Anthony Cody: Accountability Begins at the Top
In another great post, Anthony Cody explains why he is fed up with all the mud being thrown at teachers by politicians, foundation heads, corporations, and pundits. He asks, why no accountability for the banks and rating systems that lied and hid data and caused millions of people to lose their homes? Why no accountability for the big corporations that greedily soak up tax cuts while refusing to p
Bloomberg DOE Hurries to Privatize As Many Schools As Possible Before He Leaves Office
This is an alarming account of the frenzied efforts by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Department of Education to cement his “legacy” of opening privately managed charter schools while abandoning the public schools for which he is responsible. The high school named for the famed Socialist Norman Thomas will be closed and set aside as space for privately managed charters. This is a way of spitting on the
Letter from a Pennsylvania Student: Stop the Keystones!
A reader sent this letter written by her 14-year-old daughter. She should become active in the opt-out movement. She should contact Tim Slekar and Shaun Johnson “At the Chalkface.” Mother and daughter: resist. Join with others. Don’t let them destroy your education in the name of “accountability.” Hold the Mindless Testing Fanatics accountable. She writes: “Thank you for speaking up about these hi
Susan Ohanian Joins the Honor Roll
Susan Ohanian has been speaking, blogging, and agitating against bad education ideas for many years. Her writing is informed by a finely tuned sense of humanism–that is, she cares about people, especially children, more than big ideas and grand policies that treat people like widgets. She speaks with honesty, candor, courage, and integrity. She is tireless. She is the real deal. She has taught ev
TFA Wins Another $4.3 Million from Walton Family Foundation
Just when Teach for America was down to only $300 million in assets, the Walton Family Foundation awarded it another $4.3 million to send ill-trained young college graduates to spend two years teaching in the Delta. It seems like only yesterday, maybe two years ago, that the foundation gave TFA $49.5 million. Surely the brand new TFA recruits in the Delta will do no harm, and maybe do some good,
Fairfax County Teacher: Why I Quit
Ron Maggiano taught history and social studies in the Fairfax County (Virginia) public schools for 33 years. Along the way, he picked up many awards for his excellent teaching. Here he reflects on why he quit a career he loved. “Now more than three decades later, I have just spent my last day as a teacher. I resigned my teaching position because I can no longer cooperate with the standardized test
The Onion: A Bold and Innovative Charter School
Please read this. THE ONION GETS IT! When you become a joke in THE ONION, the end of school deform is in sight. The article begins: “ATLANTA—One year into its founding as the purported “bold next step in education reform,” administrators on Monday sang the praises of Forest Gates Academy, a progressive new charter school that practices an innovative philosophy of not admitting any students. “We’v
YESTERDAY
A BAT Teacher’s Dream
Want to know why the Badass Association of Teachers were created. It is because of stories like this one. Amanda wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember. She loved teaching. She was laid off. Thousands of other teachers could tell the same story. Does anyone care? Teachers care. They know that they could be next. That’s why the BAT gathered more than 20,000 members in only two we
Diane in the Evening 7-1-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Louisiana’s Largest Voucher School Kicked Out of Programby dianeravLast year, when Governor Bobby Jindal persuaded the Louisiana legislature to pass the nation’s most sweeping voucher program, the school that was selected to receive the largest number of voucher students was the New Living Word Church school. Although it lacked the