| Welcome to the fifteenth edition of our newsletter. This week brought with it some exciting new developments in the world of education. Controversy is exploding over the Gates Foundation's new plan to enter the world of higher education, and lawsuits against the Chicago Public Schools are being heard in federal court.Read it all here! And like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, andJOIN US at our website. |
Call Your Representatives About ESEA A bill on NCLB is coming to the floor and we can impact its destiny
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| Call your representatives about the new NCLB proposal |
Dear folks:
For the first time in 12 years, a bill is expected to come to the floor of Congress to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as NCLB. The Student Success Act, HR5, introduced by Rep. Kline, may be voted on in the House as soon as this week. We sent out a message earlier this week that unfortunately omitted links. Here is an update, with links attached. All parents, teachers and concerned citizens should call their House members this week; you can find their contact info here and a script is below.
Here is a handy chart, produced by Parents Across America, analyzing H.R. 5 and showing its positive and negative aspects. Here is link to the bill and proposed amendments.
Please tell your House member that the bill should de-emphasize high-stakes testing -- by eliminating the NCLB requirement that students must be tested annually in every grade 3-8th. The federal government should also get out of the business of mandating how teachers are evaluated; and stop linking teacher evaluation to test scores, which is unreliable, unfair and damaging to the quality of education.
Instead, they should refocus on the federal role to increase equity; by requiring states to submit plans on how they will improve equitable funding, and especially omit the unconscionable provision in HR5 that limits the amount of Title II funds that districts can spend on class size reduction to only 10%.
Title II funds are primarily used to provide teacher training and lower class size. Districts spend about 40% of these funds currently on reducing class size, a proven reform that helps all kids learn and narrows the opportunity gap.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Call the DC office of your Representatives, (you can find their contact info here) and ask to speak to their education staffer or legislative director.
Then say: I am a (parent, teacher, concerned constituent).
I want Rep. ____ to push to eliminate the federal requirement for annual standardized testing, and eliminate the federal role in prescribing how teachers should be evaluated.
Instead, the bill should focus on equity: by requiring that states submit plans showing how they will improve equitable funding in their schools, and by omitting ANY restriction on the amount of Title II funds that can be spent on class size reduction.
Smaller classes are a proven strategy to increase equity, and there is no better way to give all children a better chance to learn.
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| Gates Foundation Moves into Higher Ed The Gates Foundation shifts its focus to postsecondary policy. Will it continue the harmful practices of its K-12 reform?
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| The Gates Foundation is entering the world of higher education, but will it change its ways? (Photo Courtesy of DFID UK) |
This week, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation began organized efforts to extend its influence into higher education policy. The Gates Foundation is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to finance programs and research focused on bettering American higher education. According to their website, their mission in doing so is to "ensure that all low-income young adults have affordable access to a quality postsecondary education." But there are many reasons to fear Gates' growing influence in higher education. Critics say that Gates is buying influence in higher education without developing any sound policy or research worthy of that influence. If Gates has its way, higher education will focus on what many are calling quick fixes, focusing on measuring and increasing college graduation rates and short-term employability instead of investigating the substance of postsecondary education. And with so much of its influence revolving around financial measurability, many see Gates' education agenda as simply a business agenda.
Furthermore, people fear that Gates may try to replicate its K-12 policies in higher education. Gates was so dogmatic in its implementation of K-12 policy that teachers were forced to commence an online letter-writing campaign to have their input heard at all. The Gates Foundation has a reputation of buying its way into the education dialogue without listening to any opinions that differ from its own. As Diane put it in her blog this week:
"Just as it has done in K-12 education, the [Gates] foundation has bought the research, bought the evaluations, bought the advocacy groups, and even bought the media that reports on what the foundation is doing."
Below you can find some great pieces on Gates' influence in education. We encourage you to post your reactions to Gates' education initiatives on our online forum.
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School Closings Case Heard in Court Two lawsuits filed to protest Chicago students against school closings are in court this week. A decision expected byFriday.
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| It's been a busy year for the Chicago Teachers Union, who started this school year on strike and ended it by filing a lawsuit against the city for school closures. (Photo courtesy of the CTU) |
Tuesday marked the first day of court hearings in the fight to save Chicago schools. It was announced in March that the CPS would close 54 public schools, making this the largest closure of public schools at one time in American history. Since then, the number has decreased to 49, but parents and teachers continue protesting in the hopes of saving more of the schools. This week, the protests escalated to a legal battle in federal court.
Multiple lawsuits aimed at stopping the school closings have been waged. One lawsuit is based on the claim of racial discrimination, as it is estimated that African-American students will be disproportionately affected by the school closings.
Another lawsuit filed by the Chicago Teachers Union claims that the closures violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, with the argument that students with special needs who are being forced to move schools will face disproportionate hardship in the adjustment. Additionally, teachers worry that schools are not yet equipped to handle the influx of special needs students after less than one year of time to prepare. There are estimated to be 5,000 students with special needs who will be affected by the school closures.
The hearing is expected to end Friday, at which point Judge John Lee will decide whether or not to order a preliminary injunction that would halt the closure of the 49 schools in question. |
Tell NPE  Your Story
NPE wants to hear from you! We would like to publish real stories about the effects of misguided school reforms on our Friends & Allies. Please share this and send responses to networkforpubliceducation@gmail.com. |
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