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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 11-29-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS


A New Villain: Air Pollution. « MomsRising Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 43 minutes ago
A New Villain: Air Pollution. « MomsRising Blog: [image: bannerblue] A New Villain: Air Pollution. Iva Ingar at MomsRising Blog - 51 minutes ago Parents have been performing heroic feats since the dawn of time. Growing up, my mom worked the night shift as a medical technician but would still wake herself up for three hours in order to greet my sister and me coming home from school. She’d cook dinner for us and then help us with our [...] Can air pollution contribute to Autism? Diane Bailey at MomsRising Blog - 51 minutes ago A new study says: Yes, air pollution may be a factor contri... more »

Digging Into Our 'Disagreements' on Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 46 minutes ago
Digging Into Our 'Disagreements' on Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Digging Into Our 'Disagreements' on Schools by Deborah Meier Dear Pedro, In keeping with the spirit of Bridging Differences—establishing differences—given our many nondifferences—could be helpful. In response to your blog post from Tuesday, I think there are three possible disagreements I want to address. 1. Your assumption (unsaid) that both "sides" have similar ends, and thus can be persuaded by similar evidence, and alternative solutions. 2. An underlying critique of "our side" for criticizing ... more »

Tom Friedman is a friggin’ idiot. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Tom Friedman is a friggin’ idiot. « Fred Klonsky: Tom Friedman is a friggin’ idiot. by Fred Klonsky It only took a few seconds after I posted “Tom Friedman is a friggin’ idiot” on my Facebook page in response to today’s NY Times column, than my MacBook started pinging like crazy. *Likes* and comments poured like Morton salt. I once had an administrator offer me Friedman’s *The World is Flat *to read. I returned the favor by giving him Diane Ravitch’s *The Death and Life of the Great American School. * I actually read the Friedman book. I don’t think he broke the spine of Ravitch’s.... more »

Education Week: Standardized Testing Costs States $1.7 Billion a Year, Study Says

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Education Week: Standardized Testing Costs States $1.7 Billion a Year, Study Says: Standardized Testing Costs States $1.7 Billion a Year, Study Says By Andrew Ujifusa Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org. Read more FREE content! [image: Article Tools] - [image: Print]Printer-Friendly - [image: Email]Email Article - [image: Reprint]Reprints - [image: Comments]Comments - - - Standardized-testing regimens cost states some $1.7 billion a year overall, or a quarter of 1 percent of total K-12 spending in the United States, according to a new report on... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core 3rd Grade Benchmarks for Citizenship. And You Still Believe the Standards Don't Drive the Curriculum?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Common Core 3rd Grade Benchmarks for Citizenship. And You Still Believe the Standards Don't Drive the Curriculum?: Common Core 3rd Grade Benchmarks for Citizenship. And You Still Believe the Standards Don't Drive the Curriculum? by stlgretchen [image: CCSS Double Down] *The new definition of being a "good citizen"? Common Core 3rd grade standards benchmarks to promote the "common good".* ** *What is your definition of a good citizen?* Let's travel back in time and revisit the 1954 World Book Encyclopedia's definition of citizenship:

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's New Memoir Reads Like a Zealot's Manifesto, Details Time in D.C. - Loose Lips

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's New Memoir Reads Like a Zealot's Manifesto, Details Time in D.C. - Loose Lips: Rhee-visionist History Posted by Alan Suderman on Nov. 28, 2012 at 8:01 pm Like most sequels, the current round of D.C. Public Schools closings is a lot less dramatic than the first wave presided over by former Schools Chancellor*Michelle Rhee *four years ago. That soap opera included a protest outside the Wilson Building set to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” police removing a man who yelled expletives at Rhee during a D.C. Council hearing, and some very unhappy ... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-29-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Online Schools Spend Millions of Tax Dollars to Advertise by dianerav USA Today has done it again. Last year, an investigative team of reporters broke open the cheating scandal during Michelle Rhee’s tenure. Now, Greg Toppo reveals that the virtual charters are wasting millions of dollars on advertising to boost their enrollment and their coffers. He has identified about $100 million of lost taxpayer dollars. They recruit for two reasons: one, to add more dollars to their bank account. Two, because they hav... more »

NYC Educator: On Classroom Management: Who's Been Drinking the Bad Idea Kool Aid?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
NYC Educator: On Classroom Management: Who's Been Drinking the Bad Idea Kool Aid?: On Classroom Management: Who's Been Drinking the Bad Idea Kool Aid? by NYC Educator *By Recovering ATR* (formerly Suddenly ATR) I've heard a lot of stupid ideas floated through the schools during my time at Tweed. And some of them are really, really stupid. But many of them are stupid but harmless. For example most professional development workshops are boring, pointless, but in the end, who really cares? Yawn. Blah. In one ear, out the other. Some ideas are stupid but can actually harm teachers. An... more »

Four More Years of Arne Duncan? That's the Last Thing our Schools Need | Education on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Four More Years of Arne Duncan? That's the Last Thing our Schools Need | Education on GOOD: Four More Years of Arne Duncan? That's the Last Thing our Schools Need [image: sec.duncan] While it isn't official yet, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has hinted that he will return to President Obama's cabinet for a second term. This isn't good news. As a 17-year-old high school student, I'm both a No Child Left Behind and a Race to the Top baby. I've lived through two pieces of failed legislation—under former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and now Duncan—that have seriously... more »

4LAKids - GREAT UNCERTAINTY OVER DIRECTION OF STATE STANDARDIZED TESTS: “State policymakers are ready to deemphasize the role of standardized tests in the school accountability system”

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: GREAT UNCERTAINTY OVER DIRECTION OF STATE STANDARDIZED TESTS: “State policymakers are ready to deemphasize the role of standardized tests in the school accountability system”: GREAT UNCERTAINTY OVER DIRECTION OF STATE STANDARDIZED TESTS: “State policymakers are ready to deemphasize the role of standardized tests in the school accountability system” BY JOHN FENSTERWALD, EDSOURCE TODAY | HTTP://BIT.LY/TUJWME November 26th, 2012 :: With the statute authorizing state standardized tests due to expire in June 2014, the incoming Legislature ... more »

An at-home college-readiness test for students with learning disabilities

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
An at-home college-readiness test for students with learning disabilities: An at-home college-readiness test for students with learning disabilities by Valerie Strauss The college admissions process is hard enough for students who don't struggle with a learning disability but all the more difficult for students who do. Here is a test that parents can give to their children who have learning disabilities to see if they are ready to go to college. It was written by Rachel Masson, director of admissions atLandmark College, a Putney, Vt., institution that offers integrated approaches ... more »

Best Education In The World | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Best Education In The World | toteachornototeach: Best Education In The World by aristotlethewise *Best Education In The World: Finland, South Korea* *Top Country Rankings, U.S. Rated Average *The United States places 17th in the developed world for education, according to a global report by education firm Pearson. Finland and South Korea, not surprisingly, top the list of 40 developed countries with the best education systems. Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore follow. The rankings are calculated based on various measures, including international test scores, graduation rates between 20... more »

Daily Kos: My teaching adventure continues

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Daily Kos: My teaching adventure continues: My teaching adventure continues by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) I have now completed 6 days with my students, although realistically only 5 count, since the 1/2 day before Thanksgiving was really not focused on academics and a lot of students were out. We did have some competitions of boys against girls that day where they were given information about a teacher and asked to guess which member of the team it was. They were wrong more than they were right :-) The school does a thorough job of orienting teachers - at the start of the ye... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: After Nov. 6th, aren't we already at 'the table'?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: After Nov. 6th, aren't we already at 'the table'?: After Nov. 6th, aren't we already at 'the table'? by Mike Klonsky *“...being seated at the table, which do you think is a better place to be?” -- Sen. Durbin* November 6th was the election. The very next day came the "fiscal cliff" media deluge, concocted by the leadership of both parties as a way of justifying the grand deal that's already in the works -- a slashing of so-called *entitlements* in exchange for a slight bump in the tax rate for the multi-millionaire and billionaire

Parents and Students of District 7 in the Bronx Are About to be Screwed, Again.southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Parents and Students of District 7 in the Bronx Are About to be Screwed, Again by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) Oh the fun does not stop in District 7 in the Bronx. The New York Post reported today that District 7, as the behest of Community Education Council (one wonders whose behest they are working for), that 17 elementary schools in District 7 sill no longer be zoned schools, but rather open to all students within the district. Said Nedya Franco, the D7 CEC president; *“We feel that it can’t get any worse, because we’re failing. So we hav... more »

Charter School Operator Named Chairman on Florida Senate K-20 Education Policy Committee | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Charter School Operator Named Chairman on Florida Senate K-20 Education Policy Committee | Scathing Purple Musings: Charter School Operator Named Chairman on Florida Senate K-20 Education Policy Committee by Bob Sikes Only in Florida can this happen. Fresh off his victory for a Senate seat in which an ethics complaint against him was filled, John Legg hit the lottery in bagging a key chair of a committee for which he will be driving policy which will financially benefit him.Founder of Dayspring Academy Charter School, John Legg is now listed as the school’s “business administrato... more »

Schools Matter: Guest Post: What was DiCarlo thinking?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Schools Matter: Guest Post: What was DiCarlo thinking?: Guest Post: What was DiCarlo thinking? by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene [image: Dr. John Thompson was an award-winning historian, lobbyist, and guerilla-gardener who became an award-winning inner city teacher after crack and gangs hit his neighborhood.]By John Thompson As conservative school "reformers" bemoan their defeat in the 2012 election, and as some seem to admit the failure of their "reforms," some accountability hawks are doing some self-criticism. For instance, Fordham's Kathleen Porter-Magee says that the reform movem... more »

solidaridad: Why I enthusiastically endorse Ron Gochez for Los Angeles City Council District 9

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
solidaridad: Why I enthusiastically endorse Ron Gochez for Los Angeles City Council District 9: Why I enthusiastically endorse Ron Gochez for Los Angeles City Council District 9 by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene [image: Ron Gochez and John Parker]For many years the people Los Angeles City Council District 9 (CD9) have not been represented. Instead deep pocketed developers have had virtually unfettered influence and access, and we've seen tragedies like the razing of the South Central Farm, the victimization of the homeless under Safer Cities Initiative, and intentional blight to dis... more »

An Analysis of the ACHIEVE Act vs. the DREAM Act | First Focus

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
An Analysis of the ACHIEVE Act vs. the DREAM Act | First Focus: An Analysis of the ACHIEVE Act vs. the DREAM Act [image: First Focus - Making Childen and Families the Priority] [image: First Focus Campaign For Children][image: Childrens Budget] FACT SHEETS Search resources November 28, 2012 By Wendy Cervantes and Kevin Lindsey Download this Resource This fact sheet provides a comparison of key provisions of the Assisting Children and Helping them Improve their Educational Value for Employment (ACHIEVE) Act (S. 3639) and the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM)... more »

Heading Off the Disaster Capitalism Curriculum | Graphic Novel Reporter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Heading Off the Disaster Capitalism Curriculum | Graphic Novel Reporter: Heading Off the Disaster Capitalism Curriculum *This interview was conducted by Doré Ripley, a lecturer at Cal State East Bay and an adjunct professor at Diablo Valley College. She specializes in intensive writing. You can visit her on the web at* www.RipleyOnline.com. See her previous interview with Adam Bessie here. ------------------------------ In the first two installments of the comic journalism feature at Truth-out.org,*The Disaster Capitalism Curriculum*, written by Adam Bessie and drawn by Dan Arche... more »

Daily Kos: Update: MICHIGAN: HOLY F*CKING SH*T. Spread the word on this NOW.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Daily Kos: Update: MICHIGAN: HOLY F*CKING SH*T. Spread the word on this NOW.: Update: MICHIGAN: HOLY F*CKING SH*T. Spread the word on this NOW. byBrainwrapFollow *Hyperbole? Hair on Fire? Sky is Falling?* Absolutely. If you or anyone you know and care about live in Michigan, or if you care whatsoever about the public school system in this country--or, for that matter, education of our children in general--I urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to read up on *Michigan State House Bills 6004 & 5923, and State Senate Bills 1358 & 620.* If you think I'm over-hyping this issue, re...more »

ACLU 8th Annual “Youth Social Justice Forum” Gives Voice to MPS High School Students « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
ACLU 8th Annual “Youth Social Justice Forum” Gives Voice to MPS High School Students « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: ACLU 8th Annual “Youth Social Justice Forum” Gives Voice to MPS High School Students Filed under: ACLU,Student Movement,Student Organizing — millerlf @ 8:34 pm On Wednesday, November 28th, I spent the day talking with high school students at the ACLU’s 8th “Youth Social Justice Forum.” Attended by over 400 high school students, subjects included- - police oversight - racism - gay rights - student rights - bullying - voting - MPS In... more »

Honoring The Civil Rights Movement | Taking Note

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
Honoring The Civil Rights Movement | Taking Note: Honoring The Civil Rights Movement by John Merrow John has an idea for your holiday giving efforts. Remember that popular song whose lyrics celebrate ignorance? *“Don’t know much about history, don’t know much geography…?”* In the end, what matters to the young man in the song is getting the girl. But is it important is it that we, and those who follow us, know and respect the past? If history matters to you, then please read on. The words were penned by Jim Loewen, the historian and writer of a wonderful book, *Lies My Teacher Told ... more »

Poverty Doesn't Matter in Education? Tell That to an 11-Year-Old Living in the Tenderloin | Education on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Poverty Doesn't Matter in Education? Tell That to an 11-Year-Old Living in the Tenderloin | Education on GOOD: Poverty Doesn't Matter in Education? Tell That to an 11-Year-Old Living in the Tenderloin Watch Sera's Story on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE. Back in Spring 2011 a Harvard-convened think tank called Futures of School Reform—20 well-respected educators, academics, and politicians—predicted that over the next few years the education reform conversation will shift away from blaming teacher tenure for student achievement results to considering how out-of-school factors relate... more »

One in Five Charter Schools Is Bad Enough to Close - Bloomberg

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
One in Five Charter Schools Is Bad Enough to Close - Bloomberg: One in Five Charter Schools Is Bad Enough to Close By John Hechinger - Nov 28, 2012 1:34 PM PT As many as one in five U.S. charter schools should be shut down because of poor academic performance, according to a group representing states, districts and universities that grant them permission to operate. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers said 900 to 1,300 of the privately run, publicly financed schools should close because they are in the bottom 15 percent of public schools in their states. The Chic... more »

December 8: TOGETHER Education Summit - Parents, Students, Teachers & Community United for Better Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Chicago Teachers Union | Events: TOGETHER Education Summit Now that the Board of Education and Rahm Emanuel have gotten the Illinois Legislature to delay the announcement of school closings, we know we have a fight on our hands.We should expect that CPS will close up to 150 schools and announce them by March 31, 2013. Join hundreds of parents, students and community members who want to help us FIGHT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR SCHOOLS! Let’s make it happen… TOGETHER [image: PHOTO: Students, parents and community members march in Rahm Emanuel’s neighborhood with a banner reading: Suppo... more »

LAUSD putting on a show -- a talent show -- to showcase employee-entertainers, raise money for after-school programs - LA Daily News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
LAUSD putting on a show -- a talent show -- to showcase employee-entertainers, raise money for after-school programs - LA Daily News: LAUSD putting on a show -- a talent show -- to showcase employee-entertainers, raise money for after-school programs by By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer Sure, America and even Britain have talent. Turns out, Los Angeles Unified does, too. The nation's second-largest school district is organizing a variety show to spotlight the talents of its 60,000-plus employees while raising money to fund after-school programs. "I want to really show the quality of t... more »

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Charter Report Does NOT Compare "Peer" Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: NJ Charter Report Does NOT Compare "Peer" Schools: NJ Charter Report Does NOT Compare "Peer" Schools by Duke The NJ charter school report, put out by CREDO and Stanford University, is not a piece of hack junk. *It is, however, sloppy in its use of language.* Take pages 5-6: Compared to the educational gains that charter students would have had in a traditional public school (TPS), the analysis shows that students in New Jerseycharter schools on average make larger learning gains in both reading and mathematics. *At the school level, 30 percent of the charter school... more »

General Assembly rolling over for Rahm Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » General Assembly rolling over for Rahm: General Assembly rolling over for Rahm by admin Despite the lack of public support for the move, the state Senate and House have each passed somewhat different versions of Mayor Emanuel’s school sledgehammer bill. It seems that he will be allowed to close as many as 100 schools in 2013 with little time for discussion and no time for adequate planning. Catalyst has a detailed report here about what happened today. Thanks, state elected officials, for being so careful with our children. C... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: School/District News and Events

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: School/District News and Events: School/District News and Events by Melissa Westbrook - *Holiday poinsettias for sale through Nathan Hale horticulture program * Holiday poinsettias are available for sale through Nathan Hale's horticulture program 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec.1 and 1-5 p.m., Monday, Dec. 3. The school's greenhouse is north of Jane Addams K-8 school at 11051 34th Ave. N.E. Cost is $8.50 per plant or $8 each for 10 or more plants. Contact science and horticulture teacherJessica Torvik if planning to place a large order of... more »

APPR: It's All About the Students — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
APPR: It's All About the Students — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]APPR: It’s All About the Students November 28, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers [image: American Association of School Librarians] *Post submitted by Paige Jaeger, coordinator for school library services with the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (N.Y.) Board of Cooperative Educational Services, and Sue Kowalski, president of New York State Library Association's Section of School Librarians, on behalf of whole child partner American Association of School Libraria... more »

School Tech Connect: Don't Forget Sunday

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Don't Forget Sunday: Don't Forget Sunday by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Just a public shout-out to my representative, Kelly Cassidy, for the No vote on the CPS extension. I didn't even check with my senator, Senator Charter School Jones. I think that when you actually sit down with these folks and explain what you think and how you feel (in spite of what David Coleman says), they get it. And if they feel like their job is to represent the people in their district, they act on it. These folks who want just voted for the extension, they're practicing a wei... more »

NYC Educator: Is It the New York Times, or Is It the Onion?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
NYC Educator: Is It the New York Times, or Is It the Onion?: Is It the New York Times, or Is It the Onion? by NYC Educator I don't know what to say anymore when I read the news. Does anyone remember the deal the UFT made with the Gates Foundation? They were going to do some sort of research on value-added, and they would score the teachers, and it would be a big secret. The secret part made sense, since there was no validity whatsoever to the methodology. Why we agreed to it in the first place I can't say. In any case, when the papers demanded the results, Tweed said, oh my gosh, i... more »

Diane in the Evening 11-28-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: What Would Happen if Arne Became Secretary of State by dianerav You may recall that Thomas Friedman of the New York Times proposed that Arne Duncan should become Secretary of State and extend his Race to the Top internationally. Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters in New York City sees the implications: “Close &/or privatize embassies that are struggling in terms of diplomacy & conflict resolution?” Any readers with better ideas? Ohio Starts New Group to Support Public Schools by dianerav Citizens of Ohio have launched a new organization to support strong p... more »

Student Debt, Delinquencies Skyrocket | FDL News Desk

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Student Debt, Delinquencies Skyrocket | FDL News Desk: Student Debt, Delinquencies Skyrocket by David Dayen The New York Fed released their household credit and debt reportyesterday, and they show increases in student loan debt relative to other forms (mortgage, credit card, auto loan and others). To keep this in perspective, mortgage debt represents 71% of all debt, and student debt represents about 8-9%. So there’s still a wide gulf here, and we shouldn’t jump to call this the “student loan bubble.” The scales of the markets are in no way similar. However, student loan debt is def... more »

Arne Duncan’s second term?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Arne Duncan’s second term?: Arne Duncan's second term? by Valerie Strauss Why would Education Secretary Arne Duncan not directly address questions put to him about his second-term agenda at Jeb Bush’s school reform summit in Washington D.C. Wednesday? Here are some possible reasons: 1) White House officials don’t want him (or other cabinet members) talking about their policy plans now because they want the focus to remain on budget negotiations with Congress. 2) Duncan doesn’t have a second-term agenda yet. He and Obama’s domestic advisers are still discussing where to put their ... more »

Confusion lingers over handling of cheating probes at charters | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Confusion lingers over handling of cheating probes at charters | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Confusion lingers over handling of cheating probes at charters by thenotebook *This article is an updated version of a story that appears in our print edition.* *By Bill Hangley and Dale Mezzacappa* Walter Palmer knows it sounds odd to ask a school suspected of cheating to investigate itself. And he knows it might raise eyebrows when the state closes that investigation when the school can’t explain its suspicious test results. That’s exactly what happened at the Walter D. Palmer Lea... more »

Schools Matter: New science standards: the rip-off continues

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Schools Matter: New science standards: the rip-off continues: New science standards: the rip-off continues by skrashen Next Generation Science Standards “The second public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards, developed by Achieve, is due for release before the new year.” I posted this comment: To enforce the standards, there must be tests. And as is the case with other common core tests, they will be administered online. And they will be revised, updated, changed every year, old equipment will be replaced with new equipment. This means not only an initial boondoggle for... more »

RheeFirst! » Remember that nutty lawsuit over the GA charter ballot initiative? It was filed by a StudentsFirst lobbyist…

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
RheeFirst! » Remember that nutty lawsuit over the GA charter ballot initiative? It was filed by a StudentsFirst lobbyist…: Remember that nutty lawsuit over the GA charter ballot initiative? It was filed by a StudentsFirst lobbyist… by admin You may have heard about the wacky lawsuit filed in October alleging a vast “education empire” conspiracy to defeat the GA education privatization amendment. Don’t worry if you can’t remember it. You probably missed the coverage, given that the suit was quickly thrown out of court. As it turns out, the “education empire” lawsuit was filed by ... more »

Daily Kos: "Value Added" Offers No Value for Education Reform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Daily Kos: "Value Added" Offers No Value for Education Reform: "Value Added" Offers No Value for Education Reform byplthomasEdDFollow U.S. public education has been mired in a technocratic paradigm—a narrow pursuit of efficiency through metrics-based science—since the early 1900s (Kliebard, 1995; Kincheloe, Steinberg, & Hinchey, 1999). In recent years, the accountability era has shifted deeper into that technocratic hole, adding to school and student accountability based on high-stakes test the use of value added measures (VAM) for identifying teacher quality and reforming teac... more »

Education: A System for Sorting or for Learning? — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Education: A System for Sorting or for Learning? — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Sean Slade]Education: A System for Sorting or for Learning? November 28, 2012 by Sean Slade Caught up in the middle of the debates and discussions around educational reform over the past few years lies a fundamental difference in how people view education. Is it a system designed for sorting or is it a system designed for learning? Many of the reforms and innovations that are proposed appear to slot education into the sorting category rather than the learning category. Whether it i... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Tom Friedman to America's Kids: "Suck On This!"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Tom Friedman to America's Kids: "Suck On This!": Tom Friedman to America's Kids: "Suck On This!" by Duke NY Times columnist Tom Friedman has said many stupid things over the years. Many stupid things. I mean, really stupid. Just... stupid. Today, however, I believe he has outdone himself: That said, *my own nominee for secretary of state would be the current education secretary, Arne Duncan*. Yes, yes, I know. Duncan is not seeking the job and is not the least bit likely to be appointed. But I’m nominating him because I think this is an important time to ask th... more »

UPDATE: NYC Public School Parents: Arne Duncan as Secretary of State? Please help us shape the next administration's education agenda!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Please help us shape the next administration's education agenda!: Arne Duncan as Secretary of State? What would he do? by Leonie Haimson Tom Friedman of the New York Times opined that Arne Duncan should be the Secretary of State because he can do to the world what he has done to education. This column provoked much hilarious comment on Twitter last night. Here is a sample: Friedman pushes Arne Duncan for Secy of State Nocera wants Petraeus for Sec Defense; what are they smoking at NYT? nytimes.com/2012/11/28/opi… — leonie haimson (@leoniehaimson) Nove... more »

Open Letter To Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Others on The Idea of Assessment | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Open Letter To Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Others on The Idea of Assessment | The Jose Vilson: Open Letter To Chancellor Dennis Walcott and Others on The Idea of Assessment by Jose Chancellor Dennis Walcott Visits School of the Future To Chancellor Dennis Walcott, David Coleman, Merryl Tisch, and McGraw-Hill Publishers: First, I’ll mention that, since the discussions of the Common Core Learning Standards came to the fore, I’ve had a plethora of chances to immerse myself in the new vision for a quasi-nationalized education paradigm. In NYC, as usual, education policy makers feel... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Reforms No Silver Bullet For Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Reforms No Silver Bullet For Education: Reforms No Silver Bullet For Education by Anngie Reuters reporter Stephanie Simon reviewed Jeb Bush's education reform efforts in Florida and found no silver bullet among them. These reforms; charter schools, literacy requirements for 3rd graders, intense focus on reading, cyber classes, and vouchers, were instituted during his tenure as governor, and did initially show improvements in student scores and graduation rates. But, as they say, time will tell, and time has told the public that these gains were generall... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A ROAD MAP FOR L.A. UNIFIED …when maybe GPS is needed?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: A ROAD MAP FOR L.A. UNIFIED …when maybe GPS is needed?: A ROAD MAP FOR L.A. UNIFIED …when maybe GPS is needed? A six-year study provides a wealth of information on how to recruit, assign, pay and, when necessary, lay off teachers in ways that help students most.LA TIMES EDITORIAL | HTTP://LAT.MS/10WGUA9November 28, 2012 :: There are big differences in how well Los Angeles' teachers help their students learn, a new study shows — bigger variations than in other districts, where teaching quality appears more even. The study also indica... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, November 28, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: About that “Atmospheric River” thing headed for Sacramento… Education Headlines *Wednesday, November 28, 2012* Sausalito Marin City school sees test scores jump, but it soon may closeBayside Elementary School in the Sausalito Marin City School District, which has long struggled to improve student achievement, is now ranked as a "high performing school," according to the most recent state scores. But the much improved result comes as the district board looks at a plan to close the Sausalito school and merge it with Martin Luther Ki... more »

Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): Factsheets on Education Issues Facing the 2012-2013 Illinois Legislative Session

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative Education (CReATE): Factsheets on Education Issues Facing the 2012-2013 Illinois Legislative Session: Factsheets on Education Issues Facing the 2012-2013 Illinois Legislative Session by CReATE Chicago CReATE is a network of over 100 professors from numerous Chicago-area universities who specialize in educational research and who work collectively to conduct, review, and distribute studies in order to promote public learning and dialogue about education issues. Sorting out the rhetoric from the reality, CReATE is pleased to... more »

Education Research Report: Current expenditures per pupil for public education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Education Research Report: Current expenditures per pupil for public education: Current expenditures per pupil for public education by Jonathan Kantrowitz This report presents state-level data on revenues by source and expenditures by function for public elementary and secondary education for school year 2009-10. Current expenditures per pupil for public elementary and secondary education were $10,652 on a national level in FY 10. Adjusting for inflation, per pupil state and local revenues decreased by 1 percent or more in 35 states and increased by 1 percent or more in 9 states... more »

UPDATE: Rahm’s school closing bill passes IL House We Are One sets the dates for Springfield action. More (hopefully) to come. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
We Are One sets the dates for Springfield action. More (hopefully) to come. « Fred Klonsky: Rahm’s school closing bill passes IL House. Senate next. Here the list of who voted for it in the House. by Fred Klonsky SB547 contained an amendment written by Representative Barbara Flynn Currie that gave the Mayor what he wanted. He can now delay providing a the list of schools he plans to close until summer. They were supposed to be published December 1st. Don’t be fooled by the title of the Senate Bill. It is ironically titled *Sanitarium Animals*. It is known as a shell bill. It just si... more »





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