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

Why School Choice Fails - NYTimes.com

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Why School Choice Fails - NYTimes.com:Why School Choice FailsBy NATALIE HOPKINSONPublished: December 4, 2011RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINE-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHAREWashingtonRelatedTimes Topic: EducationIF you want to see the direction that education reform is taking the country, pay a visit to my leafy, majority-black neighborhood in Washington. While we have lived in the same house since our 11-year-old son was born, he’s been assigned to three different elementary schools as one after the other has been shuttered. Now it’s time for middle school, and there’s been no neighborhood ... more »

CPS Closings Spark Outcry - Chicago News Cooperative

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CPS Closings Spark Outcry - Chicago News Cooperative:CPS Closings Spark Outcryby REBECCA VEVEAMayor Rahm Emanuel’s education team made its first attempt at improving struggling schools last week, and the negative reviews came quickly. State legislators and community leaders called the proposed closing or restructuring of 21 schools “very troubling” and said administrators were violating the intent of a new state law.Chicago Public Schools designated 10 schools for turnaround — a controversial process in which existing staff members are fired and ... more »

All Education Matters: Debt (The Student Loan Crisis) and Suicide

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All Education Matters: Debt (The Student Loan Crisis) and Suicide:Debt (The Student Loan Crisis) and Suicideby Cryn JohannsenI've written about and have been researching the relationship between student loan debt and suicide for well over a year. A fellow activist sent me this clip that dramatizes the crisis in a powerful way. Sadly, I heard from a mother recently who told me that her son killed himself in part because of the debt he owed. (More on that later). In ... more »

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Pepper spray safe? We still don't know #ows

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tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - Pepper spray safe? We still don't know:PEPPER SPRAY SAFE? WE STILL DON'T KNOWSUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2011 AT 11:56AMThis article originally appeared at The Sacramento Bee on December 4, 2011.The pepper-spraying of 11 peaceful protesters at the University of California, Davis, provides an opportunity to reopen questions long ignored. Is oleoresin capsicum, the key ingredient of pepper spray, known to be safe? And if so, why have the authorities never performed the health risk assessments ... more »

Fatherhood In Patterns | The Jose Vilson

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Fatherhood In Patterns | The Jose Vilson:Fatherhood In Patternsby JoseThere’s only two ways to really look at every decision you make as a father: either you’ll do it just like you’re father or nothing like him. That goes for everything in life, because the any choice in life we make is binary. With all the exposure I have to children via my godson, nephews, and my own students, I’ve gotten a good grasp of the ins and outs of what ... more »

The Turnaround Timeline Simplified | The Classroom Sooth

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The Turnaround Timeline Simplified | The Classroom Sooth:The Turnaround Timeline Simplifiedby classroomsoothIn Chicago, and nationally, if schools don’t “work” we close them down or turn them around. If we take a look at why they do not “work” however, we see a pattern of strategic decision-making:1) Chronically under-resource a school.2) Declare it a “failure” after when you have a couple years of test-score results.3) Throw it away and tell the students and educators to go elsewhere.4) Re-open the building as ... more »

Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN

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Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN:Top Content this WeekTop Content Rank1A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work.m4vAdded by Thomas Whitby on November 22, 20112Learning Styles Don't ExistAdded by Thomas Whitby on April 11, 20103Finland - An Inconvenient TruthAdded by andy mellor on December 3, 20114TED Talk: Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kidsAdded by Thomas Whitby on November 23, 20115No One Writes Alone: Peer Review in the Classroom, A Guide For StudentsAdded by Thomas Whitby ... more »

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

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School Tech Connect: The Week in BooksBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-15 minutes agoSchool Tech Connect: The Week in Books:The Week in Booksby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)This week's haul from the Rogers Park branch library. My tech thought for the week is this: if your kids aren't reading a lot of books, on their e-readers or tablets or whatever, it doesn't matter what else you're doing: something has gone horribly awry.Here are my micro-reviews from last week. Each Litte Bird That ... more »

The best way to fight corporate education reform: New Triple Strength Prozac for Teachers | Dailycensored.com

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The best way to fight corporate education reform: New Triple Strength Prozac for Teachers | Dailycensored.com:The best way to fight corporate education reform: New Triple Strength Prozac for Teachersby Danny WeilWith education boiled down to illiteracy, teachers are finding that what was once a profession is now serfdom. The pharaceutical corporations that brought you ‘boner pills’, anti-depressants and other research marvels, now have a new market to target for their ‘suicide drugs’: the disenfranchised teacher. Take a look at the ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Week in Books

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 15 hours ago

School Tech Connect: The Week in Books:The Week in Booksby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)This week's haul from the Rogers Park branch library. My tech thought for the week is this: if your kids aren't reading a lot of books, on their e-readers or tablets or whatever, it doesn't matter what else you're doing: something has gone horribly awry.Here are my micro-reviews from last week. Each Litte Bird That Sings -- couldn't finish it; the narrator's voice annoyed me too much and, well, ... more »

OCCUPY EDUCATION - - Ive seen locked doors open due to my education ...

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OCCUPY EDUCATION - - Ive seen locked doors open due to my education ...:- Ive seen locked doors open due to my education - I want to...OCCUPY EDUCATION - 5 minutes ago- Ive seen locked doors open due to my education - I want to see money equally distributed to ALL schools, no matter that location of the institution or the race of the student body. - innovatively injecting education into the minds of the youth will cripple “the cycle” ... more »

What Is to Be Done about the Oligarchy? | Firedoglake

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What Is to Be Done about the Oligarchy? | Firedoglake:What Is to Be Done about the Oligarchy?by masaccioWe can’t afford this miserable oligarchy any more; so what should we do? There are two basic approaches. One is to cut down on the material inequality between the oligarchs and the rest of us. Another is to hem in the behaviors of Oligarchs so that their ability to damage the rest of us is significantly reduced. We can try both at the ... more »

Privatization of School Food Service: Unhealthy for Kids and Little Cost Savings « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

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Privatization of School Food Service: Unhealthy for Kids and Little Cost Savings « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Privatization of School Food Service: Unhealthy for Kids and Little Cost Savingsby millerlfHow the Food Industry Eats Your Kid’s LunchHeather Ainsworth for The New York TimesBy LUCY KOMISAR Published: December 3, 2011 NYTimesAn increasingly cozy alliance between companies that manufacture processed foods and companies that serve the meals is making students — a captive market — fat and sick while pulling in ... more »

Coaching Veteran Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

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Coaching Veteran Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:Coaching Veteran Teachersby larrycubanIt is rare to get a direct observation of instructional coaches working with experienced teachers. Atul Gawande, the veteran surgeon who took on a coach–see previous post–watched Jim Knight and his coaches at work in a Virginia middle school. Here is Gawande’s account.We met early one May morning at Leslie H. Walton Middle School, in Albemarle County, Virginia. In 2009, the Albemarle County public schools created ... more »

I am a Cultural Tourist. Are you the Tour Guides? « Cooperative Catalyst

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I am a Cultural Tourist. Are you the Tour Guides? « Cooperative Catalyst:I am a Cultural Tourist. Are you the Tour Guides?by Brent SnavelyI am sitting at my computer attempting to articulate profound thoughts and the TV show my wife is watching intrudes.The show is about Kevin Costner’s making of the film Dances with Wolves. Those interviewed claim “authenticity” (as defined by those telling the story) was an underlying concern of all who were involved in the film, investors and ... more »

4LAKids : DEAL GIVES LAUSD TEACHERS, PARENTS MORE SAY IN SOME SCHOOLS

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4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: DEAL GIVES LAUSD TEACHERS, PARENTS MORE SAY IN SOME SCHOOLS:DEAL GIVES LAUSD TEACHERS, PARENTS MORE SAY IN SOME SCHOOLSBY CITY NEWS SERVICE/EGP PUBLICATIONS | HTTP://BIT.LY/VWDWQXDec 1, 2011 :: The Los Angeles Unified School District announced a tentative labor agreement with the union representing the district’s teachers Tuesday – a pact aimed at giving more authority to teachers, principals and parents to determine policies and set the direction of individual schools.“Teachers and ... more »

ALEC and Bill Gates, the Mask Comes Off | AMPS

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ALEC and Bill Gates, the Mask Comes Off | AMPS:ALEC and Bill Gates, the Mask Comes Offby Thomas J. MertzThe Cramps, “What’s Behind the Mask” (click to listen or download)This morning a friend tweeted me a grant listing from the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Gates is giving ALEC $375,000[T]o educate and engage its membership on more efficient state budget approaches to drive greater student outcomes, as well as educate them on beneficial ... more »

Why Rick Scott’s Call for More STEM Degrees is Half Right | Scathing Purple Musings

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Why Rick Scott’s Call for More STEM Degrees is Half Right | Scathing Purple Musings:Why Rick Scott’s Call for More STEM Degrees is Half Rightby Bob SikesI thought that Rick Scott was on solid ground when he called for an increased emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education programs. Scott was correct to point out that there are some empty degrees being pushed on college campuses which do not prepare students for employment. Athough he was misguided in ... more »

Chicago to join Gates Foundation charter compact | catalyst-chicago.org #edreform #ows

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Chicago to join Gates Foundation charter compact | catalyst-chicago.org:Chicago to join Gates Foundation charter compactBy: Sarah Karp / December 02, 2011Tags: charter schools finance and budgetsThough they are still in negotiations over the details, Chicago Public Schools officials are set to sign on to a national intiaitive that encourages stronger cooperation between charter schools and traditional schools, as well as providing equitable district funding for charters.Nine cities have already signed such agreements, called District Charter Collaboration Compacts, which are being ... more »

Schools Matter: Yoga Comes to the KIPP Eugenics Camps

Schools Matter: Yoga Comes to the KIPP Eugenics Camps:

Yoga Comes to the KIPP Eugenics Camps

KIPP is known for its total compliance, segregated chain gang approach to test prep as school, which is the rage among the corporate foundations seeking to contain and humiliate the children of urban America. The thing that struck me most about the video was the total flatness, or lack of affect, by these kids who must go through their sometimes entirely silent 10 hour work days of constant surveillance, monitoring, and demerits. What is clearly needed is a school where a class in stress relief is not needed in order to get through 9-10 hours of behavioral lockdown and cultural neutering. How many of these

In Case You Missed It: Cobble Hill Showdown, New Arrest Data, and Bloomberg’s Better Teachers Through Bigger Classrooms Idea « EdVox

In Case You Missed It: Cobble Hill Showdown, New Arrest Data, and Bloomberg’s Better Teachers Through Bigger Classrooms Idea « EdVox:

In Case You Missed It: Cobble Hill Showdown, New Arrest Data, and Bloomberg’s Better Teachers Through Bigger Classrooms Idea

by edvoxny

Here on EdVox we’re excited to bring you the latest news about education issues and policies affecting our communities. It can be hard to keep up with all of the events and happenings, so – in case you missed it… Here is a recap of the latest stories in NYC education news, starting with the oldest (Monday, November 28th):

MONDAY

• A final showdown between Cobble Hill community leaders and the Success Network charter chain drew closer as both sides made their cases in the community and press.
• Parents, elected officials and advocates pushed back against the charter co-location plan and presented their own proposal for an early childhood learning center at a press

Why Education Innovation Tends to Crash and Burn :: Frederick M. Hess

Why Education Innovation Tends to Crash and Burn :: Frederick M. Hess:

Why Education Innovation Tends to Crash and Burn

by Frederick M. Hess • Dec 5, 2011 at 8:07 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Having opined a good bit about "innovation" (check out Ed Unbound for much of my current thinking), I'm sometimes asked about why it's so hard to scale promising programs, models, pilots, and notions. On that note, I just had the chance to spend a few days with a bunch of terrific folks discussing just this topic at a Kauffman Foundation retreat. Kaufmann will be issuing a synthesis with the collected wisdom that emerged. Meanwhile, I figured I'd share my own thinking with you.

There are at least two big sets of obstacles when it comes to "scaling" innovation. First, innovative models often rely on tough-to-replicate elements. Second, there are key structural conditions that impede efforts to grow even more replicable models.

First, seemingly successful pilots often depend more on the conditions that attend their adoption and execution than the model itself. Pilots tend to benefit from a number of advantages that disappear when these efforts start

Shanker Blog » Do Teachers Really Come From The "Bottom Third" Of College Graduates?

Shanker Blog » Do Teachers Really Come From The "Bottom Third" Of College Graduates?:

Do Teachers Really Come From The “Bottom Third” Of College Graduates?

by Matthew Di Carlo

The conventional wisdom among many education commentators is that U.S. public school teachers “come from the bottom third” of their classes. Most recently, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg took this talking point a step further, and asserted at a press conference last week that teachers are drawn from the bottom 20 percentof graduates.

All of this is supposed to imply that the U.S. has a serious problem with the “quality” of applicants to the profession.

Despite the ubiquity of the “bottom third” and similar arguments (which are sometimes phrased as massive generalizations, with no reference to actual proportions), it’s unclear how many of those who offer them know what specifically they refer to (e.g., GPA, SAT/ACT, college rank, etc.). This is especially important since so

Great Schools for Amerca — Great Teachers ##edreform

Great Schools for Amerca — Great Teachers:

Edwatch

Education Watch is an evolving database constructed to illuminate the connections between wealthy individuals, the proliferation of newly formed tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, and the policy that diverts public money to these private ventures. Nearly all of these organizations were formed or co-opted within the past decade. If you know of an organization to add to Education Watch, please e-mail us atedwatch@greatschoolsforamerica.org. We'll check it out.

Under the provisions of No Child Left Behind and through many organizations like the ones listed here, our public school system is being stealthily co-opted by America's elite. In 2009, Rahm Emanuel called it The Quiet Revolution. In his New York Times op-ed column, David Brooks, speaking of Arne Duncan, gushes over these education reform ideas, and quotes Jeb Bush as saying, “President Obama has been supporting a reform secretary, and this is deserving of Republican support.” When Jeb Bush suggests an Obama agenda deserving of Republican support, it's worth a second glance. And whenPresident Obama praises Jeb Bush on education reform, something's rotten in the state of these United States. Education Watch is presented here to shed some light on “education reform” and the reformers. Today, the Quiet Revolution has become quite noisy.

SEARCH THE EDWATCH DATABASE

Select an organization from the list below and click Submit to see what information is available in the Edwatch database

Homeland Security Teacher Rating System Threat Advisory | Dailycensored.com

Homeland Security Teacher Rating System Threat Advisory | Dailycensored.com:

Homeland Security Teacher Rating System Threat Advisory

Written by susanoDaily Journal (Opinion), Education, Media, PoliticsDec 5, 2011

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Print[1], using a #2 pencil. Submit copies to:

• U. S. Department of Education

• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

• National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

• Editorial Department New York Times

• ALEC

Name:
Last _______________
First _______________
Middle ____________
Alias _______________

Sex:
M
F
Other
Not Lately

Homeland Security Teacher Rating System Threat Advisory | Dailycensored.com:

ASCD Inservice: What Does a Whole Child Education Look Like?

ASCD Inservice: What Does a Whole Child Education Look Like?:

What Does a Whole Child Education Look Like?

A whole child education is something that everyone agrees about in principle but few can articulate in detail. What exactly does it mean to say students should be "healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged?"

ASCD Express is looking for short, 600 to 1,000-word essays on the theme "What Does a Whole Child Education Look Like?"We welcome articles that illustrate the elements of a whole child education and show how the interplay of different areas in a child's schooling can be addressed through thoughtful planning for classroom and school activities.

Guidelines for submissions are here. Please send us your submissions by December 19, 2011.