Columbus, Ohio: Cutting Parents Out of Public Education
A blogger in Columbus updates us on recent developments there. First the mayor decided to get involved, which everyone thought would be a good thing. Then the mayor appointed a panel of “experts,” many of whom do not live in Columbus and 96% of whom are not public school parents. Then the panel released its plan: “And when the panel came out with suggestions that included eliminating the intern
Rahm’s Plan: Another 2,000 Teacher Layoffs
Mayor Rahm Emanuel continues with his pan to downsize public education in Chicago, while privately managed (mostly non-union) charters proliferate. Rahm recently told Charlie Rose that school reform was his highest priority as mayor. Here is a statement from a Chicago organization created to fight the endless budget cuts: Raise Your Hand Coalition: Press Statement in Response to Layoff Announceme
Inside Story: Why Louisiana Joined inBloom
Thanks to tireless bloggers and parents, who FOILed the emails, you can now read about how and why Louisiana State Superintendent Zjohn White decided to turn over confidential student data to the Murdoch-Gates collaboration. Do you want to know what the powerful say to each other? Read this fascinating account of The Art of the Deal.
David Kirp: Frequent Turnover of Superintendents Is a Bad Idea
David Kirp writes that the frequent firing and turnover of coaches in the National Basketball Association is destabilizing, and the same is true in the superintendency of school districts. Of course, bad superintendents should be removed, but when the superintendent is doing a good job, they should have time to get something accomplished. The bottom line is that school districts need stability, no
Prince George’s County: No Democracy for Us
Prince George’s County, Maryland, will become the first county in the nation where the county executive controls the schools. The executive will appoint the schools’ superintendent and several board members. No doubt the Maryland legislature was impressed by the success of mayoral control in Chicago and Cleveland. Or was it Néw York City, where Mayor Bloomberg doubled the budget without narrowing
Watch This, You Will Love It: Nurturing Creativity
Forget data for a few minutes. Forget lockstep learning. Watch a Powerpoint about nurturing creativity and imagination among children. It is especially valuable for parents. It was created by Sheila Schlesinger, an experienced educator and a regular reader of the blog. Sheila has been teaching pre-K in Brooklyn for 15 years. We are very lucky to have teachers like Sheila. Enjoy!
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: President Obama and the New ElitismPaul Horton, a history teacher at the University of Chicago Lab School, wrote the following open letter to President Obama: July 12, 2013 Dear Mr. President, I am very concerned about how you decided to go the way that you did with your Education policies. I was recently told by a close friend of
