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DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
Chicago Parents Say: Follow the Money
Chicago Public Schools say they are out of money, but look where they are spending money freely. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Representatives available for print or broadcast media interviews Contact: Amy Smolensky, 312-485-0053 Parent Group, Raise Your Hand Blasts CPS for Budget Priorities – Cuts Disproportionately Hit District Run Schools while Charter and Central Office Spending Increases CHICAGO, A
Is Tennessee’s Charter Law Unconstitutional?
A lawyer representing the Metro Nashville school board contends that Tennessee’s charter school law is unconstitutional. John Borkowski, of the Washington. D.C., law firm of Hogan Lovells maintains that the 2002 law “seems to impose increased costs on local governments with no offsetting subsidy from the state,” which he said violates the Tennessee Constitution. Borkowski concluded that the state
How Should Schools Be Graded?
Mike Petrilli of the right-leaning Thomas B. Fordham Institute thinks that policymakers are wrong to judge schools by proficiency rates. In a thoughtful article called “The Problem with Proficiency,” he argues that it makes more sense to grade schools by whether their students show “growth.” He offers the example of a school where the proficiency rates (passing rates on state tests) are very low b
Anthony Cody: What Do Prisons, Post Offices, and Schools Have in Common?
Anthony Cody explains here the sustained assault on the commons, the effort to privatize institutions that were long considered public. He considers what happens when prisons are privatized, creating profits by reducing the quality of service and care. He shows why the post office is being privatized and who stands to gain. And he summarizes the ongoing effort to privatize public schools and turn
YESTERDAY
BATS to Michelle Rhee: You Are Not Leading a Civil Rights Movement
I received the following letter from two BAT teachers who heard that Michelle Rhee is planning to speak in Birmingham and intends to portray herself as “a civil rights leader” in the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is well-known that Dr. King worked closely with labor unions–not against them–to improve the lot of working men and women. It may have been forgotten by now that when Dr. King w
Chancellor Tisch Promises Higher Test Scores Next Year
The head of Néw York state’s Board of Regents Merryl Tisch says everyone should calm down about the collapse of test scores across the state. Next year, she promised, the scores will go up. You can count on that, because the state commissioner can lower the cut score if he wants to avoid another embarrassment like this year. What you can also count on, sadly, is the humiliation that 70% of the chi
Education Bloggers Are the Best!
Ken Previti was puzzled that the U.S. Department of Education paid someone to “monitor” what I wrote. Here is his response to the latest effort to discredit my criticism of corporate reform. Why should the government monitor critics? How does it feel to know that the U.S. government is watching you and monitoring what you write? At the time, I heard rumors about it, but I didn’t believe it. Now I
Petition: It Is Time for Commissioner John King to Go!
This petition was written by supporters of public education in New York State called the Coalition for Justice in Education. They object to King’s insistence on high-stakes standardized testing, especially the Common Core testing that recently led to a collapse of student scores across the state. They seek a commissioner who cares about public education, cares about the quality of education–not ju
Indiana Governor Pence Defiles Democracy: LINK ADDED
Last fall, educator Glenda Ritz trounced Indiana state superintendent Tiny Bennett, who outspent her 10-1. Ritz collected more votes than newly elected Governor Mike Pence. Ritz is a Democrat, meaning that Pence and the legislature want to nullify her election. Controlling the state board of education was not enough. Pence announced today the creation of a new state agency–the Center for Educat
NC Gov Gives $$$$ to Young Aides, $0 for Teachers
It pays to be on the governor’s campaign staff in North Carolina. Governor McCrory gave jobs paying more than $80,000 to two of his 20-something helpers, barely out of college. Each of the kids got a raise of $22,000-23,000 after a few months in state government. Teachers must work 15 years to make $40,000. Teachers in North Carolina are among the worst paid in the nation. Teachers got no raises.
NEPC Urges Caution on CREDO Study of NOLA Charters
The National Education Policy Center urges caution when reading the CREDO study of charter schools in New Orleans. Governor Bobby Jindal has already taken CREDO as evidence for the success of privatization. NEPC says not so fast. In addition to technical issues in the study, the critics make the following observations: “Even setting aside these concerns, the effect sizes reported for New Orleans—
Gary Rubinstein: No Excuses for Democracy Prep
Gary Rubinstein here analyzes the unimpressive showing by Democracy Prep on the recent disastrous Common Core tests in New York State. He takes apart the effort by Mike Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute to rationalize the poor performance of the much-ballyhooed charter chain. Gary writes, “The hardest thing about trying to have an intellectual debate with ‘reformers’ is every time they
A Hero Superintendent in Long Island Says: “To Hell with These Scores. They Do Not Matter”
William Johnson is the superintendent of public schools in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York. He is an experienced educator. He can tell the difference between education and miseducation. For his willingness to speak truth to power, to defend the children and staff in his care, he is a hero of American public education. When he saw the scores generated by New York’s Common Core tests, he ble
Are You As Smart As a First-Grader?
This is only a portion of the English language arts curriculum for first grade in New York State, aligned to the Common Core standards. Many children in first grade have not yet learned to read, but they will be expected to understand and explain facts and concepts that belong in sixth or seventh or eighth or ninth or tenth or eleventh or twelfth grades. Six-year-olds may have trouble pronouncing
AUG 22
North Carolina: Moral Mondays Grow
Join the movement to stop the privatization of public education in North Carolina! Stand up to the extremists in the legislature and the extremist governor who are band onion public education and vilifying the teaching profession.. This just in: Advocating for high-quality public schools for North Carolina. August 22, 2013 On Monday, August 26th, please wear RED for public ed! North Carolina is on
My Secret
Here is the link to the story about the Obama plan to cut costs and measure everything for value-added in higher education. I forgot to add it because I was waiting in the doctor’s office for a check up and they called me in just when I was supposed to post the link. Here is my dirty little secret. I blog everywhere. It drives my friends and family crazy. I blog in taxis. I blog in elevators. I
Paul Thomas: Advice for Moguls and Celebrities
Paul Thomas of Furman University gas noticed an interesting and disturbing phenomenon. The people who seem most certain about telling schools how to change are those who have the least experience working in schools. Just one example that he gives: A movie director had dinner with two medical doctors and suddenly the director realized how to fix the nation’s schools. No experience needed. No resear
Obama Proposes NCLB for Higher Education: LINK ADDED
President Obama proposed a plan to rate colleges much as schools are rated now. Their federal assistance would be based on performance indicators. This is supposed to save money but 75% of college instructors are already adjuncts, working for peanuts. More likely, the President loves Big Data and wants metrics. Next step: technology to replace adjuncts. That will cut costs for sure. The ideal univ
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 Oklahoma
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 Sand Springs, Oklahoma, Llo
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
AUG 21
A Parent’s Modest Proposal
Here 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.
Leave a Comment on Huffington Post
This piece about “disruption” was cross-posted on Huffington Post, meaning that I wrote it this morning, got an invitation from HuffPost to write something, and offered to put this post in both places. I may do this with future blogs, to help spread the message of hope and good cheer about the growing movement to free our schools from the heavy hands of the corporate reformers. Feel free to go to
Why “Disruption” Is Not Good for Children, Families, Schools, and Communities
Earlier today, I published Judith Shulevitz’s brilliant essay on “disruption” as a business strategy. As we know, mega-corporations believe they must continually reinvent themselves in order to have the latest, best thing and beat their competitors, who are about to overtake them in the market. They believe in disruption as a fundamental rule of the marketplace. By some sloppy logic or sleight-of-
Duncan Hails Tennessee for Tying Teacher Licenses to Test scores
A reader sent this comment: “U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued the following statement today in support of Tennessee’s decision to make changes to its teacher licensure policy: “I want to praise Tennessee’s continuing effort to improve support and evaluation for teachers. For too long, in too many places, schools systems have hurt students by treating every teacher the same – failing
Incredibly Good News: The Public Does Not Support High-Stakes Testing
The new PDK/Gallup Poll had some amazingly good news for those parents and educators who have been fighting the movement to test, standardize, and quantify every last child, as well as to destroy public confidence in public education. What this poll shows is that the public is not buying what the U.S. Department of Education and the corporate reform movement are selling. They like their teachers a
Which Costs More: Education or Incarceration?
Robert Shepherd posted an interesting comment about where our society is willing to”throw money”: “How well I remember George Bush senior setting the direction for decades of policy by saying “You can’t solve the education problem by throwing money at it.” “Well, we seem to have no problem throwing money at prisons in this country. As of year-end 2011, 6.9777 million U.S. adults were “under correc
Breaking News: Boston Mayor Candidate Rejects Stand on Children’s $500,000
Earlier today, the news broke that the notorious Wall Street-funded corporate Stand on Children had selected John R. Connolly as their favorite for mayor and planned to give him $500,000-700,000. But it must have played badly in Boston, because Connolly announced that he would reject their campaign contribution. Surely there are enough successful hedge fund managers in Boston to pay for their guy’
How Did NYC Charters Fare on Common Core Tests?
We have often heard that charter schools will “save poor kids trapped in failing public schools.” We have also often heard that NYC has the best charter schools in the nation because the city chooses the authorizers so carefully and monitors them frequently. It is interesting, therefore, to look at the performance of the charter sector on the absurdly hard Common Core tests, where most kids across
Breaking News: Cerf Appoints Inexperienced Ex-TFA to Run Camden, NJ, Schools
Jersey Jazzman reports that Chris Cerf has selected an inexperienced young man, age 32, formerly on Cerf’s staff in New York City, to take charge of the Camden, New Jersey, public schools. Paymon Rouhaniford graduated from college ten years ago. He worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs. He worked for the New York City Department of Education, mainly in developing new charter schools. For the pas
Gary Rubinstein on Tennessee’s “Underachievement District”
When Kevin Huffman (ex-TFA) brought in his friend Chris Barbic (ex-TFA) to run a district made up of the state’s lowest performing schools, the district was euphemistically called the Achievement School District. Barbic promised that within five years, these schools would rank in the top 25% in the state. In its first year report, the state ranked it 5 out of 5 in growth; math scores were up by 3
Connecticut Commissioner Puts Uncertified Charter Leader in Charge of Turnarounds
Stefan Pryor was named state commissioner of education in Connecticut two years ago. He was a co-founder of the Achievement First charter chain, which has achieved a certain notoriety for its sky-high suspension rates (even in kindergarten), inflated graduation rates, and its very low numbers of English language learners (or none at all). Pryor has favored the charter sector at every turn, and Ac
Boston Candidate for Mayor: Keep Outside $$$ Out of Our Race
One of our loyal readers in Boston informs us that one candidate in the Boston mayoral race–Rob Consalvo– has appealed to his fellow candidates to refuse funding from out-of-state groups. Fat chance. Not only is Stand on Children (allegedly based in Oregon) throwing in between $500,000-750,000, but other groups including New York-based Democrats for Education Reform (the Wall Street hedge fund man
New Mayor in Los Angeles Hires Broadie as Education Advisor
Although billionaire Eli Broad’s candidates lost the last two school board elections, he will still maintain his grip over the Los Angeles school system. The newly elected Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the selection of a Broad-trained educator as his education advisor. Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana was a classmate of Superintendent John Deasy in the class of 2006 in the unaccredited Broad Superinte
Advice from Your Secretary of Education
A reader follows Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s Twitter feed (I do not; I do not monitor him). She noticed that he often promotes commercial, for-profit vendors. Others have noticed how often he lauds privately-managed charter schools and how seldom he praises public schools, except when their staff has been fired. She writes: Speaking of monitoring, Duncan’s Twitter feed is absolutely ama
Anthony Cody: The DOE Monitored Us But Ignored What We Said
If there is a watch list at the U.S. Department of Education, surely Anthony Cody must be on it, along with me. Anthony has been one of the most articulate critics of Arne Duncan and Bill Gates and the whole corporate reform agenda. Just when I think he can’t outdo his last column, he proves me wrong. This time, he explains his efforts to engage with Arne Duncan and how Duncan brushed him off. He
The Upside Down World of Common Core
This is a terrific article from an unusual source: George Ball, past president of the American Horticultural Society and chairman of the Burpee Seed Company. Ball writes: “Frequently, these days, I’m reminded of Edward Lear’s whimsical illustration, “Manypeeplia Upsidedownia.” The drawing depicts an imagined botanical species, with a half dozen characters suspended upside down from a flower’s bend
“Disruption”: The Worst Cliche of Our Time
Judith Shulevitz has written a brilliant essay in “The Néw Republic” about the corporate and political leaders’ infatuation with “disruption.” It is “the most pernicious cliche of our time.” She identifies its author, Clayton Christenson, and shows how it explains some technological change yet is now used in policy circles to undermine and privatize public functions. Shulevitz observes: “Christens
AUG 20
Reader: Did Tony Bennett Follow Michelle Rhee’s Footsteps
A reader, who requested anonymity, posted the following comment: “How closely did Bennett follow in Michelle Rhee’s footsteps.” One of the first things that happened during Rhee’s reign of terror in D.C. was that she announced that there was a multi-million dollar shortfall in the education budget. Shortly thereafter, she fired 241 D.C.P.S teachers, citing the need to make huge budget cuts. After
Stand on Children Dumps $500,000 into Boston Mayor’s Race
The corporate reform group, Stand on Children, dumped $500,000 into the Boston’s Mayor Race, and selected their candidate, City Councilor John R. Connolly. It is prepared to spend even more, dwarfing the spending of other candidates. This follows the pattern of the infusion of large outside money by corporate reformers in races in Louisiana, Colorado, California, and elsewhere. After reviewing a l
Lance Hill: Néw Orleans Lags Nation in Job Growth: LINK ADDED
Lance Hill of Néw Orleans, who has a long history in the civil rights movement, notes that Governor Bobby Jindal has been routing the “comeback” of Néw Orleans, giving credit in part to its privatized schools. Lance points out that Forbes ranks Néw Orleans as 198th of 200 US cities in job growth. No miracle there .
Give Rhee Credit for Higher Teacher Pay: LINK ADDED
The Washington Post reports that teachers in DC public schools have higher salaries than teachers in DC charter schools. Charter schools can set their own compensation levels. Some have opted for reduced class size, or other amenities. The higher salaries result from the 2010 contract negotiated by then-Chancellor Michelle Rhee. The Post notes: “The school system’s high salaries came with forme
Who Is Held Accountable in North Carolina?
A teacher explains what accountability means in North Carolina: I argue that the validity of these test scores and results are dismal because the test itself does NOT hold students accountable (at least in my state of NC). The entire basis of the test is invalid before the students even took the test. The only person that gets any consequence from poor test scores are teachers. No student is held
Paul Thomas Fact-Checks Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush has developed a narrative that is by now familiar: our schools are failing; the nation is in danger because of our failing schools; competition, high-stakes testing, and accountability will spur innovation and achievement; we need choice, charters, vouchers, merit pay, an end to job security for teachers; tying teacher pay to student test scores. No one in the mainstream media bothers to
Should the U.S. Government Monitor People Like Me?
I recently learned that the Obama administration “monitored” me. Two years ago, blogger Mike Klonsky tweeted that the U.S. Department of Education had a secret task force to watch me. He was ridiculed by Secretary Duncan’s press secretary in response. But now the Assistant Secretary for Communications acknowledges that he monitored me and others. It’s no secret that I never thought much of the O
Huffman’s Willing Collaborators
This retired district superintendent says that State Commissioner Kevin Huffman has not been alone in his assault on public education on Tennessee. Aside from the support if an extremist governor, he has been able to count on the silence and complicity of the education establishment. He writes: “I wish I could share your optimism that a grassroots groundswell will turn the tide against the privat
The Ethics of Loss Aversion
I recently received an email from a parent in North Carolina who told me that the legislators there want to adopt merit pay for teachers. They are very impressed with the Chetty-Rockoff-Friedman study that claimed that a great teacher could have lifelong effects on students, like raising their lifetime earnings by about $500 a year. And they are impressed by the Roland Fryer study claiming that te
Are Children Products?
I wrote a post last night called “When Competition Is Pointless.” The very idea that a federal education program would be called “Race to the Top” is indicative of a religious belief that competition will provide a better education, even if it can (by definition) NOT produce equality of educational opportunity. We might well wonder when our federal goal changed from equality of opportunity to a “r
What if the International Tests Are Wrong?
The corporate reform assault on American public education rests in large part on the international test called PISA (Programme in International Student Assessment), where US students rank well behind other nations and have only middling performance. Of course, the critics who brandish these mediocre scores never admit that they are heavily influenced by the unusually high proportion of students li
Tennessee State Board Changes Licensing Rules on a Conference Call
As if to demonstrate their utter contempt for teachers, the Tennessee State Board of Education changed the licensure rules on a telephone conference call that was open to the public. The vote was 6-3. Some board members said the change should be delayed because the changes were not well understood by the board. Not all the board members agreed with voting to adopt a plan that had elements that con
A Hero Educator Who Heads a Private School in Manhattan
What does it take to be a hero educator? It takes brains, courage, integrity, and a deep understanding of education and children. Steve Nelson, headmaster of the Calhoun School in Manhattan, is a hero educator because he has all these qualities. He wrote a brilliant article about why the Common Core won’t work. He knows that David Coleman, the architect of the Common Core, now heads the College B
Philadelphia: Shame on Governor Corbett!
The public schools of Philadelphia are being slowly, surely strangled by Governor Tom Corbett and the Legislature of Pennsylvania. Or, maybe, not so slowly. The state has a constitutional responsibility to maintain a public school system in every district but the state leaders don’t believe in what the state constitution says. Let it not be forgotten that the state has been in charge of the public
Holding Kevin Huffman Accountable
EduShyster here describes Kevin Huffman’s relentless campaign to demoralize Tennessee teachers and make Tenessee the worst state to be a teacher. She suggests that the time is soon coming when Huffman will be held accountable. Not by the state board, which rubber stamps his bad ideas even when they aren’t informed of the details. No, he will face the accountability of angry parents, teachers, and
A Passionate Plea from a Veteran Teacher in Tennessee
This is a great letter from a teacher to the state board of education on Tennessee: “Dr. Nixon, Speaking from 32 years of experience in education–both public and private–I beg you, implore you–yes, perhaps even grovel to you–to do your best to put to rest the issue of tying license renewal to student test scores. As I have never contacted the State Board of Education since I moved to Tennessee in
AUG 19
When Competition Is Pointless
The other day, I was involved in an extended online discussion about proficiency and accountability with about 50 people, mostly inside the Beltway. These are big names, people who make decisions that control your child’s life in school. I got more and more exasperated as the various think tank experts waxed on about how and why parents NEED to know how their child compares to children of the same
Please Help the Brilliant Paul Krugman Understand the Problems with Common Core
Paul Krugman posted this commentary about the Common Core standards. Clearly he has never read them and has no idea about the legitimate concerns that teachers and principals have. Instead, he echoes the claim by Times’ writer Bill Keller that the opponents are nearly all rightwing extremists. I just left a short comment, which has not been moderated and approved yet. I expressed my concern about
If You Are in New York City, Join Me to Discuss “Reform” on September 11
I will be discussing my new book, “Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools” at Judson Memorial Church, near New York University, on September 11 at 6 pm. The event is sponsored by Class Size Matters and New Yorkers for Great Public Schools Wednesday, Sept.11th 6-7:15 PM at Judson Memorial Church 55 Washington Square South, Manhattan Trains:
Literacy Experts Blast NCTQ Report
Literacy experts who are members of the Reading Hall of Fame took issue with the report of the National Council on Teacher Quality, which recently lambasted the nation’s schools of education. They questioned the bona fides of NCTQ, questioning its partisanship. Their strongest criticism was directed at the report’s fervent advocacy of phonics as the only legitimate way to teach reading. I have stu
The New York Times Hearts Common Core: Susan Ohanian Calls Foul
This morning the New York Times published a lengthy defense of the Common Core standards by Bill Keller, previously executive editor of the paper. Keller asserts that opposition to the Common Core comes from extremists on the far-right fringe. (He does say that there are critics on the left, and adds a link to my blog, but not to the post explaining my reasons for not supporting the Common Core.
Chile: Vouchers and Inequality
Please read the series of blog posts by Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig of the University of Texas on the subject of Chile, vouchers, social segregation, and inequality.
Reader: The Public Doesn’t Understand the Flaws of High-Stakes Testing
A reader whose nom de plume is “labor lawyer” responds to the AP survey–claiming that parents approve of high-stakes testing–with these observations: Anecdotal evidence (my own conversations over several years with well-educated middle/upper-middle-class parents), the overwhelming majority of parents approve relying, at least in part, on student test scores to evaluate teachers, including to dis
From a “Nobody Teacher” in Philadelphia
Received as a comment on an earlier post about the collapse of public education in Philadelphia due to lack of state funding: “As a nobody teacher in Philadelphia, born and raised here, I am truly stunned by this event at the Union League, the priciest, most snobbish, insulated institution in our city. There is nothing “public” about the place, and, in fact, they barred Catholics from being club
How the AP Turned a Survey into Propaganda
A widely distributed AP story claimed that parents favor high-stakes standardized testing and think that their children are taking the right number of tests. The obvious intent of the story was to deflate the anti-testing movement, which has been surging in recent years (consider that almost every local school board in the state of Texas passed a resolution opposing high-stakes testing and the leg
Kevin Welner Critiques Cunningham Attack on Me
Peter Cunningham launched a harsh attack on me and my forthcoming book, “Reign of Error.” I assume he has not read it as it won’t be available for a few more weeks. Some 200 comments were posted on his article, almost none supporting his intemperate accusations. One of them was a silly claim that I don’t want minorities to go to college, refuted here and in the book and many other places. Kevin We
Paul Thomas: Common Core and the Gravy Train
Paul Thomas points out that standardized test scores correlate closely with family income. He notes the lack of any evidence that more testing makes students smarter. The driving force behind the demand for Common Core and more testing is profit.
TFA About to Take Control of Atlanta School Board
Teach for America has always said that its long-term goal was to train future leaders who would take a significant role in shaping education policy. That is happening. Such alumni as Michelle Rhee, Kevin Huffman (state commissioner in Tennessee), John White (state commissioner in Louisiana), and Eric Guckian (education advisor to the extremist Governor of North Carolina) are using their power to p
Anti-Testing Movement Grows in NY Suburbs and Towns
The collapse of test scores in New York following the first tests of the Common Core standards is fueling the growth of the anti-testing movement. A huge protest took place in Port Jefferson Station on Long Island on Saturday. Fifteen hundred people turned out to denounce the Common Core and the tests that labeled most children as “failures.” To get a turnout of this size on a Saturday in August
AUG 18
What Your Child Should Do This Summer
It is almost too late for these great ideas because school starts soon, along with test prep and the certainty that the test will slap a label on your child and a number. G.F. Brandenburg has a list of activities that will help your child develop as a resourceful human being. If it is too late for this year, there are always weekends and holidays and next summer. Protect your child’s childhood!
Do Parents Support High-Stakes Testing?
A reader posted this AP story about parent support for standardized testing and the Common Core. If you read the story carefully, it shows that parents have no idea how test results are being misused and are unfamiliar with the Common Core. The headline says parents support “high-stakes testing,” but nothing in the story supports that assertion. One parent quote in the story below thinks the test
ALEC Owns the Ohio Legislature
ALEC, the extremist group that is funded by major corporations to protect corporate interests, has an amazing number of members in the Ohio legislature. That explains why the Ohio’s legislature keeps passing laws to privatize public schools. Education is a top priority for ALEC. ALEC strongly supports charter schools and vouchers. ALEC loves virtual learning, because it diverts public dollars to p
Teacher: I Am Not Alone
A teacher in Connecticut will lose her job because she teaches the neediest kids. If she can get a job in an affluent district, she will get a high rating. She writes: “I have been reading your flurry of blog posts and the excellent comments from teachers and other concerned citizens all at once this morning, and while I must say, they are very cathartic, my stomach is all in knots because they s
I Recommend This Book
This is a book you will enjoy. Michael Edwards, Small Change: Why Business Won’t Save the World. Edwards demonstrates what the title says: that business methods don’t work in the social sector. He says that the only meaningful change comes about when civil society organizes from the grassroots up to demand change. Edwards led the Ford Foundation’s program on governance and civil society. His boo
Shepherd: Instead of Mandatory Standards for All
Robert D. Shepherd answers a fundamental question about the Common Core: “Question: What should we have instead of a single set of mandatory standards for all? “Answer: Competing, voluntary standards that can serve as guidelines to be followed, or not, by independent, site-managed schools in which teachers make their own decisions about what should be taught, when, and to whom.”
The Attacks Begin
Because of my new book, which won’t be available until September 18, I fully expect the corporate reform attack machine to come after me. They have invested a lot of energy in charters, vouchers, merit pay, stripping teachers of tenure, collective bargaining rights, pensions, etc. despite the lack of any evidence that these strategies improve education. It makes them angry to be reminded that thei
Paul Thomas: The Power of Social Media to Give Voice
Paul Thomas is a professor at Furman University in South Carolina. Before that, he was a public school teacher for 18 years. He is one of the most passionate and eloquent writers of our time on the subject of poverty and education. In this blog, he mentions my transformation from conservative to whatever I am now, but more importantly he talks about how social media offers all of us a way to make
David Sirota: What Drives the Privatization Movement? LINK ADDED
David Sirota, Denver journalist and talk show host, has been trying to figure out the push for privatization. He thinks he has it: profits. He recounts the tawdry Tony Bennett scandal, in which he rigged school grades to protect a political donor, then moved on to Florida, where his wife was hired by a for-profit charter corporation that Bennett favored in Indiana. And he recites a few more chapte
AUG 17
A Reader’s Review of “Reign of Error”
This reader, Timothy Quinn, received an advanced reading copy (ARC) of my book. Here is his review, proving the power of social media: “I’ve had the privilege of reading an ARC of “Reign of Error.” It is an important book for anyone interested in preserving what’s left of our democracy. I’m president of my local board of education and the ARC is making the rounds among my colleagues. I look forwa
Who Should Go to College?
In a recent article in the New York Times about the Common Core, I was quoted saying that some kids don’t need to go to college. I was trying to explain to the reporter that the New York Common Core tests used absurdly high standards that resulted in a 70% failure rate. Not every child will make an A, I told her, and we should not fail B and C students. This was the printed summary of our intervi
Sandra Stotsky: What Does “College-Readiness” Mean?
Sandra Stotsky has emerged as a leading critic of the Common Core standards, based on her experience in Massachusetts in setting academic standards. Here, she takes issue with David Steiner, the former commissioner of education in New York. New York State Test Results: Uninterpretable But a Portent of the Future In the original version of David Steiner’s talk on the meaning of the drop in test s
Bitter Conflict in Chicago as Rahm Tears Down Community Center
This is copied from Norm Scott’s Ed Notes Online. Norm writes: Reports all day coming in from Substance on this open warfare by the ed deformer/neo-liberals on the community. You can follow events on the Substance web site. Two years ago at our last meetings in Chicago we went to La Casita for a few hours to talk to people – George Schmidt gave us a tour. I will hunt down that video and post it t
Alan Singer: What’s Missing from Common Core
Alan Singer of Hofstra University has written positively about the Common Core. But he realizes that something very important is missing from them: Any interest in education for democracy. The a core is heavily focused on skills, not content. The skills of citizenship are not among them.
A Review of My New Book
Sara Mosle reviewed my book in The Atlantic, which is unusual because it won’t be published for another month. I have read Sara’s work over the years and always found her thoughtful. She is now teaching in a charter school. There are a few things I don’t agree with here, starting with the claim that I was the “architect” of the corporate reform movement. I had nothing to do with the writing of No
Andrea Gabor: The Important Differences Between KIPP and Rafe Esquith
Rafe Esquith teaches fifth grade at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles and has achieved considerable fame for his methods. Every year his students put on a play by Shakespeare. Esquith is noted for emphasizing the arts and the love of learning. He is also recognized as a model by the founders of the KIPP charter chain. In this post, Andrea Gabor reviews Esquith’s latest book–”Real Talk for Re
James Meredith: Public Schools Are Being “Destroyed by Greed, Fraud, and Lies”
CIVIL RIGHTS HERO CALLS FOR EMERGENCY NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION Just Awarded Harvard’s Highest Education Honor, James Meredith Challenges Parents and Teachers to Demand Answers to 21 Questions and Take Back Control of Public Schools Upcoming 50Th Anniversary Tie-In: August 18, 2013 On the 50th anniversary of his historic graduation from the University of Mississippi on Aug
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