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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 3-4 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-3 #soschat #EDReform

Saturday coffee + Old school. « Fred Klonsky #soschatBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-14 minutes agoSaturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:Saturday coffee.by Fred KlonskyNo time to sit and savor the coffee this morning. Ulysses had a grooming appointment at 11:00.I don’t want to say what it costs us to get our dog’s hair cut. But Joe charges me $20 for clippers and a straight razor shave with hot towels. Ulysses costs way more.Thursday I had my yearly physical, so I ... more »

Mock Test Concerns from a Teacher (who also opts her own child out of the state test) | United Opt Out National

Mock Test Concerns from a Teacher (who also opts her own child out of the state test) | United Opt Out National:Mock Test Concerns from a Teacher (who also opts her own child out of the state test)by admin(from California)Help! My principal (new to the school) wants us to give the students a mock test to prepare for the CST. It’s supposed to show us which standards students are struggling with. The tests are the released test questions. The 6th ... more »

School Tech Connect: The Week In Books

School Tech Connect: The Week In Books:The Week In Booksby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)I gave away my Kindle tonight. It's a neat tool, but it was actually slowing me down, what with having to make investment decisions on so many books.Within ten minutes, I found these at the big government socialized reading center. It's amazing how certain titles get by you. Life of Pi, for example. How have I not read that one yet? Another one of these titles, The Story of ... more »

You Can Catch More Flies with Honey! Lesson Learned! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

You Can Catch More Flies with Honey! Lesson Learned! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:You Can Catch More Flies with Honey! Lesson Learned!by OldschoolteachWe sat in the gymtorium watching the presentation about the Negro Baseball League, and he wouldn’t stop. He sat a few feet away from me and he wouldn’t stop talking, wouldn’t stop leaning on other people, and he wouldn’t stop putting his hands on others. His teacher was absent, and the substitute, well, I guess he ...more »

Digital | The limits of online assessments

Digital | The limits of online assessments:The limits of online assessmentsby Jill BarshayHow tough is it for a math teacher to know if his or her students understand basic math?Tougher than you think, according Marilyn Burns, a veteran math educator and founder of Math Solutions, a unit of Scholastic Inc.She found that an alarming number of middle-school students couldn’t subtract 998 from 1000 in their heads. Instead, they cross out zeroes and subtract digit by digit without really understanding or ... more »

The last I’ll post on teacher data reports | Outside the Cave

The last I’ll post on teacher data reports | Outside the Cave:The last I’ll post on teacher data reportsby Stephen LazarI’m just about ready to move on to writing about more important and pressing topics than the release of teacher data reports, but wanted to share a couple more great pieces that point out flaws in the reports, and their release. What all three of these pieces share — and every piece I’ve read in the New York Times, Daily ... more »

Limbaugh Apology Makes It Obvious He Has No Idea What Sandra Fluke Said « Student Activism

Limbaugh Apology Makes It Obvious He Has No Idea What Sandra Fluke Said « Student Activism:Limbaugh Apology Makes It Obvious He Has No Idea What Sandra Fluke Saidby Angus JohnstonThree days after causing a huge uproar by calling Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a “slut,” a “prostitute,” and a “feminazi,” Rush Limbaugh has apologized. But his statement makes clear that he has absolutely no idea what Fluke said in her testimony to Democratic members of Congress, or what her arguments ... more »

Money Pours Into Coffers of Heartland Institute, The Propaganda Arm of the Right Wing « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

Money Pours Into Coffers of Heartland Institute, The Propaganda Arm of the Right Wing « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:Money Pours Into Coffers of Heartland Institute, The Propaganda Arm of the Right Wingby millerlfRight Wing Heartland Institute Moves to Exclusive New OfficesOne South Wacker #2740Chicago, Illinois 60606See map: Google MapsAfter 15 years in offices on South LaSalle Street, Heartland Institute recently moved to an exclusive larger new office on the 27th floor of One South Wacker across the street ...more »

The Atlanta Scandal: Teaching in A Culture of Fear, Intimidation and Retaliation

Commentaries (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out):The Atlanta Scandal: Teaching in A Culture of Fear, Intimidation and Retaliation By Erich Martel Posted: 2011-07-20This essay is from Nonpartisan Education Review, July 2011.NOTE: The massive Special Investigation Into Test Tampering in Atlanta's School Systemreport Atlanta Investigative Report comes in four volumes (pdf):Vol 1Vol 2Vol 3Exhibits to the ReportOhanian Comment: Erich Martel, a Washington, D. C. teacher, draws an important conclusion from what happen in Atlanta: Those who think our public schools can be improved ... more »

Saturday coffee + Old school. « Fred Klonsky #soschat

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:Saturday coffee.by Fred KlonskyNo time to sit and savor the coffee this morning. Ulysses had a grooming appointment at 11:00.I don’t want to say what it costs us to get our dog’s hair cut. But Joe charges me $20 for clippers and a straight razor shave with hot towels. Ulysses costs way more.Thursday I had my yearly physical, so I took the day off.I stopped by the Logan Square library on my way home to early ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part III

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part III:The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part IIIby DukeWhen we last left the very reformy Dr. Steve Perry, he was in the throes of a Twitter spasm, denigrating teachers while extolling his own moral superiority. In Part I and Part II of this series, I took a look at the student population of his school; turns out he has far fewer students in poverty at his magnet school than ... more »

Are charter schools the answer to Americas education woes? msnbc video #soschat

msnbc video: Are charter schools the answer to Americas education woes?Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Why school should be funnier - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Why school should be funnier - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Why school should be funnierBy Valerie Strauss This was written by Mark Phillips, professor emeritus of secondary education at San Francisco State University. This was written for his blog on Edutopia, and he also publishes a monthly column on education for the Marin Independent Journal.By Mark PhillipsWhen I first began teaching high school I had two students who sat near the front of the room and quietly laughed ... more »

Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kids | Lefty Parent

Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kids | Lefty Parent:Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kidsby Cooper ZaleThe opinion piece, “Liberals, Don’t Homeschool Your Kids: Why teaching children at home violates progressive values”, by Slate magazine contributor Dana Goldstein, touched a nerve with political progressives on Daily KOS who strongly second Goldstein’s call and also others who as strongly disagree. Whatever you think about homeschooling, the piece touches on some fundamental issues about how those of us who believe in ... more »

We Know How to End Bullying in Schools—So Why Don't We Do It? - Education - GOOD

We Know How to End Bullying in Schools—So Why Don't We Do It? - Education - GOOD:We Know How to End Bullying in Schools—So Why Don't We Do It?by Liz DwyerIn the aftermath of Monday's school shooting, students at Ohio's Chardon High School headed back to classyesterday. With three students dead, allegedly at the hands of a troubled classmate, the community is grasping for answers about how such a tragedy could have happened, while parents and teachers nationwide have renewed ... more »

All Education Matters: Addendum: Ben Bernanke's Son Owes $400k In Student Loans

All Education Matters: Addendum: Ben Bernanke's Son Owes $400k In Student Loans:Addendum: Ben Bernanke's Son Owes $400k In Student Loansby Cryn JohannsenYesterday, I wrote a short blog post about Bernanke's indebted son. It was too newsworthy to ignore, so I published a piece over at Loop21 about it, too. Here's a snippet:Even Federal Reserve Chairman son will graduate with student loan debtEven though it is likely that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s son will not have trouble paying off his ... more »

Crisis of Democracy: Virginia Hunger Strike | Dissident Voice

Crisis of Democracy: Virginia Hunger Strike | Dissident Voice:Crisis of Democracy: Virginia Hunger Strikeby Ravi KatariOn March 1, 2012, a hunger strike consisting of 26 students at the University of Virginia came to a close. TheLiving Wage Campaign made an unprecedented decision to initiate a hunger strike to achieve its goals of raising worker wages from the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr to to $13/hr. Though the University has a minimum rate of $10.65, this official rate does not apply ... more »

Why Common Core Standards Will Fail (Jay Mathews and Chester Finn) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Why Common Core Standards Will Fail (Jay Mathews and Chester Finn) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:Why Common Core Standards Will Fail (Jay Mathews and Chester Finn)by larrycubanJay Mathews is the Washington Post senior journalist on education. He writes frequently about school reforms. This article appeared February 23, 2012; Chester Finn writes often for Education Gadfly. He wrote about Common Core on March 1, 2012.Jay Mathews:Virginia, take a bow.While Maryland, 44 other states and the District are ... more »

A KEEN SENSE FOR THE OBVIOUS « Teachers Fight Back

A KEEN SENSE FOR THE OBVIOUS « Teachers Fight Back:A KEEN SENSE FOR THE OBVIOUSby alkleenOh no! Not another useless university study. We must convince Congress to pass the “Useless University Research Bill”. This bill would ban all university research that is deemed useless because the result is so obvious.Now comes a study from the University of California at Berkeley, that tells us that rich people are less generous and more likely to be unethical when it comes to money ... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee - Will She Get Investigated?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Michelle Rhee - Will She Get Investigated?:Michelle Rhee - Will She Get Investigated?by Melissa WestbrookAccording to the NY Times, it seems that there is an investigation about the cheating in D.C. schools and guess who it may reach? Yes, that would be Michelle Rhee.Apparently, Arne Duncan enjoys spending stage time with Rhee but others are questioning why he is being seen with her at all.From the article;If there is any hope of getting to the bottom ... more »

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-3 #soschat #EDReform


Saturday coffee + Old school. « Fred Klonsky #soschat

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky:Saturday coffee.by Fred KlonskyNo time to sit and savor the coffee this morning. Ulysses had a grooming appointment at 11:00.I don’t want to say what it costs us to get our dog’s hair cut. But Joe charges me $20 for clippers and a straight razor shave with hot towels. Ulysses costs way more.Thursday I had my yearly physical, so I took the day off.I stopped by the Logan Square library on my way home to early ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part III

Jersey Jazzman: The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part III:The Reformy Dr. Steve Perry Show - Part IIIby DukeWhen we last left the very reformy Dr. Steve Perry, he was in the throes of a Twitter spasm, denigrating teachers while extolling his own moral superiority. In Part I and Part II of this series, I took a look at the student population of his school; turns out he has far fewer students in poverty at his magnet school than ... more »

Are charter schools the answer to Americas education woes? msnbc video #soschat

msnbc video: Are charter schools the answer to Americas education woes?Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Why school should be funnier - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Why school should be funnier - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Why school should be funnierBy Valerie Strauss This was written by Mark Phillips, professor emeritus of secondary education at San Francisco State University. This was written for his blog on Edutopia, and he also publishes a monthly column on education for the Marin Independent Journal.By Mark PhillipsWhen I first began teaching high school I had two students who sat near the front of the room and quietly laughed ... more »

Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kids | Lefty Parent

Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kids | Lefty Parent:Thoughts on (some) Liberals Homeschooling our Kidsby Cooper ZaleThe opinion piece, “Liberals, Don’t Homeschool Your Kids: Why teaching children at home violates progressive values”, by Slate magazine contributor Dana Goldstein, touched a nerve with political progressives on Daily KOS who strongly second Goldstein’s call and also others who as strongly disagree. Whatever you think about homeschooling, the piece touches on some fundamental issues about how those of us who believe in ... more »

We Know How to End Bullying in Schools—So Why Don't We Do It? - Education - GOOD

We Know How to End Bullying in Schools—So Why Don't We Do It? - Education - GOOD:We Know How to End Bullying in Schools—So Why Don't We Do It?by Liz DwyerIn the aftermath of Monday's school shooting, students at Ohio's Chardon High School headed back to classyesterday. With three students dead, allegedly at the hands of a troubled classmate, the community is grasping for answers about how such a tragedy could have happened, while parents and teachers nationwide have renewed ... more »

All Education Matters: Addendum: Ben Bernanke's Son Owes $400k In Student Loans

All Education Matters: Addendum: Ben Bernanke's Son Owes $400k In Student Loans:Addendum: Ben Bernanke's Son Owes $400k In Student Loansby Cryn JohannsenYesterday, I wrote a short blog post about Bernanke's indebted son. It was too newsworthy to ignore, so I published a piece over at Loop21 about it, too. Here's a snippet:Even Federal Reserve Chairman son will graduate with student loan debtEven though it is likely that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s son will not have trouble paying off his ... more »

Crisis of Democracy: Virginia Hunger Strike | Dissident Voice

Crisis of Democracy: Virginia Hunger Strike | Dissident Voice:Crisis of Democracy: Virginia Hunger Strikeby Ravi KatariOn March 1, 2012, a hunger strike consisting of 26 students at the University of Virginia came to a close. TheLiving Wage Campaign made an unprecedented decision to initiate a hunger strike to achieve its goals of raising worker wages from the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr to to $13/hr. Though the University has a minimum rate of $10.65, this official rate does not apply ... more »

Why Common Core Standards Will Fail (Jay Mathews and Chester Finn) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Why Common Core Standards Will Fail (Jay Mathews and Chester Finn) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:Why Common Core Standards Will Fail (Jay Mathews and Chester Finn)by larrycubanJay Mathews is the Washington Post senior journalist on education. He writes frequently about school reforms. This article appeared February 23, 2012; Chester Finn writes often for Education Gadfly. He wrote about Common Core on March 1, 2012.Jay Mathews:Virginia, take a bow.While Maryland, 44 other states and the District are ... more »

A KEEN SENSE FOR THE OBVIOUS « Teachers Fight Back

A KEEN SENSE FOR THE OBVIOUS « Teachers Fight Back:A KEEN SENSE FOR THE OBVIOUSby alkleenOh no! Not another useless university study. We must convince Congress to pass the “Useless University Research Bill”. This bill would ban all university research that is deemed useless because the result is so obvious.Now comes a study from the University of California at Berkeley, that tells us that rich people are less generous and more likely to be unethical when it comes to money ... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee - Will She Get Investigated?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Michelle Rhee - Will She Get Investigated?:Michelle Rhee - Will She Get Investigated?by Melissa WestbrookAccording to the NY Times, it seems that there is an investigation about the cheating in D.C. schools and guess who it may reach? Yes, that would be Michelle Rhee.Apparently, Arne Duncan enjoys spending stage time with Rhee but others are questioning why he is being seen with her at all.From the article;If there is any hope of getting to the bottom ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 3-1 #soschat #EDReform

Mother Crusader: NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!Big Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-4 minutes agoMother Crusader: NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!:NJDOE Conducts A Careful And Stringent Approval Process? Now THAT Is Funny!by darciecimaI had a bit of an outburst when I read this in today's NJDOE press release:Under the Christie Administration, the Department has strengthened charter operations by:Following a careful and stringent three-stage review and approval ... more »

Beaverton School District is holding 100 meetings to help people understand its budget | OregonLive.com

Beaverton School District is holding 100 meetings to help people understand its budget | OregonLive.com:Beaverton School District is holding 100 meetings to help people understand its budgetby Wendy Owen, The OregonianBeaverton School District is offering a more intimate look at its pending budget woes by opening its school doors to parents, students and community members for budget teaching sessions. Folks will have their choice of 100 meetings at a variety of schools to attend between March 6 and March 22. ... more »

School Tech Connect: Nobody's Going To Wait Years For Anything

School Tech Connect: Nobody's Going To Wait Years For Anything:Nobody's Going To Wait Years For Anythingby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)I've been warning about this phenomenon for centuries. Heverly is pointing to something important but unmentioned in the Common Core debates that I have read. These new tests in nearly every state will delay, if not stop altogether, the national move towardrating teachers by student score improvements. School districts can’t do that when the tests change so radically. They might have to wait ... more »

Jeb Bush’s Desperate Attempt to Save Florida’s Parent Trigger Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings

Jeb Bush’s Desperate Attempt to Save Florida’s Parent Trigger Legislation | Scathing Purple Musings:Jeb Bush’s Desperate Attempt to Save Florida’s Parent Trigger Legislationby Bob SikesApparently, its not such a sure thing to advocates of Florida’s parent trigger legislation. After Bush ally John Thrasher’s attempt to circumvent the committee process failed this afternoon, Bush sent the following email to followers: Dear Friend,Florida’s parents and students need your help. Tomorrow, the Senate Budget Committee is holding a special meeting on a bill ... more »

Modern School: San Francisco School Board Waives Seniority

Modern School: San Francisco School Board Waives Seniority:San Francisco School Board Waives Seniorityby Michael DunnThe San Francisco School Board voted 5-1 this week to do away with seniority protections in order to save the jobs of 70 low-seniority teachers in 14 low-performing schools in the “Superintendent’s Zone.” They also voted 5-1 to issue 485 layoff notices, including 210 teacher and counselor layoffs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.An editorial in the Chron lamented that “low-performing schools won't improve if their ... more »

Parent Opt Out Letter from Colorado | United Opt Out National

Parent Opt Out Letter from Colorado | United Opt Out National:Parent Opt Out Letter from Coloradoby adminDear —————:The response I received from you via e-mail dated March 1, 2012 is a clear violation of my rights as a parent. It is also a clear indication that ——- is being denied a free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive environment unless he participates in the TCAP.I am aware that parental rights are broadly protected by Supreme Court decisions (Meyer and ... more »

Schools Matter: The Gates Solution to Political Deadlock: More Technocrats in Charge from ALEC

Schools Matter: The Gates Solution to Political Deadlock: More Technocrats in Charge from ALEC:The Gates Solution to Political Deadlock: More Technocrats in Charge from ALECby Jim HornAt the heart of this generation's retread argument for post-partisanship in all things political, there is another, though more dangerous, version of rule by the experts lurking there. Society engineered by scientific managers or "experts" was tried a hundred years ago, but since Bill Gates doesn't read history, apparently we must go down that ... more »

Tweak. « Fred Klonsky

Tweak. « Fred Klonsky:Tweak.by Fred KlonskyFredWhen I was starting out, it seemed like all the principals were wizened career veterans. Now that I’m a wizened career veteran, it seems like there’s a whole generation of 5-year teachers running schools.I was telling one of our local activists that last year, at a local principal candidate forum, one of the candidates said in response to a question, “Well, we’ll have to tweak the metrics around that and see what we come up ... more »

School Tech Connect: Can I Get A Witness?

School Tech Connect: Can I Get A Witness?:Can I Get A Witness?by noreply@blogger.com (Tim)What is this?Jim Broadway has evidently been telling people about Illinois' new Virtual Witness Slip program, but I've only just opened my eyes to it.As you review the list of bills in the House committee, you may find some that you have an opinion about - but you are busy with your job and your family responsibilities and your life. How can you express your opinions without ... more »

Mock Test Concerns from a Teacher (who also opts her own child out of the state test) | United Opt Out National

Mock Test Concerns from a Teacher (who also opts her own child out of the state test) | United Opt Out National:

Mock Test Concerns from a Teacher (who also opts her own child out of the state test)

School Tech Connect: The Week In Books

School Tech Connect: The Week In Books:

The Week In Books

I gave away my Kindle tonight. It's a neat tool, but it was actually slowing me down, what with having to make investment decisions on so many books.


Within ten minutes, I found these at the big government socialized reading center. It's amazing how certain titles get by you. Life of Pi, for example. How have I not read that one yet? Another one of these titles, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was an Oprah Book Club title, so naturally I avoided it. Oprah's a huge ed reformer of the Michelle Rhee variety, so that tells me all I need to know about her judgement.

How I Vote Now

Popout

Relax, people. It's a primary. If we can't send messages in a primary, what's the point?

The water commissioner epiphany I stole from here.

You Can Catch More Flies with Honey! Lesson Learned! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!

You Can Catch More Flies with Honey! Lesson Learned! « Diary of a Public School Teacher!:

You Can Catch More Flies with Honey! Lesson Learned!