A Model Letter for October 17
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.
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.
The Latest Charter Scam
An earlier post described how Chinese investors can get green cards by funding charter schools. The article linked there said that wealthy Chinese had poured $30 million into charters in Florida.
A reader comments:
A Chinese investor gets a green card for investing $1 million in a project that will “create” ten jobs. The publicly funded charter fraud industry, however, doesn’t create new jobs. It converts well paying public sector jobs, with reasonable benefits, into low paying jobs without benefits. Let’s follow the money through this profit-generating
A reader comments:
A Chinese investor gets a green card for investing $1 million in a project that will “create” ten jobs. The publicly funded charter fraud industry, however, doesn’t create new jobs. It converts well paying public sector jobs, with reasonable benefits, into low paying jobs without benefits. Let’s follow the money through this profit-generating
Who Needs Public Libraries?
What a quaint idea Andrew Carnegie had when he subsidized 2,500 free public libraries a century ago. He wanted knowledge to be free to the public.
Today, our reformers don’t believe in subsidizing anything other than for those at the very bottom (but not much). If you want a book, buy it. If you aren’t willing to pay for it, they assume, you don’t really need it. They have all the books they want, so why do we need public libraries?
A reader, David Eckstrom, writes about the library in his community:
I am on the board of trustees for my local public library. Our usage continues to grow every year at about 10%, but our funding (which comes from the county) has been flat for at least the 3 years I have been on the board.
Today, our reformers don’t believe in subsidizing anything other than for those at the very bottom (but not much). If you want a book, buy it. If you aren’t willing to pay for it, they assume, you don’t really need it. They have all the books they want, so why do we need public libraries?
A reader, David Eckstrom, writes about the library in his community:
I am on the board of trustees for my local public library. Our usage continues to grow every year at about 10%, but our funding (which comes from the county) has been flat for at least the 3 years I have been on the board.
Why Schools Fail
A retired principal, Pat Buoncristiani, writes to describe what she learned in many years of experience..
She writes:
When I was the principal of a struggling Title 1 school I grappled for the reasons behind my children’s difficulties. Others would make suggestions – it’s because their parents don’t care, it’s something about their race, it’s because they have bad role models and so on. It seemed apparent to me that the underlying cause of
She writes:
When I was the principal of a struggling Title 1 school I grappled for the reasons behind my children’s difficulties. Others would make suggestions – it’s because their parents don’t care, it’s something about their race, it’s because they have bad role models and so on. It seemed apparent to me that the underlying cause of
A Great Letter from a Teacher to President Obama
This teacher wrote a great letter. Please write your own, to help the President see what he needs to change:
Dear President Obama, I am a teacher, and I’m concerned about what’s happening in American education today. I’m not sure what I can say that will help you listen to me, but please do. Does it help that we share the same birthday? Does it help that I’m a supporter? Does it help that I qualify for Mensa? Does it help that I’ve been teaching Japanese for 21 years in public high school? Does it help that I am for the most part not directly affected by the majority of the testing craze that has engulfed us? Do you not understand that the testing madness that started with NCLB has now morphed into a full-fledged attack on public education? Now the fight
Dear President Obama, I am a teacher, and I’m concerned about what’s happening in American education today. I’m not sure what I can say that will help you listen to me, but please do. Does it help that we share the same birthday? Does it help that I’m a supporter? Does it help that I qualify for Mensa? Does it help that I’ve been teaching Japanese for 21 years in public high school? Does it help that I am for the most part not directly affected by the majority of the testing craze that has engulfed us? Do you not understand that the testing madness that started with NCLB has now morphed into a full-fledged attack on public education? Now the fight
New Jersey Civil Rights Groups Appeal to Secretary Duncan
Some 45 organizations in New Jersey, from parent groups to civil rights groups have appealed to Secretary Duncan to halt the damage that will be imposed on poor children and children of color as a result of the NCLB waiver to the state.
Because of the waiver, state officials will inflict even more high-stakes testing on the neediest children and their schools will be targeted not for help but for privatization.
The statement says:
To replace the NCLB framework, the State has adopted a new classification system that will reinforce racial and economic segregation and inequity in New Jersey’s public schools. The classification system uses state
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Endorses Glenda Ritz!
Because of the waiver, state officials will inflict even more high-stakes testing on the neediest children and their schools will be targeted not for help but for privatization.
The statement says:
To replace the NCLB framework, the State has adopted a new classification system that will reinforce racial and economic segregation and inequity in New Jersey’s public schools. The classification system uses state
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Endorses Glenda Ritz!
The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette published a powerful editorial endorsing educator Glenda Ritz for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Indiana.
Tony Bennett, the current superintendent, is a foe of public education. He removed the word “public” from his title. He has done whatever he could to promote privatization of the state’s public schools. He opened the state to for-profit corporations to make money while supplying mediocre education.
Bennett is a willing hand-maiden of ALEC and the far-right. He is a member of Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change.
Daniel Willingham Explains Why Merit Pay and VAM Are Unfair
Tony Bennett, the current superintendent, is a foe of public education. He removed the word “public” from his title. He has done whatever he could to promote privatization of the state’s public schools. He opened the state to for-profit corporations to make money while supplying mediocre education.
Bennett is a willing hand-maiden of ALEC and the far-right. He is a member of Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change.
Daniel Willingham Explains Why Merit Pay and VAM Are Unfair
Daniel Willingham is a very smart and sensible psychologist at the University of Virginia. He has a talent for explaining complex issues in simple language.
In this video, he gives six reasons why value added assessment and merit pay are unfair–all in three minutes.
The Movie Nobody Wants to See
In this video, he gives six reasons why value added assessment and merit pay are unfair–all in three minutes.
The Movie Nobody Wants to See
That anti-union, anti-public education movie is a historic flop.
Will Hollywood get the message?
Or will the billionaires keep saying that they “won’t back down” no matter how small the audience. A $19 million movie is chump change for them.
El Paso Cheating Scandal: Who Is Next?
Will Hollywood get the message?
Or will the billionaires keep saying that they “won’t back down” no matter how small the audience. A $19 million movie is chump change for them.
El Paso Cheating Scandal: Who Is Next?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/education/el-paso-rattled-by-scandal-of-disappeared-students.html?hpw
THIS is what Bush/Spellings/Obama/Duncan/Bloomberg/Klein hath wrought. Hardly a surprise, and it’s most likely going on all over the country, including NYC. Just a question of scale and who gets caught. In El Paso’s case, the lack of action by the Texas Education Agency — which actually cleared Superintendent Garcia for lack of evidence (!!!) — was little short of child abuse.
This type of fraud and educational neglect is never going to stop until NCLB, RTTP, and their ilk are abandoned
THIS is what Bush/Spellings/Obama/Duncan/Bloomberg/Klein hath wrought. Hardly a surprise, and it’s most likely going on all over the country, including NYC. Just a question of scale and who gets caught. In El Paso’s case, the lack of action by the Texas Education Agency — which actually cleared Superintendent Garcia for lack of evidence (!!!) — was little short of child abuse.
This type of fraud and educational neglect is never going to stop until NCLB, RTTP, and their ilk are abandoned