Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Big Ed Ape - Morning Wink STRIKE UPDATE DAY #7 9-16 AM Posts #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #soschat



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



Schools Matter: Molly Meacham, English Teacher: "How A Political Poem Was Bullied Out of Me"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 minutes ago
Schools Matter: Molly Meacham, English Teacher: "How A Political Poem Was Bullied Out of Me": Molly Meacham, English Teacher: "How A Political Poem Was Bullied Out of Me" by Jim Horn ht to Susan Harman: PopoutHow A Political Poem Was Bullied Out of Me from Molly Meacham on Vimeo .

At Rally, Chicago Teachers Union President Invites City Hall to Turn Off Air-Conditioning | The Dissenter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 minutes ago
At Rally, Chicago Teachers Union President Invites City Hall to Turn Off Air-Conditioning | The Dissenter: At Rally, Chicago Teachers Union President Invites City Hall to Turn Off Air-Conditioning by Kevin Gosztola CTU President Karen Lewis at solidarity rally on September 15 In Union Park in Chicago thousands of educators and supporters of the Chicago Teachers Union gathered for a solidarity rally. People from out-of-state, like Minnesota and Wisconsin, were there to show support. After a two-hour rally, everyone marched to Garfield Park. There were students, parents and representa... more »

Daily Kos: Is Poverty Destiny?: Ideology v. Evidence in Education Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 39 minutes ago
Daily Kos: Is Poverty Destiny?: Ideology v. Evidence in Education Reform: Is Poverty Destiny?: Ideology v. Evidence in Education Reform byplthomasEdDFollow In the spirit of his *Education Week* blog, Living in Dialogue, science educator and activist Anthony Cody entered into a five-part exchange with the Gates Foundation (GF) about education reform. These point-counterpoint posts serve well to illustrate the essential difference between Social Context Reformers, represented by Cody, and "No Excuses" Reformers, represented by the GF: “No Excuses” Reformers insist that the source of... more »

Teacher Bashing: The Inequality Psychology | OurFuture.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago
Teacher Bashing: The Inequality Psychology | OurFuture.org: Teacher Bashing: The Inequality Psychology by Sam Pizzigati *In any society where wealth and income concentrate overwhelmingly at the top, the affluent will almost always come to sneer at public services and the men and women who provide them. In Chicago, those men and women have pushed back.* Last year state lawmakers in Illinois did their best to make a Chicago teacher strike impossible. They passed a new law that required at least 75 percent of the city’s teachers to okay any walkout in advance. How did Chicago teacher... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-16-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Five Things You Should Know About Teachers by dianerav Just received in the email an interesting commentary: *If you’ve been trying to talk politics with teachers lately, you know that many seemingly neutral statements have become political land mines.* *In spite of a few divisive issues, however, teachers still share a lot of common ground that can lead to productive discussions.* *Below you will find five statements almost all teachers agree with. They are also addressed in this 11-minute, * This House ... more »

School Tech Connect: Not The NAEP's Best Effort

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
School Tech Connect: Not The NAEP's Best Effort: Not The NAEP's Best Effort by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) The NAEP Writing Assessment is out. It' a new NAEP test, and in my opinion, if you study it carefully, you begin to see that even the NAEP people can't construct a writing test that's actually worth taking. The surprising thing to me is that the NAEP people evidently feel that 27% of students write at or above what they consider to be a proficient level. Having taught writing for two decades, I'd call this figure high. However, I'm sure it sounds alarmingly low to some ... more »

Educator Musing: Op-Ed proposal the L.A. Times would not print

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Educator Musing: Op-Ed proposal the L.A. Times would not print: Op-Ed proposal the L.A. Times would not print by Educator Musing The following is an OP-Ed proposal the L.A. Times would not print. There is no such thing as a free lunch. That is one of the first lessons I teach my students in economics. I realize the statement identifies me as a teacher and to some that is somehow tantamount to confessing that I am a villain. I am also the Board President of the Adelanto School District– the first district (albeit by court order) to accept a Parent-Trigger petition. This articl... more »

Chicago Teachers Strike May Near End As Union Releases Deal

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Chicago Teachers Strike May Near End As Union Releases Deal: Chicago Teachers Strike May Near End As Union Releases Deal by Joy Resmovits [image: Chicago Teachers Strike Deal] Rahm Emanuel is giving away the farm. A deal is on the table Saturday night to end a nearly weeklong Chicago teachers strike, though classes could still be canceled Monday as the union's House of Delegates reviews the proposal. If a press release from the Chicago Teachers Union is accurate, Emanuel has given away some of his most prized education reforms to the union to quell the strike. Mitt Romney has tri... more »

Schools Matter: Chicago Teachers and Support Staff: Lots of Thank Yous and a Couple of Warnings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: Chicago Teachers and Support Staff: Lots of Thank Yous and a Couple of Warnings: Chicago Teachers and Support Staff: Lots of Thank Yous and a Couple of Warnings by Jim Horn First, some thank yous. 1. Thank you for the exercising the courage, care, and conviction that has been banished by the national union leadership of the NEA and AFT. 2. Thank you for reminding us what leadership looks like. 3. Thank you for re-focusing the teacher union movement on the social justice mission for children, which is our calling, our mission, and the fire we ca... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Are You a Racist? Take the Quiz!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Jersey Jazzman: Are You a Racist? Take the Quiz!: Are You a Racist? Take the Quiz! by Duke *Warning: heavy sarcasm ahead. Proceed at your own risk.* In today's complicated world, it's hard to know if you are a racist. For example, you'd be surprised at how many people who actually work with kids in poverty believe that those kids can't learn. Yes, shocking, I know, but rich people have confirmed this, and rich people are so very smart, so... As a public service, I've put together a simple quiz to determine whether or not you are a racist. Get out your #2s! Ready? BEGIN EXAM Pl... more »

Full Text of the Queensborough English Department Attack Letter « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Full Text of the Queensborough English Department Attack Letter « Student Activism: Full Text of the Queensborough English Department Attack Letter by Angus Johnston Yesterday I reported on an attempt by CUNY administrators to dismantle the English department at the system’s Queensborough Community College in retaliation for the department’s refusal to approve a restructuring of its composition program. That reporting was based on a public excerpt from a letter sent by QCC Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs Karen Steele to Linda Reesman, chair of the QCC English departmen... more »

Schools Matter: The Common Core: Bad for Libraries, Librarians, and Students

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Schools Matter: The Common Core: Bad for Libraries, Librarians, and Students: The Common Core: Bad for Libraries, Librarians, and Students by skrashen The President of the American Library Association is enthusiastic about the common core for school libraries and school librarians. I am not. I posted this comment on: Education Week: Common Core Thrusts Librarians Into Leadership Role http://bit.ly/SpMDC4 In contrast to the view presented in “Common Core Thrusts School Librarians Into Leadership Roles” (Education Week, Sept 12, 2012), I argue here that there are no clear benefits ... more »

Last Stand for Children First: CTU Strike is Over (If you Want It)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Last Stand for Children First: CTU Strike is Over (If you Want It): CTU Strike is Over (If you Want It) by Last Stand for Children The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have agreed to a framework for ending the week-long teacher strike in Chicago. While this is not a done deal, it seems like the strike is over if the CTU wants it to be. At this time, I have not seen the final contract details nor have I seen casualty figures or the total cost of the property damage inflicted on this city by the rampaging crimson hordes of striking teachers. Still, as reformer we c... more »

Schools Matter: Responding to NPR's What's At Stake for US Teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Schools Matter: Responding to NPR's What's At Stake for US Teachers: Responding to NPR's What's At Stake for US Teachers by skrashen [image: Chicago Teachers Union members picket the CPS headquarters in Chicago on Thursday, the fourth day of their strike.] Responding to NPR What's At Stake For U.S. Teachers by Alan Greenblatt http://www.npr.org/2012/09/13/161072479/whats-at-stake-for-u-s-teachers?ft=1 NPR’s article contained numerous errors. Here are two of them. 1. “Practically everyone in education agrees that the old system of monitoring teacher quality … is useless.” I know of ... more »

CTU prez speaks at today's massive rally DAY #6 9-15-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Labor Beat

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
The first week of the historic September 2012 Chicago teachers strike. Interviews and scenes from the picket lines at Amundsen HS, Kenwood Academy, Steinmetz HS, Lawndale Elementary Community Academy, Reilly Elementary, Burley Elementary, Marsh Elementary, Marshall HS, Lane Tech HS, Kelly HS, Monroe Elementary -- all of which are only a small fraction of all the schools on strike in the City. Also scenes from the massive 30,000-strong teacher rally and march in the Loop on Monday, followed by another massive march on Tuesday. After this rally, a crush of TV cameras and reporters,... more »

Dissent Magazine - Arguing The World - Who Is Victimizing Chicago’s Kids? -

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Dissent Magazine - Arguing The World - Who Is Victimizing Chicago’s Kids? -: [image: Arguing the World] Who Is Victimizing Chicago’s Kids? Joanne Barkan - September 14, 2012 11:38 pm Yes, schoolchildren in Chicago are victims, but not of their teachers. They are victims of a nationwide education “reform” movement geared to undermine teachers’ unions and shift public resources into private hands; they are victims of wave after wave of ill-conceived and failing policy “innovations”; they are victims of George Bush’s No Child Left Behind law, which turned inner-city public schools in... more »

One Teacher's Perspective: Paul Ryan Disappoints Young People on Gay Rights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
One Teacher's Perspective: Paul Ryan Disappoints Young People on Gay Rights: Paul Ryan Disappoints Young People on Gay Rights by Imagine Wisconsin *Guest blogging this week is my nephew, Thomas Strieker, who shares a memorable 2005 meeting with Paul Ryan. Thousands have viewed my take on Paul Ryan. Readers seem interested in perspectives from Ryan's hometown of Janesville. Thomas was raised in Janesville and graduated from Parker High School.* Janesville feels so far off the map that when someone gets any national attention my heart beats faster. So I was excited when Mitt Romn... more »

Thousands Gather in Support of Chicago Teachers - NYTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Thousands Gather in Support of Chicago Teachers - NYTimes.com: Thousands Gather in Support of Chicago TeachersBy STEVEN YACCINO CHICAGO — Thousands of people gathered here on Saturday for a rally in support of public school educators who have been locked in a contentious contract battle. It was the largest show of union force since teachers in this, the nation’s third largest school district, went on strike nearly a week ago. The crowd, which included some teachers and union supporters from Wisconsin and Minnesota, shook homemade protest signs in the air and wore the signature r... more »

School Tech Connect: It's A Social Movement Now

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
School Tech Connect: It's A Social Movement Now: It's A Social Movement Now by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Rally. Huge. Signs. People. Speeches. Music. The event unfolding in Union Park today is a phenomenon. I kinda sorta feel that the kettle's on the boil now, that people understand that there's been an assault on the school system, that the assault has been bought and paid for by people with an agenda, and that our mayor is one of those people. I feel that if Karen Lewis were to run for mayor, and the election were held today, she would beat Rahm in a landslide, even with... more »

What has the NEA done to support the CTU? NEA Media answers my question. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
What has the NEA done to support the CTU? NEA Media answers my question. « Fred Klonsky: What has the NEA done to support the CTU? NEA Media answers my question. by Fred Klonsky A visit yesterday to the NEA website concerned me. There was not one word about the historic strike of Chicago teachers. I checked their press section and could only find a press release of a support statement from NEA Presisident Dennis Van Roekel on September 10th, the first day of the strike and a week ago. I sent an email to NEA Media asking about this. Here is their reply in full: *Hi Fred and Mike,* ... more »

Teachers may win more than better contract Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Teachers may win more than better contract: Teachers may win more than better contract by admin The Sun-Times quotes me suggesting that the possibly-winding-up strike will have at least one positive outcome beyond whatever contractual benefits are won – higher morale for teachers who have been under relentless attack from Hollywood, Bill Gates, Rahm, astroturfers, Republican candidates, etc: “I think the children are going to benefit from teachers who are newly invigorated and excited about the work that they do. It’s not ju... more »

Former CT Education Deputy and Stamford Superintendent put on leave in Warwick, RI. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Former CT Education Deputy and Stamford Superintendent put on leave in Warwick, RI. - Wait, What?: Former CT Education Deputy and Stamford Superintendent put on leave in Warwick, RI. by jonpelto Thanks to a Wait, What? reader from Rhode Island, I’ve learned that according to press reports, Peter Horoschak, Superintendent of Schools in Warwick, RI, that state’s second largest school district, was put on administrative leave today. According to the Warwick School Committee’s Vice Chairman, the action was due to a personnel matter. Superintendent Horoschak reported that he is unaw... more »

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Everyone: Watch and Understand that Chicago's Education Problems are America's Education Problems, h/t Jim Horn.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Everyone: Watch and Understand that Chicago's Education Problems are America's Education Problems, h/t Jim Horn.: Everyone: Watch and Understand that Chicago's Education Problems are America's Education Problems, h/t Jim Horn. by The Perimeter Primate Videos like this could, and should, be produced on behalf of students in every public school district bombarded with the misguided corporate-style education reform. HT Jim Horn at Schools Matter Popout *Please send the video link or embed it and post everywhere you can, in every county, state, and country. *

Karen Lewis: Why We’re Striking in Chicago | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Karen Lewis: Why We’re Striking in Chicago | Seattle Education: Karen Lewis: Why We’re Striking in Chicago by seattleducation2011 This statement was issued on Monday, September 10, 2012 and a reminder of what this strike is all about: Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union Negotiations have been intense but productive, however we have failed to reach an agreement that will prevent a labor strike. This is a difficult decision and one we hoped we could avoid. Throughout these negotiations have I remained hopeful but determined. We must do things differently in this cit... more »

Schools Matter: NCTQ Is An Advocacy Group for Corporate Education Reform--Someone Tell the NYTimes

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Schools Matter: NCTQ Is An Advocacy Group for Corporate Education Reform--Someone Tell the NYTimes: NCTQ Is An Advocacy Group for Corporate Education Reform--Someone Tell the NYTimes by Jim Horn For years I've continued to watch the *New York Times* pretend they believe that the morally-compromised Kate Walsh and National Council on Teacher Quality represent a "nonprofit, nonpartisan research group," when, in fact, they would know if have visited the NCTQ website that even NCTQ admits that The *National Council on Teacher Quality* advocates for reforms in a broad range of teacher... more »

CUNY Administration Declares War On Rebel Faculty « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
CUNY Administration Declares War On Rebel Faculty « Student Activism: CUNY Administration Declares War On Rebel Faculty by Angus Johnston This is an astounding story. On Wednesday the English department at Queensborough Community College voted not to adopt a policy of the City University of New York to reduce composition course credits from four to three. In so doing, they rejected the CUNY Pathways initiative, a proposal for streamlining and centralizing CUNY curricula which many facultyregard as antithetical to students’ needs. Administrators didn’t like this. And in fact they dis... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Open Thread

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Open Thread: Charter Open Thread by Melissa Westbrook [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] So one reader, Rachel, had posted a link to an interesting article out of Philadelphia (from the parent blog, The Notebook) about a very exclusive charter where you can only pick up their application form one time a year and that's usually at their open house, held either at a private golf club or country club. *Interested families couldn't find Green Woods’ application online. They couldn't request a copy in the mail. In fact, they couldn't even... more »

Chicago teachers stage rally amid hopes of strike’s end | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Chicago teachers stage rally amid hopes of strike’s end | The Raw Story: Chicago teachers stage rally amid hopes of strike’s end By David Ferguson Saturday, September 15, 2012 12:12 EDT [image: Chicago teachers strike via screencap] Topics: chicago public schools ♦ Chicago Teachers Union ♦ Mayor Rahm Emanuel The Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) will hold a rally on Saturday as a show of solidarity amid hopes that a tentative deal reached on Friday with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will hold. According to *Reuters*, the “Standing Strong With Chicago Teachers Rally” is intended to keep... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Chicago Teachers Making Reformies Nervous

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Chicago Teachers Making Reformies Nervous: Chicago Teachers Making Reformies Nervous by Duke Reformy eyes from all over the country are looking at the Chicago teachers strike; do they like what they see? Newark teachers, in the thick of their own contract negotiations, are closely watching the developments in the Chicago teachers strike. Several issues under negotiation in Newark — where teachers have been without a contract since 2010 — are the same as the sticking points in Chicago, including new teacher evaluations and pay based on experience and degrees, sai... more »

Is Educational Choice a Good Thing?  Yes, If…. | IDEA

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Is Educational Choice a Good Thing? Yes, If…. | IDEA: Is Educational Choice a Good Thing? Yes, If…. by Kristan Morrison in *democracy.edu* I am caught in a weird place. I am a public university professor in a teacher education program who prepares people to be state-licensed teachers in our public schools. Thus, some critics would argue that I am a tool of the public school/government monopoly over education. But I am also an advocate of many other types of schools -free schools , homeschooling (especially of the unschooling variety), Montesorri schools, Waldorf schools, Quaker s... more »

Testing teacher through “VAM: « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Testing teacher through “VAM: « Deborah Meier on Education: Testing teacher through “VAM: by debmeier It’s like a doctor offering me a pill that he knows doesn’t work because he hasn’t found one as cheap and easy to take that works. But at least we can say “no” to our doctors. But can we say “no” to putting teachers lives on the line for a “pill” that doesn’t work? Alas, increasingly the answer is “we can’t”, and the poison pill spreads. Hurrah for Chicago’s teachers for saying no–but even they probably can’t stop it. Is a compromise better than nothing? Probably yes. Scary ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Who Cares What Whitney Tilson Thinks?!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Who Cares What Whitney Tilson Thinks?!: Who Cares What Whitney Tilson Thinks?! by Duke What bizarre sort of logic does CNN use to select their guests? Whitney Tilson is not an educator. He has no degrees, experience, or training in education. He has no labor relations background. He is completely unqualified to discuss the topic in any meaningful way. Why, then, would CNN think he was a good guest for a segment about the Chicago teacher strike? Both he and Christine Romans are an embarrassment here. For example: - Romans's xenophobic worry about China's and India's... more »

What research really says on teacher evaluation - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
What research really says on teacher evaluation - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: What research really says on teacher evaluation By Valerie Strauss The Chicago teachers strike has put the issue of teacher evaluation front and center in the education debate. The popular “value added” method of using student standardized test scores to figure out how effective a teacher is highly controversial; I wrote about it here. Here is a new important look by an education expert, Richard Rothstein. Rothstein is a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit organi... more »

What My Students Wrote in a Free Write About the Strike | K-12 News Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
What My Students Wrote in a Free Write About the Strike | K-12 News Network: What My Students Wrote in a Free Write About the Strike by David The Friday before the strike was anticipated to possibly start here in Chicago. I asked my students the simple question at the end of a quiz, “Should your teachers go on strike?” Here is a sampling of their responses. This was a free write so I just typed what they had written. “I Support my teachers cause they need more pay so they can help us get ready for the future” — Hakeem “I honestly think you should go on strike. I don’t think it’s fa... more »

An Urban Teacher's Education: The Good Teachers Unions Can Do

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
An Urban Teacher's Education: The Good Teachers Unions Can Do: The Good Teachers Unions Can Do by James Boutin The way people talk about teachers unions these days, you’d be forgiven for thinking they serve no useful purpose. It seems all we hear about is how teachers unions do a disservice to students and public education by keeping bad teachers in front of students. It is disturbing, therefore, how few people actually understand what unions do and how they help students, schools, communities and teachers. As a teacher, neither entirely supportive nor entirely cynical of unions, ... more »

Jeb Bush Facing the Reality of Opposition Within His Own Party | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Jeb Bush Facing the Reality of Opposition Within His Own Party | Scathing Purple Musings: Jeb Bush Facing the Reality of Opposition Within His Own Party by Bob Sikes Bush has apparently noticed that having surrogates write op-eds on his behalf isn’t working and has finally taken up the pen himself. Writing predictably with cherry-picked data to justify his choice/accountability mantras, Bush targets and dismisses those who have been dealing with the disasters his policies have created in Florida schools. Writes Bush in* Sunshine State News*: When we started on this course in 1999... more »

The effect of education reform and Rahm Emanuel’s policies on Chicago Public Schools | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
The effect of education reform and Rahm Emanuel’s policies on Chicago Public Schools | Seattle Education: The effect of education reform and Rahm Emanuel’s policies on Chicago Public Schools by seattleducation2011 This article is a must read. To follow is an excerpt from: *Education Apartheid: The Racism Behind Chicago’s School “Reform”* Dyett High School students are not allowed to enter the front door of their school. Instead, the more than 170 students at the Southside high school enter through the back. From there, they must spend their day pushing through other students in the ... more »

Seeing Red: United Teachers vs. Bipartisan Opposition | Dissident Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Seeing Red: United Teachers vs. Bipartisan Opposition | Dissident Voice: Seeing Red: United Teachers vs. Bipartisan Opposition by Zakk Flash It has been four years since the financial collapse of 2008 set off the greatest world economic crisis since the 1930s. “Reform” measures put into place to stop the hemorrhaging have succeeded only in exacerbating socio-economic inequalities around the country, with the poor, once again, bearing the highest costs. Nowhere is this more apparent than the right-wing attacks on public workers, unions, and pensions. It comes as no surprise to t... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-15-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Why She Quit Teaching by dianerav I hate to see anyone give up when they love their work. When you read this essay, however, you will undertand why the pressure got to be too much for this teacher. Do you think we could persuade Bill Gates and Eli Broad and Arne Duncan to read it too? Maybe they could help figure out how to keep people like this teacher in the schools. We need her. We don’t need people taking potshots and making her job harder. What Is the Point of Democracy in Education? by dianerav This post is very provocative. It may or may not have releva... more »

Myths vs. Facts in the Chicago Teachers Union Strike | The Dissenter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Myths vs. Facts in the Chicago Teachers Union Strike | The Dissenter: Myths vs. Facts in the Chicago Teachers Union Strike by Kevin Gosztola Politicians, journalists, liberal pundits and so-called education reform advocates are employing spin and misinformation to condemn and criticize the Chicago Teachers Union strike. It’s important to note that Chicago is being used as the latest laboratory for anti-union privatization measures that some big business Democrats and Republicans hope to implement across the country. Firedoglake has assembled a Myth vs. Fact sheet to help you bett... more »

School Tech Connect: Catching Up On The Mail

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
School Tech Connect: Catching Up On The Mail: Catching Up On The Mail It's Friday night. Laundry and correspondence. That's how we roll here in the big city. Got this idea over at Fred's, I think. See you all at Solidarity Saturday tomorrow. A Spot-On Lament noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) at School Tech Connect - 6 minutes ago This is so brilliant, so dead-on accurate. Thanks to @breezydayz for pointing it out. Of all the Next Big Things I've endured over the centuries, the one that has surprised me with its longevity is the whole writing your objective on the board thing. I'm n... more »

Saturday coffee 9-15-12 « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky This has been a tough week. Oh, sure. It’s been hard on teachers, students and parents. But what about me? I seemed to have made of lot of people mad. Walking back up Michigan Avenue from the rally on Thursday, some guy yelled something at another teacher and me. We couldn’t quite make out what he said, except for the words, *“private schools.”* We looked at each other and tried to figure out the sentence that would have had *“private schools”* in it. Maybe it was Rahm yelling, *“I’m going to make them all private s... more »






Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-15-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post 

Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 9-1-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-25-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
Big Education Ape 2nd Banana 8-18-12 Recap of Last Week's Best Post
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Big Ed Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION DAY #6 9-15-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Ed Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION DAY #3 9-12-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION 9-11-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-10-12 #faircontractnow #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-9-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-8-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-7-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-6-12 #DNC2012 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-5-12 #DNC2012 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-4-12 #DNC2012 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-3-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-2-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 9-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-31-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-30-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-29-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-28-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-27-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-26-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-25-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-24-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-23-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-22-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2