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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: South Bronx School Gives Governor Cuomo Some Ultimatums

SOUTH BRONX SCHOOL: South Bronx School Gives Governor Cuomo Some Ultimatums:

South Bronx School Gives Governor Cuomo Some Ultimatums

Thank you paid Koch brother's spokesman and current New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for doing the bidding of the evil twins, amongst others, and giving the UFT a 30 day ultimatumthat demands we kow tow to Uncle Mike and sign the agreement for the new evaluation system. That's real nice Andy. As a 6 year old does when he doesn't get his way, Governor Andy is taking his balls and not let anyone play with them until he gets what he wants. Worse, is threatening to withhold money shows that he is now akin to some Bond super-villain.

But we have come up with out own list o

Message from Connecticut: do not expect real funding reform « Parents Across America

Message from Connecticut: do not expect real funding reform « Parents Across America:

Message from Connecticut: do not expect real funding reform

Capitol Alert: Gov. Jerry Brown to call for less state testing in schools

Capitol Alert: Gov. Jerry Brown to call for less state testing in schools:

Gov. Jerry Brown will call for less statewide testing and expanding classroom focus beyond math and English in his annual State of the State address tomorrow, according to his top education adviser.

Sue Burr, executive director of the State Board of Education, told hundreds of school finance officials today that Brown will seek to reduce student testing and push districts to focus on a broader array of subject areas. She spoke at an annual workshop produced by School Services of California, which advises districts on how to budget for the next school year.

"We think there's way, way too much testing in our system right now," Burr said. "Just as an example, a

Florida is Most Charter School Friendly State but Charter School Lobby Complains About School Board Oversight | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida is Most Charter School Friendly State but Charter School Lobby Complains About School Board Oversight | Scathing Purple Musings:

Florida is Most Charter School Friendly State but Charter School Lobby Complains About School Board Oversight

What better expert on charter-school friendly legislation can there be than a billionaire-funded national charter school lobby? And, of course, its naturally biased, um, researcher. From StateImpact:

Todd Ziebarth is the author of the study. He said Florida can do “a better job in holding authorizers accountable for their work and the quality of the charter schools that they approve.”

In Florida, only the school board in each school district can authorize opening a new charter school and renewing an existing one — a model Ziebarth says can get tricky.

“What we find in Florida and other states is that it’s challenging for school boards to do a great job

Today's Big Education Ape - PostRank Top Late Evening Posts #ows #edreform 1-17


Public Urged to Observe Korematsu Day - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

Public Urged to Observe Korematsu Day - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson UrgesPublic to Observe Fred Korematsu Day SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today encouraged all Californians to observe the annual Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution on Korematsu's birthday, Monday, January 30, 2012."It's critical for Californians to know the story of Fred Korematsu: his fight against racism and wrongful internment and his devotion to righting a great wrong," said ... more »

My Love/Hate Relationship with Educational Numbers | IDEA

My Love/Hate Relationship with Educational Numbers | IDEA:My Love/Hate Relationship with Educational Numbersby Kristan Morrison in democracy.eduA few months back, I wrote about how my college was going through the NCATE accreditation process. The outcome of that long event was a report about how we are doing. One area in which we were “dinged” was in our assessments of our graduate programs. This report finding means that as director of one of our biggest graduate programs, I am now under ... more »

6 Reasons Michelle Rhee is Bad for Students and Schools « educationclearinghouse

6 Reasons Michelle Rhee is Bad for Students and Schools « educationclearinghouse:6 Reasons Michelle Rhee is Bad for Students and SchoolsJanuary 17, 2012 2 VotesAnyone who has read my blog over the past year is well aware of the fact that I am definitely no fan of Michelle Rhee. I feel that she is “climber” – someone who will do anything to advance her own narcissistic goals and ambitions.So, you will not be surprised when I came across the below ... more »

Parent Involvement is Smart. Don’t Turn it Into Something Stupid - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard

Parent Involvement is Smart. Don’t Turn it Into Something Stupid - Lily's Blackboard – Lily's Blackboard:Parent Involvement is Smart. Don’t Turn it Into Something StupidJan 17th, 2012 by Lily.I have parents. I am a parent. I love parents. So, don’t get me wrong, but what’s up with the rash of stupid ideas on parent involvement in education?When I was teaching in Utah, one legislator, one of our friends, one of our champions, someone who had fought beside teachers for class ... more »

Education Research Report

Education Research Report:Food Sales in Schools and Childhood ObesityJonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 36 minutes agoΩ The vast majority of American middle schools and high schools sell what are known as “competitive foods,” such as soft drinks, candy bars, and chips, to children. The relationship between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and snacks and childhood obesity is well established, but it remains unknown whether competitive food sales in schools are related to unhealthy weight gain among children. The authors ... more »

School Tech Connect: Focus on the Math

School Tech Connect: Focus on the Math:Focus on the Mathby noreply@blogger.com (Tim)Dick Ingram in SJR:Too much effort has been spent, by everyone, trying to pin the blame. We are at the point where how we got here matters very little. The numbers have grown to a point where all that matters is where we go from here.The facts are indisputable. Over the next 30 years, the state will owe retirees in excess of $140 billion, but Illinois has less than ... more »

RheeFirst! » GFBrandenburg’s updates on Rhee cheating scandals in DC

RheeFirst! » GFBrandenburg’s updates on Rhee cheating scandals in DC:GFBrandenburg’s updates on Rhee cheating scandals in DCby adminCites three must-read articles.Written by Guy Brandenburg for his blog. Read the entire post here.“The only conclusion I can draw is that AT A MINIMUM a lot of individuals personally and collectively benefited from large scale cheating in DCPS, and also worked together to resist any inquiries that would prove cheating, as much as they could. There was no desire to seek out ... more »

Occupy On Campus — Building a National Database « Student Activism #ows

Occupy On Campus — Building a National Database « Student Activism:Occupy On Campus — Building a National Databaseby Angus JohnstonAs the spring semester gets underway, I’ll be launching a major new project — a national database of campus Occupy projects. The database will include links to each occupation’s social media presence, as well as to press coverage of their work.To start with, I’ll be concentrating on Occupy groups that have established campus occupations lasting for at least one overnight, though ... more »

Digital | School finance in the digital-learning era: A review

Digital | School finance in the digital-learning era: A review:School finance in the digital-learning era: A reviewby Michael HornThe Fordham Institute continued its critical series exploring how to create sound policy for digital learning in November with two new papers, “Teachers in the Age of Digital Instruction” by Bryan C. Hassel and Emily Hassel, and “School Finance in the Digital-Learning Era” by Paul T. Hill. And more are on the way soon, including important ones exploring local control in the ... more »

Shanker Blog » Trial And Error Is Fine, So Long As You Know The Difference

Shanker Blog » Trial And Error Is Fine, So Long As You Know The Difference:Trial And Error Is Fine, So Long As You Know The Differenceby Matthew Di CarloIt’s fair to say that improved teacher evaluation is the cornerstone of most current education reform efforts. Although very few people have disagreed on the need to design and implement new evaluation systems, there has been a great deal of disagreement over how best to do so – specifically with regard to ... more »

Daily Kos: Universal Public Education Is Dead: The Rise of State Schools

Daily Kos: Universal Public Education Is Dead: The Rise of State Schools:Universal Public Education Is Dead: The Rise of State SchoolsbyplthomasEdDFollowShare3 PERMALINK4 COMMENTSPoet Adrienne Rich in Arts of the Possible made this claim on the cusp of No Child Left Behind (NCLB):“Universal public education has two possible—and contradictory—missions. One is the development of a literate, articulate, and well-informed citizenry so that the democratic process can continue to evolve and the promise of radical equality can be brought closer to realization. ... more »

NYC Educator: You Can Fool Some of the People...

NYC Educator: You Can Fool Some of the People...:You Can Fool Some of the People...by Miss EyreOn the heels of NYC Educator's excellent post yesterday about the linking of MLK's legacy with education "reform" comes, (in)appropriately enough, Mayor Bloomberg again co-opting MLK celebrations to discuss his "reform" agenda. Only this time, even fewer of the people of this city are swallowing his line. King believed strongly, most certainly, in equality of educational opportunities for all regardless of race, economic status, ... more »

Darling-Hammond: Why Is Congress redlining our schools? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Darling-Hammond: Why Is Congress redlining our schools? - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:Darling-Hammond: Why Is Congress redlining our schools?by Valerie StraussThis was written by Stanford University Education Profession Linda Darling-Hammond, who directs the Stanford University Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and was founding director of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. A former president of the American Educational Research Association, Darling-Hammond focuses her research, teaching, and policy work on issues of school restructuring, t... more »

Hey Mr.Knowitall, 2 Weeks Detention…For Talking Seriously About Education « Cooperative Catalyst

Hey Mr.Knowitall, 2 Weeks Detention…For Talking Seriously About Education « Cooperative Catalyst:Hey Mr.Knowitall, 2 Weeks Detention…For Talking Seriously About Educationby Jabreel ChisleyInclusion within discussion…it’s the one dynamic every serious discussion needs in order to come to a serious conclusion. When discussions lack that dynamic they are often poor in concluding theory and therefore often miss the point of what’s trying to be achieved. It’s not because the people who leading the discussions are incapable of reaching a conclusion that helps ... more »

Cuomo and Bloomberg on Attack on Teacher Evaluations - NYTimes.com

Cuomo and Bloomberg on Attack on Teacher Evaluations - NYTimes.com:Invoking King, Cuomo and Bloomberg Stoke Fight on Teacher Review ImpasseMichael Appleton for The New York TimesThe Rev. Al Sharpton leading a policy forum, with a gun violence emphasis, on Martin Luther King's Birthday on Monday at the National Action Network headquarters in Harlem. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg spoke there.By THOMAS KAPLAN and KATE TAYLORPublished: January 16, 2012RECOMMENDTWITTERLINKEDINE-MAILPRINTREPRINTSSHAREGov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, each irate that a stalemate ... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Charter Discussion

Seattle Schools Community Forum: The Charter Discussion:The Charter Discussionby Melissa WestbrookI still have to write a thread on the entire charter bill (the Senate and House bills are identical, SB 6202 and HB 2428) and a thread on why charters I think charters are a bad idea for our state. But let's catch up on what others are saying.First, the Times. Oh Times, you always slay me. Always out the gate with that bad "teachers union." Seriously, first thing. Then, ... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Here's a Brilliant Educational Reform Idea. (Not Really).

Missouri Education Watchdog: Here's a Brilliant Educational Reform Idea. (Not Really).:Here's a Brilliant Educational Reform Idea. (Not Really).by stlgretchenMany states, including Missouri, has toyed with the idea of lowering the age of compulsory schooling to age 3. That's one way to ensure the implementation of universal pre-school. Educated Citizenry 2020 lists this as one of the long term educational goals for our state and follows Arne Duncan's long term vision includes the importance of early childhood learning and expansion of ... more »

Should California have second thoughts on Common Core? | Thoughts on Public Education

Should California have second thoughts on Common Core? | Thoughts on Public Education:Should California have second thoughts on Common Core? - by forumby forumWith new assessments scheduled for 2014-15, many districts and state education planners are becoming immersed in preparing for the Common Core State Standards in math and English language arts. California is one of 46 states to adopt them and has a lead role in one of two state consortia creating the new tests. Faced with [...]New program ... more »

Daily Kos: If you missed last night's Republican debate

Daily Kos: If you missed last night's Republican debate:If you missed last night's Republican debateby rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)in which case you saved both brain cells and time, Charles M. Blow of the New York Times has a terrific piece on a key point of the debate which you should read. To encourage you to do so, allow me to offer just the final paragraph of Newt Gingrich and the Art of Racial Politics.Gingrich seems to understand the historical weight of the ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: The impeccable logic of Turnaround schools

NYC Public School Parents: The impeccable logic of Turnaround schools:The impeccable logic of Turnaround schoolsby Leonie HaimsonCheck out the new TV campaign on "Turnaround" schools produced by Last Stand for Children First. Though the campaign is focused on Chicago's efforts , the same strategies are being used here in NYC and in many of the major urban centers around the country where there are struggling schools.The formula is very simple; just watch the videos and you will see. Our thanks ... more »

Can Schools Solve Societal Problems? | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Can Schools Solve Societal Problems? | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Can Schools Solve Societal Problems?

Earlier today a press release for a study in the January 2012 issue of Sociology of Education caught my eye: Study Suggests Junk Food in Schools Doesn’t Cause Weight Gain Among Children.

According to the press release (I’m not a subscriber of the journal, so I didn’t have access to the full text of the study), “While the percentage of obese children in the United States tripled between the early 1970s and the late 2000s, a new study suggests that—at least for middle school students—weight gain has nothing to do with the candy, soda, chips, and other junk food they can purchase at school.”

To me, this makes a lot of sense. As one of the study’s authors,