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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Big Education Ape - LATE Morning Wink 12-20-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



Mum’s the word on uses for Zuckerberg’s $500 million foundation gift | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago
Mum’s the word on uses for Zuckerberg’s $500 million foundation gift | EdSource Today: Mum’s the word on uses for Zuckerberg’s $500 million foundation gift ** December 20th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services [image: Mark Zuckerberg ~ Photo by Guillaume Paumier]Silicon Valley Community Foundation CEO Emmett Carson is saying little at this point about the $500 million gift in Facebook stock that company CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave the foundation this week for spending on education and he... more »

It's morning in Connecticut: Do you know what the budget bill means? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 minutes ago
It's morning in Connecticut: Do you know what the budget bill means? - Wait, What?: It’s morning in Connecticut: Do you know what the budget bill means? by jonpelto With little debate, and even less awareness of the ramifications of passing the bill, the State House of Representatives voted 140 to 3 and the State Senate voted 31 to 3 to pass a deficit mitigation bill that included a record breaking set of cuts to social services and education programs. Considering the bill wasn’t even available to review until just before the vote, legislators would be hard-pressed to claim that... more »

Whole Child and All Children: Expanding the Common Core Standards Movement — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 minutes ago
Whole Child and All Children: Expanding the Common Core Standards Movement — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: ASCD Whole Child Bloggers]Whole Child and All Children: Expanding the Common Core Standards Movement December 20, 2012 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers *Post written by Howard Adelman, PhD, and Linda Taylor, PhD, codirectors of whole child partner Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA.* While we share many of the concerns critics have raised about the Common Core State Standards (and we know that the debates and the boycotts will continue), we do appreci...more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Waiting Until the Nth Hour

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Waiting Until the Nth Hour: Waiting Until the Nth Hour by Melissa Westbrook Despite the weather, several of us came to last night's Work Session believing we would see some real progress in what the interim plan for capacity management might be for 2013-2104. I left at 7:45 p.m. shaking my head. Once AGAIN, the district is a day late and a dollar short. I know staff works hard. I know they want to get input via the public both formal (FACMAC) and informal (community meetings). But it's December 20th (and neigh the end of the world upon us) an... more »

Shanker Blog » The Year In Research On Market-Based Education Reform: 2012 Edition

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 minutes ago
Shanker Blog » The Year In Research On Market-Based Education Reform: 2012 Edition: The Year In Research On Market-Based Education Reform: 2012 Edition by Matthew Di Carlo 2012 was another busy year for market-based education reform. The rapid proliferation of charter schools continued, while states and districts went about the hard work of designing and implementing new teacher evaluations that incorporate student testing data, and, in many cases, performance pay programs to go along with them. As in previous years (see our 2010 and 2011 reviews), much of the *research* on these ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, December 20, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 32 minutes ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Thursday, December 20, 2012* Marine calls himself to duty as guard of California elementary schoolMarine Sgt. Craig Pusley was on duty Wednesday. Desert camo fatigues, knees slightly bent, the young father stood a self-imposed watch at Hughson Elementary School. One man. No rifle. No pay. No breaks. California teachers fund reviewing firearm holdingsThe nation's largest teachers' pension fund announced Tuesday that it was reviewing its firearms holdings after determining that its investment in a gun maker was... more »

How the brain’s development affects the boy/girl achievement gap | Education Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
How the brain’s development affects the boy/girl achievement gap | Education Blog: How the brain’s development affects the boy/girl achievement gap by Bill McKenzie / Editorial Columnist *Why is it that boys are falling behind girls in critical academic ways, such as high school graduation rates? For example, 88.2 percent of high school females in Texas finished on time during the 2010-2011 school year. By contrast, 83.7 percent of Texas males completed high school in the traditional four years.* High school is not the only place where a graduation gap exists. The Dallas Morning Ne... more »

Public School Teachers Claim Our Heroes - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Public School Teachers Claim Our Heroes - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Public School Teachers Claim Our Heroes by Anthony Cody [image: SIGN the Sandy Hook Elementary School National Sympathy Card | causes.com] The tragic shootings in Newtown have given us all a heavy dose of grief, as we contemplate the horror of twenty young lives snuffed out, and the loss of six brave educators. As we have read of the heroic behavior of the teachers and administrators at Sandy Hook, there has also been reflection on the awesome responsibility we take on when we are teaching chil... more »

Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes Uncovers Draft of Mulgrew Letter to DOE Never Sent

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Ed Notes Uncovers Draft of Mulgrew Letter to DOE Never Sent: Ed Notes Uncovers Draft of Mulgrew Letter to DOE Never Sent by ed notes online *We regret having tried to fool you into believing we were going to dupe our members into an evaluation system that could not be fair when we endorsed the new evaluation framework which became law.** Our internal union elections are coming and we have come to the conclusion that forcing the evaluation system based on bogus student scores and unreliable data will hurt our chances to get re-elected. **We are willing to take the ... more »

“I do not think I can be that technician.” « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
“I do not think I can be that technician.” « Fred Klonsky: “I do not think I can be that technician.” by Fred Klonsky [image: 524222_4174740409888_288646699_n] Even though I have not seen Celia Oyler for nearly 30 years, I’ve kept up. We first met back when we were in the graduate progam at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Celia finished. I did not. She moved to New York and got a job at Columbia’s Teacher College, teaching teachers. How do I know how good she is? Well, as grad students we both taught classes in introduction to curriculum,

Online Courses: Cartoons | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Online Courses: Cartoons | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: Online Courses: Cartoons by larrycuban [image: Students OnLine Courses] U.S. schools, K-12 through higher education, are in the midst of another reform wave. From states mandating online courses as a requirement for high school graduation to university-driven Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), hyperbole-filled Kool-Aid mixed with stark fear fuel reform rhetoric about the impending “revolution” in teaching and learning. I offer my monthly feature* of how some cartoonists poke and tear at the rhetoric a... more »

Modern School: Exchange Students Win $200K Settlement for Exploitation at Hershey Plant

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Modern School: Exchange Students Win $200K Settlement for Exploitation at Hershey Plant: Exchange Students Win $200K Settlement for Exploitation at Hershey Plant by Michael Dunn Last year there was strike at Hershey Chocolate by 300 foreign students living here on J-1 work-study visas. According to Democracy Now, it was the first time that foreign students had engaged in a strike against their employer. Their actions are now starting to pay off. Over 1,000 students from Eastern Europe and Asiarecently won more than $200,000 in back wages for their work at Hershey in a settlement ... more »

Putting a face to the pension issue. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Putting a face to the pension issue. « Fred Klonsky: Putting a face to the pension issue. by Fred Klonsky Rich Miller of Capitolfax puts a face on it. One of the things I talked about in my City Club speech yesterday was the fact that the pension reform debate has been far too heavily dominated by people who blame the scammers for all the problems. All the major media outlets have run stories about how this or that person was able to scam a really sweet pension deal.Lost in this debate, though, is the very hardcore fact that in many ways we’re talking about giving the shaft to li... more »

How Can We Learn From Newtown? - Bridging Differences - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
How Can We Learn From Newtown? - Bridging Differences - Education Week: How Can We Learn From Newtown? by Deborah Meier *A version of this piece appeared initially on deborahmeier.com.* Dear friends, If we extended the logic of the NRA, one could say, "atomic weapons don't kill, people do." So why are most people, including almost all NRA supporters, so worried about Iran developing a bomb? Because countries (like people) can't kill without the weapons to do so, and they can't kill a lot of people in one stroke without weapons of mass destruction. That's why we rightly fear the spr... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-20-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] John Thompson: Maybe The Goal of Reformers IS Privatization by dianerav A few days ago, John Thompson posted a blog wondering if I was too hasty in spotting a privatization movement on the near horizon. The emergence of a secret memo in Tulsa has caused him to rethink his views. Another Corporate Reform Group Sets Up Shop in Connecticut by dianerav Connecticut was the scene this year of a bitter battle over legislation that was intended to diminish teachers’ tenure and to impose a punitive evaluation plan... more »

What $10 Million Means for Girls’ Education in Pakistan: Not Much | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
What $10 Million Means for Girls’ Education in Pakistan: Not Much | toteachornototeach: What $10 Million Means for Girls’ Education in Pakistan: Not Much by aristotlethewise *What $10 Million Means for Girls’ Education in Pakistan: Not Much * [image: pb-121019-pakistan-girl-education-kb-11a-04.photoblog900] by Joelle Wyser-Pratte While gender equality in Pakistan got a significant public relations boost with the announcement that the country’s government will put $10 million towards the education of girls, given how dire the situation is today (note the targeting of 14-year-old educa... more »

Have teachers changed their minds about reform?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Have teachers changed their minds about reform?: Have teachers changed their minds about reform? Posted by Valerie Strauss on December 18, 2012 at 6:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » What do teachers really think about the current school reform movement? Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute in Washington, D.C. explains. Thisoriginally appeared on the institute’s Shanker Blog. By Matthew Di Carlo In a recent Washington Post article called “Teachers leanin... more »

Ed Notes Online: PEP Again? Today at Fashion Industries HS, Tweed Gives Charters the Store

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: PEP Again? Today at Fashion Industries HS, Tweed Gives Charters the Store: PEP Again? Today at Fashion Industries HS, Tweed Gives Charters the Store by ed notes online EVAcuate our schools now! Shit, Tis that season again and later this afternoon I have to drag my ass out of Rockaway where I'm enjoying the pleasures of mold spraying to head over the PEP meeting where every Tom, Dick and Charter will get whatever they want from Tweedies and the PEP. Eva is getting prime real estate school buildings in Grammacy Park and Hell's Kitchen (where I was at a Weds matine... more »

Daily Kos: NRA: America's Next Big Tobacco?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Daily Kos: NRA: America's Next Big Tobacco?: ' NRA: America's Next Big Tobacco? by rss@dailykos.com (plthomasEdD) I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s in a loving household with wonderful working class parents—who smoked in the house and the car with me and my sister breathing daily their second-hand smoke. My parents would have done anything for us, including risking their own lives for our safety. Yet they smoked right there beside us, filled our living room and our cars with their tobacco smoke. It seems nearly impossible now for us to comprehend how it took the U.S. public so long ... more »

Daily Kos: Maya Angelou Public Charter School - where I teach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Daily Kos: Maya Angelou Public Charter School - where I teach: Maya Angelou Public Charter School - where I teach by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) here is a video that will give you a sense of the school where I now teach Take a few minutes and you will see why I have come out of retirement to teach here Popout we call our students "scholars" we challenge them not only on their academic work, but also on their social skills We are a non-profit school we are working with students who often were not succeeding in regular public school

Vocabulary is the New Black « The Core Knowledge Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Vocabulary is the New Black « The Core Knowledge Blog Vocabulary is the New Black by Robert Pondiscio Many of us remember studying word lists to prepare for SAT tests. But if you have a big vocabulary, it is highly unlikely you developed it through memorization. Consider that a 12th-grade student who scored well enough on the verbal portion of the SAT to get into a selective college has a vocabulary somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Do the math: acquiring such a sizable vocabulary by rote would mean learning 10-20 new words every day until freshman orientation, assu... more »

Bush Foundation Wants Another Bill to Fix SB 736….Seriously | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Bush Foundation Wants Another Bill to Fix SB 736….Seriously | Scathing Purple Musings: Bush Foundation Wants Another Bill to Fix SB 736….Seriously by Bob Sikes I’ve always wondered how many of Florida’s 67 district school superintendents roll their eyes when getting an email from non-educator, Patricia Levesque, who is Jeb Bush’s top policy wonk. Well they got another one this week. She apparently thinks that all SB 736 needs is just a little tweak. And oh, just a little more time. From Jeff Solochek of the *Tampa Bay Times:* Patricia Levesque, executive director of Jeb Bush’s ... more »

Schools Matter: Hess Concerned about "Commercialization of Tragedy"?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Schools Matter: Hess Concerned about "Commercialization of Tragedy"?: Hess Concerned about "Commercialization of Tragedy"? by P. L. Thomas Staunch and relentless advocate for free market reform—enamored with terms such as "innovative"—Rick Hess at his *EdWeek* blog has offered a concern about coverage and reactions to the horror at Sandy Hook Elementary: "But I've also been disheartened, once again, by the commercialization of tragedy. I've been appalled by news coverage that quickly bleeds from respectful to rapacious, as reporters and cable bookers find ever more angles to keep... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Wait, what? I thought "we are one."

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Wait, what? I thought "we are one.": Wait, what? I thought "we are one." by Mike Klonsky We Are One Coalition leaders make their case at Wednesday's press conference *A coalition of public employee unions Wednesday blasted legislation to address the state's underfunded worker pension systems and offered instead to make increased contributions — if the state guarantees its share of retirement payments and raises $2 billion by ending corporate tax benefits and imposing new taxes. *-- Chicago Tribune I'm sorry, but I don't remember giving these guys the ... more »

Who will represent District 7 on the Oakland school board? James Harris — for now. - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Who will represent District 7 on the Oakland school board? James Harris — for now. - The Education Report - Katy Murphy's blog on Oakland schools: Who will represent District 7 on the Oakland school board? James Harris — for now. By Katy Murphy Wednesday, December 19th, 2012 at 4:42 pm in Uncategorized. [image: Staff Photojournalist][image: Staff Photojournalist] On Jan. 7, James Harris is sworn in as the new representative for OUSD’s District 7 seat. But just two weeks later, he goes back to court, where a judge might declare him ineligible to serve on the board because of where he ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Reprehensiblity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Reprehensiblity Reprehensiblity by Duke How dare Diane Ravitch and Karen Lewis stand up for teachers after what happened in Newtown! How dare they point out the obvious fact that these educators were career teachers and union members! It's reprehensible! Clearly, it's wrong to stand up for those who work in schools after six of their own were killed in an act of senseless violence! *Because it's not like there's been a systemic assault on teachers and their unions over the last few years, right? *[all emphases mine] Dannel Malloy: "*And to earn that tenure -- th... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Why is Advance Illinois still running corporate reform?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Why is Advance Illinois still running corporate reform?: Why is Advance Illinois still running corporate reform? by Mike Klonsky DaleyBill Daley, writing in Crain's on behalf of his powerful Advance Illinois corporate reform pals, bemoans the state's flat test score performance and lack of college readiness. *The single most reliable indicator of long-term success is whether a child can read proficiently by third or fourth grade. Just 33 percent of all Illinois students, 12 percent of African-American, 18 percent of *

All Things Education: Sandy Hook: Celebrating Lives in the Midst of Death

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
All Things Education: Sandy Hook: Celebrating Lives in the Midst of Death: Sandy Hook: Celebrating Lives in the Midst of Death by Rachel Levy Dawn Hochsprung@*DHochsprung* Sandy Hook students enjoy the rehearsal for our 4th grade winter concert - a talented group led by Maryrose Kristopik!pic.twitter.com/EEN0afV7 As my husband and I were reading about and processing the news from Newtown, Connecticut my husband pointed me to Dawn Hochsprung’s twitter feed. “People should read that,” he said. I kind of shrugged. I am quite an active user but after reading this 2011 *New York Times*... more »

The in box. Glen Brown responds to my comments on the White Paper. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
The in box. Glen Brown responds to my comments on the White Paper. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Glen Brown responds to my comments on the White Paper. by Fred Klonsky *A brief response:* *An “Ironclad guarantee that the state will fulfill its funding responsibilities”: since Illinois Democrats want to shift the state’s payment for the pension systems to school districts and universities, besides reforming the “pension ramp,” I believe that a graduated income tax is the most important proposal to consider for raising revenue in Illinois.* *“A Well-Designed Graduated Income Tax Rate ... more »

Final Project 2.0 « Teaching Between the Lines

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Final Project 2.0 « Teaching Between the Lines: Final Project 2.0 by Laura Our junior high semester ends with three days of finals: two classes per day, two hours for each class. I could easily create a semester final exam that would take my students two hours to complete, but I’m not sure that would be the best use of our time (nor am I convinced that junior high students should be taking two-hour finals). So each year I look for effective ways to fill that two-hour block of time, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways, providing time for breaks a... more »

Getting Back to the Top | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Getting Back to the Top | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: Getting Back to the Top by obriena We often hear that the United States has dropped to 16th in the world when it comes to the percentage of adults who earn college degrees – it is a talking point used consistently by both U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Obama. And the Administration is calling for us to regain the lead in this arena, for the good of the nation. But is the situation really so simple? As with so many education claims, do we do ourselves a disservice when we accept the... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Marooned In a Blizzard of Lies

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Marooned In a Blizzard of Lies: Marooned In a Blizzard of Lies by Duke Once, again, I sense a pattern: Gary Rubinstein takes on the claims of Wendy Kopp [all emphases mine unless noted]: So it was with great surprise that I read an interview with Wendy in The Huffington Post where she said “On average, our corps members stay in the classroom for eight years.” When I first read this, I assumed that she simply misspoke, like when she said in a speech at Harvard that only 3% of alumni are in the private sector, while that number, according to one of my TFA cont... more »

Principals oppose efforts to allow them to carry guns in response to Newtown | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Principals oppose efforts to allow them to carry guns in response to Newtown | Get Schooled: Principals oppose efforts to allow them to carry guns in response to Newtown by Maureen Downey A joint statement from the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Elementary School Principals on allowing principals and teachers to carry guns in school: In the aftermath of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, we all feel a desperate need to honor the memories of the victims and take steps to prevent such horror from happening again. In tha... more »

School Tech Connect: Aiding And Abetting The Crapification of America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Aiding And Abetting The Crapification of America: Aiding And Abetting The Crapification of America by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Just saw this on Twitter today; it's from March. I'm really trying to live a local life here. I've pretty much stopped driving, I shop at the local fresh market instead of Jewel or Dominick's -- it costs more but the experience is infinitely better. I recently had to run into a Jewel for something out in Skokie, and it was just a grating, unpleasant environment, comparatively speaking--- and then they hustle you into these do-... more »

S.3682: A bill to establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety. - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
S.3682: A bill to establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety. - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: S.3682 - A bill to establish and operate a National Center for Campus Public Safety.view all titles (1) - Overview - Actions & Votes - News (0) & Blogs (0) - Comments (0) Bill's Views - Today:5 - Past Seven Days:40 - All-Time:40 Introduced Senate Passes House Passes President Signs *12/12/12* * * * * * * Sponsor Senator Mark Warner D-VA View Co-Sponsors (7) Committees - Senate Judiciary Related Issue Areas - Violent crime - Ment... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Yes, Virginia, charter school co-locations do indeed cause more overcrowding

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Yes, Virginia, charter school co-locations do indeed cause more overcrowding: Yes, Virginia, charter school co-locations do indeed cause more overcrowding by Leonie Haimson Protesters against a charter co-location credit: Daily NewsToday’s report from the NYC Charter Center claims that buildings where charter schools are co-located tend to be less overcrowded than average school buildings. Our analysis of the Education Impact Statements (EIS’s) of charter co-location proposals considered by thePanel for Educational Policy between December 2010 and Mar... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Odds and Ends

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Odds and Ends: Odds and Ends from Seattle Schools Community Forum by Melissa Westbrook *Olympic Hills Capacity Mtg on Monday night* Packed house, I was almost surprised they had it such a small school but it was cozy. Attendees - SPS staff, Directors Peaslee and Carr (but oddly, not Martin-Morris as one of the central issues was Eckstein that sits in his district) and FACMAC co-chairs and other members of the Committee. Rep. Gerry Pollet also was in attendance. The room was packed full. I liked the way this meeting went. There was just a brief ... more »

The We Are One White Paper. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
The We Are One White Paper. « Fred Klonsky: The We Are One White Paper. by Fred Klonsky Popout I’m reminded of an old joke. *A woman goes into a meat market and asks the butcher why his pork chops are 7 dollars a pound, when the guy across the street is selling his for 4 dollars a pound?* The butcher says, “Well, then, why don’t you go over there and buy his?” The lady customer says, “Well, he don’t have any. The butcher says, “Well, that’s nothing. When I don’t have ANY, I sell mine for only 3 dollars a

Ladner’s False Choice | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Ladner’s False Choice | Truth in American Education: Ladner’s False Choice by Shane Vander Hart Matthew Ladner wrote a guest post at Jay P. Greene’s blog today that lays out a false choice either support the Common Core State Standards or support status quo where in some states their standards were a joke. He wrote about his experience in Arizona when he was asked to oppose Arizona’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards: I had deep misgivings regarding Common Core at the time, the most serious of which was the governance of the standards over time. At the time I was of the... more »

A closer look at the alternative plan to reform Philly schools | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
A closer look at the alternative plan to reform Philly schools | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: A closer look at the alternative plan to reform Philly schools from Philadelphia Public School Notebook by thenotebook *by Bill Hangley, Jr.* Photo: Harvey Finkle Philadelphia Federation of Teachers' secretary, Freda Sydnor-Joell, addresses the crowd outside the School District building on Dec. 13, the day the school closings plan was announced. * * The report released Tuesday by the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools (PCAPS) is ambitious to say the least: it repr... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Hero Problem | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Hero Problem | EduShyster: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s Hero Problem by edushyster2012 Does heroism hold value in Michelle Rhee’s measure of a teacher’s worth? In the annals of tin-eared condolence statements, the one released by Michelle Rhee in the wake of the Newtown school shooting stands out. Her very word choices felt stilted and wrong, evoking a strange world in which children are “assets,” stunned and reeling teachers are “colleagues,” and family are the members of Rhee’s own “team.” But if the statement began on an off note, wors... more »

Reflecting on the Unthinkable « InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Reflecting on the Unthinkable « InterACT: Reflecting on the Unthinkable by David B. Cohen [image: IMG_0913]The tragic deaths in Newtown, Connecticut, have been difficult for me to process or respond to. The first actual writing I’ve done on the topic actually came in comments on another blog, written by Michael Petrilli. I don’t often find myself agreeing with Petrilli or the Fordham Foundation in their analysis of education practices, policies, or reform. (And I never did hear back from the foundation’s president, Checker Finn, regarding the free lunch I put up in a wager based... more »

Ten Reasons Why Common Core Standards Require a Whole Teacher — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Ten Reasons Why Common Core Standards Require a Whole Teacher — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Thom Markham]Ten Reasons Why Common Core Standards Require a Whole Teacher December 19, 2012 by Thom Markham When teachers and parents hear the term *Common Core standards* (CCS), a frequent tendency is to see the new standards as a simple upgrade. In fact, the CCS represent an entirely new operating system. This is good news for the whole child movement. CCS focuses on an inquiry approach to education. Inquiry can't be done through direct instruction alone; it requir... more »

A Race to the Top Winner. Really? | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
A Race to the Top Winner. Really? | Seattle Education: A Race to the Top Winner. Really? Posted on December 19, 2012 by seattleducation2011 | Leave a comment There are more questions than answers as it pertains to how the Race to the Top money will be spent by the districts in our state that “won” Race to the Top funding. The Puget Sound Educational Service District, which is made up 35 school districts, received $40M after spending 3 years working with the Community Center for Education Results to pull together the data that apparently the Department of Education wanted anyway. ... more »

Mother Crusader: The NJ CREDO Study; And The Band Played On

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Mother Crusader: The NJ CREDO Study; And The Band Played On: The NJ CREDO Study; And The Band Played On by darciecima My blog post refuting Commissioner Cerf's claim that CREDO was "not a part of the bandwagon", was picked up by both Diane Ravitch and Valerie Strauss. I have done a bit more digging, and have come up with what I feel is irrefutable evidence that not only is CREDO part of the bandwagon, their Director Macke Raymond, may in fact be one of the band leaders. The additional research started with this email, which was released to the Education Law Center under the Op... more »

Diane in the Afternoon 12-19-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Beware the Common Core Standards! by dianerav Kris Neilsen, a middle school teacher, was an early enthusiast for the Common Core Standards. He read them, explained them to parents at his schools, and was commended for his leadership. But he had a change of heart as he reflected on them. He is now an outspoken critic. He thinks the corporate reform movement is imposing them to standardize children and to stamp out originality. I have urged people to read the standards and come to their own judgment. This is Kris’s judgment. By the way, this is the same Kri... more »

Common Core State Standards Public Hearings - Curriculum Frameworks (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Common Core State Standards Public Hearings - Curriculum Frameworks (CA Dept of Education): Announcement of Two Public Hearings Recommended Modifications to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics with California Additions and Model Courses for Higher Mathematics Thursday, January 3, 2013 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. California Department of Education 1430 N Street, Room 1101 Sacramento, CA 95814 For information, contact: 916-319-0881 Friday, January 4, 2013 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Orange County Department of Education 200 Kalmus Drive, Board Room Costa Mesa, CA 92626 For inform... more »

Asst Secretary Delisle and Youth Lend Their Voices to Combatting the School-to-Prison Pipeline | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Asst Secretary Delisle and Youth Lend Their Voices to Combatting the School-to-Prison Pipeline | ED.gov Blog: Asst Secretary Delisle and Youth Lend Their Voices to Combatting the School-to-Prison Pipeline Posted on December 19, 2012 by Deb Delisle Last week I met José, who visited the U.S. Department of Education for a roundtable discussion on school discipline policies. He described experiences at his Chicago high school that left him with the uneasy feeling that he had to keep his “guard up” while trying to learn. José came to Washington for a congressional hearing on discipline,... more »

Josh Birdwell – Why I am in College, and support Uncollege. | Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Josh Birdwell – Why I am in College, and support Uncollege. | Student Voice: Josh Birdwell – Why I am in College, and support Uncollege. by admin Popout Always have to start with an amazing video. Plus Sir Ken Robinson is an amazing speaker! I wanted to share my perspective because I am a student at Oklahoma State University yet, attended Uncollege’s Hackademic. In my life, I found a balance between college and this movement known as unschooling. *Exactly what does unschooling mean to me:* I believe that it begins when you come to a realization that learning takes place further th... more »

UPDATE: The Right 4 Questions « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Right 4 Questions « Deborah Meier on Education: The Right 4 Questions by debmeier Thank you, Roger Tilles for posing these Four Questions, which should guide all policy. *1. What kind of algorithm measures the kind of devotion that we saw and I am sure we would see in crisis after crisis in all of our schools?**2. How do you establish a pre- and post-test for the kind of personal responsibility that these professionals demonstrated?* *3. How do we measure the trust that these children and their parents have placed in us as educators “in loco parentis”?* *4. What kind of virtua... more »

Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: Want Kids to Learn? Put Them in Charge - Well, Almost!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!: Want Kids to Learn? Put Them in Charge - Well, Almost!: Want Kids to Learn? Put Them in Charge - Well, Almost! by Tom King Want to know a secret? Something that will have more kids learning more? Something you can have your students do that takes only a few minutes a day. It's so simple you won't believe it. And if you pay it forward, it could change the K12 world for the better in an iFlash! It's called iLearner. Short for I'm the Learner. I'm the one in charge. I'm the only one who can make my learning happen. It's the answer to the question: Who's... more »

UPDATE: FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, December 19, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: Education Headlines *Wednesday, December 19, 2012* Schools reexamine safety plansThe tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut is spurring Mother Lode educators to refresh their memory on safety plans, but it has also left them wondering if they can do more to protect students. New superintendent named for El Monte City School DistrictAs a former Columbia Elementary School student, Maribel Garcia fondly remembered her principal Jeff Seymour, a man who would later become superintendent of the El Monte City School... more »

Modern School: Union Bosses, Which Side Are You On? . . . Capital, Of Course

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Modern School: Union Bosses, Which Side Are You On? . . . Capital, Of Course: Union Bosses, Which Side Are You On? . . . Capital, Of Course by Michael Dunn Oliver Burkhard, head of Germany’s IG Metall (IGM) trade union, will soon be taking over as head of personnel at the multination Thyssen Krupp. His annual income will rise to €2 million, or more than €160,000 a month, according to the World Socialist Website. Many have accused Burkhard of being a turncoat. However, his new job is really only a change in title. Union bosses maintain a unique and opaque position in the economy, ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Help Class Size Matters continue our work helping kids in 2013!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Public School Parents: Help Class Size Matters continue our work helping kids in 2013!: Help Class Size Matters continue our work helping kids in 2013! by Leonie Haimson Last spring, I heard about a girl named Megan who had been prevented from graduating with the rest of her 8th grade class because DOE believed she’d failed the state exam. Over the summer, it turned out that she had passed the exam after all. I contacted a reporter, Yoav Gonen of the NY Post, who wrote about her story, as well as the experiences of *seven thousand other New York City children*who had been pr... more »

Secretary Duncan Hails Sandy Hook Elementary Educators – and Thanks the Nation’s Teachers, School Leaders, and School Staff | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Secretary Duncan Hails Sandy Hook Elementary Educators – and Thanks the Nation’s Teachers, School Leaders, and School Staff | ED.gov Blog: VIDEO: Secretary Duncan Hails Sandy Hook Elementary Educators by Cameron Brenchley We ask a lot of our nation’s teachers, Secretary Duncan said in a video message to the educators of Sandy Hook Elementary School. “But no one could possibly ask for this kind of sacrifice,” he said of the courage shown by educators during last week’s tragedy in Newtown, Conn. In his video message, Secretary Duncan expressed his deep gratitude to teachers, school le... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The view from Right Field

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The view from Right Field: The view from Right Field by Mike Klonsky *Rick Hess of the far-right American Enterprise Institute (AEI)* Rick Hess of the far-right American Enterprise Institute (AEI) claims to be "horrified by advocates and education pundits who seize upon Newtown as a "hook" to place an op-ed or push their favorite talking points and agenda items." He's not mentioning any names, but it's clear that he's talking about *Diane Ravitch* who posted a thoughtful and powerful tribute to the heroism of teachers (union members at that) on her ... more »








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