The Smear Tactics of Corporate Reformers
Jersey Jazzman has pulled together an impressive collection of smears, wherein the corporate reformers’ attack machine tried to silence and/ or intimidate their critics.
JJ’s recitation brought to mind some of the many brushes I have had with the smear machine.
The first occurred in 2007, when I realized that someone in the NYC Department of Education was following me to my lectures and taping them. I saw this on four occasions and was curious but shrugged it off.
Then I realized what was going on when I read a sharp attack on me in the Néw York Post, calling me a “hypocritical critic.”
I later learned from journalists that the DOE was taping my lectures so they could compile a dossier called
JJ’s recitation brought to mind some of the many brushes I have had with the smear machine.
The first occurred in 2007, when I realized that someone in the NYC Department of Education was following me to my lectures and taping them. I saw this on four occasions and was curious but shrugged it off.
Then I realized what was going on when I read a sharp attack on me in the Néw York Post, calling me a “hypocritical critic.”
I later learned from journalists that the DOE was taping my lectures so they could compile a dossier called
Breaking News! More $$$$ into Los Angeles Race
The Los Angeles Times reports two late donations to the campaign to elect a board that supports privatization.
The California Charter Schools Association put up $300,000.
Rupert Murdoch’s News America Corporation added $250,000.
The charter association anticipates increased numbers of privately managed charters with no supervision.
The Murdoch corporation has financial involvement through its subsidiary run by Joel Klein, who previously gave $25,000.
Los Angeles already has more charters than any other city in the nation. School board member Steve Zimmer had the temerity to propose that the board develop a policy for oversight of charters before creating new ones. Zimmer enraged the charter lobby, which wants no oversight and no moratorium.
Zimmer, who started his career in Teach for America and remained in the public schools as a career teacher, is
The California Charter Schools Association put up $300,000.
Rupert Murdoch’s News America Corporation added $250,000.
The charter association anticipates increased numbers of privately managed charters with no supervision.
The Murdoch corporation has financial involvement through its subsidiary run by Joel Klein, who previously gave $25,000.
Los Angeles already has more charters than any other city in the nation. School board member Steve Zimmer had the temerity to propose that the board develop a policy for oversight of charters before creating new ones. Zimmer enraged the charter lobby, which wants no oversight and no moratorium.
Zimmer, who started his career in Teach for America and remained in the public schools as a career teacher, is
What George Orwell Teaches Us About Corporate School Reform
An incisive essay posted on Valerie Strauss’s blog explains how we can use George Orwell’s classic 1984 to understand corporate-style school reform today.
The essay, written by North Carolina teacher Chris Gilbert, demonstrates that Orwell perfectly understood how lies, repeated often, tend to be accepted as truthful. Corporate reformers say the same things over and over again, expecting that in time their echo chamber will win out. Or, as Orwell puts it, “Myths which are believed in tend to become true.”
Gilbert gives as an example the familiar reformer claim that poverty doesn’t cause poor school performance, but
The essay, written by North Carolina teacher Chris Gilbert, demonstrates that Orwell perfectly understood how lies, repeated often, tend to be accepted as truthful. Corporate reformers say the same things over and over again, expecting that in time their echo chamber will win out. Or, as Orwell puts it, “Myths which are believed in tend to become true.”
Gilbert gives as an example the familiar reformer claim that poverty doesn’t cause poor school performance, but
Occupy DOE Calls on States to Drop Common Core Testing
This just in from organizers of protest demonstration in D.C. From April 4-7:
Campaign to Withdraw from Assessment Consortia
The Common Core was a clever plan hatched by the corporate sponsors of ACHIEVE to ensure that national standards based tests, now being completed by the federally financed PARCC and SBAC consortia, would be cemented in place for years to come. States were pressured to sign on with one of the consortia before the tests were even developed. State education officials still don’t know exactly what the PARCC or SBAC assessments will look like, though plans call for computer based testing 4 times a year with results tied to teacher evaluation. The PARCC and SBACC tests will be rolled out in full-force in 2014-2015 with millions of dollars being earmarked for schools to comply with specified technology requirements. This enormous investment in testing will be a windfall for Pearson, Wireless Generation and other profit seeking corporations. Meanwhile, kindergarten and first grade teachers in Baltimore and elsewhere report class sizes of 32+ and city schools across the nation continue
Campaign to Withdraw from Assessment Consortia
The Common Core was a clever plan hatched by the corporate sponsors of ACHIEVE to ensure that national standards based tests, now being completed by the federally financed PARCC and SBAC consortia, would be cemented in place for years to come. States were pressured to sign on with one of the consortia before the tests were even developed. State education officials still don’t know exactly what the PARCC or SBAC assessments will look like, though plans call for computer based testing 4 times a year with results tied to teacher evaluation. The PARCC and SBACC tests will be rolled out in full-force in 2014-2015 with millions of dollars being earmarked for schools to comply with specified technology requirements. This enormous investment in testing will be a windfall for Pearson, Wireless Generation and other profit seeking corporations. Meanwhile, kindergarten and first grade teachers in Baltimore and elsewhere report class sizes of 32+ and city schools across the nation continue
Why Louisiana Judge Struck Down Tenure Law
Mercedes Schneider explains the significance of the Jindal legislation–Act 1–that was declared unconstitutional by a Louisiana judge yesterday.
The state constitution says that each piece of legislation shall deal with only one subject. It was on this procedural ground that the law was declared unconstitutional.
As Schneider shows, Act 1 covered numerous subjects. Its primary purposes were: first, to destroy the teaching profession; second, to remove the powers of local school boards; third, to make the state superintendent the
The state constitution says that each piece of legislation shall deal with only one subject. It was on this procedural ground that the law was declared unconstitutional.
As Schneider shows, Act 1 covered numerous subjects. Its primary purposes were: first, to destroy the teaching profession; second, to remove the powers of local school boards; third, to make the state superintendent the
If You Really, Really Want to Improve Schools, Close Them (Not Really)
Here is EduShyster, with her usual irreverence, telling us how to achieve true excellence:
Close public schools.
Close so many public schools that the public gives up and gets used to it.
Make grand promises.
As they sing in Chicago (not only the Broadway musical and the movie, but the actual city): “Give ‘em the old
Close public schools.
Close so many public schools that the public gives up and gets used to it.
Make grand promises.
As they sing in Chicago (not only the Broadway musical and the movie, but the actual city): “Give ‘em the old
Diane in the Evening 3-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: CEO of Walmart Foundation Picked for Key Obama Job: UPDATE by dianerav Sylvia Matthews Burwell, the head of the Walmart Foundation, has been selected by President Obama to take charge of the Office of Management and Budget. This is one of the most important policy jobs in the federal government. The director of OMB decides how money should be allocated, which programs should live and which should die. There are often intra-agency battles, but New York: Educators Have “Initiative Fatigue” by dianerav Please th... more »