I Will Vote for Obama
I have decided to vote to re-elect President Barack Obama.
As readers of this blog are well aware, I strongly oppose what he is doing to our nation’s education system. I dislike Race to the Top, which in many respects is far worse than the failed No Child Left Behind. I know how the Obama administration has outsourced its education policies to the Gates Foundation, the Broad Foundation, and the Wall Street hedge fund managers (the alleged Democrats for Education Reform).
But Romney’s education agenda is even worse. Obama pretends that he is not a privatizer. Romney makes no
As readers of this blog are well aware, I strongly oppose what he is doing to our nation’s education system. I dislike Race to the Top, which in many respects is far worse than the failed No Child Left Behind. I know how the Obama administration has outsourced its education policies to the Gates Foundation, the Broad Foundation, and the Wall Street hedge fund managers (the alleged Democrats for Education Reform).
But Romney’s education agenda is even worse. Obama pretends that he is not a privatizer. Romney makes no
Connecticut Business Leaders to Bridgeport Voters: Give Up Your Democratic Rights
The Connecticut Council for Education Reform (that phrase “for Education Reform” always means “for privatization of your public schools”) urges voters in Bridgeport to pass a resolution that would eliminate their right to elect a school board.
The CCER thinks that the mayor knows best.
The mayor will know how best to close public schools and replace them with privately controlled schools that
The CCER thinks that the mayor knows best.
The mayor will know how best to close public schools and replace them with privately controlled schools that
Did NYC’s “Portfolio District” Policy Reduce Educational Disparity?
A new report from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform asks the question: Is Demography Destiny?
Here is the answer: Yes.
The “portfolio” approach did not change the outcomes for poor kids.
Nonetheless, many districts around the nation are following NYC’s example, based on the hype and spin
Here is the answer: Yes.
The “portfolio” approach did not change the outcomes for poor kids.
Nonetheless, many districts around the nation are following NYC’s example, based on the hype and spin
Treasure the Whistleblowers
I posted earlier about a charter leader who was accused of orchestrating cheating, was fired, and was given a $245,000 settlement.
The whole sordid mess associated with Crescendo Charter Schools in Los Angeles might never have come to light were it not for teachers who were whistle-blowers.
Robert Skeels tells the story here.
Without tenure, without the protection of a union, whistleblowers get fired or never surface to blow the whistle.
Part of the faculty at the charter chain belonged to
The whole sordid mess associated with Crescendo Charter Schools in Los Angeles might never have come to light were it not for teachers who were whistle-blowers.
Robert Skeels tells the story here.
Without tenure, without the protection of a union, whistleblowers get fired or never surface to blow the whistle.
Part of the faculty at the charter chain belonged to
Pennsylvania Blogger: “Charters Are Cash Cows”
I have had some good debates with friends and colleagues who support charter schools. I think there is a role for them in meeting needs that public schools cannot meet: charter schools for the autistic, charter schools for dropouts, charter schools are kids who utterly lack motivation. Charters should boast of how many low-performing kids they have recruited, not their test scores. When their tests scores are high, it usually means they are skimming or excluding the very students they should be seeking out. Charters might also be a way to test innovations, but more typically they are boot camps, which is not at all innovative. If they exist to innovate, they should be committed to collaboration with public schools, not competition. But that is not what charter schools today are about. They are about winning. And as this Pennsylvania blogger explains, some are about
A Teacher from DC Comments on Cuomo’s New Deputy Secretary of Education
Erich Martel taught in the D.C. public schools for many years and won many awards as a history teacher. He is now retired.
He was astonished to see that Governor Andrew Cuomo had hired De’Shawn Wright as his new Deputy Secretary of Education
Erich sent the following message:
Read this story on the departure of DC Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright in the Washington Post: http://tinyurl.com/9ctpm5f )
I’m a retired DCPS high school teacher. For the past 6 months, I have been working with community groups to try to stop De’Shawn Wright’s dismantling of up to 37 DC public schools (out of 120). He “commissioned” a study by the IFF (Illinois Facilities Fund) to evaluate DCPS and DC Charter schools. It was funded by the
He was astonished to see that Governor Andrew Cuomo had hired De’Shawn Wright as his new Deputy Secretary of Education
Erich sent the following message:
Read this story on the departure of DC Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright in the Washington Post: http://tinyurl.com/9ctpm5f )
I’m a retired DCPS high school teacher. For the past 6 months, I have been working with community groups to try to stop De’Shawn Wright’s dismantling of up to 37 DC public schools (out of 120). He “commissioned” a study by the IFF (Illinois Facilities Fund) to evaluate DCPS and DC Charter schools. It was funded by the
Sam Chaltain Takes Tom Friedman to the Woodshed
Sam Chaltain has an excellent post dissecting Tom Friedman’s clueless column praising Race to the Top.
Sam points out that Friedman’s book The World Is Flat made the case for collaboration, not compulsion.
Sam gently explains to Friedman that Race to the Top contradicts what Friedman recommended in his best-selling book.
He concludes that Race to the Top is fundamentally flawed because it lacks both technical expertise and emotional commitment.
“…its formulas for technical expertise, such as new teacher evaluation systems (good idea) based significantly on student test scores (bad idea), move the goalposts but ignore the skill levels of the players. As international change expert Michael Fullan points out, RTTT ‘pays little or no attention to developing the capacity of leaders to improve together or as a system: it is based on a failed theory that teacher quality can be increased by a system of competitive rewards, and it rests on a badly flawed model of management where everyone manages
Sam points out that Friedman’s book The World Is Flat made the case for collaboration, not compulsion.
Sam gently explains to Friedman that Race to the Top contradicts what Friedman recommended in his best-selling book.
He concludes that Race to the Top is fundamentally flawed because it lacks both technical expertise and emotional commitment.
“…its formulas for technical expertise, such as new teacher evaluation systems (good idea) based significantly on student test scores (bad idea), move the goalposts but ignore the skill levels of the players. As international change expert Michael Fullan points out, RTTT ‘pays little or no attention to developing the capacity of leaders to improve together or as a system: it is based on a failed theory that teacher quality can be increased by a system of competitive rewards, and it rests on a badly flawed model of management where everyone manages
Charters Open Their Own Ed Schools
It seems that charter school teachers need a special sort of post-graduate degree. The charters respect the credential enough to want their teachers to have one, but they “can’t wait” for the time it takes to get one from a traditional school of education. Besides, the traditional programs waste time on stuff like sociology and cognitive development, and don’t give enough time to teaching test prep.
In New York City alone, there are now two programs to churn out masters’ degrees for charter teachers. One, called Relay, started at Hunter College when David Steiner was dean (Steiner briefly served as state commissioner of education after starting the program at Hunter for KIPP and other charters). The other is a
Charter Administrator Fired in Cheating Scandal, Gets $245,000 Settlement
In New York City alone, there are now two programs to churn out masters’ degrees for charter teachers. One, called Relay, started at Hunter College when David Steiner was dean (Steiner briefly served as state commissioner of education after starting the program at Hunter for KIPP and other charters). The other is a
Charter Administrator Fired in Cheating Scandal, Gets $245,000 Settlement
This is a strange story from Los Angeles.
The leader of a charter school chain had to resign when confronted with evidence he encouraged principals and teachers to cheat on tests. Allegedly, I must add.
The schools were closed down.
But then he got a $245,000 going away gift..
Anyone understand this?
The perils of deregulation? The risks of high-stakes testing?
What’s with the bonus pay?
The leader of a charter school chain had to resign when confronted with evidence he encouraged principals and teachers to cheat on tests. Allegedly, I must add.
The schools were closed down.
But then he got a $245,000 going away gift..
Anyone understand this?
The perils of deregulation? The risks of high-stakes testing?
What’s with the bonus pay?