Monday, July 16, 2012

by Melissa Westbrook

Over at UW's Center for Reinventing Public Education, they wrote a one pager about "lessons for Washington State" on getting high-quality charter schools. I have to laugh as I wonder if they even read I-1240.

Highlights:

• Strong authorizing is key to quality
o Districts cannot be only authorizer, but authorizers need to build competency
o Weak or negligent authorizing leads to many low-performing schools
- Promote authorizer clarity/accountability in law, implementation

So the CRPE must be against I-1240 because:

- the Charter Commission does NOT have to be pre-authorized in the same way School Boards do. It seems odd that an elected board would have to go through a process that the members of the Charter Commission

The Dragas-Sullivan statement: Who’s kidding whom at U-Va.? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

The Dragas-Sullivan statement: Who’s kidding whom at U-Va.? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

The Dragas-Sullivan statement: Who’s kidding whom at U-Va.?

by Valerie Strauss

Today we were treated to a joint statement (see below) by University President Teresa Sullivan and Helen Dragas, rector of the school’s governing board, which talks about their renewed commitment to work together as if the recent drama in which Dragas fired Sullivan never happened. Well, actually, there was this reference: “Recent events have caused the respect that U.Va. generates to acquire a new level of energy, focusing widespread attention on our future.”
Read full article >>

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Stereotypes Stifle Students!

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: Stereotypes Stifle Students!:

Stereotypes Stifle Students!

by Lisa M

We all do it. We might not be conscious of it all the time, but we do it. Whether it is race, gender, nationality, religion, etc..., we stereotype. Stereotyping in general is a bad thing, but when it is done in our classrooms, we are committing a grave disservice to our students.

The Spanish kid, or his parents, are not going to have a handle on the English language, when in actuality he is a bright student who speaks English fluently. The African American male from an "inner-city" is going to be a behavior problem, when in fact he is the most polite kid you could ever meet. The girl whose family lives in the trailer park is "trailer trash", and will eventually have a teen pregnancy. She turns out to be a straight A student!

uThe Search is On | AMPS

uThe Search is On | AMPS:

uThe Search is On

by Thomas J. Mertz

The Coasters, “Searchin’” (click to listen or download).

At open and closed meetings this evening (7/16/2012. starting at 5:00 PM, no public testimony, so write them at board@madison.k12.wi.us if you have thoughts), the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education will take the next step in finding a new, permanent Superintendent by considering and maybe hiring a search firm. The two firms under consideration are ProAct (Madison materials here) and Ray & Associates (Madison materials here). I did some digging on both and unfortunately found that both had ties to the Broad Foundation’s Superintendent Academy, a major cog in the school deform machine. I also concluded that the ProAct principals are much more involved in these efforts and that for these and other reasons, I think Ray & Associates are the better choice for Madison.
Before offering some background on the Broad Academy, the firms and their connections, I want to say that

If Only Christine Rubino Were Either Michelle Rhee, Mychael Willon, Derrick Townsend, John Chase JR, or Jose Maldanado-Rivera

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

If Only Christine Rubino Were Either Michelle Rhee, Mychael Willon, Derrick Townsend, John Chase JR, or Jose Maldanado-Rivera

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

I feel sorry for Christine Rubino. Not only has she been suspended without pay for two years, financially hanging on by the thinnest of threads, but worse, if she had only been an administrator her mistake of posting a message out of frustration on Facebook concerning her students would have been at best ignored, at worst, a slap on the wrist.

If Christine was a hot shot former superintendent of Washington DC schools like Michelle Rhee, she would be able to get away with duct taping the mouths of 1st grade students then laughing about it years later.Sadly, Christine is just a darn damn fine teacher that truly made a mistake and feel remorse.

Perhaps if Christine was a former principal from

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Privatizing Public Education - There is Money to be Made

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Privatizing Public Education - There is Money to be Made:

Privatizing Public Education - There is Money to be Made

by Melissa Westbrook

If you read nothing else about the takeover of our public schools by people who want to control the system (and some who want to make a buck), please read this article from The Nation Institute. It is probably one of the best written and in-depth articles around.

Highlights:

If the national movement to "reform" public education through vouchers, charters and privatization has a laboratory, it is Florida. It was one of the first states to undertake a program of "virtual schools" — charters operated online, with teachers instructing students over the Internet — as well as one of the first to use vouchers to channel taxpayer money to charter schools run by for-profits. (More on Florida which has continued it fall in education AND business rankings. Scientology in charters in Florida.

But some in Florida are fighting back against these reforms and winning. Lamenting this series of defeats, Patricia Levesque, a top adviser to former Governor Jeb Bush, spoke to fellow reformers at a retreat in October 2010. Levesque noted that reform efforts had failed because the opposition had time to

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Talking Education in Ballard

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Talking Education in Ballard:

Talking Education in Ballard

by Melissa Westbrook

This from reader CT. I would go but it's only an hour and I'm sure it will be tightly controlled. But if you go, let us know what is said.

Oh look! Here's a chance to ask the creators of the "model" charter legislation directly.

http://www.myballard.com/2012/07/16/community-discussion-about-education-this-week/

This week, there will be an opportunity to join a community discussion about local education. Two groups, the Excellent Schools Now Coalition and Stand for Children are posing the question, “If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?” in a forum at the Ballard Library on Thursday, July 19 from 6 to 7 p.m.

CNN’s David Gergen’s defends Romney. He’s on Bain’s payroll. « Fred Klonsky

CNN’s David Gergen’s defends Romney. He’s on Bain’s payroll. « Fred Klonsky:

CNN’s David Gergen’s defends Romney. He’s on Bain’s payroll.

To call David Gergen a media whore is to give insult to whoring.

Gergen is presently a CNN pundit.

He started out as a speech writer in the Nixon White House on a team that included the far right-wing anti-Semite, Pat Buchanan. He then went on to work in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

This past weekend he defended Mitt Romney’s retroactive retirement at Bain Capital.

“Facts don’t support Obama’s charges against Romney,” he declared.

But his objectivity is so compromised that he was required to start with this disclaimer:

Let me acknowledge upfront what I have said several times on CNN: I have a

Someone Who Could See the Future « Diane Ravitch's blog

Someone Who Could See the Future « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Someone Who Could See the Future

by dianerav

A reader sent this comment in response to an earlier post. I jumped when I read it because he was absolutely prescient. Consider this: We hear on all sides that the public schools are failing, declining, etc., that test scores are falling, etc., but NONE OF IT IS TRUE. Test scores on NAEP, the only no-stakes national test with forty years of data, are at their highest point in history. And yet, the spin masters keep spinning their tales of failure. It’s time to ask why. I have often imagined the scenario that this reader describes but have been fearful of saying it out loud. Suppose a group of powerful people decided that they wanted to privatize public education. Where would they start? How would they create a “message” to sell something that no one would accept if it was candidly described?

In June , 1992, I wrote the following letter to the editor. Based on today’s posting, I think this letter is as relevant today as it was in 1992.“Try to picture this. A large national corporation, until recently grazing contentedly on

The “what if” habit of mind for all. « Deborah Meier on Education

The “what if” habit of mind for all. « Deborah Meier on Education:

The “what if” habit of mind for all.

by debmeier

I just had a fun conversation based on one of the old CPESS/Mission Hill “habits of mind”. We began by arguing about whether it’s really possible or useful to teach a “subject” called World History. How demanding can one be in such a course in honoring our First Habit: “What’s the evidence? And how credible is it?” Or, for the one I like best: “What if? supposing that?” I like that one because it forces us to at least pretend that things could have been different, that human will and opinion matters. It set me off on one of my favorite run of “what ifs”–what if we had not fought the Revolutionary War or if we had won it but ceded the south to Britain and then joined with Canada to create the USA? ? What if we hadn’t had the Civil War? What about if we hadn’t had World War I? The three together would create quite a different picture facing the 20th century!. Conquering Texas and southern California might also be skipped!
When folks argue about the need for a different kind of education based on the needs of the 2lst century I like to

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Despite total focus on testing, CPS scores stay flat

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Despite total focus on testing, CPS scores stay flat:

Despite total focus on testing, CPS scores stay flat

by Mike Klonsky

Despite Rahm/Brizard making a total fetish of testing while diverting thousands of hours of classroom time and millions of badly-needed dollars towards test-prep, scores remain flat in CPS elementary schools. In fact during the first year of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s watch scores rose by the smallest margin — only 0.9 of a percentage point (statistically insignificant) — since 2005. Charter schools — whose $76 million planned expansion drew boos and hisses at recent budget hearings — posted increases that were only fractionally better than the district average.

Only 17.8 percent of CPS elementary schools “exceeded” state standards. Both the “meeting” and “exceeding’’ gains were the smallest since 2005. This year's gap between African-American and white students remained at

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE MIRACLE WORKERS ? « Teachers Fight Back

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE MIRACLE WORKERS ? « Teachers Fight Back:

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ARE MIRACLE WORKERS ?

by alkleen

Preliminary results on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test show that 74.2 percent of Chicago Public School students met or exceeded state standards.
WOW ! Are you kidding me ? That’s amazing ! Either CPS teachers are miracle workers or these tests are extremely easy. I would like to think it’s that the teachers are very good at what they do.
There are thousands of students in the Chicago Public Schools who are either chronically truant, or are in gangs, come from horrible family situations, live in extreme poverty and terrible neighborhoods, have virtually no early childhood help at home, are pregnant, on drugs, involved in crime, on probation or occasionally suspended from school, have diagnosed or undiagnosed learning disabilities, speak limited English, have inadequate supplies, no computer at home, have incredibly incompetent parents, have never known a father, are raised by overburdened

Private vs Public Greed: two different standards « Deborah Meier on Education

Private vs Public Greed: two different standards « Deborah Meier on Education:

Private vs Public Greed: two different standards

by debmeier

Greedy for hearing “the other side” I read the NY Times Business section daily, e.g. Saturday July 14th has a story on rate-rigging, Barclays (too big to indict), JP Morgan pay givebacks, and the ethics of advice when “genetic counselors work for test companies”. I also browse through the weekly Bloomberg Business Week, e.g. cover on May 13th, screams “Lies, Lies Lies” while the inside stories reveal the non-secrets of capitalism including “China’s culture of greed, violence and deceit”–with the subhead: “Is this any place to do business?” A big yawn. Who will be going to jail? Probably no one, with rare exceptions here and there. e.g. Madoff–who actually was mostly playing with the money of very rich people.
I used to be told that after all the one only hurt when private business cheats is the investing/ownership class–it was their own money (and folks have a right to throw away their own money) –while the latter was fooling with

Pinellas Superintendent Recommends Closure of Charter School Belonging to Rick Scott Crony | Scathing Purple Musings

Pinellas Superintendent Recommends Closure of Charter School Belonging to Rick Scott Crony | Scathing Purple Musings:

Pinellas Superintendent Recommends Closure of Charter School Belonging to Rick Scott Crony

by Bob Sikes

Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991

Embattled Imagine Schools CEO Dennis Bakke got more bad news today as Pinellas Superintendent John Stewart recommended closure of his charter school in St. Petersburg. Writes Tampa Bay Times reporter Rebecca Catalenello in The Gradebook:

Pinellas Superintendent John Stewart this morning told board members he’d like to close struggling Imagine Charter School in St. Petersburg, which just earned its third F in four years.
This recommendation comes less than two months after the board voted 5-1 to extend the school’s contract per his recommendation. Though Imagine supporters made the case that they were improving, 2011-12 FCAT data released soon after showed the school was still struggling: 54 percent of its third graders, for example, scored a Level 1 in reading, the lowest possible score.
It was the worst third-grade reading performance of any school in the district except for Life Force

Special education in California needs more flexibility | EdSource Today

Special education in California needs more flexibility | EdSource Today:

Special education in California needs more flexibility

July 16th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Miriam Kurtzig Freedman

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Miriam Kurtzig Freedman

“Flexibility” is education’s new buzzword. Check out all those No Child Left Behind Act waivers, providing flexibility to states, while we await Congress’s NCLB reauthorization. Twenty-six states already have those waivers. More are expected.

In approving a batch of them, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “We all understand that the best ideas don’t come from Washington, and moving forward, these states will have increased flexibility with federal funds and relief from NCLB mandates, allowing them to develop locally tailored solutions to meet unique educational challenges.” (emphasis added)

Hmm. What about some flexibility for special education, the most regulated and rigid public education mandated program, while we await the next reauthorization of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), the nation’s

Program that helps young students adjust to school is in jeopardy - by Susan Frey

by Susan Frey

Gov. Jerry Brown’s line-item veto last month of $15 million for a two-decade-old program addressing mental health needs among elementary school children has left districts that relied on the funds with hard choices about whether to keep the program going. The Early Mental Health Initiative uses unstructured play and social skills instruction to help shy, misbehaving, or otherwise at-risk...

John Thompson: Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious Response - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious Response - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious Response

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by John Thompson.
Bill Gates made two valid, though somewhat contradictory points, in his address to the Education Commission of the States. Both of Gates' differing pieces of advice deserve a serious response.
The text of Gates' speech gives no hint of irony as he proclaims, "The first and most important feature of a strong evaluation and development system is heavy teacher involvement throughout - from the conceptual stage, to the roll out, to revising the program once it's underway. If someone wants to rush an evaluation system into place - and they think they can speed it through by doing it without the teachers - that is a grave mistake. The system will be low-quality, and will never get buy-in from the teachers."
Whether Gates is aware of it or not, value-added evaluations were conceived in frustration, nurtured by teacher-bashing, and scaled up as a means of rapidly destroying the "status quo" that resisted test-driven accountability. Applying stakes to value-added has been a key component of the "brass knuckles" school of "reform." The rush

What REALLY Determines Student Performance

What REALLY Determines Student Performance:

What REALLY Determines Student Performance

Monday, 16 July 2012 10:47By P.L. Thomas, The Daily Censored | News Analysis

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"After several decades of rigorous effort, it is fair to say that the majority of our attention in political science has been given to interstate war and civil war," explains Christian Davenport, adding:

"I would say that it would be interesting to count the number of articles over the last five years on terrorism and compare it to the number of articles on repression but regardless, I stand by the claim that most of our attention has been focused on those activities that challenge political authorities. Actually, it's probably not even close.
"Why is this the case? Why do governments get a pass? Well, it's not because of the actual number of deaths associated with different forms of violence....
"I would argue that scholars, especially those in political science, who study challenges to governments do so because this is what governments want us to study. In many ways the targets of political scientists' gaze has been shaped by those whom we examine. This is what governments and foundations pay for — mostly."

While this is a powerful and much needed commentary on the inadequate and disproportionate critical work in political science, I believe the exact same charge can be leveled at the current

HechingerEd Blog | Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind?

HechingerEd Blog | Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind?:

Online tests and the digital divide: Will poor children be left behind?

by Sarah Garland

Within three years, most states will start doing standardized testing online. The Hechinger Report has been examining potential benefits and problemsthat may arise when schools shift to testing on computers. One of the biggest concerns—even among advocates for online exams—is that the new tests could further disadvantage poor children who already struggle to keep up with their more affluent peers in school.
“Lots of kids are really comfortable with technology, but there’s a cross-section of kids that don’t have a lot of access,” said Douglas Levin, director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, which is helping states get ready for the switch from paper and pencil. “There is a fear that for kids who do not have

Integration: The Passing of a Great Idea « Deborah Meier on Education

Integration: The Passing of a Great Idea « Deborah Meier on Education:

Integration: The Passing of a Great Idea

by debmeier

At some point in the last 50 years we gave up on the idea of school integration even as we annually celebrate the importance of the Brown vs Board of Education decision. I remember, a mere ten or so years after the Supreme Court’s decision, telling students in the Central Harlem school that I was teaching in about this great decision. As they listened attentively I also realized that there was something odd about telling this 100% African American classroom about this milestone in our history. With this in mind I enjoyed reading Matthew

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 7-16 AM Posts #soschat #edreform

BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK AM POSTS

What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago

What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker « Diane Ravitch's blog: What Chris Cerf Needs to Know About Albert Shanker by dianerav Chris Cerf, the acting commissioner of education in New Jersey, published an article today defending charter schools, which have become very controversial in his state. They have become controversial because the state is trying to push them into suburbs that have great public schools and don’t want them, and they have become controversial because the public is beginning to revolt against for-profit charters, especially for-profit online charters... more »

Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago

Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth | Scathing Purple Musings: Punching Holes in Jeb Bush’s NAEP-Based “Florida Miracle” Myth by Bob Sikes Full disclosure: During the years of the hyperpartisan Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, I’d grown to loathe Democrats, their operatives and media cheerleaders. My turn the channel dismissiveness ended with SB736. Perhaps if the Florida gubernatorial campaign of Democrat Alex Sink hadn’t been so feckless and wishy-washy on education policy, my timeline would be a little different. But no matter. Withi... more »

NYC Educator: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago

NYC Educator: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets: Whatever Eva Wants, Eva Gets by NYC Educator Mayor Bloomberg, in what may be his last term in office, is determined to leave his imprint upon the city school system. It's certainly true that his endless decade of "reform" has not brought about improvements in test scores, the only thing he actually cares about. And with hundreds of closed schools and the decimated neighborhoods in their wake, we know the quality of life is not anything to jump up and down about either. But it's important that his good buddy, Eva Moskowitz, gets as much of... more »

How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago

How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell | Maria Shriver | The Open Field Network: How to Inspire Girls to Break the Media’s Spell By Nicole Clark During my self-esteem and body image workshops, I’ve had girls tell me they want to look like the size zero models in the magazines. They truly believed it was their ‘want’ and their desire, until I explained how media can manipulate their thoughts the same way the “Imperius Curse” can make a person believe and do certain things. What is the “Imperius Curse” you ask? It’s one of the Unforgivable Curses from the Harry Potter books... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, July 16, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Koreatown in Los Angeles Fabled as one of LA's only 24-hour districts* Education Headlines *Monday, July 16, 2012* Frey: Program that helps young students adjust to school is in jeopardyGov. Jerry Brown’s line-item veto last month of $15 million for a two-decade-old program addressing mental health needs among elementary school children has left districts that relied on the funds with hard choices about whether to keep the program going. Tustin school district, city ready to battle in court over constructionLand on the former Tus... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Missouri Education Watchdog: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards: Man Made Disasters: Arne Duncan as Department of Education Secretary and Common Core Standards by stlgretchen Arne Duncan as DOEd Secretary & Common Core Standards: Man-Made Catastrophes Unlike hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes, the educational reforms and the current Secretary of Education supporting the reforms are not natural catastrophes. The standards and Arne Duncan in his

Jersey Jazzman: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Jersey Jazzman: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?!: What Planet Does Chris Cerf Live On?! by Duke Even after all we've been through on this blog, I am still amazed that NJ's ACTING Commissioner of Education in NJ, given everything we know about charters, would write something like this: In New Jersey, *charter schools serve less than two percent of students, but they disproportionately serve our highest-need students*. More than 61 percent of charter school students are African American, compared to the state average of 16 percent, and more than 70 percent of charter school stu... more »

Shanker Blog » Examining Principal Turnover

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago

Shanker Blog » Examining Principal Turnover: Examining Principal Turnover by Ed Fuller *Our guest author today is Ed Fuller, Associate Professor in the Education Leadership Department at Penn State University. He is also the Director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis as well as the Associate Director for Policy of the University Council for Educational Administration.* “No one knows who I am,” exclaimed a senior in a high-poverty, predominantly minority and low-performing high school in the Austin area. She explained, “I have been at this school four years... more »

Cyber charter is a magnet for money

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Cyber charter is a magnet for money: Cyber charter is a magnet for moneyState's largest online public school pays millions to companies run by its former executives. Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... By Rich Lord and Eleanor Chute Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Post a comment PHILLY.COM's TOP FIVE PICKS Penn State's legal cost could be $100M-plus Questions over Olney priest's removal Stalking Cooper River for thousands of fake nickels 4 caught stealing from donations jar Armed robbers hit Main Line deli The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Sc... more »

Education reform's dilemma: Improving creative thinking or improving test scores - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Education reform's dilemma: Improving creative thinking or improving test scores - latimes.com: Education's pendulum: Thinkers or test takers?Rote learning can take a toll on building creativity in schools. The nations that can strike the right balance will gain a competitive edge. - [image: print] - Comments 18 - Email Share - - - [image: Johnny Cochran Middle School] Aiming higher on academics shouldn't have to mean leaving deeper or more open-ended thinking skills behind. Above: A pre-algebra Math 7 class at Johnny Cochran Middle School in... more »

EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools: EDUCATION: Funding can vary widely among local schools 1 Print Email - [image: REGION Funding can vary wildly among local schools] - [image: CHART Spending per student] [image: REGION Funding can vary wildly among local schools] Buy Now Students at Buena Vista Elementary School in Carlsbad Albert Azpeitia, left, and Matthew Penman learn about Disneyland from Michaelann Montoya during a "living library" at the school on April 23. The Carlsbad district has one of the lowest rates of per-pupil spending in North County. BILL ... more »

TO LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

New Jersey: The Cesspool of School Reform « Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] New Jersey: The Cesspool of School Reform by dianerav Jersey Jazzman describes the web of political and financial connections that are working together to bring for-profit virtual charter schools to the Garden State. This is a must-read. The more I learn about the profits and the political shenanigans that facility profiteering, the more it astonishes me. If the American people ever figure out that their elected officials are giving away the authority to make money... more »

solidaridad: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

solidaridad: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed: Backed into a corner by a monster it helped create, LAUSD fights back against charter colocation greed by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene First Published on *Schools Matter**Although the bungalows are used for after school programs, art classes, festivals and special education speech therapy space, according to the number of enrolled students at Micheltorena, the bungalows have been deemed empty and available for tenancy by any charter that requests them. — Lulu Wilson*... more »

A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. - Wait, What?: A Must Read Piece on the impact of inadequate school funding. by jonpelto Fellow Connecticut blogger and public education advocate Wendy Lecker had a “Must Read” piece in the Stamford Advocate last week that was then picked up by Valarie Strauss in the Washington Post. Wendy is heading up Connecticut’s new Parents Across America Chapter, is a former president of the Stamford Parent Teacher Council and previously worked as an attorney in a major school funding lawsuit in New York. You can find this full p... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Romney's version of corporate socialism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Romney's version of corporate socialism: Romney's version of corporate socialism by Mike Klonsky Anthony Gardner, writing for Bloomberg, reports that Mitt Romney's specialty during his years at Bain Capital, was privatizing gains and socializing investment losses. *What’s clear from a review of the public record during his management of the private-equity firm Bain Capital from 1985 to 1999 is that Romney was fabulously successful in generating high returns for its investors. He did so, in large part, through heavy use of tax-deductible debt, u... more »

Geaux Teacher!: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Geaux Teacher!: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY?: A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY? by noreply@blogger.com (Lee Barrios, M.Ed., NBCT) Governor Jindal and his superintendent John White say that parents know best what is right for their children. This blog was written by a parent who has decided to compare what JINDAL and WHITE say is right for his child and his own research so that he can make the right CHOICE! Background - The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Louisiana Association of Educators and 30 Louisiana School Boards have sued the State of Louisiana regarding the consti... more »

Stocks and jocks. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Stocks and jocks. « Fred Klonsky: Stocks and jocks. by Fred Klonsky I was invited on a local Chicago radio show to talk about teacher pensions. The morning show is called *Stocks and Jocks.* Luckily they didn’t ask me any jock questions. Or any stock questions, for that matter. *Stocks and Jocks* is a radio show that is aimed at the small investor. The host, Tom “The Chief” Haugh, has a certain populist approach to investment issues. At one point he even offered to join me in hanging some of the Mediator’s report due out. CPS and CTU still need to bargain it. by Fred Klonsky The re... more »

Schools Matter: The New Totalitarianism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago

Schools Matter: The New Totalitarianism: The New Totalitarianism by Judy Rabin *Sara Robinson at AlterNet offers a sobering assessment of our new reality under corporate domination and why public education is intentionally being destroyed along with academic freedom and critical thinking. Have a good day.* *Education: Testing, Not Teaching* My eighth-grade civics teacher used to terrify our class with grim stories about the education endured by our unlucky peers in the USSR. Communist education, she said, was nothing but rote learning -- no discussion, no critical thinking skills,... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Jesse Sharkey, CTU vice-president *"We've said to our teachers that we want fair compensation. We've also said we want a better (school) day and we want to make sure class sizes don't spike. (Our members) know that we simply don't have a wage demand." * -- Chicago Tribune Jacky Grimshaw *“If he [Rahm] ignores the community, if he ignores the aldermen, if he continues to be driven by what comes out of his brain and those of his advisors to the exclusion of the community, that’s a problem for him. Th... more »

Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues - High School Notes (usnews.com)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues - High School Notes (usnews.com): Schools Regularly Restrain, Seclude Students With Behavioral Issues By KELSEY SHEEHY July 16, 2012 RSS Feed Print [image: Inclusion and positive reinforcement can help high school teachers curb students’ disruptive behavior.] Inclusion, positive reinforcement, and individual attention can prevent disruptive behavior in students. Physical restraint and seclusion are ineffective tools for managing students with developmental and behavioral disorders, experts say. But both approaches a... more »

Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education - Education - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education - Education - GOOD: Why the Ticking Time Bomb of 'Sequestration' Could Decimate Education by Gene Carter [image: congress] Congress has concocted a ticking time bomb that is set to go off on the nation's K-12 schools, colleges, and universities in January 2013. "Sequestration," a term you will be hearing more about in the coming months, is a fancy legislative word for cutting funding after it has already been budgeted. In practice, what this means is that Congress takes back federal funds after they've been dis... more »

Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice | California Progress Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago

Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice | California Progress Report: Critical Questions Democrats Must Ask About School Choice by megan *By Jeff Bryant* Campaign for America's Future Left-leaning people everywhere recently got a hoot when the Texas Republican Party declared its opposition to the teaching of "Higher Order Thinking Skills," including "critical thinking skills," in public schools. Although a party spokesperson later back-peddled from that statement -- saying that including "critical thinking skills" in their declaration was a "mistake" -- there's li... more »

Selling Schools Out | Corporate Accountability | The Investigative Fund

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

Selling Schools Out | Corporate Accountability | The Investigative Fund: Selling Schools Out Under the banner of high-tech progress, corporate lobbyists have rammed through legislation privatizing K-12 education across the country. If the national movement to "reform" public education through vouchers, charters and privatization has a laboratory, it is Florida. It was one of the first states to undertake a program of "virtual schools" — charters operated online, with teachers instructing students over the Internet — as well as one of the first to use vouchers to channel taxpayer... more »

4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: 4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall?: 4LAKids Backgroumd: STACK RANKING, Microsoft’s Downfall? *MICROSOFT’S DOWNFALL: INSIDE THE EXECUTIVE E-MAILS AND CANNIBALISTIC CULTURE THAT FELLED A TECH GIANT*[image: clip_image002] BY VANITY FAIR FROM VF DAILY | HTTP://VNTY.FR/PCV0OA12:00 AM, July 3 2012 [image: clip_image004] Microsoft C.E.O. Steve Ballmer delivers the keynote address at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, on January 9. Analyzing one of American corporate history’s greatest mysteries... more »

Mittens. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Mittens. « Fred Klonsky: Mittens. by Fred Klonsky

Louisiana Turnaround: Year One - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago

Louisiana Turnaround: Year One - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: Louisiana Turnaround: Year One by Nancy Flanagan If you're a regular reader of *Teacher in a Strange Land*, you know I've been closely following a turnaround school in Louisiana this year. I had the rich experience of doing professional development work with the staff--at the very beginning, when a potent stew of wariness and possibility filled the room, and a midpoint workshop where trust had taken root and teachers were sharing their beliefs about good teaching, even if it wasn't the party line... more »

What the Bushies “Fail to Acknowledge” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

What the Bushies “Fail to Acknowledge” | Scathing Purple Musings: What the Bushies “Fail to Acknowledge” by Bob Sikes While the *Ocala Star-Banner *published the effort of Jeb Bush mouthpiece Matt Lander this morning, editor Brad Rogers clearly doesn’t agree with him. Writes Rogers: What Ladner and his associates fail to acknowledge, though, is what has been sacrificed in the name of FCAT success. Huge numbers of children have been denied electives so they can be warehoused in remediation classes, decimating bands, athletic teams, and what’s left of our music and art programs. S... more »

Point of View: Involve teachers, parents in schools | jacksonville.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Point of View: Involve teachers, parents in schools | jacksonville.com: Point of View: Involve teachers, parents in schools *Posted:* July 14, 2012 - 12:06am | *Updated:* July 14, 2012 - 2:17am During his visit to City Hall Tuesday night, Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson listened to citizens and managed to drive nearly all his responses back to the theme on which we all agree: We must improve educational outcomes for all of our children. In a state where the dominant education reform narrative has flipped public dialogue like a tidal wave, it’s important to take stock... more »

Growing Up in the South, 3 « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago

Growing Up in the South, 3 « Diane Ravitch's blog: Growing Up in the South, 3 by dianerav I posted two other reminiscences of growing up in the South in the years before the Brown decision was implemented. I reiterate that I am not suggesting that there is less segregation today than there was in the 1950s; there may be even more. But so much was qualitatively different, and I find it valuable to recall what the qualitative differences were. There were no black mayors or Congressmen, no blacks on television or in the films. All public (and private) facilities in the South were se... more »

Schools Matter: Where your tax dollars are going: More testing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago

Schools Matter: Where your tax dollars are going: More testing: Where your tax dollars are going: More testing by skrashen Sent to the Los Angeles Times, July 15 “… the relentless emphasis on covering tested material” with the resulting de-emphasis on creative and critical thinking, so necessary in today’s world (“Education's pendulum: Thinkers or test takers?, July 15), is going to get worse. The reaction of the US Department of Education to the excessive testing demanded by No Child Left Behind is to do it harder: Test more grade levels, more subjects, and add interim tests. ... more »

IRS Examining Charter Schools and the for-profit tax consulting firms are rubbing their hands in delight | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago

IRS Examining Charter Schools and the for-profit tax consulting firms are rubbing their hands in delight | Dailycensored.com: IRS Examining Charter Schools and the for-profit tax consulting firms are rubbing their hands in delight by Danny Weil *Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP has a team of attorneys dedicated to serving all aspects of charter school operations, from formation, to tax qualification, to charter school financing, to personnel and operational issues.* A reader sent the following article about IRS scrutiny of the financial management of charters, especially for-profit... more »

Mother Crusader: What's The Cost Of Four Cyber Charters in Newark? $17.5 Million.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Mother Crusader: What's The Cost Of Four Cyber Charters in Newark? $17.5 Million.: What's The Cost Of Four Cyber Charters in Newark? $17.5 Million. by darciecima Yesterday we took an in-depth look at how Benjamin Rayer was able to get a his cyber charters approved. Today I want to take a look at how the state managed to push FOUR cyber charters through, all in the same city, including one that will ultimately serve the whole state but initially pulled all of the start-up funds from Newark. Before we get started, let's look at where the NJDOE *couldn't* get one through, and wh... more »

Utah Public Forum on the Common Core | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago

Utah Public Forum on the Common Core | Truth in American Education: Utah Public Forum on the Common Core by chascherrie Public Forum on Common Core (July 10, 2012) in Utah This video features the following four presentors: Emmett McGroarty from the American Principles Project Dr. Bill Evers from the Hoover Institute at Stanford Jamie Gass, Director of the Pioneer Institute Kent Talbot, Former counsel to the DoEd under G.W. Bush Popout

Where is Penny Pritzker? Too much of an embarrassment for Obama but not for Rahm. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Where is Penny Pritzker? Too much of an embarrassment for Obama but not for Rahm. « Fred Klonsky: Where is Penny Pritzker? Too much of an embarrassment for Obama but not for Rahm. by Fred Klonsky This morning’s New York Times answers the question, “Where in the world is Penny Pritzker?” Penny headed up President Obama’s fund-raising operation in the 2008 campaign. But in appears that this time around she has pulled back or has been pushed aside because she is simply too much of an embarrassment to the Obama campaign. For nearly three years the family-run Hyatt Hotel chain has been ... more »

Weekly Update: The KIPP charter school hustle, eight year olds grading their teachers in Georgia and more on Bill Gates | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago

Weekly Update: The KIPP charter school hustle, eight year olds grading their teachers in Georgia and more on Bill Gates | Seattle Education: Weekly Update: The KIPP charter school hustle, eight year olds grading their teachers in Georgia and more on Bill Gates by seattleducation2011 *The Weekly Update: News you might have missed.* With Initiative 1240, the charter school initiative backed by Bill Gates who has provided $1M to the cause, looking like it will be appearing on the ballot this fall, more folks are starting to talk about charter schools in our state. Fortunately the wor... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Virtual Cronies

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Jersey Jazzman: Virtual Cronies: Virtual Cronies by Duke Darcie Cimarusti, in a stellar bit of reporting, breaks down the cronyism behind the approval of two "blended learning" charter schools that rely heavily on online learning for their education model. Despite the reports fromPennsylvania, Ohio and the rest of the nation about corruption, exorbitant prices, and poor results from cyber charters, New Jersey seems determined to plow ahead. Why is that? Why don't we put the brakes on these questionable schools, as NJ Assemblyman Patrick Diegnansuggests? Why not take the time to... more »

Why Administrators Don’t Care about Content-and Why It Matters « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago

Why Administrators Don’t Care about Content-and Why It Matters « Diane Ravitch's blog: Why Administrators Don’t Care about Content-and Why It Matters by dianerav A reader responds to our discussion about the importance of content and explains how administrators matter in relation to content. If they are indifference to content it shapes their vision and their behavior: *I am a professor of educational administration and I’m struck by how little content area knowledge is required to become a principal or superintendent. Standards related to administrator certification seldom (if ev... more »

The Negro Motorist “Green Book” 1949 |

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

The Negro Motorist “Green Book” 1949 |: The Negro Motorist “Green Book” 1949 Posted on January 7, 2011 | 14 Comments This is new to us: The Negro Motorist Green Book is the subject of today’s “Little-Known Black History Fact.” The Negro Motorist Green Book was a publication released in 1936 that served as a guide for African-American travelers. Because of the racist conditions that existed from segregation, blacks needed a reference manual to guide them to integrated or black-friendly establishments. That’s when they turned to “The Negro Motorist Green Book: An International Travel ... more »

Bartenders Push Tougher NCLB | Mr. Teachbad

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Bartenders Push Tougher NCLB | Mr. Teachbad: Bartenders Push Tougher NCLB FAKE EDUCATION NEWS –Atlanta, GA In a rare foray into education policy advocacy, the National Bartenders Association (NBA) will begin lobbying members of Congress next week for a tougher rewrite of the Bush-era national education law, *No Child Left Behind*. As originally written and passed in 2001, NCLB mandated that 100 percent of children be proficient in reading and math by 2013. Speaking from the group’s headquarters in Atlanta, David Craver, president of the NBA, told *Teach... more »

Stand Together for our Children

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Stand Together for our Children: 19th Ward Parents Organization: Promoting Quality Education for All Quote of the Week: “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead About Us We are residents of the 19th ward in Chicago fighting for a quality education for all students. Our Work We work together to ensure a quality public education for all students in CPS, while reaching out to other groups who share our vision. Whether you’re ready to lend a hand at one of our events, you ne... more »

Why the Big Investment in Hardware? « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Why the Big Investment in Hardware? « Diane Ravitch's blog: Why the Big Investment in Hardware? by dianerav Con Academy Browse Con Academy library of over 3,100 educational videos... The Broad-trained superintendent of Huntsville, Alabama, has purchased 22,000 laptops and iPads for the students in the district. This is the same superintendent who contracted to send recalcitrant students to live in a teepee until they learned to behave. The laptops and iPads are being readied for use this fall. Nothing has been said about the curriculum that these machines are supposed to teach/fac... more »

Secular group chides Georgia school district for ‘lack of respect for the First Amendment’ | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Secular group chides Georgia school district for ‘lack of respect for the First Amendment’ | The Raw Story: Secular group chides Georgia school district for ‘lack of respect for the First Amendment’ [image: Female High School student (Flickr/Casey Lessard)] Topics: freedom from religion foundation ♦ Houston County Schools ♦ school mottos The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has called on a school district in Georgia to prevent teachers and other officials from promoting Christianity to their students. “School-aged children are a captive audience,” the group wrote in a let... more »

Daily Kos: Time as Capital: The Rise of the Frantic Class

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Daily Kos: Time as Capital: The Rise of the Frantic Class: Time as Capital: The Rise of the Frantic Class byplthomasEdDFollow Share2 PERMALINK1 COMMENT Imagine a world where time is capital. This is the dystopian future of 2161 brought to film by Andrew Niccol's *In Time* (2011)—triggering some powerful parallels to *Logan's Run* (both the original novel from 1967 and thefilm adaptation in 1976). Both *Logan's Run* and *In Time* expose the human condition in terms of age and mortality—in the first, life ends at 30, and in the latter, people stop aging at 25, but at a price, which ... more »

L.A. Times Writes Shockingly Good Editorial On Schools — With Convenient Amnesia | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

L.A. Times Writes Shockingly Good Editorial On Schools — With Convenient Amnesia | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…: L.A. Times Writes Shockingly Good Editorial On Schools — With Convenient Amnesia July 15, 2012 by Larry Ferlazzo | 0 comments 2 The Los Angeles Times, the paper guilty of pioneering extraordinary moral lapse of publishing teacher’s value-added ranking (see The Best Posts About The LA Times Article On “Value-Added” Teacher Ratings) just published a shockingly good editorial titled Education’s pendelum: Thinkers or test takers? After warning that countries that ou... more »

Energy, Power and the Leader-sphere - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago

Energy, Power and the Leader-sphere - Arlington, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators: Energy, Power and the Leader-sphere Have you ever thought about the difference between energy and power? We use them interchangeably when discussing fuel, but not so much when discussing people. Energy is the availability of power, and power is the ability to get things done. Today’s young professionals expect to be both energized and empowered, and organizations are quickly morphing to meet the challenge and the opportunity. Consider it in t... more »

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Monday, July 16, 2012

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