Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 2-3-13 #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



NYC Public School Parents: Two new proposals to revamp mayoral control; about time!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 27 minutes ago
NYC Public School Parents: Two new proposals to revamp mayoral control; about time!: Two new proposals to revamp mayoral control; about time! by Leonie Haimson State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery on steps of City Hall todayState Senator Velmanette Montgomery of Brooklyn and Assemblymember David Weprin of Queens announced they were introducing a new bill that would end mayoral control, by taking away his supermajority on the Board of Education, now called Panel for Educational Policy. The Board would continue to have 13 members: five appointed by the borough presidents, all public s... more »

The Weekly Update: Cyber buck$, high stake$ testing and charter school$. It’s all about the children, right? « Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 46 minutes ago
The Weekly Update: Cyber buck$, high stake$ testing and charter school$. It’s all about the children, right? « Seattle Education: The Weekly Update: Cyber buck$, high stake$ testing and charter school$. It’s all about the children, right? by seattleducation2011 *The Weekly Update for the News and Views You Might Have Missed* [image: cartoon] Some of our state representatives are not asleep at the wheel. On Friday I posted information regarding two bills that are up for public hearings this coming week. That same day three of our representatives questioned the motives of the legislat... more »

Peg with Pen: Listen up Mainstream Media. Teachers Know How to Assess.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago
Peg with Pen: Listen up Mainstream Media. Teachers Know How to Assess.: Listen up Mainstream Media. Teachers Know How to Assess. by Peggy [image: Corporate Media = Corporate Lies] We do not need better tests. We do not need teachers to grade Pearson's tests. We do not need any of these tests. And we do not need an alternative - the alternative is what we once did and can still do - real learning assessed through portfolio, project, performance and more. Teacher friends, we must make sure this message is clear - teachers know how to assess - mainstream media via the corporations ... more »

Kimble's Corner: How Groundhog Day Saved Christianity

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 59 minutes ago
Kimble's Corner: How Groundhog Day Saved Christianity: How Groundhog Day Saved Christianity by Representative Kimble Like many people this season I enjoyed the heartwarming story of how Christianity’s message was spread using the Christmas Carrol *The Twelve Days of Christmas*. There are a lot of seemingly secular holidays and traditions in our society that have a Christian tradition behind them. In the middle ages Christians throughout Europe were persecuted and in many countries the teaching of Christian doctrine was forbidden. The Christians of the time being men and women ... more »

No Struggle, No Progress — Leading Educators Support Teacher Test Boycott

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
No Struggle, No Progress — Leading Educators Support Teacher Test Boycott: Leading Educators Support Teacher Test Boycott *JANUARY 21, 2013* *LEADING EDUCATORS SUPPORT TEACHER TEST BOYCOTT* In a public statement released today, more than sixty educators and researchers [UPDATE: now more than 250], including some of the most well-respected figures in the field of education, pledged support for the boycott of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test initiated by the teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle, calling the action a “blow against the overuse and misuse of standard... more »

One Washington School District Is Trying to Copyright Homework - National - The Atlantic Wire

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
One Washington School District Is Trying to Copyright Homework - National - The Atlantic Wire: One Washington School District Is Trying to Copyright Homework by Connor Simpson One school district in Washington is looking to put a copyright on everything created by their employees or students, which means they would own new lesson plans, an app created in a computer science class, or even just your everyday homework. The *Washington Post*'s Ovetta Wiggins reports Prince George’s County Board of Education is raising eyebrows for their proposed new policy. As it stands, the policy ... more »

Diane in the Evening 2-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: The Case of the Disappearing Teachers by dianerav EduShyster has discovered a brilliant program for highly effective teachers who don’t plan to hang around for very long. Read it and get a good laugh, as you always do when you read EduShyster. Here is the sales pitch: *Do you dream of CRUSHING the achievement gap but aren’t sure that a 14 hour work day is right for you? Are you MAD passionate about training the next generation of test takers but worry that you lack the hand gestures to keep a large class of minority students on task? Reader: I’ve got exc... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Similarities Between CSCOPE and Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: The Similarities Between CSCOPE and Common Core: The Similarities Between CSCOPE and Common Core by stlgretchen Does CSCOPE sound like Common Core? What is CScope? From the home page: *CSCOPE is a customizable, online curriculum management system aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). CSCOPE's high quality curriculum, assesment, and instructional components assist schools in meeting the high standard of rigor and relevance required in the TEKS and STAAR assessments.* CSCOPE has come under intense scrutiny from Texas legislato... more »

If I could buy a Super Bowl ad… – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
If I could buy a Super Bowl ad… – @ the chalk face: If I could buy a Super Bowl ad… by Chris Cerrone *If I could buy a Super Bowl ad* I would hire Matt Damon to describe the importance of public education and the harm of high-stakes testing. *If I could buy a Super Bowl ad* I would ask Jon Stewart to use his gift of humor and biting sarcasm to point out how the current state of education reform is a bipartisan disaster.** ***If I could buy a Super Bowl ad *I would inquire if Steven Colbert would use his satire to publicize the irony of rank amateurs making education policy in the U... more »

Change the dynamic | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
Change the dynamic | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Change the dynamic by thenotebook Common sense dictates that the School District should be looking for opportunities to close crumbling schools that are half-empty and underperforming. In a cash-starved system with a shrinking population and aging facilities, we can’t afford not to. Officials acknowledge that closing schools is painful but say that once we get through it, we’ll all be better off with a streamlined system – and the District will be poised to improve its fortunes. Unfortunately, reality does not match that ... more »

National Day of Action to Support Seattle MAP Test Boycott

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 3 hours ago
National Day of Action to Support Seattle MAP Test Boycott: National Day of Action to Support Seattle MAP Test Boycott by Server SOS Supports the National Day of Action to Support Seattle MAP Test Boycott National Day of Action to Support Seattle MAP Test Boycott:*Originally Posted on February 2, 2013* *- MEDIA ADVISORY –* *“We demand quality assessment!”* *Wear Red on Wed for Ed! Scrap the MAP!* **Join the event on Facebook!** *Supporters will hold meetings, press conferences, rallies, take photos, and wear red to show support* *Contact:* scrapthemap@yahoo.com *For more info, visit:*... more »

NYC Educator: It's Election Season

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
NYC Educator: It's Election Season: It's Election Season by NYC Educator The UFT is getting ready to hold elections. The big mystery, supposedly, is who will win? Will it be Unity/ New Action, or upstart MORE? Well, it's not such a big mystery that no one has ever defeated Unity except Mike Shulman, or that Unity now co-sponsors him and New Action for a few seats on the UFT Executive Board. Nor is it a mystery that the overwhelming majority of chapter leaders are committed to support Unity/ New Action. What I'd like to see is a discussion of issues rather than personalities and st... more »

Pearson Looked for Test Graders on Texas Craigslist | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Pearson Looked for Test Graders on Texas Craigslist | Scathing Purple Musings: Pearson Looked for Test Graders on Texas Craigslist by Bob Sikes You just can’t make this stuff up. By now, many Texans are familiar with the backlash against the over-testing of our students in public schools. Most of this backlash has focused on the amount of tests being given and the amount of time, energy and resources being spent on “teaching to the test” as opposed to our students mastering and retaining the information. Another issue has just surfaced that has caused significant concern about ... more »

UPDATE:Quote of the Decade - Jersey Jazzman: Michelle Rhee Can't Possibly Be This Stupid, Can She?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Michelle Rhee Can't Possibly Be This Stupid, Can She?: Michelle Rhee Can't Possibly Be This Stupid, Can She? by Duke Oh, my sweet, sweet lord: *You offered thousands of dollars to teachers and principals who brought up their schools’ test scores. Did you ever consider that it would encourage some to cheat? * Teachers have integrity. And if money was the motivating factor, they wouldn’t be in education. *Michelle, if money isn't a motivating factor for teachers, why would you * * * Quote of the Decade by Duke I would so love to hear Bill Gates try to answer this:... more »

National School Choice Week Finally OVER! CHOOSE REAL AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS! #EDREform #REALEDREform

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
National School Choice Week Finally OVER! CHOOSE REAL AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS! REAL ED Reform Highway to Hell - A Salute to National School Choice Week *Got Choice? Ubetcha! * [image: National School Choice Week] *National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Group: 1 in 5 charter schools not doing well enough to stay open* A group that oversees more than half of the nation's 5,600 charter schools said as many as one in five U.S. charter schools should be shut down because of poor academic performance. *http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019784379_charters... more »

Louisiana Educator: Another Stupid Education Study

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Louisiana Educator: Another Stupid Education Study: Another Stupid Education Study by Michael Deshotels Will Sentell, education reporter for the Baton Rouge Advocate has found another excuse to bash experienced teachers because of their suspicion of the new Value Added teacher evaluation systems. His article todayreports on a so called “study” conducted by a group called TEACH +PLUS. This study which consists of an unscientific survey of public school teachers' opinions about the importance and desirability of using student standardized testing as a major component of school and ... more »

After losing out on Race to the Top funds, DISD’s Miles says he needs more state money for reforms | Education Blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
After losing out on Race to the Top funds, DISD’s Miles says he needs more state money for reforms | Education Blog: After losing out on Race to the Top funds, DISD’s Miles says he needs more state money for reforms 0 0 comments (0) By Matthew Haag mhaag@dallasnews.com 11:40 am on February 3, 2013 | Permalink During Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles’ first six months on the job, he exerted great effort in securing federal funds to jumpstart his education reform plans for two school feeder groups. He wants to take Pinkston High School and Lincoln High School and the campuses th... more »

Florence student suspended over picture of gun

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Florence student suspended over picture of gun: Florence student suspended over picture of gun - Video - Photo [image: gun_20130201154345_JPG] Posted: 02/01/2013 - [image: By: Corey Rangel] By: Corey Rangel FLORENCE, AZ - A high school student in Florence said he has been suspended because of a picture of a gun. Daniel McClaine Jr., a freshman at Poston Butte High School, said he saved the picture as his desktop background on his school-issued computer. A teacher noticed it and turned him in. The picture shows an AK-47 on top of a flag. McClaine said the school initi... more »

Daily Kos: Why Daily Kos is much more than a political site

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Daily Kos: Why Daily Kos is much more than a political site: Why Daily Kos is much more than a political site by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) dedicated to electing more and better Democrats It is clearly a community. It is a place to which members turn to share with one another, both their joys and their tribulations. It is a site where we offer one another support, advice, prayers and even love. It is for many a place to which they turn to open their hearts and souls. This has been very clear in the various quilt projects done by Sara R. It is been very evident in the pass week, ... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools: The New NCAA Farm System?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Charter Schools: The New NCAA Farm System?: Charter Schools: The New NCAA Farm System? by Duke To me, one of the more interesting aspects of the charter school "movement" is how professional athletes have become involved. Tennis great Andre Agassi jumped in with little apparent regard for the educational outcomes of charters - he's all about the financials. Football star Deion Sanders's Prime Prep Academy has been in the news with accusations about the school's safety and academic records. Prime Prep was also cited for recruiting violations for its football and ba... more »

UPDATE: Irene Pappas’ phony tax bill + a real pension solution + The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Irene Pappas’ phony tax bill. by Fred Klonsky Property tax payers in Cook County received their tax bills this past week. Tax Collector Irene Pappas chose to include data allegedly about public pension costs on the bill. *Hi Fred,* *After seeing her terrible interview on WTTW the other night and the self serving nature of her new disclosure law I looked into it and have found that most of what the school Districts are reporting to Pappas are not related to TRS but are IMRF debt. * *The TRS debt is not a debt of the school district bu... more »

National revolt against MAP Standardized Testing takes shape as Hartford expands MAP Standardized testing…. - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
National revolt against MAP Standardized Testing takes shape as Hartford expands MAP Standardized testing…. - Wait, What?: National revolt against MAP Standardized Testing takes shape as Hartford expands MAP Standardized testing…. by jonpelto Earlier this month, teachers at Seattle’s Garfield High School announced that they would be boycotting the (Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test system. The also released a letter explaining why. The teachers wrote, “…MAP test is not good for our students, nor is it an appropriate or useful tool in measuring progress…It produces specio... more »

Ed Notes Online: Sign the Petition: UFT and NYC DOE: Share the Details of the Teacher Evaluation Agreement

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Ed Notes Online: Sign the Petition: UFT and NYC DOE: Share the Details of the Teacher Evaluation Agreement: Sign the Petition: UFT and NYC DOE: Share the Details of the Teacher Evaluation Agreement by ed notes online *A new teacher evaluation needs to be fair and be a source of support to the classroom. Share the MOU.* [image: UFT and NYC DOE: Share the details of the Teacher Evaluation Agreement proposed] Petitioning UFT/DOE Share the details of the Teacher Evaluation Agreement being proposed ------------------------------ On January 17, 2013 United Federation of Teachers Preside... more »

The Future is Disappearing…But Why? – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
The Future is Disappearing…But Why? – @ the chalk face: The Future is Disappearing…But Why? by Kris Nielsen In my soon-to-be-released, self-published book, I do my best to help parents, teachers, and others understand why the Common Core Network is so bad for our kids and our nation’s future. (This is not a shameless plug, I promise. I have a real question here.) It’s becoming common knowledge that the Common Core State Standards Initiative, the ever-increasing standardized testing based on the Standards, and the privatization movement waiting in the wings for the schools to f... more »

The Bush Foundation’s “How Dare You” Defense on SendHub Emails | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
The Bush Foundation’s “How Dare You” Defense on SendHub Emails | Scathing Purple Musings: The Bush Foundation’s “How Dare You” Defense on SendHub Emails by Bob Sikes I missed revelations involving the emails that Bush Foundation CEO, Patricia Levesque’s made on behalf of SendHub, a tech firm that former governor Jeb Bush invested in during 2012. My initial focus was on Florida’s emails and missed *In the Public Interests *summation on the matter. I will be recognizing that a correction is necessary in this post. USF professor *Sherman Dorn *provides details: The question of a pe... more »

Why ‘school reform’ is a misnomer — principal

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Why ‘school reform’ is a misnomer — principal: Why ‘school reform’ is a misnomer — principal Posted by Valerie Strauss on February 3, 2013 at 10:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » [image: carol burris]Carol Burris is the award-winning principal of South Side High School in New York who has been at the forefront of opposition to New York State’s new teacher evaluation system. Named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State, Burris ... more »

The in box. Reader is concerned about Monday’s meeting and Senator Biss’ dirty tricks. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
The in box. Reader is concerned about Monday’s meeting and Senator Biss’ dirty tricks. « Fred Klonsky: The in box. Reader is concerned about Monday’s meeting and Senator Biss’ dirty tricks. by Fred Klonsky *Fred,* *When I show up in Wilmette with friends on Monday to see Biss I hope the meeting agenda will be dominated by topics that teachers control. Restructuring the tax code in Illinois. The chart you put up on your blog that shows of how the super wealthy don’t pay much. And how Illinois compares to other “liveable states” is key. Also the Super Wealthy do not live in Biss’s... more »

Holding Education Hostage by Diane Ravitch | NYRblog | The New York Review of Books

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Holding Education Hostage by Diane Ravitch | NYRblog | The New York Review of Books: Holding Education HostageDiane Ravitch Grandville For weeks, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the United Federation of Teachers have been battling over the issue of teacher evaluation. Governor Andrew Cuomo set a deadline for them to reach an agreement, but they failed to do so, potentially costing the city schools hundreds of millions of dollars. The state education commissioner, John King, jumped into the fray by threatening to withhold over a billion dollars in state and federal aid if... more »

UPDATE: Jersey Jazzman: Big LEAPing +Michael Doherty: New Jersey's Worst Senator

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Michael Doherty: New Jersey's Worst Senator: Big LEAPing by Duke Here's the latest on the LEAP charter school tax screw up: Camden Pride Charter School, part of the trio of charter schools under the Camden Charter School Network, and *LEAP Academy University Charter School had their 501(c)(3) status revoked by the IRS in November 2010 and were notified about a year later of their failure to file Form 990 for three consecutive years. The schools' predicament became public a couple of weeks ago.* LEAP's urgency to restore its status is to avoid losing the tax exempti... more »

Teachers at Ballard High School in Seattle Join the MAP Boycott « Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Teachers at Ballard High School in Seattle Join the MAP Boycott « Seattle Education: Teachers at Ballard High School in Seattle Join the MAP Boycott by seattleducation2011 *“We, the undersigned educators are professionals who know how students learn and what they need from our daily experiences with them in the classroom and our years of expertise in education. We believe the MAP test is a waste of students’ class time. We believe in real learning opportunities. Assessments are helpful, but the MAP test is not connected to what we teach, is not connected to our standards and h... more »

MORNING UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] What Lies Ahead for Education in Obama’s Second Term? by dianerav Gerald Coles here analyzes President Obama’s inaugural speech to divine what the President has in mind when he thinks about education policy. Coles unpacks the assumptions. The President seems to think of education only in terms of economic needs. He sees children as global competitors. He thinks that schools can overcome poverty. It makes for interesting readin Jersey Jazzman Evaluates Governor Cuomo by dianerav Jersey Jazzman has been wonderi... more »

Op-Ed: Who is Doing the Classroom Observations? - NJ Spotlight

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Op-Ed: Who is Doing the Classroom Observations? - NJ Spotlight: Op-Ed: Who is Doing the Classroom Observations? Master teachers should be helping their colleagues to improve print | email | share By Michael Hoban, February 1, 2013 in Opinion |Post a Comment On December 8, 2012, an arbitrator made a very important decision under the new TEACHNJ law. As the author of the article points out, the significance of this case is that it is the first contested case under the new law that involves a teacher’s classroom performance. And the arbitrator ruled in favor of the teacher over the d... more »

If testing and measuring makes for better schools, why are the Obama girls in a school that doesn’t agree? | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
If testing and measuring makes for better schools, why are the Obama girls in a school that doesn’t agree? | Get Schooled: If testing and measuring makes for better schools, why are the Obama girls in a school that doesn’t agree? by Maureen Downey The Obamas opted for a pricey private school for their daughters. (AP Photo) [image: The Obamas opted for a pricey pivate school for their daughters. (AP)]In a powerful essay in Education Week, retired educator Alan Jones of Illinois shares his experience accompanying his daughter to look at schools for his grandson. Jones talks about toda... more »

California abandons algebra requirement for eighth-graders - Inside Bay Area

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
California abandons algebra requirement for eighth-graders - Inside Bay Area: California abandons algebra requirement for eighth-graders By Sharon Noguchi snoguchi@mercurynews.com Posted: 02/02/2013 08:58:56 PM PST Updated: 02/02/2013 08:58:56 PM PST By falling in line with other states, California is abandoning its push for all eighth-graders to take algebra. Last month, the State Board of Education unanimously shifted away from a 15-year policy of expecting eighth-graders to take Algebra I. The state will allow them to take either Algebra I or an alternate course that inclu... more »

Daily Kos: Four names you should know

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Daily Kos: Four names you should know: Four names you should know by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) Rev. George L. Fox, Methodist Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Jewish Rev. John P. Washington, Cathoiic Rev. Clark V. Poling, Reformed Church of America the location was aboard a ship, the US Army Tranport Dorchester Fox was from Lewistown PA Goode was from Brooklyn NY Poling was from Columbus OH Washington was from Newark NJ All were first Lieutenants and chaplains in the US Army They had met while preparing for their roles in the European theater at Harvard University And on this day, 70 yea... more »

Power Comes From Everywhere: Hearing the Sound of Resolute – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Power Comes From Everywhere: Hearing the Sound of Resolute – @ the chalk face: Power Comes From Everywhere: Hearing the Sound of Resolute by Kuhio Kane Keith and Cenk left MSNBC. They uncovered the stories beyond the allowable corporate dictum. And these two became marginalized from cable television and a larger viewership. I was up on a friend’s farm in Squamish, B.C., Canada a long time ago while I was living in the area doing organ transplants down in a lab at a university in Vancouver. My friend and I met up with Little Richard at the QE II Theatre while we were all taking in ... more »

Power Comes From Everywhere: Hearing the Sound of Resolute – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Power Comes From Everywhere: Hearing the Sound of Resolute – @ the chalk face: Power Comes From Everywhere: Hearing the Sound of Resolute by Kuhio Kane Keith and Cenk left MSNBC. They uncovered the stories beyond the allowable corporate dictum. And these two became marginalized from cable television and a larger viewership. I was up on a friend’s farm in Squamish, B.C., Canada a long time ago while I was living in the area doing organ transplants down in a lab at a university in Vancouver. My friend and I met up with Little Richard at the QE II Theatre while we were all taking in ... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: SCGF, a hedge fund for charter school expansion

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: SCGF, a hedge fund for charter school expansion: SCGF, a hedge fund for charter school expansion by Mike Klonsky Did you know there was a special Charter School Growth Fund? The fund raises money from private investorsand then pours millions into selected charter schools through their private operators thereby creating yet another tier of competing "public" schools. They even make real estate loans to the charter operators, charging them interest in the process, "to help charter school operators within our portfolio finance school facilities ... more »

UPDATE: #scrapthemap + Last week, #progressive #education summit in MD, @cityneighbors – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Last week, #progressive #education summit in MD, @cityneighbors – @ the chalk face: Let us consider supporting #scrapthemap this Wednesday FEBRUARY 2, 2013 BY CHALK FACE, PHD LEAVE A COMMENT Here’s a link to the Facebook campaign. How can At the Chalk Face readers support this event next week? Keep that national momentum going for Seattle-area educators. Last week, #progressive #education summit in MD, @cityneighbors by Chalk Face, PhD Kristian Rusher, Kate Chesser, and yours truly. [image: Kristian Rusher, Kate Chesser, and yours truly.]This is the first chance I had to talk abou... more »

Join Us in DC: April 4-7, 2013 | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago
Join Us in DC: April 4-7, 2013 | United Opt Out National: Join Us in DC: April 4-7, 2013 by admin Click HERE for the official schedule. This entry was posted in Uncategorized by admin. Bookmark the permalink. ** *Today, January 21st, 2013, is a remarkable day in history – a day that pays tribute to leadership, civil rights, and the power found in the voice of each individual. * *In his second inaugural address, President Obama declared, “You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in def... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Journey for Justice and "School choice" week; just whose choices are being respected??

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Journey for Justice and "School choice" week; just whose choices are being respected??: Journey for Justice and "School choice" week; just whose choices are being respected?? by Leonie Haimson Last week was “School choice” week. The entire concept of “school choice week” was invented by Jeb Bush to promote the expansion of charter and vouchers, supposedly to allow for more parental choice in selecting their children's schools. Meanwhile, it was just revealed that Bush's organization, Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE), promotes the busine... more »

Suit alleges teachers forced to work at non-union charter schools in California « Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Suit alleges teachers forced to work at non-union charter schools in California « Seattle Education: Suit alleges teachers forced to work at non-union charter schools in California by seattleducation2011 [image: OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA] This is where all of this ed reform is ultimately going…into the courts and then down the toilet. When you have charlatans hiding behind fauxroot puppet organizations, pulling the strings with millions of dollars so that others can make a fortune off of a public good, well, nothing good will come out of that with the deceit and lies that are perpe... more »

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Michelle Rhee Says "We Have Gone Completely Soft" at Sacramento Speakers Series Talk

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Says "We Have Gone Completely Soft" at Sacramento Speakers Series Talk: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Says "We Have Gone Completely Soft" at Sacramento Speakers Series TalkThe Sacramento Speakers Series presented education reform advocate and StudentsFirst founder and CEO, Michelle Rhee at the Community Center Theater on Tuesday, January 29th as part of this year’s lineup. The six-part lecture series showcases contemporary insights from some of today’s most influential figures. The Sacramento Speakers Series presented education reform advo... more »

RSVP to Special DAC Meeting + District Advisory Committee (DAC) - Sacramento City Unified School District

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
District Advisory Committee (DAC) - Sacramento City Unified School District: *Special DAC Meeting* *When* Tuesday February 5, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM PST Add to Calendar *Where* *Serna Center* 5735 47th Avenue Sacramento, CA 95824 Driving DirectionsHello fellow DAC Members Many of you have heard about the District staff recommendation Board to approve a recommendation to close 11 elementary schools in the District. The schools recommended for closure are: 1. CB Wire 2. Mark Hopkins 3. Washington 4. Tahoe 5. Fruitridge 6. James Marshall 7. CP Huntington ... more »

Destruction and Doom Await PS 154 in the Bronx.southbronxschool.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Destruction and Doom Await PS 154 in the Bronx by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher) Sorry that those fans of SBSB have not been feted to any new blog post for the last several weeks. There have been several distractions happening in my life and quite busy at home as well. There is a lot I want to catch up on, but this bit of news is quite ironic. As has been reported here in the past, my school, PS 154x had been was put on the closure list and then just about a month or so ago was pulled off of itthanks to the "good" quality review we received. Y... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Want Change in SPS? BE that Change

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Want Change in SPS? BE that Change: Want Change in SPS? BE that Change by Melissa Westbrook Someone requested a thread about talking about how middle school might now work in the NE region. (Frankly, this will actually have a reach over to the NW where the new Wilson-Pacific will affect Whitman enrollment. As well, a decision will have to be made on APP middle school and that will affect all regions.) Key questions (but chime in): - what is the district's plan/timeline for JA MS? - should the new JA MS have a focus or be a solid middle school a ... more »

Dismantling Public Accountability & Transparency in the Name of Accountability & Transparency? « School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Dismantling Public Accountability & Transparency in the Name of Accountability & Transparency? « School Finance 101: Dismantling Public Accountability & Transparency in the Name of Accountability & Transparency? by schoolfinance101 This post comes about as a follow up to a previous post where I critiqued the rationale of the Students First policy agenda. It should be noted that the Students First policy agenda is anything but unique. Like DFER, SFER, ALEC or any policy advocacy organization, the SF policy agenda is little more than an aggregation of largely non-original, templat... more »

The Weekly Cheddar : blue cheddar

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
The Weekly Cheddar : blue cheddar: The Weekly Cheddar February 2, 2013 By bluecheddar January 27 - February 2, 2013 [image: Share] This is my 4th weekly round-up of the Wisconsin political news and opinion I think you gotta read like yer life depends on it should see. *Robin Vos Got Served A* *Subpenis* *Subpoena* “Correction: Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker was served with a “subpoena” not a “subpenis.” We regret any confusion this error may have caused.” Wish I had the photoshop skillz of Root River Siren. *Walkergate Updates* Walker transfers $40,000 to legal fund – from Daniel ... more »









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