Seattle Blogger: Connection Between Education and War in Syria?
Dora Taylor, a teacher and blogger in Seattle, was teaching a class about the the history of architecture from Egypt to the Roman Empire when a light went on in her head. She asked herself: Is there a connection between education and the war in Syria? Why do we always have billions to go to war but when it comes to reducing child poverty, there is no money, we are flat broke?
Rothstein on Duncan: Test-Based Accountability Has Failed
Here is the transcript from the Diane Rehm show and its interview with Arne Duncan. This is the interview where Duncan said he was “not familiar’ with the Justice Department lawsuit seeking to block vouchers in Louisiana because they will undermine court-ordered desegregation. Two others were interviewed about Duncan’s policies: Mike Petrilli of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Ri
Sharon Higgins on the Gulen Movements and Its Charters
Sharon R. Higgins is a parent activist in Oakland, California, who manages multiple websites as a concerned citizen. One is “charter school scandals.” Another is the Broad Report. Third is a compilation of articles about the Gulen movement. Sharon has long wondered why so many districts, states, and the federal government have turned over a basic public responsibility to foreign nationals, who hi
Art as Part of Protest Against Mass High-Stakes Testing
Art teacher Jen Scott entered a painting in a contest. It shows New York State Commissioner looming happily over children who are answering multiple-choice questions. If you like the painting, please vote for her here. See her piece here. The contest ends tonight at midnight. A Medina High School art teacher is seeking online votes in the second annual Vision Art Awards, in which she has ent
Turn Out for Hearings in New York About State “Reform” Policies
If you live in New York state, this is your chance to make your views known about the destructive policies mistakenly called “reform” by State Commissioner John King and the Board of Regents. Senator John Flanagan will be holding four hearings across the state to hear your concerns. Granted, a hearing from 10 am-2 pm is not teacher-friendly, but certainly retired teachers should turn out. If you w
Can Teachers Be Trained Like Navy Seals?
EduShyster has written a hilarious column about an interesting proposal. According to EduShyster, some very important hedge fund manager was upset by Motoko Rich’s article in the New York Times about the short (two-to-three year) “career” of charter teachers. He suggested that teachers should be as ready and as tough as Navy Seals: the best of the best! They turn over often, and who cares? EduShys
Ohio: Charters No Better Than Public Schools
The accountability hawks thought that tests and report cards would help to display the failure of urban public schools and pave the way for more privatization via charters. What they didn’t anticipate, however, was that the charter schools would do no better than the public schools–and by their own measures, far worse. Test case, Ohio. On the A-F report cards (a favorite of the reformers), nearly
Diane in the Evening 9-5-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Parent: My Son Suffered Psychological AbuseThis is a story written by a mother who enrolled her son in Democracy Prep in Harlem. She is a Nigerian-born journalist. She contends that the school’s rigid discipline was excessive and that her son spent hours every day in detention. It is a harrowing story. No doubt, Democracy Prep has
