Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 11-13-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



James Baldwin said it best: 

"For these are all our children, and we will profit by or pay for whatever they become."

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP



Endangered Species: In Defense of Cursive Writing | Technology on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 minutes ago
Endangered Species: In Defense of Cursive Writing | Technology on GOOD: Endangered Species: In Defense of Cursive Writing from GOOD [image: cursive] On the second day of fourth grade, my teacher—Sister Paula—called me up to the front of the class. She had a piece of notebook paper in her hand, which I quickly realized was the homework I'd just turned in—three paragraphs on a topic I can't recall (but I'm sure was quite important at the time.) "Elizabeth Dwyer," she intoned severely, "do you know how to write?" The question confused me because, well, I'd obviously completed the assi... more »

Pass / Fail : L.A. Unified restores cut classroom days and rescinds teacher furloughs for this year | 89.3 KPCC

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 36 minutes ago
Pass / Fail : L.A. Unified restores cut classroom days and rescinds teacher furloughs for this year | 89.3 KPCC: L.A. Unified restores cut classroom days and rescinds teacher furloughs for this year by By Adolfo Guzman-Lopez The L.A. Unified school board voted Tuesday to restore five instructional days to the district's calendar and to rescind 10 unpaid days off teachers had agreed to earlier this year. These actions didn't surprise observers. L.A. Unified and ever other district in the state avoided mid-year state funding cuts after last week’s ballot box victory of Proposition... more »

Diverse Charter Schools : Education Next

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago
Diverse Charter Schools : Education Next: Diverse Charter Schools *Popular, controversial, and a challenge to run successfully* *By Alexander Russo* *Attention Bootlicker ALERT!* * * 0 COMMENTS | PRINT | NO PDF | SHARE WINTER 2013 / VOL. 13, NO. 1 In February 2009, newly elected President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visited Capital City Public Charter School in northwest Washington, D.C. They were greeted at the front entrance of the school by 5th-grade students and given a brief tour before taking a seat in the library to read *The Moon Over Star* to a group of 2n... more »

Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter: This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter by Larry Ferlazzo Guest post by Gwen Pescatore This week’s Parent-Teacher Chat (#ptchat) on Twitter – Creating a Positive Learning Environment at Home & at School Maxine Shaw, Head of Hazelwood School in Surrey, England said in an article for the autumn issue of Attain Magazine, “The very best schools will set children on a journey.” She continues on to say, “…each child sees themselves as an octopus, in a string bag, on a zip wire. As the child travels along the zip wire they will be able... more »

Nominations Open – The 2012 Edublog Awards are here! | The Edublog Awards

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Nominations Open – The 2012 Edublog Awards are here! | The Edublog Awards: *Nominations Open – The 2012 Edublog Awards are here!* November 13, 2012 by Ronnie Burt | 0 comments 3 [image: logo-small] It is that time of year again! The 2012 Edublog Awards are a go! The Edublog Awards is a community based initiative started in 2004 in response to community concerns relating to how schools, districts and educational institutions were *blocking access* of learner and teacher blog sites for educational purposes. The purpose of the Edublog awards is *promote and demonstrate the educationa... more »

NYC Public School Parents: What should be done instead of pushing our kids off the "fiscal cliff"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: What should be done instead of pushing our kids off the "fiscal cliff": What should be done instead of pushing our kids off the "fiscal cliff" by Leonie Haimson I know; the words “fiscal cliff” probably fills you with the same mixture of dread and ennui as it does me. But let’s take a moment and focus on the decisions the President and Congress have to make in the next few weeks to address the yawning deficit. Unless they make the right choices by January 2, huge across-the-board cuts to education and other critical domestic programs will be automatica... more »

Phony school “reform” agenda takes a beating - Salon.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Phony school “reform” agenda takes a beating - Salon.com: Phony school “reform” agenda takes a beatingThe media barely noticed, but voters in three states rejected the profit-driven fraud that is education "reform"BY DAVID SIROTA - - 145 - 54 - - - - more - TOPICS: 2012 ELECTIONS, EDUCATION, EDUCATION REFORM, SCHOOL REFORM, POLITICS NEWS [image: Phony school] (Credit: AP Photo/Ed Andrieski) If your only source of news about American education came from docu-propaganda like “Waiting for Superman,” Hollywood politi-schlock like “Won’t Ba... more »

Family Engagement in Student Learning: A Conversation with Dr. Maria C. Paredes | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Family Engagement in Student Learning: A Conversation with Dr. Maria C. Paredes | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Family Engagement in Student Learning: A Conversation with Dr. Maria C. Paredes by Tarsi Dunlop *Parent and family engagement is a critical component when it comes to ensuring student achievement and success in school. However, traditional models of parent-teacher interaction (for example, conventional parent-teacher conferences) do not necessarily have a substantial effect on student performance. Maria C. Paredes noticed that although parents in ... more »

What's Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Observation Equals Evaluation — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
What's Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Observation Equals Evaluation — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: James H. Stronge]What’s Wrong with Teacher Evaluation and How to Fix It: Observation Equals Evaluation November 13, 2012 by James H. Stronge So, where do we begin? Teacher evaluation, throughout most of our recent history, has been practiced religiously with the intent—or, at least, hope—that it will improve performance. The assumption underlying much of teacher evaluation practice goes something like this: *Teacher Observation = Teacher Evaluat... more »

CTU protest marches to downtown Hyatt - chicagotribune.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
CTU protest marches to downtown Hyatt - chicagotribune.com: Teachers union marches against school closingsProtesters target board's Penny Pritzker in demonstration at Hyatt hotel By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune reporter November 13, 2012 As it girds for a battle over school closings, the Chicago Teachers Union is adhering to the strategy it employed during the September strike by framing the fight as one pitting regular Joes from the neighborhood against elitist big-money interests. On Tuesday, school board member Penny Pritzker bore the brunt of the ire of protesters wh... more »

Diane in the Evening 11-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Sirota Exposes the Big Lie Technique by dianerav David Sirota, an author and talk-show host, here analyzes the election results and says they exposed the Big Lie of the corporate reform movement. The public is not hankering to privatize their public schools. The corporate leaders and rightwing establishment dropped millions of dollars to push their agenda of LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-13-12 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] Testing Toddlers in Lou... more »

Checking-In on the Legacy of Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Teacher Reforms in Washington, D.C. - Dana Goldstein

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Checking-In on the Legacy of Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Teacher Reforms in Washington, D.C. - Dana Goldstein: Checking-In on the Legacy of Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's Teacher Reforms in Washington, D.C. by Dana Goldstein A new report from The New Teacher Project, "Keeping Irreplacables in D.C. Public Schools," takes a look at how Michelle Rhee's controversial IMPACT teacher evaluation program has fared since she left the district in 2010. Under IMPACT, teachers are rated according to a number of measures, including multiple annual classroom observations by admi... more »

PSAT for 11-13-12: Tell new/re-elected state legislators to deny 3B’s extension Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 11-13-12: Tell new/re-elected state legislators to deny 3B’s extension: PSAT for 11-13-12: Tell new/re-elected state legislators to deny 3B’s extension by admin First, we want to take a moment to congratulate all of our new and re-elected state senators and representatives. Then we want to remind them why they were elected – to represent*us* in Springfield. So, for today’s Public Schools Action Tuesday, please take a moment to send a message to those senatorsand representatives still in the legislature who will att... more »

Students For Education Reform? Not the Change We Need | Education on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Students For Education Reform? Not the Change We Need | Education on GOOD: Students For Education Reform? Not the Change We Need from GOOD [image: chair.school] It all began in early August of this year. Stephanie Rivera, a student at Rutgers University and future teacher, published a gutsy, investigative piece uncovering the lunacy behind Students for Education Reform, an organization founded by two Princeton students, Catharine Bellinger and Alexis Morin. I highly suggest you read it yourself, but the commentary struck a profound chord with me for a number of reasons. SFER has r... more »

Team Vallas increases spending on Bridgeport’s 64 principals and assistant principals by 22.4% - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Team Vallas increases spending on Bridgeport’s 64 principals and assistant principals by 22.4% - Wait, What?: Team Vallas increases spending on Bridgeport’s 64 principals and assistant principals by 22.4% by jonpelto According to a new budget document that has been added to the Bridgeport School System’s website, Paul Vallas, and his “Education Reform” efficiency team, have increased spending on Bridgeport’s 64 school principals, assistant principals and management supervisors by $1,696,054 million over the amount spent on these senior school administrators last year. During the 2... more »

Washington to allow charter schools after billionaire-backed initiative squeaks through

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Washington to allow charter schools after billionaire-backed initiative squeaks through: Washington to allow charter schools after billionaire-backed initiative squeaks through Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 13, 2012 at 1:03 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Washington becomes the 42nd state to allow public charter schools to open now that ballot Initiative 1240 has passed, apparently by about 1 percentage point — this after a group of billionaires, including Bill Gates, donated more... more »

What's Ahead for Education in the Lame Duck? - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
What's Ahead for Education in the Lame Duck? - Lily's Blackboard | Lily's Blackboard: [image: Lily's Blackboard Rotating Header Image] What’s Ahead for Education in the Lame Duck? Nov 13th, 2012 by LilysBlackboard. Join hosts Donna Schwartz Mills (MOMocrats) and Cynthia Liu (K-12 News Network) as they talk with experts on education and try to switch gears from presidential politics to the lame duck session of Congress. What’s the “fiscal showdown,” and what will it mean for federal education dollars beginning January, 2013? Who’ll feel the proposed cuts and what can we do to preven... more »

Part 2: High stakes testing and opting out: The Types of Tests | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Part 2: High stakes testing and opting out: The Types of Tests | Seattle Education: Part 2: High stakes testing and opting out: The Types of Tests Posted on November 13, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment *High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Types of Tests * *- Dora Taylor* There are different types of tests that students typically take in a school year. One test the teacher creates and bases it on the information that has been provided in the classroom within a particular span of time. It provides information to the teacher, the parent and the student describing how ... more »

A Liberal Arts Tuition Surcharge at Florida’s Public Colleges? « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
A Liberal Arts Tuition Surcharge at Florida’s Public Colleges? « Student Activism: A Liberal Arts Tuition Surcharge at Florida’s Public Colleges? by Angus Johnston A Florida education task force established by Governor Rick Scott is recommending that students at the state’s public colleges and universities be charged extra for majoring in subjects that the state considers unattractive for employers. Under the proposal, state lawmakers would draw up a list of “high-skill, high-wage, high-demand” undergraduate majors, and tuition in those fields would be frozen for three years. If s... more »

Dear Dennis. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Dear Dennis. « Fred Klonsky: Dear Dennis. by Fred Klonsky Dennis Van Roekel President, National Education Association November 13, 2012 Dear Dennis. Like you, I was pretty pleased with the results of the election on Tuesday. Let me qualify that. *I was mostly pleased. * I have to say, that even apart from the defeat of Romney, this was one of the most broadly based progressive electoral victories in a national election in my memory: Tax support for education in California. Marriage equality in a number of states. The defeat of the Republican Superintendent of Education in red state I... more »

Shanker Blog » Value-Added, For The Record

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Shanker Blog » Value-Added, For The Record: Value-Added, For The Record by Matthew Di Carlo People often ask me for my “bottom line” on using value-added (or other growth model) estimates in teacher evaluations. I’ve written on this topic many times, and while I have in fact given my overall opinion a couple of times, I have avoided expressing it in a strong “yes or no” format. There’s a reason for this, and I thought maybe I would write a short piece and explain myself. My first reaction to the queries about where I stand on value-added is a shot of appreciation that people are i... more »

Gates foundation and ACE go big on MOOC-related grants | Inside Higher Ed

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Gates foundation and ACE go big on MOOC-related grants | Inside Higher Ed: Establishment Opens Door for MOOCs November 13, 2012 - 11:03am By Paul Fain The clearest path to college credit for massive open online courses may soon be through credit recommendations from the American Council of Education (ACE), which announced today that it will work with Coursera to determine whether an initial group of 8-10 MOOCs should be worth credit. The council is also working on a similar arrangement with EdX, a MOOC-provider created by elite universities. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is f... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, November 13, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Surf's Up* Education Headlines *Tuesday, November 13, 2012* Sacramento-area school board races vary widely in voter participationAs ballots continue to be counted, a trend among local school districts appears to be holding – voter participation in school board races varies drastically from one area to another. Elk Grove's Hmong find a voice on their school boardSteve Ly, 38, used a fresh army of 250 volunteers, most of them Hmong Americans between the ages of 16 and 25, to become the first Hmong American to be elected to public ... more »

Oregon TAG education lacking, says report; here are tips and resources for parents | OregonLive.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Oregon TAG education lacking, says report; here are tips and resources for parents | OregonLive.com: Oregon TAG education lacking, says report; here are tips and resources for parentsPublished: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 8:08 AM Updated: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 8:08 AM [image: Amy Wang, The Oregonian] By Amy Wang, The Oregonian Follo As of this fall, all 197 Oregon public school districts have put in writing their plans for supporting the state's 40,375 Talented and Gifted students. It's one step toward resolving "The Quiet Crisis in Talented and Gifted Education ... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: "We don't need no stinkin' Open Meetings Act..."

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: "We don't need no stinkin' Open Meetings Act...": "We don't need no stinkin' Open Meetings Act..." by Mike Klonsky Public school teachers, students, parents and activists rally against school closings inside the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel on North St. Clair Street in Chicago. -- Chicago Tribune Here's Byrd-Bennett's response to the ongoing protests against the Gates-funded closing of 100 neighborhood schools, replacing them with privately-run charters: *CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett appointed a new “independent commission” to oversee school closings a... more »

Modern School: Sick Leave Abuse—The Latest in Teacher Bashing

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Modern School: Sick Leave Abuse—The Latest in Teacher Bashing: Sick Leave Abuse—The Latest in Teacher Bashing by Michael Dunn 36% of teachers nationally were absent more than 10 days during the 2009-10 school year, according to Raegen T. Miller, Associate Director for Education Research at the Center for American Progress. Miller goes on to complain about how teacher absenteeism negatively affects student achievement and costs districts billions of dollars, implying that this is a big problem that needs to be addressed. While this statistic might seem high, it needs to be placed... more »

Time to Put Forward a New Reform Agenda - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Time to Put Forward a New Reform Agenda - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Time to Put Forward a New Reform Agenda by Pedro Noguera Deborah Meier—visionary teacher and founder of successful small schools in New York City and Boston—and Pedro Noguera—author and director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education—debate issues relevant to schools, teachers, and students. Dear Deborah, Well, we can let out a sigh of relief. Barack Obama won, and it wasn't even as close as many in the media predicted it would be. Nov. 6 was a great day, not only because the president was re... more »

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Celebrates 314 Schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools | U.S. Department of Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Celebrates 314 Schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools | U.S. Department of Education: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Celebrates 314 Schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools *Seven principals honored with Terrel H. Bell Award for outstanding leadership* NOVEMBER 13, 2012 *Contact: * Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today will honor 314 schools as 2012 National Blue Ribbon Schools at an awards luncheon at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The award honors public ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: FERPA Explained to Parents. A Crystal Ball Moment?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: FERPA Explained to Parents. A Crystal Ball Moment?: FERPA Explained to Parents. A Crystal Ball Moment? by stlgretchen **Will my child be successful in school? Look to the data....or maybe not? The Federal Government believes data is king and wants to track school children from birth through their lives for workforce development. It's shrouded as education reform, but it is really for the establishment of state longitudinal data systems to connect with various federal agencies and approved private firms to collect data on your child to establish a ma... more »

Morning Update: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-13-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Burris Dismantles Teacher-Bashing Myths by dianerav Carol Burris demolishes myths about teacher evaluation that were contained in a recent opinion piece in Phi Delta Kappan. Frankly, it is pretty shocking to see that the editor of this journal for educators believes that standardized testing should have any role in evaluating teachers. We are already seeing a renewed emphasis on teaching to the test and more narrowing of the curriculum as teachers’ careers hinge on student scores. It’s also shocking to see ... more »

Are teachers born (not made)?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Are teachers born (not made)?: Are teachers born (not made)? Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 13, 2012 at 4:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Who should teach? Robert Bligh, former general counsel of the Nebraska Association of School Boards, looks at the issue in the context of the previous post about historian David McCullough’scomments about who should teach and who shouldn’t. (He said no professional teacher should have an education degree.) Bligh’s research interest involves th... more »

For-profit Career Education Corp. to close 23 campuses | California Watch

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
For-profit Career Education Corp. to close 23 campuses | California Watch: For-profit Career Education Corp. to close 23 campuses Erica Perez alejandrophotography/istockphoto.com For-profit college giant Career Education Corp. announced that it will close 23 of its 90 campuses and eliminate 900 jobs after the company reported a net loss this quarter of $33 million and a 23 percent drop in new student enrollment. The company, which owns six campuses in California, has not said which of its campuses will close, but stated in a disclosure to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ... more »

Like Florida, Virginia Takes Heat for Its Race-Based Education Goals | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Like Florida, Virginia Takes Heat for Its Race-Based Education Goals | Scathing Purple Musings: Like Florida, Virginia Takes Heat for Its Race-Based Education Goals by Bob Sikes The presidential election suppressed what would otherwise have been a firestorm into a two-day ho-hum. The Florida Board of Education’s decision to sign off on race-based school goals was quickly brushed aside as it didn’t sell newspapers like presidential politics will. But its in the news again as another state which President Obama carried, Virginia, now has similar goals in place. Like Florida, Virgi... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Newark Teachers Contract: Knowledge vs. Ignorance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Newark Teachers Contract: Knowledge vs. Ignorance: Newark Teachers Contract: Knowledge vs. Ignorance by Duke Dr. Bruce Baker, professor of education and nationally recognized scholar on school finance, tweets about the Newark teachers contract: Voting to accept a contract which bases compensation on an eval system that doesn't exist is, well, problematic! From district (NPS) perspective, foolish as well. Can't determine budget impact of merit compensation w/o info on merit systm Only basis they can use is to "assume" that only X% can get bonuses and that Y% mus... more »

Election Affirms Education "Reform" A Beltway, Rich Person Fetish | OurFuture.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Election Affirms Education "Reform" A Beltway, Rich Person Fetish | OurFuture.org: Election Affirms Education "Reform" A Beltway, Rich Person Fetish [image: Jeff Bryant's picture] By Jeff Bryant November 12, 2012 - 10:23pm ET In President Obama's stunningly convincing reelection, only part of his education policies got reaffirmed -- the part he talked about most of the time during the campaign. Meanwhile, the president's policies known to align with what is commonly called "education reform" -- which closely adheres to *Beltway conventional wisdom* and the *druthers of rich folk... more »

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS narrowly win approval in Washington | Local News | The Seattle Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Charter schools narrowly win approval in Washington | Local News | The Seattle Times: *CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS narrowly win approval in Washington* * * [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] * * * * The Associated Press on Monday declared that the statewide CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS measure has passed. By Linda Shaw Seattle Times education reporter MOST POPULAR COMMENTS HIDE / SHOW COMMENTS Will the wealthy techies who spent millions to bankroll this initiative now provide the... (November 12, 2012, by decano) MORE The charter school backers are so upset with public ... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 11-12-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* The Shocking Things Schools Are — And Aren’t — Teaching by aristotlethewise *School Curriculums Face Controversial Changes Via Recent Bills, Legislation *** The Shocking Things Schools Are — And Aren’t — Teaching Over the past couple years, several states attempted — and in some instances, succeeded — in passing legislation that brought controversial changes to school curriculums. For instance, under Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed sweeping new school voucher program, tens of millions of Louisiana taxpayer dollars will be use... more »

School Psychology Awareness Week: Know Your Own Strengths — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
School Psychology Awareness Week: Know Your Own Strengths — Whole Child Education: [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]School Psychology Awareness Week: Know Your Own Strengths November 12, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers [image: School Psychology Awareness Week - NASP] This week whole child partner National Association of School Psychologists is hostingSchool Psychology Awareness Week. Designed around the theme "Know Your Own Strengths. Discover them. Share them. Celebrate them.," this year's program looks to help students and schools find and celebrate their strengths in the scho...more »

Jersey Jazzman: K12 Inc Comes Clean: "Reform" Is All About the $

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Jersey Jazzman: K12 Inc Comes Clean: "Reform" Is All About the $: K12 Inc Comes Clean: "Reform" Is All About the $ by Duke Ken Libby points us to the transcript of a K12 Inc. conference call to investors. K12 is a charter school management company that specializes in "virtual" or "blended" learning, replacing brick-and-mortal schools with on-line instruction. NEPC released a report this past summer that shows K12's students fall further behind students in traditional schools. K12's school in Tennessee is under fire for poor performance, and critics in Florida say the schools the... more »

On "Failing" High Schools and Reform Churn-and-Burn: Two Case Studies - Dana Goldstein

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
On "Failing" High Schools and Reform Churn-and-Burn: Two Case Studies - Dana Goldstein: On "Failing" High Schools and Reform Churn-and-Burn: Two Case Studies by Dana Goldstein [image: Crenshaw] *Between periods at Crenshaw High School in South L.A., May 2011.* Let's say a certain school's reform plan has yielded measurable academic gains (especially for disabled students), a decrease in student suspensions and expulsions, and is enthusiastically supported by the principal, teachers, and many parents. The plan has also garnered national interest, attracting funding from a major phil... more »