Last Week's Best Posts on Big Education Ape 2-11-12 » PostRank 2-4 #EDchat #EDreform #sosmarch #p2 #1u

Last Week's Best Posts on Big Education Ape » PostRank 

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This Week's 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit

2012-Feb-11

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:And the good news is: GRANADA HILLS CHARTER, WEST HIGH WIN REGIONAL ACADEMIC DECATHLONSsmf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 7 hours agoThe four highest scores in the nation are from LAUSD: Granada Hills, Marshall, El Camino Real + Franklin By Rick Rojas, Los Angeles Times |http://lat.ms/xNC2ob West High's coach, Ann Cortina, hugs student Vidya Premkumar. The team from Torrance won the Los Angeles County regional academic ...

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Daily Kos: What if this is my last year in the classroom?

2012-Feb-11

Daily Kos: What if this is my last year in the classroom?:What if this is my last year in the classroom?by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)Sometime within next two weeks I will find out if I made it to the interview stage for a free doctorate at Harvard. In early April I will find out if I will be offered a fellowship at Columbia that would enable me to write a book. Both of these are quite unlikely, but the fact I applied ...

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This Week's The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post

2012-Feb-11

The Answer Sheet - A School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:Academic ‘walkthrough’ teams: Surreally realValerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 hour agoThis *was written by Andrew Ganim, a Philadelphia resident who shared a version of this story as testimony to the School Reform Commission last month. This first appeared on the * * The Philadelphia Public School Notebook blog. * * * Read full article [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to ...

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First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates 2nd Anniversary of Let's Move - Hispanically Speaking News

2012-Feb-11

First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates 2nd Anniversary of Let's Move - Hispanically Speaking News:First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates Second Anniversary of Let’s Move!Expansion of HealthierUS School Challenge Boosts Nutritional Outcomes for Nation’s SchoolchildrenFirst Lady Michelle Obama joined students, Top Chef chef’testants and the Dallas Cowboys at the Kleberg-Rylie Recreation Center today to highlight the Dallas Independent School Districts efforts to foster healthy, nutritious school environments as part of her three-day nationwide tour celebrating the second anniversary of Let’s Move!“The First ...

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RheeFirst! » Michelle Rhee: the company she keeps

2012-Feb-10

RheeFirst! » Michelle Rhee: the company she keeps:Michelle Rhee: the company she keepsby adminGuns, Rick Santorum, the Koch brothers, Islamophobia and Michelle Rheeby admin(Photo credit: Joe Foss Institute)Written by GottaLaff for The Political Carnival. Read the entire post here.“Remember Michelle Rhee? She has stripped Tennessee teachers of their collective bargaining rights. She likes to pretend that she’s a moderate, but, her record proves otherwise. She played a role in passing an anti-union bill and even co-authored an op-ed with Former ...

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A Shameless Display on Waivers :: Frederick M. Hess

2012-Feb-10

A Shameless Display on Waivers :: Frederick M. Hess:A Shameless Display on Waiversby Frederick M. Hess • Feb 10, 2012 at 9:25 amCross-posted from Education Week Print Send RSS ShareThe Obama administration made its big NCLB "waiver" announcement yesterday, getting the predictable, fawning edu-coverage. The announcement featured President Obama bragging, "After waiting far too long for Congress to reform No Child Left Behind, my Administration is giving states the opportunity to set higher, more honest standards in exchange for more ...

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Why Obama’s NCLB waivers aren’t what he says they are - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

2012-Feb-10

Why Obama’s NCLB waivers aren’t what he says they are - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Why Obama’s NCLB waivers aren’t what he says they areby Valerie StraussPresident Obama sounded like the king of flexibility when he announced that his administration was granting 10 states the right to ignore the most onerous requirements of No Child Left Behind. “Sounded” is the key word in that sentence.Read full article The loss of solitude in schoolsby Valerie StraussThis was written by ...

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LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]: LAist

2012-Feb-9

LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]: LAist:LAUSD Elementary Schools Could Soon Offer 100% Less Arts Education [UPDATED]Photo by Valeriy Lebedev via ShutterstockFor many children, a chance to do some artwork, make some music, or get up on a stage is the highlight of their school day, and a opportunity to learn lessons in a creative way. But the Los Angeles Unified School District is looking to take that away from their elementary school students, with ...

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In Boston: Arne Says We Must Invest in Education | ED.gov Blog

2012-Feb-8

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A Conversation on Personalizing Education Tutorpedia Foundation Fundraiser: For The Love of Education - San Francisco

2012-Feb-8

Tutorpedia Foundation Fundraiser: For The Love of Education - Eventbrite:A Conversation on Personalizing Education Our Wednesday, February 15th fundraising event at 111 Minna Gallery from 6-9pm in downtown San Francisco will feature a panel conversation focusing on the most effective ways to personalize education for our students.Our list of speakers includes:Alan Lowenthal, State Senator and Chair of Senate Education CommitteeLinda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor, Stanford University School of Education, Author of "The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment ...

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Workers & Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FL « Continuing Change

2012-Feb-8

Workers Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FL « Continuing Change:Workers Working Families “Welcome” Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker Today. Naples, FLby gatorbonbcWisconsin … SW Florida residents and Wear Red for Ed has joined with the AFL CIO and many other activists/organizations to rally/protest the visit of Wisconsin’s Gov Scott Walker in Naples, FL today. We will be sure to let him know we do not need another Scott in Florida… we have Rick Scott…and he is one ...

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Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protesters - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

2012-Feb-8

Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protesters - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools:Michelle Rhee comes to Oakland, is greeted by protestersBy Katy MurphyTuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 9:55 pm in Uncategorized.The well-known former chancellor of Washington, D.C.’s public schools spoke tonight at a private event organized by the Oakland Speaker Series at the Paramount Theatre.Michelle Rhee, who founded the Sacramento-based advocacy group StudentsFirst in 2010, after leaving her chancellor’s post, has challenged many ...

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Anti-Charter School Resolutions in Washington State Including one from a PTA | Seattle Education

2012-Feb-8

Anti-Charter School Resolutions in Washington State Including one from a PTA | Seattle Education:Anti-Charter School Resolutions in Washington State Including one from a PTAby seattleducation2011Even though the House and Senate charter school bills both died in committee last week the battle still rages on. This in part due to Rodney Tom, State Senator for Bellevue, who halted the review of all bills brought into the Senate education committee because the charter school bill was not allowed review and also due ...

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An essay on what our children need | Seattle Education

2012-Feb-7

An essay on what our children need | Seattle Education:An essay on what our children needby seattleducation2011“When will the conversation shift away from non-issues like choice, competition, bad teachers, and test scores, to finally focus on the kinds of reform that would actually make a difference in these kids’ lives?”I am re-posting an excerpt of an essay written by Katie Osgood who is a special education teacher working in a psychiatric hospital in Chicago. The original post is on Anthony ...

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Schools Matter: Evolution (?) of Arne Duncan's position on the use of standardized tests for teacher evaluation

2012-Feb-7

Schools Matter: Evolution (?) of Arne Duncan's position on the use of standardized tests for teacher evaluation:Evolution (?) of Arne Duncan's position on the use of standardized tests for teacher evaluationby skrashenArne Duncan’s position on the use of value-added test scores seems to have changed in the last two years. In August, 2010, he seems to be saying that test score gains are a measure of teacher effectiveness. In May, 2011, he seems to want to use value-added measures as ...

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Secretary of Education Calls for Comprehensive Reform | News | The Harvard Crimson

2012-Feb-7

Secretary of Education Calls for Comprehensive Reform | News | The Harvard Crimson:Secretary of Education Calls for Comprehensive ReformBy ELIZABETH S. AURITT, CRIMSON STAFF WRITERPublished: Tuesday, February 07, 2012COMMENTEMAILPRINT During a speech at the Graduate School of Education on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne S. Duncan ’86 said that schools should not limit the scope of their focus and support to a child’s life within the classroom.“Educators should be attacking both in-school and out-of-school problems,” said Duncan to an ...

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Background on the Exhibits, Students and Competitions at the White House Science Fair | The White House

2012-Feb-6

Background on the Exhibits, Students and Competitions at the White House Science Fair | The White House:Background on the Exhibits, Students and Competitions at the White House Science Fairby The White House Background on the Exhibits, Students and Competitions at the White House Science FairThe second White House Science Fair celebrates over 100 students from over 45 states, representing over 40 different competitions and organizations that work with students and inspire them to excel in STEM. A subset of the ...

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Texas Ed Chief Calls Testing “a Perversion of its Original Intent” and Testing Corporations a “Military Industrial Complex” | Scathing Purple Musings

2012-Feb-6

Texas Ed Chief Calls Testing “a Perversion of its Original Intent” and Testing Corporations a “Military Industrial Complex” | Scathing Purple Musings:Texas Ed Chief Calls Testing “a Perversion of its Original Intent” and Testing Corporations a “Military Industrial Complex”by Bob SikesTexas Education Commissioner Robert Scott sure wandered off the ed reform reservation. A link this morning from Gradebook’s Jeff Solocheck pointed to a NY Times article which attributed this to Scott:“In a high-level turnaround, Robert Scott, the commissioner of the ...

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The Port Huron Statement at 50! « Bill Ayers

2012-Feb-6

The Port Huron Statement at 50! « Bill Ayers:The Port Huron Statement at 50!by billayersBy Alexander CockburnFifty years ago, a group of students in the American Midwest issued a document rather portentously titled “The Port Huron Statement.” It was the founding manifesto of Students for a Democratic Society and became one of the most famous documents of that momentous and creative decade.Read any history of the upsurges in the United States in the 1960s written over the past three decades ...

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TEMECULA: Board surrenders charter to district

2012-Feb-6

TEMECULA: Board surrenders charter to district:TEMECULA: Board surrenders charter to districtStoryDiscussionBy JENNIFER KABBANY For The Californian | Posted: Saturday, February 4, 2012 6:00 pm | 1 CommentFont Size:Default font sizeLarger font sizeRelated StoriesTEMECULA: Context founder wonders what's nextTEMECULA: Context charter school to closeThe remaining three members of Context Middle School's board voted to surrender the embattled school's charter to the Temecula school district at a short but fiery meeting Friday night.After the 3-0 vote, which came without discussion, several parents ...

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Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Blog Film Festival

2012-Feb-6

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Blog Film Festival:Seattle Schools Blog Film Festivalby Charlie MasI don't know how other people's minds work, but I often get a sort of spark of an idea. It's as if I see it brilliantly, but only for a split second. Then, although everything has gone dark and I can't find it anymore, I know the answer is out there. We're all familiar with this experience. You're working on a problem and all of a ...

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The U Mass Superbowl “Riot” That Wasn’t « Student Activism

2012-Feb-6

The U Mass Superbowl “Riot” That Wasn’t « Student Activism:The U Mass Superbowl “Riot” That Wasn’tby Angus JohnstonNo time for a full treatment of this right now, but can I just point out something?There wasn’t a Superbowl riot at U Mass last night.The AP story on last night’s events on campus says there were no hospitalizations, and no property damage. A university spokesperson says there were a few fistfights, but all thirteen of the student arrests were for either disorderly ...

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Me? Give money to the Democratic Senate election committee? You’ve got to be kidding. « Fred Klonsky

2012-Feb-6

Me? Give money to the Democratic Senate election committee? You’ve got to be kidding. « Fred Klonsky:Me? Give money to the Democratic Senate election committee? You’ve got to be kidding.by Fred KlonskyMy phone rings yesterday afternoon.“Fred Klonsky?”Who is calling?“I’m calling on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Election Committee…”What?“The Democrats are all up for re-election and…”No they’re

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Educational Bill Tracking « Tangerine, Florida

2012-Feb-6

Educational Bill Tracking « Tangerine, Florida:Educational Bill Trackingby 5redherrings• HB 1191 Parent Empowerment in Education (aka Parent Trigger) passed the House Rulemaking and Regulation Committee by a vote of 8 to 6 — ALMOST along party lines. The committee heard and passed the “delete everything” (aka strike-all) amendment. There are significant problems with this version.The bill in its current form would:- Allow parents to petition the school district requesting the implementation of a parent-selected turnaround option when a school does ...

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Shanker Blog » Fundamental Flaws In The IFF Report On D.C. Schools

2012-Feb-6

Shanker Blog » Fundamental Flaws In The IFF Report On D.C. Schools:Fundamental Flaws In The IFF Report On D.C. Schoolsby Matthew Di CarloA new report, commissioned by the District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray and conducted by the Chicago-based real estate consulting firm IFF, was supposed to provide guidance on how the District might act and invest strategically in school improvement, including optimizing the distribution of students across schools, many of which are either over- or under-enrolled.Needless to say, this ...

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Hechinger Report | Using value-added data to evaluate Tennessee teachers

2012-Feb-6

Hechinger Report | Using value-added data to evaluate Tennessee teachers:Using value-added data to evaluate Tennessee teachersby Sarah GarlandTo close the achievement gap between poor and affluent students in Tennessee, some students may need to learn at double the rate of their high-performing peers, according to Tennessee Department of Education materials.But this goal could create a potential Catch-22 for teachers, who for the first time this year will be measured—and rated—on whether all of their students make large gains on standardized ...

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NYC Educator: Consider This

2012-Feb-6

NYC Educator: Consider This:Consider Thisby NYC EducatorIn Topeka, you can make 5,000 bucks extra in merit pay if you get those scores up. So, the writer wonders, why would you help anyone who was not your student? After all, every minute you spend helping those other kids is a minute lost from propping up the test scores you need to survive.That scenario could be even worse if demagogues Bloomberg and Cuomo get their way. Cuomo wants 40% of your rating ...

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Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Nite Posts 2-5 #edreform #ows

2012-Feb-5

10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standards « Cooperative CatalystBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-23 minutes ago10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standards « Cooperative Catalyst:10 Reasons the Tests Are Lowering Our Standardsfrom Cooperative Catalyst » 5 questions about everything by John T. Spencerwe’re creating shallow zombies in the name of high standardsOften, the proponents of the drill-and-kill testing environment hold up the banner of “high standards” as a rationale for excessive testing. I disagree with this ...