A Teacher in North Carolina Writes to His Legislator: Please Don’t Shut the Door to Opportunity
Received in my email: From: Justin Ashley Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2013 12:41:44 -0400 To: “Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net” Subject: A message to the NC General Assembly: Reopen the door (please) Mr. Tillis, I wanted to first thank you for your service to our state. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to make so many decisions that impact so
I Got It! The First Copy of “Reign of Error”!
Forgive a moment of exultation. That’s the moment when the first hardcover copy of your book arrives, and you know it is real. And it has a beautiful handwritten note from a great editor. The editor for “Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools” was Victoria Wilson. She is probably, no, certainly, the best editor in American publishing toda
Blood-Letting Kills the Patient
Bill Phillis, who was deputy superintendent of schools in Ohio, now spends his time advocating for public education in Ohio. He runs the Equity and Adequacy Coalition. He writes: “State policies supporting the privatization of public education are draining the life’s blood of the public common school “8/22/13 “From the advent of the 1851 thorough and efficient clause in the Ohio Constitution unt
My Comments on Blow Column, Cross-Posted at Huffington Post
Please leave a comment so that HuffPost readers will hear you. I made a few changes, adding a new ending.
Geoffrey Canada’s Charter Schools Get Mixed, Unimpressive Results on Common Core Tests
Four years ago, New York Times’ columnist David Brooks declared Geoffrey Canada’s charter schools to be miracle schools. The column was titled “The Harlem Miracle.” He did so based on the assurances of Harvard economist Roland Fryer and his colleague Will Dobbie. Fryer said in an email to Brooks that the charter schools of the Harlem Children’s Zone had produced “enormous gains.” Brooks wrote: “In
Seattle: Status Quo Crowd Fears Sue Peters
Sue Peters is an experienced journalist and parent leader who is running for Seattle school board. I have blogged about Sue because I have met her and I know how committed She is to strengthening the public schools of Seattle and standing up to the powerful corporate raiders. These corporate forces, the ones who wield great power in Seattle, do not want her elected to the school board. They fear h
A Hero Superintendent in Tulsa
Whenever a school superintendent stands up and speaks the unvarnished truth about what the federal government and the elites are doing to hurt their students, it takes courage. When that district superintendent is in a state where his views are unlikely to be well received by the state education department, it requires even more courage. The superintendent of schools in Tulsa, Lloyd Snow, is a her
How Sad that Charles Blow is So Misinformed
Charles Blow is one of the columnists in the New York Times that I usually count on to challenge the conventional wisdom and to speak up for the powerless. Sadly, in this column, he parrots the conventional wisdom and voices the opinions of the elites. Imagine, he calls the Broad Foundation a “reform” organization. The readers of this blog know the Broad Foundation as the source of malicious pol
Mercedes Schneider Compares AP and Gallup Polls
Most of us don’t have the time to dig down into polls and figure out the nuances of wording and responses. Fortunately for us, Mercedes Schneider has done it for us. She here compares the AP-NORC poll which concluded that most parents like standardized testing to the PDK/Gallup poll, which found that only 22% of parents thought that standardized testing improved their school. How did the two pol
Are AP Courses Ripping Off Minority Students?
Two news stories shine a bright line on the allure and failed promise of AP courses. Liz Bowie of the Baltimore Sun has an outstanding article about AP courses in Maryland, which has invested heavily on this strategy to lift achievement. She writes that the expansion of AP courses has not lived up to its claims. “It has not delivered vast numbers of students from low-performing high schools to sel
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A Parent’s Modest ProposalHere is an idea: Monetize your son or daughter. A reader suggests: I am thinking maybe I should auction off the placement of my daughter, an excellent test taker with consistently high scores, to the highest bidding teacher. The teacher gets to keep their job and I get to add to the college fund. Win Win
