Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 12-1-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



How $tudent$ 4 Education Reform Jumped the Shark | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 minutes ago
How $tudent$ 4 Education Reform Jumped the Shark | EduShyster: How $tudent$ 4 Education Reform Jumped the Shark by edushyster2012 RALLY SWAG—SFER activists from Columbia and NYU wore hats summing up their demand that city’s teachers hurry up already and agree to be evaluated on the basis of their students’ test scores. *The crowd may not have been much, but as rallies go, this one was a big deal. Impassioned young people, bundled against the New York cold, risking everything for a cause they believe in, one that, if their voices are heard, could transform the lives of millions of p... more »

Rob Glass, Michigan Superintendent, Asks Parents To Oppose 'Ideologically-Driven' Education Bills

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 minutes ago
Rob Glass, Michigan Superintendent, Asks Parents To Oppose 'Ideologically-Driven' Education Bills: Rob Glass, Michigan Superintendent, Asks Parents To Oppose 'Ideologically-Driven' Education Bills **Posted: 11/30/2012 4:37 pm EST Updated: 11/30/2012 5:38 pm EST The superintendent of a tony Metro Detroit suburb posted an alert on his official school website, warning parents about "a package of bills designed to corporatize and dismantle public education" that are now being considered by the state legislature during its current lame-duck session. Bloomfield Hills School Superinten... more »

Marie Corfield: Education Hero!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 26 minutes ago
*Jersey Jazzman: Marie Corfield is My Hero* *Jersey Jazzman: Marie Corfield is My Hero: *

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-1-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 32 minutes ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] If Arne Becomes Secretary of State, Then… by dianerav Thomas Friedman of the New York Times thinks that Arne Duncan should be the next Secretary of State. He would like to see Race to the Top applied to our international relations. Readers have reacted. Leonie Haimson in New York City suggested that Arne could close embassies that can’t end wars and conflicts. Here is another good idea: *He could start an innovative new trend of “Charter Embassies.” They would be U.S. embassies that are publicly funded, but ... more »

Ed Notes Online: Rockaway Update: A Visit to The Wave, Occupy Sandy and Change the Stakes

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 38 minutes ago
Ed Notes Online: Rockaway Update: A Visit to The Wave, Occupy Sandy and Change the Stakes: Rockaway Update: A Visit to The Wave, Occupy Sandy and Change the Stakes by ed notes online I took a second day off from doing any work around the house on Friday. A sign that things are moving towards normal was a decision to attend the 5:30 meeting of Change the Stakes, one of my favorite groups of people which includes teachers, parents and principals (Carol Burris is an active participant on the listserve) and West Side HS principal Jean McTavish, a fierce opponent of high stakes testin... more »

The Innovative Educator: Why on earth would 2nd graders use Twitter? Read this to find out.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 42 minutes ago
The Innovative Educator: Why on earth would 2nd graders use Twitter? Read this to find out.: Why on earth would 2nd graders use Twitter? Read this to find out. by noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Nielsen) When the second grade students in Courtney Woods class were studying places tourists like to visit, they wondered how they could get more people to visit their small Canadian town of Bathurst. Their teacher knew this was a great idea and discussed with the class the importance of sustainable tourism. The class decided they wanted to help Bathurst become more of a tourist attraction and ... more »

4LAKids - NO MORE EXCUSES FOR CALIFORNIA

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 53 minutes ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: NO MORE EXCUSES FOR CALIFORNIA: NO MORE EXCUSES FOR CALIFORNIA THEMES IN THE NEWS A WEEKLY COMMENTARY WRITTEN BY UCLA IDEA ON THE IMPORTANT ISSUES IN EDUCATION AS COVERED BY THE NEWS MEDIA *WEEK OF NOV. 26-30, 2012| HTTP://BIT.LY/RPWI1P*11-30-2012 :: The U.S. Department of Education released data on Monday that for the first time used a common measure allowing for state-by-state comparisons. Not surprisingly, in yet another national measure, California ranks in the bottom half of states. But wait. We interrupt our grim-news reporting ... more »

Voucher Stumble | The G Bitch Spot

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 56 minutes ago
Voucher Stumble | The G Bitch Spot: Voucher Stumble by G Bitch CenLamar: Jindal’s Scheme to Defund Public Schools In Order to Enrich Religious Schools Ruled Unconstitutional Less than 24 hours later, Kelley ruled that Jindal’s voucher program is unconstitutional. Period. I’ve read some commentary that suggests vouchers weren’t “unconstitutional,” only the way vouchers were funded. Sorry guys, same difference. This program was ruled unconstitutional, and no amount of rhetorical nitpicking works. I was completely wrong about Judge Tim Kelley. His opinion was cogent, on-point, and ... more »

Oregon Save Our Schools: Governor Kitzhaber: Think Finland not Oregon Business Plan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 58 minutes ago
Oregon Save Our Schools: Governor Kitzhaber: Think Finland not Oregon Business Plan: Governor Kitzhaber: Think Finland not Oregon Business Plan by Oregon SOS [image: Putting the Public Back in Our Public Schools!] Finland is number one in the world when it comes to public education. And all of Oregon's leaders, parents, teachers, and students should be asking why. Popout Oregonians seem to want more Finland, less No Child Left Behind, and less GERM. This is supported by hearing and reading the public testimony made in response to the state's Education Funding Team (who, by... more »

Los Angeles Unified, union cut deal on test scores and evaluations | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago
Los Angeles Unified, union cut deal on test scores and evaluations | EdSource Today: Los Angeles Unified, union cut deal on test scores and evaluations ** November 30th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services Facing a court-ordered deadline, Los Angeles Unified and its teachers union have agreed on a framework for evaluating teachers that will include using student scores on local and state standardized tests ­– but only to a limited, as yet undetermined extent. The tentative agreement a... more »

Critical Thinking: How Long Does it Take? | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Critical Thinking: How Long Does it Take? | toteachornototeach: Critical Thinking: How Long Does it Take? by aristotlethewise *Critical Thinking: How Long Does it Take?* [image: critical-thinking] by Jonathan Haber One of the questions I wanted to answer while creating the Critical Voter curriculum (which used the 2012 presidential election to teach practical critical thinking skills) was how long it would take to cover all of the subjects needed to provide students with sufficient skills to be useful in the context of a complex event, such as a presidential race. Unlike other cultu... more »

NYC Educator: Meryl Tisch and John King Implementing Education Programs that Cannot Wait

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
NYC Educator: Meryl Tisch and John King Implementing Education Programs that Cannot Wait: Meryl Tisch and John King Implementing Education Programs that Cannot Wait by NYC Educator

Daily Kos: A Saturday morning reflection - once again

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Daily Kos: A Saturday morning reflection - once again: A Saturday morning reflection - once again by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) It used to be my regular practice before I "retired" to head off to my local Starbucks on a Saturday morning, grab myself a vente half-calf ("no room") and sit down and offer my reflections, fueled by a combination of thinking about what had happened in my classroom the previous week as well as things that might be in the news. Now that I am again back in the classroom, I will see if it makes sense for me to continue the practice. Except this morning ... more »

What Mitch Daniels Whining About Tony Bennett’s Ouster Tells Us | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
What Mitch Daniels Whining About Tony Bennett’s Ouster Tells Us | Scathing Purple Musings: What Mitch Daniels Whining About Tony Bennett’s Ouster Tells Us by Bob Sikes So Indiana governor Mitch Daniels says that teachers cheated in the election which removed controversial education boss Tony Bennett from office. From Maureen Groppe and Scott Elliott of *Gannett News Service*: Republican frustration over the election defeat of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett boiled over into the public this week with Gov. Mitch Daniels claiming at an education reform conference he... more »

Louisiana Educator: A Big Win For Public Education!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Louisiana Educator: A Big Win For Public Education!: A Big Win For Public Education! by Michael Deshotels Distric Judge Tim Kelly ruled Friday that it is a violation of the Louisiana Constitution for MFP funds to pay students to attend private schools. The ruling was handed down as a result of lawsuits by the LAE, LFT and the Louisiana School Boards Association. The ruling prohibits the funding of public to private school vouchers now in operation and the course choice program scheduled to start next school year. See the Baton Rouge Advocate story. This ruling will be appealed t... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 12-1-12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
*4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:* *4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT* Public Education in the other LA: LOUISIANA VOUCHER PROGRAM RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 3 minutes ago By Stephanie Simon/Reuters / from Huffinton Post | http://huff.to/QVnFR8 11/30/2012 5:49 pm EST Updated: 11/30/2012 11:06 pm EST :: (Reuters) - A state judge on Friday shot down Louisiana's sweeping school voucher program, ruling that the state could not use funds set aside for public education to pay private-school tuition for thousands of l... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 12-1-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* * * Behavior problems, not depression, linked to lower grades for depressed youths Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 day ago Behavior problems, not depression, are linked to lower grades for depressed adolescents, according to a study in the December issue of the *Journal of Health and Social Behavior. * "Behavior problems including attention issues, delinquency, and substance use are associated with diminished achievement, but depression is not," said the study's lead author Jane D. McLeod, a soc... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 12-1-12 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL *LARRY FERLAZZO’S WEBSITES OF THE DAY* [image: Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Problems.] Holiday Resources Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 8 hours ago I’ve just more-or-less updated a massive list, The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa. I’m sure it will be getting even bigger…. My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Two Larry Ferlazzo at Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - 9 hours ago I’ve been writing this blog for six o... more »

BASED ON NEW REPORT 8 OF 4O WASHINGTON STATE'S NEW CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE CANDIDATES FOR CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS SITE

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: *BASED ON NEW REPORT 8 OF 4O WASHINGTON STATE'S NEW CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE CANDIDATES FOR CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITE* National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Group: 1 in 5 charter schools not doing well enough to stay open A group that oversees more than half of the nation's 5,600 charter schools said as many as one in five U.S. charter schools should be shut down because of poor academic performance. http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019784379_charterschools29.html Robert Treat Academy The Perimeter Primate at CHARTER SCHOO... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 11-30-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE**UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume Two by Larry Ferlazzo I’ve been writing this blog for six or seven years. I thought readers might find it useful for me to dig back in the “archives” and highlight my choices for some of the best posts that appeared during that time. The first list in this series, My Best Posts Over The Years — Volume One, focused on the year 2007 and included a fair amount of still-useful material (at least in my opinion). Here in Volume Two I’ll identify the best of 2008: I began an *eighty* (no, that’s not a typ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Marie Corfield is My Hero

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Marie Corfield is My Hero: Marie Corfield is My Hero by Duke God bless Marie Corfield. **LD16 ELECTION UPDATE** Now that the votes in the LD-16 Assembly race have been tallied, I have called Assemblywoman Simon to congratulate her on her victory. I want to thank my family for their unending support, and all of our supporters, volunteers and dedicated staff. We could not have come so close to winning without your efforts. No matter the challenges we faced, we stood strong together, and I am so grateful for all your help. Although the election has ended, I can assu... more »

LAUSD, teachers union make a deal on performance evaluations - LA Daily News

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
LAUSD, teachers union make a deal on performance evaluations - LA Daily News: LAUSD, teachers union make a deal on performance evaluations By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer Posted: 11/30/2012 03:01:35 PM PST Updated: 11/30/2012 03:22:21 PM PST Proposed LAUSD teacher evaluation contract Facing a Tuesday deadline to come up with a deal, Los Angeles Unified and its teachers union announced today that they'd hammered out a tentative agreement that incorporates student test scores in performance evaluations. Under the tentative deal, teachers' evaluations will factor in how well their... more »

Towards the 21 Hour Work Week | Lefty Parent

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Towards the 21 Hour Work Week | Lefty Parent: Towards the 21 Hour Work Week by Cooper Zale Sustainability… it will by all accounts be a key theme of 21st century human society. Sustainable agriculture, energy use, carbon footprint, and average family size are already on the table towards informing governmental policy and economic practice. But in order to dial down in these areas we are realizing the need for a sustainable level of economic activity, which includes a finite amount of commoditized work to be divided between an increasing number of people seeking that work. Put more ... more »

Why a Louisiana judge ruled school vouchers unconstitutional

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Why a Louisiana judge ruled school vouchers unconstitutional: Why a Louisiana judge ruled school vouchers unconstitutional Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 30, 2012 at 5:37 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » A Louisiana state judge sided today with opponents of Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s sweeping private school voucher program, ruling that it is unconstitutional because it improperly diverts public state and local money intended for public schools to private institutions. Exactly what... more »

Breaking the Budget Deficit Down - Department of Social Services (DSS) - $190.9 million - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Breaking the Budget Deficit Down - Department of Social Services (DSS) - $190.9 million - Wait, What?: Breaking the Budget Deficit Down – Department of Social Services (DSS) – $190.9 million by jonpelto When Governor Malloy proposed this year’s budget, the General Assembly passed it, and the Governor signed it into law, it was widely understood that the Malloy Administration had purposely underestimated the true costs of funding various programs, especially within the Department of Social Services. Almost immediately, State Comptroller Kevin Lembo, started warning the Malloy Adm... more »

Top Content this Week - 11-30-12 The Educator's PLN

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: Are You Interested In Joining A World Class Schools Project]Are You Interested In Joining A World Class Schools Project November 26, 2012 to November 30, 2012 at Virtually Everywhere In The World Organized By: Michael Cunningham 2[image: Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children]Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children Added by Thomas Whitby on October 10, 2012 3[image: Building Community]Building Community Posted by Lisa Chamberlin on January 31, 2010 4[image: Angry Birds Do Math]Angry Birds Do Math Added b... more »

Breaking News: La. school voucher plan ruled unconstitutional - SFGate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
La. school voucher plan ruled unconstitutional - SFGate: La. school voucher plan ruled unconstitutionalBy MELINDA DESLATTE, Associated Press BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal's voucher program that uses tax dollars to send students to private schools was ruled unconstitutional Friday by a state judge who said it's improperly funded through the public school financing formula. Judge Tim Kelley sided with arguments presented by teacher unions and school boards seeking to shut down the voucher program and other changes that would funnel more money away from traditional pub... more »

‘My kindergartener had 14 tests this year’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
‘My kindergartener had 14 tests this year’: ‘My kindergartener had 14 tests this year’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on November 30, 2012 at 4:09 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Here are highlights (videos below) of a Chicago forum on standardized testing in public schools: Parent Julie Fain said: *“My kindergartener had 14 tests this year.” * *“My fourth grader, now … they’re testing in PE and art and music and library and Spanish and in every special in three grades. And that adds up to total ... more »

4LAKids - LETTER TO DR. JAIME AQUINO FROM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS + A CONCERN ABOUT FAIRNESS IN RESTORING CUTS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: LETTER TO DR. JAIME AQUINO FROM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS + A CONCERN ABOUT FAIRNESS IN RESTORING CUTS: LETTER TO DR. JAIME AQUINO FROM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS + A CONCERN ABOUT FAIRNESS IN RESTORING CUTS FROM THE ASSOCIATED ADMINISTRATORS OF LOS ANGELES (AALA – “THE PRINCIPALS UNION”) UPDATE | WEEK OF DECEMBER 3, 2012*29 November 2012 :: AALA thanks Gary Garcia, President of the Senior High School Principals’ Organization, for sharing this letter.* Dear Dr. Aquino: Thank you for taking time out of your previously set schedul... more »

Schools Matter: Lessons from Katrina

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Schools Matter: Lessons from Katrina: Lessons from Katrina by Judy Rabin The Shock Doctrine Comes to New Jersey Schools Just waiting for Arne Duncan to say Hurricane Sandy was the "best thing that happened to the education system" in New Jersey. While the power is out, entire school districts have literally crumbled the poorest are again being left behind, many homeless now and in already underfunded public schools. Christie and Cerf have a plan to use theirr "power sparingly." They will come to save the day because too many schools are failing. No mention of the actual architec... more »

Jersey Jazzman: An Outrage in Camden

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: An Outrage in Camden: An Admission of Failure by Duke This is nothing more than an admission of failure by our education overlords : Charter schools are about to get a reality check. As someone who has observed the breakneck pace of the growing charter school movement up close, Greg Richmond, who leads the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), is taking a step back. "We didn't start this movement in order to create more failing schools, but that's what we have," Richmond told The Huffington Post. "Hundreds of them." On Wednesday morning, Richmond... more »

At Brooklyn Free School, A Movement Reborn With Liberty And No Testing For All

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
At Brooklyn Free School, A Movement Reborn With Liberty And No Testing For All: At Brooklyn Free School, A Movement Reborn With Liberty And No Testing For AllPosted: 11/30/2012 8:38 am EST Updated: 11/30/2012 1:30 pm EST [image: All_school_meeting_fall2012] NEW YORK -- On a recent Wednesday morning at the Brooklyn Free School, a class was in session. Ten students, ranging in age from about 12 to 16, sat around a table having a heated debate about chemistry. And superpowers. "Those elements don't really go together," said one boy in a hoodie and glasses. "Or I don't think they go... more »

Chicagoans to Erect Tent City Against "Fiscal Cliff" Austerity Negotiations #durbinville | OccupyWallSt.org

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Chicagoans to Erect Tent City Against "Fiscal Cliff" Austerity Negotiations #durbinville | OccupyWallSt.org: Chicagoans to Erect Tent City Against "Fiscal Cliff" Austerity Negotiations #durbinville by OccupyWallSt [image: Imgur] In what might well become a model for popular resistance to the 1%'s "Fiscal Cliff" austerity negotiations happening now in Washington D.C., activists in Chicago are planning a shantytown encampment of Federal Plaza -- a tangible portent of exactly where austerity is taking us. More information on the Occupy Chicago GA-approved action from the event's face... more »

Larry Miller for School Board Fundraising Party: Please Join Me « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Larry Miller for School Board Fundraising Party: Please Join Me « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!: Larry Miller for School Board Fundraising Party: Please Join Me by millerlf *Join us for a fundraiser for my re-election campaign for the MPS school board.* *The fundraising party will be:* *Sunday December 9* *5-7 at the Art Bar* *722 East Burleigh St* * * [image: photo]

Grading teachers proves difficult: Staffs at some of state's worst schools get gushing reviews | Michigan news | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Grading teachers proves difficult: Staffs at some of state's worst schools get gushing reviews | Michigan news | Detroit Free Press | freep.com: Grading teachers proves difficult: Staffs at some of state's worst schools get gushing reviews A first look at how effective teachers are across the state provides a clear picture of just how far school districts must go to have strong evaluation systems in place that give teachers the kind of feedback they need to improve. The new state data find that about 97% of the state's 96,000 teachers were rated effective or highly effective duri... more »

UPDATE: Ed Roundup for 11-30-12 -Meeting Notice Advisory Commission on Charter Schools CA Dept of Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Ed Roundup for 11-30-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education): Meeting Notice Advisory Commission on Charter Schools An advisory body to the State Board of EducationWednesday, December 12, 2012 9:00 a. m. ± – 4:00 p. m. ±California Department of Education 1430 N Street, Room 1101 Sacramento, CA 95814-5901 916-322-6029Commission Members Vicki Barber Brian Bauer Gary Davis Ari Engelberg John Porter Julie Russell1 Mark Ryan Christopher Thomsen Curtis L. Washington Liaison from the State Board of Education Trish Williams Bruce Holaday 1 Represents the State Superintendent of Public Instruction A... more »

Diane in the Evening 11-30-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Louisiana Judge Rules Voucher Program Unconstitutional by dianerav A Louisiana judge ruled against the state’s new voucher program, agreeing with the plaintiffs that it violated the state constitution by diverting public funds to private schools. The state will appeal. The attorney for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers explains here why the teachers are suing to block Governor Jindal’s Act 2. It’s not because the law is “illegal,” but because it expressly violates the state constitution. It’s not because it spends public money for vouchers but because it t... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm starring in 'Jobs Busters'

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm starring in 'Jobs Busters': Rahm starring in 'Jobs Busters' by Mike Klonsky Robert Pawlaszek, of SEIU Local 1, gathers with O'Hare janitors and other employees during a prayer vigil outside Rahm's house. Perfect timing. As we head into the Christmas season in the land of high heating bills, comes the news that Rahm is laying off many of the city's library custodians. He's also put 300 union custodians's jobs on the chopping block at O’Hare Airport because of a controversial $99 million, non-union janitorial contract he's handed out to one of his... more »

How education could plunge off the 'fiscal cliff' – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
How education could plunge off the 'fiscal cliff' – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs: How education could plunge off the 'fiscal cliff' by *Donna Krache*, CNN *(CNN)* Sequestration: The word strikes fear in the hearts of school boards and administrators nationwide, and with good reason. What does it mean? The term refers to the across-the-board budget cuts that will automatically occur in federal programs in January 2013, unless Congress reaches an agreement by the end of this year on reducing the deficit. What kind of cuts will this mean for education? The American Association of... more »

Evaluating Teachers of Non-Tested Subjects in the Age of Value-Add — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Evaluating Teachers of Non-Tested Subjects in the Age of Value-Add — Whole Child Education: ' THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: David Snyder]Evaluating Teachers of Non-Tested Subjects in the Age of Value-Add November 30, 2012 by David Snyder With many U.S. states overhauling their teacher evaluation systems and introducing student test scores as a factor, how can schools ensure fair evaluation of teachers of non-tested subjects like art and physical education? One of the first states to begin implementing evaluation reform was Tennessee and, back in February, *Education Week*'s *Teaching... more »

SI&A Cabinet Report – Cornerstones of federal compliance called barriers to innovation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: *Cornerstones of federal compliance called barriers to innovation* *By Tom Chorneau* Friday, November 30, 2012 For years, careful school administrators have been fearful of violating the federal government’s three major compliance mandates – supplement-not-supplant, comparability and maintenance of effort. Now a prominent academic think tank is questioning whether the three requirements pose more of a barrier to school innovation than a deterrent to scofflaw administrators. Researchers at the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the Uni... more »

Stand united: An appeal to commenters « City School Stories

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Stand united: An appeal to commenters « City School Stories: Stand united: An appeal to commenters by fmurphy Originally posted on thenotebook blog by Frank Murphy on Nov 27 2012 Posted in Commentary I have been troubled by the negative tone of several comments posted in response to *Notebook* articles over the last few months. Anonymous posters have increasingly engaged in highly critical and often sharply worded personal attacks on individual Philadelphia School District employees and union personnel. Though I can understand the depth of emotion that motivates people to make su... more »

Weekly Update: K12, Inc. tanks with parents and Wall Street, how “non-profit” charter school$ fleece taxpayers, a school to prison pipeline, literally, and much, much more. | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Weekly Update: K12, Inc. tanks with parents and Wall Street, how “non-profit” charter school$ fleece taxpayers, a school to prison pipeline, literally, and much, much more. | Seattle Education: Weekly Update: K12, Inc. tanks with parents and Wall Street, how “non-profit” charter school$ fleece taxpayers, a school to prison pipeline, literally, and much, much more. by seattleducation2011 *The Weekly Update for the news and views you might have missed* [image: galvanic bracelet] Helen Barkin writes a thorough review of what happened state by state on November 6, 2012 in this article.... more »

***UPDATE: School Tech Connect: Culture of Testing II, III and The Highlight Reel

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Culture of Testing II: Culture of Testing II by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Diane Munoz and Anne Carlson, both highly accomplished CPS educator-parents, gave some pointed testimony during the Raise Your Hand event last night. I'll let their words do the talking. Popout Diane Munoz As a parent, unfortunately I got to experience this with my own child, and it's heart-wrenching when a first-grader says, "I'm stupid, and I hate school!" due to the results of (his) DIBELS test. Anne Carlson Why are we continuing to take the temperature all the time….Our stud... more »

When Disinformation is Fueled by Misinformation! CHANCELLOR TISCH, YOU ARE WRONG! « School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
When Disinformation is Fueled by Misinformation! CHANCELLOR TISCH, YOU ARE WRONG! « School Finance 101: When Disinformation is Fueled by Misinformation! CHANCELLOR TISCH, YOU ARE WRONG! by schoolfinance101 Very recently, I posted a critique of the recent technical report on New York State median growth percentiles to be used in that state’s teacher and principal evaluation system. Today, I read this piece in the NY Post – an editorial by NY State Board of Regents Chancellor Meryl Tisch, and well, MY HEAD ALMOST EXPLODED! The point of the editorial is to encourage NY City’s teacher...more »

Nobody likes Pat Quinn. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Nobody likes Pat Quinn. « Fred Klonsky: Nobody likes Pat Quinn. by Fred Klonsky What happens when you are the most anti-union governor in the history of Illinois? Nobody likes you. You become the most unpopular governor in the entire United States. With only one in four Illinois voters approving his job performance, Gov. Pat Quinn is the least popular in the country and would lose in head-to-head pairings against two of three Republicans eying his job in 2014, a newly commissioned survey found Thursday.Just 25 percent of voters in Illinois approved of the work Quinn is doing, w... more »

Democurmudgeon: Group looking to hold Charter Schools accountable, too many failing but still taking kids.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Democurmudgeon: Group looking to hold Charter Schools accountable, too many failing but still taking kids.: Group looking to hold Charter Schools accountable, too many failing but still taking kids. [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] While Gov. Scott Walker has already removed accountability measures for voucher schools, parents should be alerted to a rising problem where bad schools continue to remain open. With no way of knowing whether a school is failing, until it’s too late, parents are being sold on the idea that success can be gauged by higher enrol... more »

Mother Crusader: We Need To Get Rid Of The Political Bosses, Don't You Agree With Me?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Mother Crusader: We Need To Get Rid Of The Political Bosses, Don't You Agree With Me?: We Need To Get Rid Of The Political Bosses, Don't You Agree With Me? by darciecima George Norcross gets what George Norcross wants. George's brother Donald was the chief architect of the The Urban Hope Act. The legislation was enacted with lightening speed, but before it was passed or signed George was already openly talking about his plans. Norcross said ideally his proposal would be built on the Lanning Square site next to Cooper, long eyed for a new school through the state's court-ordere... more »

NSBA to Court: School Officials Must be Given Flexibility in Handling Student Harassment

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
NSBA to Court: School Officials Must be Given Flexibility in Handling Student Harassment: *NSBA to Court: School Officials Must be Given Flexibility in Handling Student Harassment* * * Alexandria, Va. (November 30, 2012) - The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is urging the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to rule that school districts should not be held financially liable for harassment related to a student’s disability if school officials took appropriate steps to stop it. NSBA, along with the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA), the Alabama ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, November 30, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *California prepares for more rain this weekend* Education Headlines *Friday, November 30, 2012* EdSource: Abuse records don’t follow some school workersCalifornia teachers who lose their jobs for misconduct against students lose their licenses to teach, but the state has no similar process for the other 289,000 school employees who are fired or forced to resign due to child abuse. There’s no mechanism for sharing the information on “classified” employees; as a result, other districts and childcare centers may hire a new bus driv... more »

The Common Core Kool-Aid :: Frederick M. Hess

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Common Core Kool-Aid :: Frederick M. Hess: The Common Core Kool-Aid *by Frederick M. Hess • Nov 30, 2012 at 10:05 am Cross-posted from Education Week* * * * * In a number of conversations this week over at Jeb Bush's annual edu-fest, at AEI, and around DC, I was struck by the degree to which the Common Core seems to have become Dr. Pendergast's miracle cure for everything that ails you (seemingly including heat blisters). The exchanges were eerily reminiscent of the run-up to *Waiting for Superman*, when smart, enthusiastic people kept telling me how everything was about to ch... more »

Shanker Blog » Bahraini Repression Against Teachers And Health Care Workers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Shanker Blog » Bahraini Repression Against Teachers And Health Care Workers: Bahraini Repression Against Teachers And Health Care Workers by Randall Garton *Bahrain Financial Harbor* The Kingdom of Bahrain, a small island nation in the Persian Gulf, is a perfect political stew, situated as it is at the confluence of political, religious, economic and international tensions simmering in the Persian Gulf. A majority Shi’a Muslim country ruled for hundreds of years by Sunni tribal chieftains with family ties to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain is a dictatorship whose people have regularly dema... more »

Daily Kos: The Etymology of "Miracle": On the Politics of Lies

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Daily Kos: The Etymology of "Miracle": On the Politics of Lies: The Etymology of "Miracle": On the Politics of Lies byplthomasEdDFollow My doctoral work was a trifecta of marginalized scholarship since I attained an EdD (lowly second cousin to the PhD) by preparing a qualitative dissertation (closeted step-cousin of the sainted quantitative paradigm)—an educational biography (a mish-mash of a non-academic field, education, with a popular but lowly literary genre, biography) of Lou LaBrant (Thomas, 2001 ). My scholarship on biography helped me understand the roots of why academia sh... more »

The Quick and the Ed » Local Control and Common Core State Standards: The Coming Confrontation

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Quick and the Ed » Local Control and Common Core State Standards: The Coming Confrontation: Local Control and Common Core State Standards: The Coming Confrontation by Peter Cookson Jr. Election night is over and most pundits agree that federal educational policy is unlikely to change dramatically in the next four years. In Washington DC this week at the Excellence in Action National Summit Secretary of Education Arne Duncan promised to “stay the course,” emphasizing early childhood education, holding teachers to higher standards, recruiting more qualified teachers, improving ... more »








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