TODAY IS THE DAY TO SUPPORT PUBLIC EDUCATION
Two weeks ago, in response to many readers who were frustrated by destructive federal policies, this blog launched a Campaign for Our Public Schools. The immediate goal was to stimulate an outpouring of letters and emails to the President to let him know the views of many teachers, parents, students, administrators, and concerned citizens. A hoped-for additional goal is to mobilize a citizens’ group to speak up for our public schools.
The target date for receipt of letters and emails is today, October 17. You can still send your emails to this blog or to anthony_cody@hotmail.com.
All the letters and emails will be collected by Anthony and posted for public review.
Please raise your voice against high-stakes testing and privatization.
Let the President know, let other elected officials know, let the media know how you feel, what you know, what you believe is the right path to improve our schools and the lives of children.
We must raise our voices. We must be heard. This is democracy in action. Join us.
The target date for receipt of letters and emails is today, October 17. You can still send your emails to this blog or to anthony_cody@hotmail.com.
All the letters and emails will be collected by Anthony and posted for public review.
Please raise your voice against high-stakes testing and privatization.
Let the President know, let other elected officials know, let the media know how you feel, what you know, what you believe is the right path to improve our schools and the lives of children.
We must raise our voices. We must be heard. This is democracy in action. Join us.
Can 10 Very Rich People Change Public Education in Washington State?
Ten people have supplied 91% of the $8.9 million raised to promote a charter school referendum in Washington State.
Prominent among the super-donors are Bill Gates, Walmart heiress Alice Walton, Amazon Titan Mike Bezos, and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer.
It’s fair to say that none of these financial sponsors have a child in the public schools of Washington state or that
Prominent among the super-donors are Bill Gates, Walmart heiress Alice Walton, Amazon Titan Mike Bezos, and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer.
It’s fair to say that none of these financial sponsors have a child in the public schools of Washington state or that
Do You Care, Mr. President?
Dear Mr. President,
Throughout our country, the voice of the masses is being squelched. The changes needed in our public systems are in control of the powerful and influential entities, people who do not need these systems. Chicago and other major cities are ground-zero for these injustices. The public systems are breaking down for the disadvantaged, and your opponent is using the troubles of these systems to paint the entire system with a bad light.
It’s bad enough that your opponent and his party are trying to fatally wound the public school system, but there are instances where members of your own party are joining the ranks. Chicago is just one example of this. Do you see the injustice of supporting an appointed, not elected, school board in Chicago and other major cities? Where is the voice of the people?
Do you see the injustice of closing dilapidated and under-funded neighborhood schools and replacing them with “suddenly funded” charters that serve only a “select” portion of the population? What is left for the rest of the
Throughout our country, the voice of the masses is being squelched. The changes needed in our public systems are in control of the powerful and influential entities, people who do not need these systems. Chicago and other major cities are ground-zero for these injustices. The public systems are breaking down for the disadvantaged, and your opponent is using the troubles of these systems to paint the entire system with a bad light.
It’s bad enough that your opponent and his party are trying to fatally wound the public school system, but there are instances where members of your own party are joining the ranks. Chicago is just one example of this. Do you see the injustice of supporting an appointed, not elected, school board in Chicago and other major cities? Where is the voice of the people?
Do you see the injustice of closing dilapidated and under-funded neighborhood schools and replacing them with “suddenly funded” charters that serve only a “select” portion of the population? What is left for the rest of the
Fact-Checking Indiana’s Tony Bennett
Here’s a thankless task. A blogger in Indiana is trying to sort out facts from empty boasts by the state’s Superintendent of (Public) Instruction.
How to Respond to the Letter from the White House
Earlier today, I posted the form letter that the White House is sending to people who write to complain about the damage caused by Race to the Top.
The form letter shows clearly that no one read your letters indicting RTTT. The White House response is canned and insulting. There are hundreds of individual letters. Every one of those letters was written from experience. None was slapdash. Some were eloquent.
None deserved this shabby response from a President who needs our votes. At the very least, you would think
The form letter shows clearly that no one read your letters indicting RTTT. The White House response is canned and insulting. There are hundreds of individual letters. Every one of those letters was written from experience. None was slapdash. Some were eloquent.
None deserved this shabby response from a President who needs our votes. At the very least, you would think
Vote for Richard Flarend in Pennsylvania’s 79th District
I support all candidates who support public education.
In the 79th district in Pennsylvania, there is an exceptional candidate for the state legislature.
Richard Flarend is a physicist on the faculty at Penn State Altoona who has played an active role in civic matters.
This is what he says about education:
State funded public education is in the constitution, and for good reason. We need education to provide
In the 79th district in Pennsylvania, there is an exceptional candidate for the state legislature.
Richard Flarend is a physicist on the faculty at Penn State Altoona who has played an active role in civic matters.
This is what he says about education:
State funded public education is in the constitution, and for good reason. We need education to provide
The Voice President Obama Should Hear
Whether the President listens or not, we won’t stop telling him to pay attention to the people who work in the nation’s classrooms and schools every day. His Race to the Top is NCLB 2.0. The original failed because its sponsors tried to impose their theories on practitioners without listening. When we get the President’s attention, he will learn from letters like this one.
October 17, 2012
Dear President Obama,
I believe you are passionate about the potential for education to change the future for children and thus our nation. But the innovations your administration is seeking are taking us down the wrong path. Some of us have been working to improve education for many years. We have studied learning, curriculum, the change process, and supporting children in poverty. We are the professional educators that have had no voice in this administration. We have been able to make important changes in various schools throughout the nation, but have never had the commitment of time and money necessary to make the level of change we seek. I believe you
October 17, 2012
Dear President Obama,
I believe you are passionate about the potential for education to change the future for children and thus our nation. But the innovations your administration is seeking are taking us down the wrong path. Some of us have been working to improve education for many years. We have studied learning, curriculum, the change process, and supporting children in poverty. We are the professional educators that have had no voice in this administration. We have been able to make important changes in various schools throughout the nation, but have never had the commitment of time and money necessary to make the level of change we seek. I believe you
President Obama’s Disappointing Response
This is the disheartening response from the White House to a reader who wrote to complain about the destructive effects of Race to the Top.
So a letter that explains the pernicious consequences of RTTT gets a response saying it’s just a wonderful initiative. It’s all about the kids. It’s succeeding. Hello?
We have been wondering together: Will the President listen? Here is the answer:
October 17, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Diane,
I mailed my letter this Saturday. I got this response via email. They must have had my email in their database. I suppose everyone will be getting this form letter. I handwrote a note saying I did not want a RTTT form letter. I suggested they save the paper, stamp and the staff person’s time and buy a book for a D.C. child instead.
Well, I guess they didn’t read my note or they didn’t really care.
Here is a cut and paste of the email letter I just received.
October 17, 2012
Dear Linda:
Thank you for writing. My Administration is working to ensure all America’s young people have educational opportunities worthy of their potential, and I appreciate hearing from you.
There is no stronger foundation for success than a great education. We must provide our children with the world-class schools they need to succeed and our Nation needs to compete in the global economy. Our classrooms
So a letter that explains the pernicious consequences of RTTT gets a response saying it’s just a wonderful initiative. It’s all about the kids. It’s succeeding. Hello?
We have been wondering together: Will the President listen? Here is the answer:
October 17, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Diane,
I mailed my letter this Saturday. I got this response via email. They must have had my email in their database. I suppose everyone will be getting this form letter. I handwrote a note saying I did not want a RTTT form letter. I suggested they save the paper, stamp and the staff person’s time and buy a book for a D.C. child instead.
Well, I guess they didn’t read my note or they didn’t really care.
Here is a cut and paste of the email letter I just received.
October 17, 2012
Dear Linda:
Thank you for writing. My Administration is working to ensure all America’s young people have educational opportunities worthy of their potential, and I appreciate hearing from you.
There is no stronger foundation for success than a great education. We must provide our children with the world-class schools they need to succeed and our Nation needs to compete in the global economy. Our classrooms
Feel Good About America: A Public School in Mississippi
Michael Vandveckhoven is a proud parent of a student in the public schools of Meridian, Mississippi.
This is a video that shows his son’s school. The school is half white, half black, about 40% low-income.
For someone like me, who grew up in the age of legal segregation, this is a heartwarming sight.
This is American public education at its finest. It’s not about test scores, it is about building a better society for our future.
Michael is a businessman. He iis strongly opposed to charters because he worries that they will restore segregation and ruin his son’s good public school.
This is a video that shows his son’s school. The school is half white, half black, about 40% low-income.
For someone like me, who grew up in the age of legal segregation, this is a heartwarming sight.
This is American public education at its finest. It’s not about test scores, it is about building a better society for our future.
Michael is a businessman. He iis strongly opposed to charters because he worries that they will restore segregation and ruin his son’s good public school.
How Michelle Rhee Became Isolated from the Democratic Mainstream
Jeff Bryant has written an insightful article about Michelle Rhee’s increasingly strained effort to promote the policies of the far-rightwing and ALEC, while claiming to be a Democrat. Rhee goes from state to state, funding GOP candidates and a few Democrats who are anti-teacher, anti-union, and anti-public education. She is not a centrist Democrat but a conduit for major corporate interests who are pushing a reactionary agenda of privatization.
If Teachers Ran Their Classes Like NYC Runs Schools, Then….
A reader in New York City offers a thought experiment. He invites you to participate:
If teachers ran their classes the way New York City runs its schools…
• Students would get their grades 4-5 months after they finish the teacher’s class. (Progress Report grades for schools are distributed 4-5 months after the end of the previous school year).
• The grades students are given would have no connection to the actual quality of the work they did/the effort they put in. (The school report cards have been shown to rely on questionable use of standardized exams and suffer from irredeemable methodological flaws http://garyrubinstein.teachforus.org/2012/10/05/i-dont-know-about-art-but-i-know-what-i-dont-like/.)
If teachers ran their classes the way New York City runs its schools…
• Students would get their grades 4-5 months after they finish the teacher’s class. (Progress Report grades for schools are distributed 4-5 months after the end of the previous school year).
• The grades students are given would have no connection to the actual quality of the work they did/the effort they put in. (The school report cards have been shown to rely on questionable use of standardized exams and suffer from irredeemable methodological flaws http://garyrubinstein.teachforus.org/2012/10/05/i-dont-know-about-art-but-i-know-what-i-dont-like/.)
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-17-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Today Is the Day to Support Public Education by dianerav Two weeks ago, in response to many readers who were frustrated by destructive federal policies, this blog launched a Campaign for Our Public Schools. The immediate goal was to stimulate an outpouring of letters and emails to the President to let him know the views of many teachers, parents, students, administrators, and concerned citizens. A hoped-for additional goal is to mobilize a citizens’ group to speak up for our public schools. The target date ... more »
UPDATE: Diane in the Evening 10-16-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: A MODEL LETTER FOR OCTOBER 17 by dianerav The deadline to send emails to the President to support the Campaign for Our Public Schools is October 17. Here are instructions about where to send them. Send them either to this blog or to Anthony Cody at Anthony_Cody@hotmail.com. Below is a model letter for teachers. It can be revised to make it appropriate for parents or anyone else. Write your own letter, in your own words. New Jersey Parents Write a Letter to President Obama by dianerav Parent activists in New Jersey have written the President. Please read. ... more »