Will Chicago Teachers Strike?
Tomorrow is Decision Day in Chicago.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has tried to bully the Chicago Teachers Union and its leader Karen Lewis.
Lewis was elected by the members because they knew she would stand up for them.
Emanuel has the support of the Wall Street hedge fund managers organization, somewhat absurdly called Democrats for Education Reform. He also has the other big-monied people in Chicago, as mentioned in this article in the Chicago Tribune, including billionaire Penny Pritzker.
The article mentions that DFER staged a protest at union headquarters to oppose a strike. I wonder how many
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has tried to bully the Chicago Teachers Union and its leader Karen Lewis.
Lewis was elected by the members because they knew she would stand up for them.
Emanuel has the support of the Wall Street hedge fund managers organization, somewhat absurdly called Democrats for Education Reform. He also has the other big-monied people in Chicago, as mentioned in this article in the Chicago Tribune, including billionaire Penny Pritzker.
The article mentions that DFER staged a protest at union headquarters to oppose a strike. I wonder how many
What If Teacher Evaluation Is Not Broken?
The following comment is evidence that the corporate reformers’ narrative about the “broken” evaluation system is wrong. I say “wrong” as a euphemism. I actually think it is a calculated lie, one that has been promulgated to advance a political agenda: to eliminate collective bargaining rights, to eliminate seniority and tenure, to demand that teachers have zero job protections, not even due process. All of this will make it possible to fire “bad” teachers, with no hearings or delay. The “bad” teachers are the ones who can’t raise test scores every single year.
If you don’t agree with this train of thought, then you are branded as a paid lackey for the teachers’ union, a
If you don’t agree with this train of thought, then you are branded as a paid lackey for the teachers’ union, a
A Reading List about Education
Many people have asked for a good reading list.
When I will have time, I will compile a short list of important books.
Meanwhile, here is one reader’s suggestions:
Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, by Richard Hofstader
Parents Make a Difference!
When I will have time, I will compile a short list of important books.
Meanwhile, here is one reader’s suggestions:
Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, by Richard Hofstader
Parents Make a Difference!
Last spring, Jeb Bush and Michelle Rhee tried to push the phony “parent trigger” legislation through the Florida legislature. It seemed to be a slam-dunk, since the legislature is controlled by Republicans and the governor is Republican, and the skids were greased to turn more public schools over to the charter corporations. These corporations give generous campaign contributions, so the table was set to add to their portfolios.
But they forgot about the parents, the alleged beneficiaries of the “trigger.”
Florida parent organizations turned out in force to oppose the “trigger.” They knew what the game was, and they
But they forgot about the parents, the alleged beneficiaries of the “trigger.”
Florida parent organizations turned out in force to oppose the “trigger.” They knew what the game was, and they
How We Evaluate Teachers
Experienced principal Carol Burris describes how she evaluates teachers at South Side High School in Rockville Center, New York.
I am tired of reading that “teacher evaluation is broken” and therefore teachers need to be evaluated by points and student test scores. The idea that evaluation is broken comes from “the Widget Effect”, a report created by Rhee’s New Teacher Project. It claims that teachers are rated satisfactory/unsatisfactory, with nearly all being in the first category.
I have never used that rating system in my 13 years as principal. Nor have any of my colleagues on Long Island. It is used in New York City. New York City is large and important, but it is notevery district. That rating system could have
Charter Schools and Magnet Schools
A reader asked me to describe the differences between charter schools and magnet schools
This is what came to mind.
I welcome readers’ thoughts about other differences.
Magnet schools and charter schools have superficial similarities. They may or may not be selective. Their differences are greater than their similarities.
Magnet schools were initially created by local school boards in the late 1960s and 1970s to promote racial integration. The idea behind them was that a theme like the arts, or the sciences, would attract so many applicants that the school could select a racially diverse student body. Charter schools rarely seek racial
This is what came to mind.
I welcome readers’ thoughts about other differences.
Magnet schools and charter schools have superficial similarities. They may or may not be selective. Their differences are greater than their similarities.
Magnet schools were initially created by local school boards in the late 1960s and 1970s to promote racial integration. The idea behind them was that a theme like the arts, or the sciences, would attract so many applicants that the school could select a racially diverse student body. Charter schools rarely seek racial
An Inquiring Mind Wants to Know
A new reader has joined our discussion and is looking for answers to important questions. I assured this reader that we have explored these topics in some depth; that we know that the purpose of reform is to eliminate unions; to get rid of tenure; to cut the budget for schools; and to privatize the greatest extent possible, with profits where possible for smart investors in “reform.”
I invite the new reader to hang out with us and join our discussion.
Any advice for the new member of our discussion group?
I invite the new reader to hang out with us and join our discussion.
Any advice for the new member of our discussion group?
| Please forgive me if I am pulling this conversation back to farmed-out ground (I’m new); but is it fair to say that |
Is Poverty Destiny? This Reader Says It Is.
One reader says that schools and teachers can lift children out of poverty. He says it is happening.
This reader dissents.
To be clear, and I think the writer of this post would agree, teachers and schools save children’s lives every day. Poor kids can succeed. Poor kids can make it into Harvard, thanks to their grit and the support of family and teachers.
But that is not the norm, and it never will be. Teacher’s alone, no matter how great they are, can’t overcome poverty. Thinking that it’s so doesn’t make it so. As this reader says, tests always produce results correlated
This reader dissents.
To be clear, and I think the writer of this post would agree, teachers and schools save children’s lives every day. Poor kids can succeed. Poor kids can make it into Harvard, thanks to their grit and the support of family and teachers.
But that is not the norm, and it never will be. Teacher’s alone, no matter how great they are, can’t overcome poverty. Thinking that it’s so doesn’t make it so. As this reader says, tests always produce results correlated