What the CREDO Study of NJ Charters Really Said
Julia Sass Rubin, a professor of public policy in New Jersey, took a close look at the CREDO study of charter schools and made a startling discovery: the press release misrepresents the findings of the study.
It recognized the dramatic demographic differences between the students in public schools and in charter schools (“the traditional public schools it looked at served four and a half times as many students with Limited English Proficiency and one and a half times as many special-needs students as did the charter schools”) but ignored the severity of students’ disability or language difficulty.
This is an excerpt from her longer analysis. Rubin wrote:
“The CREDO press release claimed that “New Jersey charter public schools significantly outperform their district
It recognized the dramatic demographic differences between the students in public schools and in charter schools (“the traditional public schools it looked at served four and a half times as many students with Limited English Proficiency and one and a half times as many special-needs students as did the charter schools”) but ignored the severity of students’ disability or language difficulty.
This is an excerpt from her longer analysis. Rubin wrote:
“The CREDO press release claimed that “New Jersey charter public schools significantly outperform their district
Philadelphia Parents File Ethics Complaint Against Powerful Foundation
People often ask what can be done to slow down the galloping pace of privatization, which has the enthusiastic support of so many Republican governors and legislatures (see Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana), the Obama administration (see Race to the Top), and wealthy foundations (see Gates, Walton, Broad).
Philadelphia parents are not sitting back and wailing against the proposed privatization. They have lodged ethics complaints against the city’s largest foundation and the Boston Consulting Group for being unregistered lobbyists.
This is a letter from parent leader Helen Gym explaining why parents acted:
Dear Colleagues:
This week, Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia Home and School Council and the Philadelphia
Philadelphia parents are not sitting back and wailing against the proposed privatization. They have lodged ethics complaints against the city’s largest foundation and the Boston Consulting Group for being unregistered lobbyists.
This is a letter from parent leader Helen Gym explaining why parents acted:
Dear Colleagues:
This week, Parents United for Public Education, the Philadelphia Home and School Council and the Philadelphia
Charters in Mississippi?
A group of elected officials trekked to visit a KIPP Charter school in Arkansas and came home very impressed. They saw black children in an almost all-black school engaged in their studies, and they want to replicate what they saw in Arkansas.
In the news article, however, they said repeatedly that no such schools were needed in DeSoto County. They are needed somewhere else in Mississippi, clearly for black kids.
The school sounded like one of those miracle schools that we hear about so often. I asked Gary Rubinstein i
In the news article, however, they said repeatedly that no such schools were needed in DeSoto County. They are needed somewhere else in Mississippi, clearly for black kids.
The school sounded like one of those miracle schools that we hear about so often. I asked Gary Rubinstein i
State Board in Louisiana Approves Contracts Without Funding
The Louisiana state board of education approved contracts for 45 private vendors, many of them for-profit online companies that had made campaign contributions to some state board members.
The board acted despite the court decision last week declaring that it was unconstitutional to take money dedicated specifically for public elementary and secondary schools and spend it on vouchers or other providers.
Two board members asked for a delay–Lottie Beebe and Carolyn Hill–but the board approved the vendors without
The board acted despite the court decision last week declaring that it was unconstitutional to take money dedicated specifically for public elementary and secondary schools and spend it on vouchers or other providers.
Two board members asked for a delay–Lottie Beebe and Carolyn Hill–but the board approved the vendors without
Is Privatization the Purpose of “Great Schools Compact?”
Should Philadelphia close more district schools and open more charters? Can the district schools learn from charters? Can the charters learn from district schools? Are low scores caused by the schools? Are scores the best measure of school quality?
Read about the heated debate in Philadelphia surrounding the Gates-funded “Great Schools Compact.”
And be sure to scan the comments.
Read about the heated debate in Philadelphia surrounding the Gates-funded “Great Schools Compact.”
And be sure to scan the comments.
A Voice of Sanity in Arizona
Edward Berger lives in Arizona. He is observing the piece-by-piece destruction of America’s free public education system.
I urge you to read his blog at www.edwardberger.com
He has a strong, clear and forceful voice.
He gave me remission to print one of his most recent posts:
Part I: The Dismantling Of Comprehensive Education: A Case Study.
I urge you to read his blog at www.edwardberger.com
He has a strong, clear and forceful voice.
He gave me remission to print one of his most recent posts:
Part I: The Dismantling Of Comprehensive Education: A Case Study.
Joel Klein’s Plan to Spin Education into Gold for Murdoch
Earlier this year, Joel Klein and Condoleeza Rice chaired a task force at the Council on Foreign Relations, which issued a scathing indictment of public education, calling our public schools “a very grave threat to national security.”
Klein works for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, where he is in charge of selling technology. The latest report from his division repeats the gloomy (and inaccurate statistics) about US education and says there is a way to fix all these dire problems: Buy the technology he is selling!
Klein works for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, where he is in charge of selling technology. The latest report from his division repeats the gloomy (and inaccurate statistics) about US education and says there is a way to fix all these dire problems: Buy the technology he is selling!
What to Give for Christmas
Larry Lee of Montgomery, Alabama, has some good ideas for your Christmas giving this year and next:
Larry Lee writes:
No doubt there are some folks who really look forward to Christmas shopping. Going from store to store, picking up this, picking up that, getting in line at the checkout, rounding up wrapping paper, etc.
I just don’t happen to be one of them.
Maybe it is because I’m a male or maybe because I don’t care for crowds. I rate Christmas shopping right up
Larry Lee writes:
No doubt there are some folks who really look forward to Christmas shopping. Going from store to store, picking up this, picking up that, getting in line at the checkout, rounding up wrapping paper, etc.
I just don’t happen to be one of them.
Maybe it is because I’m a male or maybe because I don’t care for crowds. I rate Christmas shopping right up
Diane in the Evening 12-6-12 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: Michigan Now Talking about Right-to-Work Legislation by dianerav Michigan was once one of the nation’ s strongest union states. But with the decimation of the automobile industry and the recent takeover of state government by extremely conservative politicians, the union movement is on the defensive. Unions in Michigan tried and failed to pass a constitutional amendment supporting their right to bargain Legal Dictators in Michigan ? by dianerav This is a thought-provoking article in the conservative National Review about Michigan Governor Rick Snyder... more »