Republican Legislator in Louisiana Wants Elected State Superintendent
This is funny. Bobby Jindal and John White have ruled the state education system with an iron hand since Jindal won control of the state board of education. They have pushed vouchers and charters on the theory that parents need “choice” and the public schools should have no priority.
Now a Republican legislator has proposed that the voters should choose their state superintendent.
Let’s see how Jindal and White feel about that choice.
Now a Republican legislator has proposed that the voters should choose their state superintendent.
Let’s see how Jindal and White feel about that choice.
Less than Half Our Schools Have a Full-Time Nurse
Matt Di Carlo examines the latest data about the availability of school nurses, and it is disturbing.
For many children, the school nurse is the only medical care they will get.
Only 41% of schools have a RN on staff.
The data are none too new. They are from 2006, before the economic collapse. Very likely, the number with full-time nurses is even less now.
Now here is a job for the Gates Foundation. Place a Gates nurse in every school in every low-income district. That will raise test scores even more than MET or VAM.
For many children, the school nurse is the only medical care they will get.
Only 41% of schools have a RN on staff.
The data are none too new. They are from 2006, before the economic collapse. Very likely, the number with full-time nurses is even less now.
Now here is a job for the Gates Foundation. Place a Gates nurse in every school in every low-income district. That will raise test scores even more than MET or VAM.
Indiana Court Endorses Vouchers
The first organization out of the box to salute today’s Indiana court decision endorsing vouchers is the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, which exists to support vouchers.
As you learned in an earlier post today, vouchers in Sweden have been concurrent with growing social stratification (in the U.S., we would call it growing segregation by race and class), lower test scores on international assessments since 1995, and growing profits for vendors of educational services.
So if vouchers spread, we can expect resegregation of U.S. schools, even worse than what already exists; we can expect public funds to flow to church schools that teach creationism; we can expect growing inequality; and
As you learned in an earlier post today, vouchers in Sweden have been concurrent with growing social stratification (in the U.S., we would call it growing segregation by race and class), lower test scores on international assessments since 1995, and growing profits for vendors of educational services.
So if vouchers spread, we can expect resegregation of U.S. schools, even worse than what already exists; we can expect public funds to flow to church schools that teach creationism; we can expect growing inequality; and
Parent: The Inside Story of Venice High School
I have tried to stay informed about what was happening to Venice High School in Los Angeles.
It was confusing.
The community, with no notice, was offered a choice: take Steve Barr’s pilot school or you will get a charter school. Remember Barr, the founder of the Green Do charters, an entrepreneur, not an educator.
Who was making the
It was confusing.
The community, with no notice, was offered a choice: take Steve Barr’s pilot school or you will get a charter school. Remember Barr, the founder of the Green Do charters, an entrepreneur, not an educator.
Who was making the
What Happened at Venice High School
LA Times reporter Teresa Watanabe gives a good accounting of what happened at Venice High School in Los Angeles.
The LAUSD board approved an “incubator school” to teach middle school students how to start their own business. How cool is that!?
However, the Venice community–parents and students–reacted negatively and the business school for pre-teens may have to go elsewhere.
Ah, innovation. What will they think of next? Day trading in kindergarten?
The LAUSD board approved an “incubator school” to teach middle school students how to start their own business. How cool is that!?
However, the Venice community–parents and students–reacted negatively and the business school for pre-teens may have to go elsewhere.
Ah, innovation. What will they think of next? Day trading in kindergarten?
Just Look at Malloy Nominee for State Board of Education
Jonathan Pelto reminds us of the national publicity about a homeless woman who was arrested and fined for the crime of enrolling her child in the Norwalk public schools when she was not a resident of that city in Connecticut.
Now Governor Dannell Malloy has nominated a woman to the state board of education even though she was in the same dispute with the Windsor schools a decade ago. But it is okay for her because she is not an indigent woman. In fact, she is the Chief Operations Officer for FUSE/Jumoke, the charter school management company that operates Jumoke Academy.
That makes a big difference.
Now Governor Dannell Malloy has nominated a woman to the state board of education even though she was in the same dispute with the Windsor schools a decade ago. But it is okay for her because she is not an indigent woman. In fact, she is the Chief Operations Officer for FUSE/Jumoke, the charter school management company that operates Jumoke Academy.
That makes a big difference.
Who Owns Your Child’s Data?
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters in New York City has prepared the following report about threats to the privacy of children, families, and teachers.
She reports as follows:
“The Gates Foundation and Wireless Generation (owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation) have formed something called “Shared Learning Collaborative,” which has now been turned into a new corporation called
Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters in New York City has prepared the following report about threats to the privacy of children, families, and teachers.
She reports as follows:
“The Gates Foundation and Wireless Generation (owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation) have formed something called “Shared Learning Collaborative,” which has now been turned into a new corporation called
Mother Crusader: How Cerf Picked Charter Operator for Cmden
Darcie Cimarusti–aka Mother Crusader–has become a scourge to the New Jersey State Education Department. She has taught herself to be a sleuth. And she has mastered the Open Public Records Act to dig for information and connect the dots.
This post is a good example of a parent doing the job of an investigative journalist.
She tracks down the emails between State Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf and an old friend from Edison days who now runs charter schools.
She learns how the state decided to award the friend a grant of $150,000 to plan a charter or cluster of charters
This post is a good example of a parent doing the job of an investigative journalist.
She tracks down the emails between State Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf and an old friend from Edison days who now runs charter schools.
She learns how the state decided to award the friend a grant of $150,000 to plan a charter or cluster of charters
Vouchers in Sweden: Scores Fall, Inequality Grows
Professor Henry M. Levin is a distinguished economist and director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.
He recently participated in a conference in Sweden convened by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to review the evidence about the effects of vouchers, which were initiated in 1992. He learned that Swedish performance on international tests has declined since 1995, private school enrollments have grown, social stratification has increased, and the for-profit sector is thriving.
He wrote this post specifically for the blog. It provides important information about the effects of vouchers. We
Mass Protest Rally in Chicago
The Chicago Teachers Union is planning a mass protest rally on Wednesday. The schools closings in Chicago are the largest in American history. Never has any district closed so many schools at the same time. Only since the passage of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind and Arne Duncan’s Race to the Top has the public been told that school closings are “reform.” They are not. They are an abandonment of responsibility by those at the top.
Network for Public Education Deplores Mass Closings in Chicago
The Network for Public Education has released a statement condemning the Rahm Emanuel administration for the outrageous school closings in Chicago.
Parents, teachers, administrators, and concerned citizens must speak up and act out against this horrendous and arrogant action by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Parents, teachers, administrators, and concerned citizens must speak up and act out against this horrendous and arrogant action by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
My Debate with Chas Roemer in Baton Rouge
I was invited to debate a state leader in Baton Rouge on March 14. The leader who accepted was Chas Roemer, president of theBoard of Elementary and Secondary Education. Chas is a strong supporter of Governor Bobby Jindal’s “reforms” of massive privatization through vouchers nd charters and outsourcing students and taxpayer to for-profit corporations.
Chas was educated at Harvard. His father was governor. His sister runs the state charter school association.
Each of us was allotted 15 minutes, followed by Q&A.
Here are the videos.
I thought it was fun.
Chas was educated at Harvard. His father was governor. His sister runs the state charter school association.
Each of us was allotted 15 minutes, followed by Q&A.
Here are the videos.
I thought it was fun.
EduShyster: The Minnsanity of School Reform
You must read EduShyster’s description of “reform” in Minneapolis, which she calls “Minnsanity.” Folks, you can’t make this stuff up.
Is there a method in their madness? Do they have any evidence for what they are doing? If it fails and fails, and they do the same thing over and over, what do you call it?
Stories like these convince me that the unrealistic claims of reformers can’t go on forever. At some point, the
Is there a method in their madness? Do they have any evidence for what they are doing? If it fails and fails, and they do the same thing over and over, what do you call it?
Stories like these convince me that the unrealistic claims of reformers can’t go on forever. At some point, the
Diane in the Evening 3-25-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: An Astonishing Revelation by dianerav I earlier posted about the decision by Governor Christie to take control of the public schools of Camden, New Jersey. The state has controlled three other districts without “fixing” them. What will be different now? Or in those three other districts still under state control. This teacher in Florida knows what should be done: “I did my student teaching at woodrow wilson high school in camden, nj. those kids don’t need “a government” to The Chalkface Interviews Karen Lewis ... more »