Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Big Education Ape Nite Cap 4-17-13 #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




Katie Osgood A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago
*Katie Osgood at Occupy the Dept of Ed* A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 – @ the chalk face coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 – @ the chalk face: A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 by Chalk Face, PhD As the dust finally settles on a great event, there’s still work to be done. Namely, collecting coverage of the event. I’m going to start posting links here. If I’ve missed any, please let us know in the comments. We’re expecting some long form pieces in the coming days, so the... more »

Agenda Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) (CA Dept of Education)

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago
Agenda May 1 and 2, 2013 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education): Agenda May 1 and 2, 2013Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) meeting agenda. ------------------------------ Advisory Commission on Special Education Members Kristin Wright, Chair Diane Fazzi, Vice Chair Feda Almaliti Maureen Burness Morena de Grimaldi Kristi Hagans Somer Harding Sara Jocham Betty Karnette Gina Plate Nancy Portillo Naomi Rainey Mariano Sanz Barbara Schulman Jaclyn Vincent Student Members Matthew Stacy Timothy Higgins Legislative Members Carol Liu, Senate Joan Buchanan, Assembly S... more »

Anti-Bullying Doesn’t Apply at Test Time – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago
Anti-Bullying Doesn’t Apply at Test Time – @ the chalk face: Anti-Bullying Doesn’t Apply at Test Time by Kris Nielsen [image: test3]The New York refusal movement is going extremely well, as students–with the support of their parents and friends–proudly stand against what they know is harming them. They watch their classmates taking the tests and they know they made the right choice. Students around the state are walking out of school defeated, exhausted, and disappointed. The tests are literally beating them down: many have not been able to finish, which affects their scores; se... more »

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What Do We Want Girls to Think?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 37 minutes ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: What Do We Want Girls to Think?: What Do We Want Girls to Think? by Melissa Westbrook Is it me? I don't think so. Lately there have been a swelling of stories that involve misogyny. First up, is this story from ThinkProgress from West Virginia where a high school brought in a faith-based speaker to talk to the teens about abstinence. I think all high school should be talking to teens about sex and abstinence can certainly be part of that discussion. But this discussion was not just saying "wait kids." In fact, the fliers that advertised it sa... more »

The Power of Play | Parents Across America

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
The Power of Play | Parents Across America: The Power of Play by pureparents *Parents, teachers, children at Play-In call for less testing, more playing for young children in CPS* Chicago, IL: Today, dozens of parents, children and educators attended a “Play-In” organized by More Than a Score to highlight their concern that testing has taken over the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) classrooms of our youngest children, pushing play-based learning out. The group set up play areas at CPS headquarters to demonstrate the power of play. Adults played side-by-side with children using blocks... more »

Report Card: Volunteers sought on future of Sacramento's closing campuses

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Report Card: Volunteers sought on future of Sacramento's closing campuses: [image: Photo: Sacramento parents and activists meet over school closures Members of Hmong Innovating Politics will meet with parents and community leaders at 6 p.m. today to discuss decisions by Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond and district trustees' to close seven neighborhood schools. With less than two months before the start of summer vacation, students and families at the seven closed Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/report-card/2013/04/sacramento-parents-... more »

Rethinking Teacher Evaluation For The Competency-Based Grading & Reporting System | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Rethinking Teacher Evaluation For The Competency-Based Grading & Reporting System | Connected Principals: Rethinking Teacher Evaluation For The Competency-Based Grading & Reporting System by Brian Stack *[image: 022212nyevaluation_512x288]* *Introduction: Rethinking the Effectiveness of the Dog & Pony Show Model* During my first three years as a high school math teacher in Massachusetts back in the early 2000’s, I had grown accustomed to having an administrator in my classroom to observe me teach a math lesson. As a *new*teacher I was required by district policy to be observed at l... more »

Diane in the Evening 4-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Duncan Urges US Chamber of Commerce to Defend Common Core by dianerav Arne Duncan is concerned about the backlash against the federal government’s heavy-handed imposition of the Common Core. At a speech to business leaders in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, he urged their support for Common Core. He probably forgot that the U.S. Department of Education is legally prohibited from being involved in any matters that prescribe curriculum or instruction to the nation’s public schools. When Students in New Orleans Got... more »

Daily Kos: What Do I Say?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Daily Kos: What Do I Say?: What Do I Say? byShakespeares SisterFollow - - - 3 Comments / 3 New *Now get the hell OUT!* Rarely, as an English teacher, do I find myself at a loss for words. Now, as I’m faced with the fact that I have to say goodbye to my students, and tell them I will not return as their teacher next year, I just don’t know what to say. Do I tell them I’m leaving because the school they attend is finally so broken of an institution that it is unlikely to see repair and it is in fact more likely that the state will take over the school and turn it... more »

Play-In fun for everyone! Parents United for Responsible Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Play-In fun for everyone!: Play-In fun for everyone! by admin [image: PlayIn2] *Parents, teachers, children at Play-In call for less testing, more playing for young children in CPS* Today, dozens of Chicago parents, children and educators attended a “Play-In” organized by More Than a Score to highlight their concern that testing has taken over the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) classrooms of our youngest children, pushing play-based learning out. The group set up play areas at CPS headquarters to demonstrate the power of play.... more »

When the African American Male Student Doesn't Succeed — Whole Child Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 4 hours ago
When the African American Male Student Doesn't Succeed — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG [image: Dianna Minor]When the African American Male Student Doesn’t Succeed April 17, 2013 by Dianna Minor Across the United States, teachers can quickly tell you who is the most 'at-risk' student sitting in their classrooms. The answer is the same, whether it's from a teacher in Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, New Orleans, Detroit, Newark, or Birmingham. It's the student who struggled in 3rd grade. It's the student in 8th grade reading grade levels behind his peers. It's the ... more »

District Silent As Charter School Dodges Audit - LA School Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
District Silent As Charter School Dodges Audit - LA School Report: District Silent As Charter School Dodges Audit by Hillel Aron Monica Garcia, left, Marcos Aguilar, right, after Academia Semillas was renewed in April of 2012 Fresh off a controversial April 2012 renewal, the El Sereno charter school called Academia Semillas has refused to comply with an LAUSD audit, according to this December 2012 report by the Office of the Inspector General. “Repeated attempts to obtain this information from the school were unsuccessful and the school chose to communicate to the OIG exclusively t... more »

Mother Crusader: I've Opted Out And You Can Too!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Mother Crusader: I've Opted Out And You Can Too!: I've Opted Out And You Can Too! by darciecima I just got off the phone with the Assistant Superintendent of my district, and was told it's no problem to opt my 1st graders out of the NJPASS. This is not a mandated test, and the results are not reported to the state. It is given mostly to prepare students for taking the NJASK in 3rd grade - so in my estimation, it's all but useless for my kids and a waste of money for the district. The OK to opt out this year came with a warning that once my girls hit 3rd grade this would not b... more »

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Can someone loan Chicago a city planner? How about you, Kansas City?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Can someone loan Chicago a city planner? How about you, Kansas City?: Can someone loan Chicago a city planner? How about you, Kansas City? by Mike Klonsky Byrd-Bennett *Memo to city mayors from Barbara Byrd-Bennett*: *Someone, please help me. I need to borrow a city planner ASAP. * *Our guy, Babbit or Babbitz, whatever his name is useless. We have no plan. Rahm is making me close 54 schools in the next few months and I don't have the slightest idea what do do with all those boarded-up buildings. Until we can sell them, we will have to spend $1 millio... more »

Pink-Slipped - Sacramento Magazine - May 2013 - Sacramento, California

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Pink-Slipped - Sacramento Magazine - May 2013 - Sacramento, California: Pink-Slipped By Sasha Abramsky Posted on April 17 Area teachers are feeling the sting of budget cuts and layoffs. We take an in-depth look at those on the front lines. This is the story of a system in crisis, of what Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond terms “the continual corrosive effect on morale” of cuts, and of the collateral damage—to teachers, to students and to the broader community—when there isn’t enough money to pay all of the city’s education bills. It is a story... more »

Diana Rodriguez for State Assembly, District 9

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Diana Rodriguez for State Assembly, District 9: *Diana Rodriguez for State Assembly, District 9* *About Diana* Diana Rodriguez represents families in the 9th Assembly District as an elected trustee of the Sacramento City Unified School District. First elected in 2008, and then re-elected to a second term in 2012, she has been a leading voice against harmful school closures, proper spending of the district’s $440 million budget, and increased transparency. Diana has been an advocate for working families and children and has supported policies to improve schools and put the be... more »

Corporate Reform Puts Democratic Party Leaders in a Bind - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Corporate Reform Puts Democratic Party Leaders in a Bind - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Corporate Reform Puts Democratic Party Leaders in a Bind by Anthony Cody Leaders of the Democratic Party are finding themselves in a potentially dangerous bind due to their enthusiastic embrace of increasingly unpopular corporate education reforms. Under the Obama administration, many state and city leaders of the party have been vocal proponents of corporate reform. We have seen Newark mayor Cory Booker, Sacramento mayor and husband of Michelle Rhee Kevin Johnson, Chicago mayo... more »

New RTTT competition announced, targets Early Learning SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources: New RTTT competition announced, targets Early Learning *The majority of the Obama administration’s remaining 2013 Race to the Top funds – some $370 million – will be available for states looking to develop successful early learning programs for children, according to an announcement Tuesday.* *While $250 million will be used to fund a second *Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grant competition, *$120 million *will be made available as part of a second round of the Race to the Top-District competition, which supports locally-develop... more »

Academic Gains in NYC, D.C., and Chicago Overstated, Report Contends | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Academic Gains in NYC, D.C., and Chicago Overstated, Report Contends | Philadelphia Public School Notebook: Academic Gains in NYC, D.C., and Chicago Overstated, Report Contends by thenotebook *(Members of the groups ACTION United, Youth United for Change, and the NAACP will be holding a press conference to discuss the report at the District's headquarters on Wednesday, April 17, 4 p.m.)* *This is a reprint of an article that originally appeared** at *Education Week. ------------------------------ *by Lesli A. Maxwell* The school improvement strategies highly touted by leaders such... more »

Driving force behind Bridgeport’s mandatory uniform policy is Board of Ed Member who sells school uniforms - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 6 hours ago
Driving force behind Bridgeport’s mandatory uniform policy is Board of Ed Member who sells school uniforms - Wait, What?: Driving force behind Bridgeport’s mandatory uniform policy is Board of Ed Member who sells school uniforms by jonpelto Last week, with only about 40 days left to the 2012-2013 school year, Central High School announced that they would begin enforcing Bridgeport’s district-wide school uniform policy. As the CT Post wrote, “The edict, made during morning announcements Tuesday by Principal Stephen Anderson and sent home to parents by letter, was ordered by the d... more »

Education By The Numbers | Per pupil spending by school district in the United States

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
Education By The Numbers | Per pupil spending by school district in the United States: Ed Data: Per pupil spending by school district in the United States by Jill Barshay At the end of March, the Hoboken school board voted to increase taxes by 4 percent to pay for the school budget, which spends $23,716 per student, the second highest in the state of New Jersey. It struck me how much school spending has changed since I went to school, when wealthier districts consistently spent more on education than poor districts. In New Jersey, for example, the state kicks in money to help rai... more »

There’s a lot of ‘acting’ at U.S. Education Department

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
There’s a lot of ‘acting’ at U.S. Education Department: There’s a lot of ‘acting’ at U.S. Education Department Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 17, 2013 at 10:51 am Education Secretary Arne Duncan Nearly six months after the presidential election, the Education Department is still riddled with “acting” officials, and Secretary Arne Duncan is losing some of his key aides. Deputy Secretary Tony Miller is departing within the next month, according to Acting Press Secretary Darren Briscoe, and Assistant Secretary Carmel Martin, who ran the office of planning, evaluation and policy deve... more »

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, April 17, 2013

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team: *Freedburg: More than half of suspensions are for “willful defiance” of school authorities* Education Headlines *Wednesday, April 17, 2013* Desert Sands Unified District to refinance bondsThe Desert Sands Unified school board unanimously voted Tuesday to refinance a portion of a school construction bond, saving taxpayers an estimated $4.8 million over the next two decades. Temecula, Perris school districts considering layoffsTwo Southwest County school districts will consider eliminating a total of 22 positions this week, includ... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Vertical linking & looking for feedback on this year's ELA exams

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 7 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Vertical linking & looking for feedback on this year's ELA exams: Vertical linking & looking for feedback on this year's ELA exams by Leonie Haimson If you have children or students in grades 3-8 they are now in the midst of three days of state ELA standardized testing. Last year, the ELA exams werefull of errors and confusing and ambiguous questions, including the infamous Pineapple passage, which we first reported on our blog. This year, we have heard from teachers and principals that the reading passages were difficult and the questions extremel... more »

Revisiting the Compexities of Charter Funding Comparisons | School Finance 101

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Revisiting the Compexities of Charter Funding Comparisons | School Finance 101: Revisiting the Compexities of Charter Funding Comparisons by schoolfinance101 This Education Week Post today rather uncritically summarized a recently published article based on an earlier report on charter school spending “gaps.” I’ve not had a chance to dig into this updated study yet, but the Ed Week post also referred to an earlier study from Ball State University which I have critiqued on multiple occasions. Importantly, my previous critiques of this study point to the complexities of making thes... more »

UPDATE: The Ignored Arm of the Commons and the Invisible Hand of the Market – @ the chalk face

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
The Ignored Arm of the Commons and the Invisible Hand of the Market – @ the chalk face: On thoughtful disagreements and righteous anger by Barbara Madeloni I have been writing this post in my head since at least Occupy the DOE, so it is not simply a direct reply to president of the American Educational Research Association Bill Tierney’s recent email in which he, I expect in anticipation of the protests planned for Arne Duncan’s invited talk at the AERA conference, wrote: “I am weary of the abuse of social media by writers hurling anonymous, venomous insults—a practice that encour... more »

UPDATE: Rahm Emanuel and the myth of invincibility + Appearing to be invisible: An Oxymoron. | Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Appearing to be invisible: An Oxymoron. | Fred Klonsky: Tony at the Red Line Tap. by Fred Klonsky [image: TonyattheRedLine] It was a dark and stormy night. It seemed like Chicago hadn’t had a day without rain for weeks. “Good for the ducks,” my mom used to say. “What’ll you have Freddy?” Marty asks. “Hmmm. How about a cold bottle of Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René” I said. “I was guessing that’s what you would be asking for so I happen to have one right here.” She reached down into Call now. They will vote on whether to gut pensions this week. by Fred Klonsky [image: 602002_6444736889118... more »

Cracking the School-to-Prison Pipeline | California Progress Report

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Cracking the School-to-Prison Pipeline | California Progress Report: Cracking the School-to-Prison Pipeline by callen *By Anthony Asadullah Samad* There has been another raging discussion taking place over the past couple months, that of the school-to-prison pipeline. How many different ways can we say that the absence of investment in America's intellectual capital causes - even promotes - devastating social consequences? And how many different ways can we assess the racial consequences of misapplied forms of social control? No, there are no more "whites only" or "colored only" s... more »

Excellence Goggles: Seeing the World Like a New York Times Writer | EduShyster

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 8 hours ago
Excellence Goggles: Seeing the World Like a New York Times Writer | EduShyster: Excellence Goggles: Seeing the World Like a New York Times Writer by edushyster2012 Excellence goggles like these are*de riguer* among *New York Times*writers. The *New York Times* has long been known as “the grey lady” referring to its historical tendency to present a higher-than-usual proportion of copy to graphics (thank you, Wikipedia!). But might that moniker also refer to the thick cloud of ganja smoke fog of excellence through which the *Times’* many excellent writers view the world? What else but... more »

Shanker Blog » America’s Union Suppression Movement (And Its Apologists), Part One

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 9 hours ago
Shanker Blog » America’s Union Suppression Movement (And Its Apologists), Part One: America’s Union Suppression Movement (And Its Apologists), Part One by Leo Casey *Last week, in “Is There A ‘Corporate Education Reform’ Movement?”, I wrote about the logic of forming strategic alliances on specific issues with those who are not natural allies, even those with whom you mostly disagree. This does not mean, however, that there aren’t those – some with enormous wealth and power – who are bent on undermining the American labor movement generally and teachers’ unions specifically. This... more »

Missouri Education Watchdog: The Changing Terms of Common Core

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Missouri Education Watchdog: The Changing Terms of Common Core: The Changing Terms of Common Core by Anngie Contracts are needed when you don't trust the other party to keep their word. If everyone was honest in their transactions and did what they promised, we wouldn't need lawyers to document every single term, party and deliverable. Since that is not the case, we get a lawyer, write it all down and sign our commitment to honor the terms. But what do you do when the other party keeps changing the terms of the agreement after you have signed? That seems to be the case with Common ...more »

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Governor Hunt, Where Are You? by dianerav Governor Jim Hunt spent years persuading the North Carolina legislature to reduce class size. Now he is out of office, and the radicals in the legislature want to abolish all limits on class size, allegedly in the interest of “flexibility.” It is certainly not in the interest of improving education or helping kids. The research showing the benefits of Fifth-Grader: I Don’t Want to be a Test Slave by dianerav This comm... more »

Daily Kos: An important column from Harold Meyerson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Daily Kos: An important column from Harold Meyerson: An important column from Harold Meyerson by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) in today's *Washington Post*. Let me begin with the ending: Problem is, the Wal-Mart model of employment and service not only reflects but also reinforces the declining economic prospects of the majority of Americans. The nation’s largest private-sector employer has used its market power to impose its low-wage model all along its supply chain, leaving millions of Americans with no shopping option other than the kind of discount, and frustrating, experien... more »

More than half of suspensions are for “willful defiance” of school authorities | EdSource Today

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
More than half of suspensions are for “willful defiance” of school authorities | EdSource Today: More than half of suspensions are for “willful defiance” of school authorities - by Louis Freedberg by Louis Freedberg More than half of all suspensions and a quarter of expulsions in California schools are for “willful defiance” of school authorities, according to a new database that State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson is scheduled to release this Friday. Until now, only very limited data on school suspensions and expulsions by school were available to researcher... more »

Toolkit Tuesday: Post-Student Voice Live! Student Voice

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Student Voice: Toolkit Tuesday: Post-Student Voice Live! by Student Voice Toolkit Organizer *Celebrating Successes and Identifying Challenges* On Saturday April 13th 2013, students, educators, parents, policymakers and people throughout the world joined*Student Voice Live!* either in-person at the Microsoft Offices in New York City or online through watching the live-steam video. To co-create and co-facilitate a conference of such size was no easy task, but a team of dedicated students and adults worked collaboratively to empower the Student Voice. At the end of the Conference, the ... more »

‘Personalization’ of learning: Genuine or slick marketing?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
‘Personalization’ of learning: Genuine or slick marketing?: ‘Personalization’ of learning: Genuine or slick marketing? Posted by Valerie Strauss on April 17, 2013 at 4:00 am 2 Comments More [image: personal]You can’t have a conversation about education reform these days without, at some point, hearing the words “personalization” and “engagement.” What do they really mean? Here to explain is George Wood, superintendent and secondary school principal at the Federal Hocking Local School District in Stewart, Ohio. He is also the executive director of the Forum for Education and Democra... more »

solidaridad: United Adult Students (UAS) to rally against Governor Brown's plan

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
solidaridad: United Adult Students (UAS) to rally against Governor Brown's plan: United Adult Students (UAS) to rally against Governor Brown's plan by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: United Adult Students (UAS) to rally against Governor Brown's plan [image: United Adult Students (UAS) to rally against Governor Brown's plan]Los Angeles, California - April 16, 2013 - United Adult Students (UAS) have announced that they will hold a student rally and present petitions containing thousands of signatures opposed to Governor Brown's plan to move adult education to the C... more »

UPDATE: Will the common core claim credit for bogus test? Schools Matter: Is there really a crisis in science and math education?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Schools Matter: Is there really a crisis in science and math education?: Will the common core claim credit for bogus test score improvement? by skrashen Sent to the New York Daily News. We have been told that the new tests based on the common core will result in low scores (“Just what the kids need,” April 15). What has not been mentioned is that new tests typically result in low scores, and then scores rise for the next few years as teachers and students get used to the test format and content, and teachers learn how to teach to the test. This has been confirmed in studies by Pr... more »

Rhee Needs Parent Trigger More than Parent Trigger Needs Her | Scathing Purple Musings

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Rhee Needs Parent Trigger More than Parent Trigger Needs Her | Scathing Purple Musings: Rhee Needs Parent Trigger More than Parent Trigger Needs Her by Bob Sikes Ann Kane and M. Catharine Evans have been chronicling Michelle Rhee’ s story since she was DC schools chancellor in the influential conservative website *American Thinker*. While I’ve not always agreed with their conclusions, they’ve been spot of with their criticism. They weighed in yesterday on John Merrow’s PBS story which serves as the metaphorical smoking gun for Rhee’s involvement in the DC cheating scandal that h... more »

L.A. Unified board ratifies 'parent-trigger' partnership - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
L.A. Unified board ratifies 'parent-trigger' partnership - latimes.com: L.A. Unified board ratifies 'parent-trigger' partnership by By Dalina Castellanos The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday ratified a partnership between the school district and a charter school to take control of struggling 24th Street Elementary under a controversial parent-empowerment law. The vote marks the first time a school district has elected not to challenge a petition submitted by parents under the state’s “parent-trigger” law. The law grants petitioners substantial authority, giving them optio... more »

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 4-16-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
*Nite Cap UPDATE* * * ** *UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE* ** *CORPORATE ED REFORM* Leaders Urge Colleges to Expand Sports Programs for Students With Disabilities from Diverse by cmaadmin [image: Illinois Athletes]At the University of Illinois, work has been done since 1949 to provide programs specifically for disabled students on adaptive methods to include disabled students. The world watched as Oscar Pistorius eased his prosthetic racing legs into the starting blocks on the track at the Olympics last summer, taking the first steps to making history as the first amputee to race... more »

Freestyle Week: How Politeness Kills Even The Pretense of Justice | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Freestyle Week: How Politeness Kills Even The Pretense of Justice | The Jose Vilson: Freestyle Week: How Politeness Kills Even The Pretense of Justice by Jose Vilson [image: Former NE Patriot Joe Andruzzi Helps Another Runner At The Boston Marathon] Former NE Patriot Joe Andruzzi Helps Another Runner At The Boston Marathon *This week, I’m writing blog posts based on people’s submissions to my Facebook page right here. My first one is based on online friend Michael Doyle’s suggested title, “How politeness kills even the pretense of justice.” Let’s go …* The Boston Marathon shouldn’t... more »

John Thompson: Did Duncan Load the Bullets into Michelle Rhee's Smoking Gun? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
John Thompson: Did Duncan Load the Bullets into Michelle Rhee's Smoking Gun? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: John Thompson: Did Duncan Load the Bullets into Michelle Rhee's Smoking Gun? by Anthony Cody *Guest post by John Thompson.* The current headline is that John Merrow found "the smoking gun," or the confidential memo warning Michelle Rhee of the extent of cheating that may have occurred in Washington D.C. schools in response to her draconian "reforms." Merrow's "Michelle Rhee's Reign of Error" summarizes the evidence of an inexcusable failure to investigate the ... more »

Photos: Ohio is Jazzed About #StopCommonCore | Truth in American Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Photos: Ohio is Jazzed About #StopCommonCore | Truth in American Education: Photos: Ohio is Jazzed About #StopCommonCore by Shane Vander Hart Ohio had some informational meetings about the Common Core at three different locations throughout the state. Ohioans Against Common Core has an update here. Between 850-1000 attended. The photos below are from Jamie Gass of the Pioneer Institute who was one of the speakers. The speakers for these events were: *Cincinnati *– held April 12th held at the Anderson Twp. Center. Hosted by Anderson. - Emmett McGroarty – American Principles Pr... more »

Jersey Jazzman: NJDOE's Failed Charter Office

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Jersey Jazzman: NJDOE's Failed Charter Office: NJDOE's Failed Charter Office by Duke In the name of "choice," the NJDOE granted a charter last year to the Newark-based 100 Legacy Academy Charter School. Enormously pleased with themselves, the Christie Administration and the NJDOE nearly dislocated their shoulders from patting themselves on the back so vigorously: Demonstrating the *Christie Administration’s strong support for increasing the number of high-quality school options for New Jersey students*, the Department today approved 9 charter schools to open in September, bringin... more »

Mother Crusader: Newark And Irvington Kids Stuck In Cerf's Charter Revolving Door

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Mother Crusader: Newark And Irvington Kids Stuck In Cerf's Charter Revolving Door: Newark And Irvington Kids Stuck In Cerf's Charter Revolving Door by darciecima Today John Mooney wrote about the revocation of 100 Legacy Academy's charter. It can't be stressed enough that this charter was just opened in September. This is the schools FIRST year of operation. While I will concede that the charter was granted before Cerf became commissioner, the rest of the decisions to open this charter rest squarely on his shoulders. He could have avoided this at multiple turns. I guarantee the... more »

NYC Educator: Will Union Help You When You Sue Over a Bad Evaluation?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
NYC Educator: Will Union Help You When You Sue Over a Bad Evaluation?: Will Union Help You When You Sue Over a Bad Evaluation? by NYC Educator Teacher Ken has a great piece about the awful Florida evaluation system. Apparently, a teacher of the year was rated unsatisfactory. One more rating like that and she'll be putting on a Mickey Mouse costume for 8 bucks an hour. And the NEA, as well as the Florida Education Association, are parties in a lawsuit with 7 teachers. Apparently, they're all great teachers, hooked by the VAM monster. Value-added comes to NYC next year. If the intrep... more »

State Democrats decide who's a REAL Democrat - latimes.com

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
State Democrats decide who's a REAL Democrat - latimes.com: State Democrats decide who's a REAL Democrat By Karin Klein April 16, 2013, 5:30 a.m. Real Democrats don’t back school reform, apparently. Or maybe the message is that Democrats don’t let Democrats shake up the school scene. In any case, real Democrats clearly aren’t allowed to disagree with the California Teachers Assn. It’s more than a little disturbing to read that the California Democratic Party voted to condemn groups that lobby for major change in the schools, such as Democrats for Education Reform, and called them... more »