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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Majority of Newark board promises legal action against Cami | Bob Braun's Ledger

Majority of Newark board promises legal action against Cami | Bob Braun's Ledger:



Majority of Newark board promises legal action against Cami

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Newark school board members Marquis Lewis-Aquil, Donald Jackson, Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson and Ariagna Perello at Wednesday night's press conference.
Newark school board members Marquis Lewis-Aquil, Donald Jackson, Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson and Ariagna Perello at Wednesday night’s press conference. Deborah Gregory Smith, head of the Newark NAACP, looks on.

Seven of the nine members of Newark’s elected school board said they would go to court to seek the end of the city’s school reorganization plan known as “One Newark,” the dismissal of state-imposed school superintendent Cami Anderson, and the return of local control of a district seized by the state in 1995.  The board members contend Anderson has violated both school board policy and fire safety codes.
“We will not wait until they destroy Newark’s public schools, ” declared Ariagna Perello, the vice chair of the school board in a new conference on the steps of City Hall.
Four other board members–Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson, Philip Seelinger, Donald Jackson, and Marquis-Aquil Lewis–joined in the news conference. Statements in support of the board action by members DeNiqua Matias and Kahlil Rashidi were read by Perello.
Board president Rashon Hasan, viewed as an Anderson ally, and  member Rashied McCreary did not join their colleagues in condemning the superintendent and the man who appointed her,  Gov. Chris Christie. McCreary is a teacher at the KIPP charter school chain; charter schools have been major beneficiaries of the public school closing and  student dispersal plan Anderson called “One Newark.”
The board members, led by Perello, expressed increased frustration with the chaos that attended the opening of school under the “One Newark” plan earlier this month. She cited the problems at Barringer  High School where many Majority of Newark board promises legal action against Cami | Bob Braun's Ledger:

#optout #refusethetest without Fear of Federal Penalty to Your School - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform

#optout #refusethetest without Fear of Federal Penalty to Your School - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform:



#optout #refusethetest without Fear of Federal Penalty to Your School

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The following document is courtesy of Fairtest.  A big thank you to Monty Neill, Lisa Guisbond and Bob Schaeffer for their collaboration as we work together to take down corporate education reform.

Rubber Room is Death Row southbronxschool

http://www.southbronxschool.com:



Rubber Room is Death Row

There was a parole, or maybe a commutation, today at the Zerega Ave Rubber Room.

As mentioned the other day, Rudy Baylor as reported here on Monday, received a new suit, a bus ticket and a ride to the deep end of the ATR pool courtesy of our friends at the DOE. We all bade him a fond farewell, wished him the best and went back to waiting. And waiting, and waiting for whatever fate awaits us.

Now there are 11 of us left. Coincidentally, we are all, we the exception of one (Who happens to be on the cusp of 40), over the age of 40. The vast majority are male and/or of color. But all of us share a few similarities. We are independent of mind and counting the days.

Two weeks ago I wrote about Tito Landrum and how OSI came for him. The poor guy has his meeting just a few days ago and he has been a wreck. He is walking around the last few days in a fog, just in shock. Almost 20 years in the system and it can all go down the toilet because anything a child says is gospel and teachers are deemed guilty unless they have the fight in them to prove themselves innocent after being kicked in the face for months.

Last year I wrote about my lack of human contact where I was assigned. In some ways that was better than I have it now. In a surreal way the Rubber Room at Zerega Ave resembles, rather is, Death Row. Death and doom are all around me. At least at 4360 Broadway I could create my own fantastical world.

That's what it's like. We sit around day after day, week after week and so on and wonder when our doom is coming or if will we get a last minute call to save us. Worse, we sit there wondering if this is all some kind of dream that we can't yet wake ourselves out of. 

We are in a large lunchroom with is akin to the day room in the pod on Death Row. A dozen people http://www.southbronxschool.com:

New report on L.A. Unified's iPads reflects problems with curriculum - LA Times

New report on L.A. Unified's iPads reflects problems with curriculum - LA Times:



New report on L.A. Unified's iPads reflects problems with curriculum






 An  evaluation of the iPads-for-all project in Los Angeles schools found that only 1 of 245 classrooms surveyed even used the costly curriculum. 



The analysis, conducted by an outside firm, also highlighted other problems, including the pace of the rollout last year at 47 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It found that district staff was so focused on distributing devices that little attention could be paid to using iPads effectively in the classroom.



The early goal "was to just get the devices out, that was basically it, just get the devices out, use them as quick as possible ... there were other goals … they were talked about but they really didn’t get implemented,” the report quoted one technical specialist as saying.



A “district leader” commented: “We didn’t have enough people so everyone was working on deployment ... that really, really impacted our professional development rollout, in fact we barely had one because of that.”



The review, conducted by a nine-member team from Washington firm American Institutes for Research, offers a sharp contrast to early pronouncements from the school district on the $1.3-billion effort. In particular, L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy labeled the project “an astonishing success” and officials faulted media reports for suggesting otherwise.



Last month, Deasy suspended new purchases under the iPad contract and relaunched bidding. His close ties to Apple, the device maker, and Pearson, which provided the curriculum on the iPad, are under scrutiny by the school system’s inspector general. Deasy has denied any impropriety, emphasizing that he recused himself from the bidding because he owned Apple stock.



All told, the nation’s second-largest school system has purchased 109,000 iPads so far; 62,000 contain the Pearson curriculum. It was left off devices purchased late last year for use in state standardized testing. To date, the district has spent $61 million on the iPads, New report on L.A. Unified's iPads reflects problems with curriculum - LA Times:



lRelatedSupt. Deasy's early and avid support of iPads under intense scrutiny

EDUCATION
Supt. Deasy's early and avid support of iPads under intense scrutiny
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Disgraced, recalled, homophobic former Education Comm. Chair Paul Scott now a lobbyist for anti-teacher group StudentsFirst | Eclectablog

Disgraced, recalled, homophobic former Education Comm. Chair Paul Scott now a lobbyist for anti-teacher group StudentsFirst | Eclectablog:



Disgraced, recalled, homophobic former Education Comm. Chair Paul Scott now a lobbyist for anti-teacher group StudentsFirst

Former state House Representative Paul Scott earned a reputation during his time in office as one of the most anti-teacher legislators in Michigan. In his position as the Chair of the House Education Committee, he oversaw some of the most egregious attacks on teachers since Republicans swept into power following the 2010 election. It was bad enough that, eventually, Scott was recalled by voters in his district. The recall had a long and convoluted history with Scott attempting – unsuccessfully – to have the courts throw it out three times. In one of his attempts, he used the ludicrous rationale that he himself had created too much confusion for the recall to continue.
During the recall effort, Governor Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette came to Scott’s defense in what the Detroit Free Press called a “clumsy and nakedly partisan” move, intervening on behalf of Scott with the State Supreme Court. Snyder even campaigned for him in Genesee County to help him fight the recall.
Scott has a notorious history as detailed by our pals at Progress Michigan. For example, while in office, he got one of his staffers pregnant and then moved her to a position on his campaign for Secretary of State.
Scott is also a notorious homophobe. He once accused an opponent of receiving support from “far left and radical homosexual groups”, his term for LGBT advocacy groups like Equality Michigan. An observer described Scott’s behavior during one debate this way:
At several points during the debate, Scott sneered at “the liberals,” whom he said have ruined this state, the family and our economy. Twice during the debate, he balled his fists and raised his voice in anger about the threat that gay people pose to our civilization. Scott’s angriest moment came when he expressed his utter “disgust” that middle school students in Goodrich are taught about condom use in a voluntary sex education class.
We now learn that, despite his homophobic, extreme views, Paul Scott has been hired as a lobbyist for the anti-teacher group StudentsFirst or “Regional Legislative Manager”, as they call him.
Scott has a long history with StudentsFirst. As the Chair of the House Education Committee, he shepherded multiple pieces of legislation written by them through his committee, legislation which did things like making illegal teacher strikes more illegal. In a leaked internal document from 2011, StudentsFirst thanks Scott for “overseeing the entire process” and gives credit to House Policy advisor Jason Mancini for Disgraced, recalled, homophobic former Education Comm. Chair Paul Scott now a lobbyist for anti-teacher group StudentsFirst | Eclectablog:

Bill to Improve After School and Expanded Learning - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education)

Bill to Improve After School and Expanded Learning - Year 2014 (CA Dept of Education):



State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds Approval of Bill to
Improve After School and Expanded Learning Programs 




SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today praised Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. for signing Senate Bill 1221, sponsored by State Senator Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, which will improve the quality of after school and expanded learning programs and encourage more programs to operate year-round.

"Strengthening and increasing access to after school and expanded learning programs is a top priority," Torlakson said. "High-quality programs help students succeed inside and outside the classroom by improving school attendance and academic success, while reducing high school dropout rates and juvenile crime."

The legislation is just one part of Torlakson's effort to upgrade expanded learning programs, which include before and after school, summer and intersession programs focused on developing the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of students.

Torlakson' s After School Division issued a report last week that provides a road map to help all programs strive for excellence. The report, Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California: Creating and Implementing a Shared Vision of Quality External link opens in new window or tab.offers a set of guidelines for implementing innovative and engaging programs.

In June Torlakson announced that $51 million in new grants from three separate funds were awarded to 333 local after school and expanded learning programs. In California, the Department of Education funds more than 4,400 programs, more than all the other 49 states combined.

For more information about expanded learning, visit the CDE's Before and After School Web page. For more information on SB 1221 External link opens in new window or tab. visit the California Legislative Information Web page.
# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

solidaridad: Unpacking Charter Schools' Heavy Baggage this week on Politics Or Pedagogy? with John Cromshow

solidaridad: Unpacking Charter Schools' Heavy Baggage this week on Politics Or Pedagogy? with John Cromshow:



Unpacking Charter Schools' Heavy Baggage this week on Politics Or Pedagogy? with John Cromshow

Politics Or Pedagogy? with John Cromshow

Featuring an analysis of education, policy and practice affecting our public schools.



KPFK 90.7 FM
Politics or Pedagogy? with John Cromshow

Friday, September 19, 2014
7:00 - 8:00 PM
Call in: (818) 985-5735

TOPIC:
Unpacking Charter Schools Heavy Baggage

GUESTS:
Kurt Bier, Esq.
Scott Folsom
Cynthia Liu, Ph.D.
(Dr. Paul Payne)
Meredith Ryley
Robert D. Skeels

INTERVIEWS:
Jackie Goldberg
Lisa Karahalios

Nite Cap 9-17-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT



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



Racial Justice In Schools Starts With Teacher Cultural Competency, Not “NYPD” T-Shirts
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4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 9-17-14
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A snapshot you won't see in the media | New Politics
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Cali Education Headlines 9-17-14
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: New school supplies from the Pentagon. Deasy in L.A. grabs some M16s and grenade launchers.
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Hard Times, Our Times | Bill Ayers
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9-17-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
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10 Reasons why the city’s Preschool for All Proposition 1B is not a good idea | Seattle Education
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19 STATES ALLOW CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS ? YIKES ! | Teachers Fight Back
19 STATES ALLOW CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS ? YIKES ! | Teachers Fight Back: 19 STATES ALLOW CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS ? YIKES !leave a comment »I just heard a report that said 19 states in the U.S. allow corporal punishment in their schools.  Wow!  Can this be true ?All this came to light because of the media’s discussions about the Adrian Peterson situation.  Where are these 19 states ? 
#WeCantWait Photo Campaign Shows What's Missing in Underfunded Schools | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity
#WeCantWait Photo Campaign Shows What's Missing in Underfunded Schools | National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity: #WeCantWait Photo Campaign Shows What's Missing in Underfunded SchoolsPosted on: Wednesday September 17th, 2014New York State owes its students billions in school funding it refuses to provide. Now, a powerful photo campaign from the Allianc
NYC Public School Parents: NYC Schools, Kids, Parents and Teachers will march in historic demonstration for climate action Sept. 21
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A Teacher Speaks Out | Taking Note
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Morning Wink 9-17-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTSLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-17-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for allDiane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Jersey Jazzman: Governor Christie Should Be Held Accountable for Failure in State-Controlled DistrictsJersey Jazzman says Governor Christie has complete control of education in four urban distri
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-17-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
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9-17-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
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9-17-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher
Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: Hooray for cartoonists.Dykes to Watch Out For cartoonist Alison Bechdel won the MacCarthur Award this morning. Hooray for cartoonists.2 by Fred Klonsky / 1h hide  //  saveLeadership.3 by Fred Klonsky / 2h 9-16-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacherFred Klonsky | Daily posts
9-17-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: MY TIP and IPC Story - by John Elfrank-DanaAP: The evaluator chooses if video will be used. (She points out rightly that the UFT gave the discretion of video to the evaluator instead of the evaluated. Way to go Mulgrew!)... JED Another gem from John. Isn't it great to be on F-You time?Warning – Kids don’t try this at your school. This teacher has one year to go before retirement.T
9-17-14 Wait What? - Malloy’s Fundraising Operation – “Offensive but not illegal”
Wait What?: Malloy’s Fundraising Operation – “Offensive but not illegal”As noted earlier this week in Wait, What? post entitled, Three cheers for campaign finance corruption in Connecticut!, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy and his campaign operation has collected at least $3.5 million for his campaign by directing large campaign contributors to make donations to the Democratic State Central Committee
The Answer Sheet 9-17-14
Answer Sheet: Four Common Core ‘flimflams’Award-winning Principal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York was once a supporter of the Common Core but came to be a critic after her state began to implement the initiative. (You can read some of her work on the botched implementation  in New York here,  here, here and here.)  Burris was named […]400+ by Valerie Strauss / 5h The Answer Shee
9-17-14 Hemlock on the Rocks
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9-17-14 Perdido Street School
Perdido Street School: Cuomo Wants To "Bridge The Broadband Divide" At Same Time He Can't Pay For The Tappan Zee Bridge ProjectIt is becoming increasingly clear that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo is building a $3.9 billion dollar replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge that has no funding source.Cuomo tried to get half a billion in loans from the EPA clean water fund for the bridge, but that at
MEW Editors Join Lawsuit Challenging Missouri Payments to Support Common Core | Missouri Education Watchdog
MEW Editors Join Lawsuit Challenging Missouri Payments to Support Common Core | Missouri Education Watchdog: MEW Editors Join Lawsuit Challenging Missouri Payments to Support Common CoreinShareGretchen Logue  and Anne Gassel  of the Missouri Coalition Against Common Core have joined Fred N. Sauer in filing a taxpayer lawsuit against Governor Nixon, Commissioner Nicastro, and other state officials.
PDK/Gallup Poll Says Americans Value Teachers and Want Teachers Supported, Not Punished | janresseger
PDK/Gallup Poll Says Americans Value Teachers and Want Teachers Supported, Not Punished | janresseger: PDK/Gallup Poll Says Americans Value Teachers and Want Teachers Supported, Not PunishedPosted on September 17, 2014 by janressegerToo often lately when I read about teachers and teaching, I am bothered because I suspect the writer has never taught in any kind of school.  Even though I know that d
NEA - Annenberg study calls for new charter school standards to be implemented in policy
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm Love and the Mess at CPS
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm Love and the Mess at CPS: Rahm Love and the Mess at CPSGOOD READ...And at home I found a separate culture of intellectual achievement. This is the tradition of Carter G. Woodson, Frederick Douglass, and Malcolm X. It argues for education not simply as credentialism or certification, but as a profound act of auto-liberation. This was the culture of my childhood a
Lying with numbers in Newark | Bob Braun's Ledger
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Common Core As Child Abuse | PopularResistance.Org
Common Core As Child Abuse | PopularResistance.Org: Common Core As Child AbuseEDUCATE! EDUCATION, HEALTH, YOUTH By Stamford Advocate, www.stamfordadvocate.comSeptember 17th, 2014  Powered by Translate“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”Government and business leaders profess that today’s education policies will provide students with “21st-century skills.” If only thes
NYC Educator: Teacher Torture
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Op-Ed: School District Consolidation Should Be Welcomed in New Jersey - NJ Spotlight
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October 11th, be there: The Network for Public Education will hold an historic event | Seattle Education
October 11th, be there: The Network for Public Education will hold an historic event | Seattle Education: October 11th, be there: The Network for Public Education will hold an historic eventPUBLIC Education Nation will deliver the conversation the country has been waiting for. Rather than featuring billionaires and pop singers, this event will be built around intense conversations featuring leadin

YESTERDAY

Lawsuit challenges teachers’ compulsory dues | EdSource
Lawsuit challenges teachers’ compulsory dues | EdSource: Lawsuit challenges teachers’ compulsory duesSeptember 16, 2014 | By John Fensterwald | No Comments SHARE THIS ARTICLECOURTESY OF GREG SCHNEIDER (WWW.GREGSCHNEIDER.COM)Rebecca Friedrichs, lead plaintiff in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association.Vergara v. State of California, threatening teacher protection laws in California, has cons
empathyeducates – Is Justice Near for New Orleans Teachers Wrongly Fired After Katrina?
empathyeducates – Is Justice Near for New Orleans Teachers Wrongly Fired After Katrina?: Is Justice Near for New Orleans Teachers Wrongly Fired After Katrina?A teacher appreciation week banner from August 2005 remained in the library at George Washington Carver High School when it was photographed 14 months later. (The Times-Picayune archive)By Sue Sturgis | Originally Published at Facing South. A
NY Common Core Debate: Dissecting Pro-CC Petrilli and Martin | deutsch29
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Join The EduColor Movement, Part 1 of Many | The Jose Vilson
Join The EduColor Movement, Part 1 of Many | The Jose Vilson: Join The EduColor Movement, Part 1 of ManyIt’s been a few years since Arvind Grover, ed-tech specialist in NYC, and I looked around boutique education conferences and said, “Wow, these spaces need a lot more diversity.” When a few of us sat there and said we’d create a clearinghouse to rate the diversity of any conference we came across
Bill Maher Picked The Right District To Flip: John Kline chair of the House Education | Crooks and Liars
Bill Maher Picked The Right District To Flip | Crooks and Liars: Bill Maher Picked The Right District To FlipBy Howie Klein September 15, 2014 6:00 am - 54 Comments 213Share0 23Share1 342No matter what the villagers say, MN Rep. Keith Ellison and Blue America looked at the PPP Poll numbers and came to the same conclusion: this is a very winnable race.Friday night, Bill Maher ended his big-buzz Fli
Charter Schools’ Value-Added in Ohio |
Charter Schools’ Value-Added in Ohio |: Charter Schools’ Value-Added in Ohio On the 10th Period blog, an Education Policy Fellow at Innovation Ohio named Stephen Dyer wrote about charter schools’ versus traditional schools’ value-added. Click here to read the full blog post, and also to view Dyer’s illustrative graphs explaining the headline: that “Charter Value Added Grades [are] Not Much Better”
Nite Cap 9-16-14 #BATsACT #RealEdTalk #EDCHAT
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 CAP9-16-14 Ed Notes OnlineEd Notes Online: A Letter to Janella: Is Bergtraum Special?This is the second time in 4 years this chapter has managed to convince a Chancellor but NOT THEIR OWN UNION, that a principal is abusive... Elfrank-Dana, CL, Murry
9-16-14 Ed Notes Online
Ed Notes Online: A Letter to Janella: Is Bergtraum Special?This is the second time in 4 years this chapter has managed to convince a Chancellor but NOT THEIR OWN UNION, that a principal is abusive... Elfrank-Dana, CL, Murry Bergtraum HSHo hum, par for the course -- the UFT protecting principals over teachers for their pals at the CSA.I love John Elfrank-Dana -- He's so prolific I don't even have t
Student Voice in a Box: Final Release
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1st Latina NEA President’s Concern: Testing, Teacher Pay and Undocumented Students « NewsTaco
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Russ on Reading: Can We Talk?
Russ on Reading: Can We Talk?: Can We Talk?I am channeling the late, great Joan Rivers today as I ponder the question that many education reformers have been asking: "Can we talk?"Lately you can't open a link to a pro-education reform blog without finding another reformster pleading for a civil conversation on education. My colleague and fellow founding member of the Guys with Beards and
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Punk Rock Education Style | Crazy Crawfish's Blog
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9-16-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Here's What Standing Up Can Do!Are you, too, a heroine or hero waiting to act?by Jim Horn / 27min 9-15-14 Schools MatterSchools Matter: To Chris Barbic: There Will Be No Civility for Child Abusers and Corporate Profiteers2 by Jim Horn / 8min 9-14-14 Schools MatterSchools Matter: Indy's John Harris Loflin and JosĂ© Evans' Big Gig at International ED ConferenceBy Doug MartinBelow is,
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Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The rats are having a field day at CPS: The rats are having a field day at CPSDead rat, one of many at a Southwest Side elementary school having problems with rodents and roaches since janitorial services were privatized.Aren't the 476 custodians being thrown out of their jobs by Rahm and his Aramark subcontractors, represented by SEIU Local 1? Can't help but wonder,
Cali Education Headlines - FCMAT
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Obama pre-school grants have interest and skeptics :: SI&A Cabinet Report
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Ricciotti: Teachers are not the enemy - Connecticut Post
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Americans Want Teachers to Take a Bar Exam - The Atlantic
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9-16-14 Seattle Schools Community Forum
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9-16-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL
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2014 PDK/Gallup PollPDK International
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#CommonCore Misinformation Being Spread by Principal and Teacher | Missouri Education Watchdog
#CommonCore Misinformation Being Spread by Principal and Teacher | Missouri Education Watchdog: #CommonCore Misinformation Being Spread by Principal and TeacherinShareSo what do you do when your educational professionals are outed as Pinocchio?The Play: Standardized Testing in a Minnesota School DistrictAct I: Day One of Standardized TestingScene:Parents opt children out of standardized Common Cor
9-16-14 All NEW Living in Dialogue - When Teachers Lose Rights, They Must Raise Test Scores or Go
Home - Living in Dialogue: When Teachers Lose Rights, They Must Raise Test Scores or GoBy John Thompson. I do not question the sincerity of most former Obama administration officials and other liberals who support Vergara v California and its spawn. Some have long and loudly blamed teachers for education underperformance, saying that it is our “low expectations” and not the legacies of generationa
Morning Wink 9-16-14 AM Posts #edchat #edreform
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