Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top AM Posts #ows #edreform

What Happened to Freedom of the Press? | Seattle Education #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

What Happened to Freedom of the Press? | Seattle Education:What Happened to Freedom of the Press?by seattleducation2011Why is it that the only news outlets showing what’s really going on in the streets of the United States are online news outlets such as Democracy Now, truthout and other blogs such as Common Dreams and the Occupy Nowwebsites around the country and Livestream websites as in Oakland and New York City? And yes, other blogs like this one and a few others?The ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

It Turns Out That Being an Effective Parent’s Not That Difficult | GeekDad | Wired.comBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-4 minutes agoIt Turns Out That Being an Effective Parent’s Not That Difficult | GeekDad | Wired.com:It Turns Out That Being an Effective Parent’s Not That DifficultBy Dave Banks November 22, 2011 | 6:00 am | Categories: Science and EducationImage by Flickr user Neeta Lind, used under CC LicensingEducators and parents have been saying for years that parental involvement is ... more »

All Education Matters: NYT Reporter(s) - Hello Again! #ows

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

All Education Matters: NYT Reporter(s) - Hello Again!:NYT Reporter(s) - Hello Again!by Cryn JohannsenHey reporter(s) who visit(s) my blog from the NYT: Welcome to AEM! It's nice to have you here. Please feel free to use me as a source, but I would appreciate you mentioning my non-profit. I don't care if you mention my name or not. Doesn't really matter. What matters? Well, I'll tell you what matters - that indentured educated citizensknow there is a non-profit out here ... more »

America's Education Reform Lobby Makes Its Presence Known At The Voting Booth

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

America's Education Reform Lobby Makes Its Presence Known At The Voting Booth:Joy ResmovitsJoy.resmovits@huffingtonpost.comBecome a fan of this reporterGET UPDATES FROM JOY Like662America's Education Reform Lobby Makes Its Presence Known At The Voting BoothFirst Posted: 11/22/11 04:55 PM ET Updated: 11/22/11 06:00 PM ETMeet the new education lobby.It's ambitious, expansive and, in some cases, modeling itself after sprawling single-issue lobbying organizations like the National Rifle Association and AARP. The groups, which have in large part been created by hedge fund managers ... more »

Thank a Teacher on Nov. 25, StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening | Edwize

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

Thank a Teacher on Nov. 25, StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening | Edwize:Thank a Teacher on Nov. 25, StoryCorps’ National Day of Listeningby W.J. LevayStoryCorps is asking everyone to take a few minutes to say thanks to a favorite teacher on the day after Thanksgiving.PopoutWhether posting a memory to Facebook (@storycorps), thanking them on Twitter (@storycorps, #thankateacher), taping a tribute on YouTube or sending a ‘thank you’ card, the 2011 National Day of Listening will send a powerful and necessary ... more »

All Education Matters: Letter to Chancellor Linda Katehi of UC Davis from a group of Physics Department faculty calling for her resignation

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

All Education Matters: Letter to Chancellor Linda Katehi of UC Davis from a group of Physics Department faculty calling for her resignation:Letter to Chancellor Linda Katehi of UC Davis from a group of Physics Department faculty calling for her resignationby Cryn JohannsenDoes Chancellor Katehi have any friends or sympathizers left? I would be surprised if she did. She needs to do the right thing and resign immediately.Here is a letter from a group of Physics Department faculty also calling for ... more »

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Why the Pepper Spray Spree Should End #OWS

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Why the Pepper Spray Spree Should End:WHY THE PEPPER SPRAY SPREE SHOULD ENDMONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2011 AT 9:17PMThe pepper spraying of eleven University of California (Davis) students is a startling visual revelation a pattern repeated over two decades, the widespread use of the potent chemical compound to subdue political protesters, prison inmates and numerous inner city youth, in spite of numerous warnings by health officials of potentially life-threatening effects. The Davis episode shows that ... more »

Academia Occupied: The Academic As “Other” in Corporate Colonialism | The Homeless Adjunct #OWS

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

Academia Occupied: The Academic As “Other” in Corporate Colonialism | The Homeless Adjunct:Academia Occupied: The Academic As “Other” in Corporate ColonialismPosted on November 21, 2011The term “occupy” is all over the news now, with the Occupy Movement gaining power and momentum across our country, and linked in solidarity to the occupy movements that began in the Middle East. There is a strong wave of a growing Occupy Colleges movement, long overdue to my mind, that is finally beginning to take ... more »

Parents from Schools Targeted for Closure Protest Together at DOE HQ « EdVox

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 5 hours ago

Parents from Schools Targeted for Closure Protest Together at DOE HQ « EdVox:Parents from Schools Targeted for Closure Protest Together at DOE HQby edvoxnyMiddle and high schools targeted for closure serve almost entirely low-income Black and Latino families and have lost tens-of-millions to budget cuts over past 3 years. Many schools represented were founded, moved or co-located by Bloomberg Administration; most house large numbers of high-needs students.Susan Hackshaw, parent from PS 631For months, hundreds of mostly low-income, Black and Latino ... more »

It Turns Out That Being an Effective Parent’s Not That Difficult | GeekDad | Wired.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

It Turns Out That Being an Effective Parent’s Not That Difficult | GeekDad | Wired.com:It Turns Out That Being an Effective Parent’s Not That DifficultBy Dave Banks November 22, 2011 | 6:00 am | Categories: Science and EducationImage by Flickr user Neeta Lind, used under CC LicensingEducators and parents have been saying for years that parental involvement is one of the most important factors in a child’s education. But what does that mean? Cooking brownies for a bake sale? Attending ... more »

CAP/C-SPAN Panel on Student Involvement in University Governance Now Online « Student Activism #OWS

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

CAP/C-SPAN Panel on Student Involvement in University Governance Now Online « Student Activism:CAP/C-SPAN Panel on Student Involvement in University Governance Now Onlineby Angus JohnstonThe panel discussion I participated in yesterday at the Center for American Progress in Washington DC is now online. It was a good discussion, I think, and particularly timely given the events of the last week in California.http://www.americanprogress.org/images/rd2/flash/flowplayer.commercial-3.0.5.swfAlong with myself, the panel included Tiffany Loftin, vice president of the United States Student ... more »

Former Marine, Officer Calls Pike “Cowardly” in Open Letter - Davis, CA Patch #OWS

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Former Marine, Officer Calls Pike “Cowardly” in Open Letter - Davis, CA Patch:Former Marine, Officer Calls Pike “Cowardly” in Open LetterCaptain Souza,My proudest accomplishment in life was earning the title United States Marine. Today, I continue to espouse the Marine qualities of honesty, integrity and courage. I have worked many protests as a DC policeman and as a United States Marine fighting in Iraq. I am perplexed as to how a non-violent demonstration would necessitate police in riot gear or ... more »

Nonviolence, Resisting Arrest, and the Student Movements of the Sixties and Today « Student Activism #OWS

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Nonviolence, Resisting Arrest, and the Student Movements of the Sixties and Today « Student Activism:Nonviolence, Resisting Arrest, and the Student Movements of the Sixties and Todayby Angus JohnstonA recurring theme in criticism of the students pepper-sprayed at UC Davis last week is that in forming a ring around police and their fellow activists they were violating the principles of nonviolent resistance. “A fundamental tenet of civil disobedience is to accept arrest when protesting injustice,” Berkeley Daily Cal columnist Casey Given ... more »

Hechinger Report | Should value-added teacher ratings be adjusted for poverty?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Hechinger Report | Should value-added teacher ratings be adjusted for poverty?:Should value-added teacher ratings be adjusted for poverty?by Sarah GarlandIn Washington, D.C., one of the first places in the country to use value-added teacher ratings to fire teachers, teacher-union president Nathan Saunders likes to point to the following statistic as proof that the ratings are flawed: Ward 8, one of the poorest areas of the city, has only five percent of the teachers defined as effective under the new evaluation ... more »

More on Rocketship Charters « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students! #OWS

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

More on Rocketship Charters « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:More on Rocketship Chartersby millerlfA Retro-Rocketship to the Future: Corporate Education Reform Blasts Off in Silicon ValleyWritten by Adam Bessie The Daily Censored, Nov 18, 2011Rocketship is blasting off in Silicon Valley, with great fanfare – and no, it’s not a new tech start up, propelled by the genius of another 22-year old wunderkind who has invented the latest, most innovative way to virally spread videos of silly cats playing ... more »

Education Research Report: Formative Assessment Initiatives in Two States

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Education Research Report: Formative Assessment Initiatives in Two States:Texas school districts teaching about contraception along with abstinence in sex education classesby Jonathan KantrowitzΩReport Shows Big Increase in Public Schools A new Texas Freedom Network Education Fund (TFNEF) study shows a big increase over the past three years in the percentage of Texas school districts teaching about contraception along with abstinence in sex education classes.This encouraging shift away from failed abstinence-only policies is especially important because Texas has one Formative Asses... more »

Anti Teachers’ Union Activity in the State of Washington | Seattle Education #OWS

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Anti Teachers’ Union Activity in the State of Washington | Seattle Education:Anti Teachers’ Union Activity in the State of Washingtonby seattleducation2011Have you seen this in your inbox yet?Dear School Board Director,RE: NONUNION PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR ASSOCIATIONBecause you are a leader in your community’s education system, we wanted to inform you about Northwest Professional Educators (NWPE) andour work supporting your mission to provide students with the best possible education.NWPE is a state partner of the Association of American Educators (AAE), the fastest-growing

Teachers union leader says battle's just begun - Washington Times

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Teachers union leader says battle's just begun - Washington Times:'Teachers union leader says battle’s just begunPredicts labor inroads against GOP20 Comments and 0 Reactions|ShareTweet|Email|Print|By Ben Wolfgang-The Washington TimesMonday, November 21, 2011NEA President Dennis Van Roekel isn’t holding out much hope that sweeping changes to education laws can be enacted before the 2012 presidential election. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)Text Size: +-Click-2-ListenSTORY TOPICSPoliticsEducationDennis Van RoekelScott WalkerJohn KasichFOLLOW US ONFACEBOOKFOLLOW US ONFACEBOOKQUES... more »

Blue Jersey:: Occupy Education Reform #ows #edreform

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 12 hours ago

Blue Jersey:: Occupy Education Reform:Occupy Education Reformby Jersey JazzmanCross-posted from Jersey Jazzman.In America today, students who peacefully question the status quo can expect this:Obviously, these kids never learned to conform, which demonstrates a failure of our public education system. Because schools are not supposed to produce critical thinkers capable of independent thought who can see past the corporate propaganda our media grinds out every second. No, schools are there to produce "21st Century workers" - people who are smart enough ... more »

Special Education Students and Charter Schools « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 20 hours ago

Special Education Students and Charter Schools « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues:Special Education Students and CharterSchoolsPosted on November 21, 20110Rate ThisNot much here but a table. The table lists the number and percentage of public and charter districts that enroll at least 1 student in each special education category. It appears to me that fewer charter districts enroll the most difficult and costly to instruct special education students. For example, 40% of public districts in Texas enroll at least ... more »

School Tech Connect: Mic Check! #ows

School Tech Connect: Mic Check!:

Mic Check!

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

There was an interesting mic check up in my neck of the woods yesterday, written about nicely over atChicagoist. There was a bit of Twitter traffic over the mic check-- one of the local journo's got his panties in a bunch over it. (My self-editing has gone to hell.)

Listen, I too worry about mic checks if they drown free speech, but this one was brief and the alderman got his shpiel in, delayed by five minutes or so. In short, everyone's First Amendment rights were intact. For me, the more interesting part came out after it was over, and one individual described what it's been like lately to try and get mental health services on the north side of the city. Evidently if you're without insurance, you now have to go to the Stroger ER and get admitted. Nightmare. Community mental health services are pennies on the dollar any way you look at it.

I'm stealing the video because it was so compelling. Compelling is the new standard by which I make copyright decisions.

Popout
Occupy movement "mic checks" Joe Moore from Kaavya Chandrasekaran on Vimeo.


Free speech in action. Anyhoo, as for Joe Moore, he was my alderman in the past; I voted for him. But then he

Daily Kos: The occupy movement can’t be sprayed away #ows

Daily Kos: The occupy movement can’t be sprayed away:

The occupy movement can’t be sprayed away

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Pepper spray can’t be washed off with water. The intense burning it causes — the stinging, the redness, the swelling, the coughing and gagging and gasping — will only subside with time, usually several hours. It can cause tissue damage and respiratory attacks. A study of its most commonly prescribed remedies found that none of them really work. It has been prohibited in war by the Chemical Weapons Convention, so our enemies don’t have to experience it on the battlefield. If only our citizens were so lucky.

That is the powerful opening paragraph of this Washington Post op ed by Katrina vanden Heuvel, whose title I have borrowed for this posting.

There are a number of powerful points made in the post, which I am going to urge you to read.

I quoted the opening paragraph in part because it was one of the points I explored last night in a few random thoughts on a Tuesday night. How is it legitimate to use something prohibited in warfare on a non-violent civilian protest? Why is this kind of approach ever acceptable for use by the police? What does this say about our nation? If one argues that the use of Oleoresin Capaicin, a more appropriate name for the spray, is acceptable, perhaps one should be aware that even by itself it can cause a fatal reaction, and that it is far more than a pure

Jersey Jazzman: Your Moment of Sanity

Jersey Jazzman: Your Moment of Sanity:

Your Moment of Sanity

by Duke

Courtesy of Gordon MacInnes:

Note to NJDOE: Admit That Poverty Is the Real Problem

For four decades, the nation has wrestled with the problem of what to do with schools where everyone comes from poor families. Usually, the policies and public discourse have avoided focusing on the implications of concentrated poverty, choosing instead to find convenient, fast-acting, and unproven "reforms." The waiver application is faithful to this failed tradition. In fact, it makes no mention that the failed schools are all in very poor

The Conundrum of Blaming Teachers and Doctors: Second Time Around | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The Conundrum of Blaming Teachers and Doctors: Second Time Around | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

The Conundrum of Blaming Teachers and Doctors: Second Time Around

by larrycuban

I published this post over two years ago about blaming teachers and doctors for institutional low performance. Both teachers and doctors are blamed for the problem, on the one hand, yet, on the other hand–give thanks that we only have two hands–they are expected to solve the very problems for which they are blamed. The conundrum is still alive and breathing in 2011.

Has anyone noticed that much of the blame showered on teachers and unions for blocking school reform by business-admiring pundits and policymakers is usually followed by perky pay-for-performance plans and other solutions wholly dependent upon teachers embracing the changes? Framing teachers as both the problem and the solution is a tough conundrum to unravel. Teachers, however, are not the only ones to grapple with the paradox of being blamed for a problem and then expected to turn around and solve the very same problem.

Consider medical care. Patients, insurance companies, and federal officials criticize physicians and hospitals for

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 11: Reflecting on Parent Conferences

Reflections on Teaching » Blog Archive » Week 11: Reflecting on Parent Conferences:

Week 11: Reflecting on Parent Conferences

by alicemercer

Just in time for parent conference season, Thomas Friedman does a piece in the NY Times on the role of parents in improving schools and their own children.
How does that fit in with my parent conferences? Most of my parents are communicating with their kids, and seem to be on track with the recommendations that Friedman suggests help students do better (reading with their child, asking questions, rewarding their efforts, monitoring homework).

My biggest “problem” this parent conference season has not been with adults, but some of my student’s inability

Adding to my permanent record…

by alicemercer

Recent feature on my former school site, featuring yours truly…

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: Charter Law - Third in the Series on Charter Schools

Save Seattle Schools Community Blog: Charter Law - Third in the Series on Charter Schools:

Charter Law - Third in the Series on Charter Schools

This is probably the most difficult piece of the charter puzzle because (1) there are 41 charter laws and (2) the mission and goals of those laws vary greatly (although the language might be similar).

Just by the numbers, there are about 5600 charter schools across the country. More than 500 open across the country in fall 2011 and 150 closed with California leading in both categories. California opened 100 new schools, closed 34 schools. Florida opened 76 new schools and closed 18 schools. Arizona opened 35 new schools and closed 22 schools.

Charter law covers a huge number of issues. Some of these include:

Top 5 Misconceptions About Teacher Leadership / Coaching | The Jose Vilson

Top 5 Misconceptions About Teacher Leadership / Coaching | The Jose Vilson:

Top 5 Misconceptions About Teacher Leadership / Coaching

by Jose

Tightrope Walker

I don’t know whether it’s because I’m young, Black / Latino, and / or well-dressed more often than not, but people have serious misconceptions about what I actually do in the building. This seems to be the case with lots of teachers I’ve met who, for whatever reason, have been pulled out of the classroom. Some of us are an ambitious lot who don’t really want to be in the classroom but want to work in education. Others just want to become administrators (no way). Most of the the teacher leaders and coaches I know, however, simply believe that they would better serve their community at large by having this in-between role where they could have a teacher’s voice in a board room. That often has mixed results, but that’s not the point of this particular post. So,

UC Davis Students become Powerful Teachers - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

UC Davis Students become Powerful Teachers - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

UC Davis Students become Powerful Teachers

by Anthony Cody

Yesterday I joined my 19-year-old son, a sophomore at UC Davis, and about 10,000 other people, for a demonstration on the Quad at his school. This was the location of Friday's infamous incident, when peacefully protesting students were sprayed in the face with military-grade pepper spray. But on this day, no police were to be seen. That made the place feel much safer.

We heard first from the students who had been sprayed. They related their experiences one after the other, in shocking detail.

Here is some of what student David Buscho shared with us.

Someone yelled 'pepper spray,' and I closed my eyes. My arm was around my girlfriend and I kissed her on the cheek. My friends buried their faces into their chests. And then it happened. At that point I entered a world of pain. It felt like hot glass was entering my eyes. I couldn't see anything. I wanted to open my eyes but every time I did the pain got worse. I wanted to breathe but I couldn't because my face was covered in pepper spray and every time I breathed I was nauseous. I couldn't see anything. I could feel my friends and my girlfriend writhing in pain. I wanted to cover her face but I couldn't because my hands were covered in pepper spray. I didn't know where the police were. I didn't want to stand up because I thought I would be arrested. I was afraid. I was no longer