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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Big Education Ape: 1-17-12 PM How Can Smart People Do Dumb Things? EDition #OWS #edreform

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now:
Big Education Ape: Ed News Now

Published by Coopmike48 – 7 news spotters today

How Can Smart People Do Dumb Things?

larrycuban.wordpress.com - Top Federal Reserve officials in 2006–recall that was the time that the housing bubble was about to burst–”laughed about cars that builders were offering as signing bonuses.” These economists and i...

DianeRavitch

News - philly.com

mobile.philly.com - 01/17/2012 10:49 AM By James Osborne Inquirer Staff Writer New Jersey education officials had a dilemma last summer: Following the approval of a record number of charter schools, questions were fly...

DianeRavitch

The Griffins -- hedge fund power couple

schoolingintheownershipsociety.blogspot.com - Ken Griffin and wife Anne, have become two of the most prominent and powerful names associated with Chicago's corporate-style school reform. As the founder and head of the Chicago-based hedge fund ...

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coopmike48 Big Education Ape: SAVE NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS!: An Open Letter To The Superintendent and Board from LAUSD’s Principals -http://t.co/MSgvLvLI8 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Big Education Ape: NYC Public School Parents: The impeccable logic of Turnaround schools -http://t.co/mBUGEQ3d7 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Big Education Ape: The PTA charter school forum (debate)… | Seattle Education - http://t.co/c1yd1Lbf7 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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Exams in South Korea: The one-shot society

economist.com - ON NOVEMBER 10th South Korea went silent. Aircraft were grounded. Offices opened late. Commuters stayed off the roads. The police stood by to deal with emergencies among the students who were takin...

leoniehaimson

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Staying Above the Fray, Romney Keeps Eye on Obama

nytimes.com - FLORENCE, S.C. — Mitt Romney sought to keep the upper hand in his effort to swiftly wrap up the Republican presidential nomination, urging voters here on Tuesday morning to take the long view and b...

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Flame Retardants Refuse To Burn Out « MomsRising Blog

momsrising.org - by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff Executive Director/CEO Healthy Child Healthy Worldwww.healthychild.org Think the flame retardant Tris is a thing of the past? Think again. Last week the Washington Toxics ...

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Blog posts on this issue

whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release January 17, 2012 WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama convened a meeting at the White House with the President’s Council on Jo...

coopmike48

Robert Reich (Free Enterprise on Trial)

robertreich.org - Mitt Romney is casting the 2012 campaign as “free enterprise on trial” – defining free enterprise as achieving success through “hard work and risking-taking.” Tea-Party favorite Senator Jim DeMint ...

coopmike48

EnvironmentSee all

NCSE | National Center for Science Education

ncse.com - Welcome to the National Center for Science Education’s climate change education initiative. Long respected for its work in defending and supporting the teaching of evolution in the public schools, ...

K12NN

Obama will accept nomination at N.C. stadium

politico.com - The Charlotte Observer reports that President Obama will formally accept the Democratic nomination at Bank of America stadium in Charlotte, N.C. — an outdoor venue: The move to the Carolina Panther...

fklonsky

Occupy protesters rally against Congress at Capitol

democraticunderground.com - Source: ReutersWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Demonstratorsfrom the Occupy movement rallied outsidethe U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to protestagainst the influence of money on Congress.In a sign of renewed vigo...

coopmike48

#eduRead this paperSee all

Jersey Jazzman: Where Do They Find These Guys?

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Jersey Jazzman: Where Do They Find These Guys?: Where Do They Find These Guys? by Duke Would it be OK if the people in charge of ensuring the quality of airline pilots had never flow...

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76 Percent of For-Profit College Students Attend Schools that are Wall Street Owned: Drive-by predatory colleges fueled by private and public debt | Dailycensored.com

76 Percent of For-Profit College Students Attend Schools that are Wall Street Owned: Drive-by predatory colleges fueled by private and public debt | Dailycensored.com:

76 Percent of For-Profit College Students Attend Schools that are Wall Street Owned: Drive-by predatory colleges fueled by private and public debt

Written by Business, EducationJan 17, 2012
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Did you now that 76 Percent of For-Profit College Students Attend Schools that are Wall Street Owned? Did you know that 86 Percent of Revenues Come from Federal Taxpayer Dollars? Did you know that For-Profit Colleges Spend the Majority of Revenues on Marketing and Profit while Few Services Are Provided Except Recruiters? And tuition is extremely high, leading some students to take more Loans. Did you know that borrowers at For-Profit Colleges Account for Almost Half of All Loan Defaults and those students at For-Profit Schools are Defaulting at Much Higher Rates than Other Sectors!!??

And what about Veterans? Did you know that one Third of ‘Webb’ Bill (Post-9/11 GI Bill) Funds went to For-Profit Schools in the First Year? Federal Taxpayers Spend More Than Twice as Much Per Veteran at

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Independent Learning is Out – Group Think is In « PWC Education Reform Blog

Independent Learning is Out – Group Think is In « PWC Education Reform Blog:

Independent Learning is Out – Group Think is In

January 17, 2012 — pwceducationreform

On the lists of “What’s in / What’s out” that I saw at the end of the year, education trends seems to be consistently missing. One trend in particular, group learning, was conspicuously absent.

From Susan Cain, author of “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.” in her op-ed The Rise of the New Groupthink:

Our schools have also been transformed by the New Groupthink. Today, elementary school classrooms are commonly arranged in pods of desks, the better to foster group learning. Even subjects like math and creative writing are often taught as committee projects. In one fourth-grade classroom I visited in New York City, students engaged in group work were forbidden to ask a question unless every member of the group had the very same question.

I’ve seen this trend in play in my children’s schools – our teachers and administrators even argue that Groupthink provides superior learning results than individual learning. I beg to differ, as do the researchers , psychologists, and

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Jersey Jazzman: Where Do They Find These Guys?

Jersey Jazzman: Where Do They Find These Guys?:

Where Do They Find These Guys?

by Duke
Would it be OK if the people in charge of ensuring the quality of airline pilots had never flown a plane before?

Would it be fine if the folks who made sure dentists maintain high standards had never filled a cavity?

Would you be happy if you knew your accountant had been licensed by people who didn't know how to balance a checkbook?

Well...
The man in charge of New Jersey’s latest effort to improve teacher quality easily uses terms like “human capital continuum,” “skill sets,” and “gap analysis.”
Peter Shulman, the new assistant state commissioner and chief talent officer, is a very


Your Moment of Sanity

by Duke
Not every editorial writer in New Jersey thinks I'm an idiot for wanting all schools - both public and charters - to follow the law:
Many parents fear the impact of the funding losses on the traditional schools, concerns heightened by the fact that charter schools don’t have to explain anything to the public about their curriculum, their spending decisions, or anything else. Charter-school trustees are typically appointed, not publicly elected. While charter schools must continue to meet certain state standards, there remains a remarkable 
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HechingerEd Blog | The battle over treating teachers as professionals

HechingerEd Blog | The battle over treating teachers as professionals:

The battle over treating teachers as professionals

by Sarah Garland

Should teachers be treated as professionals? The question may seem easy enough to answer—most people in education, whether they are union representatives or reformers advocating for more charter schools, say “yes.” Yet the question is in many ways at the heart of the raging debate–currently boiling over in New York–over how to improve struggling schools. How should the education field give power, respect and autonomy to teachers while also ensuring they are accountable for results?

Education reformers argue that teachers have not been seen as professionals in the past, pointing to union rules that limit how many hours a day they can work

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Teacher Leaders as Agents of Change - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Teacher Leaders as Agents of Change - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Teacher Leaders as Agents of Change

by Anthony Cody

Patrick Ledesma offers an interesting window into the world of "teacher leaders" in his post this week. I share some history with Patrick. He and I met about eight years ago when we were both members of Apple's Digital Edge project. More recently, we were both active in the Teacher Leaders Network. Last year, we exchanged ideas in a lively dialogue related to his perspective as a Teacher Ambassador Fellow with the Department of Education.

In Patrick's latest post, after describing some of the projects he has been involved in, he suggests that "teacher leadership, as a concept, remains undefined." The title of his post asks "What is Missing in Teacher Leadership? A Roadmap & Destination"

He suggests a handful of avenues for teachers to expand their leadership - but I am afraid I am still missing the

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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Apple to Have "Education-Related" Press Conference

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Apple to Have "Education-Related" Press Conference:

Apple to Have "Education-Related" Press Conference

by Melissa Westbrook
From Apple Insider:

As Apple's education-related media event on Thursday approaches, multiple reports are claiming that the company could announce an initiative to help textbook makers produce interactive ebooks for the iPad, with some sources calling the initiative "Garageband for e-books."

According to the report, some industry executives are also confident that Apple will likely unveil a textbook publishing tool this week. Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis, who worked on education projects at Apple before leaving to focus on interactive e-books, voiced his belief that a textbook app from Apple is in the works.

"When you think about what Apple is doing... they are selling tens of thousands of iPads into K-12 institutions,"
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Leading Florida Public Education Activist Slams the Chamber of Commerce for Spinning Poor State Rating | Scathing Purple Musings

Leading Florida Public Education Activist Slams the Chamber of Commerce for Spinning Poor State Rating | Scathing Purple Musings:

Leading Florida Public Education Activist Slams the Chamber of Commerce for Spinning Poor State Rating

by Bob Sikes

Few Florida public school activists are as respected and well-known as FundEducationNow’s, Kathleen Oropeza. The Florida Times-Union has printed Oropeza’s blistering response to the manner in which the Florida Chamber of Commerce sought to paint the state’s sliding school record. Finding the Chamber engaging in “master-level puffery” Oropeza writes:

While Florida politicians drain billions from public school funding, they divert hundreds of millions to

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More Stunningly Brazen Dishonesty from the Seattle Times on Charter Schools | Slog

More Stunningly Brazen Dishonesty from the Seattle Times on Charter Schools | Slog:

More Stunningly Brazen Dishonesty from the Seattle Times on Charter Schools

posted by on TUE, JAN 17, 2012 at 11:28 AM

Honestly... have they no shame?

Yesterday I pointed out the Seattle Times editorial board's embarrassing record of hypocrisy when it comes to embracing or dissing the notion of "the will of the people," depending on whether the editors agree or disagree with that will as expressed at the polls—this time in regards to charter schools.

But that same pro-charter schools editorial contains a stunningly brazen bit of dishonesty:

Nationally, about 20 percent of charter schools have been found to do a better job of educating students than public schools.

The editors don't cite their source, but there is only one large scale evaluation of the relative performance of charter schools—"Multiple Choice: Charter School

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Protesters vow to ‘save’ school from take over by ‘politically connected’ operator - Chicago Sun-Times

Protesters vow to ‘save’ school from take over by ‘politically connected’ operator - Chicago Sun-Times:

Protesters vow to ‘save’ school from take over by ‘politically connected’ operator

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter rrossi@suntimes.com January 16, 2012 8:21PM

Story Image

Parents and teachers marched on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday to try to save Marquette School from closing down in the same neighborhood King marched himself for fair housing. L-r are: Mary Edmonds (teacher) , Charles Brown and Pat Pointer of Action Now organization. | Al Podgorski~Chicago Sun-Times

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Updated: January 16, 2012 8:22PM



Scores of school activists waged a Rev. Martin Luther King Day march outside Marquette Elementary School Monday to protest plans to turn over the massive school to what they called a “politically connected’’ operator.

More than 200 protestors used the tune of “We shall overcome some day” to instead sing “we shall save our schools today’’ as they marched around Marquette School at 6550 S. Richmond and through the surrounding neighborhood.

Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Shar

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Schooling in the Ownership Society: The Griffins -- hedge fund power couple

Schooling in the Ownership Society: The Griffins -- hedge fund power couple:

The Griffins -- hedge fund power couple

by Mike Klonsky

Ken Griffin and wife Anne, have become two of the most prominent and powerful namesassociated with Chicago's corporate-style school reform. As the founder and head of the Chicago-based hedge fund Citadel, Griffin is reported to be worth $2.3 billion, making him the fifth-richest Chicagoan and 159th-richest American, according to the 2010 Forbes 400.

He and his wife, Anne Dias Griffin, have been major players in the world of political money: Campaign finance records show that the Griffins have donated more than $3 million to candidates and political action committees—including $450,000 last fall to Republican Bill Brady in the tight 2010 Illinois governor’s race.

The Griffins, along with other Chicago billionaires like Penny Pritzker and Bruce Rauner, also helped underwrite the anti-union lobbying group Stand For Children, headed by Jonah Edelman. In 2010, Ken gave $500,000 each to two different political action committees—on October 25th to American Crossroads, an organization, according to its website, “dedicated to renewing America’s commitment to individual liberty,
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“CYBERBULLYING” OF PRINCIPAL IS ONLY “JUVENILE HUMOR” « Teachers Fight Back

“CYBERBULLYING” OF PRINCIPAL IS ONLY “JUVENILE HUMOR” « Teachers Fight Back:

“CYBERBULLYING” OF PRINCIPAL IS ONLY “JUVENILE HUMOR”

by alkleen

News item: A middle school girl in Pennsylvania posted a photo of her principal online and described him as a “hairy sex addict” and a “pervert” who likes “hitting on students” in his office. The posting also included entries mocking the principal’s wife and children. The principal imposed a ten-day suspension on the girl. A week later, he was sued in federal court by the girl’s parents. The lawyers for the girl said that the “fake profile” of the principal was “juvenile humor” that should be ignored. The parents lost before a federal judge who called the material “vulgar and lewd”. But last summer the parents won before the full 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. The 8-6 majority said the posting “caused no substantial disruption” at the school, and the courts do not “allow schools to punish students for off campus speech.” Doing so, the majority said, threatens “dangerously broad censorship” of students.

Quick, we need to install the “common sense” hotline that I have recommended in previous posts. Here is how

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