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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 11-22-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-22-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 minutes ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] I Give Thanks to You by dianerav On this day, I pause to thank you, the readers of this blog. I thank you because you care about children and the future of education. I thank you because you understand that the way we educate our children today shapes the society we will live in for decades to come. I thank you because you teach me, you encourage me, you give me strength. I thank those of you who are parents, doing what is best for your child or children. I thank those of you who are educators, who have dedicat... more »

Final grades, exit interviews - Bites - Opinions - November 22, 2012 - Sacramento News & Review

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 25 minutes ago
Final grades, exit interviews - Bites - Opinions - November 22, 2012 - Sacramento News & Review: Final grades, exit interviews Local Reep fails Mother Earth, K.J.'s opposition says goodbye, school-board member bails By Cosmo Garvin cosmog@newsreview.com This article was published on 11.22.12. *Related stories:* Losing it K.J.'s rent problem, Blue Diamond roughs up union.SN&R, 11.27.08. [image: spacer] *The Sierra Club’s annual legislative report card is always* good for a couple of head-scratchers. For example, Republican*Assemblywoman Beth Gaines * was our only local rep to vot... more »

Test your Thanksgiving smarts

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago
Test your Thanksgiving smarts: Test your Thanksgiving smarts Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 22, 2012 at 9:37 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - - - - Sash and Malia Obama with Courage, the turkey President Obama “pardoned” in 2009. (By Marvin Joseph – THE WASHINGTON POST) Here are 10 questions that will test just how much you know about the history of Thanksgiving. Answers, with explanations, are below. *1) True or False. The Pilgrims who sailed to the New World in 1620 on the Mayflower had a smooth Atlant... more »

Happy Thanksgiving, Football Fans | Taking Note

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago
Happy Thanksgiving, Football Fans | Taking Note: Happy Thanksgiving, Football Fans by John Merrow It's a day we often turn to football, but is America's No. 1 sport doing more harm than good in classrooms? For a lot of Americans, Thanksgiving is a time for reflection. But since Thanksgiving now means football games, maybe it’s worth reflecting on the damage that America’s new national pastime is doing. I don’t mean the concussions, dementia and early deaths the sport is causing, because that’s already well-documented. Instead, I have more subtle issues in mind, issues that reveal ... more »

On Assignment -Deadline is Nov. 30 for teachers to post projects for DonorsChoose.Org support

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 36 minutes ago
On Assignment -: Deadline is Nov. 30 for teachers to post projects for DonorsChoose.Org support [image: DonorsChoose.org] By Theresa Harrington Monday, November 19th, 2012 at 6:55 pm in Education No Comments DonorsChoose.org is a cool website that allows members of the community to support projects in local schools that are posted by teachers who can’t afford to buy all the supplies necessary to implement them. But time is running out for teachers to post their projects. The deadline is Nov. 30. Here is more information about how the website began, from founder Charles Best: “Fueli... more »

Daily Kos: A Failed Experiment

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago
Daily Kos: A Failed Experiment: A Failed Experiment by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) In upper-middle-class suburbs on the East Coast, the newest must-have isn’t a $7,500 Sub-Zero refrigerator. It’s a standby generator that automatically flips on backup power to an entire house when the electrical grid goes out. . So begin this *New York Times* op ed by Nicholas Kristof. He starts with this imagery, explaining why increasingly those well-off are turning to such generators after a series of failures of our aging electric grid. Such systems can cost over $10,000, but he is a bit ... more »

Modern School: Data Driven Nonsense from Harvard and the Gates Foundation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 44 minutes ago
Modern School: Data Driven Nonsense from Harvard and the Gates Foundation: Data Driven Nonsense from Harvard and the Gates Foundation by Michael Dunn A new Gates-funded Harvard study has found that Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers vary substantially in quality (more than in other districts) and that it disproportionately places inexperienced teachers in lower performing classrooms (as in other districts). The study, Human Capital Diagnostic, was done by the Strategic Data Project (SDP), which is connected with Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Res...more »

Weekly Address: Wishing the American People a Happy Thanksgiving | The White House

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
Weekly Address: Wishing the American People a Happy Thanksgiving | The White House: Weekly Address: Wishing the American People a Happy Thanksgiving WASHINGTON, DC—During this holiday season, President Obama gave thanks in his weekly address for all of the blessings we share as Americans, and expressed his gratitude to the brave men and women who are defending our freedom around the world. As we come together to spend time with those we love, we also stand with those who are less fortunate this year, including our fellow Americans in the northeast who lost so much during the recen... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In L.A. the least experienced teachers are being placed with the neediest kids

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 50 minutes ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In L.A. the least experienced teachers are being placed with the neediest kids: In L.A. the least experienced teachers are being placed with the neediest kids by Mike Klonsky A new Harvard study shows the so-called "achievement gap" growing wider in L.A. as the neediest of the district's students are taught by the least experienced teachers. Under Supt. *John Deasy's* control, LAUSD has increased its reliance on extended substitutes and TFA f*ive-week wonders *as an austerity measure and a way of undermining the union contract. First-year teachers a... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Fr. Simeon Daly: A Song of Thanks to Teacher Sister Mary

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 52 minutes ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Fr. Simeon Daly: A Song of Thanks to Teacher Sister Mary: Fr. Simeon Daly: A Song of Thanks to Teacher Sister Mary by stlgretchen Blessings to everyone this Thanksgiving. Below is a beautiful song of thanks to a special teacher/friend sung by a monk from St. Meinrad Archabbey....a song never to be sung to a computer or data system by a grateful student. This song represents everything teaching is all about. It's not about data driven results as much as it is as the giving of knowledge to another person and igniting the light of understanding. ... more »

IEA Prez tells Quinn to stop the attack on AFSCME. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 53 minutes ago
IEA Prez tells Quinn to stop the attack on AFSCME. « Fred Klonsky: IEA Prez tells Quinn to stop the attack on AFSCME. by Fred Klonsky From the IEA President Cinda Klickna: “Governor Quinn’s decision to terminate the state’s contract with its largest employee union, AFSCME, is an attack on both the collective bargaining process and on all unionized public employees in Illinois.The AFSCME employees provide health services to the sick, the elderly and to children. These hard-working men and women help ensure public safety and enhance the quality of life for all Illinoisans and dese... more »

Watch: The disenfranchisment of Native Americans continues today | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago
Watch: The disenfranchisment of Native Americans continues today | The Raw Story: Watch: The disenfranchisment of Native Americans continues today By Megan Carpentier Thursday, November 22, 2012 1:00 EST [image: Print] Share on facebookShare on redditShare on diggShare on twitterShare on farkShare on stumbleupon6 [image: Popé, the leader of the Pueblo Revolt] Topics: Native Americans Though the story of the first American Thanksgiving in which the Pilgrims host a great banquet to thank Native Americans who helped them survive the first winter, there is a darker history to the enc... more »

The in box. Letter to the Southtown Star. What is missing from the pension reform dialogue? « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The in box. Letter to the Southtown Star. What is missing from the pension reform dialogue? « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Letter to the Southtown Star. What is missing from the pension reform dialogue? by Fred Klonsky *My letter to the SouthtownStar:* *How tied to Illinois’ Speaker of the House, Michael Madigan, are local south-suburban Democratic legislators? Residents throughout Southland are about to find out. In the coming days, Illinois Legislators will be headed to Springfield to yet again attempt to fix the State’s spiraling budget deficit. Central to the Legislature’s focus... more »

Common Core Math Standards Making the Simple Complicated | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Common Core Math Standards Making the Simple Complicated | Truth in American Education: Common Core Math Standards Making the Simple Complicated by Shane Vander Hart [image: math]Barry Garelick wrote at The Atlantic about the Common Core Math Standards. Basically he says that kids are required not to just learn how to make a calculations, but also how to explain why they are doing so. The standards actually elevate this above learning how to solve math problems. Garelick points out a couple of emails he has received as anecdotal evidence that the implementation of the standards ... more »

Is this what students in Louisiana are learning about evolution? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Is this what students in Louisiana are learning about evolution? | toteachornototeach: Is this what students in Louisiana are learning about evolution? by aristotlethewise *Is this what students in Louisiana are learning about evolution?* by George Dvorsky Earlier this week, The New Star published an article questioning the way Louisiana goes about its funding of nonpublic schools. According to the state’s constitution, all nonpublic schools must certify that it has “curriculum or specialized course of study of quality at least equal to that prescribed for similar public schools.” T... more »

Jersey Jazzman: A Courageous Teacher Needs Your Help

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: A Courageous Teacher Needs Your Help: A Courageous Teacher Needs Your Help by Duke This is Marie Corfield. Marie is an art teacher, a mother, and a fighter for teachers and parents here in New Jersey. Marie became a minor national celebrity when she stood up to a bullying Chris Christie at one of his phony town hall meetings and told him to stop attacking New Jersey's great public school teachers. She was drafted to run for a seat in the NJ State Assembly; that meant putting the rest of her life on hold while waging a tough campaign. There are powerful people in t... more »

Illinois Democrats are digging a deep hole. Didn’t they learn anything from the Republican debacle? « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Illinois Democrats are digging a deep hole. Didn’t they learn anything from the Republican debacle? « Fred Klonsky: Illinois Democrats are digging a deep hole. Didn’t they learn anything from the Republican debacle? by Fred Klonsky \ *Nekritz went back to eating her salad.* On November 6th things looked pretty sweet for Democrats. In Illinois too. After all, there were several high-profile congressional races that the Democrats won. A couple were really unexpected – like in the 10th CD where Republican Robert Dold had a huge money advantage, but lost to centrist Democrat Brad Schnei... more »

Acting In Solidarity On Black Friday | OccupyWallSt.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Acting In Solidarity On Black Friday | OccupyWallSt.org: Acting In Solidarity On Black Friday by OccupyWallSt [image: Walkout on Walmart!] *via Sarah Jaffe:* To make a mess that another person will have to deal with—the dropped socks, the toothpaste sprayed on the bathroom mirror, the dirty dishes left from a late-night snack—is to exert domination in one of its more silent and intimate forms. -Barbara Ehrenreich, in “Made to Order,” an essay from the anthology Global Woman: Nannies, Maids and Sex Workers in the New Economy, co-edited with Arlie Russell Hochschild [This quote is] ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: ALEC Bails on Opposing Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: ALEC Bails on Opposing Common Core: ALEC Bails on Opposing Common Core by Anngie Ed Week reported that ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) has voted not to adopt the resolution opposing the Common Core State Standards. The latest news is that on Nov. 19, after several discussions over the past year and at least onepostponed vote, ALEC's legislative board of directors has voted not to adopt the resolution opposing the Common Core, the group announced in an email. ALEC stated that it will remain "neutral" on the common cor e, "but will cont... more »

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » RYH forum Nov. 29th – Assessing the Assessments

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » RYH forum Nov. 29th – Assessing the Assessments: RYH forum Nov. 29th – Assessing the Assessments by admin [image: Home] *A forum for community members to discuss the* *CULTURE OF TESTING in our schools* What are all these tests? How do we best measure achievement? ACCESS… Dibels … REACH… NWEA–Map. CCQ… ISAT… Explore… PLAN… mCLass… Compass *When:* Thursday, November 29, 2012 *Where: *Holstein Park, 2nd floor Auditorium (elevator available) 2200 N. Oakley, Chicago *Time: *7pm – 9 pm Forum panelists include: *teachers *who cur... more »

Diane in the Evening 11-21-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: When Gary Rubinstein Visited KIPP by dianerav Gary Rubinstein was among the nation’s earliest Teach for Merica teachers. Unlike most TFA, however, he became a career teacher. He now teaches at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. This is a veryinteresting report on a visit he paid to a KIPP school. Be sure to read te comments. When Happy Talk Is Mandated by dianerav A reader in Texas responds to a post about the Dallas superintendent, who has sent out directions to schools to express themselves only in positive terms: This blog reminds me: we got a ne... more »

Schools Matter: Let's Be Thankful for Karen Lewis: Hear a Real Union Leader's Vision for Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Schools Matter: Let's Be Thankful for Karen Lewis: Hear a Real Union Leader's Vision for Education: Let's Be Thankful for Karen Lewis: Hear a Real Union Leader's Vision for Education by Jim Horn You won't get this kind of honesty and genuine care from the mealy-mouthed sellouts who run AFT and NEA. Karen Lewis speaking at the Chicago Club on November 20:

Secretary Of Education Forced To Take Up Stripping To Put Nation Through School | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Secretary Of Education Forced To Take Up Stripping To Put Nation Through School | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: Secretary Of Education Forced To Take Up Stripping To Put Nation Through School NOVEMBER 20, 2012 | ISSUE 48•47 | MORE NEWS Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, performing onstage as Velvet. ARTICLE TOOLS - - - - Share on Tumblr - - - - RELATED ARTICLES - Tens Of Thousands Dead In Ongoing Africa - Memphis Airport Panda Express Takes Over As Nation's Most Depressing Place TAMPA, FL—Saying it was his only... more »

As teachers group releases survey critical of extended day, DISD trustees contemplate a change | Education Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
As teachers group releases survey critical of extended day, DISD trustees contemplate a change | Education Blog: As teachers group releases survey critical of extended day, DISD trustees contemplate a change By Tawnell Hobbs thobbs@dallasnews.com 1:08 pm on November 21, 2012 | Permalink Dallas ISD trustees will consider next week removing atime-limit rule from policy that added 45-minutes to the workday for educators, who have decried how the time is being used. The proposal is expected to pass. But passage of the measure at the Nov. 29 board meeting doesn’t mean that extend... more »

On the Uses and Meaning of Data « InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
On the Uses and Meaning of Data « InterACT: On the Uses and Meaning of Data by David B. Cohen *Get ready – we know the data is coming!* Common Core Assessments are going to change everything, right? But for teachers and schools on the receiving end of greater volumes of information, what does all that data really mean? Not surprisingly, it depends on whom you ask. [image: Kate McKenna]CalTURN’s Kate McKenna addresses conference attendees (photo by the author). Last week, I attended a labor-management collaboration conference in Santa Monica, California, organized byWestEd and the... more »

Arizona Charter School Officials Are Enriching Themselves With Public Funds | The New Republic

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Arizona Charter School Officials Are Enriching Themselves With Public Funds | The New Republic: How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers - Timothy Noah - November 20, 2012 | 2:10 pm - 4 comments - Share on redditShare on tumblrShare on stumbleupon|More Sharing ServicesMore - [image: Print]Print - SHARE inShare3 MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR The Two Americas Small Business Sells John Boehner Out Fred Barnes: Fine, We’re The Party Of Whitey Christopher Furlong/Getty Images In government, if I help myself to taxpayer dollars, we call that embezzlement and I go to jail. In the... more »

Pa. charter schools have no accountability - The Mercury

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Pa. charter schools have no accountability - The Mercury: Pa. charter schools have no accountability - - Posted: 11/21/12 12:01 am - - - - - - - Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on stumbleuponShare on google_plusone Share on pinterest_shareMore Sharing Services - CONTRIBUTE - - Story Ideas - Send Corrections The Pennsylvania General Assembly has failed again in its attempt to provide financial and academic accountability to charter schools. The 11th hour attempt to pass charter schoo... more »

Schools Matter: Houston, You've Got a Problem: It's Called EVAAS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Schools Matter: Houston, You've Got a Problem: It's Called EVAAS: Houston, You've Got a Problem: It's Called EVAAS by Jim Horn Never really understood what value-added test scores mean, and how they affect teachers and kids? Ever wondered why the National Academy of Sciences sent a a 14-page letter to Arne Duncan warning him against high stakes use of value-added in RTTT. That's okay, you're not alone--many of us are puzzled. One thing is for sure, however--when teachers band together and get a couple of good lawyers to shine a penetrating light on this Oz-inspired scheme and the...more »

Teachers and Parents: Natural Allies in Defending Our Schools - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Teachers and Parents: Natural Allies in Defending Our Schools - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Teachers and Parents: Natural Allies in Defending Our Schools by Anthony Cody I have been thinking a bit more about the strategies at work in the battle over our schools that I describedyesterday. Michael Petrilli's op-ed makes division the key weapon that reformers will be using in the years to come. * Division 1: Middle class suburban schools vs. high poverty urban schools. * Mr. Petrilli wrote: Top-down, one-size-fits-all efforts such as formulaic teacher evaluations ten... more »

Five Levers to Improve Student Learning — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Five Levers to Improve Student Learning — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Five Levers to Improve Student Learning November 21, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers Educators constantly look for new tools and programs to stimulate and motivate learners, enhance student performance, or change the role of the teacher. Recent trends include flipped teaching, red-shirting (postponing kindergarten entrance so that a child is one year older than his peers), merit pay, year-round school, and a longer school day. Which strategies or innovations are l... more »

I Am A Citizen of A Country That Does Not Yet Exist | The IDEA Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
I Am A Citizen of A Country That Does Not Yet Exist | The IDEA Blog: I Am A Citizen of A Country That Does Not Yet Exist Posted by Kirsten Olson on Nov 21, 2012 - 07:10 AM The great Dr. Vincent Harding, whose words and moral presence has inspired me and my colleagues at IDEA for years, has never been more powerful here. Speaking at the Children’s Defense Fund Annual Convention in Cincinnati, OH in July 2012, at a town hall on national and racial healing, Dr. Harding proclaims a vision for activism--of world that is emmanent--that calls out to me at a nearly bodily level. He asks u... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's 'reform' agenda takes a beating

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's 'reform' agenda takes a beating: Rahm's 'reform' agenda takes a beating by Mike Klonsky At City Club luncheon: i don't know what Gov. Quinn is saying, but Karen Lewis doesn't seem too impressed .Rahm's school reform agenda of school closings and charter schools, was taken to the woodshed yesterday. First and foremost by CTU Prez Karen Lewis in her address to the City Club. *At one point, half the room gave Ms. Lewis a standing ovation. Among those who stayed seated: Beth Swanson, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's education point person during the contentiou... more »

Review & Outlook: The Evil Empire Strikes Back - WSJ.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Review & Outlook: The Evil Empire Strikes Back - WSJ.com: The Evil Empire Strikes BackEven when reform passes, teachers unions engage in massive resistance. *Those Nasty Evil Teachers Trying to Protect Students, But I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!* Education reformers had good news at the ballot box this month as voters in Washington and Georgia approved measures to create new charter schools. But as the reform movement gathers momentum, teachers unions are giving no quarter in their massive resistance against states trying to shake up failing public education. ... more »

Subverting the System | I was thinking…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Subverting the System | I was thinking…: Subverting the System Posted on November 12, 2012 by heidi 32tweetsretweet When it comes to parents being included in educational discussions or decision making processes, I’ve repeatedly heard two themes emerge: 1) “We ASKED and no one responded!” Teachers/administrators send out emails, ask for feedback, send surveys, host parent ed or parent-teacher interview times – and few (if any) parents respond. So why do it? Why bother trying? The frustration during these conversations has been palpable. And this has come from educators that I ... more »

Early Math Teachers Celebrate ‘Critical Thinking, Not Correct Answers’ | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Early Math Teachers Celebrate ‘Critical Thinking, Not Correct Answers’ | ED.gov Blog: Early Math Teachers Celebrate ‘Critical Thinking, Not Correct Answers’ Posted on November 19, 2012 by Julie Ewart With math literacy a must for most jobs in our knowledge economy*, *Secretary Duncanhas called math teachers “our nation-builders of the future.” Yet, just 40 percent of 4th-graders and 35 percent of 8th-graders are proficient in math, according to the latestNational Assessment of Educational Progress. [image: Playing Games at Diego School] Student Richard Mitchell III and his dad, Richa... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, November 21, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Wednesday, November 21, 2012* Monterey Peninsula USD hires community relations firm to help its imageHow the public views MPUSD is something administrators say the district has battled for years and tried to counteract by organizing community meetings, workshops and other activities to little or no avail. Long Beach school board approves new contract with teachersThe Long Beach Unified School District and its teachers union have officially come to an agreement on a contract that compromises over health care ... more »

Teachers worry about more testing under new Louisiana evaluations | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Teachers worry about more testing under new Louisiana evaluations | Hechinger Report: Teachers worry about more testing under new Louisiana evaluations by Sarah Carr When Scott Harris looked at recommended French tests he could use to measure his students’ progress this school year — and, by extension, his own success or failure as a teacher — he felt stymied by the lack of suitable options. For instance, the state’s suggested tests for Harris’ French I students at Louisiana State University Laboratory School featured sample questions ranging from basic vocabulary to asking student... more »

The future of D.C. public schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The future of D.C. public schools: The future of D.C. public schools Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 21, 2012 at 11:25 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson’s plan to close 20 traditional public schools in the nation’s capital is nothing if not an acknowledgement that the system over which she presides is inexorably dwindling and being transformed into a collection of independently run public charter schools. The numbers tell a big part of this story: He... more »

$100 Million to Address Perceptions of Inequity? « PWC Education Reform Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
$100 Million to Address Perceptions of Inequity? « PWC Education Reform Blog: $100 Million to Address Perceptions of Inequity?November 21, 2012 — pwceducationreform Last night the school board held an work session on the CIP to address school construction / renovation projects planned for the next 10 – 12 years. The meeting was called by Gil Trenum, the representative from Brentsville District. Mr Trenum, who more than earned his pay last night, stated that with increasingly tight budgets, any construction project not already begun was in jeopardy and that the school division ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-21-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Wake Up! Crisis in Michigan by dianerav Marcie Lipsitt writes from Michigan that the public must wake up to what their governor and legislature are doing to destroy public education: Finally the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News are reporting on Governor Rick “Nerd” (a disgrace to Dr. Seuss) Snyder and the Republican-led legislature’s plan to destroy public education in Michigan and in record time and virtually no transparency. Most frightening is that Michiganders still don’t understand the immediate cri... more »

Education’s coconut cake problem - Opinion - The Boston Globe

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Education’s coconut cake problem - Opinion - The Boston Globe: Education’s coconut cake problem By Gareth Cook | GLOBE COLUMNIST DECEMBER 18, 2011 HARVARD PROFESSOR Roland Fryer has made a discovery with the potential to transform public education. To understand it, though, it helps to first hear a story about the conundrum of the coconut cake. Fryer’s grandmother makes an astounding coconut cake, a magical confection of sweetness and air he’s loved since he was a kid growing up in Florida. Fryer wanted to learn to make the cake himself, but every time he pressed for a re... more »

Creative Noncompliance « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Creative Noncompliance « Deborah Meier on Education: Creative Noncompliance by debmeier Every time we got a new chancellor of education in New York City we’d lament that he didn’t start out by acknowledging what’s gone before him (or her). I suppose it’s part of the “politics” of the situation. In order to look good, he paints as bad a picture as possible–one that allows him to go up with just a little PR. But there was one who invited a group of principals whose reputations rested on successful innovations. His name was Frank Macchiarola. I recall our amusement–as he called on us... more »

Education Commission Publishes Report Condemning Privatisation and Immigration Controls in UK UniversitiesCoalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Coalition for Public Education/Coalición por la Educación Pública: Education Commission Publishes Report Condemning Privatisation and Immigration Controls in UK Universities 21 November, 2012 London, UK – On the day of the first major NUS demonstration in nearly two years, the Education Commission published a report into the effects of increased tuition fees and privatisation in the higher education sector. Education Commission spokesperson Lou Shelley said: "Our research clearly shows that the rise in tuition fees and the Con-Dem's program of privatisation has sent out a clear si... more »

The Educated Reporter: Common Core State Standards: What's Ahead for English-Language Learners, Teachers and Tests?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Common Core State Standards: What's Ahead for English-Language Learners, Teachers and Tests?: Common Core State Standards: What's Ahead for English-Language Learners, Teachers and Tests? by Emily Richmond Earlier this fall in Los Angeles, EWA -- along with the University of California-Berkeley, the Understanding Language Initiative at Stanford University, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE), and the California Community Foundation -- held a seminar on how the new Common Core State Standards will impact English-language learners. We focused on le... more »

How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers | toteachornototeach: How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers by aristotlethewise *How Charter Schools Fleece Taxpayers* by Timothy Noah In government, if I help myself to taxpayer dollars, we call that embezzlement and I go to jail. In the private sector, if I help myself to taxpayer dollars, we call that innovation and I get hailed as a visionary exponent of public-private partnership. That’s the lesson of a Nov. 17 investigation by Anne Ryman of the Arizona Republic into the state’s charter schools. In her examination of Arizona’s 50 largest no... more »

Winning paths to success in Pasadena, Santa Barbara | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Winning paths to success in Pasadena, Santa Barbara | EdSource Today: Winning paths to success in Pasadena, Santa Barbara ** November 20th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By Kathryn Baron Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services Pasadena and Santa Barbara City Colleges are recipients of the 2012 Chancellor’s Student Success Award for their programs to support first-year and underserved students in community college. “These are the types of initiatives our Student Success Task Force determined were extremely important in achieving equity and... more »

Daily Kos: some observations from a classroom

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: some observations from a classroom: some observations from a classroom by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) If you were to start on Independence Avenue from where it splits off from Pennsylvania Avenue NE at Third Street and head east, as you get to RFK Stadium you loop around the circle and then cross the Anacostia River on East Capitol Street. A few miles later on your left is an aging junior high school building that houses a non-profit charter Middle School and companion High School. I teach in the former. Knowing several of the staff, and having visited the school p... more »

Georgia: Putting all our eggs and hopes in charter school basket | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Georgia: Putting all our eggs and hopes in charter school basket | Get Schooled: Georgia: Putting all our eggs and hopes in charter school basket by Maureen Downey The battle in Georgia to win passage of a controversial charter school amendment turned out to be costly, divisive and polarizing. Many might also argue it was unnecessary, given that charter schools were never in jeopardy and more continue to open every year in Georgia. The state Board of Education already had the ability to approve them, and local school boards, despite the characterization that most were hostile towa... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In Pearson we trust. Really? But our blood is never blue.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In Pearson we trust. Really? But our blood is never blue.: In Pearson we trust. Really? But our blood is never blue. by Mike Klonsky Remember back in April, when a single insipid test question sparked the*pineapple rebellion* and shone a light, not only on current standardized testing practices, but on the whole testing industry and its leading profiteer, Pearson Publishing? With lives, careers and the very existence of schools hanging in the balance, we have become totally reliant on Pearson and the testing companies to measure and arbitrate truth an... more »








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