supporters and critics of the independently operated, public-funded campuses. The report—an update to the center’s frequently cited 2009 study -- looked at charter schools in 25 states, Washington, D.C. and New York City (the nati... more »

Ed Notes Online: URGENT: Press release on student promotions crisis

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago

Ed Notes Online: URGENT: Press release on student promotions crisis: URGENT: Press release on student promotions crisis by ed notes online I posted the PRESS ALERT - earlier TODAY!. Here is the full Press Release. All are welcome to join the Change the Stakes monthly meeting tomorrow (Friday). 5:30 PM in room 4202 of the CUNY Grad Center, 5th Ave and 34th Street. Please bring photo ID to enter building. Hope to see many of you there! And See blogger Raginghorseblog who also posted this photo. ChangetheStakes Bemoans the Chaos and Incompetence of Education Under Bloomberg FOR IMM... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Student college loan rates will double next week. Another win for Wall St.

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 54 minutes ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Student college loan rates will double next week. Another win for Wall St.: Student college loan rates will double next week. Another win for Wall St. by Mike Klonsky Another win for Wall St. Despite all the big talk coming from administration ed bureaucrats about *college readiness*, *21st-Century learning*, and *Common Core Standards*, a college education is becoming a more distant possibility for all but the wealthiest students and their families. Congressional action that would keep student loan rates from doubling on July 1 seems ready to ... more »

Manga and anime declared good study tools for kids | toteachornototeach

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago

Manga and anime declared good study tools for kids | toteachornototeach: Manga and anime declared good study tools for kids by aristotlethewise [image: 60]*Manga and anime declared good study tools for kids* by Rachel Tackett Children’s books and television shows these days are nothing compared to the ones that many of us had growing up. At least that’s what we tell ourselves. I think back fondly on those days of watching Rugrats and Scooby Doo marathons and scoff at the thought of modern-age children rotting their brains with Spongebob and Annoying Orange. But the fact of the matte... more »

NYC Educator: State Senator Ruben Diaz Makes His Ignorance and Bigotry a Priority for All

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago

NYC Educator: State Senator Ruben Diaz Makes His Ignorance and Bigotry a Priority for All: State Senator Ruben Diaz Makes His Ignorance and Bigotry a Priority for All by NYC Educator State Senator Ruben Diaz believes you should be very careful before assigning guilt when he's involved. Yet it's different for teachers, who are all guilty no matter what. In fact, because he reads all the crap in the Daily News and believes it, or at least thinks impressionable voters do, he's introducing legislature to "ban sex creeps from school property--not just the classroom." Those are the thoug... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Progressive Caucus says Rahm's cuts have created beggar schools

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Progressive Caucus says Rahm's cuts have created beggar schools: Progressive Caucus says Rahm's cuts have created beggar schools by Mike Klonsky A Small Talk salute goes out to the members of the City Council's Progressive Caucus who "came out swinging"Thursday against Rahm's “draconian” school budget cuts. *“We are alarmed by the stripping of basic necessities which define a school. The neighborhood schools have been reduced to beggars, lacking such essentials as sanitation supplies, library book funds, field trip money, playground supervision,” the ... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 6-27-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago

*Nite Cap UPDATE* * * *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* Rhee’s “Radical”: Read and Reviewed by teachbad Radical: Fighting to Put Students First is a transparent and fantastical affirmation of Michelle Rhee; written by Michelle Rhee (Harper Collins, 2013). In my continuing efforts to be at least 8-12 months behind everybody else, I have finally read and reviewed the book. I don’t believe there is anything self-critical or particularly reflective in here, other than to pause every now and then to reflect upon her correctness. Michelle Rhee is convinced that sh... more »

The Crazycrawfish Blog would like to recognize Peter C. Cook as the newest member of the Crazycrawfish fanclub | Crazy Crawfish's Blog

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

The Crazycrawfish Blog would like to recognize Peter C. Cook as the newest member of the Crazycrawfish fanclub | Crazy Crawfish's Blog: The Crazycrawfish Blog would like to recognize Peter C. Cook as the newest member of the Crazycrawfish fanclub by crazycrawfish It’s been a while since we in Crazycrawfish land have had a chance to welcome a new member. As some of you may know, to become a member you must write up a dedicated blog post to “yours truly” that attacks me personally but does so in such an inept way that readers will instantly know the attack is meant to be comical. Usua... more »

RiSE Library Announcement - Announcements & Current Issues (CA Dept of Education)

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

RiSE Library Announcement - Announcements & Current Issues (CA Dept of Education): RiSE Library AnnouncementAnnouncement regarding the closure of the Resources in Special Education Library. ------------------------------ The California Department of Education, Special Education Division, announces the Resources in Special Education (RiSE) Library will close effective July 1, 2013. The Parents Helping Parents (PHP) Library has managed the RiSE library collection since the late 1990’s through a contract with California Services for Technical Assistance and Training (CalSTAT). Now P... more »

Diane in the Evening 6-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: John White Defends $1.2 Million for TFA by dianerav John White is an alumnus of Teach for America. He wants more money to hire more TFA for the state’s lowest performing schools. Despite the poor performance of the state Recovery School District, which has been staffed with large numbers of TFA for almost 25 years, White wants more of the same. White got into a heated debate with state board member Lotte Beebe. White insists that hiring TFA means the Rahm Picks a New School Board Member by dianerav Now that bil... more »

Make and Take the Time to Reflect, Refresh, and Recharge — Whole Child Education

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Make and Take the Time to Reflect, Refresh, and Recharge — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Podcast][image: Whole Child Podcast]Make and Take the Time to Reflect, Refresh, and Recharge June 27, 2013 by Whole Child Podcast Download Podcast Now [Right-Click to Save] Summer for educators is often a time to look back on the past year—and look forward to the coming one. What worked, what didn't, and what will you change? Educating the whole child and planning for comprehensive, sustainable school improvement requires us to be "whole educators" who take the time to rech... more »

Perdido Street School: Arne Duncan, One Of The Biggest Common Core Proponents, Insists Feds Have Nothing To Do With Common Core

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Perdido Street School: Arne Duncan, One Of The Biggest Common Core Proponents, Insists Feds Have Nothing To Do With Common Core: Arne Duncan, One Of The Biggest Common Core Proponents, Insists Feds Have Nothing To Do With Common Core by reality-based educator [image: Photo]Nothing To Do With Common Core Rick Hess wrote the following last week as attacks from the the Tea Party right threatened to take down Common Core implementation in some states: Sec. Duncan needs to give a speech in which he pleads "mea culpa" and acknowledges that federal involvement and money played a nontrivi... more »

Ed Notes Online: PRESS ALERT - TODAY! NYC DOE’s TEST-OBSESSED PROMOTION POLICIES LEAVE MANY NYC FAMILIES IN LIMBO AS SCHOOL ENDS

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Ed Notes Online: PRESS ALERT - TODAY! NYC DOE’s TEST-OBSESSED PROMOTION POLICIES LEAVE MANY NYC FAMILIES IN LIMBO AS SCHOOL ENDS: PRESS ALERT - TODAY! NYC DOE’s TEST-OBSESSED PROMOTION POLICIES LEAVE MANY NYC FAMILIES IN LIMBO AS SCHOOL ENDS by ed notes online PRESS ALERT - TODAY! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 26, 2013 Contact: Change the Stakes changethestakes@gmail.com Jane Maisel (917) 678-1913 Edith Baltazar (646) 326-8953 NYC DOE’s TEST-OBSESSED PROMOTION POLICIES LEAVE MANY NYC FAMILIES IN LIMBO AS SCHOOL ENDS First day of summer i... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Human Resources at SPS: Going Up or Down?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Human Resources at SPS: Going Up or Down?: Human Resources at SPS: Going Up or Down? by Melissa Westbrook There are sometimes days doing this watchdog work that are defeating, sad and frustrating. Today is one those. I'll get to the issue at hand but a few thoughts first. I've said this before - I do truly believe we have some good and decent people working in SPS. There are several up the food chain who are almost great but, like many a bureaucracy, have those whose work either drags them down or mires them in place. I've also said this before... more »

Time for a strong message on ESEA | Parents Across America

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Time for a strong message on ESEA | Parents Across America: Time for a strong message on ESEA by pureparents There are a lot of petitions and sign-ons these days. Do they do any good? This one, called the Declaration to Rebuild America, gets at most of PAA’s priority issues and includes a good mix of people and organizations as early endorsers. It may be an indication that the message of true education progressives is becoming clearer and more unified. The full Declaration is too long to reproduce here, but its main aspects are very similar to PAA’s statement of beliefs. A strong, u... more »

NYC Educator: Why the War on Teachers This Week?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

NYC Educator: Why the War on Teachers This Week?: Why the War on Teachers This Week? by NYC Educator Aside from my typical disgust when we are targeted for the egregious offense of dedicating our lives to guiding children, I know there must be a particular reason the Daily News and legal expert Campbell Brown targeted us this week. There are big issues with this story. The primary issue is the teachers they discuss have not been found guilty of anything. The person who determines guilt, or lack thereof, is the arbitrator. So the Daily News, abetted by legal expert Campbell Brown, c... more »

The Keynote was a Key Note | My Island View

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

The Keynote was a Key Note | My Island View: The Keynote was a Key Note by tomwhitby I had a rare opportunity to experience a wonderful sharing of a meaningful, unselfish, insightful, reflective, and most enlightening, and personal keynote address at ISTE13 from my friend, Adam Bellow. I was also aware of his struggles with its creation over the last several months. I have come to believe that a thought not shared is simply a passing thought, but a thought shared is an idea. That was never more evident to me than it was yesterday as I experienced the closing ISTE13 Keynote address ... more »

Seven Observations on Duncan's Common Core Address :: Frederick M. Hess

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

Seven Observations on Duncan's Common Core Address :: Frederick M. Hess: Seven Observations on Duncan's Common Core Address Yesterday, our earnest Secretary of Education delivered a big speech on the Common Core to the American Society of Newspaper Editors. In a move that will surprise pretty much no one, he disregarded my advice from last week on how to tamp down some of the push-back to the Common Core. Instead, he basically opted to double down on the administration's rhetorical approach, offering skeptics the back of his hand, and not much else. You can read the whole thing fo...more »

The Great Divide in High School College Readiness Rates | Edwize

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago

The Great Divide in High School College Readiness Rates | Edwize: The Great Divide in High School College Readiness Rates by Rhonda Rosenberg *10 percent of the schools produce nearly half the college-ready graduates* Last week the city announced that 22.2% of students from the high school Class of 2012 met the state’s college-ready standard, up from 21.1% for the Class of 2011. What the announcement didn’t say was that this already weak college-readiness rate was inflated by a small group of schools that contribute a disproportionate number of students to the city’s college-ready... more »

New technology is poised to disrupt America’s schools, and then the world’s | The Economist

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Education technology: Catching on at last | The Economist: New technology is poised to disrupt America’s schools, and then the world’sJun 29th 2013 | CHICAGO AND NEW YORK |From the print edition - - IN A small school on the South Side of Chicago, 40 children between the ages of five and six sit quietly learning in a classroom. In front of each of them is a computer running software called Reading Eggs. Some are reading a short story, others building sentences with words they are learning. The least advanced are capturing all the upper- and lower-case Bs that fly past in th... more »

DCPS Program Fosters Global Awareness and Exemplifies Student Learning | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

DCPS Program Fosters Global Awareness and Exemplifies Student Learning | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: DCPS Program Fosters Global Awareness and Exemplifies Student Learning by Tarsi Dunlop When District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) gets press coverage, it’s not always glowing news. In recent years, DCPS (a major urban city system with a recent history of controversial reforms) is often associated with topics such as their new teacher evaluation system (IMPACT), charters, or poverty and inequity. But just a few weeks ago, I learned about a truly amazing D... more »

Strategies for Children to Participate in National Policy Academy |

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Strategies for Children to Participate in National Policy Academy |: Strategies for Children to Participate in National Policy Academy by Alyssa Haywoode Here’s a press release announcing our new project. • • • Strategies for Children (SFC) has been named to the Massachusetts team for the National Governors Association Early Education Policy Academy. On June 17, 2013, the National Governors Association (NGA) announced that six states, including Massachusetts, have been selected to participate in an intensive policy academy to improve learning outcomes from early childhood through t... more »

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Supreme Court Rulings Advance Same-Sex Marriage

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Supreme Court Rulings Advance Same-Sex Marriage: Supreme Court Rulings Advance Same-Sex Marriage by L. Jablonski Same-sex Marriage Granted Federal Government Recognition, while California's Prop 8 Suit Dismissed. Dismissal Clears Way for Same-Sex Marriage in Golden State The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that same-sex married couples are entitled to federal benefits, striking down section 3 of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment and granting full federal recognition of same-sex marriage. The Cour... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Is this the face of the future of public ed?

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Is this the face of the future of public ed?: Is this the face of the future of public ed? by Mike Klonsky Deborah Duazzo *Chicago Magazine's *headline on *Whet Moser's piece*, reads: "The New School Board Member Is a Glimpse at the Future of Education." They are referring to Deborah Quazzo, Rahm Emanual's latest hand-picked school board member. Quazzo, a white, wealthy investment banker, replaces billionaire heiress Penny Pritzker, Obama's new Commerce Secretary. Quazzo's company, GSW Advisors has this view of education: *In the venture capit... more »

Test Scores Show Achievement Gap Narrows As High School Students Stagnate -- NAEP Report

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Test Scores Show Achievement Gap Narrows As High School Students Stagnate -- NAEP Report: Test Scores Show Achievement Gap Narrows As High School Students Stagnate -- NAEP Report by Joy Resmovits [image: test scores] Despite the popular hand-wringing over America's schools, younger students are actually performing at significantly higher levels in reading and math than they were in the 1970s, according to a new government reportreleased Thursday. The report also shows a dramatic gradual reduction of the so-called "achievement gap," the gap between scores of ethnic minorities. Bu... more »

Ruling may ease Wake’s path to income-based school assignments | Education | NewsObserver.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Ruling may ease Wake’s path to income-based school assignments | Education | NewsObserver.com: Ruling may ease Wake’s path to income-based school assignments Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/06/27/2991684/feds-ruling-could-ease-wakes-path.html#storylink=cpy [image: Photo] Federal officials have opened the door for Wake County to reintroduce students’ family income as a basis for school assignments. U.S. Department of Agriculture attorneys say Wake can use data on students who receive subsidized lunches to balance schools by family income as long as the process d... more »

New NAEP data: Getting it right with younger students.... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

New NAEP data: Getting it right with younger students.... | Get Schooled | www.ajc.com: New NAEP data: Getting it right with younger students. Stalling at high school. Why? - COMMENT(1) - 0 0 4 6 Previous Posts - Campaign to let Georgia girl play football goes worldwide June 27, 2013 - A Georgia Teacher of the Year: Common Core requires change but change is needed June 27, 2013 - A diminished HOPE turns 20. And the debate continues June 26, 2013 By Maureen Downey This morning the Nation's Report Card: Trends in Academic Progress 2012 was released, ... more »

Mike Klonsky...: All Male Youth Summit, Calumet City, IL

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Mike Klonsky...: All Male Youth Summit, Calumet City, IL: All Male Youth Summit, Calumet City, IL by Mike Klonsky On Monday, March 25, 2013 we had over 500 male students from third through eighth grade and well over 20 presenters from various professions attend this phenomenal event.Distinguished Presenters Dr. Michael Klonsky, DePaul University Professor & Educational Consultant Marc Augustave, Assistant Corporate Counsel Don Murphy, American Family Insurance Honorable Judge Orville E. Hambright,Jr., Circuit Court Honorable Judge William Boyd, Circuit Court Dr. James Cunneen, Retired... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, June 27, 2013

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Yoga trial extended another day* Education Headlines *Thursday, June 27, 2013* Elk Grove school district tables planned administration reorganizationA planned reorganization of Elk Grove Unified School District's administration that would have raised salaries of top employees was postponed Wednesday night after most of the school board and audience spoke out against it. San Ysidro recall moves forwardProponents of an effort to recall three San Ysidro School District trustees can start circulating petitions, according to the San... more »

Thoughts for Summer: Aspirations, Not Requirements - Bridging Differences - Education Week

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Thoughts for Summer: Aspirations, Not Requirements - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Thoughts for Summer: Aspirations, Not Requirements by Deborah Meier *This is Deborah Meier's last Bridging Differences post before she begins a well-deserved summer break. She will return to the blog in September.* Dear Todd, I visited two schools in Boston last week. One, the Green Academy, just finished its second year, and the staff half laughingly told me that, best of all, "they survived." The other, Mission Hill, always leaves me elated—as well as worried. Enjoying "the moment" while ... more »

UPDATE: Mark drags himself to yet another community meeting with Dan Biss +The problem is old people. | Fred Klonsky

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The problem is old people. | Fred Klonsky: “How many promises to the state’s workers do you want to break?” by Fred Klonsky [image: IMG_0060] *Photo: Fred Klonsky* The Civic Committee’s Ty Fahner walked into the hearing room like he owned the joint. And in some ways he does. I spent four hours today at the *Committee of Ten* hearings at the *Michael Bilandic State of Illinois Building*, sixth floor committee room that shares the floor with The Madman’s Chicago office. The *Committee of Ten* was set up following the early-June failure of the Illinois legislature to pass a pension cutt... more »

Education giant Pearson debuts the first class of its virtual ed tech startup accelerator — Tech News and Analysis

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

Education giant Pearson debuts the first class of its virtual ed tech startup accelerator — Tech News and Analysis: Education giant Pearson debuts the first class of its virtual ed tech startup accelerator by Ki Mae Heussner 10 HOURS AGO **No Comments - - - - - - A** - A** [image: education technology] photo: OHiShiapply SUMMARY: Pearson Catalyst, the new ed tech startup program launched by publishing company Pearson, has announced the companies in its inaugural class. **tweet this Pearson, the U.K.-based educational publishing powerhouse, is getting ... more »

The Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs In Education - Forbes

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

The Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs In Education - Forbes: The Best- And Worst-Paying Jobs In Education Comment Now Follow Comments The Best- And Worst-Paying Education Jobs 1 of 12 [image: The Five Best-Paying Education Jobs] +show more The Five Best-Paying Education Jobs People’s career choices should be based on passion over paychecks—and that’s especially true for those who are educating America’s youth. But even if you’re pursuing a profession in education for the all right reasons, you still have to wonder which are the highest- and lowest-paying positions in the field. Forbes sift... more »

6-27-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: [image: gears] Perhaps the NEA and AFT both adhere to an old model of lesson planning by Chalk Face, PhD This whole idea of monetizing lesson plans seems like a very antique method. This from the Huffington Post on a very similar initiative soon to be released by the NEA that is strikingly similar to AFT’s Share My Lesson, or whatever. The NEA’s is called, what, BetterLesson or something? I mean, OK, I guess. Who […] Charter Schools, the Invisible Hand, and Gutless Political Leadership | the becoming radical by plthomasedd Charter Schools, ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-27-13 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] Who Should Save the Philadelphia High School Orchestra? by dianerav A reader explains why the Philadelphia All-City High School Orchestra is being closed and who should rescue it: “Actually, philanthropy wouldn’t help. The orchestra is endangered because classroom instrumental music instruction has been eliminated from the budget (hence, no musicians to play in it). The cut was among those made to close a $300 million budget deficit caused largely by state cuts t... more »

Have Four Decades of Test Based Accountability Closed the Public and Catholic School Score Gaps?

by Jim Horn

One way to to gauge the effects of over four decades of more testing with higher stakes is to examine how NAEP public school scores compare over time with the Catholic schools, which have not and do not make use high stakes standardized testing, even though they have been participated in NAEP since 1980. The […]

No schools shut down that opted out, many shut down that opted in

by plthomasedd

Reclaiming the Conversation on Education See 9:19 in, Ceresta Smith Tagged: high-stakes accountability

In Case You Were Wondering…?

by Timothy D. Slekar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgPePk3kGZk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jKahlEKo0Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_fM_TBn_Do Follow Tim Slekar on Twitter: @slekar

Center for American what? Progress? I don’t think so. @EdProgress

by Chalk Face, PhD

My behavior on social media differs from others. Folks claim RTs aren’t endorsements and that to me seems rather silly. Why would I propagate information and send it forward to followers if I don’t think it should be spread? Seems like lots of folks are getting busted for errant RTs, so perhaps there’s some genuine […]

The ridiculousness in the resistance of #commoncore

by Chalk Face, PhD

Last evening, I saw a link posted on social media about an organization hosting an anti-CCSS conference call. Interesting. The organization? Concerned Women for America. They.Are.Ridiculous. They’re already calling for the end of civilization because of the recent SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality. I see folks calling for collaboration in resisting CCSS between various locations […]

6-27-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago

Bush Foundation Snubs Florida Republican Senators Who Voted Against Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings

Bush Foundation Snubs Florida Republican Senators Who Voted Against Parent Trigger | Scathing Purple Musings:

Bush Foundation Snubs Florida Republican Senators Who Voted Against Parent Trigger

by Bob Sikes

Sunshine State News chief legal correspondent Eric Giunta has become the go-to journalist when Jeb Bush’ Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) wants to get something out there. One only needs to consider hishit piece on the parent advocate groups who opposed Parent Trigger and this similarly themed spin on Fund Education Now.
Giunta carries FEE’s water again today in publishing the foundation’s annual legislative report card. No surprises. The republican legislators who sponsored bill’s they favored received high marks, many of them getting bonus points. On the senate side, the self-described non-partisan foundation assigned F’s to 8 of the 13 democrats.
FEE also used the report card to rebuke four of the six republican senators who voted against Parent Trigger.

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-28-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch

Maureen Reedy: Great News for Brooklyn’s Chess Champions!

by dianerav

Ohio master teacher Maureen Reedy has great news for the championship chess team at I.S. 318 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
She writes:
Great news! The national championship chess team of I.S. 318, a public school with a high poverty rate in NYC, will live on!
Please consider a contribution to combine with the $20,000 being raised by the tireless efforts of my friend, Fred

Tennessee Parents and Teachers Use Social Media to Lambaste Kevin Huffman

by dianerav

This from a reader in Tennessee. Be sure to open the links and see the hilarious cartoons:
“This week, two separate Fire Kevin Huffman FB pages went up:
1. https://www.facebook.com/RemoveKevinHuffman?fref=ts
(Check out the cupcake cartoon posted today.

2. https://www.facebook.com/TdoeCommissionerKevinHuffmanHasToGo
Also, a new petition started by some West Tennessee moms (called the Momma Bears) is up and running:

Faculty and Students at U. of Minnesota Oppose TFA

by dianerav

Faculty and graduate students of education denounced a plan by the University of Minnesota by the university to create a partnership with Teach for America.
To put it mildly, the statement they issued was blistering.
They said, in part,
“Teach for America contributes to creating more exploitative and precarious working conditions for teachers, often displacing career educators and decreasing job opportunities for our Initial Licensure Program teacher

NCTQ: Set to Solve the Problems of Syria and Obesity Next

by dianerav

Now that the National Council on Teacher Quality has ranked nearly 2,000 teacher education programs without actually visiting them or meeting their faculty, bigger challenges are ahead.
—————————————————————————————
NCTQ to Tackle Syria and Obesity Next
By Isaac Prilleltensky, Dean of the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Miami, Florida
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), an organization much loved by Deans of Education around the

Parent: A Sad Graduation Day at Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, CA

by dianerav

Parent Chrissy Guzman-Alvarado is a parent at Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, California. This is the school–the only school in California–where the billionaire-funded “Parent Revolution” has been able to wheedle enough parents to sign petitions to close the school and hand it over to a charter school. When some parents who had put their names on the Parent Revolution petition asked to withdraw their signatures, the organization went to court and won a ruling that signing a petition was like an election and they couldn’t rescind

EduShyster Discovers Hogwarts University for Education Reform

by dianerav

Just when you thought that you had heard it all, that “education reform” couldn’t get any zanier, EduShysterdiscovers that 50CAN is offering a Hogwarts University of Reform.
You won’t believe the faculty–many of whom unfortunately are deceased–and it won’t surprise you to learn that

Diane in the Evening 6-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 7 minutes ago

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Latest NAEP Report: Don’t Believe What You Read about It by dianerav Today the federal government released the NAEP 2012 “Trends in Academic Progress.” This is known as the Long-Term Trend report. These tests seldom change in content. They are given every four years to national–not state–samples of students at ages 9-13-17. The reports say that achievement is stagnant, but it is not true. What is truly stagnant are the scores for the past four years. There were big achievement gains from 1971-2008 for whi... more »

Daily Kos: Charter Schools, the Invisible Hand, and Gutless Political Leadership

Daily Kos: Charter Schools, the Invisible Hand, and Gutless Political Leadership:

Charter Schools, the Invisible Hand, and Gutless Political Leadership

by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD)

Billy Pilgrim becomes unstuck in time in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. Billy's experience introduces readers to Tralfamadorians:

The creatures were friendly, and they could see in four dimensions. They pitied Earthlings for being able to see only three. They had many wonderful things to teach Earthlings, especially about time....The Tralfamadorians can look at all the different moments just the we way we can look at a stretch of the Rocky Mountains, for instance. They can see how permanent all the moments are, and they can look at any moment that interests them. It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another, like beads on a strong, and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever. (pp. 33, 34)

One of the most memorable moments of Billy becoming unstuck in time is his watching a war movie backward.

Perdido Street School: Martha Stewart Wants To "Shag" Bill Gates

Perdido Street School: Martha Stewart Wants To "Shag" Bill Gates:

Martha Stewart Wants To "Shag" Bill Gates

by reality-based educator

Don't drink any coffee while you're reading this or you might channel Danny Thomas:

Martha Stewart is no Paula Deen. Instead of buttering up her foods, Stewart’s been slowly buttering up the public, introducing a new side of herself that’s light and friendly.
A source tells Confidenti@l that over the past four months, the domestic diva has made a conscious effort to wear shorter skirts and say funnier things in an attempt to show people that it’s not just her oven that gets warm — and she’s enlisting the help of Bravo’s Andy Cohen to help with the makeover.

We’re told in early June, when Stewart, 71, held a talk at the 92nd Y in New York, she had one request — that Cohen ask the questions.

...

At that interview, Cohen got Stewart to play “Shag, Marry, Kill,” a naughty game where you have to

Daily News Politics Blog: De Blasio Candidacy Is In Trouble

by reality-based educator

From Daily Politics:

Democrat Chris Quinn hit the stump Thursday with sign-waving supporters from the Hotel Trades Council -- a politically savvy union whose endorsement of her mayoral bid could spell trouble for rival Bill de Blasio.

HTC -- among the last major labor players to pick a side in the primary -- joins 32BJ/SEIU, the city's biggest property workers union, in endorsing Quinn.

While smaller than other top unions -- its membership includes 50,000 workers and retirees -- HTC has won acclaim for running smart ground games, particularly in Queens, and vows to spend as

It Gets Better | ED.gov Blog

It Gets Better | ED.gov Blog:

It Gets Better

by Guest Blogger

Today, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a new video where Department staff share personal stories and identify tools that support students experiencing bullying. In response to students suffering bullying in schools, ED has redoubled efforts to give parents, educators, and students the tools they need to stop harassment, including through the website Stopbullying.gov and civil rights enforcement.
We have also joined thousands of supportive messages, and numerous fellow agencies and Obama Administration colleagues, in the “It Gets Better” project. And while ED staff explain that their experiences got better over time, we also want to emphasize that students shouldn’t have to wait – together we can help make it better today, not tomorrow.

Popout
Click here for an alternate version of the video with an accessible player.

Jessica McKinney works in the Office of the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education

Daily Kos: I'm sorry I'm not in a classroom this week

Daily Kos: I'm sorry I'm not in a classroom this week:

I'm sorry I'm not in a classroom this week

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

and glad that I will again be teaching government (among other things) come August.
A major part of my approach to teaching government is to connect students with what is happening in the world around them.
It is hard to imagine a week richer than this for material on class discussion.
From the Congress, we have the combination of the Senate passing a sweeping immigration reform bill and the Speaker effectively saying it is DOA.
From the Supreme Court we have a wealth of decisions, not merely the blockbusters on Prop 8, DOMA, and Voting Rights Act, but also on the ability of corporations to force people to binding arbitration and an expanded notion of the takings clause of the 5th Amendment. And of course, there are the ongoing issues about Snowden, Freedom of the Press, the Espionage Act, and related.
Let me offer some observations of how rich class discussions could be.

Education Research Report: New NAEP Report Compares Today’s Student Performance With That of 40 Years Ago

Education Research Report: New NAEP Report Compares Today’s Student Performance With That of 40 Years Ago:

New NAEP Report Compares Today’s Student Performance With That of 40 Years Ago

Long-term trend assessment shows improvement
for black and Hispanic students since the 1970s

Today’s 9-and 13-year-old students scored higher in reading and mathematics than their counterparts did 40 years ago according to The Nation’s Report Card: Trends in Academic Progress 2012, a long-term trend assessment designed to track changes in the achievement of students ages 9, 13 and 17 since the 1970s. However, 17-year-olds did not show similar gains.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term trend assessment is administered every four years and measures basic reading and mathematics skills to gauge how the performance of U.S. students has changed over time. Reading was first assessed in 1971, and mathematics in 1973. Results in 2012 from more than 50,000 public-and private-school students across the country are compared with assessments since the 1970s and offer an extended view of changes in achievement over the years.

Also known as The Nation’s Report Card, NAEP main assessments monitor student achievement at grades 4, 8 and 12 and are given to a nationally representative sample of students in reading, mathematics and many other subjects. The long-term trend differs from the main NAEP assessments in both its questions and its measurement of achievement, aiming to capture changes over time in student progress. The long-term assessment results are reported in average scores (0 to 500), at percentiles (10th and 25th, or lower performing; 50th, or

Who Bill Gates is giving money to now in education

Who Bill Gates is giving money to now in education:

Who Bill Gates is giving money to now in education

By Valerie Strauss, Published: June 28, 2013 at 4:00 amE-mail the writer

Comments

The Gates Foundation has distributed a slew of grants to educational institutions and organizations in June for varied pursuits, including implementation of the Common Core State Standards, improvement of the federal financial aid system, and creation of a “national cadre of teachers experimenting with the use of games, learning and assessment tools.” Here are some of the largest education grants awarded by the foundation this month, obtained from the foundation’s Web site.

Council of Chief State School Officers
Date: June 2013
Purpose: to support the Council of Chief State School Officers’ Institute for Transition and Transformation Services partnership with the NJ DOE to support the state’s efforts to support high quality implementation of the Common Core of State Standards
Amount: $799,825
Term: 12
Topic: College-Ready

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Fayette County Public Schools
Date: June 2013

Debating Choice and Competition in Education | Choice Media | education reform homepage

Debating Choice and Competition in Education | Choice Media | education reform homepage:

Debating Choice and Competition in Education

by kate

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Choice and Competition: Improving or Undermining Public Education? from EdWriters on Vimeo.

The Educated Reporter: For Charter Schools, Demand for More Success - And Seats

The Educated Reporter: For Charter Schools, Demand for More Success - And Seats:

For Charter Schools, Demand for More Success - And Seats

by Emily Richmond

Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991

A new report from Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) is likely to provide plenty of ammunition for both supporters and critics of the independently operated, public-funded campuses.

The report—an update to the center’s frequently cited 2009 study -- looked at charter schools in 25 states, Washington, D.C. and New York City (the nation's largest school district). Researchers found that overall charter school students posted learning gains in reading that were slightly better than their demographically similar peers at traditional public schools. However, there wasn't much difference in student learning gains when it came to mathematics. At the same time, outcomes varied significantly among states, with some charter school students making strides while others actually lost academic ground. (For more on the study, check out Sara Mead’s thoughtful take for Education Sector.)

The charter school gains were particularly strong for students who arguably are most in need of an educational intervention – including the historically underserved populations of children of color, English-language learners, and those coming from low-income households. Here’s just one striking example: Black students living in

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Friday, June 28, 2013

New NAEP Report Compares Today’s Student Performance With That of 40 Years Ago