Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break
Classified Employees of 2012 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)
Classified Employees of 2012 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Announces California's 2012 Classified School Employees of the Year SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today named six exemplary classified school employees as California's 2012 Classified School Employees of the Year - School/Teacher Recognition. "Across California, classified school employees are the people who do an awful lot of the work and get almost none of the credit," Torlakson said. "It's a pleasure to be able to recognize the contributions of... more »
Further Thoughts on Computer Scoring of Student Writing - Dana Goldstein
Further Thoughts on Computer Scoring of Student Writing - Dana Goldstein: Further Thoughts on Computer Scoring of Student Writing by Dana Goldstein Today Slate published a piece I've been working on for about a month, about computer assessment of student writing. You may have read about a new University of Akron study that found computer programs and people award student writing samples similar grades. The results are impressive, but their applicability is limited. As I discuss in the article, the study looked exclusively at the current generation of state standardized tests, whi... more »
Missouri Education Watchdog: Rethinking Reform
Missouri Education Watchdog: Rethinking Reform: Rethinking Reform by Anngie Current education reform discussions revolve around modifications to the * existing* system of education delivery. They rarely touch on *what* is being delivered. Though there is a big push to develop a set of "Common Standards" which would cover the "what", those standards still really on focus on creating efficiencies in the delivery of education. If everyone is learning the same things, from the same source materials, we get economies of scale and measurable production line improvements. This is why ch... more »
Springfield yeas and nays Parents United for Responsible Education
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Springfield yeas and nays: Springfield yeas and nays by admin Some bills to contact your Illinois House members and Senators about: *Please support SB 637 as amended:* This bill requires charter schools to waive fees for low-income families and was introduced to address the outrageous fees charged by the Noble Charter School Network for minor infractions such as eating chips and failing to track the teacher with your eyes. *From Raise Your Hand* (with a few informational comments I added *in italics*) *Please support Recess... more »
NYC Public School Parents: Juking the Stats: Hallmark of the Bloomberg administration
NYC Public School Parents: Juking the Stats: Hallmark of the Bloomberg administration: Juking the Stats: Hallmark of the Bloomberg administration by Leonie Haimson Two of the most damning legacies of the 12-year Bloomberg imperium will likely be the fallacious, manipulative (over)use of data in the NYPD and the DOE -- what is commonly known in the police world as "juking the stats." For all who watch our children's educations and our city's public schools being systematically ruined by an ill-conceived and obsessive focus on "management by measurables," it is highly instructive to... more »
Thoughts on the Washington State PTA Convention | Seattle Education
Thoughts on the Washington State PTA Convention | Seattle Education: Thoughts on the Washington State PTA Convention by seattleducation2011 I had watched the charter resolution develop over the last several months from the time that the original plank was developed by Chad Mangendanz and Alison Meryweather through until the convention when Chad got up and talked about his visit to KIPP in San Diego as a school board member and how wonderful the school was and how there was a graduation rate of 95% and on and on. Chad called charter schools another “tool in the tool kit” during his... more »
Malloy’s 2012 Education Reform Initiative: It’s Not Whether You Win or Lose, But How You Spin the News… - Wait, What?
Malloy’s 2012 Education Reform Initiative: It’s Not Whether You Win or Lose, But How You Spin the News… - Wait, What?: Malloy’s 2012 Education Reform Initiative: It’s Not Whether You Win or Lose, But How You Spin the News… by jonpelto In the days and hours before the Connecticut legislature voted on the big “Education Reform” bill, Governor Malloy and his “education reform” allies where blasting Connecticut’s Democratic legislators. The attacks included the observation that Democrats were “killing hope in Connecticut,” that Democrats were dedicating to preventing “any real accou... more »
Hechinger Report | Getting a teaching license may soon include a new test — can hopefuls handle a classroom?
Hechinger Report | Getting a teaching license may soon include a new test — can hopefuls handle a classroom?: Getting a teaching license may soon include a new test — can they handle a classroom? by Sarah Butrymowicz To earn a teaching license in most states, candidates must pass a handful of exams — largely multiple-choice — that test basic skills and knowledge of specific subjects. Some states also include tests that focus on teaching strategies. One state, Montana, requires no tests at all, just graduation from a teaching program. This pathway to the classroom has long been call... more »
Everyone has iPad except the BIG EDUCATION APE
Orangutans at Miami's Jungle Island use iPads to communicate - Florida Wires - MiamiHerald.com: Orangutans at Miami's Jungle Island use iPads to communicate Related Content - http://orangutan.org - http://missmillie.org - http://redapes.org - http://jungleisland.com BY DAVID FISCHERASSOCIATED PRESS MIAMI -- The 8-year-old twins love their iPad. They draw, play games and expand their vocabulary. Their family's teenagers also like the hand-held computer tablets, too, but the clan's elders show no interest. The orangutans at Miami's Jungle Island apparently are j... more »
FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, May 9, 2012
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Wednesday, May 9, 2012* * * * * Lodi Unified says plans 'stable' for 2012-13 school yearThe Lodi Unified School District remains in position to fully implement an estimated $215 million spending plan for 2012-13. Bret Harte kids bring their own computersBret Harte Union High School District will continue its “Bring Your Own Device” program next year, after a successful spring trial run that allowed students to use their own laptops and other electronic devices for academic work on campus. Schools benefit change...more »
The Privatization of Creativity | Dissident Voice
The Privatization of Creativity | Dissident Voice: The Privatization of Creativity by Max Haiven *1. The new hype about creativity* Who can hate creativity? Who would want less of it? No one, obviously. But something profound has happened to the idea of creative expression in the past 20-30 years that should give us pause. For one, it’s become big business: as the globalized economy becomes more and more competitive, corporations are increasingly desperate to have their workers “create” new and different things to sell. As advertising media accelerate and slowly fill up public spa... more »
Studying school quality, to fight inequality - MIT News Office
Studying school quality, to fight inequality - MIT News Office: Studying school quality, to fight inequality New MIT center examines education and its lifelong effects. “The charter schools’ idea is, ‘Let a thousand flowers bloom,’” Angrist says. “Well, many of those flowers are dandelions. … [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Education has long been perceived as a great leveler in the United States, providing opportunities throughout society. But at a time of economic struggle, millions of people are wondering if the country’s schools can still provi... more »
David Chura: Who Are the True 'Failures' in America's School System?
David Chura: Who Are the True 'Failures' in America's School System?: Who Are the True 'Failures' in America's School System? [image: "Those who can, teach. Those who cannot pass laws about teaching."] Like most teachers I've gotten some praise from my high school students over my 26 years of teaching -- a lesson "wasn't bad," or a particular class was "sorta interesting." I've even been told that I was a "pretty good teacher." High praise coming from teenagers. But the truth is I wasn't a "good teacher." I was a "failure," at least according to America's "education reformers" -- ... more »
Schools Matter: The Naked Truth about the National Reading Panel Report
Schools Matter: The Naked Truth about the National Reading Panel Report: National Reading Panel Erred; Letter Incorrect Published in Education Week, May 9, 2012 To the Editor: I was astounded to read Linda Diamond's revisionist view of the last decade in literacy research ("Common-Core Standards in Reading Not 'Flawed,' " March 28, 2012). Ms. Diamond maintains that the National Reading Panel's conclusions supporting explicit and systematic instruction "in the reading-foundation skills" is "well supported by research." Either Ms. Diamond is not aware of the furious criticism that e... more »
Shanker Blog » The Weighting Game
Shanker Blog » The Weighting Game: The Weighting Game by Matthew Di Carlo A while back, I noted that states and districts should exercise caution in assigning weights (importance) to the components of their teacher evaluation systems before they know what the other components will be. For example, most states that have mandated new evaluation systems have specified that growth model estimates count for a certain proportion (usually 40-50 percent) of teachers’ final scores (at least those in tested grades/subjects), but it’s critical to note that the *actual* importance of these ... more »
Citing Costs, Poor Service, Charters Ditch District Special Ed - voiceofsandiego.org: Education
Citing Costs, Poor Service, Charters Ditch District Special Ed - voiceofsandiego.org: Education: Citing Costs, Poor Service, Charters Ditch District Special Ed *Posted: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 6:00 am* There's a quiet, studious hum in Deborah Armusewicz's classroom. Kids dressed neatly in button-down, pine-green sweater vests and neckties politely raise their hands to answer questions while two support teachers mill around the room like earnest chaperones, pausing occasionally to whisper encouragement or corrections over a child's shoulder. Observing this calm period at one of t... more »
Rheeform faces Rheesistance in Nashville | The Tennessean | tennessean.com
Great Hearts charter school faces resistance in Nashville | The Tennessean | tennessean.com: Great Hearts charter school faces resistance in NashvilleParents fear school wants affluent, white families Officials with Arizona-based Great Hearts Academies charter school chain say they never have had resistance trying to start schools around Phoenix like they’re having in Nashville. After laws changed in Tennessee to lift a cap on the number of charter schools that can open, and also allow any student to enroll, Great Hearts targeted the Volunteer State and Texas to expand. But about ... more »
Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 5-9 AM Posts #soschat #edreform
*BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS* The heat is on. « Fred Klonsky coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago The heat is on. « Fred Klonsky: The heat is on. by Fred Klonsky *Illinois State Representative Darlene Senger.* It is getting harder and harder for Illinois legislators to hide. And pressure from active and retired teachers is not just coming in the form of traditional IEA lobbying. For example, Naperville tomorrow from 4 to 6 PM. Folks will gather at the Free Speech Pavillion at the corner of Webster and Jackson and march to *Darlene Senger’s* office a block ... more »
Big Education Ape Nite Cap UPDATE 5-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2
Big Education Ape: Big Education Ape Nite Cap 5-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2: *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* *BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS* *BEFORE NOON HONEST!* North Hollywood school is part of Maurice Sendak's legacy by By C.J. Lin, Staff Writer Former North Hollywood elementary school Principal Nancy Oda took the news of beloved children's author Maurice Sendak's death especially hard. Original enclosure (20120508_071913_do08 maurice sendak obit 1.jpg) DOE Response on Opting Out of State Tests by Patrick J. Sullivan *After reports of some families receiving harsh treatme... more »
, Redding School District, Shasta County Office of Education: Ms. Thurmond is committed to excellence in school nutrition and the focus of her cafeteria is healthy, homemade meals. About two years ago she willingly accepted a reassignment to her current school to take on the challenge of opening and managing a new kitchen that emphasized cooking from scratch. She puts a great degree of diligence and caring into the meals she serves and also into her relationships with students, staff members, and parents. Her work ethic is excellent, her attitude is always positive, and her enthusiasm never wavers. Ms. Thurmond leads by example by demonstrating healthy eating habits and is tremendously successful in getting the students to make the same healthy choices. When the season allows, she prepares the salad bar with the school garden harvest, nurturing the students' love of fresh fruits and vegetables they've grown on site. 