Charters Riding High in CT
No matter what the calendar says, it’s springtime for charters in Connecticut.
The State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor was a member of the board of Achievement First, a charter chain in Connecticut. He believes in charters, like his colleague John King, the state commissioner in New York, whose only experience was in the charter sector (Uncommon Schools).
Jonathan Pelto has been writing about the massing of hedge fund money in support of the charter agenda in
The State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor was a member of the board of Achievement First, a charter chain in Connecticut. He believes in charters, like his colleague John King, the state commissioner in New York, whose only experience was in the charter sector (Uncommon Schools).
Jonathan Pelto has been writing about the massing of hedge fund money in support of the charter agenda in
More Pre-School Madness in CT. (Link Added)
I posted this morning about the “standards” for pre-schoolers in Connecticut.
The teacher I quoted added this comment:
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/Pk_to_Kindergarten_Mathematics_Continuum.pdf
Sorry Dr. Ravitch, I put in two links to the language arts standards and didn’t include the link to the math standards. The above link takes you to the math standards. I love the one about preschoolers being able to describe real graphs. Also the one which expects preschoolers to “discuss strategies to estimate and compare length, area, temperature and weight.” Have any of these people read Piaget?
The teacher I quoted added this comment:
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/Pk_to_Kindergarten_Mathematics_Continuum.pdf
Sorry Dr. Ravitch, I put in two links to the language arts standards and didn’t include the link to the math standards. The above link takes you to the math standards. I love the one about preschoolers being able to describe real graphs. Also the one which expects preschoolers to “discuss strategies to estimate and compare length, area, temperature and weight.” Have any of these people read Piaget?
Who Paid for the $1 Million Ad in Chicago?
Fred Klonsky has the inside scoop on who paid for the $1 million ad that has filled the airwaves in Chicago after the teachers’ strike.
He says the money came from Ravenel Boykin Curry IV and his wife Celerie. Fred’s brother Mike Klonsky says that other hedge fund managers joined to pay for the ads.
Curry is a board member of the Wall Street hedge fund manager organization called “Democrats for Education
The Charter Referendum in Washington State
He says the money came from Ravenel Boykin Curry IV and his wife Celerie. Fred’s brother Mike Klonsky says that other hedge fund managers joined to pay for the ads.
Curry is a board member of the Wall Street hedge fund manager organization called “Democrats for Education
The Charter Referendum in Washington State
Here is a list of organizations that have spoken out for and against the referendum on the ballot to permit charter schools and a “parent trigger” to create even more charter schools in Washington State.
Look at the list and see if you can tell which one has grassroots support from parents and teachers.
Earlier posts have described how this ballot proposal was funded by some of the richest men in the state, not public school parents. The voters in Washington have turned down charters three times previously. Some people never take no for an answer. Let’s see what happens in November.
Look at the list and see if you can tell which one has grassroots support from parents and teachers.
Earlier posts have described how this ballot proposal was funded by some of the richest men in the state, not public school parents. The voters in Washington have turned down charters three times previously. Some people never take no for an answer. Let’s see what happens in November.
Good News for History Teachers!
Good news for history teachers: the Stanford History Education Group has developed history assessments that use documents and historical resources to ask thinking questions, not bubble questions.
In the 1990s, history education was a priority. California and other states created history frameworks for K-12, and it appeared that history would get the time, attention and resources it needed.
But that moment of high possibility came to an end with the passage of No Child Left Behind. History teachers have been in a quandary ever since, as they saw their subject marginalized and reduced to an afterthought.
In the 1990s, history education was a priority. California and other states created history frameworks for K-12, and it appeared that history would get the time, attention and resources it needed.
But that moment of high possibility came to an end with the passage of No Child Left Behind. History teachers have been in a quandary ever since, as they saw their subject marginalized and reduced to an afterthought.
No Room for Career Educators in TN?
Tennessee was one of the first states to win a Race to the Top award.
Tennessee was the birthplace of value-added assessment, which was developed by agricultural statistician William Sanders in the late 1980s. Sanders knew how crops can be measured by yearly growth, why not learning? If they don’t grow as expected, it’s the farmer’s fault, right?
Tennessee is a model now for other reasons. It has been taken over by the corporate reform philosophy, and
Tennessee was the birthplace of value-added assessment, which was developed by agricultural statistician William Sanders in the late 1980s. Sanders knew how crops can be measured by yearly growth, why not learning? If they don’t grow as expected, it’s the farmer’s fault, right?
Tennessee is a model now for other reasons. It has been taken over by the corporate reform philosophy, and
Who Paid for the Anti-Union Ads?
During the strike, there was an outpouring of ads undermining and attacking the union. This blogger wondered who was paying for them. The group is called Education Reform Now. It is the non-profit arm of Democrats for Education Reform. DFER, as it is known, is the political action group of Wall Street hedge fund managers.
So many of them went to Andover, Exeter, Deerfield Academy, and other elite private schools. But for some
Do Democrats Support Vouchers?
So many of them went to Andover, Exeter, Deerfield Academy, and other elite private schools. But for some
Do Democrats Support Vouchers?
An article in the recent issue of Education Week suggests that there is support for vouchers among Democrats at the state and local level.
The article cites Newark Mayor Cory Booker, but he is an outlier.
It also quotes the head of a group called the American Federation for Children. This group attracts support for
The article cites Newark Mayor Cory Booker, but he is an outlier.
It also quotes the head of a group called the American Federation for Children. This group attracts support for
My Version of the Pattern on the Rug
There comes a time when the seemingly disparate parts of a puzzle fit together. Or the time when you see the pattern on the rug.
That’s when you see that the attacks on teachers, the concerted efforts to roll back collective bargaining rights, the frequent–and false–claims that public education is failing, the advocacy for virtual schools, movies like “Waiting for Superman,” laws that advance privatization….a pattern emerges.
These are not isolated events.
Read my take on the pattern.
That’s when you see that the attacks on teachers, the concerted efforts to roll back collective bargaining rights, the frequent–and false–claims that public education is failing, the advocacy for virtual schools, movies like “Waiting for Superman,” laws that advance privatization….a pattern emerges.
These are not isolated events.
Read my take on the pattern.
The Pattern on the Rug
A reader sees how the pieces of the reform movement fit together:
I think that all the double-speak is just to divert attention away from the major process of dismantling education that has been taking place across the country, and the smoke and mirrors is to conceal the intention to ultimately declare brick and mortar schools obsolete and teachers expendable and unnecessary. Effectively, the goal is to not have teachers anymore.
One online teacher I work with put it this way recently, “We’re just glorified graders now.” Honestly, for a teacher,
I think that all the double-speak is just to divert attention away from the major process of dismantling education that has been taking place across the country, and the smoke and mirrors is to conceal the intention to ultimately declare brick and mortar schools obsolete and teachers expendable and unnecessary. Effectively, the goal is to not have teachers anymore.
One online teacher I work with put it this way recently, “We’re just glorified graders now.” Honestly, for a teacher,
He Didn’t Get the Job
Kenneth Bernstein explains why he didn’t get the job:
“I was once interviewed for a teaching position where because I had done my own homework I knew that the principal wanted everyone on the same page at the same time.
I was being interviewed by the department chair and an assistant principal. Having signed an open contract for that district, the only question on the table was at what school I would teach. It was clear they wanted me,
“I was once interviewed for a teaching position where because I had done my own homework I knew that the principal wanted everyone on the same page at the same time.
I was being interviewed by the department chair and an assistant principal. Having signed an open contract for that district, the only question on the table was at what school I would teach. It was clear they wanted me,
What Are We Doing to Pre-Schoolers?
A reader asks whether we have lost our minds.
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/PreK_ELA_Crosswalk.pdf
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/PreK_ELA_Crosswalk.pdf
The links above take you to draft Connecticut documents relating to CCSS for preschoolers. The introduction states that the adoption of CCSS for K-12 “has naturally led to questions regarding standards for preschool and/or prekindergarten students.” The next section talks about a work group that has been charged with the task
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/PreK_ELA_Crosswalk.pdf
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/CCSS/PreK_ELA_Crosswalk.pdf
The links above take you to draft Connecticut documents relating to CCSS for preschoolers. The introduction states that the adoption of CCSS for K-12 “has naturally led to questions regarding standards for preschool and/or prekindergarten students.” The next section talks about a work group that has been charged with the task