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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 2-27-13 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS



Parents Across America Webinar: The Journey for Justice in Education with Karran Harper-Royal | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 minutes ago
Parents Across America Webinar: The Journey for Justice in Education with Karran Harper-Royal | Parents Across America: Parents Across America Webinar: The Journey for Justice in Education with Karran Harper-Royal by DoraTaylor [image: journey] *Parents Across America Webinar* *The Journey for Justice* *With New Orleans Parent and Education Advocate Karran Harper-Royal* *March 3, 2013* *1:00 PM PST* Free tickets available through Eventbrite. With moderator Dora Taylor. Journey for Justice is an emerging alliance currently comprised of grassroots community-based organizations from 18 ... more »

Common Core Unpreparedness: Teachers Say They Are Not Ready | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 minutes ago
Common Core Unpreparedness: Teachers Say They Are Not Ready | Truth in American Education: Common Core Unpreparedness: Teachers Say They Are Not Ready by Shane Vander Hart *Education Week* conducted a survey of teachers and nearly half of all teachers say they are unprepared to teach the Common Core, especially to disadvantaged students: The study by the EPE Research Center, an arm of Editorial Projects in Education, the publisher of*Education Week*, found deep wells of concern among teachers about their readiness to meet the challenges posed by the common core in English/langua... more »

College Board to revamp SAT, from @washingtonpost – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 minutes ago
College Board to revamp SAT, from @washingtonpost – @ the chalk face: College Board to revamp SAT, from @washingtonpost by Chalk Face, PhD [image: @TCF on Blog Talk Radio] As the title says. But this, to justify: As soon as Coleman became president of the College Board in October, he said the SAT could be improved. Before joining the board, he helped write the Common Core standards in English for kindergarten through grade 12 that have been adopted by 46 states and the District. The new standards will be rolled out by 2014. You have someone at both ends of K-12. Is that not a con... more »

A Moratorium on School Closings Makes Sense « City School Stories

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 minutes ago
A Moratorium on School Closings Makes Sense « City School Stories: A Moratorium on School Closings Makes Sense by fmurphy *A School’s Value Cannot Be So Easily Calculated* Originally posted on the Notebook Blog by Frank Murphy on Feb 26 2013 Posted in Commentary Superintendent William Hite has changed a flawed school-closings plan, and the revision was an encouraging sign. Hearing the concerns and suggestions of individual school communities was exactly what Dr. Hite needed to do in order to demonstrate that he is pursuing a school reform agenda responsive to the best interests and... more »

John Kuhn: Our Schools are Touchstones, and We Will Stand and Fight to Save Them - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 46 minutes ago
John Kuhn: Our Schools are Touchstones, and We Will Stand and Fight to Save Them - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Kuhn: Our Schools are Touchstones, and We Will Stand and Fight to Save Them from Living in Dialogue by Anthony Cody Two years ago we met superintendent John Kuhn, as a result of his booming speech at the Save Our Schools rally in the great state of Texas. Last Saturday, once again there were 10,000 people marching on behalf of public schools, brought together by Save Texas Schools. Once again, John Kuhn delivered. Please watch the video to hear his wo... more »

Schools Matter: Shelby County Schools Slashing, But Charter Plans Remain Untouched and Invisible

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Schools Matter: Shelby County Schools Slashing, But Charter Plans Remain Untouched and Invisible: Shelby County Schools Slashing, But Charter Plans Remain Untouched and Invisible by Jim Horn [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] The Gates Plan for Memphis schools is proving to be more expensive than Bill fans ever dreamed, and apparently the superintendents of city and county plan to push forward without public knowledge or discussion among themselves, preferring instead to present a phony-baloney budget to the County Commission that they know will not surviv... more »

Modern School: Lies and Damned Lies: U.S. Test Scores Actually Near the Top

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Modern School: Lies and Damned Lies: U.S. Test Scores Actually Near the Top: Lies and Damned Lies: U.S. Test Scores Actually Near the Top by Michael Dunn For years, free market education reformers have claimed that the U.S. public education system is broken—some have even called it a threat to our national security (Reagan’s *Nation at Risk*report, 1983). They have used this “crisis” to justify everything from No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top to attacks on teachers’ seniority, tenure and due process rights. It has led to a decade of accountability and testing mania that ha... more »

Urgent. Call NOW + More on Monday’s meet up with Biss and Nekritz. More on Bizarro World. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
More on Monday’s meet up with Biss and Nekritz. More on Bizarro World. | Fred Klonsky: The in box. Urgent. Call NOW. Madigan is calling the pension cutting bills this week. Urgent. Call NOW. by Fred Klonsky From the IEA: *On Tuesday, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan announced there will be a “weekly order of business” session of the Illinois House this week, focused on pensions.* *This means there will be floor debate on legislative amendments that, if passed into law, would reduce pension benefits for participants in TRS, SURS and the other state pension systems.* *The floo... more »

Arts Education, Chinese Food and Matt Yglesias’ Tale of Non Sequiturs

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Arts Education, Chinese Food and Matt Yglesias’ Tale of Non Sequiturs: Arts Education, Chinese Food and Matt Yglesias’ Tale of Non Sequiturs FEBRUARY 27, 2013 BY M.D. ANDERSON LEAVE A COMMENT You know the saying: one is a coincidence, two is a pattern, three makes you a certified glutton for punishment. For months I’ve watched Slate writer Matt Yglesias flail away, writing on education issues. First, he tried to pit teachers unions against taxpayers in a smug piece on the Chicago Teachers Union strike. Then he analyzed the phony StudentsFirst report card, treating it like an objectiv... more »

Leaked Broad School Closure Guide

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
1344-schoolclosureguide: *Leaked Broad School Closure Guide * 1344-schoolclosureguide by John Kugler

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Florida: Not Enough Money to Pay for Common Core by dianerav Not many people in the U.S. are as enthusiastic about the Common Core as Jeb Bush and his far-right Chiefs for Change. One of his chiefs is Tony Bennett, who lost his superintendency in Indiana because of a popular revolt against the Common Core. No problem, Bennett landed on his feet in Florida (thanks, Jeb!) where he could continue the battle for Common Core. Why is Jeb Bush so excited about Comon ... more »

UPDATE: Sequestration In Your Schools? + Mathematica 2013 Study: KIPP Charter School Students Outperform Public School Peers

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Mathematica 2013 Study: KIPP Charter School Students Outperform Public School Peers: Sequestration In Your Schools? Mexico Teachers Union Leader Busted -- Ed Today by Joy Resmovits *What's Sequestration, And Why Should You Care About It?* The good folks at Politics K-12 have a lengthy, 12-part explainer on sequestration and schools. *Union Leader Busted In Mexico?* The head of Mexico's teachers union has been detained for embezzlement charges, reports the Associated Press. Plastic surgery, a private plane and Neiman Marcus -- these are things the government is alleging that union... more »

Jeb Bush’s Misleading Anti-Public School, Anti-Teacher Spew in Texas | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Jeb Bush’s Misleading Anti-Public School, Anti-Teacher Spew in Texas | Scathing Purple Musings: Jeb Bush’s Misleading Anti-Public School, Anti-Teacher Spew in Texas by Bob Sikes So the Jeb Bush US Tour continued in Texas yesterday only this time with son, George in tow. From the Associated Press on *KHOU.com.* AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his rising-political-star son, George P. Bush, urged Texas on Tuesday to dismantle the “monopoly of public education” by dramatically expanding access to charter schools, embracing online learning and overhauling how t... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Corporate reformers pour millions into L.A. board elections

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Corporate reformers pour millions into L.A. board elections: Corporate reformers pour millions into L.A. board elections by Mike Klonsky L.A. Supt. Deasy, the man from Gates. His job is at stake. We don't know how the election for school board in L.A. will turn out.. But we do know that it will be the most expensive school board election in history with anti-union corporate reformers, including N.Y.'s billionaire Mayor Bloomberg shelling out millions to influence the outcome in their favor. At stake, among other things, is the job ofSupt. John De... more »

Self-Contained Urban Boredom Apparatus | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Self-Contained Urban Boredom Apparatus | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: Self-Contained Urban Boredom Apparatus by Gary Rubinstein In November I visited the KIPP High School in New York City and summarized some of what I saw in a blog post. I’ve decided to write more about what I saw there in a series of shorter blog posts. In this one, I will describe what I saw in their special education classes. KIPP High in NYC has very small class sizes. Some of the classes seemed to have around twelve students in them. An administrator told me, when I asked about this, that the numbers were a lit... more »

What 90% of Schools Don’t Teach | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
What 90% of Schools Don’t Teach | toteachornototeach: What 90% of Schools Don’t Teach by aristotlethewise [image: 0]*What 90% of Schools Don’t Teach* by Hadi and Ali Partovi Our economy is faltering and our schools lag in math and science. Yet we’ve overlooked one of the best ways to fix both, until today. Today, www.Code.org launches a short film with spokespeople from Bill Gates to Mark Zuckergberg, from rock stars to NBA all-stars, advocating for students to learn basic coding. Learning to code is the new literacy. It accelerates child development; it stimulates creativity and ... more »

Michelle Obama links movement to better test scores

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Michelle Obama links movement to better test scores: Michelle Obama links movement to better test scores Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 27, 2013 at 6:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: (Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press )] First Lady Michelle Obama (Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press) First lady Michelle Obama, in an interview with SiriusXM host B. Smith being aired to mark the third anniversary of her “Let’s Move” campaign, said that allowing stud... more »

Mt. Diablo school superintendent and two trustees kept charter fiscal report secret to avoid controversy - ContraCostaTimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Mt. Diablo school superintendent and two trustees kept charter fiscal report secret to avoid controversy - ContraCostaTimes.com: Mt. Diablo school superintendent and two trustees kept charter fiscal report secret to avoid controversy By Theresa Harrington Contra Costa Times Posted: 02/26/2013 02:20:37 PM PST Updated: 02/26/2013 08:24:23 PM PST [image: Charter Schools - Dividing Communities since 1991] CONCORD -- To protect the Mt. Diablo school district's reputation, Superintendent Steven Lawrence, the former Board President and another trustee kept a financial analysis on cha... more »

Cartoons: Doctors and Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Cartoons: Doctors and Teachers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice: [image: 130128_cn-surgery-2_p465]

A Tale of Two Open Letters | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
A Tale of Two Open Letters | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: A Tale of Two Open Letters by Gary Rubinstein Wendy Kopp announced that she is stepping down as CEO of Teach For America, and around that time on The Huffington Post, a TFA alum named Kate Casas wrote an open letter to Wendy. This letter was in stark contrast to the one I wrote which I was pretty proud of and which actually got written about in The New York Times andThe Washington Post. In this letter, Casas complains that Wendy has not been ‘reformy’ enough: *During the eight years that I have been associated with Teach for Am... more »

The Educated Reporter: Poorest Schools Face Deepest Cuts from Sequestration

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
The Educated Reporter: Poorest Schools Face Deepest Cuts from Sequestration: Poorest Schools Face Deepest Cuts from Sequestration by Emily Richmond Without a last-minute deal by lawmakers across-the-board reductions in funding to every federal agency -- known as sequestration -- will happen Friday. While public schools wouldn't see most of the cuts take effect until the new fiscal year on July 1, education officials at the local, state and federal levels are warning of dire consequences for programs and services that assist the most vulnerable students. Talking with reporters ... more »

The Dark Side of Teacher Leadership [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
The Dark Side of Teacher Leadership [Future of Teaching] | The Jose Vilson: The Dark Side of Teacher Leadership [Future of Teaching] by Jose Vilson I’m usually a fan of teacher leadership, but sometimes, it makes me nervous. Observe: I wonder if teachers who are deemed teacher leaders understand why so many of us put teacher in front of leader when speaking in front of teacher leadership. This falls on some of our colleagues too, who jump right into the teacher leadership role and misunderstand what comes with the title i.e. the perception that, yes, they will lead as teachers.... more »

William F Higgins South Bronx Classical Charter School Trustee Mocks Reality, Football, and the FBI southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: William F Higgins South Bronx Classical Charter School Trustee Mocks Reality, Football, and the FBI by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) As readers of this blog are aware of we broke the news that South Bronx Classical Charter School II was to be co-located in the friendly confines of PS 154. The last sentence of Monday's blog was; *What is more disturbing is what will be gracing these pages concerning Bronx Classical in the days to come. * Little did we know here at SBSB just how much more disturbing information was to be found. You know the ol... more »

Jersey Jazzman: "Choice" Ain't Choice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: "Choice" Ain't Choice: "Choice" Ain't Choice by Duke See, when a charter school fails, it shows the system is working! You know, except for the kids... “*Part of the genius of the charter model is it does allow for a certain innovative churn, where you close low performers and thereby create space for new innovators to come in and try new models,*” said Brian Jones, the outgoing chairman of the charter board. Board members elected John “Skip” McKoy, who has been the board’s vice chairman, to succeed Jones. [...] Among the schools to be closed is Septima Clark in A... more »

S.217: High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
S.217: High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 - U.S. Congress - OpenCongress: Bill Introduced: H.R.700 ARPA-ED Act Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 2 minutes ago To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education to fund directed development projects to support targeted breakthroughs in teaching and learning. Bill Introduced: S.288 Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2013 Open Congress : Major Bill Actions in Education - 2 minutes ago A bill to increase the participation of historically underrepresented demo... more »

No School Like Freedom School | Teaching Tolerance

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
No School Like Freedom School | Teaching Tolerance: No School Like Freedom School - Blogs and Articles: - Activism [image: Printer-friendly version]Printer-friendly version Number 43: Spring 2013 “You are the hope of the future.” That’s the message Marian Wright Edelman, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), gave more than 1,500 excited college students and recent graduates as they began a week-long training for the CDF’s Freedom Schools. She was preparing them for a daunting task—that of transforming the educational prospects for thousands of students a... more »

Outside Spending Skyrockets - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Outside Spending Skyrockets - LA School Report: Outside Spending Skyrockets Posted on February 26, 2013 by LA School Report A massive spending spree of $3.4 million by outside groups has broken records in the Los Angeles School Board races with still seven days left before the election. That’s an increase of $1 million in just a week, according to the latest figures available at the LA City Ethics Commission. Low voter turnout and a fierce battle between two groups split along ideological lines could make this race one of the costliest per-voter in nation. Based on turnout figures f... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced: Seattle Schools Leadership Posts Announced by Melissa Westbrook From Superintendent Banda via SPS Communications (and I believe one of our astute readers called this one for Michael Tolley about a week ago): "I am pleased to announce that after a strong national search, Michael Tolley has been named Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, where he will oversee all aspects of students’ academic growth at Seattle Public Schools. Mr. Tolley stepped into this role as the Interim Assistant Superi... more »

PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education! Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education!: PSAT for 2-26-13: Tell Congress no sequestration cuts to education! by admin [image: Cliff] Congress and the White House are working to resolve the “sequestration” threat set up by their failure to agree on a federal budget last year. Without a budget agreement, massive across-the-board program cuts will kick in on Friday. This may include: - Loss of 100,000 Head Start slots. - Service cuts to 500,000 special needs students. - An end to Title 1 gran... more »

The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now! | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now! | Fred Klonsky: The in box. ISBE’s Koch wants repeal of class size limits AND 30 percent limit in GenEd. Act now! FEBRUARY 26, 2013 *Illinois State Superintendent of Education Chris Koch* *supports the complete “repeal” of BOTH special education* *class size limits AND the 30 percent limit in general education.* *This would directly affect EVERY special education teacher* *in Illinois, and EVERY student with disabilities in Illinois.* *Koch stated today that -* *(1) “our current rules g... more »

Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Paula Mirk]Respect, Compassion, and Fairness in Schools February 26, 2013 by Paula Mirk The current debate about school safety, as tragic as recent events may be, risks derailing the positive direction we need to go in as a nation if we want to uphold the broadest purpose of education: "What kind of people are we preparing to lead society into the future?" The very sad incident in Newtown was the result of one individual's mental impairment and a variety of factors—including his access... more »

NYC Educator: And Now for Something Completely Different …

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
NYC Educator: And Now for Something Completely Different …: And Now for Something Completely Different … by NYC Educator *by special guest reviewer Recovering ATR * You might have heard of the movie Life of Pi. It just picked up a bunch of Academy Awards, and it was overall my favorite movie of the year. The thing is, all the teachers talked about how "Lincoln" would be a great movie to show in history class. I actually think the movie to show students is Life of Pi. And that is because I lived the Life of Pi. No, I didn't get shipwrecked and stranded in the ocean with a huge tiger... more »

Diane in the Evening 2-26-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Illinois: No Class Size Limits for Special Education? by dianerav Please don’t say this is school “reform.” The state superintendent of education in Illinois wants to remove class size limits for special education. Time to ask why the richest nation on earth can’t afford to provide a free and appropriate education for children with the greatest needs. Today! Three Million Page Views! by dianerav Today, this blog passed the three million page view marks. That represents the number of times someone has read a post ... more »

Torlakson Urges Congress to Avoid Cuts - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Torlakson Urges Congress to Avoid Cuts - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education): State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Urges Congress to Prevent Devastating Cuts SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today urged Congressional leaders to work together and immediately pass legislation that would repeal drastic budget cuts set to take effect Friday under sequestration. "Without Congressional intervention, automatic budget cuts from sequestration will take effect on March 1," said Torlakson in a letter* to Congressional leaders. "After years of extensive state and ... more »

Students Bear the Consequences of the School Closure Vote | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Students Bear the Consequences of the School Closure Vote | The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: Students Bear the Consequences of the School Closure Vote published by Kate_Lenox on Tue, 02/26/2013 - 11:18am Today's Bee editorial lauds the SCUSD board of education for "tough but wise" decision" on schools closures because the district needed to close schools because of shrinking enrollment. While it is true that the district has too many schools for its enrollment, the objections many had with these school closures was the process. It was too hasty, used questionable... more »

NYC Public School Parents: My 20 questions to DOE about their failure to live up to their commitments to our children and in the C4E law to reduce class size

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: My 20 questions to DOE about their failure to live up to their commitments to our children and in the C4E law to reduce class size: My 20 questions to DOE about their failure to live up to their commitments to our children and in the C4E law to reduce class size by Leonie Haimson According to the Contracts for Excellence (C4E) law, the DOE is supposed to be reducing class size in all grades, and in the fall of 2007, submitted a plan to do so in along with annual targets and five year goals. Yet class sizes have risen every year since then. The DOE fin... more »

Bait-and-switch: Rebranding Public Schools as New Charter Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Education Week: Rebranding Public Schools as New Charter Schools: Rebranding Public Schools as New Charter Schools —Susan Sanford By Jack Schneider Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org. Read more FREE content! [image: Article Tools] - [image: Print]Printer-Friendly - [image: Email]Email Article - [image: Reprint]Reprints - [image: Comments]Comments - - - Charter schools are a silver bullet for urban education. But not for any of the reasons you might think. Charters, as research reveals, don't achieve particularly impressive results. In a study con... more »

The real reasons many low-income students don’t go to college | Hechinger Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
The real reasons many low-income students don’t go to college | Hechinger Report: The real reasons many low-income students don’t go to college by Sarah Carr [image: Hope against hope] *-Adapted from Hope Against Hope, a new book about the rebirth of the New Orleans schools after Katrina.* One spring afternoon, O. Perry Walker High School Principal Mary Laurie made her way to the school’s courtyard, where a lone student sat at a picnic table with a large stack of papers in front of him and a frustrated look on his face. Laurie recognized the student as a shy senior with one of the... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Should All Students Learn to Code?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Should All Students Learn to Code?: Should All Students Learn to Code? by Melissa Westbrook This is a new video circulating out in the Internet world. You'll recognize many of the faces in it. Look, I'm married to someone who knows how to program (and teaches computer science). He did a stint at Google and yes, it's an exceptional work environment (free food - for both you and your dog - free snacks, massage chairs, games - it's a swell place to work). But I would also gently point out that not everyone is cut out to be a programmer and many of... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Looking back at Clinton's campaign against youth violence

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Looking back at Clinton's campaign against youth violence: Looking back at Clinton's campaign against youth violence by Mike Klonsky It's difficult and heart-breaking to look at the news each day and see the growing body count of Chicago's mostly-young gun violence victims without thinking about what might have been. Pandemic gun violence with accompanying catastrophic effects on the families and friends of both the victims and shooters, could have been avoided or at least, diminished if appropriate measures would have been taken and policy decisions ... more »

From Seattle to Chicago: testing forum March 19th Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » From Seattle to Chicago: testing forum March 19th: From Seattle to Chicago: testing forum March 19th by admin From Seattle to Chicago: testing forum March 19th *From Seattle to Chicago:* The Case Against High Stakes Standardized Testing Tuesday, March 19, 7:00pm Mt. Carmel MB Baptist Church, 2976 S. Wabash With Jesse Hagopian, teacher at Garfield High School in Seattle and leader of MAP test boycott and Karen Lewis, Chicago Teachers Union president Sign up for this event on Facebook! The well-publicized efforts of teachers... more »

A great day for public education | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
A great day for public education | Parents Across America: A great day for public education by pureparents *Report from the 4-state regional Parents Across America/Public Schools Across America action planning meeting on February 25, 2013* Seventy-five public school activists from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois braved ice and cold to come together for a half-day regional action planning meeting in Fort Wayne, Indiana, this past Saturday, Feb 23. This energetic and positive meeting was a great start to what we hope will be coordinated action across our four states and beyond to... more »

When it Comes to Education Reform, Can the Will of the People Triumph Over Big Money? | Education on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
When it Comes to Education Reform, Can the Will of the People Triumph Over Big Money? | Education on GOOD: When it Comes to Education Reform, Can the Will of the People Triumph Over Big Money? Continue to link Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst have collectively donated $1.5 million to ousting LA Unified school board member Steve Zimmer from office. His offense? Questioning the rapid spread of charters. Now their cash is buying smear-tactic TV ads and mailers, leaving Zimmer, a grassroots former teacher and community activist "sick of the idea that school bo... more »

Annual ed survey finds serious skepticism over common core SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: Annual ed survey finds serious skepticism over common core Only 17 percent of teachers and 22 percent of school principals believe the new common core curriculum standards will improve student achievement or prepare them for college and the workforce, according to findings of a new national poll. That lack of confidence comes even though nearly nine out of 10 educators interviewed in the annual *MetLife Survey of the American Teacher* said they are knowledgeable about the common core and believe they have the academic skills and ability to ... more »

The Connecticut Post: The Tale of Two Contracting Controversies… - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
The Connecticut Post: The Tale of Two Contracting Controversies… - Wait, What?: The Connecticut Post: The Tale of Two Contracting Controversies… by jonpelto There should be no question that the Connecticut Post deserves an award for its investigative journalism and editorial work surrounding Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor’s inappropriate efforts to illegally sidestep Connecticut’s bidding laws to deliver public contracts to particular consultants. The CT Post’s Ken Dixon broke the story and successfully pushed, prodded and followed it through to its conclusion. The CT Po... more »

Ex-TEA chiefs concede too must testing | K-12 Zone | a Chron.com blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Ex-TEA chiefs concede too must testing | K-12 Zone | a Chron.com blog: Ex-TEA chiefs concede too must testing Tuesday, February 26, 2013 [image: Comment] Comments | [image: Email] E-mail | [image: Print] Print Texas Tribune editor-in-chief Evan Smith gets ready to interview former state education commissioners Mike Moses, Jim Nelson, Shirley Neeley and Robert Scott on Feb. 25, 2012 at Rice University. It was the first time these four men and woman had shared a single stage, at least in recent years. The Texas Tribune billed the event as “Ex-Commissioner Confidential.” Four of the fiv... more »

Answering Questions about National Board Certification | InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Answering Questions about National Board Certification | InterACT: Answering Questions about National Board Certification by David B. Cohen For a couple weeks now I’ve been meaning to write something to Lori Walton, but of course, in this venue, it’s really for anyone interested in National Board Certification for teachers. Lori raised some important questions and concerns in an exchange that took place on Twitter, but feeling the constraints of that format, I opted to write a longer response here. Let me put some important information and disclaimers up front. I’m a National Board ... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, February 26, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Black students' learning gaps start early, report says* Education Headlines *Tuesday, February 26, 2013* Layoff notices looming for teachers, counselorsNearly 100 teachers and counselors may receive initial layoff notices from Stockton Unified ahead of a March 15 state deadline as the school district begins its effort to balance its budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year. Champion of education for 38 yearsGary Dei Rossi, the 61-year-old deputy superintendent at the San Joaquin County Office of Education, is spending a lot of time re... more »

EXCLUSIVE: Rarely Seen Film "King: A Filmed Record" Traces MLK's Struggle from Montgomery to Memphis

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: Rarely Seen Film "King: A Filmed Record" Traces MLK's Struggle from Montgomery to Memphis EXCLUSIVE: Rarely Seen Film "King: A Filmed Record" Traces MLK’s Struggle from Montgomery to Memphis In a Black History Month special, we air excerpts of a rarely seen Oscar-nominated documentary about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the rise of the civil rights movement. Produced by Ely Landau, "King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis" is made from original newsreel footage and other original video footage shot of marches, rallies and church services. "King" was originally... more »

Breastfeeding One, Nourishing Many « MomsRising Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Breastfeeding One, Nourishing Many « MomsRising Blog: Breastfeeding One, Nourishing Many Shannon Shelton Miller at MomsRising Blog - 2 minutes ago Long before my bouncing baby boy entered my life, I knew I would be breastfeeding. I’d read all the studies that detailed how breast milk was the ideal food for infants, the biological norm that provided the perfect combination of nutrients and immune system boosters for baby, and plenty of health benefits for mom too, [...] Breastfeeding tale Paperdoll cincy at MomsRising Blog - 2 minutes ago To be honest, I never considered not breastfe... more »

Disavowing the Common Core Standards | PWC Education Reform Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Disavowing the Common Core Standards | PWC Education Reform Blog: Disavowing the Common Core Standards by pwceducationreform Diane Ravitch is one of the most influential people working to improve public education. I’ve disagreed with her on some topics, but on the issue of the Common Core State Standards we’ve found common ground. Below is her latest article wherein she disavows the Common Core State Standards. Those of you who prefer to click off of this page without reading the rest be forewarned. Virginia is one of only 4 states that hasn’t adopted the Common Core State Sta... more »

Modern School: Academic Performance is Contagious

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Modern School: Academic Performance is Contagious: Academic Performance is Contagious by Michael Dunn I Hope I Catch Some of Her Smarts (Image modified from Flickr image by Kodomut) *The Bowl Curve Syndrome* I once observed that the test scores and class averages in many of my low income classes produced graphs with a shape very different than the stereotypical bell curve, with a majority of students earning C’s (the top of the bell) and fewer students earning A’s, B’s, D’s and F’s (the sides of the bell). In my classes, the curves were shaped like inverted bells, or bowls, with v... more »









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