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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 8-22 AM Posts #soschat #edreform



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

Polling the Common Core State Standards | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago
Polling the Common Core State Standards | Truth in American Education: Polling the Common Core State Standards by Shane Vander Hart Phi Delta Kappa International teamed up with Gallup to poll the public attitudes toward public schools. They polled 1,002 Americans who are 18-years of age and older. This year they asked specific questions about the Common Core State Standards. They introduce this section of the polling data: Attempts to create national education standards in the U.S. has stalled until the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Off... more »

Enlightening Minds: Preparing Critical Thinkers for Life After High School — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago
Enlightening Minds: Preparing Critical Thinkers for Life After High School — Whole Child Education: [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Enlightening Minds: Preparing Critical Thinkers for Life After High School August 22, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers *Post written by Karen McDaniels, an associate regional executive director for the Florida Department of Education where she provides literacy support to the most struggling schools in the South Florida area. Connect with McDaniels by e-mail at Karen.mcdaniels@fldoe.org. This post was originally featured in *ASCD Express*.* One of t... more »

Modern School: $1 Billion School Bond Scam in Poway

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago
Modern School: $1 Billion School Bond Scam in Poway: $1 Billion School Bond Scam in Poway by Michael Dunn Poway Unified School District (San Diego County) borrowed $105 million from investors last year to complete a decade-long renovation of its schools. According to the Voice of San Diego, PUSD promised voters in 2008 that it would get the money without raising taxes. Without the increases, it could not afford to purchase a bond and pay it off over 20-30 years, as school districts normally would do. Instead, they took out a capital appreciation bond, which allows it to make no pa... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Latest from Liv Finne

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 57 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Latest from Liv Finne: The Latest from Liv Finne by Charlie Mas Liv Finne has written a blog piece about the WSPTA's vote in opposition to I-1240. The article appears on the Washington Policy Center blog and also on Crosscut. Her premise is that the PTA Legislative Assembly voted to support charter schools, but the WSPTA Board, in a fit of anti-democratic elitism, negated that vote by deciding to voice opposition to I-1240, thereby going against the will of their constituents. It's an effective bit of rhetoric that will be convincing - for fol... more »

Schools, Business, and Market Thinking: Personal Experiences (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools, Business, and Market Thinking: Personal Experiences (Part 1) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Schools, Business, and Market Thinking: Personal Experiences (Part 1) by larrycuban Touting schools as crucial to the nation’s economic productivity and growth dates back to the 1840s. School reformer Horace Mann published data then showing educated workers (with a few years of elementary school) were better in their jobs than those with no schooling. A half-century later, industrialists deeply concerned about competing globally with British and German produc... more »

Recent State Action on Teacher Effectiveness | Bellwether Education Partners

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Recent State Action on Teacher Effectiveness | Bellwether Education Partners: Recent State Action on Teacher Effectiveness by Sara Mead, Bellwether Education Partners Download Report Full Report (*1.1 MB*) Introduction and Criteria (*455 KB*) Background During the 2010, 2011, and 2012 legislative sessions, a combination of federal policy incentives and newly elected governors and legislative majorities in many states following the 2010 elections sparked a wave of legislation addressing teacher effectiveness. More than 20 states passed legislation designed to address educator effecti... more »

Charter schools drain much needed funds

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Charter schools drain much needed funds: Charter schools drain much needed funds BY REP. JAMES R. ROEBUCK READER FEEDBACK Post a comment IN PHILADELPHIA, 2,700 blue-collar workers recently agreed to contribute more than $100 million from their own pockets to save the city's schools and help close the school district's budget shortfall. For these men and women who work every day to keep our schools clean and safe, this is a very real sacrifice. Most earn less than $40,000, even after years on the job. Their sacrifice has brought an end to one battle for now. But the larger war again... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-22-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Can You Answer Her Question re CCSS? by dianerav Kipp Dawson invites others to answer her question: *A question for each of you, and anyone else. In its Winter 2011 issue, the American Federation of Teachers magazine, “American Educator” carried several articles and an editorial touting the benefits of Common Core. One argument in particular grabbed my attention and made sense, at least on the surface. The point was, if we are concerned about children in underfunded schools and in isolated (rural) settings,... more »

High School Students Not Prepared for College, Career - High School Notes (usnews.com)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
High School Students Not Prepared for College, Career - High School Notes (usnews.com): High School Students Not Prepared for College, Career By KELSEY SHEEHY August 22, 2012 RSS Feed Print [image: College entrance exam scores show most students aren’t prepared for college.] College entrance exam scores show most students aren’t prepared for college. Nearly 1.7 million high school graduates took the ACT college entrance exam in 2012, testing their knowledge of four core subjects—English, math, science, and reading. But most of those students are not prepped for success in college or... more »

Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out): Six Degrees of Insanity: 'Reforming' Education *Ohanian Comment:* I have heard any number of professors of education deny that these basic facts about the Common Core. They continue to think they can continue with business as usual, that teachers can continue to teach as usual. I wouldn't care that people remain ensconced in comfortable cocoons but I think that people in positions of authority have a duty to inform teachers of the truth. Paul Thomas reveals the truth. About Diane Ravitch's experience with CNN (see below: In ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Charter school mythology -- Part I, The myth of authentic choice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Charter school mythology -- Part I, The myth of authentic choice: Charter school mythology -- Part I, The myth of authentic choice by Mike Klonsky This is the first part of a three-part series of posts on Charter school mythology. *"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread."* -- Anatole France Current conceptions of school choice were originally conceived by free-market, neo-liberal ideologues like the University of Chicago's Milton Friedman. In hi... more »

School Tech Connect: Gag Me

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Gag Me: Gag Me Nothing like two years of teaching to make you an expert. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of these people just leave, having practiced teaching on poor kids. When this is all said and done, TFA will be seen as one of the most arch-conservative, anti-public education forces of them all. I was a huge, international expert on pedagogy, classroom management, curriculum, and child development in my second year of teaching. Then, ten years later, I was mortified what an arrogant showboat I had been in the early years---there is so much more to ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: EdWeek notices SOS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: EdWeek notices SOS: EdWeek notices SOS by Mike Klonsky [image: SOS Save Our Schools] Thanks EdWeek, for noticing the SOS convention. But why all the focus on divisions or on Bob George's day job, which the article calls a "point of contention"? It isn't? Bob, like most of SOS' leadership, was elected by a vote of the members. What company volunteers work for isn't an issue for EdWeek to gossip about. Shame on them. Do they do this with other reform groups? If you want to talk about who works for who, let's take another look at who underwrites spe... more »

Dougco mulls proposals ending union ties | EdNewsColorado

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Dougco mulls proposals ending union ties | EdNewsColorado: Dougco mulls proposals ending union ties Written by Nancy Mitchell on Aug 22nd, 2012. | Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org CASTLE ROCK – Douglas County school board members on Tuesday said they’re considering asking voters whether the district should sever ties with the teachers union for the foreseeable future. Dougco school board members Dan Gerken, left, and John Carson prepare for Tuesday’s meeting. Three board members proposed three separate ballot questions, each chipping away at what have been traditional district-union ... more »

The Educated Reporter: Gallup Poll Find Split on Education Issues in Presidential Election

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Gallup Poll Find Split on Education Issues in Presidential Election: Gallup Poll Find Split on Education Issues in Presidential Election by Emily Richmond When potential voters' decisions were based solely on a "desire to strengthen public schools," a new Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll gives President Obama a November victory over presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, by a margin of 49 to 44 percent. Given the poll’s margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points, the race would be almost too close to call, said William Bushaw, executive director of PDK Inte... more »

Big Education Ape Nite Cap UPDATE 8-21-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
*UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* The New York Times and Why Adding More Educators To Your Panel Matters by Jose Last year around this time, I criticized the New York Times for not having many K-12 educators on their panel. Excuse me, for having *maybe* three current teachers and another handful of former teachers out of a possible 70 panelists. I laughed at the prospect of a public education system without any educators, and my own suspicions about the composition of last year’s panel made me laugh harder. It felt like the schools of the future would just have a suite of products thr... more »

Did You Get A Load Of Diane Ravitch's blog Today?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog *Did You Get A Load Of Diane Ravitch's blog Today?* *Rightwing website attacks Diane for post- they Lost * Breaking: Is Rick Scott Too Late to the Party? by dianerav Governor Rick Scott of Florida is taking out ads saying he too is opposed to high-stakes testing. Of course, Jeb Bush travels the nation boasting of the wonders created by the same high-stakes testing regime perfected on his watch as governor. But Coach Bob Sikes, Florida blogger, says that Scott’s apology is too little, too late. Floridians are steamed about the teach-to-the-test mania that has grip... more »

Education, 'the great equalizer'

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Education, 'the great equalizer': Education, ‘the great equalizer’ 08/21/2012 By Hector Luis Alamo, Jr. 4 Comments Latinos are getting their learn on. From the Pew Hispanic Center: [image: Diverse students]*“For the first time, the number of 18- to 24-year-old Hispanics enrolled in college exceeded 2 million and reached a record 16.5% share of all college enrollments. Hispanics are the largest minority group on the nation’s college campuses, a milestone first achieved last year (Fry, 2011). But as their growth among all college-age students continues to outpace other groups, His... more »

Really, Rick? So FCAT is OVERemphasized Now? | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Really, Rick? So FCAT is OVERemphasized Now? | Scathing Purple Musings: Really, Rick? So FCAT is OVERemphasized Now? by Bob Sikes Here’s what Governor Rick Scott says in a new ad: “I’ve learned a lot as governor – you can study all the numbers you want, but listening to parents and teachers is still the best education,” Scott says in the ad. “I’ve listened to the frustrations parents and teachers have with the FCAT,” Scott says. “Next year we begin improving our testing system. No more teaching to the test.” Even Florida republicans aren’t buying this lame “me, too” angle. *News ... more »

Modern School: AB 5: Union Victory After All?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Modern School: AB 5: Union Victory After All?: AB 5: Union Victory After All? by Michael Dunn Huck/Konopacki Labor Cartoons In a new twist to California’s teacher evaluation “reform” efforts, Assembly Bill 5 has been amended to require that all aspects of teacher evaluations be collectively bargained. The bill passed the assembly last week and is up for a full vote by the legislature later this week. Many school districts believe that current law allows them to impose evaluation regimes on their teachers. Some, like Los Angeles Unified (LAUSD), already have plans in place to start... more »

School Tech Connect: Fun With Twitter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Fun With Twitter: Fun With Twitter by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Can't make the 19th Ward Parents forum tonight--- I hope someone films it. Meanwhile, I got a micro-chuckle out of this hacked Twitter direct message. I try to follow this senator's account, although it's a tedious festival of talking points--- I think I once saw a really dumb Chick-fil-A retweet that was deleted before I could screenshot it. Maybe I imagined it. Anyway, it could happen to anyone, so change your passwords and keep them complex! OMG!

NYC Public School Parents: On Thursday, let's go visit the billionaire hedge-funders out to privatize our schools!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: On Thursday, let's go visit the billionaire hedge-funders out to privatize our schools!: On Thursday, let's go visit the billionaire hedge-funders out to privatize our schools! by Leonie Haimson Please join us this Thursday 8/23 at 9:30 am at Columbus Circle to go on a tour and teach-in of the billionaire hedge-fund managers that want to privatize education... Billionaire Dan LoebBillionaire Kenneth Langone Billionaire Paul Tudor Jones Q: What do these “fat cat” billionaires all have in common? A: They crashed the economy and now they want to crash NYC... more »

Schools Matter: Walmart Soon Selling Monsanto's Poison Corn

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Schools Matter: Walmart Soon Selling Monsanto's Poison Corn: Walmart Soon Selling Monsanto's Poison Corn by Jim Horn When bugs eat Monsanto's genetically-engineered corn, they die, and when Roundup is sprayed on Monsanto's Roundup resistant corn, the weeds around the corn die. And yet Monsanto's and Walmart's paid scientists say the corn is entirely safe for humans. When the same corn was marketed in Europe with the mandated labels for genetically-modified food, no one bought it, just like no one would here if they knew. Since labeling became mandatory in Europe, these product... more »

PSAT for 8-21-12: Go local or go Hollywood Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 8-21-12: Go local or go Hollywood: PSAT for 8-21-12: Go local or go Hollywood by admin Things are really heating up in the fight over the parent trigger propaganda movie, “Won’t Back Down.” Corporate reformers concerned that their secret agenda behind the big Hollywood movie is being exposed have now launched an attack on Parents Across America. Folks, the best response to this is to continue to tell parents the truth about the movie and the parent trigger. Please continue to share PAA’s Rita Solnet’s review of the ... more »

The in box: Four Illinois state unions file suit over health care bill. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
The in box: Four Illinois state unions file suit over health care bill. « Fred Klonsky: The in box: Four Illinois state unions file suit over health care bill. by Fred Klonsky *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* Date: August 21, 2012* Contact: *Dave Comerford * *217/544-8562* * Four unions representing state of Illinois and state university employees are backing a class action lawsuit challenging a new law that threatens to saddle state retirees with unaffordable new health insurance premiums. A group of representative plaintiffs charge that Senate Bill 1313 violates the Illinois Cons... more »

First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts First-Ever Kids’ State Dinner | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts First-Ever Kids’ State Dinner | ED.gov Blog: First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts First-Ever Kids’ State Dinner Posted on August 21, 2012 by Guest Blogger *Click here for an alternate version of the video with an accessible player. * *Cross-posted from the White House Blog.* Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the first-ever Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House, welcoming 54 budding chefs to a formal luncheon in the East Room. The guests, all between the ages of 8 and 12, represent all U.S. states, three territories and the District of Columbia.... more »

Fact Checking, Spin, Media, Money and Education | AMPS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Fact Checking, Spin, Media, Money and Education | AMPS: Fact Checking, Spin, Media, Money and Education by Thomas J. Mertz Television – “Prove It” (click to listen or download) Three stories I read today got me thinking about the relationship between media companies and education. The first, on the Huffington Post included this revelation from Politco’s Dylan Byers: *Newsweek* did not fact-check [Niall] Ferguson’s cover story, according to Dylan Byers, a media reporter at Politico. Byers wrote on Twitter that a * Newsweek* spokesman said the magazine does not have a fact-checking d... more »

John Affeldt: Teachers-in-Training Should Not Be Designated 'Highly Qualified'

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
John Affeldt: Teachers-in-Training Should Not Be Designated 'Highly Qualified': Teachers-in-Training Should Not Be Designated 'Highly Qualified' As the long hot Washington summer lingers on and the appropriations process heats up, Congress is once again working hard to foist untrained teachers on low-income students and other disadvantaged learners. Lawmakers appear on the verge of breathing new life into legislation that defines teachers-in-training as "highly qualified" and facilitates their stealth concentration in schools and classrooms serving low-income students, English l... more »

Educators are key for Dreamers... - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Educators are key for Dreamers... - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard: [image: Lily's Blackboard Rotating Header Image] Educators are key for Dreamers… Aug 21st, 2012 by LilysBlackboard. Check out this article about the role the National Education Association along with High School teachers across the nation in helping DREAMers as they navigate the new immigration policy changes. *And Lily is quoted!* Educators should also choose their words carefully when talking with students about deferred action, says Lily Eskelsen, vice president of the National Education Association. “We... more »

More Than 30 NYC Candidates Refuse to Accept ‘RomneyFirst’ Cash | Politicker

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
More Than 30 NYC Candidates Refuse to Accept ‘RomneyFirst’ Cash | Politicker: More Than 30 NYC Candidates Refuse to Accept ‘RomneyFirst’ Cash By Colin Campbell 3:04pm - Twitter11 - Facebook5 - Reddit - Email - Print - (Photo: RomneyFirst campaign) The campaign against the pro-charter school political organization “StudentsFirstNY” is amassing support from current and aspiring politicians. The anti-StudentsFirst group formed last week and quickly caused a number of 2013 mayoral candidates looking at signing on a pledge to avoid any contributions from StudentsFir... more »

In Ohio, Obama rallies students, hits Romney on education funding - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
In Ohio, Obama rallies students, hits Romney on education funding - The Washington Post: In Ohio, Obama rallies students, hits Romney on education funding *View Photo Gallery —* President Obama shakes hands at Sloopy’s diner inside the student union of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday. View more photos from the campaign trail. - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - E-mail - Reprints By David Nakamura, Updated: Tuesday, August 21, 12:00 PM COLUMBUS, Ohio — President Obama made an impassioned appeal Tuesday to the types of ... more »

Shaun Johnson: Connections Between Teach for America and Parent Trigger

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Shaun Johnson: Connections Between Teach for America and Parent Trigger: Connections Between Teach for America and Parent Trigger [image: Shaun Johnson] Shaun Johnson Teacher educator and former elementary teacher A new fantasy film is on the horizon pushing "legitimate" education reform: *Won't Back Down.*Activist Leonie Haimson recently published a helpful list of FAQs on this film to get the reader started. But I'm going to take a closer look at the troubling connections between the film and the much-admired organization Teach for America (TFA). TFA is ubiquitous. Everyone and ... more »

Why Is the Most Popular TED Talk of All Time About Education? - Education - GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Why Is the Most Popular TED Talk of All Time About Education? - Education - GOOD: Why Is the Most Popular TED Talk of All Time About Education? by Liz Dwyer Popout It's been six years since TED began making its informative talks available online, enabling the world to watch some of our most brilliant thinkers and activists share their ideas. There are so many good ones that watching them can be addicting. But what's the most viewed TED Talk of all time? According to the TED blog, creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson's 2006 talk on why our education system is killing student creativit... more »

Mitt Romney: Honor Students Do It All Themselves | Crooks and Liars

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Mitt Romney: Honor Students Do It All Themselves | Crooks and Liars: Mitt Romney: Honor Students Do It All Themselves 57 comments By karoli DOWNLOADS: (28) [image: Download WMV] [image: Download Quicktime] PLAYS: (416) [image: Play WMV] [image: Play Quicktime] Embed I n his town hall appearance in New Hampshire this morning, Mitt Romney celebrated the individual, who clearly needs no support system to succeed in RepublicanLand. Speaking to a crowd of FreedomWorks devotees and other New Hampshire residents, he said this: *"We celebrate and recognize the success of each individual ... more »

Des Moines Education Association: DMEA Standing for Something - Part 1

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Des Moines Education Association: DMEA Standing for Something - Part 1: DMEA Standing for Something - Part 1 by Andrew Rasmussen In the current education environment it seems like educators are so busy reacting to the latest education "reforms" proposed by non-educators that we rarely get a chance to state what we stand for. The DMEA feels like it is time to draw some lines in the sand and state some of the things we stand for. This blog will be a starting point for sharing what we are willing to fight for in order to truly improve the teaching and learning conditions in our school... more »

Hechinger Report | Thinking we know what we test

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Hechinger Report | Thinking we know what we test: Thinking we know what we test from Hechinger Report by Justin Snider *An op-ed in* The New York Times *on August 20th*,* “Testing What We Think We Know,” argued that many medical procedures are carried out in the United States despite a very thin evidence-base for their efficacy. It’s high time to invest more in research, the author wrote, to figure out first what actually works.** The op-ed’s author, H. Gilbert Welch, is a professor of medicine at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and a co-author of ... more »

Friday’s General Assembly fiasco. What happened and why? « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Friday’s General Assembly fiasco. What happened and why? « Fred Klonsky: Friday’s General Assembly fiasco. What happened and why? by Fred Klonsky PopoutWhat happened in Springfield on Friday? We know that the Governor called the General Assembly into session to address the pension issue. We know that they adjourned Friday afternoon after failing to do anything but flap their jaws. To quote the north shore Democratic Representative Dan Biss, *“We all look like idiots.”* Who would argue? I was in the Capitol Friday with several hundred other state pensioners. Mostly they were from SEIU...more »

The Big Business of Charter Schools — MUST READ | K-12 News Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
The Big Business of Charter Schools — MUST READ | K-12 News Network: The Big Business of Charter Schools — MUST READ by admin Don’t take it from me. Meet David Brain, an investor who also owns commercial real estate, movie theatre chains, and other businesses. He talks baldly to CNBC about what a great deal it is to have taxpayer dollars subsidize your investment. As highlighted in Valerie Strauss’ Answer Sheet, at the Washington Post: If you are wondering why you should add charter schools to your investment portfolios, here’s David Brain, head of a major investment concern calle... more »

What is Paul Vallas doing to Bridgeport’s Special Education Students? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
What is Paul Vallas doing to Bridgeport’s Special Education Students? - Wait, What?: What is Paul Vallas doing to Bridgeport’s Special Education Students? by jonpelto When Bridgeport’s City Council approved this year’s $511.1 million city budget, it included a core school budget of $215.8 million. That is the same amount that was budgeted last year. Last year’s school budget was balanced, in part, from a series of budget cuts proposed by Paul Vallas, Bridgeport’s $229,000, part-time, interim superintendent of schools, and approved by Bridgeport’s illegal board of education. The ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Perth Amboy: Enough Is Enough

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Perth Amboy: Enough Is Enough: Perth Amboy: Enough Is Enough by Duke A quick note on Perth Amboy, NJ, the new center of education reforminess in America: Janine Caffrey - hypocritical anti-tenure crusader and PA's superintendent - has been at war with members of her own Board of Education for months. Members of the PA Board of Education voted to remove Caffrey based on an evaluation of her performance she says was too late to count against her. The board counters that she was late (*around 11:00 on the video*) in submitting her portion of the evaluation. When th... more »

Reminder: Thursday IRTA pension meeting in Wilmette. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Reminder: Thursday IRTA pension meeting in Wilmette. « Fred Klonsky: Reminder: Thursday IRTA pension meeting in Wilmette. by Fred Klonsky The north suburban chapter of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association will be hosting a meeting on Thursday evening at 7PM at the Wilmette Public Library, 1242 Wilmette Avenue in Wilmette. The topic: *The current fight to defend public pensions in Illinois.* Speaking are teacher and noted blogger Glen Brown and me, just back from Friday’s General Assembly session, which caused north shore Representative Dan Biss to claim, *“We’re all idiots.”* N... more »

When Charters Enroll Students with Disabilities « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
When Charters Enroll Students with Disabilities « Diane Ravitch's blog: Denial as a Reform Strategy by dianerav Reformers constantly deny any evidence that contradicts their narrative. They insist that our public schools are failing, despite the clear evidence in the national assessments that test scores have never been higher for every group tested. They insist that merit pay is necessary, even though it has never “worked,” in any sense of the word, not in raising test scores or in making teaching more attractive as a profession. They insist that charters are better than public scho... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, August 21, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: [image: California Dreaming « Shannon Philpott] Education Headlines *Tuesday, August 21, 2012* Brown visits SD, promises 'real suffering' if tax failsJerry Brown on Monday in San Diego peddled his tax measure to raise $6 billion annually for education and other state services, promising “real suffering by you and really our whole future” if the proposal fails in November. Twin Rivers probes allegation of unauthorized sports physicalsTwin Rivers Unified School District officials are investigating an allegation that an unauthorized... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Education Experience Not Required

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Education Experience Not Required: Education Experience Not Required by Duke The Broad infestation of our nation's schools is accelerating. Ken Libby and Stan Karp give us the latest news about billionaire Eli Broad's plans to buy up our nation's education policy: The Broad Foundation wants to step on the gas. The California-based foundation, built on the housing and insurance empire of billionaire Eli Broad, has made “transforming K-12 urban public education” a major priority. Its training and placement of top administrators in urban districts across the cou... more »

UPDATE: It’s really about the principals - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
It’s really about the principals - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: It’s really about the principalsBy Valerie Strauss This *was written by 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. This first appeared on the blog of the Albert Shanker Institute.* By Ed Fuller “No one knows who I am,” exclaimed a senior in a high-poverty, predominantly mi... more »





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