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Thursday, March 25, 2010

2nd Banana WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2010

2nd Banana WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2010



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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

This-a-way or That: I’m Good. � Chalkdust101

This-a-way or That: I’m Good. � Chalkdust101

Two Roads Diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
In the wake of massive funding cuts here in New Jersey, school districts, including mine, are reeling. In my district alone, our submitted budget included the cut of twenty-four teachers, guidance counselors in both of our elementary buildings and our middle school, four out of six Vice Principals, all sports and extra-curricular activities district-wide, and everyone in my department except the head of the department.
I am not the head.
The way things work in New Jersey, nothing will officially shake out until either late April or early May, but the foundation of public education is being abruptly shaken, as are those employed in schools throughout the state. The last few weeks have brought on a sudden sense of urgency about the directions many of us will take, and the next few weeks will surely be filled with the same. But for right now, I am not worried.
Without sounding self-serving or prognostic, I knew this was coming. And I think you did

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Remainders: NAEP reading scores an “epitaph” for NCLB | GothamSchools

Remainders: NAEP reading scores an “epitaph” for NCLB | GothamSchools

Remainders: NAEP reading scores an “epitaph” for NCLB

by Anna Phillips
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Schools Matter: NAEP Reading 2009: Had Enough Direct Instruction and Testing Yet?

Schools Matter: NAEP Reading 2009: Had Enough Direct Instruction and Testing Yet?
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Fewer than 1,000 teachers now in excess pool, Klein says | GothamSchools

Fewer than 1,000 teachers now in excess pool, Klein says | GothamSchools

Fewer than 1,000 teachers now in excess pool, Klein says

by Maura Walz
atr-teacher-breakdown
Chancellor Joel Klein threw out a surprise at today’s City Council hearing on next year’s education budget — that the number of teachers currently in the Absent Teacher Reserve pool has now dipped to 981 teachers, down more than 700 people since the fall.
In its teachers contract demands this year, the city has asked for the power to fire teachers who remain in the excess pool for more than four months. Assuming the teachers currently in the pool have been there since the
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Investors.com - Arne's List: A World Of Privilege

Investors.com - Arne's List: A World Of Privilege

Arne's List: A World Of Privilege

Posted 07:08 PM ET
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, widely hailed as a school reformer, speaks to a Sacramento, Calif., town hall meeting last September. Duncan has...
Education Secretary Arne Duncan, widely hailed as a school reformer, speaks to a Sacramento, Calif., town hall meeting last September. Duncan has... View Enlarged Image
Politics: Education Secretary Arne Duncan taught us Orwell this week, showing how some are more equal than others with his VIP list for admission to Chicago's best schools. Unfortunately, it doesn't stop there.
Duncan, hailed as a miracle-working reformer in the Chicago school system he once led, didn't quite persuade that city's well-connected elites of the value of his reforms, given the number who sought placement in the district's better schools.
Duncan insists it was just an appeals list on which parents could place kids who didn't make it
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A beautiful proof without words � Fun Math Blog

A beautiful proof without words � Fun Math Blog

Wild About Math!

Making Math fun and accessible



A beautiful proof without words

March 24th, 2010 | by Sol |While surfing the Web for Math-related stuff I happened upon this wonderful “proof” without words:


Can you figure out what the image illustrates? Can you figure out what two facts you need to know to
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Klein lays out which teachers would be fired first to cut budget | GothamSchools

Klein lays out which teachers would be fired first to cut budget | GothamSchools

Klein lays out which teachers would be fired first to cut budget

by Maura Walz
Schools Chancellor Joel Klein argued before the City Council today that firing teachers, perhaps en masse, is the only strategy left to handle expected budget gaps next school year. “There is very little fat left to trim,” Klein said, discussing a gap that his top budget official said will be at least $600 million and at worst $1.2 billion.
It’s still unclear whether state budget cuts to education will necessitate layoffs at the scale Klein described — a total of 8,500 teachers in the most draconian scenario. The state legislature is working towards an April 1 deadline to pass a budget, and while the Senate and governor’s proposed budget would cost the city schools more than $400 million at a minimum, the Assembly is reportedly planning far less severe cuts.
But at the City Council today Klein stuck to his doomsday predictions, outlining how the 8,500 layoffs would hit each school district. Under the state’s current “last in, first out” method of cutting the most recently hired
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voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

Dems Endorse Beiser, de Beck for School Board
Local Democrats gave their endorsement last night to San Diego Unified school board candidate Kevin Beiser, a middle school math teacher running against current board member Katherine Nakamura, and to incumbent John de Beck. The choices were unanimous.
Here are some interesting points about their endorsements:
• Dems picked Beiser, a Democrat, over Nakamura, also a Democrat. That means Nakamura is fighting her own political party to keep her seat. A third Democratic candidate, Stephen Rosen, didn't participate in the endorsement process.
Jess Durfee, leader of the local Democrats, said Beiser won out over Nakamura partly because he backed the project labor agreement, which ties school construction work to workplace guarantees that unions want. Nakamura opposed the labor pact.
"He strongly support teachers and is willing to find other places to cut," Durfee said. "He
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