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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 4-25 #soschat #EDReform


Best Questions: Supportive Education Communities — Whole Child Education

Best Questions: Supportive Education Communities — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG Best Questions: Supportive Education CommunitiesApril 25, 2012 byMolly McCloskeyDespite the rumors, school improvement is hard. It's not about a single passionate leader. It's not about "fixing" teachers and teaching or parents and parenting. It's not about poverty. It's not about money. And it's not about standards. It's about all of them. And more.In this column, I'll take on the real deal of school improvement—for all schools, not ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Perth Amboy: Center of the Reformy Universe?

Jersey Jazzman: Perth Amboy: Center of the Reformy Universe?: Perth Amboy: Center of the Reformy Universe?byDukeAnd the saga of Perth Amboy gets even stranger...When we last checked in on the City By the (Raritan) Bay,a nasty fight was brewingbetween schools superintendent Dr. Janine Caffrey and the PABOE. The board has charged Caffrey - not even a year into her term - with several offenses,including"...failing to meet with school principals, misrepresenting the facts at board meetings, dividing contracts to sidestep the ... more »

Student Loan Reform Fight Broader For Obama Than Interest Rate Debate

Student Loan Reform Fight Broader For Obama Than Interest Rate Debate: Student Loan Reform Fight Broader For Obama Than Interest Rate DebatebyJoy Resmovits WASHINGTON -- On Tuesday, congressional Democratsannounced plansto introduce legislation that would extend the current low interest rates on government-subsidized student loans, responding to the major public relations push from President Barack Obama. But while the issue has ginned up cable news chatter and drawn attention to a host of grassroots student debt relief efforts, it is a ... more »

Remarks by the President on College Affordability | The White House

Remarks by the President on College Affordability | The White House: Remarks by the President on College AffordabilitybyThe White HouseUniversity of IowaIowa City, Iowa1:28 P.M. CDTTHE PRESIDENT: Hello, Hawkeyes! (Applause.) It is good to be back in Iowa! (Applause.) Can folks please give it up for Blake for that outstanding introduction? (Applause.) And I want to thank the University of Iowa Pep Band for firing everybody up. (Applause.)There is some good hospitality here, and I should know. I spent a ... more »

RheeFirst! » Poll: New Yorkers want an education policy different from Bloomberg’s (Rejects Rhee and her NY astroturf claims)

RheeFirst! » Poll: New Yorkers want an education policy different from Bloomberg’s (Rejects Rhee and her NY astroturf claims): Poll: New Yorkers want an education policy different from Bloomberg’s (Rejects Rhee and her NY astroturf claims)byadminWritten by Azi Paybarah for Capital New York. Read theentire article here.“An NY1-Marist pollof New Yorkers showed a majority want the next mayor to make changes in education. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who abolished the old, unbeloved model of school governance to achieve mayoral control of ...more »

NYC Public School Parents: Please endorse and ask your CEC to approve the National Resolution against High-stakes Testing

NYC Public School Parents: Please endorse and ask your CEC to approve the National Resolution against High-stakes Testing: Please endorse and ask your CEC to approve the National Resolution against High-stakes TestingbyLeonie HaimsonThe following resolution is modeled on a resolution that as of April 25 had been approved by405 Texas school boards, Palm Beach County in Florida, and Community Education Council in D 30 in Queens.It was written byParents Across America, in collaboration with theAdvancement Project;Asian American Legal Defense and ... more »

Its Begun…..Palm Beach School Board Votes to Adopt the National Resolution that Opposes High Stakes Testing | Scathing Purple Musings

Its Begun…..Palm Beach School Board Votes to Adopt the National Resolution that Opposes High Stakes Testing | Scathing Purple Musings: Its Begun…..Palm Beach School Board Votes to Adopt the National Resolution that Opposes High Stakes TestingbyBob SikesTesting is Not Teaching- PBC citizens united to make a difference have announced on their Facebook page that the Palm Beach School Board has adopted theNational Resolution on High Stakes Testing.The resolution brings unprecedented bipartisan spirit. Joining the NAACP and NEA – traditional supporters ... more »

Effort afoot to restore art in California schools | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

Effort afoot to restore art in California schools | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: Effort afoot to restore art in California schoolsbyadmin Jill Tucker -SFGate.com- Monday, April 23, 2012As it turns out, business leaders hiring the workforce of tomorrow don't want applicants who are really good at filling in bubbles on standardized tests.Creativity is key, more than 1,500 executives said in a 2010 survey.Yet California, like many states, long ago deemed creative arts a luxury, one that few ... more »

Democurmudgeon: Walker's Tools for Schools Programs Scraps System for "Anything Goes."

Democurmudgeon: Walker's Tools for Schools Programs Scraps System for "Anything Goes.": Walker's Tools for Schools Programs Scraps System for "Anything Goes."byDemocurmudgeonI thought schools were doing great now? They are I guess, thanks to Scott Walker. They've been deregulated.Public schools no longer consult with, or serve the public, parents are finding out. And teaching models have been swept in the trash bin for cost saving ideas that restructure public education in a way that holds the bottom line. And every year ... more »

Teaching Channel: Videos, Lesson Plans and Other Resources for Teachers

Teaching Channel: Videos, Lesson Plans and Other Resources for Teachers: View Giveaway Prize DetailsFor Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7th-11th, 2012 we’re celebrating with a5 Days, 5 Ways Giveawayto say thank you for all your hard work. We’re giving away more than 200 thank you gifts throughout the week, leading up to our Friday Grand Thank You!All You Have To Do Is Complete Your ProfileYou will be automatically entered in the giveaway if your Teaching Channel profile is complete and you ... more »

National Resolution against High-Stakes Testing « Parents Across America

National Resolution against High-Stakes Testing « Parents Across America: National Resolution against High-Stakes Testingbyleoniehaimson The following resolution is modeled on a resolution passed by405 Texas school boardsasof April 25, 2012. It was written by Parents Across America, in collaboration with theAdvancement Project;Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund;FairTest;Forum for Education and Democracy;MecklenburgACTS;Deborah Meier;NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.;National Education Association;New York Performance Standards Consortium; Tracy Novick;Paren... more »

After controversy over pineapple question on city schools test, a question about a yam stirs new troubles - NY Daily News

After controversy over pineapple question on city schools test, a question about a yam stirs new troubles - NY Daily News: EducationAfter controversy over pineapple question on city schools test, a question about a yam stirs new troublesSome students had seen the story that the question was based onBYRACHEL MONAHAN/ NEW YORK DAILY NEWSTuesday, April 24, 2012, 10:18 PMPHOTO BY APTuber troubles on city schools test.Move over pineapple -- the yam talked, too.The state’s fourth-grade reading test included an African ...more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Your Most Valuable Asset? It's Not Gold.

Missouri Education Watchdog: Your Most Valuable Asset? It's Not Gold.: Your Most Valuable Asset? It's Not Gold.byAnngieHilary Rosen's comment about Ann Romney never holding a job, completely discounting the years she has invested in raising her children, may have actually shed some light on the left's tactic. Though Ms. Rosen's comments caused them some temporary backlash, they were in fact consistent with the left's official message about children. They are a mere inconvenience to a woman's primary purpose, holding a ...more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee and StudentsFirst creates persistent problems in public education

Michelle Rhee and StudentsFirst tackle persistent problems in public education: Michelle Rhee and StudentsFirst tackle persistent problems in public educationByAlexis Garrett Stodghill8:04 AM on 04/25/2012 Michelle Rheereceived national attention after becoming the chancellor of Washington, DC public schools in 2007. Experiences as a public school teacher before founding an organization that placed teachers in classrooms informed the policies implemented during her term. Rhee's decisions to closely tie standardized test scores to teacher compensation and shut down underperforming sc... more »

White House Council on Women and Girls: A Focus on Girls and STEM

A panel of trailblazing women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields share their experiences and encourage young women to follow in their footsteps -- or blaze a trail of their own. April 24, 2012

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team:Wednesday, April 25, 2012Move to cut sign language classes at Paso Robles High puts teens in a bindHaving studied sign language since fifth grade, Marina Perry planned to one day become an interpreter for the deaf. But then she learned that Paso Robles High School planned to eliminate its American Sign Language program.Monrovia Unified's concerns about Internet service provider prompt reviewWorried that federal funds may be in jeopardy, school district officials are reviewing their ... more »

Pearson, ALEC and the Brave New World: BOYCOTT NOW | United Opt Out National

Pearson, ALEC and the Brave New World: BOYCOTT NOW | United Opt Out National: Pearson, ALEC and the Brave New World: BOYCOTT NOWbyadmin Dear Supporters of Public Education,A great deal of much-needed attention has been given recently to the role that ALEC has played in dismantling our democratic rights in favor of corporate profit. The institution of public education has not escaped the interest of ALEC. In fact, ALEC has taken a seat at the head of the educational table, ... more »

RIGHT AGAIN! Heritage Puts Out Memo Highlighting Common Core Issues | Truth in American Education

Heritage Puts Out Memo Highlighting Common Core Issues | Truth in American Education: Heritage Puts Out Memo Highlighting Common Core IssuesbyJames BellHeritage held a panel and put out amemoon exiting the Common Core. It was a great panel featuring Jim Stergios from the Pioneer Institute, Williamson Evers of the Hoover Institute, Kent Talbert, former acting secretary at the US Department of Education, and Theodore Rebarber of AccountabilityWorks. As always, Heritage resources are succinct and useful. Watching the hour-longpanelis also rewarding:When ... more »

Byrne Creek Secondary: A Collaborative Community Opportunity — Whole Child Education

Byrne Creek Secondary: A Collaborative Community Opportunity — Whole Child Education: Byrne Creek Secondary: A Collaborative Community OpportunitybyASCD Whole Child BloggersPost submitted by Mike Greenway and Lynn ArcherByrne Creek Secondary Schoolopened its doors to students for the first time in September 2005. The school was planned and built to solve an overcrowding problem in the south part of Burnaby. Planning and opening any new school has challenges; Byrne Creek was faced with additional problems. The community had the highest number ... more »

Shutting Down Public Voice on Charters | Edwize

Shutting Down Public Voice on Charters | Edwize: Shutting Down Public Voice on ChartersbyChristina CollinsAsoriginally envisioned, charter schools were supposed to be a way of empowering communities to have a stronger voice in decision-making at their local schools — with community leaders, parents, and teachers on the boards and decisions being made in ways that gave stakeholders direct access rather than layers of bureaucracy.In New York, however, the expansion and oversight of the state’s charter sector seems to be moving ... more »

The plan: Travesty or opportunity? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

The plan: Travesty or opportunity? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: The plan: Travesty or opportunity?byDale Mezzacappaon Apr 24 2012 Posted inLatest newsCOMMENTS (2)PRINTEMAILIt is a new day, a bold experiment, an opportunity for innovation.Or, it is a travesty, the end of public education as we know it, a cynical right-wing ploy.Not to mention a new twist on the decision a decade ago, for whichthe District has little to show, to turn over schools to education management organizations.Sixty-four closed school buildings. ... more »

Remarks by the President to College Reporters | The White House

Remarks by the President to College Reporters | The White House: Remarks by the President to College ReportersbyThe White House4:05 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Hey, everybody. Thanks for being on the call. And first of all, let me apologize if the connection sounds fuzzy. As was just mentioned, I’m joining you guys on Air Force One. I’m just leaving North Carolina; I was at UNC-Chapel Hill. Now I’m on my way to the University of Colorado at Boulder. And tomorrow ... more »

Teacher evaluations — and surveys of students and colleagues - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

Teacher evaluations — and surveys of students and colleagues - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Teacher evaluations — and surveys of students and colleaguesBy Katy MurphyTuesday, April 24th, 2012 at 8:49 am inteachers.Dave Orphal, a teacher at Skyline High School in Oakland, is writing a series of blog posts for The Education Report about revamping teacher evaluations — including a pilot program that two middle schools are using this year. Orphal serves as a veteran ... more »

Student Loans: Interest Rate Bill By George Miller Would Cut Tax Loopholes To Keep Rate Down For A Year

Student Loans: Interest Rate Bill By George Miller Would Cut Tax Loopholes To Keep Rate Down For A Year: Student Loans: Interest Rate Bill By George Miller Would Cut Tax Loopholes To Keep Rate Down For A YearbyJoy Resmovits As President Barack Obama makes his way across the country to slam animpending increase infederal student loan-interest rates, a group of congressional Democrats is announcing plans to introduce a legislative fix.Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Education ...more »

Jack Hassard: Creationism Creeps Into Louisiana and Tennessee Science Classrooms - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Jack Hassard: Creationism Creeps Into Louisiana and Tennessee Science Classrooms - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Anthony CodyAnthony Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high needs middle school. He is National Board certified, and now leads workshops with teachers focused on Project Based Learning. With education at a crossroads, he invites you to join him in a dialogue on education reform and teaching for change and deep ... more »

WI Teacher: Students aren’t being fed due to Budget Cuts | Defend Wisconsin

WI Teacher: Students aren’t being fed due to Budget Cuts | Defend Wisconsin: WI Teacher: Students aren’t being fed due to Budget CutsbyItayPopoutVideobyWIVoicesTV.Meg Farrington (29-year veteran teacher from Somerset, WI) explains how some students are struggling with hunger in school and how teachers have “stepped up to the plate” to bridge the gap and fill the need in the community. Farrington said “because of Governor Walker’s cuts” at the state level, consequences in policy choices are playing themselves out in ... more »

Schools Matter: National Resolution on High Stakes Testing #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT

Schools Matter: National Resolution on High Stakes Testing: National Resolution on High Stakes TestingbyJudy RabinThis Resolution calls on federal and state policymakers to reduce standardized test mandates and, instead, base school accountability on multiple forms of measurement.To end the abuse and misuse of high stakes testingSign on to this Resolution:WHEREAS,our nation's future well-being relies on a high-quality public education system that prepares all students for college, careers, citizenship and lifelong learning, and strengthens the nation's social and economic well-being... more »

Daily Kos: RESOLUTION ON HIGH-STAKES TESTING

Daily Kos: RESOLUTION ON HIGH-STAKES TESTING:


RESOLUTION ON HIGH-STAKES TESTING

This resolution is modeled on the
 resolution passed by more than more than 360 Texas school boards as of April 23, 2012. It was written by Advancement Project; Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; FairTest; Forum for Education and Democracy; MecklenburgACTS; Deborah Meier; NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; National Education Association; New York Performance Standards Consortium; Tracy Novick; Parents Across America; Parents United for Responsible Education-Chicago; Diane Ravitch; Race to Nowhere; Time Out From Testing; and United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries.
We encourage organizations and individuals to publicly endorse it (see below). Organizations should modify it as needed for their local circumstances while also endorsing this national version.
That's text to the introduction on the of one of the most important grassroots initiatives in recent  years.  It stems from the actions first of the Texas Commissioner of public education, then supported by school boards across the Lone Star state, to push back about the insanity of the testing that is devouring American public education.
Below the fold I will put the text of the resolution itself.
It is important.
I encourage you to the National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing and then sign the petition.



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Putting faces on the pension fight. A letter to Quinn. « Fred Klonsky

Putting faces on the pension fight. A letter to Quinn. « Fred Klonsky:


Putting faces on the pension fight. A letter to Quinn.

APRIL 25, 2012
H/T: Tim Furman
Governor Pat Quinn
Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, Illinois   62706
 
Dear Governor Quinn:
 
 I watched your press conference last Friday where you announced sweeping pension changes for active Illinois teachers.  These changes will hurt my family, and I object to them strenuously.  My daughter and son-in-law, Beth and Mike Butler, are active teachers here in Sandwich, and they have two children:  Brynn, who is three, and Anne, who is one.  Your proposal to change the pension formula for active teachers will cause Beth and Mike to pay more into the Teachers Retirement System and receive less in benefits.  This will not only impact their ability to earn a living but will hurt my grandchildren as well.
           
 I urge you to reconsider your proposal to change the pension system in Illinois, and I offer you a number of clear reasons why you should change your mind.
             
First, Beth, Mike, and other active Illinois teachers have faithfully contributed 

Schools Matter: Jim McIntyre Sending $4,000,000 in Public Funds to Pearson for Testing & "Erasure Analysis"

Schools Matter: Jim McIntyre Sending $4,000,000 in Public Funds to Pearson for Testing & "Erasure Analysis":


Jim McIntyre Sending $4,000,000 in Public Funds to Pearson for Testing & "Erasure Analysis"

How many billions of dollars has all the damaging and unethical high stakes testing of children cost states and the Federal government over the past 25 years?  Not nearly as much a Pearson, CBT/McGraw-Hill, and SAS are planning for in the coming generation of year-round testing in every subject, as they plan to make the status quo permanent. 

 Just one middle school in New York reported spending $11,625 this spring on the NY state test.

Another figure we know for sure is that Knoxville's Supt. Jim McIntyre, who has recently been pitching his plan for a $35 million budget increase to fund bonus pay for test scores, will send Pearson 4 million Knox County taxpayer dollars this spring to cover security costs for the TCAP state tests.

How many citizens know of this waste of money, even as McIntyre asks for more good resources to spend on failed corporate education deform measures?

Knoxville citizens must remember that just three months McIntyre was planning a $7 million budget cut.  What 

Evaluate Me, Please « teach from the heart

Evaluate Me, Please « teach from the heart:
teach from the heart


Evaluate Me, Please




 I’ve said it before; I’ve never taught a perfect lesson. After each one I step back and look to see what I can do to make it better. My lesson plans are full of notes. Things that don’t work get tossed. Things get tweaked. Resources get added. Information is growing too quickly to do the same thing over and over.
When I was working toward National Board Certification, I was a little hesitant to videotape my class, and even more hesitant to sit and watch myself in action. However, once I started watching, I saw things I did really well and things I needed to work on. It led me to tap the resources all around me; my colleagues. I even shared the videos with the class, using them as teaching tools to point out the group dynamics I wanted to foster and those that 


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Slow Jam The News with Barack Obama: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing #PINEAPPLEGATE #PINEAPPLEREBELLION

National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing:



National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing

We encourage organizations and individuals to publicly endorse it (see below). Organizations should modify it as needed for their local circumstances while also endorsing this national version.
WHEREAS, our nation's future well-being relies on a high-quality public education system that prepares all students for college, careers, citizenship and lifelong learning, and strengthens the nation's social and economic well-being; and
WHEREAS, our nation's school systems have been spending growing amounts of time, money and energy on high-stakes standardized testing, in which student performance on standardized tests is used to make major decisions affecting individual students, educators and schools; and
WHEREAS, the over-reliance on high-stakes standardized testing in state and federal accountability systems is undermining educational quality and equity in U.S. public schools by hampering educators' efforts to focus on the broad range of learning experiences that promote the innovation, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and deep subject-matter knowledge that will allow students to thrive in a democracy and an increasingly global society and economy; and
WHEREAS, it is widely recognized that standardized testing is an inadequate and often unreliable measure of both student learning and educator effectiveness; and
WHEREAS, the over-emphasis on standardized testing has caused considerable collateral damage in too many schools, including narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, reducing love of learning, pushing students out of school, driving excellent teachers out of the profession, and undermining school climate; and
WHEREAS, high-stakes standardized testing has negative effects for students from all backgrounds, and especially for low-income students, English language learners, children of color, and those with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, the culture and structure of the systems in which students learn must change in order to foster engaging school experiences that promote joy in learning, depth of thought and breadth of knowledge for students; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that [your organization name] calls on the governor, state legislature and state education boards and administrators to reexamine public school accountability systems in this state, and to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which does not require extensive standardized testing, more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning, and is used to support students and improve schools; and
RESOLVED, that [your organization name] calls on the U.S. Congress and Administration to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as the "No Child Left Behind Act," reduce the testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators.