Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Schools Matter: The Common Core: Bad for Libraries, Librarians, and Students

Schools Matter: The Common Core: Bad for Libraries, Librarians, and Students:


The Common Core: Bad for Libraries, Librarians, and Students

The President of the American Library Association is enthusiastic about the common core for school libraries and school librarians. I am not. I posted this comment on: Education Week: Common Core Thrusts Librarians Into Leadership Role http://bit.ly/SpMDC4

In contrast to the view presented in “Common Core Thrusts School Librarians Into Leadership Roles” (Education Week, Sept 12, 2012), I argue here that there are no clear benefits from the common core standards for libraries and librarians, that the standards themselves are unnecessary and that the standards movement will bleed 

Last Stand for Children First: CTU Strike is Over (If you Want It)

Last Stand for Children First: CTU Strike is Over (If you Want It):


CTU Strike is Over (If you Want It)

The Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have agreed to a framework for ending the week-long teacher strike in Chicago.  While this is not a done deal, it seems like the strike is over if the CTU wants it to be.  At this time, I have not seen the final contract details nor have I seen casualty figures or the total cost of the property damage inflicted on this city by the rampaging crimson hordes of striking teachers. Still, as reformer we can't deny that our noses have been bloodied.  We have a long list of things that must be done as we go forward:

There are over 140 schools in Chicago that do not have libraries, but there are many more that do.  We must do 

Schools Matter: Responding to NPR's What's At Stake for US Teachers

Schools Matter: Responding to NPR's What's At Stake for US Teachers:


Responding to NPR's What's At Stake for US Teachers

Responding to NPR
What's At Stake For U.S. Teachers
by Alan Greenblatt

http://www.npr.org/2012/09/13/161072479/whats-at-stake-for-u-s-teachers?ft=1

NPR’s article contained numerous errors. Here are two of them.
1. “Practically everyone in education agrees that the old system of monitoring teacher quality … is useless.”
I know of no study that shows this. The evidence indicates that American teachers are doing an excellent job, which suggests that there is no crisis in teacher evaluation: Our middle-class students score at or near the top of the world on standardized tests. Our overall unspectacular scores are due to our very high rate of poverty, 

CTU prez speaks at today's massive rally DAY #6 9-15-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2 Labor Beat



The first week of the historic September 2012 Chicago teachers strike. Interviews and scenes from the picket lines at Amundsen HS, Kenwood Academy, Steinmetz HS, Lawndale Elementary Community Academy, Reilly Elementary, Burley Elementary, Marsh Elementary, Marshall HS, Lane Tech HS, Kelly HS, Monroe Elementary -- all of which are only a small fraction of all the schools on strike in the City.

Also scenes from the massive 30,000-strong teacher rally and march in the Loop on Monday, followed by another massive march on Tuesday. After this rally, a crush of TV cameras and reporters, desperate to get more interview footage, tag along with CTU President Karen Lewis as she leaves the event -- a scene which dramatizes the tremendous importance of this story for the City as well as for National media.

On Wednesday, huge CTU protests and picket lines targeted schools called by the union "scab schools" where parents were encouraged by the Mayor to send their children. Striking teacher Steve Pearson said that Lane Tech "typically can hold 4,000-5,000 students. On Monday [the first day of the strike] we were told to expect 4,200 kids to come here. We had 20. And yesterday it was down to about 10. And today [Wednesday] I'm not sure there are any kids here."

On Saturday, September 15, the time of the completion of this video, the CTU announced that it had reached a "framework for an agreement" but that the strike has not been suspended as of yet. The union negotiating team pointed out that if specific language would be ready for the House of Delegates meeting to consider on Sunday, they would be able to vote on it then.

A unique and essential document on the most important week for the fate of Chicago's and the country's public school system. Length - 26:45

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Big Ed Ape Nite Cap SPECIAL STRIKE EDITION DAY #6 9-15-12 #faircontractnow #CTUSTRIKE #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



Dissent Magazine - Arguing The World - Who Is Victimizing Chicago’s Kids? -

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Dissent Magazine - Arguing The World - Who Is Victimizing Chicago’s Kids? -: [image: Arguing the World] Who Is Victimizing Chicago’s Kids? Joanne Barkan - September 14, 2012 11:38 pm Yes, schoolchildren in Chicago are victims, but not of their teachers. They are victims of a nationwide education “reform” movement geared to undermine teachers’ unions and shift public resources into private hands; they are victims of wave after wave of ill-conceived and failing policy “innovations”; they are victims of George Bush’s No Child Left Behind law, which turned inner-city public schools in... more »

One Teacher's Perspective: Paul Ryan Disappoints Young People on Gay Rights

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
One Teacher's Perspective: Paul Ryan Disappoints Young People on Gay Rights: Paul Ryan Disappoints Young People on Gay Rights by Imagine Wisconsin *Guest blogging this week is my nephew, Thomas Strieker, who shares a memorable 2005 meeting with Paul Ryan. Thousands have viewed my take on Paul Ryan. Readers seem interested in perspectives from Ryan's hometown of Janesville. Thomas was raised in Janesville and graduated from Parker High School.* Janesville feels so far off the map that when someone gets any national attention my heart beats faster. So I was excited when Mitt Romn... more »

Thousands Gather in Support of Chicago Teachers - NYTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Thousands Gather in Support of Chicago Teachers - NYTimes.com: Thousands Gather in Support of Chicago TeachersBy STEVEN YACCINO CHICAGO — Thousands of people gathered here on Saturday for a rally in support of public school educators who have been locked in a contentious contract battle. It was the largest show of union force since teachers in this, the nation’s third largest school district, went on strike nearly a week ago. The crowd, which included some teachers and union supporters from Wisconsin and Minnesota, shook homemade protest signs in the air and wore the signature r... more »

School Tech Connect: It's A Social Movement Now

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
School Tech Connect: It's A Social Movement Now: It's A Social Movement Now by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Rally. Huge. Signs. People. Speeches. Music. The event unfolding in Union Park today is a phenomenon. I kinda sorta feel that the kettle's on the boil now, that people understand that there's been an assault on the school system, that the assault has been bought and paid for by people with an agenda, and that our mayor is one of those people. I feel that if Karen Lewis were to run for mayor, and the election were held today, she would beat Rahm in a landslide, even with... more »

What has the NEA done to support the CTU? NEA Media answers my question. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
What has the NEA done to support the CTU? NEA Media answers my question. « Fred Klonsky: What has the NEA done to support the CTU? NEA Media answers my question. by Fred Klonsky A visit yesterday to the NEA website concerned me. There was not one word about the historic strike of Chicago teachers. I checked their press section and could only find a press release of a support statement from NEA Presisident Dennis Van Roekel on September 10th, the first day of the strike and a week ago. I sent an email to NEA Media asking about this. Here is their reply in full: *Hi Fred and Mike,* ... more »

Teachers may win more than better contract Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Teachers may win more than better contract: Teachers may win more than better contract by admin The Sun-Times quotes me suggesting that the possibly-winding-up strike will have at least one positive outcome beyond whatever contractual benefits are won – higher morale for teachers who have been under relentless attack from Hollywood, Bill Gates, Rahm, astroturfers, Republican candidates, etc: “I think the children are going to benefit from teachers who are newly invigorated and excited about the work that they do. It’s not ju... more »

Former CT Education Deputy and Stamford Superintendent put on leave in Warwick, RI. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Former CT Education Deputy and Stamford Superintendent put on leave in Warwick, RI. - Wait, What?: Former CT Education Deputy and Stamford Superintendent put on leave in Warwick, RI. by jonpelto Thanks to a Wait, What? reader from Rhode Island, I’ve learned that according to press reports, Peter Horoschak, Superintendent of Schools in Warwick, RI, that state’s second largest school district, was put on administrative leave today. According to the Warwick School Committee’s Vice Chairman, the action was due to a personnel matter. Superintendent Horoschak reported that he is unaw... more »

THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Everyone: Watch and Understand that Chicago's Education Problems are America's Education Problems, h/t Jim Horn.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
THE PERIMETER PRIMATE: Everyone: Watch and Understand that Chicago's Education Problems are America's Education Problems, h/t Jim Horn.: Everyone: Watch and Understand that Chicago's Education Problems are America's Education Problems, h/t Jim Horn. by The Perimeter Primate Videos like this could, and should, be produced on behalf of students in every public school district bombarded with the misguided corporate-style education reform. HT Jim Horn at Schools Matter Popout *Please send the video link or embed it and post everywhere you can, in every county, state, and country. *

Karen Lewis: Why We’re Striking in Chicago | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Karen Lewis: Why We’re Striking in Chicago | Seattle Education: Karen Lewis: Why We’re Striking in Chicago by seattleducation2011 This statement was issued on Monday, September 10, 2012 and a reminder of what this strike is all about: Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teachers Union Negotiations have been intense but productive, however we have failed to reach an agreement that will prevent a labor strike. This is a difficult decision and one we hoped we could avoid. Throughout these negotiations have I remained hopeful but determined. We must do things differently in this cit... more »

Schools Matter: NCTQ Is An Advocacy Group for Corporate Education Reform--Someone Tell the NYTimes

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Schools Matter: NCTQ Is An Advocacy Group for Corporate Education Reform--Someone Tell the NYTimes: NCTQ Is An Advocacy Group for Corporate Education Reform--Someone Tell the NYTimes by Jim Horn For years I've continued to watch the *New York Times* pretend they believe that the morally-compromised Kate Walsh and National Council on Teacher Quality represent a "nonprofit, nonpartisan research group," when, in fact, they would know if have visited the NCTQ website that even NCTQ admits that The *National Council on Teacher Quality* advocates for reforms in a broad range of teacher... more »

CUNY Administration Declares War On Rebel Faculty « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
CUNY Administration Declares War On Rebel Faculty « Student Activism: CUNY Administration Declares War On Rebel Faculty by Angus Johnston This is an astounding story. On Wednesday the English department at Queensborough Community College voted not to adopt a policy of the City University of New York to reduce composition course credits from four to three. In so doing, they rejected the CUNY Pathways initiative, a proposal for streamlining and centralizing CUNY curricula which many facultyregard as antithetical to students’ needs. Administrators didn’t like this. And in fact they dis... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Open Thread

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Charter Open Thread: Charter Open Thread by Melissa Westbrook [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] So one reader, Rachel, had posted a link to an interesting article out of Philadelphia (from the parent blog, The Notebook) about a very exclusive charter where you can only pick up their application form one time a year and that's usually at their open house, held either at a private golf club or country club. *Interested families couldn't find Green Woods’ application online. They couldn't request a copy in the mail. In fact, they couldn't even... more »

Chicago teachers stage rally amid hopes of strike’s end | The Raw Story

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Chicago teachers stage rally amid hopes of strike’s end | The Raw Story: Chicago teachers stage rally amid hopes of strike’s end By David Ferguson Saturday, September 15, 2012 12:12 EDT [image: Chicago teachers strike via screencap] Topics: chicago public schools ♦ Chicago Teachers Union ♦ Mayor Rahm Emanuel The Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) will hold a rally on Saturday as a show of solidarity amid hopes that a tentative deal reached on Friday with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will hold. According to *Reuters*, the “Standing Strong With Chicago Teachers Rally” is intended to keep... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Chicago Teachers Making Reformies Nervous

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Chicago Teachers Making Reformies Nervous: Chicago Teachers Making Reformies Nervous by Duke Reformy eyes from all over the country are looking at the Chicago teachers strike; do they like what they see? Newark teachers, in the thick of their own contract negotiations, are closely watching the developments in the Chicago teachers strike. Several issues under negotiation in Newark — where teachers have been without a contract since 2010 — are the same as the sticking points in Chicago, including new teacher evaluations and pay based on experience and degrees, sai... more »

Is Educational Choice a Good Thing?  Yes, If…. | IDEA

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Is Educational Choice a Good Thing? Yes, If…. | IDEA: Is Educational Choice a Good Thing? Yes, If…. by Kristan Morrison in *democracy.edu* I am caught in a weird place. I am a public university professor in a teacher education program who prepares people to be state-licensed teachers in our public schools. Thus, some critics would argue that I am a tool of the public school/government monopoly over education. But I am also an advocate of many other types of schools -free schools , homeschooling (especially of the unschooling variety), Montesorri schools, Waldorf schools, Quaker s... more »

Testing teacher through “VAM: « Deborah Meier on Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Testing teacher through “VAM: « Deborah Meier on Education: Testing teacher through “VAM: by debmeier It’s like a doctor offering me a pill that he knows doesn’t work because he hasn’t found one as cheap and easy to take that works. But at least we can say “no” to our doctors. But can we say “no” to putting teachers lives on the line for a “pill” that doesn’t work? Alas, increasingly the answer is “we can’t”, and the poison pill spreads. Hurrah for Chicago’s teachers for saying no–but even they probably can’t stop it. Is a compromise better than nothing? Probably yes. Scary ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Who Cares What Whitney Tilson Thinks?!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Who Cares What Whitney Tilson Thinks?!: Who Cares What Whitney Tilson Thinks?! by Duke What bizarre sort of logic does CNN use to select their guests? Whitney Tilson is not an educator. He has no degrees, experience, or training in education. He has no labor relations background. He is completely unqualified to discuss the topic in any meaningful way. Why, then, would CNN think he was a good guest for a segment about the Chicago teacher strike? Both he and Christine Romans are an embarrassment here. For example: - Romans's xenophobic worry about China's and India's... more »

What research really says on teacher evaluation - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
What research really says on teacher evaluation - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post: What research really says on teacher evaluation By Valerie Strauss The Chicago teachers strike has put the issue of teacher evaluation front and center in the education debate. The popular “value added” method of using student standardized test scores to figure out how effective a teacher is highly controversial; I wrote about it here. Here is a new important look by an education expert, Richard Rothstein. Rothstein is a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit organi... more »

What My Students Wrote in a Free Write About the Strike | K-12 News Network

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
What My Students Wrote in a Free Write About the Strike | K-12 News Network: What My Students Wrote in a Free Write About the Strike by David The Friday before the strike was anticipated to possibly start here in Chicago. I asked my students the simple question at the end of a quiz, “Should your teachers go on strike?” Here is a sampling of their responses. This was a free write so I just typed what they had written. “I Support my teachers cause they need more pay so they can help us get ready for the future” — Hakeem “I honestly think you should go on strike. I don’t think it’s fa... more »

An Urban Teacher's Education: The Good Teachers Unions Can Do

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
An Urban Teacher's Education: The Good Teachers Unions Can Do: The Good Teachers Unions Can Do by James Boutin The way people talk about teachers unions these days, you’d be forgiven for thinking they serve no useful purpose. It seems all we hear about is how teachers unions do a disservice to students and public education by keeping bad teachers in front of students. It is disturbing, therefore, how few people actually understand what unions do and how they help students, schools, communities and teachers. As a teacher, neither entirely supportive nor entirely cynical of unions, ... more »

Jeb Bush Facing the Reality of Opposition Within His Own Party | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Jeb Bush Facing the Reality of Opposition Within His Own Party | Scathing Purple Musings: Jeb Bush Facing the Reality of Opposition Within His Own Party by Bob Sikes Bush has apparently noticed that having surrogates write op-eds on his behalf isn’t working and has finally taken up the pen himself. Writing predictably with cherry-picked data to justify his choice/accountability mantras, Bush targets and dismisses those who have been dealing with the disasters his policies have created in Florida schools. Writes Bush in* Sunshine State News*: When we started on this course in 1999... more »

The effect of education reform and Rahm Emanuel’s policies on Chicago Public Schools | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
The effect of education reform and Rahm Emanuel’s policies on Chicago Public Schools | Seattle Education: The effect of education reform and Rahm Emanuel’s policies on Chicago Public Schools by seattleducation2011 This article is a must read. To follow is an excerpt from: *Education Apartheid: The Racism Behind Chicago’s School “Reform”* Dyett High School students are not allowed to enter the front door of their school. Instead, the more than 170 students at the Southside high school enter through the back. From there, they must spend their day pushing through other students in the ... more »

Seeing Red: United Teachers vs. Bipartisan Opposition | Dissident Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Seeing Red: United Teachers vs. Bipartisan Opposition | Dissident Voice: Seeing Red: United Teachers vs. Bipartisan Opposition by Zakk Flash It has been four years since the financial collapse of 2008 set off the greatest world economic crisis since the 1930s. “Reform” measures put into place to stop the hemorrhaging have succeeded only in exacerbating socio-economic inequalities around the country, with the poor, once again, bearing the highest costs. Nowhere is this more apparent than the right-wing attacks on public workers, unions, and pensions. It comes as no surprise to t... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-15-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Why She Quit Teaching by dianerav I hate to see anyone give up when they love their work. When you read this essay, however, you will undertand why the pressure got to be too much for this teacher. Do you think we could persuade Bill Gates and Eli Broad and Arne Duncan to read it too? Maybe they could help figure out how to keep people like this teacher in the schools. We need her. We don’t need people taking potshots and making her job harder. What Is the Point of Democracy in Education? by dianerav This post is very provocative. It may or may not have releva... more »

Myths vs. Facts in the Chicago Teachers Union Strike | The Dissenter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Myths vs. Facts in the Chicago Teachers Union Strike | The Dissenter: Myths vs. Facts in the Chicago Teachers Union Strike by Kevin Gosztola Politicians, journalists, liberal pundits and so-called education reform advocates are employing spin and misinformation to condemn and criticize the Chicago Teachers Union strike. It’s important to note that Chicago is being used as the latest laboratory for anti-union privatization measures that some big business Democrats and Republicans hope to implement across the country. Firedoglake has assembled a Myth vs. Fact sheet to help you bett... more »

School Tech Connect: Catching Up On The Mail

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
School Tech Connect: Catching Up On The Mail: Catching Up On The Mail It's Friday night. Laundry and correspondence. That's how we roll here in the big city. Got this idea over at Fred's, I think. See you all at Solidarity Saturday tomorrow. A Spot-On Lament noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) at School Tech Connect - 6 minutes ago This is so brilliant, so dead-on accurate. Thanks to @breezydayz for pointing it out. Of all the Next Big Things I've endured over the centuries, the one that has surprised me with its longevity is the whole writing your objective on the board thing. I'm n... more »

Saturday coffee 9-15-12 « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky: Saturday coffee. by Fred Klonsky This has been a tough week. Oh, sure. It’s been hard on teachers, students and parents. But what about me? I seemed to have made of lot of people mad. Walking back up Michigan Avenue from the rally on Thursday, some guy yelled something at another teacher and me. We couldn’t quite make out what he said, except for the words, *“private schools.”* We looked at each other and tried to figure out the sentence that would have had *“private schools”* in it. Maybe it was Rahm yelling, *“I’m going to make them all private s... more »

End to Chicago teachers strike is not assured - SFGate

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
End to Chicago teachers strike is not assured - SFGate: End to Chicago teachers strike is not assuredDON BABWIN, Associated Press, TAMMY WEBBER, Associated PressUpdated 5:37 a.m., Saturday, September 15, 2012 1 of 5 VIEW: LARGER | HIDE - [image: Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago teachers union listens to a question after meeting of the union's House of Delegates Friday, Sept. 14, 2012, in Chicago. Lewis told the delegates that a "framework" was in place to end the teachers strike. Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast / AP] Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago teachers un... more »

This Week's Radical Scholarship 9-15-12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Radical Scholarship: PAUL THOMAS Schools Matter: Education "Reformers" Have Evidence Problem P. L. Thomas at Radical Scholarship - 1 day ago Schools Matter: Education "Reformers" Have Evidence Problem The Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice P. L. Thomas at Radical Scholarship - 1 day ago The Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice Daily Kos: Teachers and the Death of the American Worker | National Education Policy Center P. L. Thomas at Radical Scholarship - 2 days ago Daily Kos: Teachers and the Death of the American Worker | National Education Policy...more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-15-12

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: *4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit* MORE THAN YOU WANT TO KNOW @140 CHARACTERS OR LESS smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 1 hour ago snarky commentary by smf for 4LAKidsNews 15 Sept 2012 :: In what can generously be called a puff-piece interview in The Huffington Post – Stephanie Abrams, LAUSD Social Media Director, Highlights Back-To-School Success | http://huff.to/TWrrcA – posted Friday - the date of the 3rd or 5th (depending on whether you take your news from Fox or the Daily News …and a KPCC story sa... more »

Top Content this Week - 9-15-12 The Educator's PLN

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Top Content this Week - The Educator's PLN: 1[image: Creating a PLN: Part I (Edmodo)]Creating a PLN: Part I (Edmodo) Added by Torrey Trust on December 4, 2011 2[image: Student overload with technology]Student overload with technology Posted by Dynnelle Fields on July 30, 2012 3[image: Admin Chad Ryerson views Tech]Admin Chad Ryerson views Tech Added by Thomas Whitby on September 10, 2012 4[image: I think I'm breaking up with moodle...]I think I'm breaking up with moodle... Posted by Melissa Poole on December 8, 2010 5[image: PIXORIAL: A VIDEO STORYTELLING PLATFORM]PIXORIAL: A VIDEO ST... more »

This Week's Answer Sheet 9-15-1212 - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
The Answer Sheet - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post: [image: Answer Sheet] Why people look down on teachers Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 22 hours ago The Chicago teachers strike has raised a lot of passions about teachers and their unions, the issue taken up here by Corey Robin, an associate professor of political science at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon] The ‘human touch’ in computer-based lea... more »

This Week's Education Research Report 9-15-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Education Research Report: *THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT* New York State school districts: inaccurate, incomplete and biased sex-ed instruction Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 19 hours ago Many public school districts across New York State provide sex-ed instruction that is inaccurate, incomplete and biased, according to a report released by the New York Civil Liberties Union that analyzes sex-ed materials that have been used in 82 public school districts. The report, Birds, Bees and Bias: How Absent Sex Ed Standards Fail New York’s Students, examines se... more »

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… 9-15-12 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours 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.] “Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents” Larry Ferlazzo at Engaging Parents In School... - 3 days ago Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents is an article from The Detroit Free Press. Here’s an excerpt: As Chicago teachers walked the picket lines for a second day, they were joined by many of the very people who are most inconvenienced by their walkout: the parents w... more »

Diary of a Social Art-tivist Mommy: A DCPS mom's wishful thinking list of prescription for how DCPS could be top education district in the world in 10 years....

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diary of a Social Art-tivist Mommy: A DCPS mom's wishful thinking list of prescription for how DCPS could be top education district in the world in 10 years....: A DCPS mom's wishful thinking list of prescription for how DCPS could be top education district in the world in 10 years.... by ART-tivist Mommy " In Washington, D.C., which has seen the same pattern,effective teachers now are leaving to teach in districts in which they feel more appreciated, to the detriment of the city's students." -Elaine Weiss, Huff... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: Career Readiness Description A Stumbling Block in Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: Career Readiness Description A Stumbling Block in Common Core: Career Readiness Description A Stumbling Block in Common Core by Anngie We reported on the SBAC meeting here in St. Louis where one of the things the State Education Chiefs did was quietly endorse the Career Readiness Partner Council goals. The next day, the other consortia PARCC, also discussed the CRPC performance level descriptions. They were less cohesive in their viewpoints. *Edweek**, *with guest blogger Liana Heitin, reported on their meeting. * * * * *At what an attendee described a... more »

Last Stand for Children First: Teacher Calls Out CTU

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Last Stand for Children First: Teacher Calls Out CTU: Teacher Calls Out CTU by Last Stand for Children My name is Alyssa Crown and I am a Teaching America fellow. When I entered teaching, I made a very serious commitment to put my career in the financial services industry on hold for two years while I changed a generation by teaching. Teaching America training was an intense five week boot camp, but I suffered it gladly knowing that my own classroom was my prize at the end. In the four days, I have been teaching I have had some low points like when my lap top was stolen or when ... more »

The Birmingham Church Bombing: What We Remember, What We Forget « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The Birmingham Church Bombing: What We Remember, What We Forget « Student Activism: The Birmingham Church Bombing: What We Remember, What We Forget by Angus Johnston Today is the 49th anniversary of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, in which four black girls were killed by white supremacists who planted dynamite at the steps of their church. The bombing is one of the best known incidents in the history of the American civil rights movement. There are a few things about it, however, that most folks don’t know, but should. First, the girls who were killed that day weren’t small ch... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: "When there's a contract, then call us maybe..."

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: "When there's a contract, then call us maybe...": "When there's a contract, then call us maybe..." by Mike Klonsky Popout Education Apartheid by Mike Klonsky Occupied Chicago Tribune *Dyett High School students are not allowed to enter the front door of their school. Instead, the more than 170 students at the Southside high school enter through the back. From there, they must spend their day pushing through other students in the one open hallway, after half of the building was placed off limits*. -- Education Apartheid: The Racism Behind Chicago’s S... more »

Teachers For Social Justice: Mass Rally to Support CTU - Sat, Sept 15th

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Teachers For Social Justice: Mass Rally to Support CTU - Sat, Sept 15th: Mass Rally to Support CTU - Sat, Sept 15th SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 LEAVE A COMMENT There will be tens of thousands of people in Union Park tomorrow. TSJ will meet at the left of the speakers platform (when facing it). Look for both TSJ banners on sticks (see photo below) and join us there. Meet at 11:00 AM, things will be crowded! Organize for this. Reach out personally, and call/text friends and family (etc), to be there too. We need massive numbers to demonstrate our support for the teachers and to show our coll... more »

Map: How Much Do Your Local Teachers Earn? | Mother Jones

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Map: How Much Do Your Local Teachers Earn? | Mother Jones: Map: How Much Do Your Local Teachers Earn? Are they scraping by or making bank? Some data behind the education debate. —By Dave Gilson, Tasneem Raja, and Jaeah Lee | Fri Sep. 14, 2012 3:00 AM PDT 230 - - The Chicago teacher strike has resurrected the question at the center of much edupontificating: Are American teachers underpaid or overpaid? For some perspective, we've compiled data on the average wages of elementary-school, middle-school, and high school teachers in more than 300 metropolitan areas. As you'll see, ...more »

The Company You Keep School Tech Connect

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
School Tech Connect: The Company You Keep by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman) Just going to pile onto the much-made observation that the CTU strike has awakened something across the land. People understand what this is about; they really do. Before this action, you'd see some bullshit in the press, like this piece written by some choady fellow from Arkansas, and there'd be very little commentary after it. But now you see all kinds of people jumping in to say something nice about teachers and about how much they support the CTU. So I thank Rahm Emanuel for picking a fight with ... more »

Chicago Teacher Union fighting for Dignity in Public Education | The Classroom Sooth

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Chicago Teacher Union fighting for Dignity in Public Education | The Classroom Sooth: Chicago Teacher Union fighting for Dignity in Public Education by classroomsooth *This should have been posted three weeks ago when I wrote it, and my readers are due for an update, and I promise to write more soon. However, my priorities lie with my members on the picket line until we see this through.* *Adam * Friends and Family across the United States- As most of you know Chicago Teachers Union has been in a fight to win a contract that requests not only fair compensation, but also great ... more »

The Nation's Report Card - National Assessment of Educational Progress - NAEP

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Nation's Report Card - National Assessment of Educational Progress - NAEP: *The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)*is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Learn more... [image: The Nation's Report Card: Writing 2011 has been released. See the results and learn more about the study.] In the Spotlight *Get NAEP Results!* Now available for download on mobile devices through Apple App Store and Google Play, the NAEP Results app delivers current results, comparative statis... more »

Chicago Teachers Strike: Wealthy Donors Changed Education Policy Landscape In Illinois

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Chicago Teachers Strike: Wealthy Donors Changed Education Policy Landscape In Illinois: Chicago Teachers Strike: Wealthy Donors Changed Education Policy Landscape In Illinois by Joy Resmovits WASHINGTON -- As the Chicago teachers strike edges toward its close, both sides of the education reform debate are trumpeting arguments for or against the strike and the policies put forward by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Beneath the rhetoric lies a stream of fundraising aimed at influencing lawmakers and the public on education policy that has, in recent years, shifted away from the teache... more »





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