G.F. Brandenburg on the Rhee “Smoking Memo”
G.F. Brandenburg has covered the reign of Rhee for years.
Here he explains the key insights in the memo leaked to John Merrow.
His summary:
“(1) Rhee gave lots of money to adults who cheated
(2) She put impossible pressure on principals to cheat; they, in turn, put that pressure on their teachers
Here he explains the key insights in the memo leaked to John Merrow.
His summary:
“(1) Rhee gave lots of money to adults who cheated
(2) She put impossible pressure on principals to cheat; they, in turn, put that pressure on their teachers
Breaking News: John Merrow Finds Mystery Memo in Rhee Scandal
Someone in the District of Columbia education department leaked a memo to John Merrow about the cheating scandal. The memo warned Chancellor Michelle Rhee about the likelihood of widespread cheating in the DC Public schools. Rhee did not act on it. She should have. The allegations were not nave sighted. They were brushed aside.
This is a very important post.
It is a bombshell.
Merrow calls the post “Michelle Rhee’s Reign of Error.” It is funny that he borrowed the title of my new book,
This is a very important post.
It is a bombshell.
Merrow calls the post “Michelle Rhee’s Reign of Error.” It is funny that he borrowed the title of my new book,
Florida: The “Parent Trigger” Scam
In this article columnist Daniel Shoer Roth explains how parents at the Desert Trails school in Adelanto, California, were hoodwinked into turning their public school over to a charter operator.
Under the Florida proposal, charters can set their own rules for eligibility, and many students will be excluded from the school that once was their neighborhood school.
Roth writes:
“Some local students will not meet the new strict admission rules. This includes students with learning
Under the Florida proposal, charters can set their own rules for eligibility, and many students will be excluded from the school that once was their neighborhood school.
Roth writes:
“Some local students will not meet the new strict admission rules. This includes students with learning
Breaking News: Providence Students Win Major Victory!
Congratulations to the Providence Student Union, which exposed the inadequacy of the NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program) as a high school graduation test. As a result of their activism, the Boston Globetoday opposed the use of NECAP for that purpose.
Instead of just protesting or writing letters to the editor or to elected officials, the PSU engaged in political theater. They invited 60 accomplished professionals to “take the test,” a test made up of released math items. And of that group, 60 percent would not have received a high school diploma.
Way to go
Instead of just protesting or writing letters to the editor or to elected officials, the PSU engaged in political theater. They invited 60 accomplished professionals to “take the test,” a test made up of released math items. And of that group, 60 percent would not have received a high school diploma.
Way to go
Do Bobby Jindal and John White Hate The Poor and Disabled?
I read this post by Louisiana’s Crazy Crawfish with a sense of disbelief.
I could not believe that any human being would expend so much effort to crush the poorest and neediest citizens of his state.
Can you believe that John White is going to apply value-added assessments to determine the funding for students with disabilities? If they don’t get higher test scores every year, they lose funding. He will do the sameto gifted students.
Is this mean or mad?
Read Jindal’s spending cuts. Unbelievable. For example, he cut the budget for higher education by more than
I could not believe that any human being would expend so much effort to crush the poorest and neediest citizens of his state.
Can you believe that John White is going to apply value-added assessments to determine the funding for students with disabilities? If they don’t get higher test scores every year, they lose funding. He will do the sameto gifted students.
Is this mean or mad?
Read Jindal’s spending cuts. Unbelievable. For example, he cut the budget for higher education by more than
Ladd to NC Legislature: Do Not Privatize Public Education
This article by Helen Ladd of Duke University is absolutely “must” reading.
Ladd is a major economist of education.
The same article might be written for many states.
North Carolina was once renowned for its commitment to public education.
But now the legislature is starving the funding for public education: “Per-pupil spending on K-12 education in North Carolina is now 46th in the country, teacher salaries are 48th and the General Assembly has been cutting funding for our university and community college systems, once the envy of other states.”
Worse, the legislature seems determined to create a dual school system, one public, the other run by privately
Ladd is a major economist of education.
The same article might be written for many states.
North Carolina was once renowned for its commitment to public education.
But now the legislature is starving the funding for public education: “Per-pupil spending on K-12 education in North Carolina is now 46th in the country, teacher salaries are 48th and the General Assembly has been cutting funding for our university and community college systems, once the envy of other states.”
Worse, the legislature seems determined to create a dual school system, one public, the other run by privately
Comment by a Charter School Teacher
In a post today, a comment by a charter school teacher explains the high turnover in charter schools.
“Sadly, JUST like the teachers in KIPP, I got a job in a charter school WELL before realizing what this whole “school reform” movement was all about… didn’t know the difference between charter/public/private… and it’s only been over the course of several years, total exhaustion, and in the last few months of being enlightened about the “school reform” movement that I now understand what type of system I’m working in. Although I work with some wonderful people, I’ve seen the toxic result of the reform movement creeping in … always expecting more, doing more, giving more… . If you find ANY work/life balance, you “appear” lazy and you earn a reputation for “not doing your job” (because some of the expectations are through the roof. I’m sticking it out this year, but
“Sadly, JUST like the teachers in KIPP, I got a job in a charter school WELL before realizing what this whole “school reform” movement was all about… didn’t know the difference between charter/public/private… and it’s only been over the course of several years, total exhaustion, and in the last few months of being enlightened about the “school reform” movement that I now understand what type of system I’m working in. Although I work with some wonderful people, I’ve seen the toxic result of the reform movement creeping in … always expecting more, doing more, giving more… . If you find ANY work/life balance, you “appear” lazy and you earn a reputation for “not doing your job” (because some of the expectations are through the roof. I’m sticking it out this year, but
Comment by a Charter Teacher in Ohio
This arrived in response to the post about the poor results of charters in Ohio:
“My first teaching job out of university was a charter high school in Toledo. The director’s husband was convicted of stealing public funds and sent to prison. The politically connected company that held the charter cut off the faculty’s health insurance without telling us midway through the year and didn’t plan on paying us once summer hit. The charter company closed the school immediately after the last day. If those who run charters are willing to steal and lie and cheat teachers out of their salaries, they’ll be willing to cheat on graduation rates and in-
“My first teaching job out of university was a charter high school in Toledo. The director’s husband was convicted of stealing public funds and sent to prison. The politically connected company that held the charter cut off the faculty’s health insurance without telling us midway through the year and didn’t plan on paying us once summer hit. The charter company closed the school immediately after the last day. If those who run charters are willing to steal and lie and cheat teachers out of their salaries, they’ll be willing to cheat on graduation rates and in-
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 4-11-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] The Big Money Behind Parent Revolution by dianerav You have no doubt heard the story of Parent Revolution. That is the group that wants to “empower” parents to seize control of their schools so they can turn it overto a charter operator. The founder of Parent Revolution previously worked for Green Dot charters. Then he got funded by Walton, Gates, and Broad to start Parent Revolution. A typical corporate reform sham since there are no parents involved, unless yo... more »
