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Monday, December 9, 2013

Morning Wink 12-9-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2


BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS

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LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-9-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Disgusting: Missouri State Commissioner Pushes Secret Plan to Privatize Kansas City SchoolsJoe Robertson of the Kansas City Star reported that the newspaper obtained secret emails describing an effort by State Commissioner Chris Dicastro to wipe out public education in that city. “Backed by two of the most influential foundations in Kansas City, Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro and a state-hired consultant are planning the future of Kansas City Public Schools as a slate wby dianeravitch / 13min hide  //  saveJerse
12-9-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Alabama death penalty cases in politicsThe issue of capital punishment has been gaining ground in American politics. It has gone so far to the point where it begins to ruin our court systems along with our economy. Alabama is one of the three states that allows for judges to override the jury's sentence to life in prison without parole and heighten it to the death penalty, and it is the only state to use it regularly. This is causing jby Thomas Bates / 6h  Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 12-7-13Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: mark as readNelson Mandela passes away....Sadly,
12-9-13 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Telling Jokes As A Language-Learning ActivityMy latest New York Times post for English Language Learners is about telling jokes as a language-learning activity. It includes a student interactive and teaching ideas. You can also seen all my previous Times posts here.by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h YESTERDAYThe Best Articles (And Blog Posts) Offering Practical Advice & Resources To Teachers In 2013 – Part Two    I continue my year-end “The Best…” lists… The title of this “The Best…” list is pretty self-explanatory. What you’l

TODAY

12-9-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Heavenly reward v Secure retirement.Hi Fred,   The following essay is the evolution of several emails between my sister, Betty Dietz, and myself over the weekend. It began with just random thoughts while typing then turned into this final product. We began by reflecting on how the Catholic school stud
12-9-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Malloy’s campaign donation haul from corporate education reform industry tops $70kAn updated review of the latest federal and state campaign finance reports reveal that Governor Malloy has collected in excess of $70,000 in campaign contributions from individuals associated with the corporate education reform industry. Although Malloy has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election
12-9-13 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Who de Blasio really wanted as NYC schools chancellorNew York City Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio is considering a number of candidates to be his new public schools chancellor —  a decision that is one of the most visible and important he will make as he staffs his new administration — and it seems like every day there is a new rumor about who […]    by Valerie Strauss / 5h 12-8-13 T
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education
Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education: Welcome back, Coach – FL teacher and writer, Bob Sikes, has returned to the Blogosphere !!! #ColorMeHappy @bobsikes | Continuing ChangeWelcome back, Coach – FL teacher and writer, Bob Sikes, has returned to the Blogosphere !!! #ColorMeHappy @bobsikes | Continuing Change:
What’s Politics Got To Do With It? – redqueeninla
What’s Politics Got To Do With It? – redqueeninla: What’s Politics Got To Do With It?Written by redqueeninla in LAUSDWhat’s “politics” mean to you, for that matter?  Because it is evidently another of these words for which there are different, loaded meanings to different people, a “buzzword”.In all honesty, this surprises me; I thought it was fairly straight-forward to know what is “politics”, I
12-9-13 Daily Kos: Invisible Child
Daily Kos: Invisible Child: Invisible ChildShe wakes to the sound of breathing. The smaller children lie tangled beside her, their chests rising and falling under winter coats and wool blankets. A few feet away, their mother and father sleep near the mop bucket they use as a toilet. Two other children share a mattress by the rotting wall where the mice live, opposite the baby, whose crib is warmed
12-9-13 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Randi Weingarten and The Day of Misdirection. Oh wait, that's every day for her...That's Michael Fiorillo's response to Randi Weingarten p.r. over today's "Day of Action" to recalaim the promise of public education.And indeed, there is a diversionary tactic in this call to action.Even as our union leaders take millions of dollars from Bill Gates to promote the CCSS
The Educated Reporter: EWA Resources for Reporters: Webinars, Story Starters and More
The Educated Reporter: EWA Resources for Reporters: Webinars, Story Starters and More: EWA Resources for Reporters: Webinars, Story Starters and MoreIn case you missed it, you can catch a replay of our webinar on the new GED, which is going to reshape the landscape for individuals seeking to move ahead with their educations. In fact, we've got recordings of all our most recent online events conven
School Funding Litigation Seems Endless But Proves Essential | janresseger
School Funding Litigation Seems Endless But Proves Essential | janresseger: School Funding Litigation Seems Endless But Proves EssentialPosted on December 9, 2013 by janressegerAccording to David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center and lead counsel in the New Jersey school funding case, Abbott v. Burke,  “There is a decades-old and stubborn unwillingness by governors and legisl
Immediate Gratification And Education Policy
Shanker Blog » Immediate Gratification And Education Policy: Immediate Gratification And Education PolicyPosted by Matthew Di Carlo on December 9, 2013A couple of months ago, Bill Gates said something that received a lot of attention. With regard to his foundation’s education reform efforts, which focus most prominently on teacher evaluations, but encompass many other areas, he noted, “we don’t kn
Seeing in theory and practice: the impact of a liberal-arts education | Hechinger Report
Seeing in theory and practice: the impact of a liberal-arts education | Hechinger Report: Seeing in theory and practice: the impact of a liberal-arts educationBy Therese McCartyAs a college senior, I decided to round out my undergraduate experience with several courses in the humanities, including introductory philosophy. Among the concepts we studied was George (Bishop) Berkeley’s contention that
Some sober words for school boards amid predictions of plenty | EdSource Today
Some sober words for school boards amid predictions of plenty | EdSource Today: Some sober words for school boards amid predictions of plentyDecember 8th, 2013 | Add a Comment | By John Fensterwald1For the first time since the Great Recession,school districts are getting more money this yearfrom the state; some – big beneficiaries of the new Local Control Funding Formula – are getting a lot. And t
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES: WEEKEND QUOTABLESNelson Mandela Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.”  -- Johannesburg   July 2, 2005Secret TeacherMy son brought home a Christmas card that consisted of a p

YESTERDAY

12-8-13 Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog
Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: Protesters Topple Vladimir LeninOn Sunday protesters knocked down the statue of Vladimir Lenin in outrage over the Ukrainian government's push or closer ties to Russia. Some vandalized the statue even further by smashing it with hammers. Beside them stood a man waving a Ukrainian flag.  A lawmaker with the nationalist Svoboda party claimed responsibility for the inciden
NYC Public School Parents: ALEC's student privacy bill and the hydra-headed data predators
NYC Public School Parents: ALEC's student privacy bill and the hydra-headed data predators: ALEC's student privacy bill and the hydra-headed data predatorsAs recently reported in Education Week , the American Legislative Exchange Council (or ALEC), the conservative advocacy group, is jumping on the student privacy bandwagon and has written a “model” bill for state legislators to adopt, based on an
Florida Council of 100 Uses Sketchy “Skills” Data to Justify Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings
Florida Council of 100 Uses Sketchy “Skills” Data to Justify Common Core | Scathing Purple Musings: Florida Council of 100 Uses Sketchy “Skills” Data to Justify Common CorePosted on December 8, 2013by Bob Sikes      Rate ThisTampa Bay Times reporter Danny Valentine sought out Florida leaders for quotes in the aftermath of the state’s poor PISA outcomes. Among them were the Florida Council of 100.S
DAILY NEWS REPORTER BARBARA JONES "REWARDED" FOR NOT DEVIATING FROM LAUSD PARTY LINE - Perdaily.com
DAILY NEWS REPORTER BARBARA JONES "REWARDED" FOR NOT DEVIATING FROM LAUSD PARTY LINE - Perdaily.com: DAILY NEWS REPORTER BARBARA JONES " rel="bookmark" href="http://www.perdaily.com/2013/12/its-hard-to-get-angry.html">(Mensaje se repite en Español)It's hard to get angry at the American public for doing nothing to stop the dismantling and privatization of public education for profit and t
Best John Lennon Quotes: 10 Phrases To Honor The Genius Beatle On The 33rd Anniversary Of His Death : News : Latin Times
Best John Lennon Quotes: 10 Phrases To Honor The Genius Beatle On The 33rd Anniversary Of His Death : News : Latin Times: Best John Lennon Quotes: 10 Phrases To Honor The Genius Beatle On The 33rd Anniversary Of His DeathBy Oscar Lopez, Dec 08, 2013 01:46 PM EST John Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building where he lived, The Dakota, in New York City on 8 December 198
James Baldwin and Writing Through Disaster - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson
James Baldwin and Writing Through Disaster - The Jose Vilson | The Jose Vilson: James Baldwin and Writing Through Disasterby JOSE VILSON on DECEMBER 8, 2013in JOSEJames BaldwinOn Tuesday, at 7:30am, right before class, I found out my father passed away from my brother. The opaque skies of the early morning didn’t let up all day. My students acted as they usually do: adolescent, chatty, enlightened
Nite Cap 12-8-13 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #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 mark as read12-8-13 Seattle Schools Community ForumSeattle Schools Community Forum: Updated Seattle Schools Growth Boundaries InformationThis SPS page has updated documents and a "look-up" tool for you to see, based on your address, wh
12-8-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Updated Seattle Schools Growth Boundaries InformationThis SPS page has updated documents and a "look-up" tool for you to see, based on your address, what your child's schools will be.by Melissa Westbrook / 40min  12-7-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum WeekSeattle Schools Community Forum:Seattle Schools Community Forum mark as readEducation News RoundupI
Shaky Grant From For-Profit Charter School Ensnares Miami Republican Sen. Anitere Flores | Scathing Purple Musings
Shaky Grant From For-Profit Charter School Ensnares Miami Republican Sen. Anitere Flores | Scathing Purple Musings: Shaky Grant From For-Profit Charter School Ensnares Miami Republican Sen. Anitere FloresPosted on December 8, 2013by Bob Sikes      Rate ThisSen. Anitere Flores (R-Miami) never met a piece of legislation that benefited the for-profit charter school industry she didn’t like. Just pay
O.E.C.D. Warns West on Education Gaps - NYTimes.com
O.E.C.D. Warns West on Education Gaps - NYTimes.com: By D. D. GUTTENPLANPublished: December 8, 2013LONDON — Like a school principal handing out a clutch of C grades, Andreas Schleicher unveiled the results from the latest round of the Program for International Student Assessment tests last week. For Britain, the United States and most of Western Europe, the results ranged from “average” to “poor.”
NYC Public School Parents: Update on our lawsuit vs. NYSED uploading any MORE personal student data to inBloom, and yet more evidence of the blatant disregard the state has for our children's privacy
NYC Public School Parents: Update on our lawsuit vs. NYSED uploading any MORE personal student data to inBloom, and yet more evidence of the blatant disregard the state has for our children's privacy: Update on our lawsuit vs. NYSED uploading any MORE personal student data to inBloom, and yet more evidence of the blatant disregard the state has for our children's privacyOn January 3 in Albany, the
Will the Common Core be the Rosetta Stone for Corporate Reform? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Will the Common Core be the Rosetta Stone for Corporate Reform? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Will the Common Core be the Rosetta Stone for Corporate Reform?By Anthony Cody on December 8, 2013 4:42 PM In the year 1799, a French soldier discovered an ancient stone in Egypt that had been inscribed with a royal proclamation in the year 196 BC, in three languages; Ancient Greek, Demot
12-8-13 Jersey Jazzman
Jersey Jazzman: The Mustache of Understanding Tries To Do EducationA couple of weeks ago, I noted that Tom Friedman - the NY Times's own Mustache of Understanding - was in danger of losing his Wanker-In-Chief title to Frank Bruni. The bald-faced food critic, you see, had attempted to opine on education, with predictably disastrous results; how could bushy-nosed Friedman ever top Bruni's stunning d
Florida’s New Teacher Evaluation System Proving Itself A Huge Failure – All at the Cost of our Kids #ChaChing | Continuing Change
Florida’s New Teacher Evaluation System Proving Itself A Huge Failure – All at the Cost of our Kids #ChaChing | Continuing Change: Florida’s New Teacher Evaluation System Proving Itself A Huge Failure – All at the Cost of our Kids #ChaChingFrom Matt Reid, Editor of Florida Today: Somehow, 98 percent of teacher evaluations suggest we accomplished that, even though school grades dropped statewide. H
12-8-13 With A Brooklyn Accent: Terry Pruess Announces Her Candidacy for Presidency of Broward Teachers Union- With My Endorsement
With A Brooklyn Accent: Terry Pruess Announces Her Candidacy for Presidency of Broward Teachers Union- With My Endorsement: Terry Pruess Announces Her Candidacy for Presidency of Broward Teachers Union- With My EndorsementFROM:  Terry Preuss, NBCT, Career Public Educator, BTU Executive Board Member, District Advisory Council Appointee @ www.terrypreuss.comFOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND PHOTOS CONTACT
President of National Teachers Union to Take Part in Newark Schools Rally Monday - Schools - Newark, NJ Patch
President of National Teachers Union to Take Part in Newark Schools Rally Monday - Schools - Newark, NJ Patch: President of National Teachers Union to Take Part in Newark Schools Rally MondayLabor organizations, Newark mayor, school officials also participating in 'National Day of Action'Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. File photoRandi Weingarten, the president o
Attorney Needed to Take on NYCDOE southbronxschool.com
http://www.southbronxschool.com: Attorney Needed to Take on NYCDOEFor those who read my blog  you will know I am in for a fight right now. I have been brought up on 3020a charges. I can't go too much into specifics, but I was set up to fail last school year.Right now I have my NYSUT attorney fighting for me, but I need an outside attorney to bring my case to Federal Court. I am not at liberty to s
Thunderclap: Reclaim the Promise
Thunderclap: Reclaim the Promise: Reclaim the Promise“Reclaim the Promise of Public Education: Our Schools, Our Solutions! #ReclaimPublicEdhttp://thndr.it/1kg85rz”Join AFT in sharing this message together at the same time - automatically.SUPPORT WITHTWITTER FACEBOOK TUMBLRInvite friends     EmbedYou will allow Thunderclap to share this message once on your behalf, along with other supporters.If th
Corporate America Might Need Common Core, But Our “Outputs” Don’t | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates
Corporate America Might Need Common Core, But Our “Outputs” Don’t | Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates: Corporate America Might Need Common Core, But Our “Outputs” Don’tPosted on December 8, 2013by Teachers'LettersToBillGates“Kill poverty not human beings.  Stop putting the value of money over the value of lives.” – Mahatma GandhiDecember 8, 2013Dear Allan Golston,This is in response to your editoria
Welcome back, Coach – FL teacher and writer, Bob Sikes, has returned to the Blogosphere !!! #ColorMeHappy @bobsikes | Continuing Change
Welcome back, Coach – FL teacher and writer, Bob Sikes, has returned to the Blogosphere !!! #ColorMeHappy @bobsikes | Continuing Change: Welcome back, Coach – FL teacher and writer, Bob Sikes, has returned to the Blogosphere !!! #ColorMeHappy @bobsikesDecember 8, 2013Education      Rate ThisGOOD news !!!!Florida teacher and education blogger, Bob Sikes of Scathing Purple Musings has returned from
12-8-13 teacherken at Daily Kos
teacherken at Daily Kos: Light a room with potatoes - reallyperhaps even charge your cell phone that way. Don't believe me?  Take a look at A Potato Battery Can Light Up a Room For Over a Month from Smithsonian.com How it works -   What the potato does is simply help conduct electricity by acting as what’s called a salt-bridge between the the two metals, allowing the electron current to move freel
12-8-13 Connected Principals | Sharing. Learning. Leading.
Connected Principals | Sharing. Learning. Leading.: 4 (Digital) Habits That Will Make You More Creativecc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Eric E Castro Sir Ken Robinson’s talk on the notion that “schools kill creativity”, is the most viewed Ted Talk ever. The views and clicks do not only come from educators, but from people all over the world as we all have a vested interest in our students
12-8-13 Seattle Schools Community Forum
Seattle Schools Community Forum: It's True; There is no Shame in Being a Public Education AdvocateWhether it's ed reform or just plain old reform, there is praise to be given to anyone who speaks up for public education.  I have respect for even those with whom I disagree because public education matters.(I do have less respect for those in ed reform who do not want to have a dialog unless you agr
NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris and Ethan Young on the Common Core and testing
NYC Public School Parents: Carol Burris and Ethan Young on the Common Core and testing: Carol Burris and Ethan Young on the Common Core and testingLast night, principal Carol Burris of South Shore High School on Long Island and Tennessee student Ethan Young were on the Huckabee Show on Fox News.  Carol was named principal of the year in New York State and is theauthor of a petition against the sta
NYC Educator: Am I Growing Senile, or Is Tom Friedman Inadvertantly Pro-Teacher?
NYC Educator: Am I Growing Senile, or Is Tom Friedman Inadvertantly Pro-Teacher?: Am I Growing Senile, or Is Tom Friedman Inadvertantly Pro-Teacher?I'm not a big fan of NY Times columnist Tom Friedman. In fact, I'm not a big fan of any NY Times columnist, particularly when they write about education. Recently, even Paul Krugman, my favorite by far, has been whoring himself out writing pro-Common C
Resist the Privatization of America
Why ALEC Lied About Failures at Public Schools » Resist the Privatization of America: Why ALEC Lied About Failures at Public Schools Sunday, 04 August 2013ALEC vs. Kids: ALEC’s Assault on Public Education. That’s the alarmingly accurate title of a new report that focuses on how the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) education task force has used a state-by-state report card to fabricate
12-8-13 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Education innovation: A case study in what not to doThe $1 billion initiative by the Los Angeles public schools district to give an iPad to all 650,000 students and teachers for home use has been nothing short of a mess, plagued by poor planning and bad execution. You can read about it here. Here’s a new look at what went wrong from  Larry Cuban, a […]    by Valerie Strauss / 7mi
Common Core’s Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings
Common Core’s Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost in Florida | Scathing Purple Musings: Common Core’s Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost in FloridaPosted on December 8, 2013by Bob SikesThere’s a nifty little site I can  calculate the number of days it has been since my last post – 116 to be exact. More on my sabbatical later. But it seems ironic now that my last post on August 15th was  It’s Begun: F
Give the Gift of Excellence | EduShyster
Give the Gift of Excellence | EduShyster: Give the Gift of Excellence 300 million ways to support Teach for America this holiday seasonHappy holidays, reader! Tis the time of year when our thoughts turn to the neediest among us, those that require just a little extra giving this season. I give you: the Philadelphia Public Schools Teach for America. You see, it takes a lot of those special Christma
The Auditor: Christie, education leader go from friendly to foes again | NJ.com
The Auditor: Christie, education leader go from friendly to foes again | NJ.com: The Auditor: Christie, education leader go from friendly to foes againJust 13 months ago, Gov. Chris Christie and Randi Weingarten, national president of the American Federation of Teachers, were all smiles, appearing together on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe."The one-time foes praised each other for the bipartisan c
12-8-13 Wait What?
Wait What?: Democratic response to Malloy’s fundraising strategy is absurd and insulting…Over the past month, Governor Malloy’s strategy for raising money for his potential re-election bid has become increasingly clear.  Not only does he intended to take the millions in public financing but he is seeking to augment that amount with millions more in donation from those who do business with the stat
12-8-13 Fred Klonsky | Running for our pensions. | VOTE 4 Fred Klonsky
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Sunday reads.  In a private office in the Thompson Center with no press allowed, Squeezy signs the #pension theft. Why are they smiling? Another battle by parents with CPS to keep a public school open. Now that he’s dead, and can cause no more trouble, Nelson Mandela is being mourned across the ideolo
Morning Wink 12-8-13 AM Posts #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT #P2
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSmark as readLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: How to Evaluate a Teacher, ReallyThis is a terrific article that appeared on Huffington Post by Nicholas Ferroni. He speaks truths that every teacher will understand. This is what he