A Shocking Display of Common Sense in Syracuse
Michael Gilbert, a school psychologist at Meachem Elementary School in Syracuse, New York, offers words of wisdom to his fellow citizens. Please read and share them. He writes: ….Much of what is happening in public education “reform” is not about what is in the best interest of students and schools. It is about politics, power, special interests and money. All children in public schools are ri
Cash In on the Education Market Now!
Here is an event you won’t want to miss, if you can pay the price of admission. So many opportunities to cash in on the emerging market of education. There are, as the ad says, lots of needs to address: “This is a long-overdue shift the public has been clamoring for — measuring quality by what students are able to master, not by time spent in a classroom — and the private sector is offering numer
Achievement First: Boot Camp for Kiddies
Achievement First prides itself on its high test scores, but recent stories report that these charters are also distinguished for startlingly high suspension rates. Half the 5-year-olds were suspended last year. Dacia Toll, the Ivy League-educated leader of the charter chain, promised to cut the suspension rate in half. Instead of suspending the kids, apparently they will get even tougher on them
Walmart Refuses to Pay a Living Wage in DC
Walmart, owned by the fabulously wealthy Walton family of Arkansas, has told the city of Washington, DC, that it will not build stores there if the City Council passes a “living wage” bill. The members of the family are billionaires and at the very least multimillionaires. Walmart wants to pay only the minimum wage of $7.50 an hour. The City Council wants a “living wage” of $12.50 an hour, reflect
A billionaire family in Idaho has been running ads (“Don’t Fail, Idaho”) disparaging the schools as failures. The Albertson family wants to promote online learning, which will save money but provide worse education. A member of the family invests in K12. A sad story from an Idaho teacher: I live in Idaho. I have seen public education dollars drop so low, that we are seeing our largest district i
Wendy Davis, a True American Hero
The world knows Wendy Davis as the state senator in Texas who filibustered for 11 hours straight against an bill that would restrict abortion. Unlike Jimmy Stewart in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” she was not allowed to take a drink of water or go off-topic or even lean on the speaker’s desk. What you may not know is that this was not her first filibuster. That was in 2011, when she filibustered
My Friend, Randi Weingarten
I have known Randi Weingarten for about 15 years. When I met her, she was president of the UFT in New York City. Over the years, we have shared many important life events, including birthdays, weddings, and funerals. Randi and I first wrote an article together in 2004. It was a protest against the autocratic way that Michael Bloomberg was running the NYC public schools. The title of the article i
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-9-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Which State Has the Highest Graduation Rates?Graduation rates change every year, and the definition is not always exactly the same. In the most recent federal survey of state graduation rates, published in October 2011, the data are correct as of 2009. At that time, the average for all reporting states was 75.5% and the states with