Who Is Promoting Vouchers in Pennsylvania?
An astonishing $6 million plus has been pumped into the voucher campaign in Pennsylvania in the last year alone.
As this article notes, Tea Party activists were getting cold feet about vouchers because they objected that vouchers might be too generous to poor children.
Not to worry: Governor Tom Corbett and his allies in the Legislature changed the formula to make sure that some
As this article notes, Tea Party activists were getting cold feet about vouchers because they objected that vouchers might be too generous to poor children.
Not to worry: Governor Tom Corbett and his allies in the Legislature changed the formula to make sure that some
TFA Alum Criticizes Obsession with College Readiness
A friend sent this provocative article, written by a TFA alum.
He questions whether TFA’s focus on college readiness (which apparently begins in kindergarten) makes sense.
I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing with him.
I believe that teachers must treat all students with equal respect and have high expectations for all.
But I have also been taken aback when I visited charter schools and saw college banners in kindergarten and
He questions whether TFA’s focus on college readiness (which apparently begins in kindergarten) makes sense.
I find myself both agreeing and disagreeing with him.
I believe that teachers must treat all students with equal respect and have high expectations for all.
But I have also been taken aback when I visited charter schools and saw college banners in kindergarten and
What Will Happen to Chester Upland?
Sometimes something happens that is so astonishing, so breathtaking, and simultaneously so disturbing that I don’t know how to characterize it.
The public school district of Chester-Upland, Pennsylvania, is in financial trouble. It was under state control for many years. It was at one time managed by the Edison company. After years of inept state management, it was returned to local control in 2010. It has a for-profit charter school run by a politically connected millionaire that has attracted half the students in the district. The New York Times wrote about how the charter school was
The public school district of Chester-Upland, Pennsylvania, is in financial trouble. It was under state control for many years. It was at one time managed by the Edison company. After years of inept state management, it was returned to local control in 2010. It has a for-profit charter school run by a politically connected millionaire that has attracted half the students in the district. The New York Times wrote about how the charter school was
What the Gates Foundation Said to Anthony Cody
Anthony Cody, who has been blogging regularly for Education Week, persuaded the Gates Foundation to engage in an exchange with him.
Anthony has written a brilliant series of analyses and critiques, explaining patiently why the Gates Foundation misses the point by blaming teachers for the ills
Anthony has written a brilliant series of analyses and critiques, explaining patiently why the Gates Foundation misses the point by blaming teachers for the ills
Most Charters Avoid Students with Special Needs
We have seen this story again and again. A lawsuit against the charters in New Orleans and the District of Columbia filed on behalf of children with disabilities. A charter school in Minneapolis that literally pushed out 40 children with special needs, part of a pattern in which the nation’s largest charter chain–the Gulen-affiliated schools–keep their test scores high by excluding students with disabilities. Study after study showing that
“A Daily Act of Love”
I came across a moving story about a music educator in Wisconsin whose death stirred his town and wrote about him last night. His influence was widely acknowledged.
I asked, in light of the community’s reaction, how such an inspiring teacher should be evaluated. It was obvious that test scores was not the right answer, in part because what he taught–music and band–do not lend themselves to measurement by test scores. But the qualities that the community honored in him–his ability to
I asked, in light of the community’s reaction, how such an inspiring teacher should be evaluated. It was obvious that test scores was not the right answer, in part because what he taught–music and band–do not lend themselves to measurement by test scores. But the qualities that the community honored in him–his ability to
The Flawed Assumptions of the Parent Trigger
A reader in California writes about the “parent trigger” law. It was enacted when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor and the state board of education had a majority that were charter school advocates. Its lead sponsor in the legislature ran for state superintendent, lost and is now employed by the Wall Street hedge fund managers’ group Democrats for Education Reform. The organization behind the parent trigger, Parent Revolution, is funded by Gates, Walton, and Broad Foundations. The law was enacted in California in January 2010. Since then, Parent Revolution has attempted in two districts to use the law to convert a low-performing school into a charter
What Happened in Adelanto?
What Happened in Adelanto?
Yesterday I wrote a brief summary of the situation in the Adelanto school district in California, the only district where the so-called “parent trigger” has made any headway. The reader is correct: no vote was ever taken. It was a bad choice of words on my part.
This reader comments.
This reader comments.
Your post is inaccurate. They didn’t vote. No one ever voted.A handful of parents worked with Parent Revolution, an organization with no ties to Adelanto.There were no public hearings or news stories before the petitions were
How Would You Evaluate This Teacher?
One man, one band teacher, united a town.
He taught instrumental music and band for 31 years at McFarland High School in Wisconsin. He was admired, respected, loved. How would you evaluate this teacher? |