Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, August 27, 2012

If Only Christine Rubino Were a Cop in New York City.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:


If Only Christine Rubino Were a Cop in New York City

Geez, sorry for not blogging for a week. I was a single father last week and priorities took precedence.

I wanted to blog this past Friday about a seeming hypocrisy coming from not only Uncle Mike, but from the New York media, especially the Daily News.

On Thursday, the News reported that 17 police officers were disciplined for leaving disparaging comments on Facebook last year in regards to those that make up the crowd at your typical West Indian Day Parade.

Comments ran the gamut. From calling the revelers, "savages" and "animals," to the more crude, “Kill them all,” and our favorite here at SBSB;
"I say have the parade one more year 

Another Good Take On “Personalized Learning” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Another Good Take On “Personalized Learning” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:


Great Writing Advice From New York Times Column Today

The Yellow Test is the headline for a New York Times column today that offers great writing advice.
I would strongly encourage reading the entire piece, but here’s an excerpt:
Carrie is a professor at a university. She had asked me how to turn an area of her expertise, secondary school education, into writing that the general public would find rewarding and enjoyable. That’s when I began talking about scenes, using her accident as an example of how to approach her work. Almost all creative nonfiction, essays or books, are, fundamentally, collections of small stories — or scenes — that together make one big story.
There’s been a lot of research published about the effectiveness of stories. Readers remember information 

Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble's Convention Speech on The War on Women

Kimble's Corner: Jack Kimble's Convention Speech on The War on Women:


Jack Kimbles Convention Speech on The War on Women

[Congressman Jack Kimble was originally supposed to give the following speech at the Republican National Convention during Monday afternoon. Due to weather concerns, the speech was given Monday evening at a Saint Pete Waffle House]
I am deeply honored to address the Republican National Convention and the Saint Pete's Waffle House waitstaff. I stand in the shadow of great conservative culture warriors who have come here before me, but none of them could have had more pride than mine in representing the gallant American fighting man engaged in the war on women today. These men are sensitive to their mission and as we have seen unbeatable in carrying out that mission.

We are fighting to build a strong male-centric nation while women organized, directed, and supported from without attempt to engulf it. This is an unprecedented challenge for our nation, but it is one that will confront any 

CHICAGO TEACHER’S LAMENT « Teachers Fight Back

CHICAGO TEACHER’S LAMENT « Teachers Fight Back:


CHICAGO TEACHER’S LAMENT

A Chicago teacher was interviewed by the press. They asked him why he was so ready to strike. The teacher replied that he was angry because the administration “stole” the 4% raise that was supposed to be guaranteed by the last contract. (The administration reneged on the promised raise last year). He was upset because they “stole” the 4% and then had the nerve to offer only a 2% raise for the new contract.
That teacher should be thankful he is a Chicago teacher and not a suburban or downstate teacher. At least billions of dollars weren’t stolen from the Chicago Teachers’ Pension fund like it was from the other teachers’ pension. What’s a little denial of a 4% raise ?  Big deal. We’re not talking billions of dollars. How would he like to 

Last Stand for Children First: Marketing Education Reform

Last Stand for Children First: Marketing Education Reform:


Marketing Education Reform

The one segment of education reform that seems to always outshine the others is marketing.   I continue to be amazed at just how good we are at it.  When Walmart and other corporate reformers announced their teachers rock campaign, I expected that Americans would greet it with the same  suspicion they would regard Chick-fil-a sponsoring a gay pride parade.   Boy, was I wrong.  They ate it up.  In Chicago, corporate reformers have been battling the Chicago Teachers Union for awhile now and branding their message to appear to be grassroots.  This is great stuff as seen in this whiny CTU video:

Popout
In trying to do our part, we focused groups several key education reform concepts and found we were starting to get a lot of push back as these issues become more prominent.  However, we found a way to make them much 

Jersey Jazzman: What Is Going On at CNN?

Jersey Jazzman: What Is Going On at CNN?:


What Is Going On at CNN?

CNN MAGIC
CNN does a hit interview on Diane Ravitch,
 and then disappears
comments from critical viewers.
This is just crazy: CNN does a hit interview on Diane Ravitch, and then appears to delete comments from critical viewers.
As readers of this blog know, CNN posted Randi Kaye’s August 18 interview with me a week after it aired.
I heard there were about 35 comments, and they were suddenly deleted.
People started posting comments again, possibly 20 or so, and then they too were deleted.
People went back for a third round and posted the

Edutopia + Jose Vilson = Back To School [... And Another One] | The Jose Vilson

Edutopia + Jose Vilson = Back To School [... And Another One] | The Jose Vilson:


Edutopia + Jose Vilson = Back To School [... And Another One]

To my readers:
Thanks to your support, I am happy to announce that Edutopia has invited me to write a guest blog for their website. (Full disclosure: they’re sponsored by the George Lucas Education Foundation. Yes, that George Lucas.) Here’s an excerpt from my back-to-school posted entitled “Cheat Sheet for the First Days of School”:
As the bulletin boards go up and the chalkboards, whiteboards and Smartboards get dusted and polished for another intense school year, some of the newer teachers (at one point, this was me, too) scramble to remind themselves of the tone they need to set in the classroom, and how their own routines will often mirror students’ routines. Any good teacher knows that we all have shortcuts, a handy set of things we need to remember before we develop the other, more elaborate parts of our routine.

1) Develop an easy slogan for expectations in your classroom.

Having a slogan that everyone can remember will remind kids of the rules you clearly set in the 

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 8-27-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



James Baldwin said it best: 

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

A BIG EDUCATION APE NITE CAP





Read These Comments Before CNN Deletes Them « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 minutes ago
Read These Comments Before CNN Deletes Them « Diane Ravitch's blog: Read These Comments Before CNN Deletes Them by dianerav As readers of this blog know, CNN posted Randi Kaye’s August 18 interview with me a week after it aired. I heard there were about 35 comments, and they were suddenly deleted. People started posting comments again, possibly 20 or so, and then they too were deleted. People went back for a third round and posted the following comments. A reader (Teresa H from Oregon) copied the entire batch of them, on the off chance that they might also disappear. (I copied and... more »

Schools Matter: MEASURE THIS!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: MEASURE THIS!: MEASURE THIS! by Judy Rabin Talk Poverty, from *The Nation* Mariana Chilton of Children's Health Watch, testified before Congress in 2007 about childhood hunger and poverty. She said of the Congressmen, "Their eyes glazed over." Five years later things have only gotten worse and the 600 pound gorilla in the room then is now at least 2 tons. Meanwhile, the steady drumbeat of accountability for teachers, test scores and competition is deafening. Yet, the silence on increasing poverty, growing numbers

Bridgeport‘s “Official” School Budget Finally Released: "Students with disabilities” cut the most; - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Bridgeport‘s “Official” School Budget Finally Released: "Students with disabilities” cut the most; - Wait, What?: Bridgeport‘s “Official” School Budget Finally Released: “Students with disabilities” cut the most; by jonpelto Last week, we learned that the school budget that was included within Mayor Bill Finch’s proposed City Budget, was not, in fact, the official school budget. Furthermore, the budget that the City Council held hearings on, was not, in fact, the official school budget. We were even told that the budget that the City Council approved and has been posted on the Ci... more »

Students Last: Teacherbots: Tomorrow's Solution Today?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Students Last: Teacherbots: Tomorrow's Solution Today?: Teacherbots: Tomorrow's Solution Today? by Students Last *Alaska* - "How can we use technology so that we require fewer human teachers?" This was the question posed by Miles Katzman, founder and CEO of Teacherbots Inc,. as he stood before a roomful of attentive school district representatives from around the country. With budgets being cut, lots of districts are looking for ways to reduce personnel costs while still maintaining high educational standards. Katzman believes he has the solution: Teacherbots or TBs. Teacherbots a... more »

Schools Matter: Bracey: "… the impending shortage of scientists and engineers is one of the longest running hoaxes in the country"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: Bracey: "… the impending shortage of scientists and engineers is one of the longest running hoaxes in the country": Bracey: "… the impending shortage of scientists and engineers is one of the longest running hoaxes in the country" by skrashen Posted at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/no-algebra-isnt-necessary--and-yes-stem-is-overrated/2012/08/26/edc47552-ed2d-11e1-b09d-07d971dee30a_blog.html#comments Roger Schank: “ …we hear argument after argument about the need for more STEM education (pretending we don't have lots of unemployed science PhD... more »

New country song, “T-E-S-T-I-N-G”? Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » New country song, “T-E-S-T-I-N-G”?: New country song, “T-E-S-T-I-N-G”? by admin Well, I made that up but the story of Chicago Public School teacher turned country singer Katie Quick’s story inspired me. As told in the Tribune “Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher, to try to make a difference,” she says. She became one, winding up teaching 6th-grade science at the Morrill Math & Science Specialty School in the Gage Park neighborhood. Katie realized that the COS test prep curriculum was interfering with student learni... more »

On Charter Schools and Swimming Pools: A Changing Tide in School Choice | ED.gov Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
On Charter Schools and Swimming Pools: A Changing Tide in School Choice | ED.gov Blog: On Charter Schools and Swimming Pools: A Changing Tide in School Choice Posted on August 27, 2012 by Guest Blogger Summer is a time when I am reminded that the world is divided into two kinds of people: those who, when confronted with a cold swimming pool, enter one toe at a time and those who dive right in. In the world of education, there exists a similar divide: those who are taking their time to warm up to education reform, and those who just dive in. I was reminded of this analogy earlier t... more »

The Most Important Meal of the Day | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
The Most Important Meal of the Day | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights: The Most Important Meal of the Day by NEA Health Information Network *By Nora L. Howley, Manager of Programs, NEA Health Information Network* We’ve all heard it said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But too many children in the United States are starting school each day without breakfast. As NEA President Dennis Van Roekel pointed out last week on theHuffington Post: “If we're honest with ourselves, the faces of hunger are everywhere -- in every area, every city and every de... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Why does the Post Dispatch Want More Funding for Education?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Why does the Post Dispatch Want More Funding for Education?: Why does the Post Dispatch Want More Funding for Education? by stlgretchen Where is education funding going? To schools or bureaucrats? There is an editorial in the St. Louis Post Dispatch this morning bemoaning the lack of money for education. Here is an excerpt: *When St. Louis businessman Dave Spence, the Republican candidate for governor, visited the Post-Dispatch editorial board last month, he clearly had done his homework in one key area.* *For months, this page has been arguing that ... more »

Why school lunch gets some kids sick - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Why school lunch gets some kids sick - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] Why school lunch gets some kids sick By Valerie Strauss Two sixth-graders at a Minneapolis public school say kids in the district are being forced to gobble down food at lunch because they have only 15 minutes to eat — which in reality is more like 10 — and that schedules like this are making kids feel sick and contributing to the country’s obesity epidemic. First lady Michelle Obama gets lunch at Parklawn Elementary School in Fairfax County earlier this year. (KEVIN LAMARQUE/REU... more »

Liberty and Justice==continued « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Liberty and Justice « Deborah Meier on Education: Liberty and Justice by debmeier The latest In These Times newspaper has an article by Marilyn Katz on why we need to defeat the right. One of the respondents familiar responses caught my eyes. http://inthesetimes.com/article/13628/whose_election_is_this_anyway. Here’s his (note the gender I have presumed) and my response. True American • 4 hours agoThis socialist author wouldn’t know what liberty or justice for all is about. Amazing how a radical organizer has become so popular in the media[image: avatar92.jpg?1345482499] Response t... more »

The Freedom of No Information. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
The Freedom of No Information. « Fred Klonsky: The Freedom of No Information. by Fred Klonsky *Education Action Group’s Ben Velderman.* No. This is not simply an excuse to put Ben Velderman’s creepy mug on my blog again. Well. Maybe just a little. Seriously. My friend Matt Farmer, CPS parent, lawyer, singer and guitarist of great skill and an outrageously compelling orator, filed a Freedom of Information Act request with CPS about their decision to impose an International Baccalaureate program at Roberto Clemente High School. He filed the FOIA request June 27th. He describes his ef... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLES by Mike Klonsky Won't Back Down *In Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other cities, Democratic mayors have feuded bitterly with teachers’ unions and at times come to see them as enemies. And at a meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors in June, Democratic mayors joined Republican ones in aunanimous endorsement of so-called parent trigger legislation, about which unions have serious reservations.* -- Frank Bruni, NYT, "Teachers on the Defensive." KIPP Superiority? *"What’s bad is the pretense, and K... more »

Trading the Frying Pan for the Fire | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Trading the Frying Pan for the Fire | United Opt Out National: Trading the Frying Pan for the Fire by admin Please read the following letter to the editor for the Charlotte Observer by Kris Nielsen, a middle school teacher, activist and blogger living in North Carolina–a state that is drowning in testing mandates. In addition to making sure students grow to love learning, he is highly motivated to make sure that parents, teachers and the community are educated about the educational affairs that affect them and the rest of the country. Kris blogs at http://www.mgmfocus.com/ and can... more »

StudentsFirst.org | Won't Back Down Screening Contest

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
StudentsFirst.org | Won't Back Down Screening Contest: “Won’t Back Down" Rhymes with "Stand Your Ground" and is brought to you by those great folks at ALEC *An Exclusive Screening of "Won't Back Down"* StudentsFirst will be hosting a series of exclusive movie screenings for "Won't Back Down" all across the country -- before it hits theaters September 28th. Since there is limited seating available, we are hosting a contest to give away tickets to our members. To enter for your chance to win 2 free tickets, fill out the form below and select the screening closest to you. A represen... more »

Alexander Russo got a brand new Bag - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Morning Read: Restructured Into 5 Centers - LA School Report: Alexander Russo got a brand new Bag! Morning Read: Restructured Into 5 Centers LAUSD restructures district offices, Daily Breeze: As of this school year, LAUSD no longer consists of eight geographical district offices by number, but instead is composed of four “educational service centers” designated by direction — north, south, east and west — and a fifth at-large center that is based not on geography but school type. Los Angeles colleges resume $6-billion campus building projects, LA Times: Spending on most new const... more »

Gay students recount their torment - Second of two parts - Press-Telegram

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Gay students recount their torment - Second of two parts - Press-Telegram: Print Email Font Resize Gay students recount their torment - Second of two parts By Phillip Zonkel, Staff Writer Posted: 08/26/2012 06:39:34 PM PDT Updated: 08/27/2012 08:26:22 AM PDT *Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series examining the bullying of gay students in area schools and how school districts address the issue. | Read the first of two parts*Anthony Escobar says he's been bullied for three years at La Mirada High School. The 17-year-old senior has been shoved in the hallway, ... more »

Exclusive Interview with Sarah Moon, Editor of The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes to Their Younger Selves « Feminist Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Exclusive Interview with Sarah Moon, Editor of The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes to Their Younger Selves « Feminist Teacher: Exclusive Interview with Sarah Moon, Editor of The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes to Their Younger Selves by feministteacher The Letter Q is edited by Sarah Moon (image credit: Arthur A. Levine Books) One of my favorite lines in Sarah Moon’s *The Letter Q*, which features letters written by queer writers to their younger selves, is one by Eileen Myles: “‘Cause right now you are in the dancing years of your life and if you like dancing at all—and I know you do... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, August 27, 2012

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: The Santa Cruz Dream Inn Education Headlines *Monday, August 27, 2012* Carmel Unified, Monterey Peninsula USD in deal with parents seeking transferA potentially costly and drawn out boundary dispute between Carmel and Monterey Peninsula school districts has quietly gone away after Carmel administrators agreed to take on up to four students from the area in question. Gay students recount their torment - Second of two partsGay, lesbian and bisexual students interviewed by the Press-Telegram at nine of the 20 high schools in the si... more »

CNN Deleted All Comments on My Interview–Again! « Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
CNN Deleted All Comments on My Interview–Again! « Diane Ravitch's blog: CNN Deleted All Comments on My Interview–Again! by dianerav A reader informed me that CNN deleted all comments on Randi Kaye’s interview with me for the second time. Here is the link if you are inclined to try for a third time to leave a comment: http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/24/randi-kaye-speaks-to-former-assistant-secretary-of-education-diane-ravitch-on-the-state-of-our-schools/

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Stop Making (Non) Sense

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Stop Making (Non) Sense: Stop Making (Non) Sense by Melissa Westbrook The hot weather is gone so I can't imagine what it is affecting the brains of the editorial board at the Seattle Times. Their latest editorial about the State starting negotiations with the Washington Federation of Sate Employees soon. They give recent history: *Twice now they have done this. In September 2008, they agreed to pay raises in the two-year contract. In the midst of the worst financial crisis in 75 years, Gregoire approved them and within weeks the state's Office of... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: IN THE MAILBOX

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: IN THE MAILBOX: IN THE MAILBOX by Mike Klonsky *From Mark Larson* Friends, An extraordinary high school English teacher needs and deserves our help finding a position. Her name is Katie Hogan, a founding lead teacher at Social Justice High School. Perhaps you have seen some of the turmoil at SJHS, recently. Last week, the principal and department chairs were summarily dismissed with this form announcement: “Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that your position is no longer available as of August 24, 2012. Your position is being impacted for Econo... more »

Jersey Jazzman: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Obama?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Obama?: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Obama? by Duke *If the 2016 election is between the two on the left, teachers will be in big trouble.* It's no surprise to regular readers that Barack Obama has squandered any good will he had with those of us who are fighting back against corporate education reform. But with the election less than three months away, what are we going to do about it? We need to start with this: *there's just absolutely no way that Mitt Romney should be allowed access to the White House.* Paul Ryan's insane li... more »

Join something. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Join something. « Fred Klonsky: Join something. by Fred Klonsky When I imagined my retirement from teaching I thought of it as a distinct moment. One day I would be an active teacher. The next day I would be a retiree. Not quite. It is true that on June 8th I walked out of the door of my school for the last time as a teacher. But there are other moments. The day I got notice of my first Teacher Retirement System check being direct deposited into my bank account Hack journalism. by Fred Klonsky *Faux journalist Scott Reeder.* Sometimes I will get a phone call or an email from somebo... more »

Commentary: Mayor missed the meaning of "public" in public ed | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Commentary: Mayor missed the meaning of "public" in public ed | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Commentary: Mayor missed the meaning of "public" in public ed by Helen Gym [image: Helen Gym]It probably wouldn’t surprise you to hear a Pennsylvania politician questioning the very definition and premise of public education. It may surprise you that Philadelphia’s leading Democrat is on record saying public vs. private ought to be meaningless when it comes to education. At a press conference Thursday, Mayor Michael Nutter said parents deserve school choice and that public, private,... more »

Shanker Blog » Student Attrition Is A Core Feature Of School Choice, Not A Bug

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Shanker Blog » Student Attrition Is A Core Feature Of School Choice, Not A Bug: Student Attrition Is A Core Feature Of School Choice, Not A Bug by Matthew Di Carlo The issue of student attrition at KIPP and charter schools is never far beneath the surface of our education debates. KIPP’s critics claim that these schools exclude or “counsel out” students who aren’t doing well, thus inflating student test results. Supporters contend that KIPP schools are open admission with enrollment typically determined by lottery, and they usually cite a 2010 Mathematica report finding strong re... more »

Modern School: California, Barbary Coast for Juveniles

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Modern School: California, Barbary Coast for Juveniles: California, Barbary Coast for Juveniles by Michael Dunn Image from Flickr, by takomabibelot The U.S. is the only nation in the world that sentences juveniles to life in prison without the possibility of parole. California has 309 juveniles serving such life sentences, more than any other state. Many of these youths were found guilty of crimes committed with adults, yet the adults received lighter sentences. A new bill that would give juvenile lifers a second lease on life recently passed the California Assembly. Under the leg... more »

Blog: One Message Two Conventions, Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Plays Both Sides

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Blog: One Message Two Conventions, School Reformer Plays Both Sides: One Message Two Conventions, School Reformer Plays Both SidesM Catharine Evans With all the slings and arrows coming her way from the pro-union Save Our Schools brigade why is Michelle Rhee, CEO of StudentsFirst attending the Democratic Convention in Charlotte? And with her background as a Democrat and supporter of Obama's education reforms, how can she appear at the Republican convention as well? Ever since former DC Mayor Adrian Fenty hired Rhee to run the city's school system in 2007, the much-hyped education ... more »

Obama vs. Romney 101: Education - K-12 spending - CSMonitor.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Obama vs. Romney 101: Education - K-12 spending - CSMonitor.com: Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 differences on education President Obama has used back-to-school season to make the case that his education funding and policy initiatives are saving teachers’ jobs, turning around failing public schools, and helping cash-strapped college students. Mitt Romney counters that Mr. Obama has spent too much, and he advocates more school choice and private-sector involvement. Here is a look at how the two differ on the issue of education. - Stacy Teicher Khadaroo, Staff writer 0 and 0Share on stumbleup... more »

Morning UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-27-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Do We Really Want “the Best and the Brightest”? by dianerav A reader remembers that when David Halberstam used the phrase “the best and the brightest,” it was not praise. It was an ironic reference to the seemingly brilliant Harvard graduates at the State Department, the National Security Council, and the think tanks who got us into the war in Vietnam. *You often hear education reformers, including President Obama, talk about how we must have the “Best and Brightest” from the most elite schools enter the te... more »

News Flash: Is Team Vallas Imploding? Is Sandra Kase, his #2, Leaving? - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
News Flash: Is Team Vallas Imploding? Is Sandra Kase, his #2, Leaving? - Wait, What?: News Flash: Is Team Vallas Imploding? Is Sandra Kase, his #2, Leaving? by jonpelto Rumors of a shake-up and changes at the top are swirling, as Bridgeport’s illegal Board of Education prepares to meet tonight, for the last time. A democratically elected board of education will finally be chosen on September 4th Leading the list of rumors is the question whether Sandra Kase, Vallas’ number two, is leaving her position as Bridgeport’s Chief Administrative Officer. Kase, who bills at $900 a day or m... more »

Daily Kos: Bill Moyers: "Invisible Americans Get the Silent Treatment"

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Daily Kos: Bill Moyers: "Invisible Americans Get the Silent Treatment": Bill Moyers: "Invisible Americans Get the Silent Treatment" by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) It's just astonishing to us how long this campaign has gone on with no discussion of what's happening to poor people. Official Washington continues to see poverty with tunnel vision - "out of sight, out of mind." So begins this post by Bill Moyers, whose title is included in the title of this post.Too often poor people are forgotten in our politics. It is appropriate to read the words of Moyers on this topic on this day,... more »

No, algebra isn’t necessary — and yes, STEM is overrated - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
No, algebra isn’t necessary — and yes, STEM is overrated - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] No, algebra isn’t necessary — and yes, STEM is overrated By Valerie Strauss This *was written by Roger C. Schank, a cognitive scientist, artificial intelligence theorist, and education reformer. He has taught at Stanford and Yale universities and is the John Evans Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, Psychology, and Education at Northwestern University. The former head of the Institute for the Learning Sciences, he is the author of “Teaching Minds: How Cogn... more »

Radical Scholarship: The New Politics of the Textbook: Critical Analysis in the Core Content Areas

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Radical Scholarship: The New Politics of the Textbook: Critical Analysis in the Core Content Areas: The New Politics of the Textbook: Critical Analysis in the Core Content Areas by P. L. Thomas The New Politics of the Textbook: Critical Analysis in the Core Content Areas Sense Publishers Heather Hickman and Brad J. Porfilio (Eds.) In an era when corporate and political leaders are using their power to control every aspect of the schooling process in North America, there has been surprisingly little research on the impact of textbook content on students. The contributors of this... more »

NYC Educator: Our System at Work

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
NYC Educator: Our System at Work: Our System at Work by NYC Educator I really try to keep a good outlook. While I complain endlessly about all the nonsense that perpetually swirls around our profession, you will not see complaints here about the actual job of teaching, which I love. I find kids inspiring, endlessly surprising, a very bright spot in my life. Yet at the same time, I see colleagues receiving inadequate support on a regular and predictable basis. Long ago, I determined not to depend on admin for anything. I mean, if they want to help, fine. I'm grateful. In fact I've ... more »

The West Ed Chicago Hustle and other privatization schemes | Dailycensored.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The West Ed Chicago Hustle and other privatization schemes | Dailycensored.com: The West Ed Chicago Hustle and other privatization schemes by Danny Weil *West Ed is one of the leading front groups and think tanks for privatization of education. It is one of many faux groups that publish questionable data to be used to decimate public education by arguing it is a failure.* West Ed is funded the Bill and Melinda Gates crime family ( http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/gates.profiles.pdf) as well The Lumina Foundation, our good friends who are in the process of dismantling community c... more »

Who Could Be Romney's Education Secretary? - Politics K-12 - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Who Could Be Romney's Education Secretary? - Politics K-12 - Education Week: Who Could Be Romney's Education Secretary? by Alyson Klein With the Republican National Convention about to kick off, it's officially time to start speculating about who could be presumptive GOP Mitt Romney's education secretary if he wins the presidential election. After all, way back in 2008 (Aug. 8, to be exact), Politics K-12 guessed that then-Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan could be then-Democratic contender Barack Obama's pick on Aug. 8. So we're actually late to the dance this year. This time, t... more »

Zoning exemption for Rocketship charter riles local districts | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Zoning exemption for Rocketship charter riles local districts | EdSource Today: Zoning exemption for Rocketship charter riles local districts ** August 27th, 2012 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald Share on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailShare on google_plusone More Sharing Services [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] Superintendents and school board members were angry last year when the Santa Clara County Board of Education approved plans for 20 Rocketship Education elementary charter schools over the next six years, in addition to the five county-... more »

Shalom, Shalom, Because It Means Peace [A Thought for Ms. Waldman] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Shalom, Shalom, Because It Means Peace [A Thought for Ms. Waldman] | The Jose Vilson: Shalom, Shalom, Because It Means Peace [A Thought for Ms. Waldman] by Jose A former student asked via text, “Hey v, its me … I just wanted to confirm ms waldman?” She was the third student who had asked me about the recent passing. “Yes, it’s true.” Ms. Waldman and I shared the last class she ever taught before she had to go away for a while. We had an auspicious beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, me with the cart I called a portable classroom and her with the booming voice that shook our shar... more »

An Urban Teacher's Education: Renton School District Reconsiders Teach for America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
An Urban Teacher's Education: Renton School District Reconsiders Teach for America: Renton School District Reconsiders Teach for America by James Boutin Wednesday, August 22nd, Superintendent Mary Alice Heuschel and the Renton School Board heard comments from twelve members of the public regarding their consideration of a TFA candidate for a language arts/social studies teaching position at Dimmitt Middle School. As a former Renton High School teacher and Renton resident, I took the opportunity to speak first. My main point was that if we want to say teaching is a profession, the... more »

How One School District is Coping With the Convention - Politics K-12 - Education Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
How One School District is Coping With the Convention - Politics K-12 - Education Week: [image: Politics K-12] How One School District is Coping With the Convention by Nirvi Shah With the Gulf of Mexico's waters churning, myriad street closures in Tampa, Fla., because the Republican National Convention's in town, and nearly 200,000 students in the early days of the 2012-13 school year, what's a school district to do? Plan to close a school or two, put police officers on some school buses, relocate school district staff—and prepare for the worst. Already, convention events for Mo... more »

The in box. “I spent my summer traveling the US from east coast to west coast spreading the message.” « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
The in box. “I spent my summer traveling the US from east coast to west coast spreading the message.” « Fred Klonsky: The in box. “I spent my summer traveling the US from east coast to west coast spreading the message.” by Fred Klonsky You may remember that I did a post about Adam after the NEA RA last July. We worked together on getting the NEA to pass NBI 13, which called on the NEA to support the CTU in their negotiations with Chicago’s Mayor and his hand-picked school board. *Friends and Family across the United States-* * **As most of you know Chicago Teachers Union has been ... more »

Interim Ed Commish Brushes Aside Judge’s Invalidation of SB 736 Rules | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Interim Ed Commish Brushes Aside Judge’s Invalidation of SB 736 Rules | Scathing Purple Musings: Interim Ed Commish Brushes Aside Judge’s Invalidation of SB 736 Rules by Bob Sikes interim Florida education commissioner, Pam Stewart *No Big Deal* One had to assume that interim Florida education commissioner, Pam Stewart, had to pass a litmus test before getting the job. She had to be totally on board with the flawed Florida way that Rick Scott, Jeb Bush and republican legislators have been imposing. On Friday, Stewart earned her keep my poo-pooing an administrative judge’s smackdo... more »

Diane Ravitch Kippers for Dinner? Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] This Made My Day! by dianerav A reader commented: There have been many times in history when the evidence and discoveries by researchers and scientists (such as Galileo and Darwin) was suppressed by those in power. This is one of those times. The peer-reviewed unbiased research in biology, neuroscience, education, and social science corroborates a humanistic, child-centered, constructive approach to how we raise and educate our children. It’s amazing how the biological research into the workings of the b... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Baker vs. Hanushek

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Baker vs. Hanushek: Baker vs. Hanushek by Duke Bruce Baker@SchlFinance101 Professor at Rutgers University specializing in school finance, education policy & quantitative analysis. northeast US · http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/about/ The two titans of school fiance battle it out in a Reno newspaper: Many claims that money doesn’t matter stem from a 1986 paper by Eric Hanushek, who examined numerous studies and concluded: “There appears to be no strong or systematic relationship between school expenditures and student performance.” Hanushek, an economic analys... more »

Take note LAUSD: "Starving the Future" by CHARLES M. BLOW (NYT) - Perdaily.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Take note LAUSD: "Starving the Future" by CHARLES M. BLOW (NYT) - Perdaily.com: Take note LAUSD: "Starving the Future" by CHARLES M. BLOW (NYT) by Leonard Isenberg [image: Charles M. Blow.jpg] *(**Mensaje se repite en Español) (For a national view of public education reform see the end of this blog post)* * * *Starving the Future by CHARLES M. BLOW (NYT)* (*In my war against what has become the mundane day to day fraud of public education at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) along with purposefully corrupted school districts like it around the country, take a moment ... more »

Teachers Don't Suck !: Not Bad for a Public School Graduate!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Teachers Don't Suck !: Not Bad for a Public School Graduate!: Not Bad for a Public School Graduate! by Walt S. More stuff by Walt at: www.wsautter.com

Bloomington: Solidarity with Chicago teachers. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Bloomington: Solidarity with Chicago teachers. « Fred Klonsky: Bloomington: Solidarity with Chicago teachers. by Fred Klonsky - Public schools and teachers are under attack across the nation.Come hear how Chicago teachers, now preparing for a historic strike, are organizing and building power with parents and communities to defend their schools and improve public education in Chicago. A member of the Chicago Teachers Union will speak about the CTUs ongoing battle with the unelected The in box. “Run. Pat. Run.” by Fred Klonsky *Fred,* *I was wondering! You ca... more »

Bill Nye: Please don’t teach your kids creationism, because it is crazy | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Bill Nye: Please don’t teach your kids creationism, because it is crazy | The Raw Story: Bill Nye: Please don’t teach your kids creationism, because it is crazy by Jonathan Terbush [image: Bill Nye] Topics: bill nye ♦ creationism ♦ President Obama Bill Nye, host of the popular nineties children’s show Bill Nye the Science Guy, is warning parents to not teach their children creationism because, he says, it does them a disservice by undermining their scientific understanding and development. In a short video for Big Think, Nye says that despite being the seat of some of the world’... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Escalating the Rhetoric so That ALL Educators are Suspect

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Escalating the Rhetoric so That ALL Educators are Suspect: Escalating the Rhetoric so That ALL Educators are Suspect by Melissa Westbrook Over at the Washington Policy Center, Liv Finne's latest "analysis" is about the Success Academies in NYC, a small charter chain that has big plans to expand throughout NYC. They do have higher than average test scores but, like other charters, don't serve as many Special Ed students. And, their operator, Eva Moskowitz, rakes in a big salary and parent voices are not high on her list of priorities. This analy... more »












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