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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top 3-6 AM Posts #soschat #edreform


Aljazeera: THE DISMANTLING OF CALIFORNIA’S SCHOOLS - The most populous US state spends more than five times as much on prisoners than students.

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: Aljazeera: THE DISMANTLING OF CALIFORNIA’S SCHOOLS - The most populous US state spends more than five times as much on its prisoners than on its students.:Aljazeera: THE DISMANTLING OF CALIFORNIA’S SCHOOLS - The most populous US state spends more than five times as much on its prisoners than on its students. BY ROSE AGUILAR | OPINION - AL JAZEERA ENGLISH HTTP://AJE.ME/ZDT6AZLast fall, University of California students struck in solidarity with the ... more »

tomhayden.com - G-8 Withdraws From Chicago Summit: Thank You President Obama! Now End the War in Afghanistan

tomhayden.com - Peace Exchange Bulletin - G-8 Withdraws From Chicago Summit: Thank You President Obama! Now End the War in Afghanistan:G-8 WITHDRAWS FROM CHICAGO SUMMIT: THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA! NOW END THE WAR IN AFGHANISTANMONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012 AT 3:11PMThe breaking news is that President Obama has pulled a very volatile meeting of the G-8 out of Chicago and relocated the event in the relative safety and secrecy of Camp David.The NATO summit still is going forward, for now, in ... more »

A Letter to NYC Parents from NYC Parents: Opt Out of High Stakes Testing | United Opt Out National

A Letter to NYC Parents from NYC Parents: Opt Out of High Stakes Testing | United Opt Out National:A Letter to NYC Parents from NYC Parents: Opt Out of High Stakes Testingby adminIn this letter Jeff Nichols and Anne Stone share their plan and reasons for opting their children out of high stakes testing. Please read and share widely.Dear fellow parents of NYC public school students,We have two children in public elementary schools in Manhattan, and until this year, when ...more »

NATO/G8: Come to Chicago « Bill Ayers

NATO/G8: Come to Chicago « Bill Ayers:NATO/G8: Come to Chicagoby billayers CHICAGO 2012May 18-21, 2012Occupy This/Occupy That!An Open InvitationBernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers The tiny fraternity of concentrated wealth and power that calls itself the Group of Eight (G8) is meeting in Chicago in mid-May, overlapping with representatives of history’s largest global military cohort, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the gently self-named military behemoth dominated by the US.Heads of state, spooks, foreign ministers and generals, cabinet members and secret operatives, ...more »

Jeb Bush Resorts to Faux Democrats and Paid Operatives to Battle Parent Trigger Opposition | Scathing Purple Musings

Jeb Bush Resorts to Faux Democrats and Paid Operatives to Battle Parent Trigger Opposition | Scathing Purple Musings:Jeb Bush Resorts to Faux Democrats and Paid Operatives to Battle Parent Trigger Oppositionby Bob SikesJeb Bush’s education foundation dropped two names in an attempt to crate the impression that democrats were in favor of Florida’s parent trigger legislation:Tallahassee, FL – As the Florida legislature enters into the final week of session, the Parent Trigger continues to gain local and national momentum as ... more »

One Parent’s Open Letter to Florida Senators regarding the “Parent Trigger” bill aka the ‘Corporate Trigger’ – VOTE NO ! « Continuing Change

One Parent’s Open Letter to Florida Senators regarding the “Parent Trigger” bill aka the ‘Corporate Trigger’ – VOTE NO ! « Continuing Change:One Parent’s Open Letter to Florida Senators regarding the “Parent Trigger” bill aka the ‘Corporate Trigger’ – VOTE NO !by gatorbonbcDear Florida Senator,I am a registered voter. I hope you will consider this information before you vote on the Senate parent empowerment (aka parent trigger) bill.Did you know that in Florida, of the the 2.6 million students in ... more »

msnbc video: Why education is portrayed in a negative light

msnbc video: Why education is portrayed in a negative light:Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyWhy education is portrayed in a negative lightJoel Klein of News Corps’ Education Division, shares his thoughts on Rick Santorum’s comments that President Barack Obama is a “snob” for wanting people to go to college. education is one of the biggest challenge s facing our country. we have not heard about it much. except for santorum calling the president a ... more »

When does a police search of a student cross the line? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

When does a police search of a student cross the line? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook:When does a police search of a student cross the line?by Guest blogger on Mar 05 2012 Posted in Community voicesCOMMENTS (0)PRINTEMAILTags:school climate violenceThis guest blog post comes from Harold Jordan,Notebook board chair and staff member at ACLU of Pennsylvania.The issue of how far a police search of a student can go may play out in a Philadelphia courtroom as result of a federal lawsuit ... more »

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Mid Day Posts 3-5 #edreform #soschat

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLESBig Education Ape - PostRank (PostRank: All)-10 minutes agoMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:WEEKEND QUOTABLESby Mike Klonsky31 were arrested at Virginia protest against law requiring women to have an ultrasound before getting an abortion.Rep. Delores McQuinn"The men and women who marched on Capitol Square have a right to peacefully protest without the threat that they will be arrested for exercising that right. At several recent women’s rights events, there has been an overabundance of police ... more »

Four Warriors, Their Teacher and directions to the White House - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard

Four Warriors, Their Teacher and directions to the White House - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard:Four Warriors, Their Teacher and directions to the White Houseby LilyThere are four children who just left my office in DC. They are actual warriors and so they would probably hate being called children, but teachers and parents can call their children “children” until they graduate and then get jobs and then have children of their own – and even then they will be our ... more »

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Now Taking Private Student Loan Complaints | U.S. Department of Education

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Now Taking Private Student Loan Complaints | U.S. Department of Education:Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Now Taking Private Student Loan ComplaintsMARCH 5, 2012Contact: Office of Public Affairs, (202) 435-7170Washington, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is now accepting complaints from borrowers having difficulties with their private student loans. The CFPB will assist all borrowers experiencing problems taking out a private student loan, repaying their private student loan, or managing a student loan that has gone ... more »

PURE» PSAT for 3-6-12: Crunch time for Senate bill 3239

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 3-6-12: Crunch time for Senate bill 3239:PSAT for 3-6-12: Crunch time for Senate bill 3239by adminTomorrow’s Illinois Senate Education Committee hearing will determine whether the Chicago school closing moratorium bill goes ahead or not.The hearing will take place in Springfield tomorrow, Tuesday, March 6, at 4 pm in Capitol Hearing Room 409.Included on the docket as well is SB 3362 which seeks to reduce class size in Chicago schools. ... more »

Life in Rahm’s Chicago: Penny Pritzker. When charitable giving is nothing more than a scam. « Fred Klonsky

Life in Rahm’s Chicago: Penny Pritzker. When charitable giving is nothing more than a scam. « Fred Klonsky:Life in Rahm’s Chicago: Penny Pritzker. When charitable giving is nothing more than a scam.by Fred KlonskyA reader of this blog wrote to me insisting that my criticism of the billion dollar Pritzker family was unfair. Investigators from Unite Here, the union that represents Hyatt Hotel employees had uncovered that the Pritzker family doesn’t pay their fair share of property taxes in Chicago. ... more »

Millionaires Tax of 2012 : Home Page

Millionaires Tax of 2012 : Home Page:Students organize to protest debt slavery. Join us in Sacramento March 5. Sign the Petition. Support the Millionaires Tax.The Basics of the Millionaires TaxWhat is it? A statewide ballot measure that asks Californians who make over $1 million per year to pay a little bit more to invest in California after years of devastating cuts. Why do we need it? Since 2008, budget cuts have led to big increases in K-12 class sizes, nearly ... more »

Bronx Students Release 10-Point List of Demands to Reform NYPublic Education

Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública:Bronx Students Release 10-Point List of Demands to Reform NYPublic Education Popout In November of 2011, a group of young activists from the Bronx say they’re being deprived of a quality education, and they’re prepared to fight for something better.The Resistance, which was formed through a youth arts organization called The DreamYard A.C.T.I.O.N Project, have developed a 10-point education platform for New York City public schools. The group has also launched aFacebook page ... more »

Home page | First Focus Campaign for Children

Home page | First Focus Campaign for Children: Help for Homeless KidsKids shouldn’t be denied the help they need because government can't agree on defenitions. But U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations deny more than 700,000 homeless children and youth help finding a safe place to stay, counseling to manage the trauma of losing a home, and meeting basic needs like food and clothing.The Homeless Children and Youth Act, sponsored by Illinois Republican Congresswoman Judy Biggert, fixes the ... more »

California Academic Decathlon Website

California Academic Decathlon Website: California Academic DecathlonVOLUNTEERS NEEDED!March 17, 2012, SacramentoThe California Academic Decathlon (CAD) invites you to volunteer for the state championship scheduled for March 17, 2012, in Sacramento, CA. For the past 33 years, CAD has provided this country’s most prestigious academic competition thanks to the support of our volunteers.This year we are expecting 600 high school students, representing 42 counties throughout California, to compete in the CAD championship with the winning school advancing to the national finals ... more »

Why STEM is not enough (and we still need the humanities) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Why STEM is not enough (and we still need the humanities) - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Why STEM is not enough (and we still need the humanities)by Valerie StraussThis was written by Cathy N. Davidson, Paula Barker Duffy, and Martha Wagner Weinberg, who are all council members of the National Council on the Humanities.Davidson is a Duke University professor, and author of Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, ...more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:WEEKEND QUOTABLESby Mike Klonsky31 were arrested at Virginia protest against law requiring women to have an ultrasound before getting an abortion.Rep. Delores McQuinn"The men and women who marched on Capitol Square have a right to peacefully protest without the threat that they will be arrested for exercising that right. At several recent women’s rights events, there has been an overabundance of police presence. In fact, the Capitol Police tactical team has been at all of ... more »

Teachers, students rally against standardized testing

Teachers, students rally against standardized testing:Teachers, students rally against standardized testing Calling for fewer standardized tests, about 65 teachers, students and activists marched Friday from the Capitol to the building that houses the Texas Education Agency."More teaching, fewer tests: education at its best," they chanted, building off comments made by the state's education commissioner in January that questioned whether testing in Texas public schools has gone too far.Students begin taking the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness this ... more »

Get Ready For The Edu-Debt Crisis | California Progress Report

Get Ready For The Edu-Debt Crisis | California Progress Report:Get Ready For The Edu-Debt Crisisby meganBy Jeff BryantLast week the US House of Representatives, with bipartisan support, passed a bill, H.R. 2117, with the misleading title of The Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act.The title is misleading because the bill has absolutely nothing to do with "protecting academic freedom" and everything to do with making our country more vulnerable to a rapacious campaign to turn America's entire system of ... more »

Occupy the Capitol for Education! | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

Occupy the Capitol for Education! | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education:Occupy the Capitol for Education!by adminMonday, March 5, 2012 - 10:00amOCCUPY THE CAPITOL!Monday, March 5, 201210 AM: Mass March * Southside Park (6th T Sts)11 AM: Rally at the Capitol Building12:30 PM: Lunch at the Capitol Building3:30 PM: General Assembly and Nonviolent Direct Action Training to Occupy the Capitol!5:30 PM: RALLY NORTH STEPS in Solidarity with Occupy the CapitolThousands of students, parents, teachers, and workers will flood into ... more »

Editorial: Refreshingly, school board is mending fences - Editorials - The Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Refreshingly, school board is mending fences - Editorials - The Sacramento Bee:Editorial: Refreshingly, school board is mending fencesSharePublished: Monday, Mar. 5, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 9ALast Modified: Monday, Mar. 5, 2012 - 12:17 amThursday night's cordial meeting of the Sacramento City Unified School District board of trustees stands in stark and welcome contrast to several contentious recent board sessions.The main agenda item of the night was a school closure, always a hotly debated subject, but not last ... more »

Seventy-five percent of the students left Milwaukee’s voucher program. Journal says that’s a success? « Fred Klonsky

Seventy-five percent of the students left Milwaukee’s voucher program. Journal says that’s a success? « Fred Klonsky:Seventy-five percent of the students left Milwaukee’s voucher program. Journal says that’s a success?by Fred KlonskyThe Milwaukee Journal, editorializing about a longitudinal study of the city’s voucher program, says:A multiyear study tracking students in both Milwaukee’s private voucher schools and Milwaukee Public Schools found that the voucher schools were exceeding the public schools in several key areas. The report’s findings may be significant, especially ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Now in the Florida Senate. Coming Soon to a Legislature in Your State?

Missouri Education Watchdog: Now in the Florida Senate. Coming Soon to a Legislature in Your State?:Now in the Florida Senate. Coming Soon to a Legislature in Your State?by stlgretchenEducation reform looks more and more like health care reform but with one important caveat. This reform, unlike the Health Care Reform pushed through the US Senate and House, is bi-partisan. Keep an eye out on your state legislature and its stance on school reform. Florida is perhaps the one of the ... more »

Charters choose Brown’s tax plan | Thoughts on Public Education

Charters choose Brown’s tax plan | Thoughts on Public Education:Charters choose Brown’s tax planShareLoyal to governor whose support they can count onPosted on 3/05/12 • Categorized as 2012 election, Charters, Initiatives, Jerry Brown, State Budget, Student spending, TaxesBy John Fensterwald - Educated GuessCharter schools and the state’s largest teachers union rarely find anything to agree about. But the California Charter Schools Assn. is now the second major education group, next to the California Teachers Assn., to endorse Gov. Jerry Brown’s ... more »

NYC Educator: To Know or Not to Know?

NYC Educator: To Know or Not to Know?:To Know or Not to Know?by NYC EducatorMayor Bloomberg is a stalwart supporter of "value-added" scores being released to the public. After all parents need to have this information. The fact that it is thoroughly unreliable, with margins of error so wide you could drive tanks through them is of no importance whatsoever. They need to know!However, there are also things they don't need to know. For example, they don't need to know ... more »