Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 9-12 AM Posts #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #soschat #edreform


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS


» CHART: High School Graduation Rates in “Right-to-Work” States Clearly Lower than States Where Unionism is Welcome

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 minutes ago
» CHART: High School Graduation Rates in “Right-to-Work” States Clearly Lower than States Where Unionism is Welcome: CHART: High School Graduation Rates in “Right-to-Work” States Clearly Lower than States Where Unionism is Welcome by Chaz Bolte An interesting, though dated map is making its way around the web that shows graduation rates across the country versus state “Right-to-Work” status. The graphic likely resurfaced, despite showing information from 2002-2003, because of the Chicago Teachers Union strike and the ongoing assault on public education. Even though the Right-to-... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Autocrat Rahm draws a line in the sand on test-based evaluation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 minutes ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Autocrat Rahm draws a line in the sand on test-based evaluation: Autocrat Rahm draws a line in the sand on test-based evaluation by Mike Klonsky Whitney Young H.S. teachers are hanging tough. So far, the teachers have won overwhelming community support.. Latest polls show 47% support CTU and only 39% for the mayor. (CTU pic)It appears this morning that our autocrat mayor has decided to stonewall the negotiations. While he's moved on compensation issues but he's refusing to even discuss teacher evaluation and the power of principals to hire and f... more »

Schools Matter: PBS-Gates News Hour Features Present Randi-Roy Tag Team Against Teachers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago
Schools Matter: PBS-Gates News Hour Features Present Randi-Roy Tag Team Against Teachers: PBS-Gates News Hour Features Present Randi-Roy Tag Team Against Teachers by Jim Horn Ever since the PBS News Hour became a subsidiary of the Gates Foundation, their reporting has suffered, both in what they cover and how they cover it. In terms of the street actions going on in Chicago, with parents, children, and teachers raising holy hell to save their schools from corporate takeover, PBS remains a distant observer, preferring to interview a polite PBS affiliate reporter two nites ago, and... more »

The Chicago Strike and the History of American Teachers' Unions - Dana Goldstein

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The Chicago Strike and the History of American Teachers' Unions - Dana Goldstein: The Chicago Strike and the History of American Teachers' Unions by Dana Goldstein * [image: Haley] Margaret Haley, the "lady labor slugger" of Chicago. She was one of the nation's first teachers' union organizers.* I live in New York, and like almost every national education commentator, I have no idea about the specific details left on the table in the Chicago teachers’ negotiations. Broadly, we know the union leadership resents Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s enthusiasm for non-unionized charter schools and ne... more »

» Chicago Teachers Union Begins Day 3 of Strike to Save the City’s Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
» Chicago Teachers Union Begins Day 3 of Strike to Save the City’s Schools: Chicago Teachers Union Begins Day 3 of Strike to Save the City’s Schools by Steve Cooper For a third straight day, Chicago’s public school teachers (members of the Chicago Teachers Union) will be on strike to protest the direction that Chicago’s school system is headed. The CTU and Mayor Rahm Emanuel are at odds on a handful of issues, leaving 350,000 students unable to attend school. The catch is, however, that even if they were in school, they might not have books, they’d likely be in classrooms of 40 o... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Is THIS why Arne Duncan wants Everyone to go to College?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Is THIS why Arne Duncan wants Everyone to go to College?: Is THIS why Arne Duncan wants Everyone to go to College? by stlgretchen Is college debt collection the new "Wild West in Education" scheme for "entrepreneurs" to make money? It is no secret this Administration's goal is to make the majority of students college/career ready, in fact, it is in its educational blueprint and heard in many of their speeches. What is the stated goal of the Administration's school reform? From an Arne Duncan speech: Last Call for Common Core Questions to Smarter Ba... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-12-12 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] How Some African American Leaders Went Wrong on Reform by dianerav Karran Harper Royal is a leader of Parents Across America. She lives in New Orleans, where she went to public schools. Her child attends a charter school. She spoke at the SOS 2012 meeting in Washington, where she analyzed why some African American leaders Nashville School Board Turns Down Charter for Third Time by dianerav The Metro Nashville school board turned down a charter proposal for the third time, even though the state education de... more »

Obama between a rock and a hard place with Chicago teachers strike - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Obama between a rock and a hard place with Chicago teachers strike - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: Obama between a rock and a hard place with Chicago teachers strike By Valerie Strauss Among the signs that striking Chicago teachers are carrying are ones that say, “Obama don’t ignore us.” Actually, the Chicago teachers, who began their first strike in 25 years on Monday, shouldn’t expect President Obama to do much more than ((Sitthixay Ditthavong/AP))ignore them. Their strike is at best highly inconvenient and could actually work against him, though how much isn’t clear. Th... more »

Teachers For Social Justice: Why We're Striking in Chicago

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Teachers For Social Justice: Why We're Striking in Chicago: Why We're Striking in Chicago by sarah atlas Teachers, paraprofessionals and school clinicians in Chicago have been without a labor agreement since June of this year. Following the inability of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) and the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to reach an agreement over benefits, the role of standardized tests in teacher evaluations, and physical improvements to schools that teachers say are harming both teacher and student performance, the CTU has announced that a city-wide stirke will begin today - ... more »

The New York Times’ folly. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The New York Times’ folly. « Fred Klonsky: The New York Times’ folly. by Fred Klonsky *The NY Times issues their encyclical.* It’s not being provincial to point out that the NY Times, which stakes some claim on being a national newspaper, generally ignores the middle of the country. Once in a while you might read *36 Hours in Iowa* in the travel section. But that’s about it. Over this past year they have certainly ignored the story of Chicago and its teachers. Until this morning, when they decided to lecture the 30,000 members of the Chicago teachers on the folly of For your Face... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: No On 1240 Campaign

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: No On 1240 Campaign: No On 1240 Campaign by Melissa Westbrook [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] In the "tag you're it" section, I looked around a couple of months ago and realized that no one seemed to mounting a campaign against charter schools. So I'm the head of the No On 1240 campaign. I have a great steering committee (all parents) and great supporters down in Tacoma and we have a starting list of volunteers. I put a link to our campaign on the blog to the right of the threads. It is chock-full of information (unlike the Yes side - th... more »

School Tech Connect: Truly, Truly...

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
School Tech Connect: Truly, Truly...: Truly, Truly... by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Moronic. And these are the best and brightest? Seriously, this kid writes with the certainty of someone who's never been shat upon once in her life. And this.. Great educators produce great results. Using challenging social factors as an excuse, as a crutch, as a reason to say our children cannot perform on standardized tests is shameful. Karen Lewis is using these challenges as a scapegoat for the failures of the public education system. You can almost see the holier-than-thou expression th... more »

Students Last: Drug Dealers Defeat Teachers: New Poll

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Students Last: Drug Dealers Defeat Teachers: New Poll: Drug Dealers Defeat Teachers: New Poll by Students Last Some surprising results turned up in a new Gallup poll. The poll asked parents to rank occupations according to how much they hoped their children aspired to the profession. Among the most desired were perennial favorites, doctors and lawyers. Nurses also did well. Although they fell 3% from last year's ranking, nurses still managed to come in third place. Teachers, however, did not fair so well. Two years ago they came in third place; this year they scored below drug dea... more »

Conservatives and Education Reformers: When in doubt, make sh*t up - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Conservatives and Education Reformers: When in doubt, make sh*t up - Wait, What?: Conservatives and Education Reformers: When in doubt, make sh*t up by jonpelto The verbal assault on teachers has reached a fevered pitch as conservatives and “education reformers push to make it look like the Chicago Teacher Strike is about money and the demands of greedy teachers and their greedy unions, rather than the fact that Chicago teachers are actually standing up to the “education reform” industry and the politicians that support it. Yesterday, Leonie Haimson, a leader of Parents Across Amer... more »

Teaching Exponents In Eighth Grade, Part 1: [Old To The Now] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Teaching Exponents In Eighth Grade, Part 1: [Old To The Now] | The Jose Vilson: Teaching Exponents In Eighth Grade, Part 1: [Old To The Now] by Jose India Power Outage Every so often, I’m inserting some posts on pedagogy, especially for those of us who aren’t as math-inclined. If you find this helpful, just let me know in the comments. Today, I’m differentiating between the old way I used to prepare the students for a lesson on exponents and the way I do it now. *Old Way* 1. Ask “What’s an exponent?” 2. Here are the five mail rules you need to know. 3. Apply them. *New Way* 1. Ask “... more »

115 YEARS AGO « Teachers Fight Back

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
115 YEARS AGO « Teachers Fight Back: 115 YEARS AGO by alkleen A hundred and fifteen years ago, in 1897, a strike by coal miners in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia ended with the miners winning an eight-hour workday. (The previous day, 20 Pennsylvania miners were killed when sheriff’s deputies fired on them.) I posted the above, lest we forget that every major benefit and working condition ever gained by working men and women in this country came at a very high cost. If you have a working knowledge of the history of the labor movement in this country, you can’t help but be a l... more »

Rick Scott: “Should we get rid of the FCAT and just go with the ACT?” | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Rick Scott: “Should we get rid of the FCAT and just go with the ACT?” | Scathing Purple Musings: Rick Scott: “Should we get rid of the FCAT and just go with the ACT?” by Bob Sikes Maybe Rick Scott really has seen the light. After meeting with parents and teachers in Boca Raton yesterday,*Sun Sentinel *reporter Anne Geggis reported this: For his first year-and-a-half in office, Gov. Scott seemed at odds with many parents and teachers by supporting the state’s use of high stakes testing for everything from teacher pay to student promotion. He signed teacher performance pay legislat... more »

Radical Scholarship: THE DISASTER CAPITALISM CURRICULUM: THE HIGH PRICE OF EDUCATION REFORM

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Radical Scholarship: THE DISASTER CAPITALISM CURRICULUM: THE HIGH PRICE OF EDUCATION REFORM: THE DISASTER CAPITALISM CURRICULUM: THE HIGH PRICE OF EDUCATION REFORM by P. L. Thomas THE DISASTER CAPITALISM CURRICULUM: THE HIGH PRICE OF EDUCATION REFORM BY ADAM BESSIE AND DAN ARCHER *“What do you do when you want to reach the public but you have no access to the mainstream media? Here’s what: Some very brilliant educators decided to try a novel way to explain the issues to the public. They used comic journalism, a simple, direct means of communicating complex ideas.”* Diane Ravitc... more »

Modern School: Chicago Strike Update

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Modern School: Chicago Strike Update: Chicago Strike Update by Michael Dunn Yesterday, the first day of Chicago’s teacher strike, 35,000 teachers and their supporters (including hundreds of students) picketed in front of their schools and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) headquarters. 578 schools held pickets, according to “On The Line,” the CTU’s strike website. Today, CTU asked all members to picket at one of the 144 school sites that CPS is trying to keep open. These sites are being run by people from the district office, with scab support from members of religious organizations. *... more »

Last Stand for Children First: Teachers Strike Day 2: Our Newest Radio Ad

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Last Stand for Children First: Teachers Strike Day 2: Our Newest Radio Ad: Teachers Strike Day 2: Our Newest Radio Ad by Last Stand for Children Popout We couldn't stand it anymore. With our kids locked out of their beloved schools, we jumped into action with an ad buy aimed at getting the Chicago teachers to call off their strike and think of the most vulnerable in our society.

Charter campuses focus of L.A. school-board protests - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Charter campuses focus of L.A. school-board protests - latimes.com: Charter campuses focus of L.A. school-board protests [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] About 400 charter school advocates descended on Los Angeles school district headquarters Tuesday to protest a proposed moratorium on new charters. Later, a smaller but equally passionate contingent of parents and teachers from Berendo Middle School arrived to oppose construction of a building to house a charter school on that campus. Charters have become a flashpoint in battles over school reform. Charte... more »

Chicago Teachers Strike: Why I'm On Strike & What I'm Telling My Family and Friends | K-12 News Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Chicago Teachers Strike: Why I'm On Strike & What I'm Telling My Family and Friends | K-12 News Network: Chicago Teachers Strike: Why I’m On Strike & What I’m Telling My Family and Friends by David As the strike makes national news I am finding along with many teachers that many people are weighing in on the strike who really have no idea what is going on and are basing their opinions off a 2 minute news clip. Here are the talking points and explanation I will share with my family. Dear Friends and Family, As the Chicago Teachers Strike becomes national news it is important to re... more »

American School Health Association Offers Free School Health Webinars — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
American School Health Association Offers Free School Health Webinars — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Kristen Pekarek]American School Health Association Offers Free School Health Webinars September 11, 2012 by Kristen Pekarek Schools play an important role in improving student health, social outcomes, and overall academic success. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, aside from families, schools have the most direct contactwith more than 95 percent of U.S. young people aged 5–17 years, for 6 hours a day, and for up to 13 critical years of their s... more »

Blue Jersey:: School Privatization Efforts Continue in NJ

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Blue Jersey:: School Privatization Efforts Continue in NJ: School Privatization Efforts Continue in NJ by KendalJames The deceptively-named school privatization group American Federation for Children is attempting to link the Chicago Teachers Union strike to what they claim is public support for school vouchers. That's a long walk, considering that most Americans don't want their tax dollars to pay for private and religious schools. AFC claims that their commissioned polling shows a whopping 85% of New Jerseyans support vouchers. If that figure seems weird, it is - AFC's claims are... more »

The Educated Reporter: Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War?: Chicago Teachers' Union Strike: Win the Battle But Lose the War? by Emily Richmond As numerous news organizations have noted, including the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor,and the Wall St. Journal, the Chicago teachers' strike is being posited by some as a referendum on President Obama’s education initiatives. Indeed, the U.S. Department of Education has dangled some sizeable carrots to motivate states and districts to adopt significant reforms. Among them is Race To The Top... more »

LAUSD: DOING ITS PART IN "THE UNRAVELING" OF AMERICA INTO PAKISTAN? - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
LAUSD: DOING ITS PART IN "THE UNRAVELING" OF AMERICA INTO PAKISTAN? - Perdaily.com: LAUSD: DOING ITS PART IN "THE UNRAVELING" OF AMERICA INTO PAKISTAN? by Leonard Isenberg [image: Birsing Deo.jpg] *(Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)* *Over the years I have kept in touch with my old Indian school chum Madukar Shah from my days in the late 1960s and 1970s at UCLA. While I didn't know it until I visited him in India several years ago, Madukar is the Maharajah of the Indian state of Madya Pradesh, even though th... more »

9-11-12 Late Nite with the Unabridged Diane Diane Ravitch's blog #FairContractNow #CTUstrike

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Conservative Pundits Pummel Chicago Students by dianerav Jersey Jazzman calls out the conservative pundits who, in an effort to embarrass Chicago teachers,try to show how awful student perormance is in that district and paint it in the worst possible light. If they are casting stones, you kinda wonder why they don’t throw them at Arne Duncan and Mayor Daley, whose policies determined what happened in the schools. What they do is akin to blaming the war in Iraq on the soldiers, not the policymakers. The National Context of Chicago Strike by dianerav The New ... more »

Why the Chicago Teachers Strike Is Really About Better Schools #ctustrike #1u #labor #faircontractnow

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Why the Chicago Teachers Strike Is Really About Better Schools | Alternet: Why the Chicago Teachers Strike Is Really About Better Schools The Chicago Teachers Union has pushed for smaller classes, enriched curriculum, better supplies and facilities, and more counselors and support staff. *September 10, 2012* | Photo Credit: CTU Local 1 / Flickr LIKE THIS ARTICLE? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. The following article first appeared at Working In These Times , the labor blog of In These Times magazine. For more news and analysis like ... more »

Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com: Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents - By Don Babwin - Associated Press - 2 Comments [image: Parents Stand With CTU (CLICK ON PICTURE)] * * * * *Chicago* — As Chicago teachers walked the picket lines for a second day, they were joined by many of the very people who are most inconvenienced by their walkout: the parents who must now scramble to find a place for children to pass the time or for babysitters. Mothers and fathers — some with their kids in tow — are marching... more »

Should US schools be run like businesses? - Inside Story: US 2012 - Al Jazeera English

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Should US schools be run like businesses? - Inside Story: US 2012 - Al Jazeera English: Should US schools be run like businesses? Increased private sector involvement in US education is raising questions over the future of the public school system. Inside Story US 2012 Last Modified: 11 Sep 2012 15:19 inShare [image: Email Article] Email [image: Print Article] Print [image: Share article] Share [image: Send Feedback] Feedback An estimated 26,000 public school teachers are on strike in Chicago – the first such action in the city for 25 years. In Chicago and beyond, public school teache... more »

Hechinger Report | Despite strike tension and disagreement, teachers unions will push hard for Obama

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Hechinger Report | Despite strike tension and disagreement, teachers unions will push hard for Obama: Despite strike tension and disagreement, teachers unions will push hard for Obama By Sarah Butrymowicz The head of one of the country’s largest teachers unions knows all too well the frustrations of her rank and file – many of whom vehemently disagree with some of President Barack Obama’s education policies. Chicago Teachers Union members picket Monday morning at John Marshall Metropolitan High School on the city’s West Side. Marshall is one of 144 schools where Chicago Public Scho... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Rahm Emanuel: The Next Adrian Fenty?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Rahm Emanuel: The Next Adrian Fenty?: Rahm Emanuel: The Next Adrian Fenty? by Duke A quick thought: A few years ago in Washington D.C., then-mayor Adrian Fenty brought in the extraordinarily unqualified Michelle Rhee to lead the schools. She was mediocre at best, managing to alienate both her teachers and large segments of the community. As a result, Fenty - seen as quite arrogant himself - lost his bid for reelection decisively. These days in Chicago, now-mayor Rahm Emanuel brings in Jean-Claude Brizzard, fresh off a failure in Rochester, NY, to lead the schools.... more »

Linked Learning Pilot Project - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Linked Learning Pilot Project - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Unveils New School Pilot Program Linking Academics and Career Readiness SACRAMENTO—As many as 20 school districts across California will have opportunities to get state assistance in launching new programs demonstrated to help students graduate from high school prepared to succeed in careers and college, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today. "Linked Learning" programs tie together real-world professions with demanding academics through challengi... more »

Schools Matter: Advice to Chicago Teachers: Steer Clear of Weingarten

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Schools Matter: Advice to Chicago Teachers: Steer Clear of Weingarten: Advice to Chicago Teachers: Steer Clear of Weingarten by Jim Horn President of the AFT, Randi Weingarten, emerged today with a statement to the New York Times that feeds that vitriol that corporate ed deformers are trying to promote against Chicago teachers: “You have a situation where the teachers feel totally and completely disrespected,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the parent union of the striking teachers. In this case, she said she blamed Mayor Emanuel for an a... more »

UPDATE: Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break 9-11-12 #soschat #edreform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
*Big Education Ape - Mid Day Banana Break* One Blog Adventure Ends, This One Continues by dianerav Dear Readers, Today I ended my five-year association with Bridging Differences, the blog I shared with Deborah Meier. This is my farewell letter on that blog. I did so because I am devoting all my blogging time to this space. In less than four months, the blog has had nearly 1 million page views. I am having way too much fun, and I love the community that we are building together of people who care passionately about the future of education. I hope you will take the time to read my farewe... more »

We Need Democrats To Act Like Democrats On Education | OurFuture.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
We Need Democrats To Act Like Democrats On Education | OurFuture.org: We Need Democrats To Act Like Democrats On Education by Jeff Bryant *[My guest writer today is Cynthia Liu, PhD. Cynthia launched member-supported K12NewsNetwork.com to amplify grassroots education news and provide a national platform for people to use sophisticated online organizing tools to better improve and strengthen public schools. It's "MoveOn" for school communities. K12NN's relaunch was funded by a Ford Foundation grant to re-envision journalism and civic engagement. Site tools are currently being used ... more »

Jonah’s strike. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Jonah’s strike. « Fred Klonsky: Jonah’s strike. by Fred Klonsky *Jonah Edelman of Stand for Children.* I warned them. But they didn’t listen. Early on I said that Senate Bill 7 would lead to no good end. Ken Swanson, then President of the IEA, and Audrey Soglin, who still to this day goes around claiming Senate Bill 7 is teacher led reform, pronounced it as a national model. I said, “no, no, no.” Senate Bill 7 was the work of Jonah Edelman, his corporate reform group *Stand for Children*, and all those who wanted to bust teacher unions. But it was designed and targeted for states lik... more »

How GERM is infecting schools around the world? | Pasi Sahlberg Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
How GERM is infecting schools around the world? | Pasi Sahlberg Blog: How GERM is infecting schools around the world? Posted on June 30, 2012 Ten years ago — against all odds — Finland was ranked as the world’s top education nation. It was strange because in Finland education is seen as a public good accessible to all free of charge without standardized testing or competitive private schools. When I look around the world, I see competition, choice, and measuring of students and teachers as the main means to improve education. This market-based global movement has put many public sc... more »

Daily Kos: Teachers and the Death of the American Worker

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Daily Kos: Teachers and the Death of the American Worker: Teachers and the Death of the American Worker byplthomasEdDFollow 1 PERMALINK1 COMMENT The first decade of the 21st century has been an ominous harbinger for the American worker. Children and adults in poverty, the working poor, and the working class are increasing; the middle-class is eroding; and the pooling of capital among the 1% is expanding, forming the anchor stalling the progress of the *USS Democracy*. In *The State of Working America* (12th ed), Mishel, Bivens, Gould, and Shierholz identify the disturbing trends... more »

Chicago teachers strike poses a larger test about teacher evaluations around the country | OregonLive.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Chicago teachers strike poses a larger test about teacher evaluations around the country | OregonLive.com: Chicago teachers strike poses a larger test about teacher evaluations around the country WASHINGTON — The massive teacher strike in Chicago offers a high-profile test for the nation's teacher unions, which have seen their political influence threatened as a growing reform movement seeks to expand charter schools, get private companies involved with failing schools and link teacher evaluations to student test scores. Union leaders are taking a major stand on teacher evaluatio... more »

The Chicago teachers strike, Rahm Emmanuel, Stand for Children, the Gates Foundation, DFER, the Tea Party, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Chicago teachers strike, Rahm Emmanuel, Stand for Children, the Gates Foundation, DFER, the Tea Party, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan | Seattle Education: The Chicago teachers strike, Rahm Emmanuel, Stand for Children, the Gates Foundation, DFER, the Tea Party, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan by seattleducation2011 So what do all of these folks have in common? Listen up Seattle. The Chicago Teachers Union is currently on the front lines of a fight to defend public education. On one side the 30,000 members of the CTU have called for a contract that includes fair compensation, meaningful j... more »

Neoliberal Democrats Attack: Chicago Teachers Strike | Dissident Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Neoliberal Democrats Attack: Chicago Teachers Strike | Dissident Voice: Neoliberal Democrats Attack: Chicago Teachers Strike by Ben Schreiner [image: (L-R) Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel participate in a forum about education in big cities at the Katzen Arts Center on the campus of American University March 2, 2012 in Washington, DC. Calling their municipalities "city-states," the mayors suppored the idea of individual school districts being able to compete with states for the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" ... more »

NEA President Van Roekel on Chicago Teacher Strike | NEA Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
NEA President Van Roekel on Chicago Teacher Strike | NEA Today: NEA President Van Roekel Statement on Chicago Strike WASHINGTON - September 10, 2012 - The following statement was made today by NEA President Dennis Van Roekel: “Although the members of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are not members of the National Education Association (NEA), our three million members stand proudly behind CTU. “For more than a year, the teachers and education support professionals who serve Chicago’s children have been working toward an agreement that would improve learning conditions in Chicago’s ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: UN Trying to Take Away Parental Authority of Parents of Disabled Kids - Maybe Even Denying the Right To Homeschool

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: UN Trying to Take Away Parental Authority of Parents of Disabled Kids - Maybe Even Denying the Right To Homeschool: UN Trying to Take Away Parental Authority of Parents of Disabled Kids - Maybe Even Denying the Right To Homeschool by Anngie The US Senate is being pressured to take action this month on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In addition to making the government (in this case the UN), not the parent, the final decision maker on the rights for persons with disabilities, the UNCRPD removes any final impedi... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, September 11, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Tuesday, September 11, 2012* Study: Most O.C. districts haven't defined student defianceOnly a quarter of Orange County school districts report in a new survey that they have a clear definition of what constitutes a willfully defiant and disruptive student, even as this behavior classification constitutes the No. 1 reason students are suspended in California. Schools mark 9/11 with lessons, memorialsSchools across the nation will mark the 11th anniversary of the attacks with memorials, moments of silence and... more »

We Bridged Our Differences - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
We Bridged Our Differences - Bridging Differences - Education Week: We Bridged Our Differences by Diane Ravitch [image: Bridging Differences] Dear Deborah, We started this weekly exchange of letters more than five years ago, to what must have been the shock and amusement of those who knew both of us. We were supposed to be at opposite poles of the education debates of the day, so there was a certain logic to the idea that we might engage in "Bridging Differences." I remember when we first began this journey. In the fall of 2006, we were invited by New York University to discuss t... more »

PSAT for 9-11-12: Stand up and fight for our democracy Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 9-11-12: Stand up and fight for our democracy: PSAT for 9-11-12: Stand up and fight for our democracy by admin It’s the 11th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. We fought back then (in a sort of convoluted way) because we felt that our freedom and way of life were threatened. Of course, not all threats to our freedom and way of life come from terrorists dropping out of the skies. One of the most insidious threats to our democracy, our freedom, and our way of life is coming from wealthy hedge funders an... more »






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