Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts 1-17 #ows #edreform #edchat

Daily Kos: Universal Public Education Is Dead: The Rise of State Schools

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Daily Kos: Universal Public Education Is Dead: The Rise of State Schools:Universal Public Education Is Dead: The Rise of State SchoolsbyplthomasEdDFollowShare3 PERMALINK4 COMMENTSPoet Adrienne Rich in Arts of the Possible made this claim on the cusp of No Child Left Behind (NCLB):“Universal public education has two possible—and contradictory—missions. One is the development of a literate, articulate, and well-informed citizenry so that the democratic process can continue to evolve and the promise of radical equality can be brought closer to realization. ... more »

NYC Educator: You Can Fool Some of the People...

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NYC Educator: You Can Fool Some of the People...:You Can Fool Some of the People...by Miss EyreOn the heels of NYC Educator's excellent post yesterday about the linking of MLK's legacy with education "reform" comes, (in)appropriately enough, Mayor Bloomberg again co-opting MLK celebrations to discuss his "reform" agenda. Only this time, even fewer of the people of this city are swallowing his line. King believed strongly, most certainly, in equality of educational opportunities for all regardless of race, economic status, ... more »

Darling-Hammond: Why Is Congress redlining our schools? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

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Darling-Hammond: Why Is Congress redlining our schools? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Darling-Hammond: Why Is Congress redlining our schools?by Valerie StraussThis was written by Stanford University Education Profession Linda Darling-Hammond, who directs the Stanford University Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and was founding director of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. A former president of the American Educational Research Association, Darling-Hammond focuses her research, teaching, and policy work on issues of school restructuring, t... more »

Hey Mr.Knowitall, 2 Weeks Detention…For Talking Seriously About Education « Cooperative Catalyst

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Hey Mr.Knowitall, 2 Weeks Detention…For Talking Seriously About Education « Cooperative Catalyst:Hey Mr.Knowitall, 2 Weeks Detention…For Talking Seriously About Educationby Jabreel ChisleyInclusion within discussion…it’s the one dynamic every serious discussion needs in order to come to a serious conclusion. When discussions lack that dynamic they are often poor in concluding theory and therefore often miss the point of what’s trying to be achieved. It’s not because the people who leading the discussions are incapable of reaching a conclusion that helps ... more »

Cuomo and Bloomberg on Attack on Teacher Evaluations - NYTimes.com

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Cuomo and Bloomberg on Attack on Teacher Evaluations - NYTimes.com:Invoking King, Cuomo and Bloomberg Stoke Fight on Teacher Review ImpasseMichael Appleton for The New York TimesThe Rev. Al Sharpton leading a policy forum, with a gun violence emphasis, on Martin Luther King's Birthday on Monday at the National Action Network headquarters in Harlem. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg spoke there.By THOMAS KAPLAN and KATE TAYLORPublished: January 16, 2012RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINE-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHAREGov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, each irate that a stalemate ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Charter Discussion

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Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Charter Discussion:The Charter Discussionby Melissa WestbrookI still have to write a thread on the entire charter bill (the Senate and House bills are identical, SB 6202 and HB 2428) and a thread on why charters I think charters are a bad idea for our state. But let's catch up on what others are saying.First, the Times. Oh Times, you always slay me. Always out the gate with that bad "teachers union." Seriously, first thing. Then, ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Here's a Brilliant Educational Reform Idea. (Not Really).

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Missouri Education Watchdog: Here's a Brilliant Educational Reform Idea. (Not Really).:Here's a Brilliant Educational Reform Idea. (Not Really).by stlgretchenMany states, including Missouri, has toyed with the idea of lowering the age of compulsory schooling to age 3. That's one way to ensure the implementation of universal pre-school. Educated Citizenry 2020 lists this as one of the long term educational goals for our state and follows Arne Duncan's long term vision includes the importance of early childhood learning and expansion of ... more »

Should California have second thoughts on Common Core? | Thoughts on Public Education

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Should California have second thoughts on Common Core? | Thoughts on Public Education:Should California have second thoughts on Common Core? - by forumby forumWith new assessments scheduled for 2014-15, many districts and state education planners are becoming immersed in preparing for the Common Core State Standards in math and English language arts. California is one of 46 states to adopt them and has a lead role in one of two state consortia creating the new tests. Faced with [...]New program ... more »

Daily Kos: If you missed last night's Republican debate

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Daily Kos: If you missed last night's Republican debate:If you missed last night's Republican debateby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)in which case you saved both brain cells and time, Charles M. Blow of the New York Times has a terrific piece on a key point of the debate which you should read. To encourage you to do so, allow me to offer just the final paragraph of Newt Gingrich and the Art of Racial Politics.Gingrich seems to understand the historical weight of the ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: The impeccable logic of Turnaround schools

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NYC Public School Parents: The impeccable logic of Turnaround schools:The impeccable logic of Turnaround schoolsby Leonie HaimsonCheck out the new TV campaign on "Turnaround" schools produced by Last Stand for Children First. Though the campaign is focused on Chicago's efforts , the same strategies are being used here in NYC and in many of the major urban centers around the country where there are struggling schools.The formula is very simple; just watch the videos and you will see. Our thanks ... more »

Bush Foundation Comes Out in Favor of Parent Trigger Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings

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Bush Foundation Comes Out in Favor of Parent Trigger Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings:Bush Foundation Comes Out in Favor of Parent Trigger Legislationby Bob SikesIn stark opposition to parent public school advocacy groups across the state, Jeb Bush’s education foundation announced its support for controversial parent trigger legislation. The Orlando Sentinel is reporting Bush’s support for SB 718/HB 1199, and like his legislative allies, is using the terribly misleading Parent Empowerment Act to describe the legislation.Ironic the bill would be ... more »

SAVE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS!: An Open Letter To The Superintendent and Board from LAUSD’s Principals

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4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SAVE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS!: An Open Letter To The Superintendent and Board from LAUSD’s Principals:SAVE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS!: An Open Letter To The Superintendent and Board from LAUSD’s PrincipalsFROM THE ASSOCIATED ADMINISTRATORS OF LOS ANGELES WEEKLY UPDATE | HTTP://BIT.LY/XPRFSQWeek of January 16, 2012 :: On January 10, 2012, Board President Mónica García and Board Member Nuri Martinez presented a resolution to the Board of Education for initial announcement. Neither one responded to AALA's ... more »

Last Stand for Children First: Last Stand for Children Launches Campaign on School Turnarounds

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Last Stand for Children First: Last Stand for Children Launches Campaign on School Turnarounds:Last Stand for Children Launches Campaign on School Turnaroundsby Last Stand for ChildrenAfter working hard in the legislature last year to strip Illinois teachers of bargaining rights and OSEA protections, Last Stand for Children First is proud to announce the formation of a Chicago chapter to work on issues specific to Chicago.This week, Last Stand's President Myron Miner announced that it is launching a television campaign to ... more »

School Tech Connect: Red Line Blues

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School Tech Connect: Red Line Blues:Red Line Bluesby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)What a ridiculous day...I planned to cover the CTU MLK event at Dvorak Elementary on the west side, but evidently you have to double your travel time on the red and brown lines these days. Lots of work being done or not done on the tracks. Clearly Rahm is trying to starve the system until everyone's mad at it; then he'll fire the drivers and replace them with temporary missionary drivers ... more »

AMERICA OCCUPIES THE CAPITAL | OccupyWallSt.org #ows

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AMERICA OCCUPIES THE CAPITAL | OccupyWallSt.org:AMERICA OCCUPIES THE CAPITALPosted 5 hours ago on Jan. 16, 2012, 1:20 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt#Occupy Brings Democracy to DCJanuary 17 at 9 amCapitol HillWashington, DC—On January 17 Americans from across the nation and the world will assemble in the shadows of a broken system to participate in real democracy.At 9 am on the opening day of Congress, Occupy Congress will convene for a day of action against a corrupt political institution. Actions include a ... more »

Des Moines Education Association: My Letter to Iowa Senate Education Committee Members

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Des Moines Education Association: My Letter to Iowa Senate Education Committee Members:My Letter to Iowa Senate Education Committee Membersby Mr. RHere is the letter I sent to the members of the Iowa Senate Education committee as they take up the Governor's education "reform" proposals. In this letter, I focused on the creation of "value added models" to our state education system. Make sure you are all advocating to your legislators early and often so they hear our voices! - A. ... more »

Support PURE! » For MLK Day – “Put pressure where it really hurts”

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Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » For MLK Day – “Put pressure where it really hurts”:For MLK Day – “Put pressure where it really hurts”by adminLast year on the observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, I offeredthis quote from Dr. King’s famous last message, the “Mountaintop” speech:We don’t have to argue with anybody. We don’t have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don’t need any bricks and bottles. ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top late Early Evening Posts #ows #edreform 1-16

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Schools Matter: Accountability without Autonomy Is TyrannyBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-15 minutes agoSchools Matter: Accountability without Autonomy Is Tyranny:Accountability without Autonomy Is Tyrannyby P. L. ThomasAccountability without Autonomy Is TyrannyWhen educational research reaches the public through the corporate media, the consequences are often dire. Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff released "The Long-Term Impacts of Teachers: Teacher Value-Added and Student Outcomes in Adulthood" and immediately The New York Times pronounced in "Big Study Links Good Teache... more »

All Things Education: Opportunity to Develop Literacy

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All Things Education: Opportunity to Develop Literacy:Opportunity to Develop LiteracyOn Monday, January 9th, Virginia Governor McDonnell announced his education agenda, entitled, "Opportunity to Learn." This has been covered by The Virginia Education Report, The Washington Post, as well as commented on by many throughout the state (For Chad Sansing's excellent commentary, read here. Or, for a partial listing of other reactions, see here.) I am going to offer my reactions in a series of posts starting with this one.Before I ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Martin Luther King Jr. and education reform

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NYC Public School Parents: Martin Luther King Jr. and education reform:Martin Luther King Jr. and education reformby Leonie HaimsonOn Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, too many of our elected leaders are using this day as an opportunity to attack teachers and their unions, and put in a system which would lead to 50 percent of NYC teachers to be fired at struggling schools, if the UFT does not succumb to the DOE’s demand to impose an evaluation system with no ... more »

Schools Matter: New Jersey's Poorest Schools Literally Crumbling

Schools Matter: New Jersey's Poorest Schools Literally Crumbling:

New Jersey's Poorest Schools Literally Crumbling

by Judy Rabin

There's a battle brewing between David Sciarra of the Education Law Center and Governor Christie in New Jersey . It looks like when it comes to emergency repairs in poor school districts, the Christie administration needs improvement, has not made adequately yearly progress and has failed the most vulnerable children of his state. The Abbott districts identified 700 emergent conditions in need of repair but the state only sees 300 of those as meeting the criteria. In a letter to the DOE office, ELC identifies hundreds of EMERGENCY projects that have not been fixed.

Politifact of the Newark Star Ledger says Sciarra, a civil rights attorney, has "crossed the line" because he said "nothing has been done" when in fact, a few projects left over from former Governor Corzine's term

Randi Weingarten: Calling the Right Plays to Help Teachers Succeed

Randi Weingarten: Calling the Right Plays to Help Teachers Succeed:

Randi Weingarten

President, American Federation of Teachers

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Calling the Right Plays to Help Teachers Succeed

Posted: 1/17/12 02:33 PM ET

My beloved New York Giants seem like a different team than they were just a month ago, when they were coming off a humbling string of losses. If the Giants' owners had simply demanded a new lineup, or the coaching staff had told the players to figure it out on their own, I have no doubt the team would not be playing -- and winning -- any playoff games.

I'm not privy to the Giants' game tape analyses, but I can bet that the team -- from top to bottom -- took a hard look at what was and wasn't working, and worked together to figure out and implement solutions. It's what winning teams do, and it's a lesson American public education could learn much from.

In education, teacher evaluations are supposed to gauge what is and isn't working in teachers'

Public Urged to Observe Korematsu Day - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

Public Urged to Observe Korematsu Day - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Urges
Public to Observe Fred Korematsu Day

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today encouraged all Californians to observe the annual Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on Korematsu's birthday, Monday, January 30, 2012.

"It's critical for Californians to know the story of Fred Korematsu: his fight against racism and wrongful internment and his devotion to righting a great wrong," said Torlakson. "That's why I urge everyone to take a moment to study this case, so that we may never repeat the shameful moments of our nation's past."

Korematsu was born in Oakland, California in 1919. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, he defied President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, which authorized the U.S. military to forcibly remove more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent from their homes and incarcerate them in camps throughout the country. Two-thirds of the people were American citizens.

Korematsu was arrested and convicted of violating the federal order. He lost appeals all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Four decades later, after a legal historian discovered evidence proving that U.S. intelligence agencies knew that Japanese Americans posed no military threat to the country during World War II, Korematsu's conviction was overturned in federal court.

"After my father's conviction was overturned in 1983, his mission was education," said Karen Korematsu, his daughter and co-founder of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education in San Francisco. "He believed it was important to teach about his fight for justice, as well as the Japanese American internment, so that the mistakes of history would not be repeated in the future. This day encourages students to learn and discuss the lessons of American history and their relevance to current discussions regarding civil liberties and the Constitution."

Fred Korematsu went on to champion the cause of civil liberties, not only seeking redress for Japanese Americans who were wrongfully incarcerated, but also traveling the country to advocate for the civil rights of other victims, especially after 9/11. He received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton. Korematsu passed away in 2005 at the age of 86.

Legislation cosponsored in 2010 by Assembly Members Warren Furutani (D-South Los Angeles County) and Marty Block (D-San Diego) officially made January 30 Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution.

California Education Code Section 37222.15 encourages schools and local educational agencies to "conduct exercises remembering the life of Fred Korematsu and recognizing the importance of preserving civil liberties, even in times of real or perceived crisis." This recommendation is advisory only and does not constitute a mandate.

"Fred Korematsu was a role model for Californians and all Americans," said Ling Woo Liu, director of the Korematsu Institute. "The Korematsu Institute provides a wealth of free curriculum to help teachers share Korematsu's inspiring story, discuss the forced relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II, and connect this part of history to current civil rights challenges."

For more educational resources on civil rights and the U.S. Constitution, please visit the California Department of Education's Web site at Instructional Materials - History-Social Science. To learn more about Fred Korematsu, download free teaching kits developed through private donations, and access online educational resources, please visit the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education Web site at Korematsu Institute | a program of the Asian Law Caucus (Outside Source).

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

My Love/Hate Relationship with Educational Numbers | IDEA

My Love/Hate Relationship with Educational Numbers | IDEA:

My Love/Hate Relationship with Educational Numbers

by Kristan Morrison in democracy.edu

A few months back, I wrote about how my college was going through the NCATE accreditation process. The outcome of that long event was a report about how we are doing. One area in which we were “dinged” was in our assessments of our graduate programs. This report finding means that as director of one of our biggest graduate programs, I am now under the gun to create quantitative assessments to determine the effect our Master's program has on its students (are we teaching them anything, are their dispositions and behaviors changing toward sought-after ends as a result of our program, etc?).

While such info can certainly be useful in some ways, I cringe at how there is an assumption underlying the whole process that the professor of the classes and faculty of the department can no longer be the judges of whether or not we are doing what we should be doing. I know, I know; some people assume that without accountability people will slack, but I personally don't slack when someone isn't watching over me! I have very

6 Reasons Michelle Rhee is Bad for Students and Schools « educationclearinghouse

6 Reasons Michelle Rhee is Bad for Students and Schools « educationclearinghouse:

6 Reasons Michelle Rhee is Bad for Students and Schools

January 17, 2012

2 Votes

Anyone who has read my blog over the past year is well aware of the fact that I am definitely no fan of Michelle Rhee. I feel that she is “climber” – someone who will do anything to advance her own narcissistic goals and ambitions.

So, you will not be surprised when I came across the below Rhee Flyer. I think that people like Ms. Rhee are instrumental in hurting teachers and public schools in general. On the one hand she talks about the importance of teachers and on the

Parent Involvement is Smart. Don’t Turn it Into Something Stupid - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard

Parent Involvement is Smart. Don’t Turn it Into Something Stupid - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard:

Parent Involvement is Smart. Don’t Turn it Into Something Stupid

Jan 17th, 2012

by Lily.

I have parents. I am a parent. I love parents. So, don’t get me wrong, but what’s up with the rash of stupid ideas on parent involvement in education?

When I was teaching in Utah, one legislator, one of our friends, one of our champions, someone who had fought beside teachers for class size reduction, school computers and reimbursements for supplies that teachers bought out of their own pockets, this guy I adored and respected developed a idea for a state law that would fine parents $5 for missing a parent-teacher conference.

Say what?

He was surprised at my reaction. He thought I’d be high-fiving him. He said,