Thursday, January 5, 2012

Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni – SchoolBook:Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumniby Anna M. Phillips“BS Deserves Better,” said a sign at a rally outside of the Bronx High School of Science, one of the city’s most storied high schools that has been at war with itself for years over the pedagogical policies of its principal, Valerie J. Reidy.On Thursday, roughly two dozen current students and recent alumni gathered on ... more »

Modern School: Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Modern School: Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions:Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unionsby Michael DunnBeware of Capitalist Bearing Gifts of Cheap Canned Curricula (Image from Flickr, by Perfecto Insecto)Idaho teachers and parents are pissed off: Last year, their state Legislature passed a law requiring all high school students to take some online classes to graduate, according to theSan Francisco Chronicle. They also mandated that students and teachers be given laptops or tablets to take and manage ... more »

Final HQT “Highly Qualified Teacher” Workshop for 2011-12 - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Final HQT Workshop for 2011-12 - Letters (CA Dept of Education):Final HQT Workshop for 2011-12The California Department of Education is hosting the finalElementary and Secondary Education Act“Highly Qualified Teacher” Workshop for 2011–12Presented byLynda NicholsEducation Programs ConsultantMonday, April 2, 2012East End Complex1500 Capitol Avenue, Room ABCSacramento, CA 9581410:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.This workshop will focus on the “Highly Qualified Teacher” requirements related to theElementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Topics will include an overview ofthe ESEA teacher comp... more »

Jersey Jazzman: REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?:REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?by DukeFor all of my new, trollish freinds: here's the Jazzman Reform Plan from September, 2011. I may change a few things now, but I still think most of it is solid.Over at Blue Jersey, I recently spent a week demolishing the corporate "reform" argument. Well, no, that's not quite right; I'd spent the last week bringing together a bunch of research ... more »

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me. « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me. « Fred Klonsky:Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me.by Fred KlonskyThere was some concern about the way I reported Senate President John Cullerton’s statement yesterday.On the video I posted, Cullerton said plainly that the state employee unions, our leadership included, had expressed a willingness to negotiate adjustments in the pension benefits of union members.I wan’t shocked by Cullerton’s statement because our union leadership ... more »

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Departmentby millerlfConcerned African-American Mothers (CAAM)African-American Racial Profiling Complaint Against the City of Milwaukee Police Department Under the direction of Police Chief Edward Flynn, the City of Milwaukee Police Department from approximately July 2008 to the present has engaged in practice of racial profiling ...more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee:The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rheeby DukeValerie Strauss reports on a tiff with Matt Damon and his mom, education professor Nancy Carlson-Paige, on one side and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel on another. Personally, I think the NEA is not well-served bysidling up with the likes of Teach For America's Wendy Kopp, but I do see the point that she is well-funded and not going away any time soon.What ... more »

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together | Asbarez Armenian News

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together | Asbarez Armenian News:GenEd and California Department of Education Working TogetherMurad Minasian (Left) and Raffi Momjian, GenEd Executive Director (Right), at meeting with Superintendent Tom TorlaksonTeacher survey and joint projects initiatedSAN FRANCISCO–The Genocide Education Project (GenEd) and the California Department of Education have initiated a working relationship aimed at expanding instruction of the Armenian Genocide to more schools across California. Through the efforts of Murad Minasian, the Armenian-Ame... more »

Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisonsby obrienaMaking international comparisons about education systems was all the rage in 2011. Rhetoric suggested that America’s education system is performing so poorly that we as a nation have lost our competitive edge, and that the world’s emerging economies are out-educating us, which will result in the further decline of our nation.I’m not sure if that rhetoric will stop ... more »

Ravitch to speak in California - California Teachers Association

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 46 minutes ago

Ravitch to speak in California - California Teachers Association:Ravitch to speak in CaliforniaBy Dina MartinOnce an educational conservative and an early supporter of President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind policy, Diane Ravitch has shaken up the education world by doing a complete about-face on testing, accountability, and the merits of charter schools.In the process, she has become a champion of educators who show up every day to teach their students.Through her speeches, her appearances on popular shows such ... more »

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012:Rally Against Bronxdale Principal John Chase Jr 1/10/2012by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)We here at SBSB have been right on top of the the"Objects My Penis Loves" scandal at Bronxdale High School in the Bronx. We also provided commentary when the DOE gave Bronxdale High principal John Chase Jr, a slap on his pen..., er we meant hand when it found that yes, he was guilty of guilty of violating Chancellor's Regulations ... more »

Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.” « Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.” « Fred Klonsky:Adjust pension benefits? Cullerton says the unions have “indicated a willingness to do so.”by Fred KlonskyAs I discussed earlier, Senate President John Cullerton has chosen a different path in going after state employee pension benefits than his cohorts in the House leadership.Cullerton believes that a frontal assault will only waste time and money in years of court battles.Following the old notion that you catch ... more »

The Photographs of Your Junk (will be publicized!)

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reform – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reform – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs:My View: Time for the status quo to make room for meaningful school reformby Anthony Cody, Special to CNNEditor’s note: Anthony Cody worked in high-poverty schools in Oakland, California, for 24 years. For 18 of them, he taught middle school science. He now lives in Mendocino County and leads workshops for teachers. He writes the Living in Dialogueblog and you ... more »

Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home? « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home? « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:Is It Our Job to “Unteach” Behavior Learned at Home?by OldschoolteachWe are studying WWI, and I was sharing photographs, quotes, and information particular to Delaware during that era. The texttouched on segregation, and we were sidetracked into a lively discussion. My students find segregation unfathomable, they can’t wraptheir minds around the fact that your skin color determined your place in the world.One little girl ... more »

Letter to Arne Duncan - Two Teachers and a Microphone

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Letter to Arne Duncan Listen for a minute to what I sayWe don't teach kids for the merit pay I wipe away tears and break up fights in the hallsWhile Arne Duncan plays basketballPublic school you never taught in your lifeBut you studied Harvard so it gives you the right To bully the states who don't in your run raceWho oppose the policies that you embraceBased on the test you and your crewCrucify teachers and close our schoolsPimping out Pearson ... more »

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

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington PostBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-41 minutes agoThe Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:Do schools need a longer school day? A debateValerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 hour agoA policy brief released last month concluded that contrary to popular perception, most U.S. public schools require at least as much or even ... more »

Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibility | OregonLive.com

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibility | OregonLive.com:Districts start their own charter schools for more federal funding and flexibilityPublished: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 4:24 PM Updated: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 4:27 PM By Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian View full sizeJamie Francis/The OregonianTeacher Dan Semrad explains a physics lesson to Damon Rutherford at the Clackamas Academy of Industrial Sciences, which is located in Oregon City High School. The district-initiated charter school took advantage of about ... more »

Peg with Pen: It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 9 hours ago

Peg with Pen: It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.:It Just Got Personal. Join Me. January 7th.by PeggyDid you know that Tom Boasberg, Superintendent of DenverPublic Schools, sends his child to a Waldorf School - where standardized highstakes testing doesn't exist? Not only does it not exist - the Waldorf philosophycompletely disagrees with the concept of excessive, high stakes standardizedtesting. In addition, while DPS gets to have fun Racing to the Top - didyou know that Waldorf schools emphasize ... more »

Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really? « Parents Across America

Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All) - 18 hours ago

Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really? « Parents Across America:Fighting back against mandatory school testing: It’s my way or the highway, says No Child Left Behind—but is it really?by leoniehaimsonAaryn is a parent in San Diego. This piece is cross posted at Aaryn’s blog,Thematically Fickle. An opt out letter that California parents can use is posted here.by Aaryn BelferThe red pillow takes the least space. The ... more »

CIP Updates Underway for PWCS « PWC Education Reform Blog

CIP Updates Underway for PWCS « PWC Education Reform Blog:

CIP Updates Underway for PWCS

January 5, 2012 — pwceducationreform

PWCS has announced that they will begin updating the CIP shortly and citizen comments are welcomed. Here’s the announcement and link:

Capital Improvement Planning Begins; Community Input Opportunities to Come
January 5, 2012
Preliminary work is underway on the ever-evolving Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Capital Improvements Program (CIP). School Board Members last night (January 4) discussed staff recommendations for updating the program in the face of County growth that continues to add an average of 2,400 students annually. The latest recommendations ensure the School Division can provide a safe, inviting school environment that meets the needs of all children and allows every student to reach his or her full potential.
A formal version of the program will be considered and subject to public comment at the School Board’s official

NEA Stance on Teach For America Continues to Raise Questions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

NEA Stance on Teach For America Continues to Raise Questions - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

NEA Stance on Teach For America Continues to Raise Questions

by Anthony Cody

The decision by Dennis Van Roekel to co-author a column with Teach For America director Wendy Kopp continues to generate negative reaction among educators, the latest being the decision by Nancy Carlsson-Paige and her son Matt Damon to reject the union's Friend of Education award. The response by the union has been defensive. Van Roekel's statement said,

I believe NEA should talk to those who support public education, even if we don't agree on everything, and work together to serve students. Wendy Kopp and I agree that students will benefit from stronger recruiting and teacher preparation. NEA isn't going to quit fighting for students and our members, or for stronger teacher preparation. In fact, better teacher preparation is part of our 3-point plan on Leading the Profession that was released last month.

I have no desire to prevent Mr. Van Roekel from talking with anyone he likes, even if they do NOT support public

NYC Public School Parents: Richard Barr on the glorious Snyder school buildings, too many lost, sold or sitting empty

NYC Public School Parents: Richard Barr on the glorious Snyder school buildings, too many lost, sold or sitting empty:

Richard Barr on the glorious Snyder school buildings, too many lost, sold or sitting empty

by Leonie Haimson

Morris High School in the Bronx

Mayor Bloomberg’s invitation to his State of the City speechfeatures a photo of the glorious Morris High School building in the Bronx where his address will be given. Morris High School was designed by the NYC Superintendent of schools, Charles B.J. Snyder, at the turn of the century.

According to the architectural historian Jean Arrington, Snyder designed and built an astonishing 344 school buildings and 64 additions over about thirty years; a record that puts Bloomberg’srepeated claims of having the most ambitious record of school construction to shame.

The Wikipedia entry about Snyder says: “Snyder saw school buildings as civic monuments for a better society. He was

Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni – SchoolBook

Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni – SchoolBook:

Rally Against Bronx Science Principal, This Time By Students and Alumni

by Anna M. Phillips

“BS Deserves Better,” said a sign at a rally outside of the Bronx High School of Science, one of the city’s most storied high schools that has been at war with itself for years over the pedagogical policies of its principal, Valerie J. Reidy.

On Thursday, roughly two dozen current students and recent alumni gathered on the field across from the school’s entrance to protest the school’s high rate of teacher turnover and what they perceive as a marked shift in the quality of classroom instruction.

It was not the first time students took action against their school’s administration; in 2008 between 150 and 200students staged a walkout demanding the principal’s firing.

Noah Morrison, a junior at Bronx Science, said he was frustrated with the “standardization” of teaching at the

Modern School: Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions

Modern School: Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions:

Online Ed: Trojan Horse for Destroying Teachers Unions

by Michael Dunn

Beware of Capitalist Bearing Gifts of Cheap Canned Curricula (Image from Flickr, by Perfecto Insecto)

Idaho teachers and parents are pissed off: Last year, their state Legislature passed a law requiring all high school students to take some online classes to graduate, according to theSan Francisco Chronicle. They also mandated that students and teachers be given laptops or tablets to take and manage these online courses. In order to pay for the hardware the state will likely have to slash teachers’ wages. Adding insult to injury, the state expects teachers to manage the online classes, simultaneously adding extra responsibilities and deskilling the teaching profession.

In response, teachers marched on the capital last year to oppose the legislation, accusing lawmakers of being in bed with lobbyists from the tech industry like Intel and Apple. Together

Final HQT “Highly Qualified Teacher” Workshop for 2011-12 - Letters (CA Dept of Education)

Final HQT Workshop for 2011-12 - Letters (CA Dept of Education):

Final HQT Workshop for 2011-12

The California Department of Education is hosting the final
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
“Highly Qualified Teacher” Workshop for 2011–12

Presented by
Lynda Nichols
Education Programs Consultant

Monday, April 2, 2012
East End Complex
1500 Capitol Avenue, Room ABC
Sacramento, CA 95814
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This workshop will focus on the “Highly Qualified Teacher” requirements related to the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Topics will include an overview of
the ESEA teacher compliance requirements, instructions on how to complete the
Certificate of Compliance form, the High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation
Process (Parts 1 and 2), the Verification Process for Special Settings, and the
applicability of these requirements to charter schools. The workshop will include time for
questions and answers.

The workshop is designed for district and charter school administrators responsible for
ensuring that all core academic teachers meet ESEA Compliance Requirements.

RSVP by February 15, 2012, by sending an e-mail to the address listed below.
Include name, title, district or school affiliation, and contact information.

To RSVP or if you have any questions contact:
Kimberly Kearsing
Phone: 916-445-7331
E-mail: kkearsing@cde.ca.gov

Please note:
Refreshments and lunch will not be provided.
There is a coffee kiosk in the lobby.
A map of nearby eateries will be available.

This is the final workshop for the 2011–12 series and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.

Questions: Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction| 9

Jersey Jazzman: REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?

Jersey Jazzman: REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?:

REPOST: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?

by Duke

For all of my new, trollish freinds: here's the Jazzman Reform Plan from September, 2011. I may change a few things now, but I still think most of it is solid.

Over at Blue Jersey, I recently spent a week demolishing the corporate "reform" argument. Well, no, that's not quite right; I'd spent the last week bringing together a bunch of research and writing that did all the demolishing for me. Folks like Bruce Baker, Matt DiCarlo, Valerie Strauss, Leonie Haimson, and Diane Ravitch are among the many who have done the legwork that makes it so easy to build a case against these rash, uniformed, and just plain silly proposals.

But all of this leads to a question: what should we do instead?

It's a fair question. Even though this notion of an education "crisis" has been blown way out of proportion, I do believe that we could make things better. And I do believe that the continued achievement gap is a serious problem that needs to be

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me. « Fred Klonsky

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me. « Fred Klonsky:

Would I announce my bargaining position before bargaining? No. But that’s me.

by Fred Klonsky

There was some concern about the way I reported Senate President John Cullerton’s statement yesterday.

On the video I posted, Cullerton said plainly that the state employee unions, our leadership included, had expressed a willingness to negotiate adjustments in the pension benefits of union members.

I wan’t shocked by Cullerton’s statement because our union leadership has said the same thing for months.

“The union hasn’t agreed to any proposal,” I was reprimanded by a reader.

Never said they did.

But the IEA leadership has said what their position for a bargained agreement must contain: It must be

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:

Concerned African American Mothers (CAAM) Call for End to Racial Profiling by the Milwaukee Police Department

by millerlf

Concerned African-American Mothers (CAAM)

African-American Racial Profiling Complaint Against

the City of Milwaukee Police Department

Under the direction of Police Chief Edward Flynn, the City of Milwaukee Police Department from approximately July 2008 to the present has engaged in practice of racial profiling African-Americans, especially African-American male drivers and pedestrians in targeted African-American communities.

For approximately two (2) years we have observed on any major street in the African-American community African-American drivers, especially males pulled over for traffic stops. We have also observed when there are 2 or more African-American males in the vehicles, the driver and all passengers are removed from the car and required to sit on the curb, while the vehicle is searched; most of the time

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee:

The Reformy Incompetence of Duncan, Kopp, and Rhee

by Duke

Valerie Strauss reports on a tiff with Matt Damon and his mom, education professor Nancy Carlson-Paige, on one side and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel on another. Personally, I think the NEA is not well-served bysidling up with the likes of Teach For America's Wendy Kopp, but I do see the point that she is well-funded and not going away any time soon.

What really hit me in Strauss's post, however, was this:

On Sept. 30, the two [Van Roekel and Kopp] appeared together with [US Education Secretary Arne] Duncan and others at a gathering where improving teacher training was the focus. Duncan outlined new steps to bring accountability to teacher education programs by measuring the achievement of students taught by graduates of these

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together | Asbarez Armenian News

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together | Asbarez Armenian News:

GenEd and California Department of Education Working Together

Murad Minasian (Left) and Raffi Momjian, GenEd Executive Director (Right), at meeting with Superintendent Tom Torlakson

Teacher survey and joint projects initiated

SAN FRANCISCO–The Genocide Education Project (GenEd) and the California Department of Education have initiated a working relationship aimed at expanding instruction of the Armenian Genocide to more schools across California. Through the efforts of Murad Minasian, the Armenian-American community liaison for the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, GenEd is collaborating with the Superintendent’s office on a long-term strategic plan to insure that students in the state’s public high school system have the benefit of

Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Moving Beyond Political Rhetoric in International Comparisons

by obriena

Making international comparisons about education systems was all the rage in 2011. Rhetoric suggested that America’s education system is performing so poorly that we as a nation have lost our competitive edge, and that the world’s emerging economies are out-educating us, which will result in the further decline of our nation.

I’m not sure if that rhetoric will stop in 2012, but it is time we move beyond it. How can we do that?

First off, in talking about our education system, we need to acknowledge that, as Dan Domenech (executive director of the American Association of School Administrators and chair of the Learning First Alliance Board of Directors) points out, it is actually the best that it has ever been. Graduation rates, college attendance rates and performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress

Charters challenge fairness of $21 million to DCPS - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post

Charters challenge fairness of $21 million to DCPS - D.C. Schools Insider - The Washington Post:

Charters challenge fairness of $21 million to DCPS

by Bill Turque

DCPS got an early Christmas present last month when District Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi revised his revenue forecast to include an additional $42.2 million. Mayor Vincent C. Gray quickly announced that he will ask the D.C. Council to appropriate half of it to the city’s 123-school system to cover “spending pressures”--the polite term for cost overruns--in the current fiscal year.

Read full article >>

Support PURE! » ESEA begins another year’s journey

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » ESEA begins another year’s journey:

ESEA begins another year’s journey

by admin

Experts are predicting (alsohere) that the No Child Left Behind Act will not be revised in 2012. Meanwhile, Republican House education committee leaders are planning to change strategy and write a more comprehensive ESEA bill, dropping their efforts to come to agreement with Democrats on a set of issue-specific pieces and preparing a larger bill like the one passed out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last October.

The House committee has already passed individual bills on expanding charter schools, program consolidation,