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What Chris Cerf Did Not Admit About Democracy Prep
Jersey Jazzman has done his usual thorough job of researching the New Jersey Department of Education’s job of importing Democracy Prep to Camden. Here is his conclusion (but read what leads up to his conclusion): Democracy Prep’s practices includes more spending per pupil, a rigid “no-excuses” culture, high rates of attrition, and segregation by poverty, special need, and English proficiency. This
Another of Jeb Bush’s “Chiefs for Change” Steps Down
Stephen Bowen, state commissioner of education in Maine, announced that he was resigning his post to take a job as “director of innovation” for the DC Council on Chief State School Officers. He is the second member of Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change to resign in the past few weeks. Tony Bennett of Florida w the other; he resigned when news broke about rigging the A-F grading system to raise the grade
Louisiana Replaces Failed Charters with More Charters
Veteran educator Mike Deshotels writes here about Louisiana’s relentless drive to privatize public education. At a recent meeting of the state board of education, packed with Bobby Jindal extremists thanks to out-of-state money in the last board election, the board continued to approve more charters to replace failing charters. Deshotels writes: When questioned, State Superintendent John White “ha
YESTERDAY
Most Voucher Applicants in Wisconsin Attend Private Schools
At the behest of Governor Scott Walker, the Wisconsin legislature expanded the voucher program statewide, even though it did not raise test scores in Milwaukee over the past 22 years. As critics of the program feared, 75% of those who applied for vouchers are are not currently enrolled in public schools. Two-thirds are enrolled in private schools now. Instead of helping needy students “escape fr
Paul Karrer: Will Technology Widen the Achievement Gaps?
Paul Karrer teaches elementary school in Southern California, where many of his students are English language learners. Karrer worries that the demand for more expensive tools will not be a panacea. Instead, he fears, it will widen achievement gaps and reduce the schools’ budget for art, music, and other essential studies. Two years ago, Karrer wrote an open letter to President Obama that prescien
Is This the Future of Urban Districts?
This teacher describes a series of moves in Philadelphia to save money by hiring uncertified nurses and replacing experienced teachers with TFA. Superintendent Hite is a Broad Academy graduate. She writes: “It is a discouraging day for Philadelphia teachers. The school district has been scrambling/fighting to find $50 million to call back laid off employees in order to open schools. “The mayor f
What Chile Must Do to Improve Education
Chilean researcher Alvaro Gonzalez Torrez has read the posts about Chile and thinks the solutions are too timid. Here are his suggestions for what is needed to get free of free-market ideology: “I’ve been following the series of three blog posts about Chile, being a Chilean ed researcher myself. I believe Waissbluth’s contribution to the blog opens a debate of international relevance by showcasin
Best Quote of the Day
In a front page story in the New York Times about the budget crisis in Philadelphia, parent leader Helen Gym said this: “The concept is just jaw-dropping,” said Helen Gym, who has three children in the city’s public schools. “Nobody is talking about what it takes to get a child educated. It’s just about what the lowest number is needed to get the bare minimum. That’s what we’re talking about here
Will School Accountability Crash Like Wall Street?
Jason Stanford, Texas blogger, notes the growing number of scandals associated with “accountability,” and wonders whether school accountability will blow up like Wall Street did in 2008. He writes: “Just like AAA ratings on mortgage-backed securities led to Wall Street’s 2008 disaster, a rash of accountability scandals might be precursors to a similar public school crash. After years of promises
Mysterious Disappearance: Gail Robinson’s Story about Test Prep
Earlier today I posted about a fine article by veteran journalist Gail Robinson, explaining that intense test prep was not enough to help many students. She wrote specifically about the Young Women’s Leadership School in Brooklyn and included a link to a video where the girls were chanting about how test prep would make them succeed. The story is still listed on the insideschools.org website but t
When Test Prep Isn’t Enough
Gail Robinson has written a stunning article about the impact of the test score collapse in New York City. She begins by reminding us that students in New York City have been told for a decade that what matters most for their future and their schools is their test scores. They have done test prep, test prep, test prep, because the scores are so important. Nothing else matters so much to their futu
The Tortoise and the Hare in School Reform
Rachel Levy, education blogger and essayist, reflects on the reformy love of urgent change and disruption. When you read the reformy tracts, there is always appeals to act without delay or even pausing to think. We must act now, they say, the situation is desperate. Well, the situation may indeed be desperate but none of the reformy solutions actually work, and they usually make matters worse. If
Jan Resseger: Is School Closure About “Underutilization” or Punishment?
Jan Resseger here examines the shifting rationales for school closures. Please be sure to read her blog. School closures are a signature issue of the corporate reform movement. When schools close, the students are dispersed, usually to equally low-performing schools. When schools close, communities are shattered. Closing schools is a classic strategy of corporate reform, because it is disruptive,
Amy Prime: Some Good Ideas for Billionaires and Corporations
Amy Prime teaches second grade in Iowa. She has some excellent ideas for billionaires, millionaires, heads of corporations, and politicians who want to reform schools. If you really want to help, listen to Amy
My Advice to the Next Mayor of New York City
In November, New Yorkers will elect a new mayor. It matters a lot for the future of public education in the city. The mayor has complete control of the city school system. The mayor appoints 8 of 13 members of the city school board, who serve at his pleasure. If one of his appointees dares to disagree with him, the mayor may fire him or her on the spot. Mayor Bloomberg has closed more than 100 sch
AUG 15
How Albany Hurts ELLs
State Commissioner John King, Regents’ Chancellor Merryl Tisch, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Chancellor Dennis Walcott are proud of the Common Core tests that failed 70% of the children of New York State. They say it is “”very good news” that the tests got much harder. They don’t care that the achievement gaps between the advantaged and disadvantaged grew larger. They bask in children’s defeats. E
Today: More than 6 Million Page Views on This Blog!
Today the blog reached a new milestone: 6 million page views in not quite 16 months. I started the blog on April 24, 2012. Since then, I have published more than 5,000 posts and received more than 100,000 comments. A word to readers about the rules of the blog: Rule 1: Please do not use curse words. When you enter my blog, you enter my virtual living room. Curse somewhere else, not here. I try to
A Startling Message for Reformers
How many times have we heard “reformers” like Duncan, Rhee, Klein, Gates, etc. say that the way to “fix poverty” is to fix schools. By that, they mean that “no excuses” schools and Teach for America will solve the poverty problem. That’s a lot less costly than using government programs to change the tax code or create good jobs or do anything that directly reduces poverty. Better to open charter s
When the Major Media Are in a Few Hands, Then….
This article reflects on the future of news outlets in the U.S. There have always been a few fabulously wealthy men and families who owned large media outlets. But there were also thousands of small-town, small-city newspapers and even local radio and TV stations. The small papers and media have been snapped up by the big fish, and many have folded outright. The spread of the Internet has been dis
California Teacher on Common Core Test
From a teacher in California: “Our class had the “privilege” of taking the ELA SmarterBalance test for common core 4th grade. It was horrible. There were split screens, essays to type (our students have no keyboarding experience) and things to click and drag. So in addition to getting students ready for the CC standards, we will need time for computer and keyboard lessons AND we will need the upda
Privatizers Push Kentucky for Charter Law
Kentucky is one of only eight states that have not passed a charter law. That means that the state has been unwilling to turn public money over to private entrepreneurs, who will operate schools with little or no oversight. The privatizers can’t tolerate the possibility any state refuses their wares or their opportunity to operate in the dark with public dollars. So now the full-court press is on.
Meet the Broad Superintendents
Several readers asked for more information about the Broad Superintendents Academy. In a sense, information is scarce, since it has no printed curriculum, nor any published description of its course of study. However, there is plentiful information about its graduates, who are found in many of the nation’s urban districts and state education departments. It is important to recognize that this “aca
Rhee Begins National Tour
Michelle Rhee announced that she is launching a national tour of “town halls” to discuss how to make every school a great school. She will invite union leaders and teachers to attend as she stops in such cities as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Birmingham. She will be joined by Steve Perry, ex-CNN commentator, and George Parker, ex-president of the DC teachers union and now a member of Rhee’s sta
Teacher in New York: It’s Time to Fire John King
Yesterday I called for John King’s resignation. This teacher says John King should be fired. Here are her reasons: “A New York Teachers Letter on the Failed Leadership of John King I am dismayed by the leadership provided by John King, Education Commissioner of the State of New York. He is deliberately creating a testing and curriculum that penalizes children – especially children with emotiona
Black Agenda Report: “A Scab Is a Scab is a Scab”
Black Agenda Report is a fierce critic of the privatization and dismantling of public education. Some of their rage must be due to the fact that the privatizers claim they are doing it to “save” minority children. In this post BAR rages against Trach for America as a union-busting organization. Bruce Dixon of BAR writes: “Back in the days of organizing meat packing, steel and auto workers, empl
Chile: Students Fight Privatization, Inequality, Segregation
Chile is the poster nation for free market education reform. Dictator Pinochet installed Milton Friedman’s free market ideas into education. Chile has vouchers, and it also has vast income inequality. Vouchers have destroyed free public education. Now Chile has an angry student movement demanding free public education and an end to privatization. To learn about the damage wrought by the free mar
AUG 14
Phyllis Bush: Choice, Letter Grades, and Accountability—For Whom?
This great letter by Phyllis Bush, retired teacher in Indiana, is going viral. Phyllis is a fighter for public education and a member of the board of the Network for Public Education. When I met her, she gave me a tee-shirt that says, “Sisyphus Rocks.” This came to me from an education activist in Indiana: “Parents and Educators, “Here is a call to action. We reported this morning that the Fort W
NY Regents: Release the Test Questions!
The best use of tests is for diagnostic purposes, to help teachers learn what students got wrong and where they need more instruction. Students learn too from their errors. But if the results take months to score, they arrive too late to matter. And if the questions and answers are never released, and students never see their errors, then the tests are used only for ranking, not for helping kids.
Pearson Goofs on 4,000 Test Scores in Virginia
Mega-publisher Pearson admitted that it released the wrong grades for 4,000 students in Virginia. “Pearson issued a similar apology last spring for making mistakes in the scoring of admissions tests for gifted and talented programs in New York City public schools. Other scoring problems by Pearson in recent years caused delays in final test results in Florida and Minnesota. “Pearson and state edu
U.S. Department of Education Abandons Federalism
There is a sacrosanct principle that has informed the actions of the U.S. Department of Education throughout its 33-year history: federalism. That is, a recognition that the federal government has limited authority, and that states and localities have the primary responsibility for education. George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind was a direct assault on federalism because it asserted the power of
Principal: John King Hurt My Students
In response to my call for John King’s resignation, this principal in New York wrote: “Thank you, Diane! Last night I finally had the heart to review my school’s test scores, child by child. As I read their names and numbers, I saw their little faces on the days of the testing, so many in tears, and I cried. “This is so wrong for children. “I have an excellent school, smart, hard-working kids and
NYC Teacher: The Common Core Standards Are Broken and Can’t Be Fixed
This letter was written by a New York City teacher to his union president. “I am writing as a loyal union member and as a special education teacher in a middle class ethnically diverse neighborhood who knows a lot about testing because I spent nearly two decades assessing disabled children as part of a school assessment team.until this Mayor deemed my psychometric skills to be worthless Neverthele
Gary Rubinstein: Analyzing the Success Academy Success
Gary Rubinstein has a well established reputation as a careful investigator of miracle schools. On many occasions, he has debunked miracle claims. See his wiki site here. In this post, he takes a close look at the scores of Success Academy on the new Common Core tests. I don’t think Gary would classify the Success Academy schools as “miracle schools,” because they don’t have the same demographic p
Schneider: My Experience Teaching the Common Core Standards
Mercedes Schneider often writes analyses of politics in Louisiana and elsewhere and statistical critiques of studies. She has a Ph.D. in statistics and research methodology. But she has a day job. She teaches English in high school because that is what she loves. Recently she has been immersed in learning the Common Core standards. Here is her account of her experience with them.
Proof that There is No Liberal Media
This article from the Daily Kos proves there is no liberal media by listing the stories almost never mentioned in the major newspaper and TV shows. Think how little attention the reform wrecking ball has gotten. Only a major scandal like Bennett’s grade-fixing is noticed. No major paper would touch John Merrow’s exposé of cheating under Rhee. No one in the media cares about the US having the hig
Chile: The Most Pro-Market School System in the World, Part 3
This is the third and final post about Education in Chile by Professor Mario Waissbluth, which he wrote for this blog to help us understand a system that took Milton Friedman’s advice and relied heavily on testing and choice. Chile´s Education (III): A necessary change of course. In my two previous columns I described the Chilean political, economic and educational model. In short, growth with i
John King Should Resign
New York’s Commissioner of Education John King should resign. The job of state commissioner is to support and strengthen education and educators, not to undermine them. In his short tenure, King has used his position to wreak havoc on the state’s education system. He has demoralized educators. He has imposed an evaluation scheme that no one understands, but which he famously described as “building
AUG 13
Ed Berger Gives a Test to the “Reformers”
Blogger Edward Berger has a test for those who claim to be reformers. What do you know about teaching? How long did you teach? What gives you the authority to tell teachers how to teach? And that’s just the beginning. He concludes that most reformers are quacks.
Honor Dr. Rella for Standing Strong This Saturday
If you live anywhere on Long Island or near it, you should show up to meet and greet Dr. Joseph Rella, a hero educator who spoke out against New York State’s nutty and abusive scoring system. The event is on Saturday at noon. I received the following notice from his admirers: Dr. Joseph Rella, superintendent of Comsewogue School District, has created an opportunity for everyone who wants to end hi
Philadelphia Parents: Do Not Open the Schools!
Philadelphia parents have taken a strong stand against the budget cuts that have decimated their children’s schools. They say, “Don’t open them unless they are fully funded.” Parents were responding to the district superintendent’s statement that the opening of school may be delayed. Last spring the district laid off nearly 4,000 teachers and other staff. “I am in the unfortunate position today of
A Warning to the Anti-Common Core Group in New York
Three days ago, I posted about a new group formed to stop Common Core in New York. I watched and saw vehement arguments among the comments, especially about the extent to which the group was bipartisan or nonpartisan. The group is called Stop Common Core in New York State. Here is the link to the website: www.stopccssinnys.com or www.stopcommoncoreinnewyork.com. It has a FB group page https://www
The Great North Carolina Puzzle
Here is a puzzle for someone to solve. Governor Pat McCrory in North Carolina says that he did not cut the education budget. He says that the state is spending more than ever on education. This legislator says the budget was not cut, and anyone who says so is expressing “an outright lie.” And this legislator agrees. But every district is laying off teachers, teachers’ assistants, assistant princip
Why We Love Monica Ratliff
What is not to love about Monica? She beat the Billionaires Boys Club, which had assembled a massive campaign fund to defeat her. She was trained as a lawyer, worked in civil rights law, then became a teacher. She has taught for 12 years in a high-poverty school. She won election to the LAUSD school board as a long-shot underdog. Here she gently explains to a host on the Fox Morning Show that all
Teacher: What I Learned as a Student in Chile
As corporate reformers demand a free-market system, where charters and vouchers are easily available, and schools compete for students, it is wise to take note of Chile. Chile is the one nation that implemented Chicago economist Milton Friedman’s ideas into its education system, at the behest of military dictator Pinochet. This is a comment by a teacher who studied in Chile: “I was studying abroa
Fort Wayne School Board Votes to Disregard Bennett A-F Grades
The Fort Wayne Community School Board passed a resolution by a vote of 6-1 to discontinue using the A-F grading system created by disgraced former State Superintendent Tony Bennett. The South Bend, Indiana, school board is considering the same resolution: RESOLUTION OF THE FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES TO CEASE RECOGNITION OF ITS SCHOOLS BASED UPON THE BENNETT A-F S
Anthony Cody: Lessons from the NY Test Debacle
Anthony Cody has written another brilliant column, this one explaining the lessons of New York’s disastrous Common Core testing, in which 70 percent of the state’s children allegedly “failed.” I say allegedly because this was failure that was designed and manufactured by State Commissioner John King. King predicted what the scores would be before the students took the tests. How did he know? He de
NY Test Score Collapse: What Now?
What should happen next in New York after the Common Core testing debacle? I won’t share my thoughts here, which are strong, but instead share the views of an experienced educator. Jere Hochman is superintendent of the Bedford Central school district in Westchester County. This is what he concludes: “Schools have always used standards, designed curriculum, taught kids, and assessed learning and ac
Reader: What We Learned from the New York Test Score Debacle
The first Common Core test produced a massive decline in test scores across the state. Charter schools fared even worse than public schools, with many dropping by 50 percentage points in their proficiency rates. This reader read the handwriting on the wall: “These test scores emphatically highlight the failure of vision that the corporate reformers bring to the table. What scares me is the treme
Why Is Pennsylvania Unable to Pay for Public Schools?
Pennsylvania has more cyber charters than any other state (16 at last count). It also has a large charter sector that performs no better than public schools. The Governor took $1 billion out of the public schools’ budget, and he is allowing the public schools of Philadelphia to die. Here is a good explanation: “We cannot afford four separate school systems “Pennsylvanians must decide if we want t
A Hero Principal Speaks Out Against Absurd State Tests
Anna Allanbrook, principal of PS 146 in Brooklyn, is not afraid. She is one of the remaining veteran principals in a city that has ruthlessly pushed out veterans and replaced them with teachers who have only a few years experience. Allanbrook is 58. She remembers what it was like to be an educator before the state and city leaders became obsessed with test scores. Her school is highly popular. Las
The Bammy Awards: A Celebration of Educational Leadership
This is an event you should try to attend if you are in the DC area on September 23. It is the Bammy awards, and it celebrates the contributions of educators, not corporate reformers. Last year, Linda Darling-Hammond, John Merrow, and I received Bammies for “lifetime achievement.” None of us is finished. We continue to fight for better days in American education. Congratulations to Errol St. Cl
Chile: The Most Pro-Market School System in the World, Part 2
This is the second is a series of three articles written by Professor Mario Waissbluth of Chile for this blog. In this series, he describes the school system in Chile, which is based on testing and choice. Chile´s Education (II): The results of the most neoliberal system in the world Yesterday I described the Chilean economic and educational system. Now I shall explore its good and ugly results.
AUG 12
Revised: UFT: Call Arthur Goldstein at Once!
[I am reposting this article because the formatting was not clear the first time round. Arthur was quoting the linked article, but I did not set off the quoted sections correctly. My mistake, not his. I think I got it right this time.] Edwize, the house publication of New York City’s powerful teachers’ union, just published a strange and somewhat incoherent article, saluting the collapse of test
How Come Commissioner King Knew the Test Scores in Advance?
Carol Burris is not only the principal of the year in New York, as chosen by her colleagues, but she knows her statistics. In this article, she explains Commissioner of Education John King’s magic trick of predicting the scores before the tests were given. It was magic of the highest order. And Burris has a brilliant idea about how to close the achievement gap: “And so to all of the wannabe Kresk
Any Hero Educators in North Carolina?
North Carolina is blessed to have a state superintendent, June Atkinson, who has said publicly that in her thirty years as an educator, she has never known a worse time for public education in the state. So far, she has been unable to slow down or shame the privatizers now running the state’s education system into the ground. She needs help. This North Carolina teacher wonders if there are distric
UFT: Call Arthur Goldstein, Classroom Teacher
[I am reposting this article because the formatting was not clear the first time round. Arthur was quoting the linked article, but I did not set off the quoted sections correctly. My mistake, not his. I think I got it right this time.] Edwize, the house publication of New York City’s powerful teachers’ union, just published a strange and somewhat incoherent article, saluting the collapse of test
Mark Naison: The Fatal Arrogance of Our Elites
http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2013/08/to-nations-elites-teachers-are-losers.html To The Nation’s Elites, Teachers are “Losers!” There is a reason that people like Bill Gates, Chris Christie, Rahm Emmanuel, Jeb Bush, Andrew Cuomo, Eli Broad, Michael Bloomberg and yes Barack Obama will never really listen to teachers voices. And that is because, in the competition for money, power, and po
Will LA Mayor Choose Corporate Reformer to Advise Him?
This Los Angeles parent explains why parents are alarmed by the prospect that the new mayor Eric Garcetti might choose Thelma Melendez, one of Arne Duncan’s deputies as his advisor. She writes: “In making this appointment, the Mayor should follow his creed to lead by listening and consider first and foremost the concerns of public school parents, the only “special interest” group whose only conc
Who Supports Common Core? Business Leaders.
The collapse of test scores in New York State was immediately followed by a ringing endorsement by business leaders. Their statement was assembled by Education Reform Now, a corporate reform group that promotes privatization. The business leaders, including Joel Klein, are certain that there will be no prepared workers for them to hire without Common Core. How many of them know what the standards
Matt Damon: A Hero of American Education
Here, Arthur Goldstein explains why Matt is a hero of public education, and why those who send their kids to tony elite schools while they close public schools are not. The corporate reform PR machine has trained its big guns on him because he put his kids in a private school. First, they wreck public schools by turning them into testing factories, then they ridicule those who don’t like what they
The CAN Vulture Arrives in North Carolina
Supporters of public education in North Carolina are reeling as a result of the sustained assault by the Legislature in this session, but in comes a Gates-funded project to claim that defeats are actually victories and to lobby for merit pay. The CAN idea is supported by hedge fund managers and Gates to promote charter schools, evaluating teachers by test scores, awarding higher pay to those whose
Why Did Stores Abandon Teacher Appreciation Day?
This article tells a sad story of teachers in San Francisco who count on a yearly event called Teacher Appreciation Day to get free stuff for their students. Before the era of deep budget cuts, teachers didn’t have to forage for school supplies. But once the budget cutting started, it never ended. The teacher in this story plans her day and figures she can visit nine stores to pick up free stuff t
No Accountability for Nonpublic Schools
A reader from Milwaukee sent this comment: “You would think there would be accountability, but here in Milwaukee we have had religious school choice and charter for a number of years. “There is practically no accountability to the state DPI regarding certification of staff, assessments, curriculum, open records, etc. We are requiring them to seek some type of private school accreditation, but giv
A Hero Educator in Long Island
This superintendent saw the scores on the Common Core tests and hit the ceiling. He was not shy in contacting his legislators and parents to tell them that he smelled a rat. The state commissioner predicted a 30-37% fall in scores last fall, and lo and behold, there was a 30-37% fall in scores. Superintendent Joseph V. Rella of the Comsewogue School District in Long Island joins the honor roll tod
A Hero Educator in Upstate Néw York!
Imagine the superintendent of a high-performing district who is fearless and speaks boldly about the political manipulation of the Common Core test scores. Imagine a woman who defends the students and staff against the rigging of scores by ambitious politicians and bureaucrats. That is Teresa Thayer Snyder of Voorheesville in upstate Néw York, a district that has a 97% graduation rate. Scores cras
Chile: The Most Pro-Market School System in the World, Part 1
This is the first of three posts written by Professor Mario Waissbluth about education in Chile. I invited him to contribute to the blog, because Chile represents our future if we continue our present course of action towards a market system built around the principles of testing and choice. Chile´s Education (I): The most pro-market system in the world Mario Waissbluth This is the first of three
AUG 11
What’s Not to Like About Exeter? Sidwell? Lakeside? Dalton?
The folks at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute are struggling to come to terms with the New York testing disaster. They certainly will not retreat from their deep faith in standardized testing, and they insist that there must be more parent choice, even though parents are sick of the excessive testing and most continue to choose their neighborhood school, if they still have one. This is my favorite
TFA: Just One Anecdote After Another
Paul Thomas here discusses the amazing phenomenon in which the TFA brand is losing its luster. The dissidents and defectors grow more numerous, and some are so angry that they go overboard.
Photo of the Day from Philadelphia Parents
Here it is. A carefree governor paddling away while the children of Philadelphia lose arts, sports, computers, guidance counselors, librarians, books, etc.
Our Kids Are OK, the Tests Are Not
Stephen Dyer in Ohio can’t believe that 2/3 of the children in New York failed the state tests. He says if he or his wife wrote an exam that 69% of students failed, the shame would be on them or the tests, not the students. The Néw York scores lack face validity. Dyer says: “Does anyone really, I mean really, believe that more than 2 out of every 3 children in New York State are failing? Or that o
A Gift for You This Sunday
This is a favorite of mine. I think you will enjoy it, and the singer is gorgeous. Would someone please tell the mayors and governors and legislators to stop laying off teachers of music and the other arts?
Wikipedia Page on Vouchers Revised to Favor Vouchers
A sharp-eyed reader noticed that the Wikipedia description of vouchers has been revised to put vouchers in a favorable light. The entry somehow slides past the fact that voters have turned down vouchers whenever they were put on the ballot. Every voucher program in the U.S. was enacted by a state legislature–or in the case of D.C.–by Congress. Not one of them was adopted or approved by voters. Th
Breaking News: Common Core Tests Widen Achievement Gaps
According to an exclusive report in the New York Daily News, the Common Core testing widened the achievement gaps between high-needs students and their advantaged peers. The Daily News had access to a study by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. “According to the Annenberg report, schools with the highest concentration of special-education students saw a 64% decrease in reading scores and 7
Losing the Heart of the Community
What happens when privately managed charter schools replace public schools? when experienced teachers are replaced by TFA temporary teachers? A reader comments: “From what I can tell, Arizona’s TFA teachers are thought of as rock stars in education. Knights in shining armor to save the school day. It’s the new baby and everyone loves it. Charters are popping up all over the place. The buildings ar
Who Was Your Favorite Teacher?
This is a terrific website. Readers answer the question, “who was your favorite teacher and why?” It is fun to read the responses. People write about teachers who were strict and demanding; they write about teachers who were passionate about their subject; they write about teachers who were inspiring; they write about teachers who were fun and pulled pranks; they write about their physics teacher,
New Group Forms in New York State to Fight Common Core
A parent in New York contacted me to tell me of a new group that she and other parents created to fight the Common Core in New York. She writes: My name is Yvonne Gasperino. My husband and I have started a grassroots effort named Stop Common Core in New York State on April 3, 2013. Here is the link to the website: www.stopccssinnys.com or www.stopcommoncoreinnewyork.com, we also have a FB group p
As Philadelphia Schools Die, Governor Corbett Goes Kayaking
This just in from a retired Pennsylvania school superintendent: “Beyond Belief! “On the August 9 front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Superintendent of Schools makes a desperate last minute plea for adequate funding to give his city’s school children some semblance of equal educational opportunity. “And the state and city leadership response is similar to the legend of Nero f
Jersey Jazzman Explains NY’s Triple Lindy Testing Mess
Remember when teachers wrote the tests for their students to determine way they knew and what they needed to study again? Remember when testing was feedback intended to inform instruction? It’s all over! Jersey Jazzman explains the crazy way that Néw York state decided to grade the tests. Only a mad psychometricians would come up with a process so convoluted. It’s a triple Lindy. Maybe a quadrup
Why Wall Street Loves Charters
This is not satire. It is real. In a guest post for EduShyster, a hedge fund manager explains why Wall Street loves charters. To them, the way to manage schools is to treat them like a stock portfolio. Keep the winners, dump the losers. Report the success of the winners, forget about the losers. It is a great formula. The CREDO study has been cited as evidence that charters are getting better but
AUG 10
My Granddaughter Loves Learning
Teresa Thayer Snyder is a superintendent in upstate Néw York. She has more sense in her little finger and more understanding of children and education than the entire State Education Department. We have a surprise for her on Monday. And I have a promise for Dr. Snyder: the tide will turn. And she will be instrumental in turning it. Here she is: “Dear Dr. Ravitch: My granddaughter is about to turn
Demolition Derby in Michigan for School Districts
Under a recently passed state law in Michigan, two school districts will be dissolved. Inkster and Buena Vista school districts no longer exist. Their students and teachers have scattered. The students are looking for schools, the teachers are looking for jobs. The districts have no say in the matter. In Governor Snyder’s rush to impose his brand of “reform” on Michigan public schools, local contr
Two Indiana Schools Closed Needlessly Because of Bennett’s “Fixes”
A newspaper story in Indiana says that if Tony Bennett had given the same break to other schools that he give to his favorite GOP campaign contributor, two Indianapolis schools would not have been closed. But unfortunately neither school had contributed to GOP campaigns, so there was no reason to save them. Which reminds me that I received this tweet: Angel Cintron, Jr. Bennett’s rubric: A=awesome
New NY Scores Prompt Increased Interest in Opting Out of Next State Tests
Long Island’s Newsday has a story about growing interest by parents in opting out of state testing. It says that the terrible scores will increase the number of parents who don’t let the schools test their children. William Johnson, the superintendent of Rockville Center district, says the scores are essentially useless. They dropped so far for so many students that he can’t make any sense of them
Gates Foundations Spends More Millions on Corporate Reforms: Link ADDED
The Gates Foundation just showered more millions on allies prepared to spread Bill Gates’ gospel of testing, test-based teacher evaluation, and Common Core. Millions for the young inexperienced teachers who fight tenure and demand testing (Educators4Excellence); millions for Jefferson County, Colorado, where the school board and superintendent believe in testing and privatization; millions to buy
Jeb Bush Criticizes Our Hero Matt Damon
Jeb Bush attacked superstar Matt Damon because he put his kids in private school in Los Angeles. Bush sent his own children to private school. He went after Matt because Matt spoke up for public schools in 2011. Matt went to public school in Cambridge. But everyone should support public education, no matter where their children go to school. Everyone pays for them. They benefit all of society.
Stand Up for North Carolina Schools
ACTION ALERT! Public Schools Matter - Get Your Facts Straight! publicschoolsfirstnc.org Get Your Facts Straight! Education Rallies Across the State Join Public Schools First NC, Progress NC and the NCAE as we head across the state to rally in support of our public schools. We need to set the record straight and hold lawmakers accountable for what they did to public education this year. The public
Paul Horton: Why Gatopia Will Never Work
Paul Horton teaches history at the University of Chicago lab School. He has been writing brilliant critiques of corporate reform. In this post, he reviews the history of efforts to make education rational, predictable, and measurable. A few nuggets: “Have you ever read Dr. Seuss’, The Butter-Battle Book? It made perfect sense to me, a Cold War military brat. The “boys in the backroom” were very sm
Lace to the Top on Trial by Test
From a reader: The media reported 31% of students passing, but seemed to miss the story. The story is not the result, but what happened along the way. Students became ill during tests and pushed themselves to the point of vomiting. They broke down and cried. They sought refuge in bathrooms. They went through countless pencils as they erased answers and any trace of self -esteem. They lost sleep a
What Jeb Bush Said to ALEC
ALEC has established its reputation as the organization funded by major corporations to promote deregulation, privatization, and whatever else benefits the big corporations. In this speech, Jeb Bush spells out his agenda, which closely aligns with that of ALEC: Vouchers, charters, deregulation of teaching, virtual charter schools, for-profit charters, and Common Core. The only particular where ALE
Peter DeWitt Is Outraged by New York State Tests
Peter DeWitt is a wonderful elementary school principal in upstate New York. He is sensitive, caring, kind, and devoted to his students. He is outraged by what the State Education Department has done to his students and their teachers. You can feel his barely contained rage in these words: I don’t want to sound arrogant but most school leaders know more than the state education department does…whe