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Monday, January 14, 2013

Diane in the Evening 1-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:





NJ Charter School Draws Ire of Local Residents

Mother Crusader is angry again.
Despite the success of parents in keeping a Hebrew charter school from opening in Highland Park, one opened in East Brunswick called the Hatikvah International Academy Charter School. Since there was not enough demand in East Brunswick for the school, it draws students from 17 other districts, including Highland Park, which previously rejected a charter.
What is striking here is that the new charter is enrolling students who never attended public schools, but the public schools lose money by paying for them from their budget.
So, for example, there are students transferring out of Jewish day schools to the new charter, but the public 


Connecticut District Devoured by Edu-Vultures

Jonathan Pelto has unearthed a shocking story of a school district in Connecticut that is being pulled apart, privatized, and spit out by pseudo-saviors.
Windham, Connecticut, was in academic trouble so the state board of education appointed a “special master” to oversee school reform and the legislature appropriated $1 million per year extra. The district of 3,500 students

Memphis Families Outraged by School Takeover

Parents in the Binghampton district in Tennessee are furious that the state took over their school, changed the name and colors, brought in an inexperienced staff, and no one thought to consult them.
Tennessee created the “Achievement School District” and put charter founder Chris Barbic in charge. Barbic, a graduate of the unaccredited Broad Superintendents Academy, has promised to take the schools scoring in the bottom 5% and put them in the state’s top 25% in five years. He has the authority to take control of low-performing schools to turn them around.
One of them is Lester School, now renamed Cornerstone Preparatory School and turned into a charter.
At the community meeting, feelings ran high:

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-14-13 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] (title unknown) by dianerav Michelle Rhee was interviewed by “The City Paper” in Nashville. The story describes her thus: “A Tennessee transplant, she is turning her attention to schools in her new state.” It also refers to the “roots” she is “setting” in Nashville. Apparently, she never told the reporter that she lives in Sacramento, not Nashville. She describes herself as a “public school parent” because one of her daughters attends public school in Nashville. But she did not acknowledge that her older d... more »