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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

2011 Unpublished GQ Interview [Mr. Vilson vs. Jose Part 3] | The Jose Vilson

2011 Unpublished GQ Interview [Mr. Vilson vs. Jose Part 3] | The Jose Vilson:

2011 Unpublished GQ Interview [Mr. Vilson vs. Jose Part 3]

Mr. Vilson (left) vs. Jose (right)

For some reason, GQ Magazine (Yes, Gentlemen’s Quarterly) decided not to publish their interview with me for Man of the Year 2011. Those of us who’ve been occupying and marching on Washington, DC, got a little shine via Time Magazine’s Person of the Year issue as “The Protestor.” Obviously, we can do better. I know, I know. I’m as disappointed as you are. At some point, I’m hoping teachers get some props nationwide. But at least they passed me the first draft of the interview, and here’s what we came up with. Enjoy.

Interviewer: We have in this chair, Jose Vilson, writer, activist, and Spongebob enthusiast. He’s been rather critical of the testing industry and the proliferation of corporate rule in public schools. In the other chair, we have Mr. Vilson, math coach and teacher in a NYC public school. He handles data, technology, and a plethora of other hats, or should I say Kangols, for his school. Let’s start with this question: what’s it like working for one of

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Reflections on my Schools

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Reflections on my Schools:

Reflections on my Schools

I have not really contributed much to this blog so far this school year. Since we are almost finished with first semester, I would like to share some thoughts and observations about Ingraham and Rainier Beach.

I can see why there was such outrage at Ingraham last year over the termination of Mr. Floe. He is a very good principal (and in case Mr. Floe reads this, I’m not just saying it because he is my evaluator!!!) He is a very strong leader, but at the same time gives the staff as much freedom as they need to do what is best to educate the students. He has assembled a very strong faculty who really knows what they are doing. This strength goes beyond the faculty and includes the other administrators and support staff. I am very impressed and I feel very supported. There is calmness to Ingraham that I feel that makes it easy to teach.

I have the same schedule that I had last year. I am teaching Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Algebra 2 Honors. My

Charter Schools Rarely Closed For Academic Performance: Report

Charter Schools Rarely Closed For Academic Performance: Report:

Charter Schools Rarely Closed For Academic Performance: Report

Charter School Closure

Posted: 12/21/11 08:18 PM ET


In nearly two decades, only 3 percent of charter schools have ever been closed for underperforming, according to a new report released Tuesday.

The Center for Education Reform, a pro-charter advocacy group, traced charter-school closures since 1992 in what it called the "first-ever national analysis" of its kind. It found that 15 percent of 6,700 charter schools have been shuttered, and 18 percent of those closures were attributed to academic underperformance. Other prevalent reasons charter schools were closed include financial deficiencies (41.7 percent), mismanagement (24 percent), district-related issues and facilities problems.

The data is key to deciphering whether charter schools -- which are publicly funded but can be independently run -- are holding up their end of the



#EDreform Only the strongest will survive

Sacramento Press / The Occupy movement struggles to resonate within the black community #ows

Sacramento Press / The Occupy movement struggles to resonate within the black community:

The Occupy movement struggles to resonate within the black community

by Rashad Baadqir, published on December 21, 2011 at 4:33 PM


For the past few months cities across America have seen crowds of protestors taking to the streets angered by the state of the U.S. economy in the wake of noticeable corporate greed, Wall Street failures, and home lending corruption scandals to name a few gripes. In what has become known as the “Occupy Wall Street” or “OWS” movement, citizen discourse has largely become a protest of “We won’t take it anymore” politics, against the widening wealth divide and continued mistrust of a political system. A type of corporate-political combo agenda that has seemingly sold out main

Big Education Ape: 12-21-11 PM More Angels Under the Bus EDition #edreform #ows

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

Published by Coopmike48 – 8 news spotters today

More Angels Under the Bus

jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com - An update to my post about two schools in Newark whose students and staff were misrepresented by a child advocacy group, the press, and the Newark superintendent:Branch Brook is the elementary scho...

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More Georgia Schools Accused of Cheating

nytimes.com - Investigators who this year found rampant cheating among Atlanta public school teachers and principals released another report on Tuesday detailing widespread wrongdoing in another Georgia county. ...

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coopmike48 Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Not Backing Down, Run for U.S. Senate - Hispanically Speaking News -goo.gl/2TOZ325 seconds ago · reply · retweet · favorite

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coopmike48 Buying gadgets for kids, holiday sanity tips, new suicide prevention program | EdNews Parent - goo.gl/bRbOZ28 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

EducationSee all

In Defense of the Mic Check

huffingtonpost.com - After years of attending Chicago Board of Education monthly meetings, on December 14, 2011 I felt like I left one where the community was actually heard, by the public and by the board. During the ...

tbfurman

SocietySee all

VP Biden's Brother Frank Has an IRS Problem

btownerrant.com - photo by D'Arcy Norman In his role as president of the for-profit charter school company, Mavericks in Education Florida, Francis W. Biden is paid with taxpayer money. Yet, according to records, Fr...

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Chris Turney’s last letter to me. « Fred Klonsky

preaprez.wordpress.com - Back in the Fall when we were in the thick of the fight against the attack on pensions, Chris Turney invited me to speak to the Dupage County chapter of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association of...

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Cuts for the Already Retired

nytimes.com - Retired police and firefighters from Central Falls, R.I., have agreed to sharp pension cuts, a step thought to be unprecedented in municipal bankruptcy and one that could prompt similar attempts by...

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StoriesSee all

Christmas Arrived Early In Seattle...

sahilachangebringer.blogspot.com - I've already got my Christmas present, as have many Seattle public education advocates: "Seattle scores victory over GATES and BROAD; evicts education deformist superintendent, kicks out/dumps two ...

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PoliticsSee all

Hickenlooper, state appeal Lobato education-funding decision

coloradoindependent.com - Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced today that the state would appeal a recent district judge’s ruling in the Lobato case, which declared that the state has failed to fund a ‘thorough and uni...

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EnvironmentSee all

Blog posts on this issue

whitehouse.gov - The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release December 21, 2011 MEMORANDUM FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCYSUBJECT: Flexible Implementation of the ...

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BusinessSee all

Census: Population slowing in large portions of US

northjersey.com - WASHINGTON — Many states that posted big population gains in the 2010 census are now seeing their decade-long growth fizzle, hurt by a prolonged economic slump that is stretching into larger port...

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#eduRead this paperSee all

In Defense of the Mic Check

huffingtonpost.com - After years of attending Chicago Board of Education monthly meetings, on December 14, 2011 I felt like I left one where the community was actually heard, by the public and by the board. During the ...

tbfurman

NEA Teachers Step Up | ED.gov Blog

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - NEA Teachers Step Up | ED.gov Blog: NEA Teachers Step Up Posted on December 21, 2011 by Arne Duncan Last year the National Education Association (NEA) took a courageous step by creating a Counc...

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