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Monday, September 5, 2011

Schools Matter: If the Public Mattered to Arne and the Reform Schoolers, What Might They Learn?

Schools Matter: If the Public Mattered to Arne and the Reform Schoolers, What Might They Learn?:

If the Public Mattered to Arne and the Reform Schoolers, What Might They Learn?

Last week the 43rd annual PDK/Gallup Poll was published, and never in the history of the Poll has the concept of "a public" been more threatened by a virulent form of corporatism that seeks to replace democratic institutions with unregulated profiteering by educons schooled in the virtue of selfishness and the worship of wealth.

I have pulled some of the findings from the Poll and pasted them below, along with few comments (click on any chart to enlarge).

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Anger builds over $1M buyout of Ackerman in Philly.

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Anger builds over $1M buyout of Ackerman in Philly.:

Anger builds over $1M buyout of Ackerman in Philly.

Philadelphians of every hue and persuasion have found something to be angry about in the buyout deal for former Superintendent of Schools Arlene Ackerman. For some, it's the roughly $1 million cost of the buyout... For the non-partisan, non-profit watchdog group, the Committee of Seventy, the issue has been the unusual and probably unprecedented dependence on anonymous private donors to help cover the cost of Dr. Ackerman's parachute. --Education Nation
The $400,000 or so in private

NYC Public School Parents: Happy Labor Day? Not for school aides, or our kids

NYC Public School Parents: Happy Labor Day? Not for school aides, or our kids:

Happy Labor Day? Not for school aides, or our kids


Happy Labor Day and welcome back to a new school year. I hope you had a good summer and rest. Unfortunately, the DOE has not been honoring those who work in our schools. Instead, they are planning to lay-off nearly 800 school aides and other school-based personnel; people who help our kids every day.
The day before school begins, on Wednesday, at 4 PM in front of Tweed, we are co-sponsoring a protest against the proposed lay-offs; for more on these layoffs, see Juan Gonzalez’ column here.
This year, we also expect to return to a much diminished teaching force; with more than 3000 or more teaching positions lost and/or teachers excessed, While enrollment is still increasing, this is likel

The 2011 Mr. Vilson Manifesto [Dark Knight Feeling] | The Jose Vilson

The 2011 Mr. Vilson Manifesto [Dark Knight Feeling] | The Jose Vilson:

The 2011 Mr. Vilson Manifesto [Dark Knight Feeling]


I’m not a hero.

You can start off with the greatest intentions, develop great relationships, and create wonderful initiatives for your team. By our own meritocratic illusions, we believe that the more someone does these things in their spaces, they’re entitled to a certain amount of greatness. Yet, our reality establishes limits on that type of success, even for those of us doing the right work. Through the process of success, feelings like enmity and envy develop where love and camaraderie could sit. When enough people develop this resentment, you’re in a situation where

Big Education Ape: 9-5-11 PM Mayor's Management Style Becomes a Study in Arrested Development EDition

Big Education Ape: Ed News Now:

Published by Coopmike48 – 6 news spotters today

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

michaelklonsky.blogspot.com - Missing Studs Terkel on Labor DayWhat would he say today about Obama, his chosen Democratic president, who came into office fortified with a Democratic House and Senate? “He would be so appalled a...

mikeklonsky

Video

nypost.com - If they build a buzz, the kids will come. That's the thinking at a mediocre Brooklyn public school with grandiose aspirations -- it wants to hire a press agent to lure more and better students. Adm...

DianeRavitch

The Ultimate Education Reform State

louisianaeducator.blogspot.com - Governor Jindal is moving to assert complete control of both the legislature and BESE. A recent article in the Advocate describes Jindal's plans to hand pick all key legislative leadership position...

DianeRavitch

Parents Scramble to Apply for Charter School (Louisiana)

charterschoolsusa.com - http://www.americanpress.com/lc/blogs/wpnewssum/?p=15123 Interest in the region’s first charter school is at fever-pitch, if online applications and attendance at Monday night’s informational meeti...

DianeRavitch

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coopmike48 Obama Provides Jobs Preview in Labor Day Address | FDL News Desk -http://t.co/N45AESSabout 1 hour ago · reply · retweet · favorite

EducationSee all

Are Class Sizes Getting Too Big in IC?

iowacity.patch.com - One teacher, 33 kids and two grades in one classroom. "How can kids learn in that setting?" some parents are asking Iowa City school district officials. They feel it is too crowded for their childr...

leoniehaimson

Cheating on state tests found at two Los Angeles schools

latimes.com - The state has thrown out the test scores of a top-performing Los Angeles school and of the highest-scoring campus in the nationally known Green Dot charter group after cheating was uncovered involv...

leoniehaimson

On the Inadequacy of the Stimulus

krugman.blogs.nytimes.com - September 5, 2011, 10:09 amHmm. I don’t think I’ve ever put up a simple explanation of why the stimulus was so clearly inadequate to the task. By the way, my point here is not what Obama shoulda-co...

fklonsky

SocietySee all

Brooklyn Councilman Released Following Parade Scuffle

ny1.com - Brooklyn City Councilman Jumaane Williams has been released and no charges filed after being arrested earlier today at the West Indian Day Parade, a spokesman tells NY1.Williams̢۪ spokesman says t...

leoniehaimson

PoliticsSee all

The Fatal Distraction

nytimes.com - Friday brought two numbers that should have everyone in Washington saying, “My God, what have we done?” One of these numbers was zero — the number of jobs created in August. The other w...

DianeRavitch

10 Eye-Popping Labor Day Stats

motherjones.com - Labor Day was created more than 100 years ago to celebrate the might, ingenuity, and achievements of American workers. But for many, this year's holiday is a painful reminder of how few good jobs a...

fklonsky

Bloomberg's pals get a pass but all others pay the price

nydailynews.com - The amazing thing is that this all comes out after Bloomberg came away from Hurricane Irene looking pretty good, practically turning "mayor" into a verb, dominating the airwaves and the coverage, e...

leoniehaimson

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Labor Day: Why we celebrate - The Answer Sheet

washingtonpost.com - If your kids are complaining about going back to school, Labor Day is the perfect time to explain just how much worse things could be for them — and, in fact, were. Once kids were forced into back-...

fklonsky

Schools alarmed by corner store drug sales

signonsandiego.com - As schools kick off a new year, many are scrambling to update drug education efforts because of a new brand of synthetic drugs that are turning up in backpacks and lockers throughout San Diego Coun...

coopmike48

LeisureSee all

Burning Man draws record crowd on Nevada desert

sfgate.com - Andy Barron / AP People gather around the Trojan Horse at it is pulled across the "playa" at the Burning Man festival in Gerlach, Nev. on Friday, Sept. 2, 2011. (09-03) 17:03 PDT Reno, Nev. (AP) --...

coopmike48

#eduRead this paperSee all

Big Education Ape - PostRank Today's 10 - 9-5 pm

bigeducationape.blogspot.com - Big Education Ape - PostRank Today's 10 - 9-5 pmA.J. DUFFY, closeted reformer all those years? Or do his views simply reflect those of whoever signs his paycheck? 4LAKids - some of the news that do...

coopmike48

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