I don’t much like it when someone gets banned for writing something critical of those in power, or for peace, or against racism.
It’s happened to me. And when it happened, others published it instead.
That’s one reason I like the internet.
We’re all Wikileaks.
Here’s Rick Ayers banned column. And a brief intro by the author.
I have had 44 posts on Huffington Post. A few times they have insisted on edits for sensational reasons (when i wrote about “terrorism” they made a headline that said my brother is Bill Ayers). But this is the first blog piece i’ve written that they simply refused to run. Since it names “race” as central to the
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2011 file photo, Michelle Rhee, former D.C. public schools chief, speaks to staff and guests during a visit to a South Florida charter school in Opa-locka, Fla. Rhee is continuing her fight to improve the nation's classrooms through a new organization, Students First.
Yale University will soon end two prestigious teacher training programs due to lack of interest, according to theJanuary/February alumni magazine.
The first, a traditional teacher preparation program, offered education courses and teacher certification to undergraduates. The second, Yale’s five-year-old Urban Teaching Initiative, offered a tuition-free 14-month master’s in education program to those willing to commit to teaching in New Haven’s urban public school system.
“At the same time a record 18 percent of Yale seniors applied to Teach for America last year…”
A week after Chancellor Cathie Black made headlines by joking that more birth control would solve the problem of overcrowded schools, the furor is beginning to dissipate. But one parent who attended the meeting where Black made the controversial remark said it was blown out of proportion from the beginning.
Shino Tanikawa, a member of the Community Education Council for District 2, which is home to many of the city’s overcrowded schools, told GothamSchools that she’s no fan of Black. She sued the state for giving Black a waiver to become chancellor. But the chancellor’s birth control and Sophie’s Choice comments didn’t bother her. What she found disturbing, she said, was Black’s “total lack of vision or priorities” for the school system.
Tanikawa’s full response:
I think the remarks are diverting our attention away from more important issues. The birth control
Senate Bill 1, the voucher bill that is the top educational priority of the new administration in Harrisburg, lists 144 schools whose students will be eligible for vouchers if they meet certain income limits.
Of that total, 88 are in Philadelphia.
The list is interesting:
I recently involved myself in a discussion I have been engaging people in since the mid 1970’s. The Topic: Is it one space or two after a period when word-processing? The topic resurfaced after @smartinez, a highly respected educator and Tweeter, sent out a link to a post explaining the rule. http://www.slate.com/id/2281146/According to Farhad Manjoo, Old-fashioned typewriters used monospaced type, which produced a lot of white space between characters and words, so using two spaces after a period made the text easier to read, but as of the 1970s, monospaced type went out of style. Electric typewriters and computers now both use proportional fonts, eliminating the need for the extra space. This fact prompted this statement, “Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong.”
Now for what happened after I re-tweeted that link to the post that validated the very position I have taken since the 1970’s. A number of people stepped up questioning, if that was important, or if anybody really cared. Some
The initial steps to put a recall of Nate Easley on the May ballot has started. A coalition of northeast Denver residents filed the following proposed language for the ballot:
We the qualified voters of Denver Public School District 4 demand the recall of current elected Denver Public Schools Board of Education member Dr. Nate Easley. Our demand is based on Mr. Easley’s activities related to conflicts of interest and allowing these to effect his representation of his District 4 constituency. Specifically, Dr. Easley’s roles as DPS Board of Education president and his job as Deputy Director of the Denver Scholarship Foundation make him subject to undue influence related to his votes as our representative. As a board member, Dr. Easley supervises the DPS superintendent, who also serves as on the DSF Board of Directors, thereby having direct influence over Dr. Easley’s employment. As Deputy Director of DSF, Dr. Easley receives a
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"If we had a school that was, like, 80 percent high-poverty, the public would see the challenges, the need to make it successful. ... Right now, we have diluted the problem, so we can ignore it." -- John Tedesco, Wake County, N.C. school boardSchool choice is a mixed bag. On the progressive side, it has meant more options for parents, students and teachers--a building block for democratic education It's a way to give kids more reasons to come to school every day besides compulsory education laws. Choice was also a major component of the early small schools movement, which created smaller learning communities--schools of choice-- both within and outside of neighborhood schools as a way of tapping into students' interests, talents, and life possibilities.
By Bill TurqueThe Harvard think tank that experimented with paying D.C. middle schoolers for good grades and
Former Chicago Alderman, "Fast" Eddie Vrdolyak.
Chico was Daley’s gofer.
The Chicago Reader’s Ben Joravsky documents the long and sorry relationship between Gery Chico and Richie Daley.
In the last 20 years, Chico’s been the mayor’s deputy chief of staff and chief of
Dear Diane,
When it comes down to it, what motivates me is my dislike of bullies. I can't recall who recently wrote this—or words to this effect, but it struck me that my dedication to democracy boils down to precisely this—a loathing for bullies. And, I suppose, a fear of them, which goes back a long way to my youth. Part of our task is connecting that natural aversion (and attraction) to bullying to democracy. A substantial state of equality is the key ingredient.
Are we born with it?
Who cares, I suppose. But it's a good place to unravel what democracy is and isn't about. Like all things good, it also reminds us that getting rid of bullies probably comes at a price. We are always in the process of making unintended trade-offs, with consequences we later rue. But often don't learn from.
There is no way to avoid such trade-offs, but the more consciously we make them, the more prepared we are to handle the less-desirable consequences.
I think of this often when colleagues/allies with whom I align on current educational policy disagree with me on
My four year old loves to read David Shannon's Too Many Toys. In it, Spencer has too many toys and Mom wants to clear out all the ones he doesn’t use. At the end of the book he doesn’t care to keep the toys, but the box that holds them. He transforms it into a rocket and soars around the house.
Is impromptu creative play a concept of the past?
Skill and drill and standardized testing are the rigorous practices of our kids today, the driver for schools to be deemed successful. As I view the curriculum and walk into classrooms across my school district, I don't see the kind of activity that allows for students to create. The interactions with peers, where empathy, impulse control, problem-solving and risk taking are nurtured, are minimal or nonexistent. I see children lined up neatly in a row, learning their standards and preparing for assessments. They can regurgitate math facts, identify elements of a story but they don't know how to invent a game.
We do need to have a time where skills are developed and knowledge is enhanced. But we also need time to foster
