Bobby Jindal Admits a Mistake
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal backed off his big Thatcherite idea of reforming the tax code.
He wanted to eliminate income taxes and corporate taxes and raise sales taxes.
That way, the poor would subsidize the rich.
But his poll numbers plummeted, and legislators told him that his plan would be defeated, even by his faithful followers, who want to be re-elected by the voters in their districts.
So he backed off his regressive plan.
The New York Times mentions that Governor Jindal’s health secretary resigned recently “amid reports of a
He wanted to eliminate income taxes and corporate taxes and raise sales taxes.
That way, the poor would subsidize the rich.
But his poll numbers plummeted, and legislators told him that his plan would be defeated, even by his faithful followers, who want to be re-elected by the voters in their districts.
So he backed off his regressive plan.
The New York Times mentions that Governor Jindal’s health secretary resigned recently “amid reports of a
Indiana University Students Plan Anti-Testing Strike
Students at Indiana University’s education school will go on strike on April 11 and 12 to protest the excessive and toxic testing in K-12.
As they say in their statement, they are the children of No Child Left Behind.
Read the entirety of their statement.
Here is an excerpt:
“As striking students at Indiana University, we are struggling against the corporatization of our school, lack of diversity on campus, and ever-increasing tuition and fees which are fast making an education here inaccessible to all but the most privileged. As we begin these important conversations here at IU we also recognize their systemic nature. We stand in solidarity with others throughout the nation working to rescue education from those who seek to profit from it. We recognize the bravery and commitment of the teachers, students, and parents in
As they say in their statement, they are the children of No Child Left Behind.
Read the entirety of their statement.
Here is an excerpt:
“As striking students at Indiana University, we are struggling against the corporatization of our school, lack of diversity on campus, and ever-increasing tuition and fees which are fast making an education here inaccessible to all but the most privileged. As we begin these important conversations here at IU we also recognize their systemic nature. We stand in solidarity with others throughout the nation working to rescue education from those who seek to profit from it. We recognize the bravery and commitment of the teachers, students, and parents in
Congratulations, Carol Burris, New York Principal of the Year!
Readers of this blog are familiar with the writings of Carol Burris, principal of South Side High a school in Rockville Center, New York.
Her fellow principals across the state just named her Principal of the Year..
Carol is a dedicated, passionate educator who is a leader of the fight against the state’s educator evaluation system. She and her colleague Sean Feeney created a petition drive and signed up more than third of the other principals in the state to oppose this ill-considered approach. Thousands of parents and fellow citizens signed their petition.
It is not too late. You can sign too.
Congratulations, Carol!
Her fellow principals across the state just named her Principal of the Year..
Carol is a dedicated, passionate educator who is a leader of the fight against the state’s educator evaluation system. She and her colleague Sean Feeney created a petition drive and signed up more than third of the other principals in the state to oppose this ill-considered approach. Thousands of parents and fellow citizens signed their petition.
It is not too late. You can sign too.
Congratulations, Carol!
Bruce Baker Challenges the Logic of Privatization
Bruce Baker of Rutgers is one of the wisest and sharpest critics of the privatization movement (aka “reform”).
In this post, he analyzes two favorite terms of the privatizers: “relinquishment,” which means “give up,” abandon your antique belief in public education, turn your school over to private management and get over it. The other is “sector agnosticism,” which means pretty much the same thing as relinquishment.
You have to wonder where these guys get this jargon. Do they make it up all by themselves? Or do they hire Republican pollster-linguist Frank Luntz to help them figure out words and terms that will make them sound high-
In this post, he analyzes two favorite terms of the privatizers: “relinquishment,” which means “give up,” abandon your antique belief in public education, turn your school over to private management and get over it. The other is “sector agnosticism,” which means pretty much the same thing as relinquishment.
You have to wonder where these guys get this jargon. Do they make it up all by themselves? Or do they hire Republican pollster-linguist Frank Luntz to help them figure out words and terms that will make them sound high-
Will Connecticut Put a Charter Operator on State Board?
Jonathan Pelto asks whether the Connecticut House of Representatives will approve the nomination of a charter school executive to the State Board of Education.
Governor Dannell Malloy nominated Andrea Comer, the chief operating officer of a charter school to the state board, where she will exercise influence over issues that directly affect her organization, as well as the continued expansion of charter schools in that state.
Malloy is mad about charter schools. He chose a charter school founder, Stefan Pryor, to be his state commissioner of education.
“If Andrea Comer, the Chief Operating Officer of FUSE/Jumoke Inc., finds herself on the State Board of
Governor Dannell Malloy nominated Andrea Comer, the chief operating officer of a charter school to the state board, where she will exercise influence over issues that directly affect her organization, as well as the continued expansion of charter schools in that state.
Malloy is mad about charter schools. He chose a charter school founder, Stefan Pryor, to be his state commissioner of education.
“If Andrea Comer, the Chief Operating Officer of FUSE/Jumoke Inc., finds herself on the State Board of
Jonathan Kozol Will Be Honored by FairTest on May 9
If you live anywhere near Cambridge, you should plan to attend this FairTest event on May 9 when FairTest will honor Jonathan Kozol.
FairTest will present Jonathan with the Deborah W. Meier Award for Heroes in Education for his lifelong
FairTest will present Jonathan with the Deborah W. Meier Award for Heroes in Education for his lifelong
Why Texas Is Sick of The Testing Mania
Texas is fed up with the testing obsession. The state has handed over nearly a billion dollars to Pearson in recent years, even as the Legislature cut $5.4 Billion from public education.
For an insiders’ view of the revolt against high-stakes testing in Texas, read Jason Stanford.
He says only two people n the state still defend the testing deluge, and one of them is paid to lobby for Pearson.
That would be Sandy Kress, the same man who is widely acknowledged as the architect of No Child Left
For an insiders’ view of the revolt against high-stakes testing in Texas, read Jason Stanford.
He says only two people n the state still defend the testing deluge, and one of them is paid to lobby for Pearson.
That would be Sandy Kress, the same man who is widely acknowledged as the architect of No Child Left
The Washington Post Is Wrong About Texas
The Washington Post has a great education blog, Valerie Strauss’s The Answer Sheet.
I wish the editorial board would read The Answer Sheet.
.
Instead, they wrote this absurd editorial, chastising Texas for backing away from test mania.
At present, Texas spends more on testing–$100 million yearly to Pearson –than any other state.
Students in Texas are expected to pass 15 end-of-course tests to graduate from high school. This is more
I wish the editorial board would read The Answer Sheet.
.
Instead, they wrote this absurd editorial, chastising Texas for backing away from test mania.
At present, Texas spends more on testing–$100 million yearly to Pearson –than any other state.
Students in Texas are expected to pass 15 end-of-course tests to graduate from high school. This is more
Uh-Oh, Bad News for Ohio Charters
Ohio is very friendly territory for charter schools.
Governor Kasich loves charter, vouchers, and virtual schools.
But the charters are not doing so well.
Read the following comment and the link with it:
I have been following your work closely since reading your most recent book a few years ago. My local paper, the Akron Beacon Journal, today ran an article analyzing the impact of the new state report card system on public schools, particularly the charter schools. The link is below to the article. The part that jumped out at me was the comments from the vice president of research and accountability for the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter
Governor Kasich loves charter, vouchers, and virtual schools.
But the charters are not doing so well.
Read the following comment and the link with it:
I have been following your work closely since reading your most recent book a few years ago. My local paper, the Akron Beacon Journal, today ran an article analyzing the impact of the new state report card system on public schools, particularly the charter schools. The link is below to the article. The part that jumped out at me was the comments from the vice president of research and accountability for the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter
Jay Mathews Reverses His Views About Teacher Evaluation
Jay Mathews has been a strong supporter of using test scores.
No longer.
He describes his change of view here.
Jay writes:
“I used to think student test score gains were a good way to rate teachers. I don’t think that any more. Grading individual teachers with scores is too approximate, too erratic and too destructive of the team spirit that makes great schools. Rating schools, rather than teachers, by test score gains is better, at least until we find a way to measure deeper indicators of learning.”
And more.
“We would be better off rating teachers the old-fashioned way. Let principals do it in the normal course of
No longer.
He describes his change of view here.
Jay writes:
“I used to think student test score gains were a good way to rate teachers. I don’t think that any more. Grading individual teachers with scores is too approximate, too erratic and too destructive of the team spirit that makes great schools. Rating schools, rather than teachers, by test score gains is better, at least until we find a way to measure deeper indicators of learning.”
And more.
“We would be better off rating teachers the old-fashioned way. Let principals do it in the normal course of
Why the “Alabama Accountability Act” Is a Hoax
Larry Lee is an Alabama native who cares about public schools. He has a particular interest in rural schools and community schools. He is a member of the board of the Network for Public Education. This is his analysis of the recently passed “Alabama Accountability Act,” which enacted tax credits and is a stealth voucher plan.
Larry Lee writes:
Have you ever made a promise you knew you couldn’t keep? I sure did every time mama took a switch to me. “I promise, I promise I won’t ever do it again,” I hollered as I tried to dance out of her reach.
Unfortunately when you strip all the rhetoric away, when you cast aside all the pleadings that “this is for the children” and when you look at the starkness of the numbers, you see that this is what our legislature did when
Larry Lee writes:
Have you ever made a promise you knew you couldn’t keep? I sure did every time mama took a switch to me. “I promise, I promise I won’t ever do it again,” I hollered as I tried to dance out of her reach.
Unfortunately when you strip all the rhetoric away, when you cast aside all the pleadings that “this is for the children” and when you look at the starkness of the numbers, you see that this is what our legislature did when
Diane in the Evening 4-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Jeff Bryant on the United Opt Out Protest by dianerav Last weekend, United Opt Out sponsored a protest rally in front of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. The event was called Occupy the DOE. Jeff Bryant of North Carolina reports on the protests here. I spoke on Thursday afternoon of the first day. The crowd was small, which was not surprising, because it was a workday and it is expensive to travel a distance. And the event organizers had no money for travel. Everything was handmade and impro... more »